seemsee1

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

It will work as I do it often.    There is a small challenge that you have to be able to log into one of your accounts.   I find Firestick difficult to accomplish this.    Advantage of a Firestick is it has built in VPN Apps with a couple VPN providers.    Roku has a quick and easy means of accomplishing this via a URL that you do on you phone.  Negative is Roku doesn't have native VPN available.

 

Work around is either a tiny Travel Router or create a hotspot using laptop.  

 

I have YouTubeTv so can also record on the net and watch at will using either Firestick or Roku. 

 

Perfect!  Thanks for the confirmation and tips.  I’ll definitely bring my Nvidia shield instead of the FS.  VPN is straight forward and connecting is easier than FS too.  

I set sail on March 12th and I plan on bringing my own device (firestick or Nvidia Shield) and connect to the TVs in my cabin too.  I’ll have the premium Wi-Fi and from what I’ve heard it should work well for streaming. We’ll see.  
 

I won’t spend the whole time in there watching but it will be nice to watch from time to time. And my devices have a dvr feature too so I can record and watch whenever. 

Thanks for posting. I will be boarding in Barbados in 12 days! My wife is from Barbados and we opted to board from there so we can stay and visit friends and family at the same time and save $ on airline tickets. We will also cruise with friends who are from Barbados and did this cruise before. You confirmed exactly what they said; embarking, disembarking, muster, and boarding in San Juan was much easier as it is a much smaller group.

 

Disappointed to hear that the Hub app may not work. Here are the other cons that I'm learning:

- Because the ship starts from San Juan, there aren't as many nicer cabins available from Barbados (Limited balconies, no suites).

- We don't usually book the ship's excursions but if you want to, you have to call carnival to do so. They aren't available online from the website.

- Cabin prices are higher from Barbados.

- Faster to Fun option is not available from this port.

- Probably won't have a Roll Call meet n greet. It's possible but smaller group reduces the number of people signing up.

 

 

 

Sorry I meant boarding from Barbados! [emoji4]

 

 

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Thanks for posting. I will be boarding in Barbados in 12 days! My wife is from Barbados and we opted to board from there so we can stay and visit friends and family at the same time and save $ on airline tickets. We will also cruise with friends who are from Barbados and did this cruise before. You confirmed exactly what they said; embarking, disembarking, muster, and boarding in San Juan was much easier as it is a much smaller group.

 

Disappointed to hear that the Hub app may not work. Here are the other cons that I'm learning:

- Because the ship starts from San Juan, there aren't as many nicer cabins available from Barbados (Limited balconies, no suites).

- We don't usually book the ship's excursions but if you want to, you have to call carnival to do so. They aren't available online from the website.

- Cabin prices are higher from Barbados.

- Faster to Fun option is not available from this port.

- Probably won't have a Roll Call meet n greet. It's possible but smaller group reduces the number of people signing up.

Great review and very well written and entertaining! At times I forgot I was merely reading a review and I felt as if it was a chapter from a great book!

 

28 days to go and my family and friends will board Fascination from Barbados!

Great review! I will be on Fascination July 4th (leaving from Barbados)! I agree, for what you get, you just can't beat the price. You now have me looking forward to trying Guys and Iguana!

I agree with a lot of the comments. It really depends on what you're looking for. And it's true, many of them have cut back.

I also book based on itinerary. And I also book based on the experience I'm looking for (which can change from cruise to cruise). I have sailed on RCL, NCL, and Carnival. When I book with Carnival, it's usually for one or two reasons; I'm traveling with buddies, friends or family members and it's really one "big party" for us. We are focused on just having fun with "no frills".

 

When I book RCL, it's usually just the Mrs & I and we will book a suite and the two of us expect a little more "Royal" attention.

 

When I book with NCL, again it's usually just the Mrs & I and again we want the VIP treatment. So we get the Suites and take advantage of all the perks that come with it.

 

If I book a suite on Carnival, my Perk expectations are quite different because I know what to expect and more importantly what not to expect. :-)

 

That being said, your comments are valid and no matter the cut backs, I'd still expect staff to be pleasant and help to create a warm and welcoming environment.

[quote name='rocklinmom']Hi seemsee1, that is so funny that we were at the same Barcelona hotel too. Yes my kids loved the mall, and all of the dogs walking through it. They should allow that in California I think. I also liked the grocery store in the mall, we had fun cruising the aisles. My daughter still has a chocolate hippo that she bought there and is trying to save.
I'm glad you liked my review, I was finally able to get it to post a week later! So you guys were in Cagney's at breakfast too? Sometimes it was just my husband, when the kids and I wanted to raid the chocolate croissants and waffles outside on the deck. I didn't want them to wipe out the Cagney's buffet, LOL.
Are you guys planning another NCL cruise? I am wistfully looking at the Star in Scandinavia next summer. Trying to see if I can make it work, mainly paying for it! Glad to hear from someone who was on our cruise :)[/QUOTE]

I've actually been toying with the idea of another one next summer. I didn't consider the Scandinavian one but that sounds interesting. I'll have to look at the itinerary.

OMG Rocklinmom! We even stayed at the same hotel in Barcelona! Hahaha! And as I talked to my wife, she also reminded me that your family on the same Tram in Venice going to the ship too. :-)

 

The Hilton was great. And the mall across the street was great too. How about all of the dogs in there?!!

 

Again, loved your review and gave me an opportunity to relive a great trip.

One other thing...

 

I loved having the two sea days in the beginning. Gave me time to enjoy the suite, explore the ship and leisurely adjust to the time change.

 

We arrived a day before embarkation and toured Venice (DIY) and stayed and extra 2 days after in Barcelona (DIY). Hop on Hop off bus in Barcelona is great.

Hi Rocklinmom! We were on the same cruise as well! I think I remember seeing you & your family most mornings down for breakfast in Cagney's. We were the couple that sat in the center all of the time. :-)

 

Great review! And for those reading, I agree this trip is amazing! We had the Virgo Suite (10018) and as others have said, it will be hard to ever sail any other way.

 

Ryan was very helpful and our butler Josephine was great also. We didn't use them for a lot of things but rest assured if you need something, they will make it happen. VIP check in (5 people in cue vs. 500), early boarding and early disembarking, Cagney breakfast and lunch was perfect for me.

 

Never had an issue with dinner reservations (and almost always received a window table).

 

FYI, a couple of times we ordered breakfast to be brought to our suite and ordered from the Cagney's Menu! Crabcake eggs Benedict tastes even better from your suite.

 

For those of you wondering about NCL excursions vs private or DIY...

 

We did all of the above on this trip. Rocklinmom is correct when she says that NCL's excursions are very well organized and you can just sit back and let them handle everything. Is it more expensive than a private or DIY? Absolutely, but for some of the ports we thought it was best to go with NCL.

 

NCL tours

Pros: Relax; no stress about what time to get back to port. No stress about where to meet, where to go, how will I do this or that.

Possible Cons: Usually more expensive. Usually larger groups.

 

Private tours: You can find reputable companies through this website, forum members and other sites.

Pros: Cheaper. Sometimes smaller groups.

Possible Cons: The ship is not obligated to wait if you are late. Although the chances of returning late seems rare if the tour is well organized, if you stress easily, this could put a damper on your tour.

 

DIY: Some of the ports were small areas and/or the excursion time was very short so we decided to just go out on our own.

Pros: Can be the least expensive. The most flexibility. If you plan well, you can reach some of the popular attractions well before the large tours and get in and out before it gets congested.

Cons: If you don't do your homework you could miss an attraction. This can easily be avoided if you communicate well on this forum and if you make some friends on board.

 

I'd suggest if you want to totally relax and not worry about anything and not concerned about the cost, then NCL. If you are an avid traveler already and independent by nature anyway, private tour and DIY will be fine for you.

 

Please ask any questions. I would love to be as helpful as many on here were when we booked.