rimmit

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

Plus there are lots of credit cards that will cover up to a preset $ amount to help offset the self insuring of the cruise fare portion of the trip

Yes.  CC is great if you can use it.  It’s really annoying when the operator will only take wire transfers,  as a couple of our more recent vacations have been wire transfer only negating the CC insurance (and also negating the ability to get miles.  Urgh.) 

13 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Self-insuring.

Agree.  Self insuring is a great option for just the trip portion.  You can only lose what you put into your trip so you can definitely come out ahead over time if you self insure if you are lucky and never have to cancel or get interrupted.

 

Self insuring is not so great for the medical/med evac part…. Skies the limit there, as there is obviously no ceiling on medical care.

3 hours ago, Cruise5life said:

Glad to hear she doing a lot better.   
glad you guys had a good trip here in my home city.     And glad your wife is moving around better.    
 

if we could ask what you’ve changed in your insurance since the accident ?    
this is always my biggest fret as I travel solo a lot.   
thinking good thought for your wife 

Well, for one I bought 2 million in umbrella insurance.  After seeing how much pain and suffering can occur in an accident, if I accidentally ran someone over and it went over the my limits of my car insurance policy which is 100k, they can sue me for anything over.  I figured 100k was ample but after seeing just how fast medical bills pile up and even more important than that is the pain suffering.  Sky is the limit there.  I need to protect my family and my assets, in the event I get sued.  Typically 1 million is ample, but with inflation and seeing the cost of what my wife has been through, more is never a bad thing.

 

It is so unfortunate this happened outside the US for many reasons but the one real sticking point for me now as time wears on and I see my wife still in notable pain 10 months later, is the pain and suffering.  Had this occurred in the US it is an ambulance chaser case.  We would have easily maxed out the auto insurance claim of 100k for most people and then got significantly more for the pain and suffering and permanent disability.  I have a friend who is an injury lawyer, and he was telling me if this was in the US we coulda definitely gotten A LOT of cruising out of this and upped our retirement plans by a year or two most likely at minimum.  Unfortunately, instead of that, her care from the moment she got back to a US hospital is out of our pocket and our insurance’s pocket.  Just add’s salt to the wound to be constantly paying more money for someone’s negligence.   
 

Not trying to scare you, but if what happened to my wife happened to a solo traveler, I honestly don’t know what would happen.  Without an advocate there that was able bodied enough to do all the logistics and payments….  I honestly don’t know how that would pan out, but not well most likely.  If you were lucid enough to make one phone call you might be able to call someone, but the “hospital” didn’t have the ability to make an international phone call….. so honestly I don’t know how things would shake out.  Very scary. 

 

Getting back to insurance, we have trip interruption, cancellation, and delay via our CC, I normally used that as my main trip insurance and I used to only buy extra trip insurance for bigger vacations and just buy medical/evac to ensure we were covered on the medical side of things.  Now I always buy a comprehensive policy ON TOP of my CC insurance.  Is it overkill, absolutely, but after what we’ve been through, I’d prefer to have more than less to ensure I am covered from all angles.

1 hour ago, Cruise5life said:

how is your wife doing ?      I was following along to your blog.    
 

because of your posts I got extra medical coverage with GeoBlue.
For my 29 days at sea on top of my cruise lines insurance.   
 

im looking at AIG a travel guard now 

 

Smart move.  Never can have too much insurance.  After the trip I have definitely increased my insurance plans, and it’s likely overkill at this point, but I don’t care.

 

She’s doing better!  Thanks for asking.  In Jan we went to NYC for a couple days and saw some shows.  She was able to walk up to 10 minutes at a time there so we only had to use the wheelchair sparingly which was great.

 

The bigger trip was a 12 day trip to Vegas for a conference and then right after the Star Trek Cruise, which was her first cruise since the accident.  She did amazingly well there.  She only required a wheelchair in the airports.  She was able to walk sparingly around a Vegas resort without too much difficulty, and she boarded the ship without a wheelchair and was able to get around the ship slowly, but never required a wheelchair.  

 

She’s still doing PT 3x a week to improve her ROM in her foot which is the main limiting factor.  Her ROM is so limited that barefoot it is still very hard to get her heel on the ground, but if she has a small heel on a shoe she walks pretty well.  It’s a slow process but she’s still improving and she’s alive which is the main thing.  Hard to believe its been almost 10 months since it happened.

I use insuremytrip.com to supplement my CC insurance.  Insuremytrip will give you multiple company options and you can compare coverage.  I filed many claims recently and can attest to my experience with several.

 

I will say my experience with Travel Insured has been less than stellar.  I am 9 months into waiting on a 55k dollar claim. 
 

Arch RoamRight paid out a 2k claim when got stuck in the Galapagos with Covid very quickly.  Like 2 weeks.

 

Broadspire which is what my CC uses, takes about 2-3 months to process a claim but they do pay out, including one for a cruise I missed back in October and some plane flights related to when my wife was run over by a car in Zimbabwe.

 

Travel Insured did well in the moment when we got them involved and handled the botched repatriation from South Africa and then the and air ambulance once we got back to the US, but have been terrible with processing my claim.  I would not use Travel Insured again if that is what insuremytrip gives you as an option.  The rest have been fine.

34 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I don't know "many" people, but I do know some. 

I'm thinking of a guy I used to work with who used to say, "I didn't buy a house so I could leave it."  He also famously refused to buy Girl Scout cookies, etc. that people's kids were selling, saying, "I come to work to make money, not to spend it."  

I think this is likely a regional thing on the travel.  We live in the middle of nowhere KY “down in the hollers”.  Out of the 20 people I work with only 1 other person has a passport.  Most have not been on a plane.  Most have not even crossed west of the Mississippi.  They just have no desire to travel.

 

For me, I would say most people I know do not like to travel,  they sometimes go to Disney or Florida or NYC but that is the extent of the travel.  They don’t like the uncertainty and stress that comes with travel.

 

This is just a snapshot, but is pretty representative of my area as a whole, and it doesn’t get that much better among my friends in this area.  A couple have at least been Europe once when they were younger but definitely nothing in the last 15 years.  Most just like the comfort of home.

 

I can easily see where if you live someplace more cosmopolitan there would people who travel more, but in my area, there just isn’t much interest other than an occasional beach vacation, Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge or Disney World.

20 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Agree ... because for that much money, I'd expect more than the experience could provide.  

 

Yes, I used to hear that at work too -- from people who lived in houses larger than mine, who drove expensive leased cars, and who brought in restaurant leftovers several times a week for lunch.  Priorities.  

We do a ton of travel with our kids.  People always say must be nice.  And Exactly as you say, these are the same people that drive luxury cars (I drive a 2011 Honda CRV) eat out constantly, and just in general are always blowing money random stuff that they value, that I do not.  I am glad they like that stuff but don’t complain about not traveling.

 

I also agree that 20k for an RCI suite would never provide the level of luxury I would expect for that price.  I would spend that if they truly offered an incredible unique experience but an RCI cruise is not one of them.  We have taken some higher end trips, but for me to fork out that level of cash it has to be a “unique” experience.  Not some high end suite in a main stream cruiseline in the Caribbean.  But that’s me.  Some people want to have that experience on an RCI ship and I’m glad they get to have it and enjoy it.

18 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Yes, a small minority can afford to spend 20K with zero impact -- but I suspect those people aren't sailing Royal Caribbean (or other mainstream companies).  

Yes, the majority of people I know that can afford a suite with no impact are typically taking bespoke luxury vacations or expeditions and more catered and exotic travel.  Or they just don’t travel.  Many people don’t like to travel.
 

The ones that can afford with no impact sail RCI because they have kids, and then typically do not book the 20k suites but typically two rooms or a single jr suite a single grand suite.  Not the 20k suites.

19 minutes ago, njsmom said:

I read recently that accountants have tons of celebrity clients who ended up filing bankruptcy in part due to their insistence on flying first class. That was enough to turn me off from the idea of paying $3K for a 3-hour flight. Now, I have upgraded with miles for long hauls over the ocean. (Obviously, they overspent on a lot of other things, too. But the first class spending stood out to me.)

 

My ex-FIL was very, very, VERY rich. Probably was the richest man in my entire state, or even multiple states, although no one would have known. Many buildings have his family's name on them now that he's passed away and his children like to flaunt their inherited wealth. Anyway, I always remember something that happened one time when I was a young woman, married to his stepson. My MIL bought my FIL a pair of socks. This was in 1988. He said, "How much did these socks cost?" She said, "Six dollars." He said, "Return them. That's too much. I like the $4 socks I normally wear just as much and there's no reason to spend an extra $2 on socks."

Now, that was obviously a bit ridiculous given this man's wealth. But it made a point. There's no reason to spend 1/3 more on something when a lower-priced product does the job just as well. 

Oh people I know that are willing to spend 20k for 4 people to fly first class, will sneak candy into the movie theater, just wears standard Hanes white t-shirts as their daily wear unless they have to dress up, and own no designer clothes.  They do own decent cars, but nothing someone who is middle class couldn’t buy (40k-60k cars). They will sometimes buy things second hand.  But they will spend BIG on vacations and travel.  I personally just play the miles and points game to fly biz.  Much much cheaper that way.  

 

Ultimately, if you have the means it’s what your prioritize.
 

I applaud your FIL.  I also am frequently returning items to save a dollar, if my wife bought it somewhere and I know I can save a buck or two buying it elsewhere.  With gas prices it depends if I am going in that direction as I may not come out ahead with gas and car depreciation.  It is not ridiculous at all.  A dollar is a dollar and many dollars compounded over many years leads to wealth.  Your FIL got to that point because of that mentality and I applaud him for it.  Many people don’t understand that.

10 hours ago, DebJ14 said:

I agree it is totally unacceptable.  I have celiac disease and I am highly allergic to dairy, beef and yeast.  Sadly, I have been glutened on 2 Carnival ships and on one Royal Caribbean ship. When it happens, I get the privilege of spending the night in the bathroom and feel awful for days after.  In every case, I have missed ports and the cruise lines have refused to refund shore excursions. In once case I had a devil of a time convincing the medical center that I did not have noro because getting glutened causes the same symptoms.

In the past they have always tried to be very accommodating.  On my last RCI cruise in Feb. 2023 the word I heard all the time was NO.  No GF pasta, no changes to any entree to make it gluten free, even when pre-ordering, no desserts that did not also contain dairy, and weirdly no Caesar salad, even without croutons.The only GF salad dressing was oil and vinegar.   I know the poor waiter felt bad when he had to deliver the NO, NO, NO.  Removing the GF designation from the menus makes the job much harder for the waiters as they have to continually ask the chef.  

I have until April 4 to pay a non refundable deposit (suite booking) or cancel in favor of another cruise line that I can count on to deliver meals that I can eat.  Frankly, I was shocked after having had 9 great gluten free cruises on Royal to see things change so drastically.

I am not GF but our tablemate on our recent cruise was.  I will say the waiters were very difficult.  In the past they have been very accomodating, but this most recent time, they had no clue what was gluten free.  What they could do to make it Gluten free and really minimal accomodations whatsoever.  It was very frustrating for them.  There was also another at our table that was Vegan and that was just as challenging.
 

Quite a contrast to previous cruises and when you go to Disney World, where you are asked 50 times if you have any dietary restrictions when you go to one of their restaurants.

It’s really just how you choose to spend your money.

 

I know people that spend spend 20k for biz/first class flights, but won’t even buy a pop at a restaurant because they view the 3.29 too expensive.  They only drink water in the airport unless there is a lounge they can access where drinks are free but they won’t travel long haul unless it’s lie flat and preferably a Q-suite on Qatar if possible.  Highly recommend if you ever have a chance, especially for a family of four.
 

I refuse to spend money on specialty restaurants, but will spend extravagantly on shore excursions or tours.  It’s just your preference’s.

 

2 minutes ago, Lil_Em said:

We went on Oasis with my 4 year old in January.  There were a ton of kids on board and AO was very crowded on the first night.  After the 1st night, my son was reluctant to go back.  I finally figured out the reason he did not want to go back was because there were several crying kids on the first night in the 3-5 year old group.  So...my advice for a 5 year old would be to not put them in the kids club on the first night.  He enjoyed it more on the other nights he went back.  Also, on port days, AO is open all day and will feed your child if that interests you.

This is not bad advice based on how your child handles things, but it can go both ways.  The first night can often be when cliques form.  Albeit, at the age of 5 it’s less likely, but my advice for older ages, for sure is to NOT miss the first night as then your child may feel left out as people are already starting to make friends. 
 

As someone that grew up going to kids clubs on ships and now send my kids to them, that first night is so important in making friends as everyone is new to each other.

9 hours ago, pcur said:

I have been a positive poster for over 20 years, but these changes recently in the dining room were unusual, anti-customer service, and in my (honestly speaking here) ALMOST FIFTY YEARS of sailing with RCCL, are the most negative thing I've happened to me while sailing with them. 

 

What's happening in the dining room right now is pervasive and fleet-wide.  I personally have been on 5 ships and 6 cruises, in the last 2.5 months since the dining changes started.  

Totally agree.  Their new policies are just bizarre.  They’ve come a loooong way from the bend over backwards service to where they would do ANYTHING to make you happy, to “no substitutions”and can’t have more than one entree at a time.   Before they would make special meals for you just because they wanted to surprise you.  I am Filipino and there were many times WITHOUT ASKING, they’d surprise me with a native Filipino dish.   It could have been pulled from the crew galley potentially, but there were also times when they specifically wanted to make me something just to be nice.
 

Now we are lucky to get a baked potato subbed for fries or a dish served at an appropriate temperature and not still frozen.  

This is the most bizarre thing to happen I’ve heard in a while.

 

That being said, given all the cutbacks lately, and the fact that pretty much everyone on CC has been harping on the unsustainability of the C&A for sometime as the only way to cull the members is literally through death, I would not doubt this maybe the first step toward them making it harder to keep your C&A status.  It already amazes me there isn’t some type of you need to cruise once every X years to maintain status or something, like any other travel status program.

 

I sincerely hope not, and doubt they changed the rules, but I could see a consultant coming in and being like “Why are you letting kids keep their status when they turn 18?!?  This makes no sense, you should cut that And make them earn it.”

28 minutes ago, jty1220 said:

Thank you.  So coffee and tea are still free?

Yes. And donuts, croissants, cereals and fruit.

I responded in the other thread.  There are cribs.  They can fill up fast based on how many babies are on board.  I recommend reserving the times you want the moment you board.  As long as you reserve the moment you get on board it should not be an issue.  If you wait till an hour before you stand a high chance of it being fully booked. 

30 minutes ago, jty1220 said:

How much is room service breakfast?

It is 7.95 if you want a warm breakfast.  Free for continental breakfast. 

32 minutes ago, jty1220 said:

Does the child care for 1 year olds typically fill up fast?

Babies and toddlers from 0-2 years and 364 days go to the nursery.  Based on the boat it can fill up very quickly as some boats only can hold 4 babies at a time,  on the larger boats the capacity can be as high as 16, and fills up less quickly.  
 

We used to go straight to the nursery when boarding and wait until it opened so we were first in line to guarantee we got our main must have times for childcare.  When our kids were younger Formal night was still a bigger event so we always booked formal nights, and some daytime during sea days with our initial allotment as those are by far the busiest times for the nursery.  We have definitely been on ships where you are definitely scrapping for nursery hours if there are a large number of babies on board and limited capacity like on the Grandeur. 
 

I see you are on the Independence.  They likely have 10-12 or so spots in the nursery which is my guess, but those can definitely fill based on kid load especially on a shorter cruise as most parents will be looking to maximize baby free time.  I definitely suggest going there first thing to ensure you get your must have times.

Ports

 

I apologize for the lack of pictures of the port area, transportation, terminal, that I would normally take pictures of when I do a review.  I was not planning on doing a review, and only decided to do this after we returned so I did not take as many pictures as I normally would

 

We had been to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallerta previously in 2008 on a Vision of the Seas cruise prior to RCI pulling out of LA during the 2010s, and been to Cabo again in 2017 on a Disney Cruisee with the kids so we didn’t really care much for the ports.  Originally we had not planned to get off the ship due to my wife’s inability to walk, but she has made great progress in physical therapy, so she said she wanted to see what she could handle.  On embarkation day we did some last minute shore excursion bookings via shorexcursion.com, and directly with a tour operator.  We traditionally do not book through RCI due to the 30% markup on excursions.  Also RCI had minimal excursions offered it seemed and the majority were sold out at this point so it was not even an option.   In the past ECP has offered celebrity led excursions, where there is a celebrity on your excursion, but since the pandemic these have sadly not yet returned.  Previous cruisers say they were a ton of fun going on excursion with the celebrities and it’s something they hope returns.

 

Cabo San Lucas

 

The last time we were in Cabo we booked a zipline tour in a canyon.  Due to Kendall’s current limitations we were obviously not going to do any significant hiking, so in Cabo we booked a quick 2 hour boat ride to the arch and a short snorkel with a pickup about a 10 minute walk from the pier.   It was a little pricey at 89/person for a quick two hour tour, but they did provide a lunch after snorkeling which at least added some value.  The lunch was a ham sandwich with some chips and some juice.  The sandwich was tastier than expected, and the juice was good as well. 

 

We boarded our boat about 5 minutes late as we were waiting for 2 more people, that never showed up.It was a short ride out to the arch where we stopped for a quick photo, and then started the short ride to the snorkeling location which we passed on the way to the arch.  We were then taken to the snorkeling area, which was just 5 minutes away.  The guide stated most people only stay about 10 minutes in the water this time of year due to the cold.  The water was pretty cool but not too cold that it was intolerable without a wetsuit, but it was 68 degrees.  Not nearly as cold as the 57 degrees we encountered in the Galapagos a little over a year ago.  We snorkeled for about 25 minutes before we decided to get out and get back to the ship.  There were a reasonable amount of fish, but it was nothing spectacular, but it was about what I expected.  The guide did take pictures with his GoPro throughout the excursion and emailed them to us for free later, which definitely added some value to the tour.  It was nice not to be nickeled and dimed for the pictures. 

 

It was exactly 2 hours, and I don’t think I’d do it again, but it was something than involved minimal walking and Kendall managed herself well. 

 

Mazatlan

 

In Mazatlan we booked a shore excursion via shoreexcursion.com and went horseback riding on the beach.  It was only 65 bucks a person, included transportation to and from the port, and also included some chips and salsa and complimentary drink and an hour horseback ride.  The pickup point for this tour was in the cruise terminal which was very handy, and there was minimal walking to get to the terminal and within the terminal.  It took a little bit of logistics to get to the horseback riding location as it was on another island.  We initially got in a van to get to a two level party boat in which we were the only people on it that was used to transport us to the island.  We then got on a truck to get to the location.  

 

Which was actually a restaurant on the beach that had the horses. 

All in all it took probably about 30 minutes to get to the beach with horses.   The restaurant area was very clean, and seemed like a nice place to spend a couple hours, but we were there primarily for the horseback riding.

 

The horseback riding experience was pretty minimal.  There was no orientation, or getting to know your horse, or telling you the horse’s name.  They had no helmets.  They basically had you climb onto your horse, and you took off, while the guide was in the rear.  The guide spoke minimal English which led to some confusion on where to go on multiple occasions as I was the one in the lead and the guide was in the rear.  The horses are pretty well trained, but they still need some guidance.  You do not start out riding the horses on the beach.  In order to ride the horses on the beach, you have to travel on several roads until you have passed the last restaurant on the beach. Then you can take the horses onto the beach.  I definitely took a couple wrong turns and had to turn my horse around to get back on the right path.  Once we got on the beach it was very relaxing and beautiful.  The weather was perfect and the breeze just right.

We were there pretty early in the day, and as such we basically had the beach to ourselves which was really nice.

 

Overall, it was a very relaxing ride on the beach and for $65 dollars/person was very reasonably priced.  Afterwards, we were allowed to stay at their restaurant and beach for as long as we wanted and have some chips and salsa and our free drink.  It was a very nice location and very relaxing and the weather was perfect today in the mid 70’s with a light breeze.  We did stay to finish our chips and drink but chose to have them take us back to the ship after we were done so we didn’t miss any of the entertainment as that is the whole reason we took a Star Trek Cruise.

 

Puerta Vallarta

Puerta Vallarta we did a Razr (side by side) excursion.  This was an absolute blast and I absolutely would do it again.  We booked this directly via the operator, Canyon River.  This was $300 for both of us so it was a little on the pricier side.  It included pick up from their office which is a short walk from the ship.  “Short” being a relative term based on your ability to walk efficiently.  My wife is still recovering, and it really is relatively short IF you didn’t have to walk some obscure mile long walk to get out of the port.  You can see the road from when you get off the boat not even 40 yards away when you get off the ship, but due to the way they make you walk through the port and the attached shopping area, it takes 20 minutes to get out of the port walking if you are mobility challenged.  She definitely got in her physical therapy for the day for sure getting to their office which ended up being a 30 minute walk when all was said and done.  

 

It was then 45 minute drive to the canyon where you do the excursion which was a blast.  We had three other stops to pick up other tourists on the way to the canyon.  

Once we got their, they handed us our goggles and bandana to keep us from inhaling insane amounts of dust, as it has been very dry lately, and the Razr's kick up a lot of dust.  

This was before....  Needless to say, I should have picked a different colored shirt.  LOL

 

Despite the very rough terrain the Razr has an amazing shock system making for relatively smooth ride.  The trail was very long, and I'd say we spent at least an hour actually driving in the Razr.  While there were some turns that were a little harrowing I never felt unsafe.  I did have to slow down to almost a stop sometimes as the dust was so thick I could not see even 2 feet in front of me.

 

Some Razr's did get stuck trying to get up some areas and took a little backing up and going at the hill again to get up it.  There were several areas with water you had to cross that definitely made for some good pictures and some big splashes onto the Razr.

Midway through there is a stop at a waterfall that you could hike to.  We were a little concerned Kendall would not be able to make it down the short 100 ft trail with about 40 ft in elevation change to get to the waterfall but she made it!  The waterfall water was nice and cool and we took a quick dip.  There was a small cliff you could jump off of if you wanted.  I did jump off it, and it was definitely a fun experience.

 

Right before the end there is another stop at a bar to get some tequila that overlooks the final bridge you drive on before being back at the home base.  Drinking and driving is OK there apparently as they were definitely downing the tequila shots before the final stretch.

  

 

After we were done, we had about an hour to chill at their base camp area.  They have many tours that start here, such as zip lining, ATV tours, and several shows.  The area is very nice and developed and has a  very large restaurant

a pool

and a stage for shows

and much more. We did have some chips and queso while we waited to go back.  At this point in time the photographer who was taking pics during the excursion found you and showed you your pics and offered to sell them to you for $25/pic or $60 for all.  They took about 15 pics of us of varying quality.  I am not normally one to buy phots as I take my own, but for safety reasons, you cannot take pics while driving obviously, so I did spring for the photos this time.  We eventually left and took their provided transportation which dropped us back off at the pier rather than their office this time which saved us some walking.  Overall, this was an excellent excursion and if I ever go back with my kids, I will definitely take them, as it is only marginally more to take them as you pay for the Razr rental, and it holds 4 people, so it's not much more to pay for 2 more people.  So instead of $300 for 2, it would be $400 for 4.  Much better bang for buck if you can fill your Razr.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have much from an actual Port report. Due to Kendall's mobility issues, we were unable to roam around as freely as we normally do and just explore the ports on our own.

 

Next time on Star Trek: The Cruise

The Celebrities

Cabin

Ship

Service

Overall

53 minutes ago, Kayla103 said:

This is all great to know! Thank you! 
 

Is the nursery more selective in how many? I’d assume so since they need more attention. (I’m aware of the charge for it but nice to know it’s an option for a kid break)

The nursery hours can book fast.  On the smaller boats they really max out on the formal nights and day time sea days very quickly.  We always waited for them to open up to be the first to book.

 

The smaller boats maxed at as low as 4 (Grandeur).  The bigger boats could go to 12-16 if I remember.  They only allow you to book an X amount of hours on the first day depending on length of sailing.  Sometimes it was just 10,  sometimes 20 hours initially.  Then after a day they let you book as much as you want after everyone is given a chance.  If you want formal nights or sea days I suggest you book those first.

 

The nursery will always give you a Dec phone (phone that works on the ship) or a pager.  AO only if you ask, although there was times they randomly gave us one.  It was random for AO if you got a pager.

 

The staff all had training and is well educated.  Many have childhood education degrees.  
 

There was a splash pad for babies on Liberty when we went on it last on a TA when our son was 15 months old back in 2012.  I assume it’s still there.

 

If you want some more info, we used to run a nonmonetized ad free blog with lots of kid traveling info especially on cruises.  Has lots of good tips.

 

https://thesmallworldfamily.com/2018/09/19/how-to-take-a-cruise-with-a-baby-and-have-a-great-time/

 

We just didn’t have time to keep it up but there are some good articles for traveling with babies on cruise ships.

7 hours ago, VirginiaIsForCruisers said:

Great review! This was my fifth Star Trek cruise and I had a blast, even though the weather put a damper on some of the events, especially the sail away. I'm happy next year will depart from Florida again.

Yes.  ECP in their Q&A specifically said they will never cruise out of cold weather again as it just makes the deck parties very difficult.  Being my first Star Trek Cruise, I was sad not to have that first day deck party as everyone said that was the one that was not to be missed, and it just got cancelled.

6 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Since it is probably mostly Trekkies that are watching this thread.   Anyone have an idea for a female Vulcan name for a goat?   We have baby goats and one has face markings that look like heavily slanted eyebrows, so at the moment she is called "Vulcan."   

T’Goat?  Goatvak? Tugoat? B’illy?  G’oat? 

6 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

I'd probably literally faint if I saw one of half those actors at an elevator.   I am the last person to get star-struck, but Star Trek is an exception.  

Was the guy that played Captain Pike in the recent series there?    He totally stole the "Best Star Trek Captain" Throne.   

 

Anson Mount was on ST: TC IV.  As was Ethan Peck, the guy that plays Spock The only Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Actor this last time was Jess Bush w(Nurse chapel).  She definitely was out and about the ship a bunch.

 

2 hours ago, clochette said:

what a great review, my husband would absolutely loved it.  Did everyone dress up on the different nights or was it OK to stay in street clothes?

 

It’s basically like Vegas.  Wear whatever you want when you want.  No one cares. No debates on MDR dress code here.

 

Based on the theme. I’d say anywhere from 70 percent to 30 percent participation on the night.  The highest was the Captain’s Gala (Starfleet uniforms/formal wear) and the Costume Party.  The lowest was the Bajoran Gratitude Festival (most people unsure what to dress up as, but many went tropical) and the Knights of the Holodeck (Ren Faire stuff).  You wont feel out of place no matter what you wear.

 

1 hour ago, hollins2007 said:

Curious, do they provide autographs/photo ops, like a regular convention?  If so, when do they list those prices and what days/times that's available?

Just like a regular convention there are paid photo ops and autographs.   They release these many many months in advance with a price list.  There is notable discount for pre buying these photo ops and autographs.  Like 20-30 dollars based on the celebrity.  The times that the actors sign are not released until you get on the ship, and they do photo ops starting Day 1.  So if you have a specific outfit for a pic, you need to be ready on Day 1 and bring it onboard manually in case a photo op lands before you get your luggage back.

 

While they say you shouldn’t take selfies with the celebrities many did and most don’t mind.  Just try to be respectful so it doesn’t turn into a selfie-a-thon.

18 hours ago, hollins2007 said:

Thanks for this!  We just booked the ST cruise for next year.  Our first one (not our first cruise though).  This makes me more excited - especially as a couple of friends from our church are going too!

You won’t regret it!!  It’s so much fun!  Originally I thought it’d be a one and done thing for us because it is pricey for a 7 day mainstream cruise, but if we can get child care we’ll go again for sure!!  It’s so much better than a regular cruise!

 

17 hours ago, barbeyg said:

Thanks for this review, @rimmit!  I’m so glad your wife is well enough to travel and enjoy that.  I’ve thought of you guys often, after reading about what happened.  Hope you both had a great time! 

Thanks for thoughts!  It’s so great to see her walking again and getting back to a normal life.  At the rate she’s going she may be able to walk through an airport in a couple months!!  If you asked me 5 months ago if that was ever gonna happen I woulda thought hell would freeze over before she’d be able to walk that far!

 

14 hours ago, WorkingForOBC said:

Your review is entertaining and informational! Thank you so much for sharing. I don't know that a Star Trek cruise is in our future, but it's really interesting to read about, and learn more about charter cruises.

 

A Star Trek cruise definitely isn’t for everyone that’s for sure as it’s an incredibly niche population, but if you are part of that niche it couldn’t be more fun!

17 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

On one hand hand, it sounds expensive, but the price is in the same ballpark as the Star Wars Experience at Disney World.   I forget the name.   I'm not talking about the ride, but in the special hotel.   

 

The Galactic Starcruiser is 2 nights for not even 48 hours for 5,000 for two people or 1250/person per night.  It is totally different in that it is a LARP experience (Live Action Role Playing). You see characters but no actors, not that you’d ever get Harrison Ford or Mark Hamill on a Star Wars cruise, but maybe some b-listers.  It’s all in universe though so you get pretend you are in a Star  Wars Adventure.

Star Trek: The Cruise is a themed charter cruise.   So it’s not like you get to pretend you are aboard the Enterprise, but the fun is in the entertainment and the actors.  The price is $4960 for two people in an inside cabin for 7 nights.  So that comes to $354/person per night.  Much cheaper than $1250/person per night for the Galactic Starcruiser.

 

I have wanted to do the Starcruiser for the last year but it’s just hard to justify that 1250/night cost per person for something that isn’t even out of the country.  

The ST Cruise was amazing though and well worth the premium price tag.  Having the actors roaming around is great and the energy is much higher than a typical cruise.  Having everyone on board with a similar interest really amplified the energy and overall vibe of the ship.

Entertainment

 

Still to come:

Ports

Cabin

Ship

Service

Overall