SamTheArtNerd

PJ is one of my favorite CMs. He did NOT come from Guest Services. He was formerly the Palo manager on the Magic.

Yeah, PJ applied for a Guest Services position just when they were filling a bunch of jobs and lucked into skipping a period of duty on the main GS desk.

He seems like a nice enough guy, but we've never been fans.

Fantasy, as we have several times before. Our first time on Fantasy was Concierge and we fell in love with PJ and Tracey. We've since managed to see PJ every time we've been on the Fantasy, even if we're not in Concierge that time. Tracey has switched to the Dream, and after one four-day cruise we'll most likely never do it again. It felt like it was too rushed.

So probably PJ and Kemisha. Not sure who the third person will be, sort of depends on what kind of rearranging they do over the summer.

Tracy is delightful and it's a shame she's on the Dream. Like you, once was enough for us.

Awesome. Hopefully your friend is one of our hosts in November. We've loved all of our hosts over the years.

The hosts are really special folks, handpicked from among all the Guest Services crew.

Which ship will you be on in November?

On the Fantasy and Dream, the Concierge Lounge, Concierge Sundeck, and services of three Concierge Hosts are only for guests staying in staterooms on decks 11 and 12.

Concierge services for wedding parties, such as priority debarkation and booking of shore excursions and premium dining, are provided by the wedding coordinator.

Source: Asked friend of mine, who is a DCL Concierge Host.

We will be cruising Viking for the first time this spring. Were you welcomed? Feel any discrimination?

It was absolutely fine. Some stares from some of the more elderly passengers, but it didn't bother us at all. The only issue with the crew was that they set the room up with two single beds rather than one double bed. When we went and asked to have it fixed, they couldn't have been more apologetic.

Better quality photo this time:

We were on the Dream for this exciting event!

Absolutely do it. It is super fun and there were several folks your age in our group the last time we did it. Our favorite part was stopping on the sandbar a couple miles offshore and looking back at the ship and the island.

We stayed on the ship on Nassau day. A fair number of people had the same idea, but most people got off the ship so we were able to enjoy the ship with smaller waits and crowds than on the at-sea day.

We were in the water at Castaway Cay yesterday and it felt fantastic!

4-night Bahamian

Captain: Henry Andersson

Cruise Director: Lesley

Concierge Team: Tracey, Danny, Angeline

Any questions, please let me know

Is the YASSSSSSSSS good or bad lol

Always good. :)

I, also, am from Massachusetts and Bermuda is one of my favourite places on Earth. It is extremely beautiful and the citizens are civilized and friendly. DH and I had no issues whatsoever when we visited the island, although we are not big on PDA even at home. As long as you and your wife don't walk around liplocked, you should be fine. It truly is a wonderful place.

Nice to hear. My husband and I are headed to Bermuda next year for our 2nd wedding anniversary. We were a bit hesitant, but our travel agent reassured us. It's good to hear confirmation of that from another gay traveler.

Thanks! I was actually thinking noon would be pushing it so I'm glad I asked. I was thinking maybe 3:00pm but it sounds like we'd be sitting around the airport for a while.

 

 

 

I hate being anxious about whether we're going to make it to a flight on time. I like to give myself at least a one hour cushion for any unexpected delays.

 

 

 

We've been through MCO several times and security is always a toss up. It's always taken us anywhere from 15-30min to get through and then getting to the gate can take a little time as well.

 

 

 

Thanks again for the info! It definitely gives me a better idea.

If you have a flight later in the day, the Hyatt in the airport offers day rooms so you can rest, have a nap, use the pool, etc, and then fly home refreshed.

DCL recommends nothing earlier than 11:30 AM.

Noon at the earliest, out of an abundance of caution, is a wise choice.

Two of our friends have problems walking...they are loving the exercise. I wear my Fitbit to make sure I get my 10000 steps! Everyone loves their aft suite. My travel agent is blown away by it. All of us are suite people so we're not comparing apples to oranges. Everything is wonderful thus far...no issues at all!

This is great to hear. If all of you are happy, I feel reassured that we made the right choice.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

I was in a Haven aft-Penthouse on Breakaway last year' date=' and it was FABULOUS. The balcony was a dream and completely worth the walk to the front of the ship. You don't mention who you are traveling with -- for us it was just myself, husband, and our 8-year-old daughter. If you don't have any mobility or age issues, then the walk to and from the Haven lounge is more of an adventure than a hassle.

 

This year we sailed on Epic (I know, different ship class) in a forward-facing Haven suite. We had to make this choice as we sailed with my elderly parents and I needed them to be near the Haven restaurant/amentities -- the ship was just too big for my dad to traverse. The suite itself was very nice, although slightly smaller than our aft cabin, but where the room lost a LOT was the balcony! If you plan to use and take advantage of balcony space (breakfast outside, pre-dinner drinks and apps, just lounging and reading a book), then know that you have made the right decision.[/quote']

 

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear, thank you.

 

It will be just me and my husband, but we like the extra living space and separate bedroom, and we spend a LOT of time on the balcony. (We have become badly spoiled by the one-bedroom suites on Disney's ships.) The Penthouse Suites adjacent to the Haven were a turnoff because of the lack of a separate bedroom and the very small balconies.

 

We considered bumping up to an Owner's Suite for the extra space, but our travel agent suggested we consider one of the Aft-Facing Penthouse Suites instead, which gives us nearly as much space for almost $3000 less.

 

We have no mobility issues, so the walk up to the Haven is not a problem for us (frankly, a little extra exercise can only be a good thing).

 

Thanks again!

We all have Haven Aft cabins. Everyone is amazed!

We have a Haven aft cabin (14872) booked for Bermuda next year. After looking at the options, we decided the extra space, true 1-bedroom, and larger balcony justified not being right next to the Haven. Still, I occasionally wonder if we'd be happier up on deck 16.

What has your experience in the aft cabins been like?

"escorted down" to where? It's my understanding that Concierge guests partaking of this perk were escorted to the front of the line exiting the ship, but once off the ship, you just join the "regular" line through baggage claim/customs/immigration.

We did the priority disembark on our cruise on the Fantasy in March. We were escorted to the gangway, which saved us having to stand in line on the ship.

Thanks all! I am counting down already! One more question: is the concierge level deck adults only? Or just virtually so because there is no pool in that area? It's okay regardless, but we really enjoyed the more quiet places on our last cruise on the Fantasy and are hoping for that with a bit less effort.

The sundeck right outside the concierge sundeck is adult-only, plus you can see the water, which you cannot see from the concierge sundeck. We would generally find a spot to lay out on deck 13 just outside the door to the concierge sundeck. That way, we were in an adults-only area, but we could duck back into the concierge area quickly to shower off or reapply sunscreen or run down to the lounge to grab a drink.

The Concierge staff were not in.

We have just booked a 35 night round trip from Southampton to Caribbean and USA on P&O Oceana.

To this point, we've only sailed on Disney Cruise Line, where they have no LGBT gatherings. Well, nothing formal. Hanging out with the Concierge staff was pretty much the same as an LGBT gathering.

It is a money grab that they are trying to disguise as a concern for food safety.