Jacqueline

Thanks for the heads up. I didn’t realize this. Most cruiselines offer a credit if there is a positive test within 48 hours.

This sort of thing is just bad luck. But a land based vacation is so much worse in these scenarios. At least you can be positioned where the weather is better. I had a cruise in the Bahamas the first week in September and knew that there was a risk. Forecast wasn’t great. Turned out that the week was perfect. I once hit the latest ever hurricane in the Atlantic on a cruise to the Caribbean from NY on the QE2. In those days you knew nothing and no one told you much until afterwards.

Singapore air is such a treat. You will feel welcomed as soon as you board and your anxiety will melt away. I am flying them NY to Singapore next year, 16 hours…. Then I still have two more flights and a ferry to my destination!

I am booked in the Queens grill for an upcoming 13 day voyage. I was surprised to get a phone call today from a real person offering to help me with any special requests, appointments, things I might need or want for my cabin, dining reservations, spa reservations, etc. Debbie is ending. Me an email with information and her phone number for anything that might come up should I need assistance. She reminded me of the dates to do/check on stuff, also. Really makes me excited for the cruise!

I can’t see why it would. Most cruiselines have the option for a anytime dining. the catch is that it can often result in waits, sometimes long ones. So it’s really not the same as having a dedicated table and server at all.

I think it’s very possible that two people can have very different takes on the same cruise, I just got off a short Disney cruise with my grandkids. The first wait staff was totally incompetent. We complained to higher up’s and got reassigned to an amazing team, who have been with the ship for nearly a decade. Dress code, people have been complaining about it going downhill for decades. It does seem to be a universal observation that the ship needs a good going over. I didn’t care for the dining in Britannia the one time I was in that class of service, so I am sure that I would like it even less now. But so many people are very happy with it, which goes to show that we all have different preferences.

Good point…. I am also going to wait a little before getting our boosters and flu shots. We are going to the Caribbean but that doesn’t seem to prevent Covid. We just came back from a Disney cruise and despite precruise testing, many people did come back with Covid, We all had it in June and July so an August cruise wasn’t worrisome.

Thanks so much. There has been so little written recently. We are also in the Queens Grill for a longish cruise. it sounds like boarding in Brooklyn is no longer the nightmare it once was? Did you get a port arrival time?

Still testing for my cruise over thanksgiving to the Caribbean. I did a video monitored test for my Disney cruise in august and it was pretty simple. Loads of people test positive after these cruises from what I could see in our Group page afterwards. It’s to the point where back to back clients have to fully pack so they they aren’t allowed back on the ship if they test positive (or one person in which are often large groups do) and they had a super strict policy. Even sitting at a dinner table with a positive testing person can get you denied boarding for a back to back, i think we will get our boosters in a few weeks as well. We both made it off the Disney cruise without Covid, but me and my pregnant daughter and grandkids had recently had it (which is exactly why we booked). My husband has made it all this time….

Looks like soft drinks are free in some venues which is nice. Mealtimes are set and the waiters move with you every night, It seems that people get very into the spirit of the theming. Door magnets, fishhook extenders, hidden ducks are just three of the unique Disney stuff that passengers initiate.

I think that staying at a hotel anywhere near Times Square is not a good idea for most people. It’s awful. No one lived there it’s just tourists and not the best ones (not a Mecca of art or culture). It’s much like London in that you can stay in a central area that’s full of tourist attractions or say, in Marylebone at Durrants (our choice).

Gosh, so many complaints about the Wish!

It was bound to happen to me sooner or later! It’s an off season cruise so I should not be surprised.

Nope.

I know that Cunard has designated Covid decks, also. Given that Disney offers so many short cruises it is likely much less a problem for them.

I was told years ago that the hotel charged were not folded into the cruise fare as then it’s isn’t taxable and commissionable. This question is asked a lot and I thought that the response that was given to me is interesting.

It’s called the hospitality business for a reason. I think a comparatively small number of employees effect the passenger which is why we see such different reviews from people on identical sailings. A great wait staff, a competent room steward, a bartender that knows your drink is a good expectation. I would be freakin annoyed with the concierge telling me to go to the pursers deck, that is unacceptable. I am not paying five times the base fare to run all over the ship. I have arthritis and a bad hip. And I am paying a premium so I can get more assistance. I am fine with people meeting the bar of being competent at their jobs.

How do you “loose control”. Either way you need to pick up a phone. I am hearing of hours long wait times on other forums. Then being put on hold, disconnected. It’s bad when the work arounds suggested are to use the Spanish speaking line, hit the new bookings number, etc I have seen enough consistent complaints that for now, I would stick with a high volume Disney agency. I can text my TA and get an immediate response.

We shared a table with a really sporty couple in Grills. I think that they were going to be biking thru Scotland. They just ate elsewhere on the first formal night but we persuaded them to join 7 us the second one. Women can get away with doing very little to upgrade a look. Like a nice blouse or scarf, the husband actually rented what he needed onboard and we had a lot of fun. If you are fussy about food, you will be disappointed in the Brittania.

There actually was nothing that they could do, given that you did not take their suggestions. The ticket was paid for to the subcontractor. I am sure that you must have purchased trip insurance to cover medical. They would have paid for your visit to the doctor and you would have gotten refunded for both the doctor visit and the unused tour, Yout expectation was not reasonable. Otherwise, anyone could change their mind and ask for a refund.

It’s a slow time of year as school is back in session and people aren’t going to pull their kids out early in the year, it’s definitely shoulder season for Bermuda. You could be lucky and have calm seas, but it is the Atlantic Ocean you are sailing, 500 miles out at sea. It is not uncommon to have nor’easters, tropical storms, etc. A few years back, people ended up going to New England instead of Bermuda, I am sailing out of NY in late November to the Caribbean and expect some tough seas. it’s all part of the experience.

The best reason is that you will ever need to call Disney yourself. You could be on hold for hours. the customer service is non existent, It is much easier to work thru a TA.

I have a final payment coming due. My deposit was just $100 pp. It’s a 13 night cruise RT NYC to the Caribbean, pretty evenly divided between sea and port days. The QG is $300 more per night per cabin…. What would you do?

Thank you so much for taking the time to post. I guess you have enough Wi-Fi from your quarantine rooms? How are you passing your days?

How about a proctored test? We did one in Mexico. All you need is good service and a cell phone or iPad. We used it fir our united airlines flight. you do need to buy the Binax or other brand that is meant specifically for being proctored. So take care with purchasing the right one, We got an email pretty fast with the results.