robmac330

Technically true. Though the 2nd pool is a family pool (kids pool) that is part of the splash pad (which was quite nice though half non-functioning).

 

Let's not pretend the main pool is anything but what this picture suggests:

 

Based on the fact that almost everyone is facing the same way, the crowd is standing several deep along the pool and along all the rails, is it fair to assume this was taken during pool games like Mr. Sexy Legs? If so, it's not a fully accurate portrayal of the crowds either, IMO.

I've cruised big and I've cruised small and my takeaway from it all is that, in a shocking twist, people want to be out in the sun when they're on a cruise. And even more people will be out there when something of interest, like pool games, is happening. I don't think I've ever been on a ship in warm weather that had adequate deck space for everyone to have their lounger during a day at sea. If wide open areas of relaxation and being able to swim unobstructed in a pool for a good chunk of your vacation is really important to you, cruising may not be for you.

To answer the OP's question, if you're looking for a smaller ship that feels relatively new, I'd suggest the Dawn. Good size, never felt really crowded, and had good programming throughout the week. Can't speak to the Kid/Teen club activities directly, but we were on a trip during August and the only kids that seemed unhappy were the ones under 18 being told they weren't allowed into Bliss once it went into nightclub mode.

Call them. United did the same to me for my flight from Seattle to Newark. They gave me some other options and changed it no charge.

Agreed and seconded, AA did this for my flight to Miami from Hartford at the end of my trip. I was supposed to leave at 3pm, connect through Charlotte, and arrive in Hartford around 8pm, they moved me to a flight that didn't depart until 7pm. I looked on the website and I found they actually still had nearly the identical flight itinerary they had moved me off of. I called, was polite, and the lady moved me back to the original itinerary (new flight #s) with no change fee.

I'd suggest doing your research before you call and be able to provide specific flight numbers you'd like to be changed to that more closely resemble your itinerary. My experience was they can search flight numbers a lot more easily than they can times of day.

Please let us know how things worked out for you. We wish you the best.

Yes, looking like most of Eastern/Central MA and Providence got mostly rain, so hoping no major flight delays result on Saturday. Enjoy your cruise!

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Fellow Northeasterner here (MA born, CT living), my two cents is with the forecast this close being primarily for rain with a small mix of snow, I'd hang on to the 11:45a Saturday flight. Even if there's some snow overnight, it doesn't seem (with the current forecast) to be a storm that should have much in the way of equipment interruptions getting planes to the proper airports. You may face a delay on Saturday, but at least you're there well in advance of your ship's embarkation.

At the same I'd prepare for the worst. Go to Google Flights and copy down every combination of flights (times, connecting cities, and individual flight numbers) on Saturday and Sunday that can get you from Providence to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, both on your current airline and others. That way in the event you are cancelled, you're armed with all the information you need to play the Match Game with a ticket/gate agent or customer service rep.

If you're really worried about the flight not happening, look into flights on your chosen airline from Bradley outside of Hartford. We're forecast to get just rain and (slightly) less wind on Friday, with Saturday being clear, and every major airline flies from BDL to MIA (American w/ 1 nonstop and Delta) or FLL (Jetblue w/ 4 nonstops a day, Southwest w/ 2 nonstops, and United) on Saturday. The right attitude ("I really need to be in Florida on Saturday and I was wondering if it was at all possible for you to waive the rebooking fee due to the storm...") with the right customer service rep could probably move you to flights there. Not ideal, but piece of mind in getting to the ship on time.

This-100%

I sailed on DCL 16 times over 14 years and watched as adult only spaces and entertainment was whittled away and it got to the point they weren't even enforcing the areas that were left as adult only. That and rising prices sent me to NCL.

I may be over 60, but I still want to relax and have fun and enjoy the ropes courses, slides, etc.

Cruise lines that cater to the older crowd are way more formal and quiet than I prefer. And no fun slides!

I don't mind kids, I had two and now have grandkids. I don't mind cruising with them, I just want the parents to not take a vacation from parenting while on vacation.

And please keep the adult only areas adult only. We aren't allowed in the kids club, right?

 

And the problem with the Haven is that it was never meant to be a quiet place, so the name is misleading. All those two bedroom suites prove otherwise. And you'd think that if they pay those prices to stay in the Haven, people will be more polite and respectful of others, right?

Uh, no.

Those who pay more seem to feel entitled to do whatever they wish, apparently, as I have observed.

The real problem boils down to a lack of consideration for other people's space and experiences. Also seen on elevators, pool chair hogging, and seat saving in theaters onboard.

It's happening in every aspect of life in this day and age.

Me Me Me

Seconded to these sentiments. I'm 30 and cruised a good deal as a teenager in the early 2000s and rules were enforced for adult-only areas, but otherwise it seemed the crew had a sense of "don't give us a reason to tell you to quiet down and we won't tell you to quiet down." It was a happy medium.

Fast forward to 2017 and the 2 cruises I took were night and day:

I was on Breakaway in February (granted not a major school vacation week, so a good deal of the families were from Canada and some private schools) and the crew generally did a good job of enforcing the adult-only areas like Spice H20 and Bliss. At Spice there was a sense that kids could come in if they had to check in with a parent for some reason, but the bartenders and waitstaff did a pretty good job of providing friendly reminders that the kiddos couldn't make themselves at home. Same went for Bliss, where they were swiping the cruise cards of every guest. For other areas (Headliners during Howl at the Moon, 1am curfew enforcement) it seemed like the "don't give us a reason to ask for your cruise card" rule was in effect, and it worked.

I was on Dawn in August (I call it the Boston Boat because by Day 3 any time someone was asked where they were from during Bingo, a show, etc. they just said their Massachusetts hometown and that was it) with significantly more families, but the staff seemed disinclined to even enforce rules that put the cruise line at liability. Case in point, Bliss on the Dawn also serves as a show/gameshow space earlier in the night. But after the show was over, security would roll out their kiosk and it became 18+. However they would only sporadically check cruise cards. This led to younger teenagers being in there, along with less ethically inclined 18-22 year olds, feeding them drinks. And then, in a SHOCKING twist, drunk 15 year olds would act like drunk 15 year olds; trying to pick fights, dancing all over everyone, dropping glasses on the dance floor, etc. It just made it sort of uncomfortable for everyone else when this went on night after night with seemingly no attempt to put a stop to it by Security. It's hard to have a good time in those situations when you're not sure if you're in a room with other adults or 15 year olds dressed like adults.

Everyone thinks it's rude when people are photographing their food, and yet everyone wants to see pictures of the food to see what the menu items look like.

All I'm asking is that cruisers who are on a ship before me bring a small pad and pencil and copy down, in extensive detail, what is on the menu in the MDR each night (while also doing the same for the menus of each specialty restaurant and bar, as well as noting relevant activities {specific to my interests, of course} in the Freestyle Daily)

They don't HAVE to take pictures ;p;p

I make a point of doing something similar to this if my friends photograph their food:

Moscow Mules! At the Mixx Bar on Breakaway the bartender would muddle some candied ginger along with the lime at the bottom of the glass. Best I've ever had, even without the copper mug!

How long is it from PC to Disney?

Roughly an hour, barring a horrific traffic jam somewhere along the route

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Checked this out because I'm sailing in 12531 in a couple weeks and was interested. If you're referring to the spaces on Decks 11 and 13, I think you avoid those (see GIF below), not sure what the space across the hall is though.

Also, thank you for posting these. I'm on the same sailing as catmomma so it's nice to have an idea of times things are open/closed as well as some activities!

Good catch. I’d check with the tour company if I were you. It’s true, you’ll be on of the first cruises which hits that island after DST and according to the internet, they do not observe DST. So ship’s time will technically be ahead by an hour.

 

 

If you decide to check with the tour company, let us know what happens this is definitely an interesting situation. I’ll bet the tour company doesn’t even know about the time change in United States Because a lot of the time people in other times zones don’t pay attention to those things because they don’t apply to them. So you may even be doing them a favour by letting them know.

Have cruise lines stopped changing Ship's Time to match Local Time each overnight? The last 3 times I've been on trips that change time zones (Bermuda, Alaska, and Bermuda again) the dailies noted that ships time would change forward or back each night if the next port was different.

The OP--not too weird

You--crazy weird:rolleyes:

Yeah, but I'm the type of crazy weird that makes me fun to talk to at the pool bar!

I sailed Breakaway last year on the 2/26-3/5 sailing. Because it's wintertime in New York (as you likely know based on your username) it's always a crap-shoot. The day we left was sunny in the low 50s, making it nice to be outside for the sail away party at Spice H2O. The 1st sea day (Monday) had cooled off a bit into the 40s, sunny but very windy, so the hot tubs were quite popular. It wasn't bad in the sun though, you could sit out and read and be comfortable. By 4 or 5pm on that sea day it started warming up and it was in the low 60s by that night. The last at sea day was pretty much a polar opposite. The day started out warm and sunny but by about 2 or 3pm it was cold and probably the windiest it got all week. Most of the outside upper decks were closed by nightfall.

One thing to keep in mind when sailing Breakaway this time of year is that indoor chairs become valuable real estate on colder/bad weather days. Combine that with the fact they don't always use best judgement when choosing where to place some events on at sea days and it's often nearly impossible. to find a seat for something like Karaoke Superstar or Deal or No Deal when it's held in the atrium instead of the theater.

That all being said, I had a fantastic time escaping the cold of the northeast for the week and would certainly recommend that itinerary to anyone looking to do the same, especially when you catch a good deal!

No it wasn’t a drill. It was called as we sailed mid afternoon in Milford Sound. Soon after they called for a stretcher near the Medical Centre. We also saw someone transported off and sent ashore using a ship tender and loaded onto a small plane. Assuming both incidents were related. The Captain was asked at the Q&A the next day about the passenger (assuming it was a passenger). He said he had heard from the person involved, he was in hospital and was going to be operated on later that day.

 

 

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I wonder if it was some sort of intestinal issue (appendix, gall bladder) that caused them to vomit on their way to the medical center, prompting the Delta, but were attended to without the need for an Alpha to alert the ship’s medical staff

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We also bring empty water containers and fill at the tap. We have also bought the small package of bottled waters to have a few convenient to-go bottles. What you may not be aware of is the small print of most packaged bottled water mentions that it is from a municipal water source. Look at what you buy at home, if it says municipal water source you are drinking tap water.

This is true, all water that is consumed in this country is controlled by some municipality. But the municipality the water comes from is significant. For example I live in West Hartford, CT and my tap is served by the Metropolitan District Commission. According to the Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database (link below), my home tap water contains 5 contaminants that are above recommended health guidelines, as well as 9 other detected contaminants.

As I type this, I'm enjoying a nice cold Poland Springs water. Nectar of the Gods if you ask me. According to the bottle, Poland Springs sources its water from 5 municipalities in Maine. When I plug the zip codes of those 5 municipalities into the EWG database, they each show only 1 contaminant above recommended levels. So not all sources are created equal.

If you want a real mindbend, take the bus/train combo tour in Skagway, AK. We drank water directly from a waterfall whose source was a melting glacier you could actually see. Tasted pretty great to me.

https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/index.php#.Wob55xPwYgp

I heard Zulu Zulu Zulu and Alpha Alpha Alpha on the Escape in October. Then the ship arrived way early on the last day.

 

Ambulance and police were at the dock.

Using the highly reliable Wikipedia, Zulu appears to be a code for a fight in progress. If they were used together I suspect whoever was on the losing end was in bad shape.

Ok perfect thank you so much for the info...when the package is purchased will I be able to access the different things happening on the ship or can that be done now? Also is it like flying that you can only check in 24 hours prior?

You can complete online check-in right now, and it's highly recommended. You'll need your passport/ID document numbers handy when you do, but once it's complete you can print your eDocs and luggage tags any time before you arrive.

I'm actually on this sailing, so be sure to introduce yourself over on our Roll Call too!

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2516657

Not to be a downer but I always see folks getting chuckled at when you all show up in those shirts.

I see them on every cruise usually on the first day.

Then I see the same people all playing left right center on the pool deck and pilling there buffet plates to the ceiling.

 

I would pass.

What's wrong with their doing any of those things? They're on their vacation, as long as they don't spill their pizza on you or knock you into the pool, there's no reason their fun should impact you at all!

I know somewhere cheaper, if you want cheaper ts....read.my.name.slowly.......:cool:

Chia Perts? I think you meant to say pets...

In all seriousness though, at some point when I cruising solo I want to design a Pokemon themed shirt that says "Gotta Catch Us All" and then has #7 on the back. See how long it takes people to catch on...

How recent is recent? It seems every time I book something on the website it can take 12-24 HOURS to get a confirmation sent to my email.

I unfortunately don't know what the benefit for international guests is, but as for the rest of the post I tend to agree. It seems like they make Silver very easy to attain (I'll be reaching it after only my 4th seven night cruise with NCL), and Gold equally as easy after that, especially if you tend to book late winter/early spring cruises at the right time and get the extra point perk.

It seems to me that the key is getting to Platinum, as it shows a good degree of loyalty to cruising on NCL (likely at least 60-70 nights even with extra points) and you're justly rewarded. Even the word "priority" seems to carry more value with Platinum and upwards, as it no longer just refers to a special check-in line or the chance that there will be more early luggage tags for disembarkation. It starts to give priority to things people actually want on their cruises; embarkation, dining, and entertainment. And let's face it, after likely dropping at least $8,000-10,000 on cruises with one line, the least they can do is let you on the ship early and buy you dinner!

The only drink list I can find from 2017 only has the liter bottles but I could have sworn the 20oz ones, where available, were the same as sodas at $2.95. You can also get cups of water for free at the bar which tasted on par with Aquafina to me. On Dawn this summer they actually just put out the big pour-tap coolers of water with a stack of cups next to it at the pool bars during the day which was incredibly convenient and a good reminder to hydrate between drinks!

Uber will stop, but the price you're quoted when you first request the car will no longer be honored. It's not horrible, but you'll be charged for the mileage off the original route as well as the wait time while you go into the store:

UberX: $.23/minute wait

UberXL: $.30/minute wait

UberLux: $.40/minute wait

UberLux $.80/minute wait

Alpha is medical emergency

We had an in incredibly public Alpha on Dawn last summer, a rope snapped during the aerialist show and the performer dropped 10-15 feet onto the stage on her back. Crew reassured anyone who asked throughout the week that she was bumped and bruised but OK.