olemissreb

Sadly, I still haven't gotten an NCL offer for my AMEX. I did get one for Resort Pass though, so not a total loss...just hoping they have a pass for the resort I want to go to in Barbados.

My first cruise, my now ex called the company TA who got us a balcony cabim on an Eastern Caribbean Princess cruise. I remember getting in our cabim and finding out one port had been canceled/changed (don't remember which). I know we booked excursions and even one of those was canceled, but I don't remember when/how we did that. I do remember the couple that we shared our assigned seating with...they were celebratimg their 50th anniversary and the cruise was a gift from their kids. He was a first generation Italian American and embarassed the ---- out of our waiters (who were speaking Italian at the wait stand which was right by our table) and it was sooooo funny! I remember the maitre'd asking us if the 4 of us minded changing tables and when we did, we met another couple who ended up getting deserted from our San Juan walking tour with us (our first semi-independent tour and we made it back to the ship in plenty of time.

Yes, there is a lot more information to be had, but it's the memories that stick more than anything.

I prefer to book direct so that I maintain control of my reservation. If I find a price drop or a better price on a better cabin, I can call directly and make the change without having to go through a TA who may be closed.

Book now! It is totally worth the price. My family and I flew with Michelle at Island Wings in Ketchikan and if I remember correctly it was on a Dehavilland Beaver.  Michelle had some music playing as we flew toward the Misty Fjord National Monument that had my mom and I in tears...it was so beautiful and just "fit" the scenery we were looking at. One of the best excursions we took.

2 hours ago, njhorseman said:

Assuming your ship is docking at a typical early morning hour (not at 11 am for example) you should have no problem making a 12:50 flight. 

FYI your bags have to go through an additional agricultural inspection by APHIS before you can check them, so look for the APHIS inspection line as soon as you enter the airline terminal.

Thank you! I remember the additional ag screening, bit couldn't remember the best recommended time for flying out.  It's been 15 years since I've flown out after a cruise and even then we stayed an extra day to make it easier.

I'm sorry. I know this topic has probably been posted a million times, but the search function on my phone stinks!!!

I'll be flying back after my cruise. If I book a flight leaving at 12:50pm, I should be ok right? That flight gets me home at a decent hour, but if I need to find something later I can deal.

My BF became a grandpa in Dec., so I guess I'm an honorary grandma to this cutie!

How I spent my Easter Sunday.

My view for Friday's night baseball game. Sadly the ump never listened to how I called the game.

My favorite cruise line is Celebrity. I've been on 2 M class ships (Millenium and Constellation) and had a cruise on Summit scheduled for March '25, but then they cancelled it and repositioned the ship to Florida. So because we wanted to sail out of San Juan (my sister and her boyfriend live in Wisconsin and want the warmest start to the cruise) we ended up on a brand new ship, the Nowegian Viva.

I look at my favorite lines first to see if they have an itinerary I like and if not, I'll look elsewhere until I find something that piques my interest.

Layers are key. Temps can vary wildly.

If you are going in to Denali National Park...100% Deet for the mosquitos. Those things swarm you and will feed on anything less.  Not sure if any other place has mosquitos that you'll need it for, but good to have just in case.

Take a good camera with a really good long distance lens. My now ex was able to catch a full whale breach from nose up to tail down by using sport mode.

I don't agree about not getting a balcony. Yes, you may miss something on the other side, but it's also a great place to escape and just watch for the wildlife. My mom and I were able to hear the "snap, crackle, pop" of the ice floes as the ship sailed toward Hubbard Glacier. We couldn't hear that up on deck as there were too many people talking. The ship made a full circle at Hubbard Glacier, so everyone was able to get a look at it. 

Biggest thing...if you can afford to spend an additional week inland, do it! Either before or after your cruise doesn't matter...inland views are SPECTACULAR!!! Plus you can't see Denali unless you add a land based portion (very easy to do on your own).

Word of warning though...Alaska will leave you wanting to go back again and again.

Thank you for asking this question. I'm a sucker for cruise photos too and my next cruise will be the first for my boyfriend so I want to be able to get pics to remember it all...especially since we never take selfies of us together.

You might get a better response on the RCL boards. I'd post the link, but I'm technologically challenged on my phone.

I love to buy a Christmas ornament to put on my tree and remind me of all my vacations/adventures. It doesn't have to be specific to every port like the blown crystal ornament I bought at Nova Scotia Crystal on my New England/Canada cruise with my mom. I also bought some All-Clad cooking pieces to add to my collection. Expensive yes, but it's something I use all the time and they shipped to me (same with the crystal ornament and the crystal bourbon glasses I bought also).

I'll be in Key West in a few weeks and I'd like to get some souvenirs for my co-workers and my 2 adult sons...but I'll want to ship it all home.  I HIGHLY recommend shipping items if it's not too expensive as they know how to package things and what to do to get through customs. Plus you don't have to take up room in your luggage. You may not be able to give out the gifts right away, but it'll give you a chance to relive your trip when everything does arrive and you give things out.

On 3/19/2024 at 3:47 PM, Nebr.cruiser said:

So far we are too cheap to use porters!!!  

If you ever have a cruise that ends in Boston, I HIGHLY recommend using a porter. Totally worth the few $$ in tip. My mom and used one and he not only helped with the luggage, but (here's the worth it part) also was able to bypass the loooooooooong line of people waiting for cabs/ubers and got us into a cab right away to take us to the airport. Saved us probably 30 minutes of standing in line which would have been difficult for my mom who was 82 at the time.

On 3/11/2024 at 9:46 PM, BirdTravels said:

. Most AT&T plans include free Canada. 

I don't believe this is true at all with AT&T. In looking at theit website it appears that Canada is not on any plan...at least not back in 2019. I know I had to add the Intetnational Day Pass at $10/day (which is still pretty cheap) in order to be able to access my Google Maps so I could get directions in Halifax. 

I'm probably the minority here...I love cruising because someone cooks, cleans, and serves me for a week! I do look at itinerary and love getting a taste of new places. I have my preferred cruise line, but I'm not married to them. Trying a new cruiseline this next cruise because there will be 2 'virgin cruisers" with us and I wanted to make sure there was enough to keep them busy so they'll eventually fall in love with cruising like my sister and I.

Basically, it's mostly about relaxing for a week.

What bar is the Blantons in? We are on this cruise March '25. My BF is a Blantons drinker and I did upgrade us to the FAS+ so I'm happy to hear it's covered. 

Was traffic horrible getting to the pier? Doesn't sound like it was, but just wondering if you caught a "window".

2 hours ago, jimsig said:

I know people who spray paint their initials on both sides of their luggage with safety orange. Makes them stick right out.   

I haven't flown anywhere or cruised since 2019, but I think I'm going to get some stickers to put on my luggage for my trip to Key West next month and my 2025 cruise.

3 hours ago, carma7007 said:

We have found that including all the years that were at the school with us gets us a better result for attendance. So we will do that again.  Maybe try that.  Many times this helps siblings attend together. 

We may try again one day, but with a couple classes above and below us. We did invite the class immediately after our to join us at our 40th reunion and we had a few show up. It was so much fun.

Not sure where you're from, but my philosophy for the Caribbean is to always start from the warmest port possible.  It's the reason my next cruise starts in San Juan. Plus my sister and her boyfriend will much enjoy getting somewhere warm after a Wisconsin winter.

My high school class tried to do this for our 35th reunion. Only 2 people ended up actually cruising...not sure how many actually booked and then couldn't go (I know of 2 for sure). 

Someone local (we sailed from NOLA) was able to meet with a travel agent and get all the info so she could post it on our class FB page. It was only a 4 day cruise to Cozumel and back.

Hope your reunion turns out much better than mine did.

Thank you @luv_crusing. This sounds great. How long was the excursion? Did I read correctly that you booked this thru the cruiseline? If so, which cruiseline? Still thinking this could be fun for my boyfriend and I.

The advantages of living in the town of my college alma mater...baseball!  Some parks have the Tool Race (Atlanta), President Race (DC) or Sausage Race (Milwaukee)...we have the Solo Cup Race and Yellow has never won.

Thanks for your review! I'm actually excited about getting on the Viva next year. 

Did you do NCL excursions? Or did you do your own? I'm having trouble figuring out what to do in Tortola and St. Lucia and looking for ideas.

Is the Southern Caribbean you are considering on the Norwegian Viva? I'll be sailing on the Viva next March (52 weeks from today). I love sailing out of San Juan...March '25  will be my 3rd time sailing from there and the itinerary has 4 islands I haven't visited yet.

We've got a regular balcony room because I can't sail in anything less. 😁

It will be my first time on NCL. I've sailed on the Connie (my first Southern Caribbean actually) and I loved Celebrity. We were originally booked to be on the Summit till Celebrity cancelled that itinerary. Since we really liked the idea of sailing from San Juan, we switched to Viva.  Yes, itinerary is most important to me, but you may decide differently.

Down to 365!