RunBikeCruiseDC

Sorry I'm late seeing these, are you still looking for penpals?  I;ll send you an email!

Good topic.  I have no idea when we will cruise again.  We did not have a cruise scheduled for 2020 but had to cancel our vacation.  Our European vacation next summer is looking questionable - we were planning on going to Czech Republic/Slovakia/Poland/Germany.  River cruising is a dream.  RIght now we're thinking something shorter and closer to the US.  Those private island and Key West 3-4 day cruises are looking good to us right now.

On 10/6/2020 at 10:13 AM, GA Dave said:

JMHO:  YUCK!

I'm with you - keep the outdoor space!!  Though the Bliss was beautiful, I would not sail any ships like that again unless it was Alaska or maybe something out of NY in the winter. Very happy with the ropes course, mini-golf and a large Spice H2O on the Breakaway, Getaway and Escape.

Just saw they are extending "Peace of Mind" somewhat - 15 days in advance for cruises booked for Jan-Oct 2021.  So we may start looking for next year.  Anniversary in April (missed our 5th in Trinidad and Tobago this year) and big birthday for sister-in-law in September.

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

 Do you really want to tie any money up with any cruise line right now? First, it seems very unlikely that anyone is sailing next spring.  Second if a cruise line seeks bankruptcy protection you become one of thousands of unsecured creditors who might get a couple of pennies for each dollar, that you have given them.

 

The wise move is to simply wait and not book anything now.

Unfortunately, we already have a lot of money tied up in CruiseNext deposits we are hoping to use.

Does anybody have insight into this?  We would like to book a cruise for next year but  the 120 day free cancellation is a joke as I think that's what it normally is.  Right now, we have no clue what shape any of the embarkation port cities will be in with this virus by next April.  Maybe not 48 hour free cancellation but at least 7-14 days...

got email from NCL and other cruise providers.  and it's on the website

Vaccine or antibody test.  If I already had it and have immunity then i wouldn't be so worried about it.  I had a bad cold in February without a fever or cough.

Regarding cruise next deposits only being good on over 6 days - there have been some specials where they have allowed the use of one deposit on shorter cruises (versus allowing 2 deposits on longer cruises).   Hopefully this will be an option in the near future.  We might only be interested in shorter cruises for a while.

i know for myself, the shorter cruises sound like something I'd prefer to do first.  Or maybe be able to get on a New England/Canada cruise - at least will be close to the US shores.

I live in the DC area.  Keeping up with things in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.  Too many people out over the weekend checking out the cherry blossoms has ruined it for the rest of us.  And too many businesses still operating as usual.  They are shutting all non-essential business down.  Luckily, we can still get out of the house as long as we keep 6 feet + between us.  Getting bored with my neighborhood so I took the dog on some hiking trails.  Hopefully groups won't ruin that for us all.

So sorry to hear what's going on in Spain.  I lived outside of Madrid for many years and have friends over there.  It's heartbreaking.

27 minutes ago, cruisekitty22 said:

We want to use our FCC on a cruise to Bermuda. Neither one of us has been to Bermuda before.  This would be for 5 day cruise on the Encore from NY with an overnight in Bermuda in November 2020. How cold is Bermuda in November? I assume its too cold for the beach which is fine with us. Do the bars and casino  on the ship stay open all night when  we are docked in Bermuda?  Would we still be able to do the race cars if the ship is docked? This is a deal breaker for DH.

When we cruised to Bermuda in 2015 and 2017, the casino did open later in the evening.  Bars and restaurants will be serving during normal hours but a few may be closed while in port - you should always have options to eat and drink.  We typically did breakfast, went ashore for the entire day then came back for dinner on the ship most evenings.  I believe the temps during winter are mild (70s), should be fine to do everything except water sports.  We love Bermuda and would like to go sometime during the cooler months.  My birthday is in November so that's an idea. 😉 Enjoy!

Congrats!!  I hope we win a bid one of these days!

On 1/23/2020 at 8:38 AM, JamieLogical said:

I don't know why this is such a challenge for people. Every cruse line (every business for that matter) has their BS marketing. Cut through all that crap and look at the TOTAL cost of the trip. I am in the process of buying a new washer and dryer. All the big box stores have "deals" going for "30-40%" off, but that is literally ALWAYS the case. Good luck ever finding a full priced washer and dryer somewhere! Ignore the marketing and look at the bottom line. How is this a new concept to any functioning adult that has ever had to make ANY major purchase?

That's true - yay for the USA where we never know what the price of anything is!  I'm curious to try other cruise lines that don't do US pricing and are up front about the cost.  But, sigh - that's what we are used to.

A great example is restaurants.  So you have a meal that is $20 in the US that would cost you $25 in the EU.  By the time you add tax (say 10%) and tip (20%), you're paying $26. The "less expensive" meal ends up costing more... 

9 hours ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

 

I can't speak for Steff but from what I have seen is that compared to the Escape, Encore has removed the ropes course and min-golf which were free and replaced them with the race track and laser tag which are not.  And they removed Spice which was free and expanded Vibe which is not.

Oh - thanks for that update regarding Spice/Vibe.  I was going to comment on ropes course vs. go-karts/laser tag.  Havent been on Encore but have been on Bliss which has similar issues.  Spice H20 and Vibe were much smaller on Bliss - we don't have children.  We will probably not sail on Bliss/Encore/Joy again unless it's an Alaska cruise. 

5 hours ago, poffles said:

This 'rumor' is also proven 'fact' by looking at the Bliss ship detail on the NCL site.  It shows the American Diner under Specialty Dining listing.  I was looking forward to a margarita (or two) from there on my cruise in March but guess that isn't going to happen now.

 

Whats on Board - Bliss Specialty Dining

You can get margaritas at other bars on board and they are just as good (or better).  The only drink I would make a special trip to Margaritaville for was the "Havana and Bananas" on occasion.  I don't go on cruises for Margaritaville, diner food, Mexican food or BBQ.  I could stay at home for that.

My husband and I were looking at cruises for 2021, we sat on it for about a week then when we went to book the airfare option was gone.  We're going to probably wait a while to see if it comes back - plenty of time.  Of course the prices were still the same.

On 11/20/2019 at 2:07 PM, Liljo22 said:

He was mistaken.  If you have the beverage package, once on board you do not pay anything additional with one exception.  You do not even get a receipt to sign. 

 

The one exception is when you are in a US port.  In Florida and Louisiana you have to pay sales tax on the retail price of the drink.  You will get a receipt to sign and you can add an additional tip if you like.  I do not know what NY law says.  For Texas, beverage packages are not allowed to start on the first day due to the TABC laws.  NCL does not sail out of Texas but that was an FYI if you sail on Carnival, RCL or Disney out of Galveston.  

You pay the tax while in port in NY, too!  As a matter of fact, that was the first time we saw that with the drink package!

7 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Huh?  Manslaughter is a criminal charge.  And in many jurisdictions, negligent homicide and involuntary manslaughter are defined identically.

Learned something new, In Virginia we only hear "involuntary manslaughter" so I thought the two were different.

They usually run specials on port days.  However, both times I have had massages they spent most of the time trying to sell me stuff.  for example, my husband and I got 90 minute couples massage and it was about 20 minutes hands on vs the 80 we were expecting. about 20-30 minutes for a 50 minute massage then the MT walked in on me before I got my robe on to sell me something.   I'll never waste my time on massages again after those two experiences. I get massages on land. i don't know anything about the facials.  Always happy with mani/pedis though.

1 hour ago, KDCXO82 said:

I am party of the wedding on embarkation day. On my previous cruise, we arrived early and were able to get Vibe beach club passes when we were a part of Boarding Group 1. Has anyone had any experience getting passes when they were a part of a wedding on embarkation day? I hate to miss my opportunity because of the wedding! 

I seem to recall we did not get into the Vibe once due to many wedding parties on board. I think they got the first pick on the passes before anybody else got onboard.  I think it was the Escape out of NYC?

On 10/29/2019 at 10:59 AM, mjkacmom said:

I once tried to remove some chunks of tomatoes from my stick blender - while it was still on. Cut most of the flesh out of the pad of my finger. Luckily mom my lived in town and drove me to urgent care, where they packed it with something that would stay in place for many weeks while my finger grew back. My kids came home to an empty house and bloody kitchen. Everyone asked why I thought it was a good idea to not turn it off first, to this day I have no idea. All I know is that it hurt like hell and took forever to heal. One of the dumbest things I ever did.

I thought I was the only one that did something this stupid!!!   I had a stick blender with power on the side.  I was trying to un-gunk a cream cheese mixture and bumped the on button.  Impaled the darn thing on my finger.  I drove a stick shift so I could not drive myself to urgent care, had to call ambulance.  Fire department thought they may use mini Jaws of life to remove the thing. Once my hand started relaxing after numbing injection, it came right off.  Firefighters were so bummed.   Luckily I didn't severe any nerves and my finger is okay now.  Lesson learned, always unplug before cleaning.

Now back to the subject at hand.  I'm so saddened the grandfather was given criminal charges.  I was hoping for manslaughter.   Tragic accident but he didn't mean to kill the child.  This family has been through so much already. 😞   My father liked to teach his grandkids to "drive" by putting them in his lap and letting them hold the wheel.  It was fun for the kids but dangerous.  A niece decided she could "drive" a car that was running while my father ran in the house quickly, totaled the car. But luckily my niece was unharmed.   I think grandparents are so busy trying to make the grandkids happy that they sometimes forget common sense.

17 minutes ago, GA Dave said:

Another reason for the "long" cruise time is that they sail straight out from Miami to get into international waters ASAP so they can open the casino.  They then stay in international waters to keep it open legally.

Not to mention they the staff at the port probably goes home after a certain hour and arrives at a certain hour in the mornings.  

4 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

You only get the meals on 5 day or longer cruises.

Ah - good to know.  We are looking at a 5 day one but thought a shorter trip may be better for our timing.

We have just reached Platinum status.  I see some great deals on last minute short cruises, even enticing us with using CruiseNext deposits for 3-5 day cruises!  Would we still get the dinner at Cagneys/Le Bistro AND La Cucina/Moderno  on a 3 or 4 day cruise?