There is no best type of vacation. Cruises offer up wonderful vacations, but so do many other types of vacation. 

40 years ago Cathy Lee was doing teevee commercials for Carnival and the Big Red Boat was taking Disney families on three day Bahamian cruises. Both solidly aimed at middle class couples and families. 

17 hours ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

What's Facebook?  😉

A MySpace ripoff. 

On 4/12/2024 at 1:22 AM, MBP&O2/O said:

nothing bigger than 12000

Not a worry today. But give it a few years. 

To put things in perspective… Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory. It’s official currency is the US Dollar. Same with BVI. It really is the dominate currency of the region.  

Feels like a scam (I'm cynical that way) but it would be a hoot to take the job. Remember, the people on tour don't know anything. So you can just make stuff up and be entertaining. 

Me? I love the newer supersized ships. So many great options and things to do. I also love smaller ships 🙂 just not quite as much 

I’m sailed MSC in steerage. Similar product to Carnival/Royal/Norwegian. Only noticeable downside was weak entertainment shows. I’d happily sail again if they have the right price and itinerary. 

I was curious, so 

souvenir (n.)

1775, "a remembrance or memory" (Walpole), from French souvenir (12c.), from Old French noun use of souvenir (v.) "to remember, come to mind," from Latin subvenire "come to mind," from sub "up from below" (see sub-) + venire "to come," from a suffixed form of PIE root *gwa- "to go, come." The meaning "token of remembrance, memento, that which reminds one of an event, person, place, etc." is recorded by 1782.

The ports are slowly pushing back. For example, Nassau just opened a huge port market with lots of space dedicated to Bahamian products. 

Keep in mind the folks who provide transportation deal with this every single day and know better than anyone what time people have been getting off ships. 

Very nice port, most of it is fairly new. 

5 hours ago, MyriamS said:

Were you able to change your 9:15 dinner assignment? (If you wished to)

I was fine with it. I was in Dubai, so my body clock was nine hours off anyway. And later dinner was less hurry back to the ship. 

I’ve been on exactly one Costa cruise, so take this for what it’s worth. They are unabashedly Italian. They do provide menus, daily newsletter, etc. in a variety of languages and the entertainment staff are remarkably multilingual and will cater their patter to their audience. But in terms of “style” it’s Italian all the way. Meals can go late (I was randomly assigned 9:15 dinner). Evening entertainment is often loud and goes until the wee hours. Don’t expect a string quartet playing in the atrium. But as long as you pick your cabin well, there are always quiet spots for an evening drink and then off to bed. 

Side note: I recently got in a discussion with some English YouTubers on the differences between AIDAcosma and the Costa Toscana. Same basic ship structure (Carnival Helios Class) but fitted out very differently. And how the German ship was dead after 10:30 while the Italian ship was just getting started. 

Literally millions of people sail on P&O each year and have a great time. 

Personally, I think most families are fine with adjacent cabins or even a balcony cabin with inside across the hall. But each family knows what does and doesn’t work for them.  

23 hours ago, 1bighund said:

On our last cruise - NCL Prima Dec. 2023 - there was one cabin with a door decoration  and people kept moving it to different doors !

I’ve been known to stumble back to my cabin after a tasty beverage or two, and door decorations are helpful. I know my cabin is two doors down from where Timmy and Tommy are celebrating the Best Cruise Ever. If people start messing with me by moving their sign, I’m in real trouble 🙂

8 hours ago, bled01 said:

Carnival seems like the best deal in cruising right now, but I really would also like to go on one of these RCL mega ships.  

To me this would be an easy choice. While a deal is nice, if you want to see an RCL Mega Ship, book an RCL Mega Ship. 

19 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

it is what the company safety officers

I seriously doubt it has anything to do with safety (even if they use that as an excuse.) probably more about not wanting to police content or just thinking it looks tacky. But as always, their ship, their rules. 
 

PS: My favorite door sign

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXMF1_8a_2IhDo-iViHSXH9ume7JbCNcjVj_V_cy5uXA&s

On 3/22/2024 at 8:55 AM, CanobieFan said:

It's definitely a thing on Carnival too

And is huge on Disney. Here’s their official rule:

Q:

Can I decorate my stateroom door or hang items over the doors?

A:

To ensure an enjoyable cruise experience for all our Guests, we ask that you take note of the following guidelines for decorating your stateroom door. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

You are welcome to place magnetic signs on your stateroom door. Though, please note that Concierge staterooms on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have wooden doors. You may not affix items to your stateroom doors using tape or any adhesive, including removable gel adhesives, as this can damage the doors’ finish.

1 hour ago, clo said:

I think I will too. Had rat in Thailand. Some pig intestine in a great Chinese place in CA. And so on.

And I’ve eaten a hot dog off the Carnival buffet. I think I win the scary food award 🙂

On 1/9/2024 at 1:10 AM, Twinbooty said:

Did anyone on this topic sail around the Emirates like Dubai, Qatar, Oman Abu Dhabi and if so, can you please tell me if the casino was open or closed ?

Thanks in advance.

 
A bit of a late answer… the casino is closed when in port, and the ship is in port a lot. 

Yes, you want cash yen for Japan. If your bank will arrange it, I would choose that option. It may cost you a couple bucks more, but it’s more than worth it in my opinion. Plus, if your bank is like mine, you’ll get a better mix of large and small bills than you would get from an ATM. 
 

But if you do go the ATM route, it’s easy enough. Warn your bank you’ll be making withdrawals in Japan - there are ATMs everywhere with English as an option. One warning - you will probably be asked if you want your bank to be billed in yen, or USD. Pick yen! Same with credit card transactions. Always have them ring you up in local currency and let your bank do the exchange. 

Round trip Seattle is much easier logistics wise than other Alaska options. You’ll miss some time at more interesting locations, but you will get a good feel for what Alaska is all about. My big suggestion is to pay close attention to how much time a ship spends in port. Some itineraries cram in more stops by spending shorter time in port. 

On 3/15/2024 at 11:46 AM, cruisemom42 said:

I am just not interested in beaches, natural beauty, etc.

What about the natural beauties on the beach 🙂