srenter

We will be sailing for the first time on NCL on January 12th on the Getaway. Can anyone tell us what the cost of the Vibe is for the 5nt trip? We have found the 7nt cost but wasn't sure if it is the same for the 5nt.

Thanks and Happy Cruising

The two formal nights were Monday (Key West) and Thursday (Cozumel)

There were four of us sailing with one being a completely newbie to cruising and for that matter flying. It was nice seeing the trip through someone else's eyes who never had the chance to do it.

We flew in the day before aboard Southwest. The crew was great and of course we had to make the newbie got his wings, even if it took him 17 years to get them. The flight was smooth with no problems, landed in FLL and proceeded to contact the hotel for shuttle. They were prompt in responding and picked us up in no time. This is our second staying at the Crowne Plaza in Fort Lauderale and can't beat the locaton to the airport or cruiseport. Across the street in the entrance to Port Everglades. Plus it's nice waking up the next morning walking outside and seeing all the ships in port waiting for their next guest. We used there shuttle service from hotel to pier that morning. The cost was $8.00 pp, so it wasn't that bad.

We arrived at the pier around 11:00 to the normal hectic/chaos of people still leaving and us arriving. Seeing the mess outside, we weren't what we were in for to get our sail and sign cards to get on the ship. The process wasn't that bad, maybe 30-40 minutes until we were waiting in the holding area. They started the boarding around 11:45 and our zone by 12:15. Not a bad wait for no FTTF or any other special boarding. Eating lunch by 12:30.

The ship itself is really in pretty decent shape for its years and amount of travelers that it has carried around. Yes, you could find something in all areas if you looked hard enough that needed improved but we were on vacation, not there to pick apart the little problems. Once on board the ship is was like watching a little kid at xmas with the newbie. He was in total awe of it. To him the ship was in pristine shape and great condition. Every turn, every deck, etc it was the did you see that or wow look at that. It really added something to the trip to see and hear all the excitement at every stop. One of the best ones was right after lunch the first day. We were all walking towards the pool, when he looked up and said "they have a water slide too". You would of thought he was 7 not 17 at that moment. lol

The cruise was memorable from the start to the end. We all had a blast. There were two negatives but nothing to ruin or even put a dent in the amount of fun we had. The main shows were ok, nothing special. The comedy shows were great, we saw 90% of them with each being a little different but just as funny as the previous. Any show, where the participants is a fellow guest is always a must see. The CD Josh aka "Big Sexy" did a good job getting everyone involved and we actually enjoyed everything about him. He was truly everywhere and a lot of fun to interact with.

We were on deck 8, our room stewart was John. He was the classic Ninja. You would see him in someone else's cabin and before you came back yours was done. He kept everything order and the ice bucket always stocked.

The food was good not great but never had a problem finding something to eat that was worth while. I did miss the old menus though. Our son was even disappointed in them since they took of some of the staple desserts for formal nights (cherries jubilee and baked Alaskan).

We have to give a special shout to our pool side bar server Suishi. He was fantastic. We always bring a soft sided cooler with us and he made sure it was always full of ice and the 8 beers it will hold. On that note, we did not use the cheers program and actually came out a few dollars a head on our trip compared to what it would of cost. It does help that we only had two see days on this trip and the weather was not so great. It really limited the pool time on the last sea day. I did notice the ones that were not using the cheers program seemed to get just a little better service from the bar staff throughout the ship.

The ports of call were Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Key West, we did the basic tourist things, shopped and walked around. We have been to all these stops a few times so not much new to see. Grand Cayman was suppose to be a sting ray excursion but was cancelled due to the choppiness of the water. So again more shopping and some fun hanging out in Margaritaville. At Cozumel, we like to walk into town stopping along the way taking pictures and visiting a couple cantinas along the way. Again some more shopping and a great lunch at Senor Frogs. Taxi back to the ship.

All is all, we can't wait to get back onboard the next Carnival cruise. Here are the limited negatives about the trip, since we all know it never goes:

1. Traveling with us was our son (18) and his friend (17) aka newbie. They are only separated but three months. Birthdays are end of November and first of February. you would of thought it was years apart since they had a hard time doing activities together. One couldn't be in Club O2 and the other quite a few other places. So it did make for some awkward situations with them being apart doing different things because of the age difference. I understand Carnivals thinking and applaud them for being strict but did make it tough at times.

2. Disembarkation process - this was the worse process that we have ever seen. We have done 10+ cruises including the giant Oasis of Seas and never seen such chaos. We were in zone 2 for embark. I am guessing close to half the ship was in the first three zones. Then you can guess what they call first for the disembarkation, zones 1 through 3. It took almost an 1 1/2 hours from the first call until we were out of customs with our bags. Why put us in zones if you are going to let that many down at once, just have a free for all, that's what it was. Carnival please send someone on the Oasis and see how smooth the process can be with twice as many people to get off the ship. Its not that difficult just basic common sense.

9 days to go here for the Conquest on the 17th,

Thanks for the responses and look forward to some much needed R&R in 9 days.

It's been a few cruises since our last Carnival cruise and was wondering what time the Conquest starts letting passengers on board. We always enjoy having lunch and people watching the day of embarkation.

Getting ready to start the single digit dance for the January 17th sailing.

We are sailing on the Conquest in January and have been doing a lot of reading to decide if Carnival's Cheers Package is worth it. We have sailed the last few cruises on RCCL where there is no limit on the amount of drinks.

The days in ports, we are thinking the Cheers program is worth the investment. The days that we aren't sure about are the sea days and embark day. Our typical sea day is a couple mimosas to start the day, poolside by 10:00 first drink or bucket shortly there after, then dinner and a couple drinks with the shows. We seemed to always meet great people that we end up having a bunch of drinks with throughout the cruise.

Can we purchase buckets of beer on the S&S cards without them counting towards our 15 a piece? This allowing us to purchase rounds for whom ever we are partying with, without them counting towards our 15. Carnivals limit won't last long if they count each drink/beer when buying rounds.

Thanks for your quick response

Precruise: We (husband 42, wife 45 & son 16) flew in the night before like normal to be well rested to enjoy the first day on the ship. The flight down had multiple delays due to storms in the upper midwest but we got into FLL around 12:30am Saturday. We got out our bags and called Crowne Plaza for a shuttle. Within minutes, our shuttle was there and shortly after checked in without any problems and off to our room to try and get some rest. The hotel couldn't of been any closer to the port, great location and will stay there whenever sailing out of Fort Lauderdale.

Embark: I agree with everything on these boards about the process. We arrived shortly after 11:00 and were eating lunch in Giavanni's Table by noon.

Cruise: The cruise, all in all, was a great vacation. There are some minor items we noticed and disliked but in no way did it stop us from having another great trip on Royal Caribbean. There is so much to do on this ship that it's impossible to squeeze it all in within a 7 day cruise. By the second day, we seldom saw our son except for dinner, ports or first thing in the morning due to all the fun he was having with the teen program, friends he made on the ship, etc. MDR food was ok, had some real good courses and some not so good. The service was great and we enjoyed meeting the people we sat with. We ended up all meeting before each dinner just so we could enjoy another meal together. On Tuesday, we ate at Chops since in port with an excursion we knew it would be a late dinner so made reservations ahead of the cruise. It was well worth it, the food and service was great. We also ate lunch at Giavanni's Table the first day and enjoyed so much we went back on the last day just to do it again.

It wouldn't be a fair review if we didn't list the couple items we didn't care for or notices. They are minor and you will still have a great time just wanted to put them out there.

1. We all did the drink package on this cruise (adults had the premium package and son the royal refreshment package). The drinks were great when you could get one. The bartenders were extremely slow on this ship for the most part. The only ones we found to be like other cruises that we sailed on were in the casino and the Park Cafe. It was almost like RCCL got there money for the drinks so lets make the cruisers walk to the bar to get them. The amount of waiters taking drink orders were less than half of any other ship.

2. The pool deck layout left alot to be desired. It was very chopped up. Each area was nice but we enjoy the more traditional layout, where you can get a chair a deck up and watch all the fun activities. Which on this ship seemed to not be at the pool at all, you have to go to the Aquatheater if you wanted to see them.

We enjoy relaxing and being involved not having to pack up and go see what has always been pool side fun and games.

3. Crown and Anchor Welcome Back Party was done during the morning hours. We enjoyed the party but just seemed like something was off with everyone sitting around in swimsuits and shorts. There were quite a few people talking about the time and place for the event.

All in all, it was a great cruise and family vacation. At no point during our cruise did you realize that there were 6000 guest on board. It just never felt crowded. All the different areas on the ship were well maintained and clean. All the hand cleaners located throughout the ship was a great idea and hats off to RCCL about taking this serious.

Quick notes on the ports:

Nassau - Its never been one of our favorite stops but did get off the boat for an hour or two so our son could say he was there.

St. Thomas - We did the 5 Star Island Tour from RCCL and had a great time exploring the island again.

St. Maarten - This is our favorite island in the Carribean. We try and get here at least once a year we enjoy it so much.

Thanks for the information and help. Its our first time having OBC from multiple sources and wanted to make sure ahead of time it was sitting there, ready to go.

We are 2 weeks out and looking for the easiest way to check to make sure all our OBC is there from the different sources (Visa, TA, etc)? Does someone have a number on where to call and how far out on the credits in the system. Thanks

Oasis on 1/25/14