Live Cruise Reports

Hello cruise friends.
Our family of 4, DH and DH in late 30s and 2 little girls (3 and 5 yo) will be on the Carnival Dream from Galveston starting this Saturday 23rd. I know this may not be the most interesting review, as it is not a new ship and it has been sailing for some months already, but as a parent, I thought our experience may be useful for other parents thinking on cruising these days. So, I've decided to (at least try) to write a live review and answer any questions other parents may have. 

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After dipping my toe in the LIVE pond with a land vaca to Cancun earlier this year, I’ve decided to jump in, cannon ball style with this Mardi Gras review. So sit back, subscribe, ask questions, get comfy, and get your beverages ready for ANOTHER Mardi Gras LIVE.

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Hello again everybody. I am setting sail on the Mariner again tomorrow and intend to bring you along with me.
 
This will be my fourth trip on her in just over a months time but I am looking forward to one more trip on her before she switches to the 4/5 cruises next month and Independence becomes the weekend cruise option from Port Canaveral.
 

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We sailed on the first Pride sailing post-pandemic (review below) and I included a fair amount of pics... I didn't check cruisecritic every day while on cruise but you can see I do make a reasonable effort to answer questions.  Embarkation will be the first topic but I doubt I'll have anything different to report from the pics and commentary in the 9/12 review below.

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Our bags are packed, got our cool personalized Virgin wristbands, and fly out tomorrow!
We are flying S West so that could be a little dicey but that is why we always fly in the night before just in case….
As 50 something’s, not sure we are hip enough to be the target audience for Virgin but we are young at heart and in DESPERATE need of a cruise getaway. We live in Kansas so it is a bit of a hike for us to get to the ocean.

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Carnival Valor Live*/Solo/B2B 11/6-11/11/21 & 11/11-11/15/2021- Cozumel X2 and Costa Maya

Howdy!!! Hey everyone!!! It’s Jay from Podunkville TX (no that’s not a real town name lol) and welcome aboard for my first cruise in several years!! I’m back after a loooong break due to medical issues, divorce, midlife crisis lol, and the lovely RONA.!!! The screen name has changed, the body ain’t as whole as it used to be but the sarcasm, jokes and personality are all still here!!!! Join me on a B2B from New Orleans!!

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We made it to NYC!  The whole process was actually pretty easy.  I was more worried than need be.  The drive to NY was easy and check in was very quick.  Almost time for muster drill.  I’ll be back!

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Just kidding, I’m a mojito drinker but I will have a margarita or two as well 
 
Ok, so I know this live review is a little bit early, but I leave tomorrow for LA and I am excited, OK?!?! 😄 
 
•    I will be live reviewing my experience on the Bliss. This will be my second time on the Bliss, the first time being in 2019 on a sailing to Alaska.  I will be sailing with my friend this time, instead of my husband (poor husband is staying home with two doggos, he’s a keeper for.....

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Here we go........OMG, after multiple postponements, hard to believe it is really going to happen...
I will focus on things that unusual, or that most people are not paying attention to...

We leave Saturday for the Grand Princess on a B2B - LA, San Diego, Ensenada followed by LA to Cabo (overnight). The first leg is with a friend of mine (she is a blast BTW). The second leg is with my DH. He could not go on the first leg due to work commitments.  He is fun too, but leg 2 will be more romantical (my word) not party-party like leg 1. 

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If all goes as planned DH and I will join about 200 Roll Call friends on the Rotterdam VII on Wednesday.  The transatlantic cruise begins in Amsterdam and ends November 3rd in Fort Lauderdale.  We have all filled out many Covid related forms and taken pre-flight Covid tests and are finally ready to travel.  Our Roll Call is nearly 350 pages of helpful comments and we have had weekly Zoom meetings for the past two months to help deal with various situations.  

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The Odyssey and the Ecstasy is not to be confused with the Rolling Stone’s story of the Vikings’ search for life on Mars.  It shouldn’t be confused with the WaPo story on the writing of Gay Talese.
 
Rather, this ODYSSEY is merely the ship we are on, and this ECSTASY is what will be felt by us after being away from cruising since January, 2020.
 
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Live From the Symphony-October 15- Awesome Archipelago Adventure!

(I just like the way that sounds better than “Luxury Bermuda Escape.”

About now, Jeannie and I were supposed to be getting ready for a Tauck cruise on the Duoro River.  After too many cancellation (who can even keep track anymore?), since everything turned to swill in March of 2020, it was beginning to look like this might actually be a go, and we were starting to get super excited.  And then Delta happened.  As much as it hurt, we decided that with all that was involved in international travel (airport lines, long masked flights, hotels, etc, all amongst persons of unknown vaccination status), the time was just not right for us.  Plus, given Tauck’s very generous cancellation policy, which allows for 100% of payments being applied to another trip at any point in the future, we decided to pull the plug.  We rebooked the Duoro for October, 2023. Only 733 days to go!😶


 
So now what?  Cruise withdrawal syndrome is getting pretty earnest here.  If only there were a cruise that

·        departed and returned to a port within driving distance to our home, so as to  avoid flights and hotel stays
·        was on a fabulous cruise ship, on which we are all but guaranteed to receive top notch cuisine, entertainment and service
·        had an alluring, exciting itinerary
Well, hey- 2 outa 3 ain’t bad, right?*

Bags all packed, docs all on phone and also printed. Now heading to Southampton prior to boarding. A night at Chilworth Manor on their cruise package. Boarding / testing time 12:15. 🤞all goes smoothly. 
 
We are joining 2 friends who are Cunard virgins. Also looking forward to comparing current Queens Grill with our recent Retreat experience on Celebrity Apex. Not been in QG since Nov 2019, that time it was Queen Victoria. 

It was March 21, 2020, when we were unceremoniously ejected from the Amsterdam world cruise in Perth, Australia.  Since then, we've had to depend on FaceBook posts, old photos, and the HAL Cruise Atlas.  We've booked some cruises, but I'm sorry, planning and thinking about future cruises is NOT the same as sitting on the balcony watching the sea go by or wandering the hallways and greeting old friends, both passengers and crew.  

Hello CC!
 
It’s finally time!!! The day I’ve been dreaming of for almost a year and a half.  
 
I just got my negative COVID test results from CVS and my luggage tags are printed out. Tomorrow I fly to Miami for my return to cruise


 

Ahoy! First time HAL cruiser here, onboard celebrating my 40th birthday 🥳 🎂🎉 This will be my first time also writing a LIVE(ish) trip report of any sort, so please be patient with me as this writer seeks to find her sea legs.

Hello everyone and good morning. Welcome to DAY 1 of “LIVE” from Oasis of the Seas. I am currently enjoying a freshly brewed cup of delicious coffee at the Café Promenade on Deck 5.  Yes, I am already on the ship as I am doing my first consecutive cruise. That’s how Royal Caribbean says it, but most passengers just say B2B. I have to meet with about 110 other passenger on B2B in the Royal Theater by 8:30am.

My husband and I are on day twelve of the first Britannia cruise out of British waters post Covid.  I am posting our observations and opinions about how everything is running on onboard at present, the good and the bad, in the hope that it might be useful to others. 
 
The staff are excellent as always and they have made us very welcome. Sadly, the Club Dining option is not operating (will it ever come back?) so there is no rapport with “your own” waiting staff at meal times.  The dining arrangements are that you have to join a virtual queue via the app or turn up and be given a pager at busy times.  The waiting times are very long at popular times.  See traffic light notification that is part of the daily Horizon newsletter.

Hello fellow cruise critic members.  We boarded the wonderful Grand Princess today for a  five night sailing. I will post my impression of boarding and our cabin and staff
1.  We arrived at 11:30. We were greeted by several Princess staff members who directed us to a staion for processing. Total time was five minutes
2.  We are in a Window Suite F305. We received priority passes to board. We went up the escalator and right onto the ship. Time to board was five minutes. We had to wait untill noon for club class dining to open for lunch
3.  I went to Sanctuary to reserve a few days for my wife and I. That took five minutes

Hi everyone. We are a thirty-something couple from outside of Washington DC.  This is our first Celebrity cruise and the first time we‘ve splurged on a suite.  

Like many of you, COVID-19 ruined a bunch of trips we planned. We had low expectations this trip would take place as planned so we are extra excited it is here and actually happening.  

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Twas the night before our vacation starts, when all through the house, not even a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The bags were packed, winter clothes gathered, new masks ready with care. Visions of a cruise ship danced through our heads.

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Greetings!  Join us as we FINALLY set sail on our first cruise in what feels like decades. My last cruise was January, 2020 with NCL and DS sailed several times in 2019 with NCL, RCCL and Celebrity.  But DM has not cruised in 15 years! Her last cruise was the Miracle to Alaska.  

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I'm writing this as we're waiting on folks to complete their safety drill. SMH! Around 330pm there were 400ish not in compliance. 4pm  200ish not in compliance. He just announced 130 left. We can not sail until they complete it. SMH! 
 
Hi I'm Cynt. I thought I would post a few items I wondered about on this 9 night cruise. Itinerary 2 sea days, Port Canaveral, Miami, Nassau and Coco Cay and 2 more sea days. 

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This will be my first attempt at a “live” post. 
 
The complementary pre cruise hotel was the New Orleans Inter Continental. Check in was very smooth and the boarding docs were well presented . Voucher for breakfast , boarding group and Covid test info was in a folder as well as lanyards with our name. 

Embarkation day
 
a preset breakfast was served in a dining room reserved for ACL passengers. We had to show our vaccine card to be seated. We were offered mimosas which was a nice touch. 
Following breakfast we went to the Covid testing room where we handed in the health questionnaire and presented our vaccination card. 

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