Crazy planning mom

45 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I was thinking the same thing.  A ship sailing at capacity is a reason for service to slip?  Aren't most cruise ships sailing at capacity?  If a big group is on the ship it does not mean that Celebrity should neglect the other cruisers.

Based on what I saw on the book, the sailing may have been over capacity and it sounded like the group took over certain spaces for periods of time.

Just now, bundtkate said:

I don't believe they are calling you anything. They referring to people who attack others for their opinions/experiences as "keyboard cowards" and were attempting to emphasize that they were not trying to attack you and thus become a "keyboard coward" themselves.

Yes, I reread and realize that.

30 minutes ago, kasowell2 said:

Thank you. I was hoping it didn’t sound like I was attacking the poster. I hate when people do that and I’ve even started calling people out for it. Keyboard cowards really bother me especially when they try to call people out for their experienc

Delete 

I know that there was a very large group on your sailing and that may have affected service.  We are sailing on this coming Saturday and anticipate having a good time.

7 hours ago, erby2283 said:

So when I was shopping for our 2024 cruise in Oct 2022, I made a list of ships/itineraries I was looking at and sent it to my TA.  He then came back with group pricing he had.  Now keep in mind, this is for 3 adults and that the NCL pricing includes drinks but as you can see, the Icon pricing was cheaper than Oasis and both NCL cruises at the time.  😲 My point is don't assume you'll never be able to afford what you want - keep checking for group rates and yes, you may possibly have to book far in advance. 

 

I know you can't see my full spreadsheet the pricing goes 1st passenger, 2nd passenger, 3rd passenger, taxes and port fees, and then for NCL drink package for first two adults, total price. All were ocean view balconies. 

That price for Icon isn't bad.  One thing about your price comparison chart.  The dates are different.  The April dates fall during Passover when many NY schools are closed.  

We will be sailing on the Symphony out of NJ this Fall.  Would it be better to schedule seeing the Aquatheater show when we are further south or as soon as possible?

Thanks.

Our cruise on the Apex is coming up very soon!  Friends have asked us to join them on the Symphony of the Seas.  Is there any advantages to booking while onboard the Apex?  I think there may be but my memory is fuzzy.

San Juan, you can definitely get off the boat and walk to the forts and Old San Juan.   Great Stirrup Cay is essentially a beach day.  In Amber Cove, alot of people do the Damagugua WaterFalls Excursion or a Puerto Plata excursion depending on your fitness level and interest.  You can also just hang out at the port.  We haven't been to St. Thomas yet but will be there later this month on Celebrity.  We are doing an excursion to Magen's Bay and the Sky Ride.  Alot of people also say that going to St. John is a must for snorkelers.

Glad to hear you are enjoying the Apex.  Getting excited to sail on her later this month.

Through NCL, we loved Haleakala at Sunset.  That was offered in Maui.  We rented a car the full day in Kauai, downloaded a tour by GPS app and drove to Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park.  

I have used Welcome Pickups and PK Travel for transfers in Greece and recommend them both.  The only thing about PK Travel is they required cash payment in Euros.  However, both companies provide private transfers as opposed to shared bus.

I recommend reading Rick Steve's Mediterranean port of call book.

We sailed in August and October.  Preferred October.  Definitely, arrive in your departure city at least 2 nights beforehand to get over jetlag and see the embarkation City.  We spent  three nights in Rome before our 1st Med cruise and 2 nights in Athens before our 2nd Med cruise.  You may want to also add time in Paris before or after your cruise.

In Anchorage, we stayed at the Hotel Captain Cook.  It's a historic landmark hotel.  In Seward, book as early as you can for the Harbor 360 or Seward Gateway Hotel.  We waited too long and stayed at the Best Western in Seward which was very overpriced for what it was.  The people that own Harbor 360 and Gateway Hotels also own Major Marine which have Kenai Fjords cruises.

You may be able to get a price reduction.

13 minutes ago, mtempelaar said:

In 2021 I had booked NCL Pride of America, which would have been a 7 day hitting a lot of places.  In 2022 I switched and booked Celebrity with Vancouver --> Oahu  in a Prime Aquaclass aft cabin for an amazing deal. 

 

When Maui dropped I didn't cancel initially.  But then I got upset that Edge was sailing there a week later and hadn't dropped Maui, so I considered switching. 

 

When Edge dropped and I had to think critically.  They didn't add Kauai to our itinerary instead, they didn't replace with extra days in Oahu or Kailua.  They doubled down on ports only on the big island.  It wasn't worth it based on what we wanted. 

 

We switched to a British Isles cruise on Eclipse instead, but I lost a LOT of value - my all included, my Black Friday deal, some of the OBC.   I'm still annoyed but spending so many thousands on that itinerary that only hits Hilo and Kona isn't the Hawaii vacation we want.

We did the Pride of America and am glad we did.  The sHip was ok but we booked it for Hawaii and Hawaii didnt disappoint.

Definitely, add in a couple days in Oahu at the end.

Great review.  I appreciate the tips.  Sailing on the Apex next month.

My Aunt, who is loyal to Royal, sailed on the Grandeur last year, was very unhappy with the condition of the ship and said she would no longer sail on a ship of that age.  Our last cruise was on an older NCL ship and it had been completely refurbished.  Perhaps, RCL isn't refurbishing the oldest ships because they are planning on building new smaller ships as discussed.  However, they should still be maintaining them in the meantime.

It really stinks but as long as they sell out, they probably won't care.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

None worked.  My DH called Celebrity and they were able to assist him to sign in under his name.  My login wouldn't take it.

Deleted app, reinstalled and still same problem.

Yes, I have a $0 balance.

Today is check in day but I am unable to check in.  I have tried through the web and the app.  I either get an error message or it just takes me back to the sign on screen.  Celebrity told me to try again later or tomorrow.  Everyone else from my fb group has already checked in.

We are going to end up with the latest possible boarding time.  Any suggestions?

I am not sure there is enough demand to make Celebrity adult only.  Celebrity has many more ships to fill than Virgin.  Perhaps, they could designate a couple of ships to be adult only.  I could be mistaken but P & O has a couple adult only ships.

Yes, appreciate the very detailed review.   I have a similar viewpoint to Hcat re children.