buelah111

Yeah, our kids will be happy with milk and lemonade most of the time, with maybe a shared virgin pina colada a couple of times during the week.  They would never drink enough to make it worth even considering getting them a package.  It frankly will be close to not being worth it for us adults, but there is something nice about a more all-inclusive experience, so if we can avoid the kids we'll probably do it.

So, my husband and I aren't drinkers, but we are toying with the idea of the Quench Non-Alcoholic Package for our upcoming Thanksgiving cruise, mainly so we can just relax on vacation and not have to worry about thinking in the moment whether a coffee, soda or mocktail is really worth the cost.  We will, however, have our 3-year-old son with us (and our 5-year-old daughter in my sister's room next door) and they definitely do not need $148 beverage packages.  I know it says everyone in the cabin must book a package, but I wanted to double-check whether that includes young children?  If so, we'll just go the per drink route.  My husband and I (and my sister) would be able to get our money's worth out of the package but we'd be upside down for sure if we had to buy two for our kids,, as well.  Has anyone been able to avoid buying the package for young children?

Hi!  We are beginning to think ahead toward a 2021 cruise when our littlest will be two.  For the timeframe we are looking at there are options with both Horizon and Freedom.  I like the itinerary better on Freedom, but realize Horizon is quite a bit newer and bigger.  For those of you who've been on both ships (or similar sister ships) do you think the differences on the ship are worth a slightly less appealing itinerary?  Appreciate your thoughts!

We have recently booked on the NOS for the week after Thanksgiving (9 nights to the ABC islands). I haven’t sailed on Royal since 2008, so I’m working on getting up to speed on everything. As I’ve researched the Specialty coffee card that can be purchased, it appears there has been some uneven experiences across the fleet on whether larger size drinks are given multiple punches. Does anyone have any recent experience with using the card on Navigator? If so, I’d appreciate your insight on what I should expect their practice to be. Thanks!

We are on the Volendam leaving Vancouver May 17. I'm clear the itinerary is not sailing up the fjord, but is showing the 30 minute service call that normally drops passengers off for the excursion (with a later Juneau arrival time of 1pm if I remember correctly). I'm hopeful that means they'll still be adding the excursion to the website at some point, but with it still being May I'm not as confident as I would be with a later sailing. I'd be content with wherever the small ship ended-up going (Tracy Arm or Endicott).

Thank you all for your quick replies!

I'm hoping someone can assist me with a HAL specific Alaska question. We are booked on the May 17 Inside Passage sailing out of Vancouver and I see Tracy Arm Inlet listed on the itinerary the morning before the ship arrives at Juneau. We would really like to go on the Tracy Arm small boat excursion that I believe this service call is usually for, but it is not listed on shore excursions for our sailing yet. I saw on another thread that it has started appearing as an option to book for at least some 2017 sailings, so I'm beginning to become worried that our cruise is too early in the season for that excursion. If that is the case, however, I'm not sure why the inlet stop would be included on the itinerary.

Life goes on and we'll have a wonderful trip regardless of whether we get to go on this particular excursion or not. I'm just trying to figure out whether I should be checking everyday so I can book as soon as the excursion is listed or if I should turn my focus to finding alternative options for Juneau. If anyone has any insight, I would appreciate it!!

Thanks!

Stacy

Only on goods purchased not on things like drink packages, specialty restaurants and shore excursions.

I'm clear the VAT is charged on goods purchased, but I thought I'd seen something that made me less sure about whether the tax is applied to specialty restaurants. I was researching details on Italy's VAT rules. Did I misunderstand?

I've taken the individual packets onboard Carnival without any problem. I just put them in a Ziploc bag inside my suitcase. That may have been before the rule change, though.

Asked him last night. Will be on TA. He is boarding during the previous cruise.

You say he's boarding during the prior cruise? That means he'll be on for a while after the TA, correct? We are on the sailing after the TA out of Rome. It is our first Celebrity cruise and based on what I've been reading about Captain Tasos since beginning to follow the Celebrity board I've been hoping we'd have him.

We are looking at the current rates on our 12 day Constellation cruise next year and it looks like we could switch from our OV (one of the new ones with the extra-large windows) to a balcony guarantee for a fairly low mark-up of price. Given the length of the cruise it is a little tempting (watching the Mediterranean go by from our balcony sounds pretty good), but I'm nervous to give up what I'm sure will be a great OV cabin for a guaranteed cabin. I'm hoping you can help fill me in on how many bad balconies there are on the Constellation and how bad they get. We are clear there are risks with any guarantee, we just want to try and understand how great that risk may be.

Thanks for your help!

Yes, definitely a replica! My definition of authentic in this context was that it was made in Greece. Totally fine if the one I find was made this this year! :-)

I'm hoping the experienced Greek Island cruisers amongst this group can help me with a bit of shopping planning.

When I was a child my mother had an authentic Greek urn she had received as a gift well before my time. One day our cats got a little too enthusiastic in their game of chase and knocked it off the hearth, leading to the immediate demise of said urn. At that point I made a 12 year-old's promise to my mother that I'd replace it someday.

Well, it has been almost 25 years and my husband and I will be on the Constellation this spring making several stops in Greece. I plan to finally make good on my promise (though I'm sure my mother has long forgotten). We have stops in Mykonos, Rhodes, Athens and Santorini. Where would you suggest I shop? I know Rhodes is known for it's pottery, but I'm not sure if there will be even better options if I wait until Athens.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Excellent! Thank you for the additional details!!

I'm enjoying your review and photos. We are booked on a similar route on Conne in April, so I'm excited to read your port reviews, as well. One quick clarifying question if you don't mind. There has been lots of talk on the boards about the new shuttle route at Civitavecchia. From your review it looked like you were able to access the port at the fort area and catch a port shuttle to the main access point. Is that correct? That provides a much shorter walk from the train station if we arrive mid-day at a time when the city shuttle isn't running. Thanks!

We are booked on a celebrity cruise departing from Civitavecchia in April. I'm normally an "arrive the day before" type of cruiser, but due to work schedules we'll have to fly into FCO the morning of the cruise. We haven't booked flights yet, but we'll be arriving at either 9:30am or 10:30am depending on which connection we choose (we are locked into delta in order to use miles). I'm thinking we'll book a private transfer and it seems we can absorb some delays without trouble (sail-away is at five). I figure worst case scenario if we get delayed enough to miss the ship we can fly to Sicily and catch it the next day.

Does anyone have experiences with arriving in Rome day of the sailing that can alleviate my lingering concerns with our plans?

End of September, we arrived at POM by taxi a little before 11 am (we didn't have FTTF). 10 minutes after checking 1 big bag outside, we made it to the check-in line where there were only about 5-6 people standing (the counters were full, but the wait-line was minimal). Even despite a screw-up at the counter (we didn't get our Zone thingie and had to chase down a supervisor at the counter to get one), 30 minutes later we were onboard, sitting in the cool of the Italian restaurant on Deck 11 and ordering a very tasty (free) lunch. There were less than a dozen people visible in the restaurant, including the wait staff.

 

Debarkation: Because of our stateroom location (Deck 7 forward) we got one of the highest Zone numbers (like 31 out of 32) and decided, okay, that's fine, for once we won't try to rush off the ship. We just waited for our call, sat and chatted with some friends on Deck 5 till around 9-ish, and then we "breezed" off the ship. It was by far the easiest departure I've ever experienced as non-VIP, and it was at least equal to our VIP exit from RC Oasis 2 years before.

I appreciate hearing about your experience. We are thinking we'll shoot to arrive between 10:30 and 11:00. Hopefully everything will go as smoothly for us as it did for you!

I've not sailed the Breeze yet, so hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the inside cabins have couches (at least not the standard ones). Maybe there are a few someone will be aware of that are an exception, though.

We leave in four weeks on the Breeze Thanksgiving sailing. Right now we are planning to drive down to Miami from Central Florida on Friday evening so we can have a nice relaxing morning on Saturday before heading to the ship. I'm usually one who likes to arrive at the port as early as possible, but based on what I'm reading I'm wondering what the best time to arrive at POM would be. We don't have FTTF, so we won't be able to get into the room until 1:30. With this itinerary we'll have three sea days and essentially two half-days on board the ship, so I'm not sure if having an extra couple of hours on board on Saturday are worth the hassle of fighting crowds on the Lido with our couple of carry-on bags.

What I haven't been able to find, however, is whether the check-in process time is significantly better if we arrive at 11am vs 12:30 or 1pm. I'm probably inclined to shoot for the quickest check-in process time and figure-out the rest accordingly. Any experiences with the check-in/boarding timing based on different arrivals times would be welcome so I can figure-out our plan.

Thanks!

Stacy

I'm hoping someone will be able to help me with information and/or experiences with Carnival's Super Saver rate. I'm looking to book a cruise on the Breeze. The Super Saver Inside rate is currently the least expensive option. My husband and I aren't picky about cabin location, but we do want our beds together.

I've read conflicting information about whether category 1a is even a possibility with the Super Saver. Is that something anyone can confirm? Has anyone ever been assigned a 1A cabin with a Super Saver rate?

The other consideration, if it is a possibility, is that when I look at options to book a selected cabin, the Upper/Lower options don't show any availability. I'm assume that would make the odds of our getting assigned one of these pretty small, unless someone cancels or upsells/upgrades, I guess.

Anyway, I would welcome any knowledge or experience you can offer. We'll likely be looking to book within the next couple of days and need to make a final decision on whether we need to pay a bit extra to guarantee two beds together.

Thanks!

Stacy

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! After reading everything to my husband I think we've narrowed our choices down to Eurodam and Breeze. That seemed to be the general consensus, even on the NCL board. :)

I'll do a bit more research on shore options and show him photos (I'm the planner), then let him decide.

chisoxfan, I'd love to give X a try. I've always wanted to sail them, but unfortunately both their newer ships are doing Eastern itineraries that week, with 3 ports we've been to. Maybe next time.

My husband and I are looking to book a cruise for the week of Thanksgiving. I think we've narrowed our options down to the Epic (Ocho, GC, and Cozumel), the Eurodam (Private Island, Ocho, GC and Key West), and the Breeze (Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba).

We are in our mid-30s, no children yet. I've been on multiple cruises, but this will just be the 3rd for my husband. I love a relaxing sea day, but my husband definitely wants some activity going on.

Below are the pros and cons I see on the three choices. I'd love any input or thoughts on whether I'm off-base on any of these items.

Epic - Lots to do on the ship, but only three port days (my husband prefers port days). Am not sure about how good the non-specialy dining would be (was not impressed on the Jade a few years ago). Would likely book a basic balcony, which would be nice.

Eurodam - I love the relaxed atmosphere on HAL, especially all the comfortable quite places (inside) to curl up with a good book and an ocean view on a sea day. In my experience the dining and service have been excellent and the cabins are nice. I like the itinerary, but I'm a bit concerned there wouldn't be enough activity and entertainment on the ship for my husband. Would likely book a balcony based on the prices I'm seeing.

Breeze - We've done two carnival cruises (the only cruises my husband has been on) and they were enjoyable. We loved the comedy club and there was plenty to do on the ship. I missed having a quite place to relax outside the cabin, however, and have been thinking I'm ready to get my husband on another cruise line. That said, I really like this itinerary and it has an extra day (4 stops, 3 sea days). We would likely be in an inside, or maybe outside, cabin to stay in a similar price-range to the other two.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out and see if the very knowledgeable cruisers on these boards have any thoughts we haven't considered as we make our decision in the next couple of days.

Thanks for your input!

Stacy

My husband and I are looking to book a cruise for the week of Thanksgiving. I think we've narrowed our options down to the Epic (Ocho, GC, and Cozumel), the Eurodam (Private Island, Ocho, GC and Key West), and the Breeze (Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba).

We are in our mid-30s, no children yet. I've been on multiple cruises, but this will just be the 3rd for my husband. I love a relaxing sea day, but my husband definitely wants some activity going on.

Below are the pros and cons I see on the three choices. I'd love any input or thoughts on whether I'm off-base on any of these items.

Epic - Lots to do on the ship, but only three port days (my husband prefers port days). Am not sure about how good the non-specialy dining would be (was not impressed on the Jade a few years ago). Would likely book a basic balcony, which would be nice.

Eurodam - I love the relaxed atmosphere on HAL, especially all the comfortable quite places (inside) to curl up with a good book and an ocean view on a sea day. In my experience the dining and service have been excellent and the cabins are nice. I like the itinerary, but I'm a bit concerned there wouldn't be enough activity and entertainment on the ship for my husband. Would likely book a balcony based on the prices I'm seeing.

Breeze - We've done two carnival cruises (the only cruises my husband has been on) and they were enjoyable. We loved the comedy club and there was plenty to do on the ship. I missed having a quite place to relax outside the cabin, however, and have been thinking I'm ready to get my husband on another cruise line. That said, I really like this itinerary and it has an extra day (4 stops, 3 sea days). We would likely be in an inside, or maybe outside, cabin to stay in a similar price-range to the other two.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out and see if the very knowledgeable cruisers on these boards have any thoughts we haven't considered as we make our decision in the next couple of days.

Thanks for your input!

Stacy

My husband and I are looking to book a cruise for the week of Thanksgiving. I think we've narrowed our options down to the Epic (Ocho, GC, and Cozumel), the Eurodam (Private Island, Ocho, GC and Key West), and the Breeze (Grand Turk, DR, Curacao and Aruba).

We are in our mid-30s, no children yet. I've been on multiple cruises, but this will just be the 3rd for my husband. I love a relaxing sea day, but my husband definitely wants some activity going on.

Below are the pros and cons I see on the three choices. I'd love any input or thoughts on whether I'm off-base on any of these items.

Epic - Lots to do on the ship, but only three port days (my husband prefers port days). Am not sure about how good the non-specialy dining would be (was not impressed on the Jade a few years ago). Would likely book a basic balcony, which would be nice.

Eurodam - I love the relaxed atmosphere on HAL, especially all the comfortable quite places (inside) to curl up with a good book and an ocean view on a sea day. In my experience the dining and service have been excellent and the cabins are nice. I like the itinerary, but I'm a bit concerned there wouldn't be enough activity and entertainment on the ship for my husband. Would likely book a balcony based on the prices I'm seeing.

Breeze - We've done two carnival cruises (the only cruises my husband has been on) and they were enjoyable. We loved the comedy club and there was plenty to do on the ship. I missed having a quite place to relax outside the cabin, however, and have been thinking I'm ready to get my husband on another cruise line. That said, I really like this itinerary and it has an extra day (4 stops, 3 sea days). We would likely be in an inside, or maybe outside, cabin to stay in a similar price-range to the other two.

Anyway, I thought I'd throw this out and see if the very knowledgeable cruisers on these boards have any thoughts we haven't considered as we make our decision in the next couple of days.

Thanks for your input!

Stacy

I'm curious about this as well. We may be booking this cruise for February.

What is everyone's thoughts or opinions on whether it is better to spend a few land night before the cruise or after? We are starting to plan for one of the two Ocean Princess 10 day cruises next February. We'd like to spend three nights at the Hilton in Moorea, but aren't sure wether we should plan for that before or after the cruise. Due to work constraints on dates, that decision will determine whether we take the cruise on the 6th or the 16th. I can definitely see the benefits of spending several relaxing nights at the Hilton snorkeling and snoozing at our leisure as we get over the jetlag associated with traveling in from Florida. However, I don't want to set ourselves up for disappointment when we move from an OWB to the ship (we love cruising, but I realize those two are very different). I also like the idea of ending the trip on the high of staying at the resort. Either way, we'll need to spend the last night in Papeete to catch the early Air France flight back to LAX.

I appreciate your input.

Thanks! Stacy