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Well, gently caress. Was supposed to go in mid-May. Hopefully whatever bullshit they're going to do is either done quickly, or verrrrry slowly.
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Apr 19, 2019 06:12
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About 3 hours away from embarking on our Cuba cruise! Weather is kind of icky, but I'll be happy just being on a boat and away from work.
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May 13, 2019 13:11
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Just off of our Cuba/Key West cruise on NCL. This was our first cruise with NCL and I had low expectations... but they exceeded them. We primarily cruise with Princess, so I'll just compare with those experiences. The ship: NCLs Cuba cruises are on their older, smaller ships. Other than some panic-inducing moments after muster drill, the ship mostly felt spacious enough. Embarking, compared to other cruises: boarding was simple and took maybe 20 minutes from arrival at the terminal, getting our cruise cards, sitting for a bit, and then getting onto the ship. Muster: a total clusterfuck. They still use paper lists, even though your information is stored in your cruise card. Muster took an unreasonable amount of time, and staff did nothing to stop loving retarded twatwaffles from chatting on their phones during the entire drill. Food: the food was fine, but I would rate it below Princess on presentation and flavor. They seemed to try to make that up by giving you more of it. We don't eat that much, so it felt like a lot of waste for us. Pluses were a greater variety of dishes, and the presence of a steak available every night as a standard dish, something which Princess has cheaped out on the past year or so. Note: we did not choose any of the specialty restaurants. We checked the menus (which were nothing special) and prices (which were comparable to restaurants on land) and decided it was a waste of money. Personally I cannot fathom paying a cruise fare and then having to pay to eat at a restaurant on a ship. It is a literal cash grab, and I understand why NCL has the nickel and dime reputation. Special note: in order to carve out space for the some of the extra-charge restaurants, NCL drastically reduced the size of the buffet, making it a total clusterfuck if even 15 or more guests are waiting. Poor layout, poor design, meh food options, having to cross in and out of the lines to get drinks/desserts, the person who okayed this needs to be shot in the head or held prisoner on an endless Carnival or RCCL three-day cruise. Thankfully we aren't buffet people, so we only had to endure it to get glasses of water and if we wanted ice cream. Big, big fail. Pools: Old, small ship, so the water area was all up on the lido deck. Two small-to-middling pools flanking four standard jacuzzis huddled together, and the whole surrounded by deck chairs, so if you're self-conscious about your body, know that you are completely on display. Also, NCLs pools are salt water, which felt disgusting after a few minutes, and required a full shower afterwards to get the salt off. Much prefer Princess' fresh water pools. Adult areas: none. Though there were probably only 20 or so minors on board, so there wasn't a real need to escape the mongrels. Bars: nothing special. This was an inclusive cruise, so I was expecting Carnival-level drunken assholes. We were pleasantly surprised that that was not the case, other than some exuberance on sailaway. Lounges: a single large lounge in near the middle of the ship, which had the decor and ambiance of a DMV waiting area. Truly tragic. Shops: most of the shopping was confined to a single large area which was accessed by running a guantlet of jewelry/watches. An unusual amount of salespeople, but they were not the high-pressure type. There was a "Cuba" shop filled with Chinese-made things that said Cuba on them. Stateroom: perfectly acceptable, decent layout, larger bathroom/shower than you would typically see on Princess. Shower wand was appreciated and very powerful. Ports: enjoyed both Key West and Cuba. Would have liked more time in Key West to explore. Couldn't locate any gay businesses to patronize, which was suprising. Havana was far bigger than we had imagined, though we never felt unsafe. The plight of the people was heartbreaking. The sights were interesting and it was entertaining identifying the "government-required" sites and verbiage from the guides (as opposed to the real off-the-cuff dialogue). Disembarkation: hassle free and quick. Immigration took only 5 minutes and was low drama. We had a good enough time that we purchased some future cruise credits. We'll continue to prefer Princess, but NCL has some unique itineraries that we will take advantage of (Vancouver to Hawai'I, and some of the New Zealand cruises, for instance). Overall a good cruise.
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May 17, 2019 15:21
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lloyol - was that on the Pride of America? I've heard reviews from AWESOME! to WORST.CRUISE.EVER on that ship. How was the crew?
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May 23, 2019 00:04
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Most of the spas on cruise lines are run by (the same) outside company. It's really a rip off, and they work on commission, so there's always a high-pressure sale. I actually stopped getting massages because I couldn't relax knowing that at the end of it, I would have to endure 10 minutes of sales pressure.
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May 23, 2019 02:08
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I am so glad we went to Havana when we had the chance two weeks ago!
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Jun 5, 2019 15:38
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Zero One posted:I've never been but I've heard of Key Lime Pie on a stick covered in chocolate. Try to find that. This poo poo is the best. ever.
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Jan 19, 2020 22:43
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slidebite posted:The Princess ship we were on last year (Star Princess) really didn't have much for kid-tainment. There was a room/zone for kids and tweens and that was about it. Mind you, it was September and didn't have many kids on board so that could be why. Princess aims towards the middle-aged and older crowd.
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Feb 8, 2020 17:48
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Bleargh, our Asia cruise (Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) starting next week was just cancelled by the cruise line. Full refund + huge credits for another cruise within about a year. Now to figure out a contingency plan for the rest of the month... Hawai'i or England look like the top of the list. poolside toaster fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Feb 12, 2020 |
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Feb 12, 2020 14:39
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You're not wrong. Cruise Critic is the DISBoards of cruising.
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Feb 12, 2020 23:11
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poolside toaster posted:Bleargh, our Asia cruise (Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) starting next week was just cancelled by the cruise line. Full refund + huge credits for another cruise within about a year. So while I was at work tonight, the SO and our travelling companions planned and executed a replacement vacation: Flight to Hawai'i (O'ahu) and a week-long stay at a resort, then flight to California and three days at Disneylandl, staying on property. Not a cruise, but acceptable.
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Feb 13, 2020 07:04
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After a couple of dozen cruises on various lines and ship sizes, I can honestly say that if my first cruise had been on a mega ship, there would have never been a second cruise. When choosing a cruise, think about the following — you choose the order of importance: Where is the cruise going? Do I care? Am I more interested in the ship, the destination, or just being on the ocean? Do I need to be entertained 24/7, or do I want to relax? Do I want a classy/classier experience, or is the Walmart feeding trough of the seas sufficient? Do I want to remember the cruise or is this just an opportunity to be drunk the entire time? If you answer those questions honestly, your TA can probably get you on the appropriate ship/cruiseline.
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Feb 23, 2020 19:06
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The short Carnival cruises are generally the oldest ships and draw the most trailer trash. Stick to 7+ day cruises and it's a different crowd altogether.
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Mar 1, 2020 00:58
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I still put RC in the "cheap cruiseline" bucket, though. The real comparison would be with one of the better lines... Princess, HAL, Cunard, Celebrity, etc.
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Mar 1, 2020 06:43
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Doronin posted:...I'm late to Carnival chat, but if you're going to sail Carnival it's all about managing your expectations. If you take one their 3 or 4-night cruises at a bargain price from one of the smaller ports like NOLA, Galveston, Tampa or Mobile, you're going to have a lot of folks who wear college sports fan gear as their "fancy clothes" everywhere you go. It's definitely a lower common denominator. Everyone I know who's traveled a bunch out of the Gulf on one of these itinerary types refers to these as "Bubba cruises."
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Mar 9, 2020 20:09
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So far no notices about our cruise in late October (NCL).
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Jun 22, 2020 23:57
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Hubster was on a Princess Cruises call today... one new bad thing, full refunds on cruises now have to be done by 180 days, and not 90 days like it used to be. Also, virtual musters, etc.
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Jul 25, 2020 07:15
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We're not booking anything until cruising is actually happening. After two cruises cancelled this year, we don't want to go through the wait, the worry, and the disappointment of a cancellation.
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Nov 30, 2020 15:46
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We supposedly have a cruise right after turkey day this year. *crosses fingers*
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Mar 21, 2021 22:48
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2 weeks out to our first cruise in 2 years!
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Nov 16, 2021 00:12
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I'm back to work after my 7-day cruise (Mexican Riviera) on the Majestic Princess. The cruise was very relaxing - no children onboard whatsoever, good weather, and the ship was less than 40% full.
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Dec 6, 2021 20:43
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The staff are usually excited when they find out it's not a sunburn, fall, seasickness, etc.
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Sep 27, 2022 00:08
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DTaeKim posted:Going on an Alaska cruise with Holland America next month. I'm going with my parents and brother and his wife and we're narrowing down what to pack, though I hear I need a good raincoat. Do they do formal nights? For comparison, we leave in 9 days for a 7-day Alaska trip, and we've been notified that there are 2 formal nights (probably on the 2 sea days). Never been to AK so early, the season has been expanded - hopefully it won't be too cold. Bonus is waaay fewer kids (they're still in school).
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Apr 21, 2023 20:24
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DTaeKim posted:I would love to hear your trip report. We're planning on packing a winter coat and a raincoat and probably formal wear as well. We ended up packing a third suitcase with just cold gear and formal wear, both of which we usually eschew. Typically we would travel with two suitcases only. We packed everything from light jackets to full pea coats just in case. The weather started out cold and rainy, and it was rainy in Juneau when we were there (every other trip we've been to Alaska, every day of the trip was perfect), but the following day in Sitka it became cold and sunny and remained that way for the rest of the trip. It was nice enough for just light jackets and a head cover from that point, and some days on ship I would just toss on a henley over what I was wearing. Big missing thing was wildlife, which I was prepared for due to the earliness of the trip. Our Sitka excursion was supposed to include a cannery but they cancelled that part as no salmon were even running, and the cannery would have been empty. It was a good trip, the ship was maybe 40% full, maybe 10 kids on the ship at all. Not a fan of the ship itself (Discovery Princess), the pools were too exposed to use; we found the previous cruise experience on Majestic Princess to be much more to our liking.
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Jun 9, 2023 17:56
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Chin Strap posted:Anything in Bermuda that I shouldn't miss? Currently on boat getting ready to take off for it. We really enjoyed Crystal Cave and are going back to see Fantasy Cave later this year. Also, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo was fascinating.
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Jun 17, 2023 00:34
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I'll think about posting a full trip report later, but I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone: PURCHASE ADEQUATE INSURANCE, FOR gently caress'S SAKE! Short story here is I got in an accident on a moped October 14 in Bermuda and sustained a serious injury. I spent 3 days in the hospital in Bermuda being stabilized and then had to endure two flights to get home, where I went straight into a (U.S.) hospital and into surgery, recovery, and spent a week in a rehabilitation facility. Today is my first day home. At this point the rack rates for all my care is easily in the hundreds of thousands. Upshot is that insurance is paying for every cost from Bermuda and my only outlay for this nightmare situation will be a couple hundred bucks to top off my Max Out-of-Pocket for my employer's insurance plan. INSURANCE. Don't gamble with your life/future, especially when travelling.
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Oct 31, 2023 19:37
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EL BROMANCE posted:Sorry to hear that man, I hope you get better soon. Many thanks! I remember my youngest sister BEGGING my mother back in the early 80's for a moped, without any luck. When I sent my mother my first message after getting back, I just said "You were right all along, mom!" I have to say that the cruise line did their absolute best to assist in the whole process and I totally give NCL props for their shore officers.
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Oct 31, 2023 20:13
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Okay, so here's the full story so far: We were out on a 5 day cruise from NYC to Bermuda. Lost a full Bermuda day due to poor weather, so we only had about 8 hours to poke around. Since it was a short day, we decided to take the ferry to Hamilton and sightsee. My SO was fixated on renting mopeds and the rest of our party agreed, so we walked from the ferry terminal in Hamilton to the rental place, did our practice runs, and then took off to the North Shore. Riding a moped wasn't too hard, though a few times we had to remind ourselves to stay on the left side of the road. We stopped at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, which my SO and I had toured on our previous visit to Bermuda. We then decided to head back to Hamilton and get the shuttle to the Royal Navy Shipyard so we could do a late lunch on the ship (NCL Joy). About 1/2 km away from rental place, I crashed my moped and slid across a yard. Apparently I was not the first to do so, since a woman ran out of the house and immediately checked me out and called an ambulance. I was lucky; my head stopped about 6" away from a brick wall (we all wore helmets). People in Bermuda are extremely friendly - neighbors came out to help and a woman stopped her car and directed traffic. When the ambulance arrived, I could not move myself (shock/, so I was loaded onto a stretcher and lifted into the ambulance. I was checked into the hospital and got x-rays showing that I had shattered my tibial crown. We decided that it would be best to stay in Bermuda until I could travel, and then have surgery back home in the U.S. Our travelling friends had gone back to the ship to let them know what happened, and as expected the cruise ship had emptied our cabin and gotten everything to their dock agent. The agent got our stuff back to us later that day and helped us file the paperwork to make the cruise insurance claim. (ALWAYS HAVE INSURANCE!) This was a Saturday. I was in the hospital in Bermuda until Wednesday morning and then we took a flight from Hamilton to NYC, sat in JFK for 7 hours, and finally had another flight home. I actually went straight to the hospital and was admitted. Had another day of stabilization, and then had surgery on Friday, spent 5 days in the hospital. I was then discharged to a skilled nursing facility where I spent another week getting physical therapy. I've been home about a month now, and I am getting my external fixator off at the end of this coming week. After that I'll be in a restrictive brace for at least 3 months, and should be out of it by the end of February. Sometime between now and February I'll get out of the wheelchair and will be using crutches instead. Things that went right through all of this drama:
So I haven't received any of the bills yet (it takes a while), but thankfully insurance will be paying for most, if not all of this. I know the hospital stay at home and surgery was at least $150k, and the Rehab is $400-600/night, so this should be interesting.
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Dec 2, 2023 22:28
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WithoutTheFezOn posted:Ok but I have a question. Since your Blue Cross covers you in foreign countries (ours does too) what benefits have you seen from the extra cruise insurance or whatever it’s called? Cruise insurance paid for the resort my spouse stayed at in Bermuda while I was in the hospital, the flights from Bermuda to NYC (by sheer luck we kept our original flight from NYC back home), food in Bermuda, and my remaining BC deductible for the year. There may be more, but that's just off the top of my head.
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Dec 21, 2023 00:24
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 15:17 |
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Silly Burrito posted:One small thing I like about Carnival, and others may do it too, if you have 100 shares of their stock and show them proof before you sail, you get a stateroom credit. I think it’s $50/100/250 depending on the length of the cruise. I bought 100 shares at 11-12 a share a few years ago, and I plan to just keep it for the perks. I think it’s around 16 a share now. The Carnival stock benefit applies to Princess as well, the amount of credit depends on the length of the cruise. Note that only one cruiser gets the credit. Princess' current loyalty levels are: 2 cruises Gold 3-4 cruises Ruby (or 30 days) 5-14 cruises Platinum (or 50 days) 15+ cruises Elite (or 150 days) Free WiFi pops in at one of the loyalty levels (75 minutes) Platinum and Elite guests have a special lounge in the terminal for embarkations, and a special lounge on the ship for debarkations (coffee, water, snacks, pastries provided). Platinum and Elite guests get special invitations for Captain's Parties during the cruise as well. Best perk is free laundry (at Elite status).
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Jan 4, 2024 01:06
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