marybeach

I haven'the gotten that notification yet, so I'm glad I looked at the boards. Thanks for the great info. My hotel is near Canada Place and I'll be taxiing. I noticed you can give your bag straight to the Longshoremen. That's handy, as I'm seeing rain predictions. Any other tips appreciated. After my travel day from the east coast, I may need a nap with the toddler! Safe travels all!

What about this 1-2-3 system? That's new to me. What about not bringing life jackets?

Does the Muster Drill on the Volendam still gather on the Promenade or has that changed? Many ships have changed to inside so people don't stand outside so long.

Just noticed your location. We’re kind of neighbors.

Not too far. Friends at Calabash, Ocean Isle, Holden Beach, and Wilmington! I'm partial to Pawleys heading south!

All are beautiful!

Here's the other guide that is floating around. Useful for all the ports.

http://claalaska.com/?page_id=1551

Thank you all so much. That is very helpful. Only 1 ship docked that day! Should be easy to spot! I sent her a screenshot.

Any idea which location on the pier the Volendam generally uses in Juneau? The Island Princess is also there the same Friday. I have a friend meeting me for a tour.

Thanks!

You might try asking on the Alaska board.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

There is at least one poster there, Budget Queen, who takes multiple solo cruises there each season.

Thanks for this heads up and the replys. I'm going to keep checking. I've got airline credit I need to book by the end of April. Maybe I'll get lucky!

I've been watching Alaska cruise prices since the first of the year, and solos are still 200% for the most part. If you'e booked solos before, when did you start seeing drops? I'm on the east coast, so I have the usual air and hotel add ons, so I'm looking for a deal!

I was in NCL Jade Cabin 4564 Oceanview right by a gangway. While I was aware when the guarantee was booked it could be dicey, little did I know how bad. I was bothered by the crew putting together 180 new beds outside the room from 6 am til almost 10 pm. The metal clanging and dragging across the floor was awful. On port days, they started assembling the gangway around 6 am. Since the cabins have metal walls, it reverberated. I spoke to the front desk the first morning, and and officer came down to the room. That's when he told me about the 180 beds to be assembled. Three days later, it was still happening. My steward called his housekeeping supervisor, and he came to my cabin, as well. Still nothing was done. On day 7, I saw an officer who was at the cruise critic meet and greet. He said he would see about it. On the evening of day 8, I got a bottle of wine from the front desk delivered to the room. At least he listened. I was told by the front desk that 7 cabins had been vacated by medical emergencies, yet was never offered a transfer. Beware if you're a light sleeper. It is unusual to have this kind of activity ignored, but since this was my first NCL cruise, I was not given any priority. Acknowledging problems on day 8 of a 10 day cruise is too little, too late.

I have an OV cabin and saw a post that said I could ask the steward for a coffee maker. I know I can order room service, but it would be nice to have if I wake up earlier. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks.

when are you sailing? We have an OC category right now and our bid for an OV is still active or I guess pending is the word. I so want the upgrade but have a limit to how much we will pay for it. We have just under 2 weeks before sailing.

I'm still 30 days out. There are lots of OV available on the deck 5 above me, but when the TA checked, NCL wouldn't move me to a better (in my opinion) cabin. They wanted triple what I'd originally paid to move from deck 4 to 8 aft with a window vs. current porthole by the gangway door. I still have a bid in for a balcony, but I can't see any available. I didn't bid on a MS. So, it is what it is.

It's frustrating when you see that people are leap-frogging insides to balconies when bids for upsell from OX to balconies aren't accepted. I got a porthole by the gangway assignment, which is probably one of the least popular cabins. My bid is still active, though.

I booked an OX as well, as I'm an occasional drinker, and didnt need the packages. It is my first NCL. I was assigned a porthole beside the gangway on the bottom passenger deck. Probably the least desirable cabin. I had hoped paying for an outside initially would help in the bid I was offered to participate in by email, but I have seen a post where someone leap-frogged from an inside to a balcony already. I bid on a balcony, not a minisuite, because I don't prefer a bathtub, and sailing solo, that is plenty of room. Oh, well... there's still some time and my bid is still active. Otherwise, I'm glad I'm an early riser, because on port days, it's going to be very noisy, I am sure.

Thanks! It's been a long time since I've had a cabin that low on a ship! I've only had an inside for a 3 day on CCL when I went with a friend last minute.

This is my first NCL cruise, but the second time in many cruises I've taken a chance on a GTY. On HAL, we were pleasantly surprised at a nice upgrade.

I got my assignment from NCL yesterday for a 4th deck porthole for my booked OV GTY. That level porthole on Carnival Fantasy class ships has an inside cabin booking code. I find it amusing. But, it's a chance I took.

I got an upsell email between booking and assignment, and bid on a balcony, but not a mini-suite.

Since there is still over a month before sailing, will they keep the upsell bid open? Did I understand that I could still be moved up to sailing?

Thanks for any insight.

Any recent experiences from FLL to Port of Miami, especially day of cruise?

I was on the ship this cruise, as well, and your review is excellent. I do agree that Rick Barnes was a most delightful CD. I saw more of Captain Chris Turner around the ship on this cruise than any Captain in a long time. His daily update at noon from the bridge was informative. He did a personal Q&A in the Crow's Nest that Rick emceed that was well attended. He was leaving on the 21st for his break and will be returning later this winter. The ship is in nice shape, HAL continues to have the friendliest staff, and the food in the MDR was above par. Lunch in the Pinnacle Grill is a tremendous deal. My indulgence is coffee from room service most days, and when I did order an omelet, it was hot when it arrived. It's worth a little something extra for the service to me, and the room service attendant offered to serve the coffee for me, which was sweet. While there were many guests on scooters, I didn't find them obtrusive on this ship. I did open seating and sat at large tables every night in the MDR, and met some lovely people from the US, Canada, England, and Portugal. Panama Canal off the bucket list!

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Please explain what settings on an android to use on the ship. Does airplane mode allow texts to come through? I'll be fine checking email and Facebook in ports every other day, as I usually stopped at a coffee shop for an hour and used wifi. Now, I will have unlimited data. I do want to use my phone for pictures onboard. T-Mobile emailed me a link, but it doesn't tell me details. The guy I spoke with today said I'd get a text to tell me I'm within tower range on islands. Practical experience is a plus!

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I drove to Charleston the morning of the cruise. After driving through a motocross course of orange barricades as I entered the Port area, I was about the 10th car in one of 3 lines when it stopped. While we waited, an attendant came up to the cars in line and checked the boarding card and passports. They started moving cars at 11 am. We went through a tented area, and porters got my big suitcase from the trunk, which was wonderful. I parked and got on the third shuttle that came by with my rolling carry on. I was asked to go to a small table after the scanner and they briefly looked at my one bottle of wine in my carry on, but didn't check the 6 cans of soft drinks and 2 large cans of energy drinks. They were opening others' 12 packs of soft drinks and looking at each can. After a short line, I was at the check in desk. Within minutes, I was on board and they took my picture with my sign and sail card. I pushed the button in the elevator for my deck and found my cabin (R17, a porthole cabin, and it was larger than my friends' cabins), and the steward greeted me immediately with my name. I asked if I could drop off my carry on, and she said yes. I put my passport and wallet in the digital safe, and headed to explore the ship. My friends got on board shortly after me, as they had stayed overnight in Charleston at a hotel. Our luggage was outside the rooms by 3:00 pm. Boarding was a breeze.

Disembarking was a slower process and the lines were long. It took over an hour to get off the ship when my number was called. The luggage area was organized, but inefficient. I couldn't find a porter available, so I pulled my suitcase and carry on through the lines. The shuttles came in pairs, and one has a trailer hooked to it, and porters load the luggage. You're dropped off at a central area in the garage warehouses, and you take your luggage to your car. Since I was such a high disembark number, there were only a couple of cars in line to exit, and I was on the way home.

I hope this helps with your driving plans.

And, the Fantasy is a great ship. The crew and waitstaff are excellent. Risa is a wonderful CD. For a short getaway, I give a "recommend" after my first Carnival cruise, especially if you're from the south and it's an easy drive!

I drove to Charleston the morning of the cruise. After driving through a motocross course of orange barricades as I entered the Port area, I was about the 10th car in one of 3 lines when it stopped. While we waited, an attendant came up to the cars in line and checked the boarding card and passports. They started moving cars at 11 am. We went through a tented area, and porters got my big suitcase from the trunk, which was wonderful. I parked and got on the third shuttle that came by with my rolling carry on. I was asked to go to a small table after the scanner and they briefly looked at my one bottle of wine in my carry on, but didn't check the 6 cans of soft drinks and 2 large cans of energy drinks. They were opening others' 12 packs of soft drinks and looking at each can. After a short line, I was at the check in desk. Within minutes, I was on board and they took my picture with my sign and sail card. I pushed the button in the elevator for my deck and found my cabin (R17, a porthole cabin, and it was larger than my friends' cabins), and the steward greeted me immediately with my name. I asked if I could drop off my carry on, and she said yes. I put my passport and wallet in the digital safe, and headed to explore the ship. My friends got on board shortly after me, as they had stayed overnight in Charleston at a hotel. Our luggage was outside the rooms by 3:00 pm. Boarding was a breeze.

Disembarking was a slower process and the lines were long. It took over an hour to get off the ship when my number was called. The luggage area was organized, but inefficient. I couldn't find a porter available, so I pulled my suitcase and carry on through the lines. The shuttles came in pairs, and one has a trailer hooked to it, and porters load the luggage. You're dropped off at a central area in the garage warehouses, and you take your luggage to your car. Since I was such a high disembark number, there were only a couple of cars in line to exit, and I was on the way home.

I hope this helps with your driving plans.

And, the Fantasy is a great ship. The crew and waitstaff are excellent. Risa is a wonderful CD. For a short getaway, I give a "recommend" after my first Carnival cruise, especially if you're from the south and it's an easy drive!

pjnc

I put a hold on the Fantasy 11/14 out of Charleston. I upgraded to the Porthole for an $8 per day extra, but still around $350 for 5 nights. I live in Myrtle Beach. I booked directly with Carnival online.

Good luck.

I'm on the Fantasy in a couple weeks. I have TMobile and an Android phone that does have "Airplane" mode. I'd like to check emails and Facebook when I'm in Freeport and Nassau, and would appreciate any recent experience you've had using WiFi there and any suggestions. I sure don't want any unexpected major charges on my phone bill! Thanks!

For those of you doing the TA, what plans do you have once you get to Southampton? Have you priced airfares to come back home? I've never been to Scotland or Ireland, so I'd like to maybe do that prior to returning.

Where is your best source of looking for the best deals for solo cruises? I have signed up for email alerts from the cruise lines, but I'm not seeing anything special, and after years of great deals on HAL, I'm just not into paying double fares for just me. I have sailed RCI and am trying Carnival for the first time early in the fall. I know about VTG and they are helpful, but I just want to check for myself online sometimes without a phone call. I'm especially interested in the Partial Transit this year or next, as I've never done that one. I enjoy going with friends, but it's always a "time or money, money or time" situation for us all. I have cruised solo and enjoy it greatly. I meet more people, it seems, and can do all, or nothing, as the days come. I encourage people to do it!!

Ken,

You are absolutely correct. If there is a problem, let them know, i.e., the beds not together, a used robe, etc. They can't fix what they don't know about. Be assertive if the cabin steward doesn't "understand" English. He understands more than you know. Call the front desk or the Hotel Manager. From reading these boards, you know our expectations. You should have the same. From what I can see from these boards, we have HIGH expectations. Some things are easily corrected, some take a little more "assertiveness". Within reason, they will be very accommodating, especially, if you have a smile in your voice with the request.