Tapi

I bet I'm not the only one who is heading over to NCL.com to price out Alaska Cruises now. :D

Our cruise on the Jewel to Alaska for next year priced out considerably cheaper than on ANY other cruise line that we checked. That was the main reason why we booked it to start with. It was $700 cheaper than Carnival, $1100 cheaper than Royal, and $1900 cheaper than Celebrity or Disney for the same week, itinerary and type of stateroom.

We did save an additional $300 over the rates on NCL.com by going through an online TA (I've never been a big fan of using TA's. I like to book directly with the cruise line, but for this cruise, it was worth the added "hassle").

Thank you SO much for your detailed, and pic-filled review!

I've had this cruise booked since January 2012 (and ours is not until June 2013!)

I've been going back and forth between sticking with this cruise or going on a different ship/cruise line, but I think that your review finally tipped the scale in favor of taking the Jewel!

Now, if only I could make the next 9 months go by a bit quicker!

Thanks again....

It's not the size of the ship, but the "space to passenger ratio". The higher the number, the more spacious it should feel. Websites like cruisedeckplans.com provide numbers for all major cruise lines.

Carnival in general is not known for having great space to passenger ratio. Other cruise lines are more generous.

Here are some numbers of the ships you've sailed on. These are for a full ship (all berths filled, which is the norm during summer time). Remember, the lower the number, the more crowded it should feel:

• Carnival Inspiration: 27
  
• Carnival Conquest: 31
  
• Norwegian Sun: 33
  
• Crystal Symphony: 51
  

Here are numbers for other ships mentioned, and for other popular ships/cruise lines:

• Carnival Dream:28
  
• Carnival Sunshine:27
  
• Carnival Spirit:32
  
• Oasis of the Seas:34
  
• Radiance of the Seas: 36
  
• Freedom of the Seas: 36
  
• Celebrity Solstice: 38
  
• Norwegian Epic: 30
  

How are the junior suites on the Inspiration?? I'm sailing soon with DH and our little one. Just curious. If it matters, we're on the Verandah deck.

They aren't truly suites. In fact, they are probably some of the worst "suites" at sea (at least by today's standards). Carnival named these staterooms "suites" back in the 90's before the balcony boom and when having one was for a privileged few.

These "suites" are not much larger than a regular stateroom on a newer ship. In fact these "suites" measure 220 sq ft; same square footage as a standard oceanview cabin on Carnival's newer ships (and are actually smaller than the standard oceanviews on Carnival's Dream class ships).

• The balconies are SMALL. In fact, smaller than a balcony on a standard stateroom on a newer ship. It's so small that you can't really turn your chair to face the ocean. You need to sit sideways. You can barely fit two people out there.
   
  
• Location is awful. Being on the Verandah deck forward means potential for lots of pitching motion (up and down) if the seas are choppy. Also, if your cabin is closest to the end of the hallway (going forward), people can look INTO your cabin from a public deck. If your suite is one of the ones farther back, it may have a lifeboat obstructing your view.
   
  
• Speaking of view, your view straight down will be of a pulic deck with people walking by just a few feet from your cabin.
   
  
• Since you're traveling with a small child, one thing to consider is that, unlike new ships that have solid glass railings, the Inspiration has metal rods going across. If you have a very small child, the gaps between the rods may be big enough to at least get his head caught.
  

The worst thing about them is that, since there are only a handful of them, and booking a suite is the only way to get a balcony on this ship, Carnival charges an overinflated price for them.

I'm crusing Eastern Med next summer (July). The cabin reviews on sister ships were great, but I've noticed that the rescue boats on Jade looked bigger than the ones on her sister ships on some pictures. Someone actually said 8552 on Jade was completely obstructed.:eek: I couldn't confirm this info, though.

That first lifeboat on the Jade is indeed larger than on other Jewel class ships. On the Jewel, it's more like a small zodiac. Here's a picture of the Jade and the Jewel:

JADE

JEWEL

I've seen them before. Not only that, but I've seen people decorate their cabin windows like they are the windows of a department store (with cling ons, stuffed animals, photos, flowers, posters, etc). It's interesting to look up as you're standing on the dock waiting to get back on the ship and see some of the fellow passenger's, uh, creativity...;)

Yes, as you mentioned, some may consider it tacky, but it's not prohibited.

Please keep them safe and sound.

 

You can get sleeve inserts for 3-ring binders

that fit anything-credit-card-sized in individual pockets.

That's how I have mine stored. Hobby stores should have them.

 

 

I have spares

and am willing to exchange with anyone who has extras of anything..?

.

Your collection is absolutely AWESOME! :D

You got that right. :)I get a kick out of the newbies complaining about the pricing creeping up.

 

Paid $599pp or $699pp for an inside on the TROPICALE decades ago . . .paying $439pp for an inside on the SPLENDOR in 4 weeks ! ! :eek:

 

Yup! Our cabin on the Tropicale back in 1994 was the MOST I've ever paid for any Carnival cruise. I paid over $700 for a Window on the Riviera deck. When we sailed on the Dream in 2011, I paid $589 for a Balcony on the Upper deck...

And it's not only on Carnival. We paid MORE to sail on the Monarch of the Seas in 1993 than to sail on the Allure of the Seas in 2011! :eek:

For folks who cruised on her..

can anyone remember if their Sail & Sign cards looked like this??

I don't have a picture, but it didn't look like that. The Sail & Sign card used to be a flimsy, very thin plastic card. It was basic white with the Carnival name & logo. Instead of swiping it, they would manually enter the folio number printed on the card in the computer. :)

She was my first Carnival cruise in 1994 sailing from San Juan.

I hate to say this, but it was a terrible cruise. It almost made me never want to cruise on Carnival again! Thankfully, I DID cruise again! :D

....You might find the cruise so much more enjoyable w/o the booze...

I agree with this statement. The way that I used to cruise during my younger, crazier years is VERY different than the way that I cruise now that I'm older and a husband & father. It amazes me how much I missed out when I compare my previous cruises (when I thought I was having so much fun partying it up) and my cruises now. While I still enjoy a beer or two during my cruises, my enjoyment is not dictated by how much alcohol I've consumed.

To the OP, yes, you can have an awesome time. In addition to the Friends of Bill W meetings others have mentioned, there are companies dedicated to sober cruising. They organize partial charters on cruises aboard popular cruise lines so you're guaranteed to cruise with a couple hundred other cruises that have embraced a sober lifestyle. Check them out! :)

We LOVED the Hilton Hotel & Marina. Nice and modern hotel with wonderful views out the intracoastal and Port Everglades. You can see your ship come in a few feet away right from the comfort of your room balcony! :D

You can also walk to some shops, including a Walgreen's for last minute supplies.

We found a rather large, (and by large I mean HUGE) bikini in a drawer. The woman who owned that bathing suit had absolutely NO inhibitions!

What about the life size towel animal that they have now? I think that's worse. At least Funship Freddy has a facial expression. The towel animal looks like an oversized pile of dirty towels just walking around the ship...!

Yes, he's a bit creepy looking with that big Joker smile. But somehow, little kids (and kids at heart) seem to like him. Our toddler son loved him (and yes, we ended up buying one of those stupid Funship Freddy dolls once our son spotted them at the gift shop :rolleyes:)

Any balcony cabin above deck 6 has no privacy is what i was told.

Hey Stefen:

We had a balcony on deck 6. We didn't have any "privacy" issues. Yes, you can see people walking below along the lanai, and if they look up, they can see you, but they can't look "into" your cabin. We did pick a cabin that didn't have any hot tubs in front (check out the deck plans carefully). Also, if you pick a balcony cabin all the way forward, the lanai narrows so you can actually look down into the ocean.

If you're planning on spending some naked time out in your balcony, don't get one on deck 6. Otherwise, it will be OK.

I forgot to mention that I've seen rougher water in the bathtub than in Costa Maya that morning. 3 ships were waiting to dock and all left. We've been on dozens of cruises (Platinum for CCL) and have never missed a port, even in bad weather, except that calm morning.

It can be an absolutely beautiful, wind less, clear morning with seas that look like glass, but if you have strong enough underwater currents that make it unsafe to dock, then you are not going.

This happened to us docking in New York City. Absolutely beautiful morning with calm water in the Hudson river that looked like glass, BUT the ship couldn't dock due to "high seas". We tried over and over and every time, the Captain would abort the procedure. Finally, after 6 hours, we finally docked (basically slamming against the pier and scraping the side of the ship). Believe me when I say that the experience made me realize how much people underestimate the power of Mother Nature. It was eye opening to see such a huge vessel almost uncontrollably slam against the pier in what seemed like perfect weather conditions.

A lot of people missed flights home and we were not entitled to any compensation since it was an act of Nature. Carnival did allow free ship to shore calls from the cabins so that people could make alternate travel arrangements.

Another time, going into Grand Cayman, we almost missed our call. Once again, we had a beautiful, clear morning with seas that didn't look rough at all, yet we couldn't anchor in front of Georgetown. We waited for a few hours while they coordinated and finally, they decided to anchor on the south side of the island at a place called Spot's Bay. From there, we were bussed to and from Georgetown.

And we were lucky that time. Grand Cayman is a port that's often missed if the weather conditions are not quite right. Another port of call that is often missed even on clear days is Roatan (it's a tight squeeze and even the slightest current can make docking there unsafe).

The livelihood of many of these destinations depends greatly on these cruise ships. Costa Maya is one of those ports of call whose source of income is solely the cruiser industry. Turning ships away because they didnt have someone to dock the ship would be absurd. It would mean voluntarily turning away thousands of passengers and thousands (if not millions) of dollars that they won't be able to recover, EVER. If they said that they couldn't dock because of high seas, currents, high winds, etc, most likely that's the explanation (sorry to the "conspiracy theory" people).

With that said, there have been times when there might be port disruptions due to riots, protests, etc, but you will definitely know if that's the case.

That "real" reason sounds like a bad Cruise Critic rumor to me. I doubt that they would jeopardize losing thousands in lost revenue because they didn't have enough personnel.

About refunding taxes, you may see a couple of bucks back to your Sail & Sign account. Not a significant amount and one that you may not have even noticed (the one time we missed a port, we received a whopping $5.85).

Cheapest cruise:

 

Carnival Imagination sailing on Monday, returning on Friday.

 

Mon - Miami, FL

Tue - Key West, FL

Wed - Cozumel, MX

Thu - At Sea

Fri - Miami, FL

 

Select an inside cabin which will hold 5 guests on this ship. Select a mid-september or early december sailing date for rock bottom prices.

 

Bon Voyage! :D

I priced it out and it came up to $147 per person! :D

Cheapest cruise:

Carnival Imagination sailing on Monday, returning on Friday.

Mon - Miami, FL

Tue - Key West, FL

Wed - Cozumel, MX

Thu - At Sea

Fri - Miami, FL

Select an inside cabin which will hold 5 guests on this ship. Select a mid-september or early december sailing date for rock bottom prices.

Bon Voyage! :D

...we sailed NCL to Alaska...

There was a snobbish type of person there talking to my husband and asked what line we were on..He mentioned NCL..the guy replied..oh you went cheap huh (or something to that fashion) and then proceeded to say that him and his family sailed on Princess..My husband looked at him and said..Well that's nice..the main thing is we both got here..cheap or not :)

Good line!

I'll keep that in mind in case we run into someone attempting to make fun of the $519pp we are paying for our oceanview cabin on the Norwegian Jewel to Alaska!

My suspicions are now confirmed that the interline rates aren't that great any more.

I've actually scored pretty substantial savings on our last two Carnival cruises thanks to the interline rate.

For our 2010 cruise on the Fascination, interline rates actually continued going down after final payment, so since we couldn't get a refund, we just upgraded from a 6A to a 6D.

On our 2011 cruise on the Dream, we booked a balcony cabin for about $150pp LESS than any other rate available using the interline rate. For this cruise though, rates did nothing but go up so we stuck to the same category we booked.

San Juan offers the most breathtaking departure of any Caribbean port, hands down! :)

Have you priced pictures at home? Have you bought pictures for a recent HS grad? The prices are in line with what you pay on shore, so you should not be shocked.

I agree. Those prices seem to be pretty much in line with what a professional photographer would charge for similar work on land. In fact, compared with what we were charged for our wedding pictures and for a photo shoot of our first son, this sounds like a bargain.

The photographer didn't lie. The photo shoot was free. I don't see anything outrageous or anything to be "warned about" here...

I don't know how much a cruise captain makes, but I bet it will be more than an airline pilot.

Salary $56,993 - $120,000

Bonus $2,000 - $10,279

Profit Sharing $1,725 - $5,000

Total Pay (?) $52,246 - $124,916

According to http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Ship_Captain/Salary

Well, if that's the case, Airline Captains do make more money than Cruise Ship Captains. Just taking a snapshot from Delta, the lowest paid captain in their fleet (1st year DC-9) is making $144,000/year, and the top paid captain in their fleet (12th year 747) is making $217,000/year. Even an Airline Captain at a low cost carrier like Jet Blue will top off at $159,000/year.

Surprisingly, the highest paid Airline Captains don't carry passengers, they carry BOXES. FedEx Captains top off at $247,000/year!