Monica887

Looking at an aft balcony in the Encore. Only "downside" I can think of is that it's far from the observation lounge. Does anyone NOT like an aft? Why?

What is a club balcony suite? I usually get a regular balcony.

For Alaska, the ports matter more. I went last summer on a different popular cruise line (based on dates and prices) and I don't remember the ship at all, just the scenery. When I do Caribbean, I want the nicer ship (or Haven now if I can get a deal) becuase all the ports don't stand out to me much anymore. A Caribbean cruise for me is now more about relaxing than sightseeing. I booked Alaska for next summer and if I can get the Haven to work out, great, if not, it's Alaska and I'm happy to be there on my regular old balcony.

Our CAS representative seems to think we can get a good BF deal. We're considering an upgrade category and she thinks she can get us a better price on it then. No idea....I generally agree that all the sales are all 6 of one half a dozen of the other. But we'll take her advice and wait until then to decide if we're making a change.

Only time I ever watched tv on a cruise was when I had Covid and was trapped in my room. The selection was poor. But it makes sense that there aren't many options, and it would probably cost the cruise line $$$ to run more content. I don't need that cost passed along to me.

What is worth doing at 8pm in Victoria? There are some city tour excursions, but is there anything open that we can explore on our own?

This past August on the Escape it was American Diner.

When I started cruising as an older teen I remember it being more all inclusive. My parents said they would pay for excursions and I should bring my own money for drinks and room service tips, and that was all we would have to pay for. Now as a parent I miss that vibe a little. I hate saying constantly to my kids "no, it costs money" 100 times a day. I'm fine with saying no to my kids, but there are SO many add ons that I'm saying no constantly. We do a few add ons here and there, of course, but with some many of them we really pick and choose. When I go without the kids, I don't mind it much at all. I ignore most of the extra fee stuff and don't drink much, and leave with a very low bill. So, as I think I've said on other threads, it's fine for new cruisers who understand what they're getting into, but frustrating for those who were used to it being a certain way and don't like change.

This is close to what we did. I struggle with the waiter part. There were so many good ones but we had different ones each day. There were a couple who seemed to look out for us extra so we just tipped them. Next time I would try to ID the good ones early on and try to request them so I can tip them individually more at the end. We don't drink much so we just tip per drink. I didn't tip the maitre d.

So the luggage broke while with NCL. Got to the dock from the airport just fine but the wheel was broken was it got to the room. We reported it to see if it could be fixed, so she could get home easily, but they just showed up with a brand new one.

Also, when we first started cruising, customer service was better overall. Little touches, special requests, problem solving Now everyone seems rushed and overwhelmed and can't be flexible or helpful in the way they used to. The concierge though is able to still provide that level of customer service

I didn't think I would use the service at all, but the concierge was good and checked in with us multiple times. He showed up at specialty restaurants to make sure we had everything we wanted, called in specific food requests, made a spa appointment that the spa was making difficult. He called us by name, knew my dietary restrictions. Got my mom a last minute spa appointment, replaced her broken luggage. Rescheduled reservations when port times changed. It was all quick and seamless, and they get reservations and time changes that are impossible last minute on the app. Yes, we would have still had a great trip without the service, but this truly elevated the experience.

I went with 8 and 11 year olds, and the 8yo was a very difficult traveler at that time. We rented a car and it was the best day of the trip. We went at our own pace. She loooved the sled dogs at Tutsi. They both loved the desert. The car rental company had lunch ready for us in a cooler in the car, so no stress about food. Drove out ot Emerald Lake, picked some points of interest from Murrays guide. Wayyyy cheaper than any excursion would have been and really a wonderful, beautiful family day. That said, I'm going back without the kids and will take the train, because I feel like I "should". I'm sure I'll enjoy the scenery, but it was invaluable for all of us to be able to stop whenever we saw something of interest.

But that's what's weird too...right now I'm looking at Juneau, not logged in, just in the main website. And there's only 32 listed excursions, and no helicopter tours. No helicopters in Skagway either. No sled dogs in Skagway. I still have a list of some of the ones I was considering last time, so those stand out to me as missing. I'm still many months out, but it's odd that it's not on the main excursion page.

How far out do ALL the excursions get posted? When can I start to obsessively plan without missing any choices...lol... (Alaska, so excursions matter!)

I had that pavlova multiple times on my trip this summer. So light and bright, well balanced. I'll be back for it next summer!

Follow up question, how can I retire at 50? Sigh.

So where IS the best price usually? Website? Travel agent? The NCL consultant people who call randomly? What about Casino at Sea (I don't have it but my frequent travel partner does)? I work on a teacher's schedule and have my own kids. I do ditch the kids sometimes and go myself, but I can only go during peak times and only for a week. There's no way to be flexible there.

I learned how to pack light when my cruise luggage was lost by the airline and I only had what I could grab in Walmart the morning of the trip. It was a cold weather trip. 2 t-shirts and a hoodie - wear the tshirts twice each, and the wash them before wearing them each twice again. One pair of hiking pants and one pair of jeans and alternate. One pair of sneakers and one pair of sandals/flip flops. We didn't dress for dinner in our situation, but two pairs of nice pants and a couple of tops will do. Overall, plan to wear each thing twice, with one load of laundry mid week and hand washing as needed.

What's the difference between the Observation lounge and Horizon Lounges? Just that one is exclusive to Haven?

Also for the record, it does depend on the ship. Not all have the separate pool and restaurants.

This is a regular Haven balcony room on the Escape - It is a bit bigger than a typical balcony room but not huge. This one holds 3 people, with the pull out chair. Separate restaurant, pool, lounge/bar, sundeck. The pool has a light food menu and snacks. They will escort you to some shows, help you make reservations. Escort you on and off the ship to ports during peak hours (no long elevator lines!). Separate check in and security line and lounge when embarking (this may depend on the port). They will deliver meals upon request to the room. They will deliver snacks daily to your room. The food in the restaurant is far better than typical cruise food. 2x/day room cleaning. Basically it takes care of all the negatives/little annoyances of regular cruising like the crowds.

Why would there be a price listed on a mailed catalog that then isn't listed with the PCC when trying to book? Saw a fantastic Haven price that was then double when we called. She wasn't able to see the lower fare anywhere.

I'd like to do that at some point, but going in and out of Seattle is just easier. We had disaster of travel getting to Vancouver last year. I also want Denali, but that's only over 7 days. I'm leaving my kids home, so I feel like I can't go for more than a week, and I need it to be easy to get to port. I do really like the Jewel and would be more than happy with the smaller ship.

Thanks. If we don't do Haven, I would want an aft balcony, which I've never done. I would likely get the spa pass, but don't think I need a full spa room.