KKB

Huh. Won poker cruise on the ship. (So it's free) Booking is handled thru CAS. Was able to bid on upgrades. Those are different?

No brainer. Ascent. Vastly nicer ship, superior itinerary & an extra day. Bimini is nothing special. (plus you could bid for a balcony...remember, there are more balconies on any ship than any other category...) I've been 100% on bidding the last 18 mos. (only 3 Celebrity cruises; one was Retreat so no bid) 1--Apex Mar. 2021. Booked porthole balcony. Min bid ($150?pp) to IV 2--Equinox Nov. 2022 Booked interior. $255pp bid on balcony

There's a number of releases from the last year....even several months (Guardians 3)... It seems to be a good balance.

Appreciate the heads up. Interesting...C201 is a Mini Suite Window (no balcony), not a Premium Oceanview room. We are in C203 next week. We shall see how it goes...I had an issue on MSC when my forward room made a nearly endless loud whirring sound from the engines. Triggered migraine in short order. Had to be moved...of course a smaller room, even tho I knew the room next to my bigger room from the last cruise (I did B2B) was open. I have heard anchor noises before & they don't seem to have the same affect--let's hope so!

I have been able to download shows from streaming channels & books to my Kindle account on my iPad on wifi in an airport. Was also able to do this connecting to free wifi available at a port in Norway (even from the lido deck on the ship!) But yes, I try to download everything prior to leaving; that Norway cruise I ended up watching a lot more movies than I planned so it was nice to be able to download more.

Oh, gees, watched this coming home from Europe in August. I'll never get that 90 min. back...wow. BAD. VERY BAD. (and such great actresses!)

This is a good point. I've been told that when I put at least the down payment on my Chase Reserve that the travel insurance kicks in for the whole amount... I do have an elderly father, so insurance is important. Hmmmm....perhaps I should get a rider policy for theses cruises (28 days total) since the gift cards would save me about $800. I'll price it out...

What TA are you sailing? We are on the Regal April 5

Our sea days: Walk Poker tournament Trivias Play card/dice/board games while listening to musicians Read Nap Dance classes (that's just me--not DH!!)

Yeah, those platinum look DARK...we just got ours & they are light grey

40% off IS good. Gr. Cayman--"Hell" isn't terribly exciting but she might find it funny to have visited it. I imagine she might like a Stingray experience. Aruba & Curacao--we took the teens to the beach

Oops...error!

We have a TA & UK cruise next year, 28 days total. So needless to say, sizable final payments. Bought my 5 allowed (for the month) gift cards today on AARP. Plan on doing that the next few months heading into final payments. Is there any limit to how many we can apply to any booking?

It was recommended by someone on the thread for our cruise; they had used them before.

Princess "production" shows are the worst of mainstream lines (uh, Carnival, too)--seriously, I've seen better high school productions... Central Park cannot compare, imo. Yes, a peaceful spot, but no ocean view kills the comparison. Yes, even on the Getaway in August sea days could take a bit to find a spot...but I think we always managed to find SOMETHING (bar, some less comfy chairs)

This price point is likely unattainable. $200 is likely closer to a low end possibility. That being said, depending on when you are traveling, I used valuetrips.com for our upcoming Beyond sailing in Dec. $129 was shocking--I haven't seen anything that low in MANY years. Now, that price was dependent on the dates we happened to sail (low season) https://www.valuetrips.com/AMS/FL/F17.htm

Channel lineup is MINIMAL...mostly cruise TV & a few news channels Trivia--usually 3x/day. Game shows--usually every evening Pool games--2-3x on sea days Crafts--occasionally I've seen one in the planner Pickleball--one court, I believe How many play will entirely vary from cruise to cruise based on interest--you should see open Pickleball time in the planner. Quiet areas--Cafe al Bacio while busy is usually fairly quiet during the day, unless a band is playing on deck 3. Eden may occasionally have a trivia or musician during the day, it is often quiet, and rarely busy during the day. The Club is another quiet place much of the day. Rooftop Garden is usually quiet unless there is a movie or a fitness class. Sunset Bar is also a nice quiet area. Also outside deck areas. You may be able to get a free airport shuttle but I don't think any have free port shuttles. You can typically book a paid shuttle with them, but a Lyft/Uber is nearly always less than what 2 would pay for a shuttle. We have done Crowne Plaza on State Road or Hyatt Place in the Las Olas area are probably our favs; Candlewood Suites on State Road or Hampton in Las Olas are solid runner ups. All 10 min. from the port.

We have sailed both & they are VERY VERY similar--you can't go wrong either way!

I assume it got put in after start up 2 years ago...they probably leave it in JUST in case...

@Paula_MacFan So my friend reads ALL the fine print… she just read masks r required outside stateroom/on port. (She screenshot it—it DOES say that) Been cruising since 6 weeks after start up 2 yrs ago…haven’t had to wear masks anywhere on any line. Your experience?

Agree w/ some & not others. Food: small edge to Princess dining room. We find NCL MDR to always be solid. I agree NCL specialty dining is much better than Princess. Ocean Blue & Cagneys r our must do spots. Space: the lack of an Observation Lounge on a cool weather itinerary could be a BIG problem. We LOVE the Waterfront--but really only a warm weather perk. Entertainment: I concur that space is an issue. I think they truly thought people would evenly disperse themselves throughout all venues, not taking popularity into account at all! Choir of Man is one of the best shows at sea, imo. Syd Norman's (also on Escape I believe) is my FAVORITE show at sea. Yes, we are at the nearby bar an hour early. Grab a drink & relax....as soon as even one person is in line, we get in line. For EVERY show. But I'm fine with that as I KNOW what I have to do. We have a drink, get to know people in line or just chat together. But for first timers who don't know...frustration. I would put NCL slightly below Princess, but production shows are MUCH better & Waterfront is unrivaled on any line. We generally find the mainstream lines more alike than different; each line or ship has things they do better (or worse) than other lines. But things can be situational. I try not to pass judgement after 1 experience. Did MSC for 12 days in Feb. MEH...didn't love it. DId 21 days in May...MEH STILL didn't love it. Other than the price (and the crew, as on every cruise we have taken), there was nothing particular making me want to sail them again. I will happily sail Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, RCCL, & NCL again.

GLAD to hear, @Paula_MacFan! I am glad we got our upgrade to a Mini suite window on an apparently nearly full ship. At least our friends could hang in the room to play card if need be. We love trivia & game shows--do you know how early we should plan to be in a lounge for these?

My understanding is that there is coffee (the good stuff!) at the Good Spirits Bar as well as the buffet. Of course, there is always self serve at the buffet too--not a fan.

Great tips. I relate to that port intensive cruise. Did 10 day Italy/Greece cruise in August & original itinerary had ONE sea day (1st full day). Luckily a port got cancelled in the middle. But 2 long excursions the last 2 days was tough. We just decided to cancel our excursion on the last day of our upcoming Island cruise; we may spend a few hours wandering Le Havre, or just make it a sea day since we are back there next year (last day of that cruise too...)

He is fun! Had him on Discovery last year.