Joanne G.

Thank you to those explaining the upgrade options and process. I haven’t been on NCL for a while, and I do want internet access beyond my “free” minutes. Books and a Kindle don’t allow me to stay in touch with my family or my airline or my post cruise hotel or my credit card company in case of any issues, so that suggestion doesn’t help me. But I do bring a Kindle to read. 😃

Definitely true. Here is the incident I remembered, though I had forgotten that Royal sent a doctor and nurses to the island for the night. What an experience that must have been. Cruise passengers endure unromantic night on island (tampabay.com)

Be aware at the Borghese gallery, no bags or backpacks are allowed and only tiny purses can be carried during your visit. They were very strict with this during my visit this past September. Anything bigger than a tiny purse or very small waist pack had to be checked at the entrance. I didn’t know this in advance and was a bit stressed to hand in my purse (with my passport), but I did keep my phone and my wallet in my pockets. I plan on visiting again post-cruise next year and will be prepared with a tiny purse. I agree with @lynncarol about the value of a guided tour. I hadn’t planned on doing so, but that was the only type of ticket available when I booked. I ended up learning and appreciating much more than had I been on my own.

My former company’s health plan offered up to $200 per year reimbursement for such services as exercise classes, gym memberships, weight loss or smoking cessation programs - and massages. I scratched my head at massages being one of their “healthy living” benefits, but they offered it and people used the benefit. This was a regional southern WI/northern IL health insurance company.

I see this recommendation regularly, but I have never understood how it could prevent the kind of erroneous charges that I read about regularly. If, after disembarkation, someone is charged for a mini-bar item they didn't consume, couldn't that type of error happen if the items remained in the refrigerator during the whole cruise or were put on a shelf and returned to the refrigerator on the last day? Maybe I am missing something, but it seems like whoever is counting/taking inventory could make a mistake in either situation. I'll be on the Equinox next year. Are the minibars locked embarkation day? If so, I think I'll leave it locked in an attempt to minimize erroneous charges.

I sailed on the Pride from Dover to Rome this past September. We moved our clocks ahead for the first port, which was in Spain. Then we moved them back an hour for the next two ports in Portugal. Then ahead again for the remaining ports in Spain and Rome. I prefer it when ship time matches port time - no confusion during activities in port. In July on the Pride, we changed time twice going from Dover to Denmark and Germany and on to Finland. I don't remember changing times zones in the Eastern Caribbean, but it may be because we cruise in the spring during daylight saving time in the U.S., and it's my understanding that the eastern Caribbean islands in the Atlantic time zone (one hour ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone) do not go on daylight saving time. I'm not sure what happens at other times of the year. I can't remember what Carnival did on the Western Caribbean itinerary we did once, but NCL did change ship time to match port times as we sailed from Florida to Mexico.

Years ago, our bus on a Princess excursion got a flat tire in Antigua. We were delayed due to a detour to get a tire change. We got back to the ship in plenty of time, so no issues. It was an amusing diversion, especially the sight of the service station workers doing their jobs barefoot! At the time, I worked at a truck dealership, and the technicians in the shop had quite a chuckle over this picture.

I remember reading about that. My memory is that it was Royal Caribbean, but whichever cruise line, it sounded very unpleasant, despite how pleasant those private islands are during the day. I believe it was before the private islands had all the cabanas for shelter, and it was cold at night. I am sure it wasn't an easy decision for the captain to make.

You don’t have to buy it at the time of deposit, but you are right to be concerned about coverage for pre-existing conditions. Do read the fine print about how pre-existing conditions are defined and handled. A friend and I had a claim denied by Princess insurance because she first consulted her doctor about the medical issue shortly before we made our final payment which included the insurance premium. We had committed to the insurance when we booked, but to the insurance company, we didn’t have coverage until we paid the premium. By that time, she had what they determined to be a pre-existing condition. We canceled when her condition unexpectedly worsened, and they denied the claim based on her pre-existing condition. The denial was an unpleasant surprise, though we did get future cruise credits for a portion of the cancellation penalty. I don’t know if Carnival’s policy has similar terms.

I agree with the above post that you should check out the ports of call boards. It's also hard to suggest a "best" excursion without knowing your interests and travel style. But from experience, I will say that we enjoyed exploring Mykonos on foot without an excursion. From Naples, as we couldn't decide between Pompeii and the Amalfi coast, we took a long, full-day excursion that covered both, and it was a memorable day. In Sicily, we took a pleasant excursion that was transportation only to Taormina, where we were free to wander on our own for several hours. Santorini can be challenging, due to the tendering and depending on how many ships are in port the same day. We took an excursion to Oia and a winery, and it ended in Fira, where we had time on our own before taking the cable car down to the tender dock. Our cruise was on Celebrity, but if Carnival offers anything comparable to these, I recommend any of them. Sorry, I can't help with the other ports. Have a great cruise.

Malaga and the Alcazaba

White Villages of Andalusia

I visited Cadiz and Malaga on a Carnival cruise this past September. It's hard to know what to recommend not knowing anything about your interests and travel style. But I can say that Seville and Granada, while presumably fabulous destinations, are some distance from the ports of Cadiz and Malaga. My choice was not to spend a good part of the day in transit, whether on a cruise excursion or a private tour. I don't know what excursions NCL offers. From Cadiz, I took Carnival's excursion to two of the "white villages" of Andalusia, and I enjoyed it a lot. We had a great guide, plus we had some time on our own to explore. One of the towns was quite hilly, so someone with mobility issues could find the walking to be difficult. In Malaga, I took a walking tour of the city, with the highlight being a visit to the Alcazaba. This was a Carnival excursion. The walking within the city was on level ground (and included Picasso's childhood home), but the tour of the Alcazaba required a lot of walking on inclines. There is an elevator, but if you use it, you miss out on a lot of the sights on the way up to the top. In both ports, we docked close enough to town so that one could take off from the ship and explore the port city on foot. There was a big beach within sight in Malaga, though I don't know if it was public. Have a great cruise. A friend and I will be on the Getaway in May in Northern Europe.

If you are not able to add a couple extra days in both London and Paris, I would go with Option 1. I would spend whatever extra time I had in London. Doing so eliminates the time spent getting to Paris. I know the Eurostar is fast, but the process is still going to take up a chunk of time, so that full day exploring Paris that you considered in Option 2 will not actually be a full day. For what it's worth, there are reports on these boards from people who have taken one of the long excursions into Paris from Le Havre and have enjoyed it and were glad they did it. These were people who felt that was going to be their one and only time to see Paris, and they considered a short visit better than no visit. I'm sorry I can't remember the names on those postings, or I would try to find their reports. London and Paris - two great cities! Have a wonderful vacation, however you decide to spend your post-cruise time.

Perfectly understandable! Sometimes when my alarm goes off for an early excursion, I wonder what I am doing LOL. Or when the bus whizzes past something that looks I would enjoy seeing more of. It can be hard to decide what to do, especially in an unfamiliar port. Enjoy all of your cruises the way you like!

I would be horrified - and frightened - if that happened. Given that you hadn't reported any maintenance issues and the late hour, I absolutely would report this to Guest Services. And I would insist that they confirm the legitimacy of a non-emergency maintenance call at an hour at which many people are sleeping.

I often use a "worst case" scenario for making a decision like this. What would be more disappointing - losing the $$ if you miss the second excursion or missing the opportunity to see and do what you wanted on that second excursion. The cost of the 2nd excursion would certainly be a factor. But I also wouldn't rule out that Princess onboard might offer compensation if it is missed, as Princess Cruises Fann above noted, especially if a tour operator deliberately extends the tour just because he wants to.

For me, a Caribbean itinerary is for relaxing, as I've been to many of those ports multiple times. But for Europe, it's about the ports, and I fill up my days! But I do like a sea day or two on European itineraries. To the OP, if you decide to chance it, I hope you get to enjoy everything you booked. Out of countless ship-sponsored excursions on 20-some cruises, only once did I encounter an unexpected delay when a tour van got a flat tire. I never encountered anything like Mud_Shark's experience when the operator simply decided to extend the tour. On the contrary, I have had parts of a tour shortened or even eliminated if traffic or some other circumstance would cause a late return to the ship. I suspect a tour operator who doesn't keep to the agreed-upon schedule would be dropped by the cruise line.

Not on Princess, but a friend and I have booked 2 excursions in a day in a couple of ports on a Northern European cruise on NCL. One in the morning and one in the afternoon, with enough time in between for a quick buffet lunch. Or we'll pack snacks! We are paying a lot for the cruise and the airfare, and we may never get to these ports again. We want to see as much as possible. We accept the risk of missing the afternoon one, but in my experience, the tour operators are very conscientious about keeping on schedule, so we consider it to be low risk. We did it once years ago in St. Thomas on a Princess cruise, and another friend and I took an evening canal boat ride in Copenhagen after a Princess tour during the day. Everything worked out fine.

Thankfully I haven't encountered fighting, and I avoid school break times as much as possible in order to minimize the number of children aboard. But I understand those things would drive someone to another type of vacation. As for the entitled attitudes, I think that's more evident on message boards than on board the ships. Or if those people are onboard, I'm not talking to them LOL.

Some people cruising now, such as myself, know exactly what it was like in years past - definitely different in a lot of ways. But the joys of being at sea and seeing different places on one trip without unpacking and repacking still holds appeal to many of us. As for increasing costs, most things cost more than they did when I took my first of many cruises in 1997.

I think a more appropriate question is, given the boom season, why wouldn't the cruise industry keep increasing prices. Businesses don't decide at some point that they have made enough money. Prices will rise until bookings decline. Same with air fares. For a 2020 covid canceled vacation, my round-trip economy flight on American to London was about $540. Now it can be 2 to 3 times that. And when I want to go to London, I'll pay what the current rates are - to a point when I decide it's too much.

Thanks for the explanation. I was on a Carnival cruise from Dover to Rome last summer, and I was charged sales tax on a drink due to, I believe, being in Spanish waters but not later when we were well into the Mediterranean approaching Rome. Sales tax wasn't too big a deal, but not having alcohol served at all would definitely make a lot of people unhappy, especially without a credible explanation.

What was drinkgate?

I'd say that is the reason! If people refused to pay it, the price would come down. I pay it, by the way. I cruised in the days before onboard internet - and in the days when you paid by the minute - and the current cost is worth it to me for enjoyment and convenience.