drpclarke

OOOO yeah! Just off another Celebrity cruise - I DO LOVE CELEBRITY! In case you are looking at going on the Constellation, maybe my experience will help you! EMBARKATION IN TAMPA: Six minutes. It took all of six minutes. No, I wasn't a high end customer who paid for the extras, just little old me in an inside cabin. SIX MINUTES! FABULOUS! APPEARANCE OF SHIP: It's often said that this ship looks its age. I only saw two areas that showed the age of "Connie": the bathroom floor in the cabin (some of those tiles were that icky dated light green color) and the stools at the pool bar. THAT'S IT. The ship is ridiculously clean. The housekeeping and maintenance staff do an outstanding job! CABIN: We got an inside cabin on deck 7 and no complaints. I love how all of the storage is cabinets and drawers. Sometimes when it is open shelving the room appears cluttered and less spacious. By having cabinets and drawers, everything still looked clean and spacious. I have no complaints about the size of this cabin - it worked out great for the both of us! ENTERTAINMENT: Very much a mixed bag. Comedian - I went to one show and left. IMO, he just wasn't funny...and I've always enjoyed comedians as long as they aren't vulgar. This one..nice, but boring. The shows - so I say this: my background is music, so I tend to be judgy on shows on cruises. These were very much "amateurish" shows with singers not quite on pitch. Not enjoyable and did not stay (but again, please remember I am judgy, so I'm overcritical). The little bands playing in the bars - now, these groups were GOOD, especially the band from Jamaica. Both groups had different sets and they worked to adjust those sets to the clientele at the bars at those times. We kept coming back to see that group and the small group from the Philippines. Both lead singers were STRONG and had good, solid instrumentalists with them. Games on pool deck - did not participate, so can't offer a review. Trivia, games, etc - these games were of all different varieties and themes, so there was something for everyone! PORTS: Key West- Belize-Costa Maya. Costa Maya is strictly a cruise tourism port, so I've "been there, done that" and don't care to see again. DINING: We tried to hit the main dining room each night but we looked at the menu, and nothing hit us as "ooh, we want that"..except for the appetizers. I'm a foodie, but nothing hit me on the menu - there wasn't anything I'd order in a restaurant. Therefore, we ate at the buffet for the vast majority of our meals. It's worth noting that every lunch and dinner (at least on this ship) had a different theme to it - Taste of Italy, Taste of England, etc. The salad bar was great every day as there was a variety of items. The buffet is pretty vast and well maintained. Because of the themes, there's always a variety so you don't have to eat the same thing all of the time - even though they do have pizza, burgers, hotdogs, and the grill (chicken, pork chops, steak) and stir fry every day. I liked everything except the Indian food they had every day(which I normally love, so this was a bummer...but "Taste of India" day was good!) and the vegetarian bar. Let's just say - I am one of those people that usually LOSE weight on a cruise. NOT ON CELEBRITY! My pants are tight now. If you have a sweet tooth, they have lots of different desserts at the buffet, and these change daily too. SPECIALTY DINING: We did the specialty dining at the Italian restaurant (and darn, I can't remember the NAME OF IT)....very good. Very good. I had carpaccio, a salad, and a filet. I was a piglet and it was delicious. BARS: All of the specialty cocktails on the menus are so good (but keep in mind, classic package only takes you to $10 per drink and the one above that goes to $15 (I think), so yup, you're still paying extra for an expresso martini. Some customers were really upset thinking their premium drink package covered it all to find out that wasn't the case. I did note that the bartenders in the casino area and in the lounges were much nicer than the bartenders in the bars in the pool areas. They weren't mean, they just didn't greet the customers and went through the motions. CASINO: Darn casino took my money. :0) (All $40 of it; I'm such a big spender!) If you are a gambler, pay attention to the points you gain: on this cruise, a lady I met earned 1500 points so she won a free cruise. Yeah, she may have spent that amount, but I will tell you...some of those machines were paying OUT. On the Wolf Run Eclipse machine, someone won $10K on the first day, and another won $2K on the last day. DISEMBARKATION: We had reserved a shuttle, so we only had to wait for about 10 minutes before our group was called. Other questions? Let me know. Overall...I loved it and now I'm trying to talk my husband into ANOTHER Celebrity cruise...like RIGHT NOW. I'd go on Constellation again in a minute!!

Hello travel friends! I am booked on the Norwegian Dawn in a few months (hooray!) and have started looking at what to do in ports. My ports include Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Klaipeda, Gdansk, Warnemude, Kiel, Aarhus, and Oslo. I understand that Gdansk and Warnemude are pretty far from the main cities, so I will look at excursions for those. With the other ports - are any of them walkable from the ship? Thanks! Rachel

This is all great information! Thank you all so much for answering and telling me about the extra speakers and activities...that will keep the hubby happy! Thanks, Rachel

Do you have any recommendations? I only remember a cemetery and an Irish pub. What would you recommend? Thanks!

Thank you! I've been to Halifax before but it was so long ago and we were there for just a few hours....all I remember is the cemetery with the victims of the Titanic and an Irish pub! Thanks!

Hi all! Getting ready to do a Canada/New England cruise in a few weeks. Have looked at excursions, but I think we would just like to visit the little towns. That being said - at the following ports, can we walk into town or do we need an uber? - Saguenay (La Baie) Quebec - Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - Halifax, Nova Scotia Thank you in advance! :0) Rachel

Thank you everyone for responding!!!! I will share all of this information with her. You all are amazing! Thanks! Rachel

Hi all! I am a travel agent and I have a client who is taking an Alaska cruise with embarkation/disembarkation in Vancouver. She will be flying to Vancouver from Charlotte. She does not have global entry, and has heard that customs in Vancouver is just a NIGHTMARE. Anyone have recent experience with this? Thanks! Rachel

I'm sorry; I didn't keep a copy. Thanks!

Just off of the Norwegian Encore. This is my second time doing Norwegian. For point of reference, have also done Carnival (never again), Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. Embarkation: Took us 20 minutes. That's IT! It was amazing! Arrived at our designated time and embarkation was so quick it felt like we had a whole other "sea day". Awesome! Cleanliness/housekeeping: The staff is on top of things when it comes to keeping this ship clean. Yes, some things are worn (like the chairs in the Garden Cafe, but hey, the ship is going in dry dock soon)..but everything is CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. You know how passengers are just notorious for leaving plates and glasses anywhere? Only saw glasses out-of-place once. That staff is amazing! Dining (Garden Cafe): This is typical buffet. Mainstays are the salad bar, fruit, desserts, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream. Food changes each meal in all of the other bars: Wok, Indian, Pasta, and "hot bar". Things are hit and miss, but there is always something for everyone to enjoy. My personal favorite was the Indian bar, and this was pretty popular with the crew, too. Sugar free desserts also available every day. I thought breakfast was a bit lacking, as it seemed the same thing was at every station. Dining (Specialty): I only did that once, at Ocean Blue. While the sides were nothing spectacular, the sea bass was absolutely amazing! The ahi tuna appetizer was also delicious. This was worth it! (Beware, a photographer will come by to take a picture and try to sell it to you). Dining (dining room): Only did once. I ordered clam chowder (nothing resembling a clam in it). For my entree, I ordered bluefish. Weirdly enough, it came with arugula and sauteed mushrooms, so a strange combination. One of my friends ordered the same thing. She took a bite, said it was ridiculously bland, and grabbed the salt. I took a bite of mine and it was inedible due to TON of salt on it (and I love salt). This, by far, was the worst mail of the entire cruise. I may have just had bad luck, but heck, cruise time is limited and I wasn't going to gamble on a good meal again! Choir of Man show: I had heard that this was a great show and shouldn't miss it. However, I generally hate cruise shows. I have a background in music and I tend to be pretty unreasonable about my expectations. The singers seem to be shrill and it's just very amateurish. Knowing there were good reviews with Choir of Man, I decided to give it a try. On our first night on the ship, I went to make reservations (it is needed for this show!). However, by that time, only ONE SHOWING was available...the next to last night. THIS SHOW WAS BOOKED! ..and for good reason. It's a great show. The plot is a bit weak but those are some VERY TALENTED MUSICIANS who sing with beautiful harmonies. This was such an unexpected surprise and a highlight of the cruise. If you're going on the Encore, SEE THIS SHOW. We're actually due to go on the Encore again in January, and I'm determined to see this show again! Entertainment: The cruise director is friendly and energetic and an absolute joy. She is in the position of singing for some events and she isn't a very strong singer (again, note how critical I am of musical stuff on the boat, so that my comments with a grain of salt). Most games were designed to be family friendly. Comedians were funny, and the adult show was hysterical with no unnecessary vulgarity. Veterans: I love that Norwegian truly treats veterans well as compared to other cruise lines. There is a nice discount, but now they do receptions for the veterans. The veterans are given pins, patches, challenge coins, etc. and get their photo taken as a group. I wish they did a recognition of the various branches of service just so we could see what everyone did - even something as simple as "Clap if you served in the Marines! Hoo-ah!". As the wife of an Air Force veteran, I really appreciate that Norwegian treats our veterans with additional respect. Communication: This is a bit lacking in some areas with regards to the ports. For example, we were told there was a Juneau shuttle (and there was)...but there was also one in Victoria, and while it wasn't readily mentioned, many of the passengers went to the shuttle so we could visit Victoria. However, we were going to the shuttle not knowing any sort of schedule or how much it cost, so we all found out it was $15 round trip per passenger while we were waiting in line. We also didn't know that we would get charged taxes on the drinks that we purchased while we were in port in Seattle waiting for the ship to sail, so that was a bit of a surprise. Not a bad charge, just a "surprise" charge and those aren't fun when you've budgeted for a trip. Shore excursions: We only did one with NCL, and I appreciated that the communication and signage was very clear. Once I got off of the ship, it was obvious where to meet my group. No confusion! Disembarkation: Ran quickly so we were able to get off the boat earlier than we expected. However, we had no idea when we had to vacate the room and had to ask the room steward - the time was not communicated in the paperwork. However, it was communicated in the Atrium - so you were in the know if you hung out there. Atrium: very small, active, and very crowded. Definitely the center of activity on the ship. Here is where some of my questions were answered via a projecting powerpoint presentation (rather than in the newsletter). Observation Lounge: Rumor has it this will shrink after dry dock. It's a great place to be, and they have afternoon tea (sandwiches and desserts) too! One glitch here: a pre-recorded "audio tour" is played here during Glacier Bay and other times throughout the cruise. However, everyone is busy talking, so you don't hear the audio. Deck and outdoor activities: it was beautiful weather but cold, so I can't comment on deck or outdoor activities. Overall, it was a great cruise. As mentioned, I'm going again in January (although a different itinerary), and I know to expect. The high point was definitely the service by the staff - always professional!! Let me know if you have any questions; I'm happy to help!

THIS is what I needed! Thank you so much. I always go through the learning modules before I book a cruise, and I didn't see any with Explora...so your input is so valuable and appreciated! Thank you! Rachel

I've found these boards to be helpful in answering all of my questions about cruises, whether it be for myself or my clients. People are always willing to help and offer recommendations, which I have found valuable. No reason to be rude to me; you don't even know me. My question was legitimate as I'm just learning about Explora and wanted to be sure I wasn't overlooking anything obvious. Thanks!

I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything. As you know, sometimes a rate is higher but includes so much more that it is worth it to book. I couldn't figure out what that would be in this situation based on what I was reading, and I want to do the best for my client. Thanks!

Thank you so much. With there being such a price difference, I thought there was something I was overlooking. I appreciate it!

Thank you! I appreciate your help! Rachel