NayRN

Nice pics. Thanks for the memories!

 

Yeah I'm queezy too reading this review.

 

I can't wait to see Sinan again in 11 days. Favorite CD ever and hoping for a smooth sailing! I won't be complaining about any measly 5-10 ft swells. :p

I'm excited to have Sinan as our CD in August....hopefully he won't be on vacation or changing ships before then! I've heard nothing but good things about him!!!

LOL! Long live the Bronx Bombers! :D

 

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Unfortunately I will have to continue this review after the weekend. But let's all meet back on Monday and find out how the story ends, shall we?

 

Stay safe during the Snowpocalypse.

Besides the Yankees thing you have going on, you're now going to make us wait until after the weekend:eek:!! Wrong, just plain wrong:rolleyes:!!! Now instead of having some great reading, I get to just watch the snow fly!!! Well, I hope you enjoy your weekend! ;)

Seriously, this is probably one of the best reviews I've read and at least we know that you both made it home safely...so there is a happy ending!!

Great review so far! I'll be sailing on the Gem from NYC in August! Can't wait to read more of your review! It's making the long wait for my cruise seem a little bit closer.......

Oh, and Go Detroit Tigers!!!;)

If you are in a suite, you are usually invited - but not as part of the CC M&G. Different group.

Five of my seven cruises have been in a suite and I've only gone on a tour of the bridge twice....both on the Sky. My last sailing I was in the GV on the Jewel....asked for a tour as my sister had never been in one.........never got the invite! It doesn't matter what suite you're in...it's all up to the captain!

My finals week at school ends May 10th...so it would be the May 10th cruise. :)

Will this be an "I'm done with Nursing School and ready to study for my boards" celebration cruise??!!:D

I love the Sky! I've been in her twice - both were 4 days cruises. I don't drink and I never felt like they were "booze cruises"! The last one was to celebrate my 50th birthday. You will have lots of fun I promise!!:cool:

Another Nurse? Woo hoo. Geesh, how can I sign up for a floating Nursing conference once I graduate? I wanna do that!!!! :D

 

I have to work today...well I'm scheduled to work. I'm not even sure how I'm going to get there today with all of this snow. So I probably won't get much of the review done unless it's just the beginning of the day for Day "3"...which happens to be our Costa Maya day. That is going to be a long report (Costa Maya) since we went to an AI and I have tons of pictures. :D

They are ALL over the place! I actually signed up for notices for At Sea learning for nurses! It's the best way to get your CEUs to maintain your license! Next time I get one, I post it here for you so you can start signing up!:D

:cool:

Wow, you really are OCD about the alarm clocks. hehe I never looked at the phone close. The only thing I used it for was to set the alarm each night (and as I said earlier, I'm blind up close without my contacts in, and I was squinting to see the button to push to set it). I guess I should have looked for a volume button, but I'm lucky that I'm a pretty light sleeper and could here it, so it didn't bother me. I was just glad that it worked-our phone on the Spirit in our room didn't work at all).

 

 

 

Hmmm, I'm not sure if we were on the same cruise in March on the Pearl or not. We went mid-March. (Looking at my calendar now for dates...it was the 16th). Where you are part of the meet & greet? If Kevin Sheehan was at the M&G, then we were on the same cruise. :D Yes, that was the highlight of my cruise...meeting THE Mr. Sheehan and getting to talk to him awhile and having my picture taken with him. :p

 

Hopefully someone can chime in and let you know about the spa and maybe even someone who has been on the Epic and Star and did the spa would be even better for comparison.

 

SNOW!:mad: I seriously hate snow and Ohio. I don't know why I continue to live here, but I can't wait to get out of this cold weather and snow someday. I have a fear of snow. I had a bad accident when I was 18 and totaled a car in snow, so I never drove in snow after that. When it snowed, I always had my husband take me back and forth to work. I have drove in the snow "maybe" 10-15 times since that accident that was 28 years ago. I am COMPLETELY freaked out about it. We were supposed to get 6-10 inches Wednesday (and did get a bunch, but I didn't go out and measure it...I was working on my review) and we got dumped on last night (was supposed to be 2.5") and we are supposed to get more today (another 1" is what the weather channel had said). I am in complete panic mode at the moment. (Remember the car issue I had prior to leaving for vacation? So I have a spare on my car and the rest of the tires are pretty much bald and like driving on slicks. My husband has a rear wheel drive car and I like to never even made it out of the driveway yesterday to go to work...but the streets were clean).

 

Ok, as for being disappointed in the Star compared to the Jewel class and Epic. (Taking a deep breath). The Epic is our favorite ship to date. You can't beat everything there is to do on her with the entertainment and everything. We just LOVE the Epic and how grand she is. She did have her faults...no grand atrium to walk in to. But, that was our ONLY complaint. We were going through the same thing when we booked the Spirit after her...going from a big ship to a small. We thought we would be so disappointed. We were not. The Spirit is our second favorite. Then we went on the Pearl...2 story atrium, pretty, but not anything like the Spirit or Epic. We deemed her our least favorite, wouldn't sail her again (just because we already have and want to try the other Jewel class ships). Now the Star, BEAUTIFUAL atrium..."BUT" there is a lot more to come in my review and she had her good and bad, but she is our least favorite ship and would not sail her again at all. I know that the Star is a favorite of a lot of people...and a lot have cruised her over and over again, but she was not ours for the "upkeep and maintenance" on her. It was almost like if we were sailing a non-NCL ship compared to all of our previous experiences with NCL. Just MY opinion. However, a cruise is a cruise and it is what you make of it and of course most of all...it IS vacation and it's hard to have a bad vacation right? :p

C'mon! I have nothing to do today and I'm waiting for more :rolleyes: We got the same snow that you did in Detroit and I'm not going out in this mess unless I REALLY have to!

My very first cruise was on the Star.....I didn't get out and about on her too much as this was a floating nursing conference and we were in classes for 8 hours on sea days. At the end of those days, we were so tired from learning that we had dinner and went to bed! I need to see everything that I missed!

Any updates yet on your son? Hope he is OK!:confused:

Thanks for the review....I've been trying to decide if I want to sail out of NOLA. With the exception of the one door, you have me hooked....so far!:)

BTW...being an RN, I totally got your "free time" comment!:eek:

Group Event Coordinator email is

shipcoordinatorXXXX@ncl.com

 

Replace the XXXX with the ship's name. They are the ones who setup the M&G's.

Dave

Thanks for this....but it's not a meet and greet...that's already set up. This is just a small get together in the GV during sail away. Would I still do that through this email address or the pre-concierge?

Congrats on the GV! I am so happy for you!

 

The info as promised:

 

Ana Batres| Group Event Coordinator Star800 327 – 9020 ext. 7609 | fax 305 436 - 4147

GroupEventStar@ncl.com

Hope this helps!

 

Cherie

Thanks - tons! I'll call tomorrow!!!:cool:

That is because it is not the pre-concierge that handles that, rather guest services. Give me a minute and I will find you the number. We have hosted parties prior and had to go through guest services to handle it.

Thanks!! First time in a GV - what do I know??!!:o

:D

 

We are very happy that this service is there even if we are not in a Haven suite this time. We did not get a letter, hear about it from our PC, or know from prior service. We found a CC thread that said that the concierge desk had a number, so I called to ask if was just haven guests or was it all suites. I was told ALL full suite guests (meaning no mini suites) were included.

 

What does pre-cruise concierge service offer?

 

1. The name of our concierge at sea...Yea we have Monica on the Star next week!

 

2. Pillow service planned ahead...means no feathers in the room for me when I enter!

 

3. Beer on ice for my DH when he gets in the room. (not gonna happen otherwise)

 

4. All of the stuff in the fridge will be taken out so to make room for what I want.

 

5. The coffee I want will be in the room for the machine will be well stocked.

 

6. We requested a certain butler....MAXI

 

 

So, if you are staying in a suite, you can do this too! Just call 1-855-625-4283. Yup, any suite on any ship! I sooooo love NCL!!:D

I called that number last Thursday morning to arrange a CC get-together in the GV. I was told that while it was busy, someone would either call me or email me with information. Today is Monday....still waiting....not impressed! :rolleyes:

Another nurse adding to this thread. In addition to having a list of the prescription medications you take on you at all times while traveling, do include on this list any allergies you have to medications, IV contrast dyes, etc., as well as if you have implanted prosthetic devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, cardiac stents, artificial joints, imbedded schrapanel common amongst veterans, etc. which can cause problems with certain testing procedures most notably MRIs.

Great point....I totally left that out!;)

I wasn't questioning your opinion, I was actually asking for your expertice on whether in your experience this was odd to have a med without anything on it. So I guess you sort of answered my question and I guess my one med then is a fluke, or rare that it has nothing on it that would help anyone.

So used to unfortunate bashing on here....my sincerest apologies!!:o

Yes, it is unusual for meds not to have a number on them, especially those manufactured in the US. What you do by carrying your meds on a piece of paper is totally helpful! Too bad more people don't do that!! You would do very well to have that information with you, as well as a spouse or family member traveling with you. When I travel, I do take my two bottles as well as a list of medications in my wallet....certainly don't want to carry bottles on an excursion! I typically travel with a family member so we often exchange lists (totally anal I know!) so each of us has one available.

But, for those people who do not carry an up-to-date list, a smaller bottle from the pharmacy is a good idea....especially when traveling to a foreign country. I've had to look up meds prescribed in Third-world countries for patients coming to America for surgeries which is next to impossible because they are typically donated from around the world. I would just want to err on the side of cautious (or anal)!!

Again, I apologize!!

You say "visitors" but would this information (bolded above) be something U.S only. My one med actually has the name + a number on the reverse side (which I would assume has something to do with the dose). My other med has absolutely nothing imprinted on it.

 

When we are talking cruising, for the most part that is people traveling to other countries and therefore a pill may just look like a pill. Even though I only take 2 meds, I make it a practice of always carrying a print out from my pharmacy of my meds. It's a very small piece of paper and can save anyone in the medical field that may have to treat me conscious or unconscious from having to guess if I am on meds and what they are.

Again, only my opinion from my experiences of having to look up medications prescribed by physicians around the world as well as the US.

1 -Just because lots of people do it all the time with no problem does mean it is okay. It only means they have not been bothered.

 

2 - The airlines pretty much don't bother anybody. Only the TSA inspects stuff.

 

3 - Having the original package is a good idea for personal HEALTH reasons. If something happens to you, the medical types need to KNOW what you are taking. Very important stuff. At least have a copy of what it is.

 

4 - As to space in suitcase or carryon - how much room does it REALLY take or weigh?

 

5 - Of course, carryon is the only way to transport. We always assume our checked bags will disappear.

In reference to #3.....

As a critical care nurse, this is important to point out! We have had many "visitors" brought to the hospital while visiting families and it's a real problem sometimes determining what medication the patient is taking, especially with the homeopathic meds. Sure we can look them up in the PDR or online by the number inscribed on the pills....but much faster and more accurate if the pills are in a bottle from the pharmacy.

Is it the law? Not unless it's a scheduled med......is it advisable to do so, IMO, yes! But then, I'm only a nurse who practices what I preach.;)

I've been to Alaska twice: the first time on the Pearl in an inside and the second time on the Sun in the OS. I liked Alaska the first time around (or else I wouldn't have booked the second time) but I fell in love with Alaska the second time because we did the same excursion that you did! I'll admit I was a little bit worried about all those "burgie-bits" clunking against the boat, but I got over that real quick! :eek:

We saw some type of goats on the glacier itself - we were told they were related to mountain goats. Lots of those little "sausages" you saw as well! BUT, during the ride to the fjord, we saw so many whales, it was unbelieveable! :D I hope you got to see some as well. We also went around the same time of year as you.

So glad you had a great time....the pictures bring back lots of fantastic memories! I'm honestly thinking of moving to Skagway....the hospital there always needs nurses!!;) And thanks for the great review!

That's it for DAY 1! If you've gotten this far you are either a masochist or a friend that feels sorry for me. lol

I wouldn't say I'm masochistic....but I am excited about boarding the Jewel in 46 days! I hope they have some left-over Alaskan Amber for me!! Keep the review coming!!!!!

Given that you won't be downtown until early afternoon you are correct a HOHO would be of little value to you. Things that you could do is to walk down to the seawall and have a pleasant walk into Stanley Park, there you could have a bit of a walk around but given that it is a 1000 acres you are not going to see much. The Vancouver Trolley people do operate a HOHO just within the park for $10 p/p which gives you 14 stops. On the way back you could stop for dinner at Cardero's which is a marine pub overlooking the Coal Harbour yacht basin and Stanley Park.

Another alternative would be to go to Granville Island, a large festival market, where you will find many shops and restaurants.

http://www.vancouvertrolley.com/tour/stanley-park-shuttle

 

FONT=Arial]http://www.vancouverdine.com/carderos/home.html[/font]

 

http://www.granvilleisland.com/en

Thanks for all this information! I think the walk to Stanley Park will be great...oh, and having dinner at a pub...fabulous! :D

Is there any place special within walking distance that you would recommend we visit? Our flight arrives at YVR at 11:00am and I don't know that I want to do the Hop-on, Hop-off. We'll be staying one night post-cruise at the Marriott Pinnacle on W. Hastings. I know that traffic is a bear so we definitely won’t be renting a car!!! :eek:

We have been to Vancouver one time before but really didn't do too much as it was post-cruise and we were exhausted! We stayed at the Delta Suites then so the only thing we really did do is go to the Lookout and walked around Gastown for a short time! I'm also wondering if there is someplace (reasonable) that you would recommend for dinner on a Friday night that we could walk to….seafood preferred!! Thanks so very much!!!

Renee'

I'm running (not walking) to the Concierge on the Jewel in September to sign-up again!!:eek: The diet will go to you-know-where in a hand-basket,

hasnt anyone told you cruise lines remove all the calories from there food :D

 

Thanks, Don! You've made my day! NO calories!! Woo-Hoo!!!:D

That's why they are my one and only!!:D

I chose to partake in the Chef's Table on the Sky in April.....and after seeing your pictures, I'm running (not walking) to the Concierge on the Jewel in September to sign-up again!!:eek: The diet will go to you-know-where in a hand-basket, but that food was so fantastic! Oh, and as for allergies, I am allergic to bananas/plantains so I didn't think I'd get the bass. They made the bass for me without the plantain crust and I had the dome for dessert....and let me tell you...that dome was wonderful!:cool:

Thanks for posting the pictures....brought back some great memories!