Tapi

It won’t be like a 5 night Caribbean cruise for sure. Longer itinerary in Europe outside of the summer school break in the US. You can expect clientele to skew on the older side. With that said, we took our kids on a Mediterranean cruise during the month of November and they loved it. There were few kids their age onboard. We only met two other families from the US. But there were quite a few kids from all over Europe at the kids club. Even with the language barrier, they made friends and had a great time. In fact, they keep asking when we will be returning.

I had never used Squaremouth until I started looking for an insurance policy with CFAR for a special cruise that I have planned for 2024. I had always used Insure My Trip but the premiums were insanely high for this trip. So I started googling policies and I came across Squaremouth. The policy that I found through them was literally 1/3 the price compared to the cheapest policy through Insure My Trip. I double and triple checked the fine print to ensure that everything that I wanted covered is indeed covered.

That gives me some hope. The money order for my daughter’s passport was cashed on March 24th, but as of the last time I checked, the website wasn’t showing any status whatsoever. I called their 800 number and the representative I spoke to said that it may have been a website error. She told me that if the money order was cashed, that means that the application has been received and it’s being processed. We are also traveling at the end of June so we still have some time before I go into panic mode.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. While the situation is unfortunate and most people will agree that it would be a huge letdown, you should have time to salvage your vacation. What was the original ship/sail date? With so many ships sailing in Alaska this season there should be a replacement cruise among all other cruise lines that will be an aceptable replacement.

Don’t know about P&O, but on several American cruise lines, the ducks are insanely popular among many cruisers. I’ve found a few ducks myself over the years. I’ll pick them up and put them right back where I found them. No interest in participating. 😂 Personally, I think that the concept is an absolute waste of time and effort (along with some of the elaborate door decorations that some people come up with). But I know that all of these activities bring immense joy to those who choose to participate in them, so I don’t object.

Last time we sailed from Miami, we stayed here: https://www.yvehotelmiami.com/ Nice and chic boutique hotel across the street from Bayside Marketplace. It has a cool restaurant and a bar. Our stay included coupons for free drinks at the bar. If you book a high floor looking towards the port of Miami, you’ll get a nice view of your ship sailing in early in the morning (we did). 😃

Yup, all it took was one time on Delta One going across the Atlantic when they were 6 and 8 years old, and from that point forward my kids thought that they were too good for anything less than that. I was quick to rectify the situation by booking flights on Spirit for a subsequent trip (“yeah, there’s no inflight entertainment so bring a book and a bottle of water”) with no seat assignment (“oh well, we may get separated”), or paid luggage (“you can only bring whatever you can fit in a bag that you’ll have to shove under your seat”). 😂 That brought them right back to Earth. Glad I nipped that one in the bud early on. We still fly First or Business class sporadically, but now when we do, my kids treat it as a privilege that they are truly grateful for, and not as something that they are entitled to. Phew.

Oops, I’m normally pretty good about not bringing prohibited items, but I must say that I didn’t know about heating pads. My wife had a car accident before our November cruise so we packed an electric heating pad. We didn’t attempt to hide it. In fact, our cabin steward provided an extension cord since the closest electric outlet was far from the bed. 🤷🏻‍♂️ She used it all week long and was never questioned.

I normally don’t add travel insurance until close to final payment and before purchasing non refundable items like airfare. The caveat is that if anything happens before you purchase insurance that eventually prevents you from taking the cruise , you won’t be covered. One example was last November when we were sailing on Celebrity. My wife had a car accident before final payment and before I purchased insurance. As we approached our sailing date, she was still in so much residual pain that we almost canceled the cruise a few days before departure. Because the reason for her condition was the accident, the insurance wouldn’t cover anything since it happened before we added insurance. We ended taking the cruise, but we coordinate special assistance at the airport which was her worst concern. We made it happen probably against our better judgement, partly fueled by the fact that we’d loose all of our money. I do have a cruise for 2024 for which I already purchased insurance because I wanted to have CFAR coverage. And even though we’re fairly young and in relatively good health, I also wanted to ensure that we wouldn’t be disqualified for any pre-existing issues after our situation last November. It’s a much more expensive cruise than what we normally book, and since it’s not for another year and a half, I wanted to ensure that all of my bases are covered. It was only a couple hundred dollars worth of peace of mind.

Unfortunately, the cruise line is under no obligation to wait for him, and in many cases they won’t. However, if a flight that the cruise line is using for their air program is delayed or canceled, and there are a lot of cruisers on that flight, they may make the decision to delay the departure to accommodate those passengers if they’ll be arriving at a reasonable time that won’t impact the rest of the itinerary. This happened on Carnival, but I have friends who’d purchased flights and transfers through the cruise line and their delayed flight arrived in MIA at departure time. They were met at baggage claim by a cruise line representative who waited while they got their luggage and escorted them to an awaiting bus. The bus was full with delayed passengers. On that instance, the cruise line did wait for them. Their first port of call the next day was Key West so I guess they figured they could hold the ship a few hours without impacting their arrival the following day. Once again, the cruise line is under no obligation, and them holding the ship shouldn’t be expected. Best of luck and if you have time, come back to tell us what happened.

I just looked at flight aware, and there’s a canceled flight between BOS and FLL on Jetblue that was scheduled to land at 9:03am. My bet is that this is the OP’s flight.

Personally, I haven’t had too many issues with MSC, but a lot of people do post several nightmare scenarios pre-cruise when dealing with MSC’s customer service over the phone. Their website and IT are notorious for having glitches as well. If you do have an issue, it’s better to shoot a quick email to a TA that can do the dirty work for you instead of you wasting time attempting to get someone who can actually help you. For me, the worst issues had to do with when we did the Loyalty Match Program. Their system kept merging my account with my son (who has the same first and last name as me), and several times when I’d log in to look at my reservation, it would return an error saying that my booking was invalid. The system kept flagging the booking as having the same person double booked. It took several phone calls and literally countless hours trying to get it rectified every time it glitched. They finally solved it by having both my first and middle name listed under my first name. Another issue was when we booked one cruise which was later canceled. No notice from MSC. I found out about it because I logged in to look at my reservation and MSC decided to move us to a shorter sailing on a different ship from a different port of embarkation without consulting with us to see if that would work. Once again, it took several calls, first to rebook us on an itinerary that would work for us, and eventually canceling altogether when we decided that we didn’t want to cruise at the time. Getting a refund took a lot of time, patience and self control but I got it resolved. The good news is that once onboard the ship, their customer service has always been responsive and willing to help. One example was for our first post COVID cruise when we learned that the cabin that I had cherry picked was changed to “TBA” a few days prior to the cruise. The new cabin that was assigned at the port was not acceptable to us so we proceeded to guest relations. The cabin change had to do with the limited capacity and reduced staffing that the ship was sailing under which blocked our original cabin. But they were very helpful, apologetic and willing to rectify the situation. They pulled up a deck plan showing all the cabins that I could choose from and made the change. They even offered to allow me to go look at the cabin before committing to it to ensure that it was to our liking. Funny thing was that the new cabin had 2 bottles of wine chilled and waiting along with a ticket for a reserved umbrella at Coco Cay with someone else’s name on it. Apparently, whoever had originally reserved that cabin had ordered those items and then had canceled last minute. I took the items to guest relations telling them that they were for someone else but they told me that we could keep them. So we got some free wine and an umbrella out of the whole situation. 😂

That may not be the case anymore. Just a few days ago, there was a thread on the Princess board with a similar complaint to yours. They’re sailing in a few weeks and booked on a standard balcony. Now, not only are balcony prices less than half what they paid, but mini suites are cheaper as well. Princess refuses to refund, credit, or upgrade, citing their terms and conditions and also that these prices are for last minute, new bookings only. So it seems that your situation with Royal is becoming more and more the norm across the industry as cruise lines reinforce their policies. I know it sucks, but those are the rules.

I can’t recall. I must admit we’re not bingo players. 😃

I discovered MSC lured by their very affordable prices, frequent kids sail free promotions (we are a family of 4), and their loyalty status match program (they will match whatever status you have with another cruise line or hotel brand to their equivalent status). That meant that, from our first cruise, we already had some added perks, including an additional fare discount. For reference, what cruise lines have you sailed on? In terms of quality and overall product, I think that they are one step above Carnival and at par with Royal Caribbean. Unless you’re sailing in the Yacht Club (their ship within a ship concept), MSC is solidly a mass market cruise line. What I like about MSC: - As mentioned before, pricing. Their competitive pricing and many promotions truly add value and make cruising more affordable. - Their ships are tastefully decorated. Even if it isn’t s luxury cruise line, the ships are welcoming and pleasing to the eye. - Their newest ships have that “wow” factor, somewhat like Royal’s newest ships. They’re truly marvelous. - The overall atmosphere. Contrary to other cruise lines that cater heavily to one nationality or demographic (for example some American or British cruise lines catering heavily to cruisers from their home country), MSC is very international, and it attracts cruisers from all over the world. You can expect important announcements to be made in up to seven languages, and for cuisine and entertainment to appease a broader clientele. MSC does have its quirks and idiosyncrasies which will be more apparent if you’ve cruised aboard other cruises lines, but I don’t find any of them to be deal breakers. About cuisine and drink packages, we’ve done the easy package before and it was good enough for us. But we’re simple drinkers, just enjoying wine with dinner and a few beers throughout the day. Cuisine at the main dining room and the buffet is at par with what should be expected on a mass market cruise line. Nothing truly outstanding. If you appreciate finer cuisine, you may want to consider their specialty dining. They do offer some packages if you’ll be going to their specialty restaurants multiple nights. Enjoy your cruise!

Number one rule from savvy cruisers: Drive/fly at least one day prior to the cruise. Not only are you allowing yourself extra time in case of unforeseen circumstances (car issues, traffic, accidents), you will arrive in Galveston to relax, get a good night sleep, and then be rested, refreshed and ready to enjoy your cruise without stress. Remember that, if for some reason you don’t make your departure time, either you will have completely missed your vacation, or you will need to pay a lot of money in catch-up air transportation, hotels, etc. The money spent on one hotel night prior to your cruise is cheap insurance to ensure that you make it to your cruise. Speaking of insurance, it’s also very smart to purchase a travel insurance policy that will cover all the things that can go wrong after the cruise has started. Medical complications and an evacuation can run in the tens of thousands of dollars without insurance. About laundry, I’m usually all about packing lightly and then sending my dirty clothes out to get laundered sometime during the cruise (even if available, I won’t do self service laundry on vacation. I’ll be glad to pay to have my clothes washed and folded). But since you’re driving and don’t have to worry about airline charges and restrictions, or about lugging bags through airports, etc, I’d be more inclined to packing enough clothes for the entire cruise. Just keep in mind that cabins aren’t that big, with limited storage space, so you still need to pack somewhat smartly.

Book nonstop flights at convenient times even if more expensive. Give myself plenty of time at the airport to check in. Fly in 1-2 days before the cruise. Relax and explore the embarkation port before starting my cruise. For decades, this has always been my strategy and it has worked very well.

There’s definitely pent up demand from all the people who haven’t cruised since COVID started and who are now out in droves looking at cruising again this summer, combined with a capacity reduction from all the ships that were scrapped. I agree about RC prices. They are insane. I started looking at prices for their new Icon of the Seas when the itineraries were first announced, and within a few weeks, they had almost doubled. They’re charging luxury line prices, even for the crappiest cabins and apparently people are buying. To get a decent price, I had to look into 2025 and they’re still higher than what I’ve seen before.

Have you looked at other cruise lines besides Carnival? Traveling with children, I’ve found great deals on other cruise lines, most frequently on MSC. They usually have 3rd/4th guest either at greatly reduced or free rates which make the total cost of the cruise cheaper than Carnival. Summer time, as well as traveling during holidays, almost always require planning in avance to get the best prices and cabin selections. While some people are looking at what’s left for the summer of 2023, I’m already looking at the summer of 2024. In fact I have deposits for our family cruises for 2024 and 2025. 😃

We started our son sailing at 13 months old and his first cruise was on Carnival. If I had known them what I know now, I would’ve started him on one of the cruise lines that offer programs for babies and toddlers as young as 6 months of age, as well as pools and facilities that accommodate children still in diapers instead of Carnival. In others words, either Royal Caribbean or Disney. I would’ve then switched to Carnival once he turned 2 and could attend the kids program. That first cruise was a bit rough and exhausting as we adjusted to sailing with a baby, and as we realized that Carnival was not the best choice for kids that young. In addition to no program or facilities for kids that young, our son couldn’t go in pools because he was still not potty trained. That limited what we could do around the ship. But we learned as we went along, and the more we cruised, the more we learned. By the time we started our second child cruising, we were pros. Some basic suggestions: - pack as lightly as possible. - don’t bring monster sized strollers. A collapsible umbrella stroller will be sufficient in most instances. - bring more diapers than you think you’ll need. - bring a small bag with your baby’s favorite toys or forms of entertainment since Carnival wont provide that. - during the day, find an unused lounge and let your kid play around freely. - the kids club may provide “free play” times where your baby will be allowed to attend. But you’ll need to be present and stay with them at all times. - plan on having one parent rest while the other one takes the kids out for a few hours and vice versa. You don’t want both parents to be exhausted. - prepare yourself mentally for things not to go as planned. That cute family photo that you were planning on taking on elegant night at the main dining room could potentially turn into an early night at the buffet with an exhausted, half dressed child having a meltdown (not that it happened to us 🤣). - not required, for highly recommend that everybody has passports. It will make your life much easier. Some suggestions will work better than others, and you’ll figure out what works best for your family as you go. The good news is that, the more you cruise and expose your children to this type of travel, the easier it gets.

Having sailed all the major cruise lines including Carnival and Royal, I think that MSC is closer to Royal than to Carnival. Their newer ships have that “wow” factor that Royal’s newer ships have. Ambiance is quite different than the American cruise lines since they cater to a more international clientele though, and some Carnival loyalists hate MSC because it’s not quite as “fun”.

We flew down from Atlanta strictly for the cruise (no pre or post cruise stay). It wasn’t bad. We left Atlanta at 8:30am and we were eating lunch at Riviera Beach by 11:00am before boarding the ship. On the return, we debarked at 8:00am and were back in Atlanta at 1:00pm. We didn’t pay for the airfare (we flew on standby as airline employees), but we saw several people with Margaritaville luggage tags both on the flight down and back. Considering what a short and cheap cruise this is (we paid a cruise fare of $49pp), there was no way that I would’ve taken it if I’d had to pay more for airfare than the actual cruise, or if I’d had to spend money on hotels before or after the cruise. But reading other message boards and Facebook groups, it seems like there’s a lot of people sailing on this cruise line who are super happy to spend, not only on airfare, but also on all sorts of packages, upgrades and add ons that somewhat defeat the main reason to take this cruise (which is because it’s cheap). It boggles my mind when I read from people who booked this cruise for cheap, but then spent extra not only on airfare, but also on upgrade packages, drink packages, steakhouse, massages, priority embarkation, VIP sections, priory luggage delivery, shore excursion assistance, extended stays, etc etc. It’s a 2 day cruise on an old, budget minded refurbished ship! But to each their own.

Yikes. Sorry that you had that experience. It would’ve soured me as well. To be honest, when I first got on the Westerdam, I had a hard time pinpointing anything that supported their claim of excellence. My elderly parents were traveling with us and it wasn’t until I mentioned this to my mother that she started pointing out all the little details about their service and quality that I had missed. I’m sure that her impressions would’ve been different had we encountered what you experienced. With all of that said, there have been times when I didn’t have the best first experience on several cruise lines I’ve sailed on, and it wasn’t until I tried them again when I finally developed an appreciation for what they had to offer.

Your assessment is correct. We are in our late 40’s, raising teenagers. For us, Music Walk as well as the World Stage with the Step One Dance Company performances and Planet Earth documentaries on Nieuw Statendam were some of the activity and entertainment highlights on that cruise. They definitely appealed to my age bracket. I find myself a bit too old for the type of energy and crazy, mind numbing activities aboard lines like Carnival (which 20 years ago appealed to me), but too young to fully embrace a subdued cruise experience where entertainment is mostly centered around lectures, culinary classes, and similar enrichment opportunities. I find that HAL’s Pinnacle class offers exactly what I’m looking for at this stage in my life. A little bit of old, a little bit of new, all combined in a perfectly sized, modern but traditional feeling ship.

HAL has been tweaking their product to attract a younger clientele, specially on their newest class of ship. There are more activities geared towards 30-50yo’s. The children’s program activities and facilities have been upgraded, as well as better staterooms that will accommodate families, all in an effort to attract families. I think that the newer ships have a modern, airy, clean look, while still maintaining that traditional feel that HAL is known for. Also, you can find the Pinnacle ships more often operating shorter (7 night itineraries) in popular regions which tend to attract younger people as well. With all of that said, HAL still offers longer itineraries to more exotic locales that appeal to an older clientele aboard the smaller ships on the fleet (that have a more “old school HAL” feel).