Chasing Summer

If you don't have the specialty dining package, it doesn't matter what order you put the reservations in. We are also Sapphire but declined the package, so we can make two Latitudes reservations. I tried Moderno and it asked for over $140 on a cc. I switched Moderno with Los Lobos and added La Cucina and it didn't ask for any money. If we really want to add Moderno we'll switch it out once we're on board, but at least I know we have two times that we prefer.

Two times that I have to be somewhere by a specific time is enough for me in a week. 🙂 If I can't make it work, I could make a reservation for ala carte restaurant and see if I can change it onboard. If it doesn't work, I'd still have something.

Does it only work if you have a Specialty Dining package? I tried Moderno first and then LaCucina second and it still says put in a cc for $141.60. No way to say using Latitudes voucher. In the past I've always had to book once on board but with so many people having the SDP, it's hard to get a reservation then.

How do you make an online reservation for Moderno without paying $70 when you intend to use a Latitudes voucher? Whenever I try to put that in the card it comes up with the payment.

I agree with Glacier Bay over Endicott. We did GB on NCL many years ago and it was beautiful. This summer we did Endicott and had to turn around because of too much ice. That said, don't discount the clout that Princess carries in Alaska. I think Holland and Princess are the most deeply rooted there. We were on Discovery in July. The ship is beautiful. There are no waterslides or over the top amenities but it seems as if your party may not care about that. My 11 year old loved it! I noticed that we had primo docking spots at all of the ports. In Ketchican, Discovery docks right in town. NCL docks several miles away and busses into town. That may be difficult in a wheelchair. There may be accommodations for that, but it's something to consider. In Skagway, we arrived a couple of weeks after the rock slide that damaged the dock. Only one ship could then be at that dock and it was Discovery. Most of the NCL ships were diverted to other ports. With your mom in a wheelchair, I'd do some investigating on docks and accessibility before deciding. We've done both NCL and Princess in Alaska and in your case, I'd choose Discovery. Either way, what a great trip for your family!

Had you been on the Dawn before the refurbishment too? It will be interesting to see if it feels different. We've been on it twice as well as several sister ships that are exactly the same. I was sad to read that the Great Outdoors is now a kid's pool. I agree that was probably a needed amenity but that was my breakfast and sailaway space.

Since Easter is the 9th, many lower schools will be out the week before. We'll be on the Dawn with our 12 year old. The cruise on the 2nd would have many more kids than the one on the 9th. I'm guessing there are no spring break kids on that one unless they are online or homeschooling kids. College breaks are probably over by either cruise. The Dawn is not the water slides and race car type of cruise so there may be less kids than those ships.

I hope the Dawn isn't sailing out of Boston next spring because we're booked on her April 2nd out of Tampa. 🙂 I agree with others that adult children will find their own fun. In addition to being off the ship all day, the pools in the day and music options at night will certainly keep them entertained. In fact, our daughter is not an adult. She will just have turned 12 when we sail Dawn next spring. We really wanted to go out of Tampa and only smaller ships can make it under the bridge so the options are limited. Last spring break we went of Oasis of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the world with every option you can imagine. When I asked her if she'd be ok going on a smaller ship that didn't have any slides or extra entertainment she said, "Well, does it have a pool?" When I said it did, her response was, "Ok, them I'm good." I think your kids will be "good" too, regardless of the ship they're on. Hopefully you can find one out of Boston.

I didn't love the announcements in multiple languages either but not because I'm some uneducated cretin. Usually loudspeaker announcements are hard to understand and slightly annoying but they are usually only about a minute long. When there are six languages to go through, now that goes on for six minutes.

I wonder if the announcements in multiple languages will come back. Post covid has put a big damper on people coming from other countries to sail from the US. Now that they don't have the testing requirements to fly, or even sail for that matter, I'm expecting foreign bookings to increase. I didn't like all of the languages in the announcements but it was bigger than that. So much of the ship doesn't speak English that it's hard to interact with other people. Our daughter is an only child and loves going to the kid's club and making friends with other kids at the pool and during excursions. Try as she might, she found ONE other kid on the ship that spoke English. Not sure if this is still the deal, but when they first started sailing in the US, all kids 12 and under were free. Thus, the ship was packed with kids. I was sailing with one, so I"m not anti-kid, but it was the loudest, least relaxing cruise I've ever been on. I was in the indoor pool and it was so loud I couldn't hear the person sitting next to me. We went to the outside pool and they were having Zumba class in the open area, which is awesome if you're in the class but not so much if you're in a lounge chair. I do price them every once in a while because their ships are beautiful, but when we get above Bella level, it's not as cheap and then I remember waiting an hour to get back on the ship at every port and I move on to a different line. Never say never, but I would have to see so many reviews that refute my previous experiences to even consider MSC again.

Ever since NCL started their "free" packages, their prices have been really high. We are sapphire on NCL and have more cruises with them than any other line. My daughter is 11 and has been on 13 cruises - the first 5 were NCL because they were such a good value. Then came free and it went crazy. We are going out of Tampa next spring break and going on NCL because they are the only ones sailing on Sunday out of Tampa. As for MSC, that is the only line we've been on that I wouldn't do again. It's very, very tempting because they are so cheap, but then I remember it was the only cruise I couldn't wait to get off of. If you are in the Yacht Club, then it's not a fair comparison because that is likely awesome. I didn't like traditional dining as the only option other than the buffet (maybe that has changed in the past 5 years), their service was not great, kids' club was not anything like other lines, the crowds were overbearing, and it took upwards of an hour to get off the ship with a tour and then the same to get back on the ship. I can't say the food was bad...I'm not a foodie. The ships are amazingly beautiful. All of this was pre-covid, so this may have changed, but out of our 39 cruises so far, MSC had the most outstanding shows I've ever been to and they were every night. So, at least in our experience, the entertainment was the best part of the cruise. Still, all in all, I will not be sailing them again anytime soon.

NCL seems to be the slowest line to open their kids' clubs. We were on Royal Caribbean in March and Princess (to Alaska) in July and both had all of their ages open for clubs. I don't think it's a covid thing but more of a staffing issue - however, they are related. Are you sold on going on NCL? In many places I don't think it matter (and we are Sapphire level on NCL, so no knock to them), however, Princess in Alaska seems to have a leg up. Maybe it's because they have been sailing there for 50 years and have forged so many relationships. I noticed that we had premium dock slots and good access to excursions. For example, we were at the main Ketchican dock and the NCL ship was at one 7 miles away and had to bus to the town. That also happened in Skagway. Not a huge deal, but if you're looking at multiple options it's something to consider.

You'll likely need to call. You can. Try chat and they'll tell you whether or not you can do it. I think email would be black hole. If it's before final payment you should be able to change. If there were any special perks like OBC be sure to ask if you can keep those.

I think everyone's customer service is down the past few years and not just for cruising. We are booked on a NCL cruise out of Tampa for next spring break and it's been a while since we've been on NCL. I HATE their "free" crap. Ever since they added the take the free stuff marketing, they have been consistently higher priced than other comparable cruises. We want to go out of Tampa this year and they are the only ship there that leaves on Sunday. It's the Dawn, so it's cheap because it's old, but still not that cheap. I took off the free dining and free drinks and it brought down the price, but still so much more than they used to be. Our daughter is 11 and she's been on 13 cruises, the first 5 being NCL. Then the free stuff started and we been on other ships since then. Even if you can get the sail away (no perks), it's not a good value. Now, compared to land, it's a great value. A week in a FL hotel is the same as our cruise before we add any food. Still love cruises, just like to "shop around." That's capitalism. 🙂 Show me the deal that's a win-win for both of us.

Only you know your boys and what they'll like, but I'd pick the Gem. Our 11 dd has been on 13 cruises, some on the biggest ships (Oasis of the Seas), some small (Holland Rotterdam) and some large but no "kid" type amenities (Princess Discovery). There wasn't one that she didn't love. Encourage them to go to the kids' club. Since our dd has been 3, that's been her favorite part of cruising, that and the pools. I think the ports on the Gem would be more interesting to them. In February, Norfolk will be cold, Port Canaveral beaches could be ok, and the water in GSC is chilly. I love the other ports and it will be much warmer, which if you're leaving from NYC, I'm assuming will be welcomed. 🙂 Plus, two extra days on a ship. Sold!

I'm not sure why so many people think other cruise lines are different and why they "deserve" a refund. You booked at a certain price and if you didn't like it, you shouldn't have booked. I understand being miffed knowing someone else is paying less. Been there, done that, literally dozens of times. Of course NCL and any other line is going to try to sell any open cabins at the last minute. We were on RCL in March and after final payment our overpriced inside room was the same as a central park window view. They changed us, but that's all they would do. We were on Princess in July. Our very overpriced inside room was now more expensive than a balcony. I probably tried six times in a month to try to get rebooked into a balcony or get OBC or even FCC. Nothing. Every single time. Nothing. We have high frequent cruiser status on both of those line and I tried to play that card. That didn't work. We have to fly to every cruise we take, so any savings in last minute bookings is gobbled up by very expensive last minute airfare. If we could drive, I would probably wait. We been on 39 cruises, I think about 14 have been on NCL. We've never gotten money back or any compensation from an after payment price drop. Once in a while we've have been able to move to a better cabin for the same price we paid, which is better than Princess last month. The cruise lines are not out to screw you. They are trying to survive and make a profit. They are not non-profit entities and whatever they have to do to dig out of the massive debt incurred from Covid, Godspeed to them. I hope they can survive. If you get anything after final payment, count yourself lucky. And if you are able to cruise at all...count your self even luckier!

We've been to Hollywood dozens of times. Margaritaville is my favorite place. We also stay alot at the Marriott, but it's usually only a little cheaper and if you can get a good rate at MV, do it. I loved everything about it. Of course I love Jimmy Buffet, so that helps. But honestly, it was classier than I expected. The rooms are great. We had a cheaper one on the back overlooking the intercoastal and that was great too. Second Nicks! Been there every time since 1986. There's also a great pizza/pasta place called Rocco's across the courtyard from MV. Great food at night but really good, inexpensive breakfast with great outside seating.

Depending on when you are going, check to see if you still need one. If so, I'd use the one from eMed, Abbott Binax, that you do from your hotel room. You'll be done in 20 minutes, dressed in your pjs or swimsuit. 🙂 I love Margaritaville in Hollywood and I wouldn't waste the time to go somewhere for a test.

https://www.ncl.com/sail-safe

I've done all of the excursions mentioned and you can't miss with any of them. Cane Bay is beautiful and if you've been to Magen's in St. Thomas, it will seem like that. There are bars and restaurants along a horseshoe beach. We did a catamaran to Virgin Gorda and snorkeled into the rocks. That was very cool but was a bit of a strenuous swim. You can also take a bus and come in from the beach side. I'm not sure that would be as fun because there are no services there, so you it's not really a hangout. Either way you get there, you have to walk amongst the rocks to get the full effect. The last one we did was Jost Van Dyke and I'm waiting and waiting until we go on a cruise to Tortola again to go there. That was also a cat ride and swim in. It was before the big hurricane destroyed everything, but there's not much to destroy and I know the One Love and Soggy Dollar bars are rebuilt. There are a lot of yachties that pull up for the day so it doesn't seem like a huge beach break from a ship.

There isn't much made of this, but on Carnival's website it says cruises 5 days and under do not need a pretest "unless the destination requires it." Grand Cayman is one of those destinations. Many of those short cruises go to Cayman, so it's not always up to the cruise line to decide whether to test or not.

I wondered if the free laundry was just on Discovery. We've used it in the past on other ships and had to pay and buy soap. Maybe the desk got tired of selling coins or tokens. Just having a laundry to do yourself is nice, regardless of price. Most other lines do not have that.

We were on Crown Princess to the British Isles in 2010. One of our most memorable cruises. Princess has a very different vibe from NCL. We're Sapphire on NCL (14 cruises) and just finished our 5th Princess cruise. The ships are more sophisticated in their decor and ship activities, but we like both lines. In Europe and Alaska I think Princess has an advantage with port relationships. In Alaska I noticed we had the most convenient berths and in Europe they seem to overcome last minute situations that other lines would struggle with. Sounds like you have your Overlord excursion figured out but I'd consider using Princess excursions for the other ports. We've mostly used ship excursions in the 39 cruises we've been on because they can get you in a priority line easier, especially if it's a busy location like Blarney Castle, Sterling Castle or Edinburgh Castle. I think for the small amount of time you have in port, you get the most out of the day. They also can't leave you if the transport bringing you back is late. Laundry option on Princess is awesome. Not sure if this is fleet wide, but we were on the Discovery a few weeks ago and the laundry was free! Nice perk. We had to get to Platinum on NCL to get free laundry. They also have irons and ironing boards. Also very nice. As pp said, it does get busy. I wouldn't invest a lot of energy investigating protocols for the non-vaxxed kid at this point. You are a long way off in "covid time" and things could look drastically different by next summer. It's such a great cruise and you'll see some amazing place. So glad you are finally able to go. If you have another questions, just ask.

I agree with the self administered tests. We've done two cruises where we flew in three days early and used Abbott Binix eMed tests. No appointment and do it in your hotel room. The trickiest thing can be a strong enough internet connection in a hotel. Tripped us up both times. You can order the tests online and they arrive quickly. However, I would not order anything yet. By February you may not need it. Rules change rapidly. It does put a huge wet blanket on getting excited about the cruise. We can't really relax until all three of us pass the test...after we've flown to the port and checked into a hotel. We have an NCL cruise booked for spring break but if they don't remove the pretesting by our final payment in November, we'll cancel and stay in FL.

Love the brochure. Our honeymoon cruise in 1989 was about the same price as we pay for an average Caribbean cruise now. Of course there were only 600 people on that ship so they didn't have the economy of scale.