Princess & 4 Princes

Loving your review!  Is there any way you could post pictures of your cruise compasses?  We;re on this same sailing in March.

Thanks!  Looking into that one now. 

We are flying SunCountry from Duluth, MN to Ft. Myers for an RC cruise.  There are 10 of us in all.  We will stay in Ft. Myers (the hotel prices seem cheaper than FLL) the night we get in & get to the cruise Saturday morning, and get to Ft. Myers when getting off the ship & stay a night before our home bound flight.  Just wondering who else has done this and what the best way to get there with a group of 10 is.  The Red Bus seems like it leaves Ft. Myers kind of late for our liking (11-ish if I remember, and late on the return 4 pm). Thanks for any help!

Jennifer

https://www.*****.com/category/ship/harmony-of-the-seas

THERE we go!

https://www.*****.com/category/ship/harmony-of-the-seas

what got removed is royal Caribbean blog (no spaces)

Found these, they are the most recent posted for the Eastern itinerary. They list “Caribbean wear”, 2 formal nights, and either 90’s or 80’s dance party on day 5 (I think it’s listed as both).

https://www.*****.com/category/ship/harmony-of-the-seas

I don’t have Cruise Compasses, but I just called RC & asked about theme nights.  The rep said the only theme night for our sailing (Harmony, Feb. 9) is...90’s night...!?!?  I don’t recall the 90’s being a great fashion decade.  Denim shirts, anyone? 🙄

Phooey! We’ll spend all our time on the ship looking for my mom...she’s a wanderer!!! :') ;p :rolleyes:

Once again, thanks so much for this report! It’s so interesting! Can you tell me:

1) what are the free beverages—those without buying any package. Specifically wondering about iced tea, lemonade, regular boring coffee (not fancy or specialty), water. Are these available 24/7 outside of Windjammer’s &/or somewhere else?

2) Does the Navigator of the Seas have any type of on board communication devices similar to walkie-talkies? On a few lines we’ve been on (Disney for sure & maybe NCL or RC?) they call them “sea phones,” and are in the room when you board.

Thank you so much! We leave in just a few days!

“Aquaventure

I have emailed spg tours, but just in case they contact you first, please reserve 4 spots for us.“

Whoops, wrong message board, sorry everyone!

Aquaventure

I have emailed spg tours, but just in case they contact you first, please reserve 4 spots for us.

Thank you for taking the time to post all this information about Navigator. We are sailing on her mid September. Our friends Ken and Christine are on your sailing. They are D+ and are going to CL but may be in DL tonight. They are Scottish early 70s and Christine has blonde short hair. Ken will be drinking red wine!! Please say hello from Margaret and Neil. That may freak them out!

Thanks again and keep on posting.

Margaret

And THIS is why I love the Cruise Critic Boards!!!

Thanks again for posting this! Great pictures, are you using a camera or a cell phone? Also, I am not seeing any listings for the kids’ clubs in the cruise compasses—PLEASE tell me they are keeping them open decent hours :o.

It is a 15-30 minute portrait sitting, you are away from public eye and approximately 80 shots are taken in a variety of poses. I have yet to see the results, but will post about the results when I have seen them. You have to book these separately and in advance and then book to go back and see them.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

First, thanks for writing this review—so interesting & helpful! We are on this cruise June 27th. Is the portrait sitting included in your photo package? I guess I am assuming you bought the unlimited photo pass? I think it’s like $199 if purchased before sailing??? If we have 2 cabins, and I purchase that & am in the pictures, they’ll take pics with the other 2 people not in our cabin (of the 4 of us together), correct?

Thanks for doing this!

She was wearing an invisibility cloak in December

:p ha ha ha!!! :p

We were on the Spirit recently. There is certainly no reason to pay for food unless you really what to. We ate in the midship dining room once and the service was absolutely fine and the food was warm.

 

The buffet is small compared to some ships, but had lots of choice and the food was great. There are also quite a few other options like Blue Lagoon and the outdoor buffets. We ate at a few speciality restaurants as well, but that was because we wanted to do so, not because we had to.

 

If you did decide to eat in a specialty restaurant (we drop out son off at the kids club when we do), there is no need to make reservations much in advance. Plenty of availability everywhere except Teppenyaki.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Oh, that's good to know! I would have assumed we'd need reservations long in advance. Can you tell me anything about photo packages, etc.?

I was on the Spirit in January for 9 nights and loved it so much I am returning in Novemeber for 12 nights.

 

One tip that I would offer is to purchase the Ultimate Dining Package. Almost every aspect of our cruise was perfect, except for the dining in Windows and the Garden. The only two words I have to describe the food there is slow and cold, which is rather unfortunate. On the other hand, the food in the specialty restaurants was delicious (and hot!).

 

Another tip would be to take a walk on the Prominade Deck. As they build more and more cruise ships, a true Prominade Deck is becoming a rare feature. I would walk the deck for hours each day. It was lovely.

 

I guess my final tip is- Don't hesitate to ask. I found that the crew on this ship really wanted to please their passengers. It was a very friendly atmosphere!

 

I am hoping that you love your cruise as much as I did mine. I did write a "live from" blog and I plan to write one in November.

 

:)

Thanks, Tracie-Lynn! I read your review & LOVED it! Good job! :) With 5 in our family, and no one who wants to have to make reservations or have long dinners (i.e.: 3 kids), I am afraid we will try the regular dining room once or twice and then resign ourselves to the buffet. Oh well. Our cruise is so port intensive, I really don't want to spend my entire evening waiting around for a long dinner in the regular dining room. Of course the ideal scenario would be smokin' fast service & hot delicious food, but I don't think that's going to happen!

bump!

Does anyone know about the photographers/photo package options on the Spirit Grand Med cruise? We haven't cruised on NCL before, but on other lines we always got an email before the cruise with info on how to purchase an all inclusive photo package. We cruise in about 5 weeks. I'm specifically interested in how much it is, how much individual pics are, what kinds of photo ops they have (every night/ as you exit at each port/ casual-"lifestyle" portrait options?), whether it's digital or physical hard copies of the photos.

Thanks!

On our cruise in March the showtimes were 7:30 and 9:30.

Oooh, 9:30? No thanks. I guess we'll be working around the earlier show. How was the entertainment quality? Our RC Med cruise in 2012 had HORRIBLE entertainment & the CD was pretty lame, as well. He put absolutely zero effort into his job.

We are planning to book the 22 Day April -May 2015 on the Spirit.

Can anyone tell me average temps and weather at that time.

 

Also how crowded or not the sites will be.

We are hoping/thinking this should be a good time to cruise as the weather will be comfortable, not too hot, and less tourist crowds.

Is this accurate?

 

TIA

I would agree with your assumption. We went June 22-July 3, and it was HOT & the sites were crowded, although several times our guides said that July & August were the busiest. :eek: I'm sure you could google the specific cities and get a more exact idea of the temps, though. I've read some trip reports where people went in Jan or the fall, and it was cold and rainy. I'd rather have sun & heat myself, even if it means more people.

Awesome tips! Keep 'em coming! :D And thanks so much for all the good suggestions.

What time are the shows for the Med cruises? We have kids & are used to eating fairly early, so I am assuming we will get cleaned up after our port excursions, head to dinner & then do the later show, if possible.

We enjoyed the Spirit. One of my favorite places was the Galaxy of the Stars lounge with big windows looking forward, interesting odds and ends to look at and cozy places to sit and read or gaze out to sea. Be sure to go down the spiral stairs to see the bridge.

 

Champagne Charlie's was a nice place to listen to piano music. I was not fond of the Blue Lagoon or the Shanghai Bar as they were right in a busy traffic area off the atrium.

 

The hair dryer in our cabin was the old fashioned kind with what looked like a vacuum hose coming out of it. The art work and decorations were lovely on this ship and we found the crew friendly and helpful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Oh man! I hope the hairdryers got updated in the last dry dock!

The Spirit is my favorite ship. Definitely check out the bridge viewing area by going down the spiral staircase in Galaxy of the Stars lounge. The Bier Garten on the top deck is a great place for a drink during sail away.

Our CC group is meeting in the Bier Garten for our "unofficial" meet & greet at sailaway! Is the food there free? Obviously, the "bier" isn't! :D

We are cruising for the first time on NCL in June on the Spirit out of Barcelona. We have cruised Disney & RC before. What should we know about cruising on the Spirit? Thanks in advance for all of your hints & tips! :D