Cruise life

Starfish Island is NOT a snorkeling destination. Great for beach and sun, and a nice lunch. Also kayaking for a fee. Playground for kids and easy tender back and forth. The swimming area ranges from mucky to rocky to sandy and is roped off. Yes, you will see some fish under the docks, but there's no coral reef here.

Have one couple go to the steakhouse the first night and take advantage of the 50% off deal. Great wines for a very reasonable price. I understand your can buy as many as u want

We were told we could only buy one at the 50% off price last month on the Legend. Maybe it is different on a 15 night cruise? We did not eat at the steak house on our Hawaiian 16 nt. cruise so not sure about this.

Thank you. And, yes, LOVED Sunshine.

 

I don't know what's sea animal is left to swim with but if you find one, let me know!

Turtles in Bonaire! We loved swimming with the sea turtles in Bonaire in April while sailing on the Valor. So many turtles and the clearest water I have ever seen.

We just did our first one, the Legend out of Australia via Hawaii to Vancouver and then Seattle- we got on in Vancouver for the first of the season Alaskan cruise. Vancouver embarkation was awful from reviews, but we boarded late and did not have any issues. Last year we debarked in Vancouver and did not notice any delays like what were reported on embarkation this year. I can understand why embarkation in Vancouver is not common...they just don't have the efficiency PC or Jacksonville have perfected. We are booked on VISTA soon after it gets to Miami, but not the first. Port of Miami has problems of its own.... I think it's more of a port issue whether or not there are delays. There was a large turnover in crew, don't quote me- at least 50%- but everything seemed to run smoothly on the Legend. We also sailed Alaska during the "shoulder season" so besides not having the max number of ships in port, we got an off-season rate. Lots to consider besides just being the first cruise after a repo.

Now, to be fair, some people do want to share their anniversaries with their children. My parents, for their 55th, didn't really mind having their celebration in the MDR so all the parties in our group cruising, including 2 seven year olds and 2 nineteen year olds, could attend. We had an amazing celebration with 8 diners in the MDR. This argument should be for an adult -only restaurant on board, IMHO.

I will address the time on the ship. The basketball court and putt putt are on the top outside deck. Make sure your group has athletic shoes, jackets and hats to wear. It will be daylight until 10pm ish and being outside moving was the best thing for our children, plus the views are amazing from that high vantage point. The running track is also at this location, just 2 decks above the covered pool. Be aware the hot tubs are generally not hot, so time limitations are not as important as they would be if they were kept at higher temps. Of course, I always checked the temperature myself. Sometimes the chlorine levels are high in the hot tubs, so bring Visine or your preferred eye rinse, and a good lotion for dry skin. The pools are saltwater; my kids usually prefer to wear swim goggles. There are also 2 water slides, one is a drop-type high speed slide that is very fun and your group will have a blast on this if it is open. The naturalist programs are a must if you are doing an educational cruise. They run a full hour long and can be packed. There are some free and low cost educational booklets/books available on board, as well as souvenirs that will be sold on one or two days while at sea. You can use this time for shopping instead of/in addition to spending hours in port at stores that all basically sell the same thing- hats, t-shirts, key rings, bottle openers, etc. The arcade is small and expensive, but most kids like to check it out, play air hockey and a few games. Hope you have a great time! The Dr. Seuss breakfast is fun for all ages, btw.

I try to find one or two things that are completely new or exciting that would be good to see or do on a cruise and that usually amps up the satisfaction, especially visiting ports like Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize that we have often visited. Trying to find an itinerary with at least one new port helps. But finding an excursion that we couldn't do before due to age limitations for our boys is also a way to improve the BTDT factor. Snorkeling is one activity we love, so even if we do that on every cruise, we are happy! It's also good to plan alternate types of vacations in-between cruises, like hiking in the mountains or going to an amusement park for a couple days.

All ships have a basic steam room and sauna. Enjoy!

It's so close to everything you can leave the property to visit the Pirate Museum, the Straw Market, Starbucks, whatever, in town and return. Great location right near the ships. We had 8 in our group and 4 stayed while 4 came and went- 4 of us did not buy passes, but did each lunch with the rest. This time of year, Junkanoo Beach, which is free, is just around the corner a bit more and might be an option if you just want a beach, a bathroom, and a few vendors. In colder weather, Junkanoo is pretty much shut-down, although still beautiful.

I'm a little surprised at the snarky responses you are getting... this is bad even for CC, you have a very valid question.

 

 

 

We are currently on a cruise, which is the 6th for my two year old, so we've had a lot of experience with this. Most safety drills are short, but if you find yourself in a long one it can get miserable. That's happened to us. Best advice I can give:

 

 

 

1) Make sure at least one of you is paying attention, if you are both distracted (i.e. each trying to occupy one child) you won't get the safety info you need.

 

2) The kids aren't going to get anything from the safety drill, so don't try to make them pay attention. Listen yourself, and go over with them any info related to them after the drill. During the drill, occupy them however you can (in our case, an ipod works well).

 

3) Don't plan on holding them the entire time. You'll get hot, sweaty, and tired for the longer drill; and so will they. Have an activity they can do standing by themselves.

 

 

 

We haven't ever had a major issue with it, but have seen others who have. Definitely not fun, so just be as prepared as possible. Hope you have a blast!

Agree with much of this. We have cruised with our twins since they had just turned 3. The most difficult part is getting them to stay quiet. Bring a lollipop or something to keep their mouths busy. Stand in front so they can see what is going on; I disagree they won't get anything from it, but practicing with their vests firsts and even allowing them to wear them might create a better learning experience. I am with the camp that jackets should be tried on, especially for first-time cruisers.

The Havana bar has great cuban coffee, too, in the mornings, if you are a coffee lover.

Try to get a state issued ID and use that with the birth certificate. You can get one same day at the driver's license office...make sure you take all required documents. They are very inexpensive and your mind will be at ease in case the passport does not get to you in time for sailing. Our kids have been on 14 cruises with just a state ID and a birth certificate.

ITA with the Cloud 9 spa lovers; if there were spa quad OVs we would book them on all ships with Cloud 9 regardless of the t-pool equation- not on Sunshine. We don't pay the extra for the spa balcony, or any balcony, since we don't use the balcony much as a family now that the kids are older. The balconies were great when our kids were younger and slept in longer; we had early breakfast or just coffee out there while our twins slept in their early days. We will likely never do a spa quad interior again, as they are reportedly slightly smaller than a regular quad. Regardless, we don't do the bunks over our beds...the OVs give us that sofa space for the children and keeps them off our bed. Since we almost always travel now with our 2 boys, that leaves us with the option to purchase the weekly pass in the Cloud 9, which is what we do on embarkation day. I wish the purchase option was available at booking time!

As far as spa amenities, we both love the Cloud 9 relaxation rooms. On the Breeze, the waiting room is almost the width of the ship and has forward facing windows. This is really the treatment waiting room, but it is also where you can grab a tea or cold lemon or orange water before moving into the restricted spaces. The ships are all slightly different- Sunshine has the smallest rooms, but it is still a restricted space so usage is limited and less crowded. The complimentary scrubs are great before you go in the steam room. If you love Serenity, you will likely love Cloud 9. The T-pool on Dream and Breeze are wonderful, especially if you have any arthritis or joint issues- the warm water is very soothing. Over 18 is a plus; the kids can't argue with us over being allowed to spa. It's our time.

I felt like an idiot flying into Miami hours before Andrew hit, but we sailed early on a half full ship and had no issues whatsoever. Returning, we did see some damage to the area, but did not go thru the most damaged areas, of course. Hope you just get some rain and no major interruptions.

We are somewhere around 363. Just put in a request for the Chef Table for our 2017 VISTA cruise; figure it will be a big draw. Looked at hotels for Charleston for 2016 because the parking rate for 10 nights is likely higher than a hotel and shuttle and it appears the hotels still show block -out dates because it's so far out. hmm, somethings wrong with this picture!

We got Tervis Tumblers, love them.

If you are absolutely wanting to experience the CT I book book ahead. Most cruises it is still available at the start of the sailing however there is a limit of 16 per sailing which is just over half of 1% of the patrons on board. It is possible for it to be sold out prior to boarding.

 

As others have said you may contact JH (which I used the first time) and email the stakehouse. You can also book it through the stakehouse button on your CCL website (which I used for our last time on the Conquest)

 

Happy sailing

 

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I'm not sure where the 16 per sailing came from. On the Valor (an 8 night cruise) the Chef Table was offered a few different nights with 12 per night.

Also, OP, the time we spent at the CT was about 4 hours as opposed to 2 hours in the steakhouse. Champagne started at 5:30 pm and we were done around 9:30. The magician came in and did some card tricks during one wait period between courses, but most courses are presented fairly regularly with very detailed information about the ingredients and the processes required to make each dish.

We did the 16 nt (overnight in Maui) last April. Played a lot of UNO with the kids, swam every afternoon, and listened to music in the evenings. For some reason, the time change was easier on us than on our recent Alaskan cruise- maybe being in a warm climate had something to do with it. It was cold coming home in April to Vancouver the last 3 days

There's no T-pool on the Sunshine.

Has anyone tried using magnetic hooks to hang items in their room? Including walls and ceilings.

I used magnetic strips that stick on the walls easily for decor. I don't think the hooks would hold much and would probably slide. Command Strips and Hooks can be found cheaply at the Dollar Tree for the cabin door- and anywhere, really- since it's not metal.

We use a dollar store flashlight. Keep it on the nightstand where you can reach it easily.

We just went to a past guest party on the Legend with only Platinums and Diamonds. The major issue is that it was held in the Firebird Lounge- for a more intimate experience- which is way too small even for the smaller number of attendees. Why cram chairs in-between the bench rows? If you have to do that to accommodate the guests, keep the program in the theater where at least the wait staff can reach us and we all have our own table. The new menu was awful. Black bean and rice patties were offered that were really terrible. The shrimp on the pastry puff was ok. The sushi was good, but complicated to serve with the wasabi, soy and ginger. As most always, drinks were gone quickly and we sat and waited and waited for anyone to show up to our area. We finally went to the bar to get our own drink. The people that sat on the sides of the lounge could see nothing of the film. Not a good experience for us this time.

I need all of your help please! I'm looking at doing a 4 or 5 day cruise in September this year and wondered if the fascination or sensation or relation or paradise ship would be better?

 

 

 

I'm still unsure if I want to go to the Bahamas or the Caribbean such as Cozumel Mexico or the progresso from new Orleans.

 

 

 

this trip would be mainly for me and my wife just to get out of the house and have fun on the ship and get on and off we are not really doing any excursions so we can save money.

Since no one has voted for the Fascination yet, I will be the first. It's our favorite, but it is also the one we have sailed the most.

People join roll calls for different reasons.

 

Some want to see if some like-minded people will be on the ship, others want a few questions answered, others are looking to share excursions, and some are wanting to make new friends.

 

 

 

Not all of the reasons justify participation in meet and greets.

Don't forget the slot pull! Seems the slot pull is a very, very popular meet-up option for people, with or without the meet & greets.

On previous cruises, before Cheers, we did some meet 'n' greets that had cocktails for an hour and people had to pay in advance. Of the two I arranged, only one couple didn't show up, but they had paid as the count had to be given once onboard and they never said they weren't coming.

 

 

 

On other ones where there was just a simple meeting at a bar on Lido, more times than not, people didn't show up or if they did I didn't know them. I say that as I am not an outgoing person and wouldn't just walk up to someone and start talking. Once or twice I saw large gatherings and I assumed they were our roll call people and they were.

 

 

 

For whatever reason I feel the actual roll calls on here have decreased dramatically in participation. I looked at one today for a cruise we have booked for October and read through it before I posted and there is almost no one there. It was my first posting for this group, so will see how it goes, but seriously, I don't have a lot of hope.

Our last meet & greet was at the aft pool bar and it was packed. We had someone making name tags and we basically took up the entire back of lido, port side. It was very loud and many people mingled while others sat and chatted with one or two people they found a table with early on. I do think some people are better at the mingling process than others. I also am not very comfortable going around saying hi, I'm Tom (or Sally, whatever). I'm so happy there are people that are used to introducing themselves or helping others get involved. Especially for singles, roll calls can be great ways to meet up with people on the first day and arrange dining partners, etc. We met a young man once that never found a steady dining arrangement. He was a soccer player from New York. We enjoyed his company during dinner one night and he told us how he ate with different people basically every meal. Solo travel is not for everyone, but the roll calls make it easier to find some friends you have met on-line first.