Huntingdon1701

It used to be the whole bar but I think they've now changed it so it's only the robot's drink that are not covered by a package. Speak to a human and you should be ok. If not, you're only a short distance from other bars that would be able to serve a soft drink.

Yacht Club is almost always worth it. On a port intensive cruise, the butler escort off the ship each time and the escort back on your return is hugely valuable and makes it a much more relaxing experience. 

There is a Haven comparison thread in the forum that you might want to have read through. Yacht Club is the closest equivalent to Haven (and much better value, in my opinion).

I'm glad someone asked. I think I'm on the same cruise as you, and was definitely wondering. All other ports have had excursions posted for a while. I emailed Azamara about it a couple of weeks back but they haven't responded.

There are a few options on viator, but not terribly suited to the length of a cruise excursion.

On 5/3/2024 at 5:08 PM, JennKach said:

Must be a Jade thing.  Our last two cruises on Jade (late 2023 & March 2024) did not have a main dining room open for lunch on embarkation day. 

Likewise didn't find it open on the Jade, but Prima and Star both did. It's very odd - do the other Jewel class ships not offer it either?

It used to be available on the Jade pre-Covid.

Don't worry - it's very straightforward to get from Rome to the port, although you do need to leave a decent time. There are a number of providers, including cheaper shared transport, but I like Welcome pickups who will collect you at your hotel and drop you directly at the port. Their drivers all speak very good English and the cars are good. 

Pick any hotel you want that looks good and is convenient for some pre-cruise sightseeing.

7 hours ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

any of the two you prefer more?

I didn't get to do the South Africa one at the last minute because of the resurgence of Covid - finally doing a version in Jan. The South America one was great, but really stood out because of the Falklands, which can be hit and miss in terms of ships actually managing to land. It would be good but not great without it.

1 hour ago, PhillyTravelBug said:

Debating this sailing for 2026, Baltic on the Dawn as well, or the South America / Antartica sailing.  After the horror stories from the Star and its sailing, or lack of to Antartica this past season, I'm conflicted.  Hoping the Africa sailing offers some safari like excursions.  I like the idea of going back to the boat, but definitely want to experience that wildlife if its going to be my only visit to Africa.

I was planning this one in Covid and there were lots of safari-like excursions available then. I've just done the Santiago to Buenos Aires trip on the Star and that's well worth doing in its own right(although I saw the antarctica issues on the previous one and thought they handled it badly.) 

Unlikely everything would be sold out, including the free time ones, if OP has been following since February. Somewhere like Gibraltar does have limited spaces but everywhere else has been quite flexible. 

You could double check on the roll call to see if anyone else is having this issue.

However, I would start looking at some of the other providers so that you don't miss out. Pick a reputable one and there is little risk of missing the ship. You'll also find they're often cheaper and smaller groups than the ship tours. If you google 'shore excursions' a few of the main ones will come up.

I'm not sure the rollout was fleetwide. Last cruise I was told it was the full amount, just after the announcement of its implementation.

They need to be careful. A couple of cruise lines have lost legal cases after misdescribing ports. The Royal Caribbean case actually featured Venice, when they weren't sailing from it but from Ravenna.

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/cruise/hurtigruten-and-royal-caribbean-sanctioned-over-misleading-advertising-claims

Plenty of shelter from rain and sun. Only a couple of full loungers, but a number of very comfy sofas/seats, not just the hard ones you can see in the pictures. It does get crowded at times. 

NCL issue tender tickets the night before, usually. Your friends will have to make sure they are first in line to get the earliest tickets. Keep an eye on the daily for when it starts and then get there before the time listed.

Has anyone come across Mary Sanz lately? She was an absolutely brilliant butler.

8 hours ago, Joanne G. said:

Thank you all for the information and the tips for getting an early breakfast.  One excursion is scheduled to start at 7:30, so the earliest room service time (6:30 - 7:00) on the order form that @BirdTravelsposted wouldn't work.   I appreciate knowing the other options.  And thanks for the good wishes - we are getting excited for our trip.   

O'Sheehans works really well for the early tours. They've got an express hot breakfast, but you can also get a fruit plate/toast very quickly. 

You could easily fill it with the acropolis and museum on 1 day, then the oracle at delphi, then corinth canal, and then a day to just wander athens and recover.

If you've had a busy cruise then you might not want to go as far as corinth and delphi as they're full day tours, albeit not very strenuous coach journeys.

Recommend the Athens Gate Hotel if you do stay - fantastically located and the restaurant has the best views of the acropolis at night.

8 minutes ago, Melandria said:

I did put it in the after cruise review.    Should I write to them outside of that? 

Given the issue was quite a big one, I would. They pull out general trends from the reviews but not always things like this. It's up to you, of course.

2 minutes ago, Oxo said:

I cannot recall a ship that I have been on that did not use a lifeboat as a tender.

Are you trying to say that on ships they have two different boats? Lifeboat & tenders?

 

I'm not trying to say it. I have said it, several times. I'm sorry you can't grasp things outside of your experience, but we have discussed this enough now.

5 minutes ago, Oxo said:

When we were on the Prima in Oct & Nov 2022 we saw lifeboats. Did they remove them.

 

They have lifeboats - that is apparently not the same as a tender. Most ships have some that double up, but it's by no means the case that all of them can do it. 

3 minutes ago, Oxo said:

I thought all should are required to have.lifeboats that are also used as tenders. This Viva pic shows lifeboats.

 

Yes, I did too, but the Prima captain has stated otherwise. I assume the sister ships are similarly deficient. 

On 4/19/2024 at 4:37 PM, zqvol said:

Kusadasi is a small port with room for only two ships. No docking space is likely the reason. 

Probably this. If Viva is the same as the Prima, then she doesn't carry tenders so her only choice is docking. If she can't, and there are no local tenders, the Prima Class have to go elsewhere. 

Although I have to say NCL is very poor at communicating changes, for whatever reason they happen. I had one trip where the shore excursion company notified me of changes a week before boarding, while NCL only admitted the change two days before docking in a note to cabins. That's deliberate deception.

Have you written to MSC explaining this problem? The guy is clearly annoying a number of customers, but if head office don't know, they can't take action. Putting it in writing has more chance of securing improvements. 

Another vote for Barcelona.  Very easy to get to, and a nice city to stay in. 

2 minutes ago, mcoler181 said:

This will be our first time in YC, looking forward to it.

An amazing experience - you'll love it.

Virtuosa has several pools so people should be spread out between those - better than most other ships. The buffet is likely to be where you encounter most crowding. I've done a June cruise on her and it felt very spacious, but ships generally are much busier now so not a great comparison, I think.

On 4/16/2024 at 5:28 PM, reedprincess said:

How about overseas, ie Martinique.

My documents currently show a 20:00 check-in time. That's ridiculous - 8pm?  Sailaway is 23:00.

 

So, we can't even check-in, far less board, til after the entire first day is done?

 

That can't be right.... 

I had that in Martinique, but showed up around 11.30 and walked straight on. So did everyone else.