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March 10 day will probably have a lot of kids. 1. Easter and spring break are no longer tied to each other. 2. Huge increase in homeschoolers since Covid. 3. Parents are very different in regards to attendance since Covid. There is a feeling that since schools were shut down so long and kids learned (theoretically) that it is okay to take them out for vacations. I'm a school admin for a homeschool organization here in California so lots of experience with the above three points. Also, we did a 7 day DCL the week after Thanksgiving, in years past a pretty good week for cruising without a lot of children. Many, many kids and none of them appeared to go to the clubs. We've cruised DCL a lot and you used to see the kids up through dinner the first day, and then they were in the clubs till late afternoon of the last day. No more. So I wouldn't count on them staying in the Princess clubs either.

@harryfat1 Thank-you for info on Ifly and Northstar, I wasn't aware of needing to book immediately once onboard. It will most likely be just me and there won't be a lot of options due to our itinerary, two port days and eight sea days. I'm another one that doesn't want to see a messy cabin. Sometimes when I'm walking down the hall and see the state of some cabins I'm baffled. How many bottles of hair product, lotion, etc... do even four people need for one week? And clothes all over the place. Ick.

This is not true in all cases. I've seen some videos where connecting vs. non-connecting have different furniture but we always buy connecting cabins and the furniture always matches the videos of non-connecting. I'm another one that doesn't care for bothering the stewards when they're working their behinds off.

@ShortCruising Same here. DS would be terrified if he saw violence up close. He tries so very hard to do the right thing which means he assumes others will do the same.

Conjecture on my part. I like to give my autistic DS as much independence as possible so I'll set up situations for him to act on his own. Granted, I'm always sitting w/in sight but I would prefer if I felt confident to let him do things w/o my constant vigilance, I'm sure he must get sick of it. Could be that mom was giving her daughter some autonomy and felt comfortable since she was on a ship in a closed environment. It could also be that she didn't learn about previous bullying until after the incident the OP described.

@mitsugirly Here is a link to the QM site, https://queenmary.com/ and a link to an article on what's been going on w/ her since we stayed in December 2019. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-04/queen-mary-once-a-sinking-white-elephant-shows-signs-of-remarkable-revival#:~:text=Although the ship still needs,for weddings and other gatherings. What I didn't like about the hotel in 12/19 was that our rooms weren't decorated in a glamourous Art Deco style, more of a mid 60s hotel decor with what looked like indoor outdoor carpet. Also, we had drinks at the Observation Lounge and the carpet was filthy. The LA Times article explains that there was some upkeep, including a revamp of the Observation Lounge and new flooring. Given that I will definitely book QM again. The ship itself was amazing. A huge promenade deck with larger than life size blow up photos of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and other historical figures. There are a lot of tours you can take as well, depending on interests and arrival/departure time. Finally, you cannot beat skipping across the parking lot to the terminal 🙂

Residence Inn, The Maya, and Queen Mary are all on the terminal side of the harbor so all within walking distance. We stayed at the Queen Mary the first time we sailed on Panorama. The night before boarding Panorama I told DH it was ok but I didn't need to stay there again. When we walked across the parking lot to the terminal the next morning I changed my mind. QM was closed during Covid but recently re-opened. If you want to combine history with a modern cruise you may want to give it a whirl. Also, parts of the Poseidon Adventure were filmed on QM2 so there is that cruise connection.

Here's mine, Also, the ship and port times are often different. I find it easiest to wear a not smart watch to track ship time, and my phone for port time. I've been on Panorama three times, all three great cruises.

Has your family traveled with the friend before? I ask because I remember an absolutely horrific trip with my cousin in 1974. She brought her boyfirend, they fought w/in the first two hours of the car ride and didn't speak other than through me for the remainder of the week. I promised myself then and there I would never bring a friend on a vacation. That's me though 🙂 Also, the suites that are supposed to hold 8 do in theory. My family of 3 were in a two bedroom Aqua Theatre suite and there is no way I would want any more than 4 people in there, but even that would be pushing it. I'm not one for having a sofa bed open, blankets and pillows sitting around, etc... I'd go with two connecting as others have suggested.

Thank-you @matymil I have an autistic adult son so understand the mom's tears. I don't think the gangs of kids are solely a NY thing, read of some similiar actions on ships leaving from Florida. That said I would be cautious about booking a cruise from NY unless I was on Cunard or Princess where there is less likelyhood of roaming adolescents. Unfortunately you can't count on the traditional few/no kid's weeks since there are a lot more homeschoolers and since Covid attendance at traditional schools is way down. Carnival needs to take these gangs more seriously, best solution is to kick the family off at the next port and put them on the No Sail list. I don't like to do laundry but I appreciate laundry rooms on ships. Sometimes it's just easier to do a load of clothes and it makes packing easier. DS is very fussy about his clothes so goes through at least two clothing changes per day which equates to a lot of luggage. If I can keep up with the pajamas and socks I can get through the week w/ a carry-on. Thank-you for your balanced review.

TSA pre-check is the best. Bought it about 18 months ago and love it.

This. I wear a not smart watch on these cruises and set it to ship's time and my i phone gives me local time.

I try not to wear a jacket on a plane because I always feel so dirty after a flight. I couldn't wear it without washing and a jacket is more than I want to deal with using ship's laundry. I think like most traveler's I wear the clunkiest shoes/boots on the plane and I don't throw those away 🙂

Southhampton QM2 in September. They had a table outside set up for this so I'm guessing Cunard passengers aren't as comfortable completing this at home/hotel. Their embarkation/debarkation was the smoothest, least crowded that I've ever experienced.

@Haljo1935 Home school administrator here. Yes, the kids can pretty much go anywhere whenever. It's a lot stricter for teachers and admin.

The Suess Parade looked amazing. What a nice job for the littles, (and their parents). I also liked the Noon Day Eve, something I'd never heard of until this review. That's great about the acceptance of the shower. FYI DCL ships all have tubs, older HAL has tubs in OV or above, and Carnival has tubs in the deluxe OV on newer ships. It doesn't sound like you'll need that info though 🙂

@Hogladyriderand @odie1024 Yep, no tilapia for me ever again. A woman in the Bay Area ate some, became very ill, and ended up a quadruple amputee. Not cheery on a live review but PSA.

We normally do carry-on for a 7 night cruise and that is with all of us wearing fresh clothes each day. With a carryon you can't buy much in the way of souvenirs so it is a money as well as timesaver. Our normal souvenirs are dishtowels which are cheap, don't take up much space, and useful. We also try to wear something old on the original flight that we'll never want to wear again and then we throw those outfits away at the hotel.

@ninjacat123 Interested in hearing about the wine package. I've purchased that on DCL but never Carnival.

I buy (Cheers) two sugar free energy drinks each day to have before I leave the room. Once I'm pulled together I leave the room and buy coffee. I prefer coffee makings in the room so that I can make and drink 3-4 cups before getting started with my day but the energy drinks are a decent compromise.

That’s our hope @Tyskie 🙂 Thank-you for the positive vibe.

Margaritaville Hilton Head. Very much looking forward to experiencing a different lifestyle.

Great review @ninjacat123 We're moving to SC in the next 12-15 months so I loved the drive posts. I cannot wait to live close to cruise ports!

Who takes their shoes off at a restaurant?

And me three 😊