Tapi

Thanks for your input. And I wholeheartedly agree with that last paragraph!

I just did. No formal nights and “resort casual” vibe. I can live with that. 😀

We’ve done MSC Yacht Club and I enjoyed it. Explora is marketing itself as an “elevated” Yacht Club experience so we’ll see. I agree. Waiting to see until they actually start sailing this summer to see what the reviews are like.

Thanks for your input. You do bring up something that I hadn’t given much thought about. Attire. Over the years, I’ve become less interested in dressing up. I bring a jacket, some long sleeve shirts and one tie in case I have to dress up a tiny bit, but I’m not into full blown formal affairs. I need to check their dress code.

Hi: Looking for opinions from people who’ve experienced luxury cruise lines as well as “ship within a ship” concepts, like NCL Haven or MSC Yacht Club. I’m currently looking at a Canada/New England itinerary from Quebec City to New York. Norwegian Joy and Explora I have almost identical itineraries. The cost of a Haven Forward Penthouse Suite on NCL is almost identical to the cost of an Ocean Terrace Suite (entry level category) on Explora Journeys, so I’m torn with the decision. Part of me wants the Haven experience while having access to a larger ship with tons of activities and amenities, and part of me wants a full luxury cruise experience on a smaller, more intimate and sophisticated ship. For those of you who’ve found yourself making this choice, what did you choose and how did you reach that decision? I’ve sailed on MSC’s Yacht Club but I don’t have any experience with all suite luxury lines like Explora is marketing itself to be. For what it’s worth, it’s only my wife and I, to celebrate our 20th anniversary. 🥂 Thanks for your input. It’s greatly appreciated!

Hi: Looking for opinions from people who’ve experienced luxury cruise lines as well as “ship within a ship” concepts, like NCL Haven or MSC Yacht Club. I’m currently looking at a Canada/New England itinerary from Quebec City to New York. Norwegian Joy and Explora I have almost identical itineraries. The cost of a Haven Forward Penthouse Suite on NCL is almost identical to the cost of an Ocean Terrace Suite (entry level category) on Explora Journeys, so I’m torn with the decision. Part of me wants the Haven experience while having access to a larger ship with tons of activities and amenities, and part of me wants a full luxury cruise experience on a smaller, more intimate and sophisticated ship. For those of you who’ve found yourself making this choice, what did you choose and how did you reach that decision? I’ve sailed on MSC’s Yacht Club but I don’t have any experience with all suite luxury lines like Explora is marketing itself to be. For what it’s worth, it’s only my wife and I, to celebrate our 20th anniversary. 🥂 Thanks for your input. It’s greatly appreciated!

We always do “any time” dining and are always accommodate at a table just for us. Just avoid going during prime hours if you want to avoid a wait. It seems to me like many cruise lines have rearranged their dining rooms to accommodate more smaller tables, making it easier to get one.

To me, it makes sense to do B2B for two longer cruises that visit different ports (for example 7 night western followed by 7 night eastern). But not for two short cruises going to the same places. Short cruises have a totally different vibe than longer cruises, where people tend to be more inclined to party it up in an attempt to cram as much as possible in the shortened vacation time. That alone would make me shy away from two short cruises back to back.

Couple of things to keep in mind: Even if there’s a travel warning for a specific state in Mexico, it may only apply to certain parts and not the entire state. Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco, and while there’s a level 3 warning for the state, the city of Puerto Vallarta is considered safe for tourist travel. Baja California Sur, where Cabo San Lucas is located, is under a level 2 warning (very common for international travel). Cabo San Lucas is considered safe for travel as well. To put things into perspective, there are other countries that frequently appear on Caribbean cruise itineraries (like Jamaica, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago) that are currently under a level 3 travel warning, yet the cruise lines continue sailing there because the specific locations visited are considered safe. When we did this itinerary 4 months ago on Celebrity, Mazatlán was replaced with Ensenada. The state of Sinaloa (where Mazatlán is located), was under a level 4 (do not travel) warning at the time (probably still is).

Never check in on day 1 before cabins are ready. I like to check in and go straight to my cabin to drop things off. I have zero desire to wander around the ship or going to a jam packed buffet with carry ons in tow. Also, several of the things already listed (gambling, decorating doors, etc). On Disney, decorating doors is such a big thing, that our door stuck out because it was one of the few not decorated. Some people had some crazy elaborate decor. People were so obsessive about it that, on the second day, we got to our cabin and someone had decorated our door for us with all sorts of Disney magnets and cute notes. 😂

We took a cab to the Malecón. We were dropped off right at the beginning and just walked. Along the way, we stopped at the Church of our Lady of Guadalupe, at the Puerto Vallarta sign, and at Playa de los Muertos for photo ops. Pro tip: If you get thirsty and need a beer or two to quench your thirst, don’t stop at one of the bars along the way. Go to one of the OXXO stores (like a 7-11) and get 16oz Tecates for $1. 😀

On a roundtrip from Seattle, it doesn’t matter as much. If you’ll be going and returning the same way, what you see on one side of the ship going, you’ll see from the other side of the ship returning. Also, when the ship spends the day viewing glaciers, usually they’ll rotate the ship in position so that people on both sides of the ship can enjoy the views. With all of that said, there are some views that will be luck of the draw. There’s not enough pre-planning to know when and where a bank of whales will decide to make an appearance.

Supply and demand I’m guessing. If you’re looking strictly at NCL, the ship out of Boston is smaller with less capacity. Also, balconies might be at a premium since the ship out of Boston has considerably less .

We sailed on Enchantment of the Seas when my kids were around that age and we had a great time. On that cruise, I remember that the kids would be begging for us to drop them off at Adventure Ocean as soon as it opened in the morning. 😂 We sailed to Alaska as well (on Holland America which is considered an “old people” cruise line) and still, the kids had a great time. They didn’t even hit the kids club on that cruise. That cruise was ALL about the ports of call. We did so much ashore that, by the time we got back on the ship, the kids would be exhausted and ready to call it a night (all of us were!). Over the years, I’ve watched how my kids interests have changed when we cruise. When they were younger, they actually enjoyed the smaller kids clubs more. I guess they liked the personal attention and simpler things (it was easier to keep them entertained with basic activities at that age). They didn’t like the huge, overly elaborate clubs with hundreds of kids on ships like Allure of the Seas and Disney Fantasy (I guess they found them overwhelming). Now, at 11 and 13 years of age, they’re not as interested in going to the kids club as much (last time we sailed as a family, they didn’t go to the kids club a single day). Instead, they’re more interested in what activities are happening around the ship, so I’ve started looking at the newer and larger ships that cater to their evolving interests.

That should be enough time, assuming that there are no delays or unforeseen circumstances outside of your control.

Do keep in mind that MSC tends to change their hours, and they may not match what’s on your original itinerary. When we did the Mediterranean, we booked excursions (on our own) and our flights home based on what was on our itinerary. We’d learn the night before arriving at the next port of call that our arrival or departure times (or both) were different than what we had on our paperwork. It was a pain in the butt. More than once we had to rush off the ship to make our excursions, or be back on the ship earlier than expected.

It’s doable, but it’s a bad idea. One little delay and, not only is your vacation ruined, but the money you saved by not flying in the day prior will pale in comparison to the money you will spend trying to catch up with the ship at the next port of call (think international flights, hotels, additional transportation etc, assuming that you have a passport). Even if you land on time, keep in mind that IAH is a good 60 miles from the port of Galveston, so take traffic, possible delays due to accidents, etc into consideration. Do yourself a huge favor and set some money aside to fly in the night before, not only for the peace of mind, but it will also allow you the begin your cruise rested and relaxed.

Yes, we have, and more than once. 😀 Disney was an outstanding cruise, and they do excel in customer service and entertainment, but we quickly realized that other cruise lines offer an equally outstanding (and sometimes better) product at a fraction of the price. Since sailing on Disney, we’ve not only done Royal Caribbean, but we’ve also done MSC, Holland America, Celebrity, and Carnival. Our previous experience on Disney hasn’t affected one bit our enjoyment of subsequent cruises. In my very humble opinion, you need to be a BIG Disney fan to justify the difference in price. You’re paying extra for a LOT of pixie dust, and not necessarily for a product which is that much better. Since you were asking specifically about Royal Caribbean, not all of their ships are the same. You’re looking at cruises out of Tampa, which means that you’re looking at one of their oldest, smallest ships. I do recommend that you look instead at their larger and newer ships, usually departing from Port Canaveral or Miami/Ft Lauderdale. Since you mentioned Galveston, Royal will have one of their largest Oasis class ships sailing from there (Allure of the Seas). That may be worth looking into.

Back in my younger years, I worked for one of the major cruise lines in sales. It boggled my mind how many requests from guests we’d get, asking for an extension on their final payment because they were waiting on a new credit card that they had just applied for, or a credit line increase, or pay day, etc. Often, the balance due wasn’t much, maybe a couple hundred dollars, but they still couldn’t meet the final payment deadline. It wasn’t any of my business but I’d wonder: “Why is this person going on a cruise when they can’t even afford to charge a couple hundred dollars to a credit card??”

Yes. It’s a Sunday-Thursday cruise from Port Canaveral.

Different mood depending on the day. - Sometimes, I don’t care to be waited on. - Sometimes, I get up super early and it’s nice to go to the buffet when the place is still deserted. Grab a few items, find an outdoor table, and watch the sunrise. - Sometimes, I like to grab a little bit of everything and create my own breakfast rather than having to choose from a menu.

Personally, if given the choice between a big suite on a big, mass market line, or a standard stateroom on a luxury cruise line, I’d go with the luxury cruise line. But that’s the beauty of the cruise industry: choices for all interests and budgets. For example, my best friend is taking his family on a 3 night Disney cruise to the Bahamas the same day I’m leaving for London to take my family on a P&O cruise to the Norwegian Fjords. We’re both spending about the same amount of money on our respective vacations. We both think that the other one is stupid with their vacation choices. 😂

Based on your income and spending habits, it seems like you can afford it, but you’re choosing not to. I have friends who have their kids in $20K/year private schools, drive Porsches, and live in a beautiful home in an exclusive neighborhood. But when they go on a cruise, they sail on Carnival. 😂 Although they could easily afford that $20K suite on Royal, they prioritize their kids education and put the money there instead.

The percentage of true luxury accommodations across the cruise industry is very small, just like the percentage of people who can afford them is very small. The people I personally know who engage in true luxury travel (not a suite on Royal Caribbean) are people who can comfortably afford it. The difference between the top 5% and the top 1% of income earners is very vast, and the true luxury travelers are most likely in the 1%. Personally, I set aside 3% of my annual income for cruise vacations. Whatever I can afford with that amount is what I plan on. It works well for me.

That sounds great! We normally don’t book excursions through the cruise line, so an actual onboard credit will be more useful.