mvlb

What happened on the Sun is incredibly rare... don't worry, enjoy! I cruised on the Sky in January and loved it. I worked on the ship in 2009 - and I thought it was in better shape in 2018 than 2009!! Great service, great ship!

As others are saying... it's normally fine...

I never book flights before 2pm because of past experiences, specifically in Miami. I've spent years on ships and I'd say once every couple months in Miami there are issues with customs or arrivals. Maybe CBP is short staffed, maybe there is a larger amount of non-americans onboard than normal, maybe another ship unexpectedly had to stay in port for an emergency and there's a delay for a berth, maybe the crew have to go through a full immigration inspection first, maybe there is a major medical emergency and a guest has to be disembarked to an ambulance first delaying the whole process. Things happen... so it's risky, but likely OK.

The cruise industry is a small place - there's lots of bouncing around between companies and scooping up talent from other lines. You can also just apply directly to the cruise line, there are regular postings on various cruise line websites. For a position like Cruise Director, it's rare to be even considered unless you have extensive experience in the cruise or resort entertainment industry. Referrals do happen quite often as well.

I used it on the Sky in January. There were a few issues with scheduling of activities... the app would say a certain show or event was at a specific time - but the Freestyle Daily would have a different time or event listed. It's a good start... but needs a lot of work.

Will answer what I can and what others already haven't :)

What are the best things to do on the first day besides the pool?

Just get familiar! Since you have kids, I'd recommend heading to the kids center to get registered and find out all of the info first. I always suggest to avoid the buffet on the first day and hit up the dining room for lunch, it's nice and quiet. Take your time, don't rush, and just enjoy.

What kind of hands on class/activities on the ship could kids attend? I know the kids club will have stuff but I’m thinking more about stuff for us adults that they could tag along on. Like is there still an origami class?

There will likely be too many events for you to even keep track of. Browse through some of the threads here, and you can likely find copies of the Freestyle Daily (the daily program) from recent cruises that other CCs have shared. They obviously change cruise to cruise, but most of the daily activities remain relatively similar.

Alaska questions:

Short activities for kids in Victoria?

I live in Victoria.. so if you have any specific questions feel free to let me know. Victoria is the perfect place to get off and go for a walk. No real need to plan ahead. Fisherman's Wharf is a short walk from the pier (20 mins) and it's a great place to take kids to get ice cream and enjoy the scenery. Beacon Hill park is a big winner for kids, there's a big play park, a petting zoo and lots of space to run around.

Tropicante or Fernando's 100% Agave! Last time I was in Costa Maya on the Navigator Fernando's was closed for the day, so I went to Tropicante. Fernando's is usually my top recommendation... but it's not always open. Both are great. As others have said.. Steve is the best!!!

Childcare for 6m-3yrs is only available on the Escape for the time being. Their kids programming is fantastic, but is only available fleetwide for 3yrs-17yrs and they are very strict about following the age categories.

There will still be activities for babies/toddlers - but parents will have to be in attendance (no childcare or babysitting available). Check in with the youth center staff when you get on board, and they'll be able to provide you with times/locations for the activities.

Everyone remains onboard and may or may not be assigned other duties (depending on if they are part of the cruise line production cast or a special guest entertainer). Special guest entertainers will either debark, or they will have time off. Cruise line production cast employees will likely be assigned other duties (helping with other shows, greeting guests etc..) and will stay onboard. Sometimes it's a great break, and sometimes it's a burden. When I worked in the onboard art gallery, my salary was mostly based on commision, but we couldn't run our programming... so... I didn't get paid.

That's all correct! The terminal is RIGHT downtown, great location to be near everything... however... hotels are incredibly expensive in the summer. I'd recommend staying in a hotel near the airport (there's a few options!) and then head into town the day of to join the ship. OR... get an airbnb, there's literally hundreds of options for condos right nearby the terminal.

Thanks, do you know if you book online via the Cruise planner before the Cruise, whether you have to pay that cost up front or if it's added to your on-board account?

You pay the cost up front - which I found handy to control my onboard costs.

I'm a former crew member - it's for crew and their immediate family only.

If you have trip interruption insurance or would be able to arrange a later flight should something happen... give it a whirl. I've worked on ships for many years and I'd say that out of Miami, 25% of the time ships are delayed for one reason or another (usually customs) It's also hectic getting transportation once you get off the ship which can delay things even further.

Yes! Looking for more info myself. I am booked from Rio to Miami - if anyone has contact info for the charter company it would be much appreciated. Asked my booking agent and they also have absolutely no info - it's so odd! NCL doesn't know, interline companies don't know. Who's running it??