cadien

OP indicated that her husband was not a beach person and the cruise is a birthday present for him

 

That part was clear. And I am a sympathetic non-beach person.

 

But there are other non-beach trips. And it was more a question about the consistently high enthusiasm (in this thread and elsewhere) rather than the information.

[quote name='cjdixon4']...and since we're on the subject, what happened to the thread that appeared several times a week that kept everyone "updated" on who the current Cruise Directors are? Seems to be MIA. :rolleyes:[/quote]

[quote name='Ethel5']I believe that was on the Princess board.[/quote]

[quote name='cjdixon4']Nah, I stay glued to the RCI board. It made daily appearances for months, and then it just kinda went away. No biggie, I was just curious.[/quote]

It's a popular subject then. The NCL board has an active thread too.

Great way to reinforce the whole "All men are potential molesters" emphasis we have in society.

 

Most crew members and police officers are male, so that doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

It is reasonable to help your child identify trained professionals. They'll know how to react and reassure. They won't panic about liability. Etc.

Cunard has dance hosts on all cruises. Silversea has them on some. Those are both expensive lines, however.

Going into Venice 2 days early. Any tips for Venice?

 

 

Prepare to get lost. Repeatedly. But never for very long.

 

 

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From every report I have heard (and I have heard MANY), there are absolutely ZERO exceptions to the age rules under any circumstances what-so-ever.

 

I have seen exceptions posted here where children were allowed to move down a level -- to a younger group -- due to developmental disabilities.

I also recommend searching on the names of your ports on the Carnival board and even some of the other lines' boards if you have time/patience.

 

In preparing for our cruise, I've noticed that many people do extensive accounts of their port experiences -- with photos! -- on the regular cruise line boards. People answer specific questions on the port board but you don't get the same level of detail.

 

And once you have some specific excursions and/or destinations in mind, you can search on those as well.

Leaving aside the attitude, it has come up in prior threads that NCL's UK branches do not allow the same sorts of upgrades and this frequently leads to misunderstandings about what is customary (and even outright marketed by NCL) for U.S./Canada customers.

You have another option, though I don't know if it would work for you. You can go to the buffet and have a snack while your son eats dinner. Then drop him off at the kids club while you and your husband go to dinner. This way your son isn't sitting through a 1.5-2 hour dinner where he won't really be eating much.

 

This is what we plan on doing with our 3 little ones (3, 4, and 7).

 

I thought the kids' club wasn't available 5pm-7pm. Or are you going to late dinner?

 

That's what we plan to do too. We usually eat at 7:00 at home anyway.

Many of the fancy flavored martinis are over the price limit, but basics should be fine:

 

http://cruisewithgambee.com/norwegian-drink-lists/

Wanting to enjoy a child-free vacation is not wrong -- it's just not some people's preference.

 

Even parents occasionally enjoy a child-free vacation...

Oh my! My family still lives in Anchorage, and I moved to Oregon when I went to college and never went back home :(

 

Small small world! Anchorage was a very small town in 1970 when we got there.

 

I was in Sitka then Fairbanks in the early 70s. Anchorage was huge! :D

MIL recently cruised out of New Orleans and half her roll call stayed at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. It's something like three blocks from the cruise terminal. Too far to walk with luggage but close enough to not stress out over a cab making it.

Gosh I don't think I said that....I agree I hate that one liner, newbies don't know how to search....

 

Sorry. I can see how it gave that impression. Short version is I was agreeing with your response to someone else.

 

 

He hates the beach but I am hoping he will like cruising.

 

For what it's worth, I also hate the beach and my first cruise is going to be Mexican Riviera (with family) but based on the research I've been doing, there will be more than enough appealing alternatives.

 

 

Then one day friends wanted to do Alaska (I'm actually from Alaska) well he loved it!

 

Me too! And then I spent 13 years in Oregon. What part of Alaska?

There's also an entire subforum on money-saving tips but I'm still too overwhelmed by the rest of the forum to read it : http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71

Ok finally bit the bullet and booked the cruise.

 

Obsessively read Cruise Critic. Several times a day.

Something else that has come up on these insurance threads is that Canadians have a completely different set of rules with their health coverage. You don't have a location set, so just in case.

With all due respect, you might want to see a doctor for thicker skin, as Flatbush Flyer's reply, in my opinion, merely lays out a simple scenario to help highlight a need for travel insurance. I see no accusatory, derogatory, or condescending tone in there whatsoever.

 

Rather than not asking questions, you might want to ask lots of questions because you're getting schooled here, not scolded.

 

When you combine with with FF's responses to him in other threads, it really does come across as scolding. FF has now said they didn't mean to come across that way, but there's no reason to pile on the OP for that either.

Flatbush, I think the boards are a great place to start because sometimes a new cruiser does not even know there is a question that needs asking.

 

These boards at least give you somewhere to start and say "OMG I did not know that", need to check this out and get more info. That's certainly how I came to this board... It was very scary that for such a smart gal, I was clueless about how all this cruising stuff worked!

 

Along those lines, I do think the First Time Cruisers forum is one place it's a little harsh to just reply with a version of "Do a search; it's already been covered." They're often totally new to messageboards too.

I keep hearing people say that, but I rarely hear anyone say that they actually did it ;)

 

Not specifically a cruise, but I did a whirlwind Europe tour and then went back for more extensive time in the countries I enjoyed the most.

Change the cheap champagne that is given to platinum members and suite guests...... it would be nice to have a choice of a cheap bottle of wine.....usually you can get it changed but it is not easy and it is a waste of vacation time.

 

I'm pretty sure MIL was able to get that swap made via the pre-concierge email, with the pillow menu etc.

Does the buffet have takeout containers or do you have to balance plates back to the room?

I am glad they have Pepsi products I hate Coke !! I do love the coffee card idea I would get one if it were offered ...

 

I'd love to see one of those all-non-alcoholic-beverages packages that includes both coffee drinks and smoothies. My family goes through a ton of smoothies.

I wonder whether it would be different in the case of private islands where it's all their employees.

I can't really answer, thinking about my own childhood. (LO is just 3.) I was fine with going off to the Dairy Queen at age 8, but would freak out at home alone at night even at 11. It just depends too much on the individual child and the scenario. And whether other kids are along, of course.