oceanqueen101

Just a note that some (most?) third party insurers offer a CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) add-on that would pay 75% *cash* back, not just a cruise credit.

 

We always get coverage from a third party insurer, so there is no internal conflict between the travel providers and the insurer.

 

See the following for the CC subforum on travel insurance:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

thanks for the info. I always get insurance from the TA but will look into this; since I generally book my cruises the first week of Sept for that price drop. So do you get 2 policies or just the one from the 3rd party. and do you find them online. Im sure we cant mention names on here

The Zika concern is legit and they should let those people disembark that are concerned but I don't feel they owe them a refund. You can go ANYWHERE on a cruise if there are weather issues. If you aren't prepared for that the cruise line cannot refund 4500 fares. They can let people off while in NY though if they insist. I think? :confused:

I have to disagree, I believe the risk of contracting Zika is valid for a refund and I would definitely request to speak to a senior officer. I would express the danger I feel of contracting Zika intelligently and calmly. I request to exit the ship file a medical claim with a supporting dep from my doctor. I would request a refund but understand that I would probably have a better chance of at least letting them negotiate for another sailing. The risk of having a special needs child far out weighs a weeks worth of crappy vacation. and I don't believe NCL would want that in the press if its handled in the proper manner

can any recent cruisers tell me any of the staff names working in splash academy?? My daughter is wondering if there is any past staff from our last sailing thanks so much!

Jan

we remember Milk Shake and Gaga from our 9-4/9-11 cruise

I don't understand that (and same thing frustrated me on RCCL). To me, that represents the opposite of "Freestyle" cruising. It's basically telling everyone that they should be eating lunch/dinner at those specific times. What if we sleep in and eat a very late breakfast? So then, after breakfast, our daughter goes to the club and they close in 30 minutes for "lunch". Well, we don't want lunch. We only just finished breakfast. And when they close for "dinner"...again what if you're not eating at that time? So they're basically trying to pigeon-hole all families with Splash Academy age children into a defined schedule. Not very "Freestyle" IMO. Kids clubs (on all cruise lines) should have continuous hours.

:confused: Why exactly do you feel the time that they close for meal breaks infringes on your freestyle experience. Nobody marches you and your family to a eating venue and force you to sit down. We were just on the BA 9/4-9/11, and various other ships utilizing the kids programs and I saw them do a lot in the closure times definitely not cutback as they were in their working very hard changing the room over for the next theme of the day. My family and I eat at unconventional times as well but we worked that around the splash schedule so if they started a program in the splash at 5 then guess what my kids didn't get there til later and it was just fine. and for the time it was closed that was time we used to do family activities because it was a family vacation. Not adults being on vacation with NCL as a full time baby sitter

I just got married at sea on the Escape on 8/21. There is quite a bit of paperwork involved to make it legal, but I am in fact legally married now. So yes, it CAN be done. You need to get specific paperwork for the country you're getting married in. Certain pieces of it will need to be:

Notarized

Certified

Apostille'd (Apostille letter attached by Secretary of State office)

 

As long as the government in the location you get married in approves your marriage license and registers it, and you meet the requirements to get married at the location your wedding will take place, the USA will recognize it too. But check with your state attorney general's office, some states may not recognize it.

-Keith

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Seems like a lot of work and if one piece is messed up would hate to find out it was null in void. I recommended getting married at the local court house and ceremony at sea. Did you ever consider that as an option? Bye the way congrats!!! Sure it was all worth it!!!

Just because the Bahamas gave them this right doesn't necessarily mean that it is legal. I could go online and pay $200 to be ordained as a minister in the Church of Internet Ministry and be legally able to perform a wedding ceremony anywhere I think.

 

OP should inquire with the county/state they live in if a "wedding at sea" is legal or if they would still have to go to the local courthouse later on to make it official.

This topic came up in conversation with a friend of mine who is about to drop 30+thousand on a Island port wedding and is now lokking for a cheaper option. What I told her is this NO the wedding my not be legal at sea but what you do is you go the courthouse in your state and get married legally on paper and then have your beautiful less expensive ceremony at sea.

oops forgot my ds did get hurt while on the ship he ran into a hand rail that was just his height at full speed and cut his forehead open a superficial laceration about 1in long, but immediately bled like the dickens. I applied pressure and ice they took us down to the medic they gave him glue and steri strips and some motrin and advised not to get the dressing wet for at least 72 hrs to allow the glue to close the wound. Which I already knew. I'm a nurse so I was really on top of it. Then after they treated him a full investigation ensued with ship security taking me to the scene pointing out all staff that was involved with immediate first aide. they reviewed video of the area. All of this was more unnerving than him getting hurt. I had to give a statement like 3 times then write it. but all in all they decided the rail was at his height, so all medical expenses were waived. As for my boy after the immediate shock of all the blood he was patched up and ready to go play after a couple about 3 hrs by the next day he wanted all the bandages off his forehead said it made him look silly. I made him keep it on until the morning before school, just to make sure the skin was completely sealed

hi just off the breakaway 9-4/9-11 seriously apologize unable to write a full review due to my husbands upcoming surgery and getting the kids back to school. we have a dd6 and ds7 they absolutely loved the kids club. the day starts 9am-12 open free play which is random games and video games aka free play then the club closes 12n-2 while at sea for family lunch time then reopens 2-5 for a structured theme like super hero day, spy games, island survivor are a few that I remember. Then they are closed from 5pm -7 family supper then reopen at 7-10:30 for nightly themed parties. Glow night, Pirate night, pajama party, are just a few I remember 1 evening they came down to do pizza making in the buffet area with kids and parents. On port days the ids can stayed signed into the club with the youth staff and have meals along with the programmed activities if the parents went on shore and left the kids on board but that's not something we chose to do we take our lil ones with us. I will look and see if I kept the kids programs. glad to answer anything else. We booked next year same week same cabin because they loved it this cruise so much. there is a lot to so rock climbing, water slides, kids pool decent size a lil more than 3ft, a harness trampoline which they didi every chance they could!!! and the spider slide which is this upright tunnel of bungee like material they have to climb to the top and go down a tall twisted slide. they loved it!!

Will be following closely. Thank you so much for posting. We leave out on another line on Sunday so interesting to see what tomorrow's weather brings for you. Congrats on the weight loss my husband and I have committed to a lifestyle change for weight loss when we get back.

Am on the cruise leaving Sunday. They won't delay for a day or 2...that would require massive refunds. They might delay for a few hours. But every report now seems to show it really close to the coast come Sunday. We might head a little more out to sea before turning South. Probably very rocky Sunday and Monday, but after that should be ok.

MY family is on this same cruise leaving Sunday don't mind a rocky start but wondering what this means once we get to Bermuda I hear they are still going to have rough waters and rain:(. and will most of the outdoor activities be shut down all week like the waterslides and ropes course. our 6&7 year old will be heart broken

Major upgrade over the next year.

 

https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/great-stirrup-cay

Looks amazing but seems to be a bit much for just a few hours stay. Villas 1&2 bedroom??? will they be making this an over night destination

I just came off the Gem early May and was not so amused with it :( My main gripe was with the kids program they limit it to the first 20 kids which is terrible considering there is way more than 20 kids on board. My children were turned away many times over the week and in order for us to definitely get them in we had to be in line for over an hour before they opened. Not exactly my idea of fun and my kids were very sad when they couldn't get in to activities they looked forward to.

 

Have been on numerous Norwegian boats and this is the first time where they refuse entry to children and 20 kids is a ridicules number for how many kids they have on board. I wish this info was posted on their website I would have never taken that cruise and paid so much $ for a very frustrating week!

:eek::mad: that's terrible. You are absolutely right to feel cheated. The children's program is one of the main reasons why we started cruising as opposed to other types of vacations in the first place. I was on the gem 2 years ago and this wasn't an issue and it was loaded they even did a kids circus program on the last sea day. This definitely has something to do with staffing shortage. The kids camp was a large area. I would have made a BIG BIG STINK until my kids got in.:cool:

Unfortunately, the one removed from the Haven menu was a 1.5 lb whole cold water lobster. I have had it before and it was very good and I get them fresh caught here in NJ all the time. Is it a big deal that we can no longer get them? NO. But when I spend 9k on a cabin and they start to take stuff away and throw a couple of lousy shrimps in its place I no longer care to spend my hard earned dollar on a diluted product. Geez, I can't even get a comped bottle of water for 9 grand? I just came back from a week at an all inclusive in Mexico that was less than half the price and it included lobster, filet mignon and UBP and low and behold all the bottled water I could drink!!!!!!!!

 

IMO there are much better values than the nickel and dime product NCL is now offering. Once my cruise certificates run out we will no longer be using this cruise line in the future.

:rolleyes: MY thoughts exactly. Its not this thing or that its the sum of all things taken away that depreciate the experience, but not the cost. Esp when you have cruised before and know how much has changed. Cruising is starting to feel like a visit to a floating mall. With mall quality food instead of a floating vacation destination. We too are finishing up a couple of prebooked cruises then we are also looking into all-inclusive island destinations.

Amazing review thank you so much. What is the name of that little beach at the port? Looks great for small kids; and can you walk their from the boat. Cant wait to sink my teeth into that tomahawk steak. Also did you taste the lemonade or ice tea at the buffet drink stations at all? We like those so we don't bother with the soda package, but just off the Carnival Sunshine and sadly it was like drinking the pure concentrate YUCK!

Following like a kid at Christmas!! Thank you. And the pic size looks great. Glad your daughter is feeling better. My family will be on the Breakaway on 9/4 so thanks for posting the kids activity sheet. One thing I noticed different from our cruise on the Gem 2 years ago is that I don't see them practicing for the kids circus :(. It was surprisingly special; each group practiced "circus acts" daily and at the last sea day they put on a kid circus show in the main theater. I purchased our thermal spa passes a few weeks back :D being that we only booked and ocean view our angels LOL ages 6&7 are quite busy so a balcony would be pretty unnerving for us. Cant wait!!!!

We are on the Breakaway sailing on 9/4 thru 9/11. I also called and was told that Cirque was not available after 9/9, but when I asked if it could be booked earlier in the cruise, she said it was not available to book online, but we would have to check once we were on the cruise. So we will have to wait and see once we are on board.

oh my! :eek: My family and I are booked on this same sailing. I have been watching this issue closely since we are traveling with DS 7 and DD 6 and more info tends to come out as they get closer to the contract end:mad:. They are well aware that some people actually choose their product over other competitors based on entertainment value, so they keep it hush- hush and let us book with them. They know we will deal with the disappointment; but will not cancel. Just as they did with the nickelodeon theme! We loved it on the Gem with our little ones so we booked this cruise while still onboard only to find out we were one of the last to see Sponge Bob aboard:(. I booked our Cirque show for the first night 5p on 9/4 I have my confirmation, gonna bring it with me in case they try some funny stuff :cool:

Everyday the weather seems to change a bit, but still doesn't look great. Im going to try to just breathe easy and enjoy no matter what. but I will rebook the sunshine at a later date with the new Bermuda itinerary. Wish it was headed that way now.

Anybody else tracking the weather for our upcoming Sunshine departure from NY on 7/28.:confused: High chance of rain here and in Canada. Lets pray for great weather. I know for my fam our plan is to utilize the water slides before we leave NY in case its to cold up North.:(

Aside from the free bottle of wine, the steakhouse is usually less busy on the first night, at least before 7:00. Also, as cruisnpsychRN pointed out, shorts are NOT allowed. Best to pack a pair of long pants in your carry on, just in case in your checked luggage doesn't arrive before dinner time. By the way, if you like seafood, the Chilean sea bass is excellent, and the surf & turf is also very good.

Glad this question came up as DH and I are booked for the first night on our upcoming Sunshine adventure it is my birthday but we don't drink any alcohol. Do they have nonalcoholic ciders. We do enjoy a sparkling cider with a good meal We would bring our own but these cruise lines are getting so strict about bringing anything to drink on board.

I must be in the minority ... going back to Europe is on hold until things get sorted out. If I was going solo, then no problem, but ain't taking fam overseas ... I lose enough sleep trying to keep them safe in the states. To each their own.

sadly our thoughts exactly..." yes an accident can happen and I lose a leg but a shark cant bite my leg off unless I'm swimming that type of water"

thank you for such a detailed introspect DH and I were going to take a cruise and tour Europe in 2 years when DD turned 8. turns out kids have to be at least 8 with NCL for transatlantic, We purchased the future cruise deal specifically for it but we did cancel primarily because of DD. He and I can be pretty mentally strong in a bad situation , but realistically all that changes when your baby is in tow. A risk we are not willing to take at any odds.

Thank you looking forward to sharing your review at next family dinner.

Also going on July 28. It's my first time a Carnival ship. 50/70/21/42/43 and 5.

Thank you for the birthday wishes..Im hoping our gift will be great weather. love your signature line "one in college...." That mirrors our life as well LOL sure we will bump into each other at the kids club.

Mike thank you; your review is a beautiful gift that keeps on giving. Information is a powerful tool. Due to a great promotion a few months back our family of 7 DH and 4 daughters, booked 2 cabins for next August. We are on CC and NCL this summer, have sailed both before so we are familiar with their product. I was wondering if I should stick to NCL as they have an amazing night life. 3 of our daughters are 21-25.

My questions are how is the club scene for that age group?

Our 6 year old DD loves the dreamworks characters( which was one of the reasons we chose this brand) did they pull out completely?

Are there any waterslides on this ship?( somehow I thought there was and also a big kids splash area)

Whats the puzzle room?

Thank you so much for posting!!!! I wont care what the weather will be I think I'll be to stuffed to move around anyway :D