Morgsmom

Yes, that is what I meant - thank you!

As a solo I am being 'squeezed' as it were into a 7A obstructed balcony on the Legend. (yes, I could go up to an 8, unobstructed, but it is easily $400 more so they really, really, make it hard to want to take that leap.)

That being said, are there any 7A cabins to Avoid? I'm looking at one that appears to be in the Middle of two lifeboats, but there looks like a different big obstruction there. (6235 on Legend).

Any tips would be appreciated. Need to book today!

I would doubt that happens; the cruiseline wants to maximize revenue. In booking a quad cabin with only one guest they immediately lose 75% potential revenue.... and the cabin steward loses 3/4 of the potential grat on that cabin.

Taking first solo cruise so have to be aware of solo rates... need advice.

for the same budget would you take a balcony on the Legend or an Oceanview on the Liberty. I don't really care about the differences in itineraries as I have already been to all of the ports. More about ship amenities.

There is a Jmid July Western Carib, balcony cabin, under $800--no solo supplement on the Legend! Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Roatan. Great ports. Great ship. Wish I could go but just got a new job...

 

I meet people at the trivia games. Roll call is a good place to line up activities in port.

for all 4 weeks in July right now the Balcony is approx. $629, $748 with all taxes. I'm booking the 20th! My first solo. (I wanted to do the Valor but the rates jumped up since Thursday and there are so single rates on the 13th or 20th :(

that website that you just referenced is only for travel agents... :(

But I'd like to hear from experienced cruisers about the condition of the ship. The itinerary is GREAT, but I'm worried about the Valor showing her age.

Getting ready to take my first solo cruise... now that DD is heading off to college. Given the fact that Carnival is one of the few cruiselines to have favorable rates for singles, I am looking at either the Sunshine or Liberty.

Would appreciate thoughts on the refurbs on each of the ships.

Hi Everyone,

Well, DD (now 18) and I just got off the Ruby on one of her little 5 night cruises. Thought I'd share a bit:

1. Embarkation: wow, they are taking the new wine policy very seriously. I acknowledged that there was wine in my carry-on and then was sent to the "naughty" table where I basically had a staring contest with some overly stringent (IMO) rep. Told him he was free to open my suitcase but he just gave me the nastiest once-over. Not a pleasant way to start the cruise.

Also, embarkation was slower than usual despite our purposefully late arrival as most guests just carry on luggage for this length, which speeds down security.

2. Ship/Cabin - in lovely condition. Crew were always out and about sanding, polishing, cleaning. Really top notch. Our cabin steward was in his early 60's I'd say and he always seemed tired. He also seemed to have a LOT of rooms.

3. Casino - I must be wrong, because I could have sworn it was 18 to be in the casino. DD wanted to try some slots but we were told it was 21. (Maybe it is 18 on other lines?) Ergo, they got none of our money.

4. Food - perfectly acceptable to pretty darned good. Full disclosure - I have been in the restaurant business my whole life and am "picky" shall we say. I thought they did a good job. Menu had changed up a bit since we sailed last, but I think they suffer from "just one more thing might make it better" in regards to the food. (Well if we just add THIS it will be great, instead of sticking with a good thing.) DD had troubles as she has some food allergies and had middle of the road food tastes.

Room service- as a subset to food, was a horrible mess. We ordered a PB&J one day for DD and it came, 45 minutes later, without any Jelly.... I get that the folks in the galley making it were not likely raised on PB&J's but really? Then another day I ordered a pot of coffee and a couple of juices (full disclosure - to put in my fridge as I don't like juice in the morning, but after a full day of sun it's nice to have). One hour, 2 phone calls, and no coffee later they realized my order was brought to the wrong cabin. I give the room service a big thumbs down.

5. Entertainment - we skip most of the production shows now. The comedian onboard was good, but I prefer an evening "adults" show in the Explorer's Lounge over the general (PG) comedy in the Princess theater. I walked out of the "Broadway Dreams" show as I thought it was silly at best. I feel for those dancers who work hard and then are put in silly Bollywood outfits and made to do such choreography.

6. Stops - Cozumel - a pain to be at the "wrong" pier. Adds $$ to get into town. We did go to Chankannub for the day to Swim with the Dolphins, per DD's request. Note - I booked online directly with Swim Discovery the previous week and they were having a buy 1 get 1 free sale. If you book this way it includes the $21 park admission. When we got there they even threw in free buffet lunch. Otherwise, you get there and pay the $21 then they try to talk you into the dolphin swims. We both recommend it (vs the one we saw in Grand Cayman the next day which was run by the same company but took place in a pool environment).

Grand Cayman - coming in at 11am was difficult as most of the on shore operators are out and on the water at 9 or 9:30. We took a land based tour that was not worth the $ (IMO). Would have loved to have gone out to Rum Point but I am glad that I did not rent a car with the left hand driving and all of the roundabouts. That likely would not have turned out well.

All in all, an excellent value, though I won't likely do a 5 nighter again. I really just start to relax at about day 3 or 4 so I prefer a week.

Anyone w/ questions, ask away!

Negotiating the tour? How did you do that?

Can anyone recommend a day sail or fishing trip (not a small charter, though) for Grand Cayman? We do not want to go to Stingray City again.

thanks for any help.

Oh, hush, I often *knowingly* overpack on wine as I am not sure what I might be in the mood for... and I know that I will have no problem giving it away if there is a bottle or two left at the end of the week. (To be fair, however, I drink the good stuff first and keep the less expensive bottles for later in the week.)

I'd happily be tablemates with the posters who bring multiple varietals to dinner -- happy to chip in! We could have a party.:):)

Beware on putting it in your checked bag as I have read several people being called off ship by Princess to the luggage area and shown the bottles that were found in their checked bags, then had them emptied and were handed back the empty bottles......they seem to be cracking down more and more.

Confiscated liquors in original containers (and that doesn't usually apply to wines) are HELD until the end of the cruise. If someone told of alcohol being emptied it was likely due to it being smuggled in a non-original bottle.

The day that Princess dumped out a fine bottle of "Chateau de Blankey-Blank" (or even a bottle of Boone's Farm) there would be so much chatter on this board to start a riot.

Did you get a better choice of cabin after such a long wait?

Thanks.

As it was a GTY, you don't get any better choice, X does.. as they see what's still in inventory and magically shuffle the cards to fill the cabins...

Ps, the train cost so etching like $80-100 for both of us round trip. I think it was a two hour trip into Paris. Our trip was two years ago, so my memory of prices and travel time hazy, but I remember thinking the cost was extremely affordable. I never thought I was interested in going to Paris and after that short trip into Paris I know I want to go back! If your scenario is the same as ours was, I would do what the Brazillians on our trip did and just disembark at Paris and loose one sea day and make air reservations to fly home from Paris!!!

 

 

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that is a brilliant solution! The good thing is that ships in Europe are very amenable to people leaving at different ports of of call, unlike in the Caribbean.

Chair hogs make me furious! I am an early riser and I see the charades and shenanigans at o'dark 30 when there are chairs with the telltale "useless"/disposable magazine, empty sunscreen etc with nary a soul in sight. The challenge is that the cruiselines RARELY ever enforce their own rules. I've witnessed many a confrontation, (some of them including me), when someone returns after 3 hours and starts claiming they've been gone for "minutes." On the flipside, my chair was once commandeered when I was clearly settled in and ran to the restroom for less than 5 minutes.

I've used Nativeways 4 or 5 times over the years and always for the full Rays, Reef & Rum Point day; Sharon and her team are great. I will say that the first year that we did the excursion I was a *wee bit* scared that we'd miss the last tender, but we were fine. All of the companies know that their reputation is on the line and they will get you back in time, usually with about 40 minutes to walk around Front Street in case you choose to take the last tender. They all have cell phones and since they KNOW EVERYONE (obviously) on the island in the business they call ahead to see what traffic is like, know alternate routes, etc. Now I let them do the worrying...

and the lunch at Rum Point is always extra delicious after a morning snorkeling or playing with the rays. You place your order while onboard and they call it in; it's ready when the boat pulls into Rum Point. (I recommend their grilled fish of the day and DD always gets their yummy chicken fingers and fries). Enjoy

For Stingray City I would personally book through a private company. There are many recommended ones and the $ you save can get a nice souvenir from Grand Cayman. It is SO popular that there are no worries about being "off the beaten path." I recommend Nativeways; have used them for years. Alternately, the Tourist Information booth when you get into GC will hook you up with a company.

Great tour; highly recommended and he knows when all the planes come in and will work around it. Have fun.

thanks for posting this; Celebrity said the SAME thing to me when I asked about the Visa requirement. They said that we had to have a visa unless we went on their $$ tours.

Do the people with special dietary needs (regardless if they are medical, lifestyle, or whatever else) tip the staff that helps them with special menus, etc?

In my experience, yes. I have tipped the headwaiter on several cruises when they have been thoughtful of DD's shellfish allergy. On Disney, especially, all orders from tables with allergies must go through the headwaiter for an "all clear" before going to the kitchen. They do an exceptional job with this.

Thank you very much for the response! We (myself and college aged DD) are going to be on the Reflection this summer and I don't have an issue with her having a glass of wine or a beer with dinner (cuz' heavens knows she does it at school already, with or without my consent! :cool:)

Can anyone with experience please tell me what Celebrity's drinking age is onboard on a Mediterranean cruise?

I am going to toss out a thought, which is not meant as criticism and has no hidden agenda. There are some folks that are very "selective" diners for various reasons. Some have real serious health issues and allergies and must be very careful about their diet. But there are others (like many vegans, vegetarians, etc) who have simply made lifestyle choices and even others who are just very picky eaters. Mass market cruise lines try to create menus to offer a variety, but sometimes this is just not good enough for some folks. So, do you folks think that in those cases a cruise line should endeavor to satisfy the personal tastes (and wants) of any individual who feels the need of a private chef? Let us assume that the Oasis of the Seas had 5500 "vegans" each with their own idea of what that means. Would it be possible for the "Executive Chef" to sit down with 5500 folks (one at a time) and develop an individual menu for every meal?

 

So I am thinking this is not really practical on a mass market ship that must prepare thousands of meals every day. Yes, we think cruise lines should try to accommodate folks with specific dietary desires, but it should be done in an alternate setting and the passenger should pay for this extra service. Otherwise, what if I were to tell the "Executive Chef" that I only eat well marbled 2 pound Rib Eye Steak and boiled lobster...and I expect that at every meal? Or perhaps I only want a diet of shell fish...and demand that the chef serve me mussels, lobster, clams, oysters, etc. Are not my demands just as reasonable as a vegan (or any of the numerous categories of vegetarians)? Or perhaps I can only sleep on the highest quality satin sheets because any other linen chaffs my tender skin? Where does it all end?

 

Hank

Thank you Hank! Well Said! As the mother of a child with severe shellfish allergies (and a number of cruises under my belt) I understand the difference between lifestyle choices and true allergies/diet restrictions.

The vegan who doesn't eat honey or worry about char in the distillation process of wine... that's 100% a lifestyle choice and to ask a chef to bend over backwards... well, that's just wildly inappropriate, IMHO. How about we focus on not harming people with real allergies...

To Hank's point, my request for a pint of perfectly ripe fresh raspberries every morning with steel cut oats cooked for precisely 6 minutes should not go unheeded, either. How dare a cruiseline deny me of my special dietary needs. And a 6 ounce center cut filet, cooked precisely to my temp of choice and served on a sizzling plate for dinner.. .as that is what would make me happy...

Ok, off soapbox now. But appreciate the note that Vegan is a lifestyle choice and one that the mass market lines do a good job with as there are plenty of options already.