lisaem79

Hello. My mom and I will be on the Summit in November. This is her first cruise ever and my first cruise with Celebrity. We took advantage of 2 perks including the classic beverage package. Do we pay gratuity on the perk beverage package? The last cruise I was on with NCL I had the "free" beverage package but had to pay gratuity on the package.

It's my mom's birthday the night before we depart, am I able to decorate our cabin door on the outside facing the hallway?

What else can we use onboard credit for? We booked all our excursions but have quiet a bit left.

Thank you for your time in helping newbies!

This was approximately my 30th cruise and I have to say this was absolutely the most frustrating and unpleasant experience we have ever had. After waiting in line for 4 hours to board the ship, it seemed that nearly everything we wanted to do had a waiting line. It was frustrating to say the least. Booking tenders and shows never worked for us on the app or tv and the box office was only open a couple hours 2x a day and always had a line. Specialty dinner reservations were sold out online, on the tv & on the app and the line to book at the hostess stand was almost always long and definitely always slow...3 or 4 people in line = at least a 30 minute wait.

 

This cruise on the 11/18/17 Epic was not my first on NCL but it was by far the worst and most likely my last.

This was my first cruise and all the waiting irritated me. And the majority of the staff was new so it was hard for them to handle all 4,700 of us. I'm going to try NCL again in hopes that things are different on other ships or at other times of the year.

I had a tender for GSC, waited in the Manhattan room for 45 minutes before any announcement was made that the tenders were moving slow due to the water. At the 1 hour mark I left, I didn't want to waste any more of my vacation on WAITING.

I was on the Epic Thanksgiving trip last week. They had a few Thanksgiving decorations around the ship. It was a good effort to make us American's feel festive.

Yep, sorry my mistake, I read that as WHERE. Generally I find the best deals are usually for November and December cruises, before Christmas. But if a sailing isn't selling well a deal could pop up at any time. My 9-night December 2017 cruise had a spectacular deal in August of 2016 (over a year out). Some November cruises have been an even better deal in the last several months if you're willing to book the sail away rates.

No worries, I just wanted to clarify so my post wouldn't get removed. I noticed this year that as the months went on (and due to Irma) the costs went down. Maybe next year I'll wait it out to find the best deal.

Talking about TA's, including online TA's, is not permitted on cruise critic so your responses are going to be a little limited. My favorite site to search is an online TA but then I generally book directly with the cruise line. I don't think cruiseplum is a TA (meaning you can't book cruises directly with them) but it's a nice search tool.

I wasn't asking for a TA I was asking WHEN to get the best deals....like if I want to cruise in December WHEN will I see sales on certain dates?

I check ncl.com a lot.:D

Emphasis on A LOT!!

Just a few days off the Epic and already daydreaming on where to go next. I purchased 2 CruiseNext vouchers and want to get the most bang for my buck.

Can anyone tell me when to find the best deals on cruises? I'm not opposed to going on the Epic again but might want to try a different ship if the price is right. I want a studio cabin which limits the ship choices.

Just got back from my solo cruise and LOVED the thermal spa. I used it every day but 1 (got a sunburn) and went in multiple times each day. I found going right when they opened at 8:00 to be the best time to go. On sea days it is very busy. This was the best $200 I spent in a while! Treats yourself and splurge

Thank you and I hope you have a fantastic time!

Back from my cruise. Here are my observations from the Acquarius tour...

1. The meeting spot wasn't very specific, it stated the general area but there were so many people trying to find their tour meeting locations we had no idea who was with who. We asked around and one person would point over there then another over there we finally asked someone to call the tour guide. He was standing OVER THERE! He was later than the confirmation said which put a damper on things since we were waiting for so long in the heat

2. The group was ushered into a Public Bus which I found odd, you'd think they'd have their own bus/driver

3. When we arrived we were escorted to the boat where there were others already waiting, these people were from nearby hotels.

4. The snorkeling location left a lot to be desired, not many reefs with pretty fish

5. Starfish point was VERY disappointing....the water there was a light brown and so were the starfish.

6. Stingray City - lots of boats already there when we showed up. One of our guides, don't remember his name, was a little too egotistic for me, he kept saying his "girls" know his voice...blah blah blah - I finally questioned where his "girls" were because none were coming near us. This part of the tour was okay.

I can now say I've been there, done that. And probably wouldn't do it again. But hey for $50 plus tip you get free photos and a nice day trip.

Dinnertime? We're on our shuttle to MCO. One mdr opens around noon. You'll get info sheet when you check in.

 

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HUGE delays as I assume you already know since you are either there or enroute.

Enjoy your week... Fingers crossed for both good weather and eligible solos for you... [emoji5][emoji11][emoji10][emoji8][emoji7][emoji9]❤️❤️❤️

 

 

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Awe thank you! I will definitely keep you posted! <3 :champagne-toast:

How would we know when an hour before ships sails is? NCL docs says you must be on board two (2) hours prior to sailing.

 

We are still trying to figure out what time to drop car off for shuttle to cruise. We have about a 2 1/2 hour drive across state to get to Port Canaveral. Since we will miss lunch on ship I would like to come a little earlier and have lunch at Fishlips or one of the other restaurants near where RCL docks. We would then need to backtrack as we are parking car before port entrance. Time will tell.

I'm coming down from Jacksonville and am struggling with what time to get there. I don't do waiting very well but we are told to be there 2 hours prior to departure which would be 2:00pm...how are 4,000 people supposed to get on by then? Anyone have any thoughts? I don't want to miss the boat!

I imagine you heard that those of us boarding Saturday have been called and told not to arrive at port until 2pm. I suspect they will need time to replenish the booze. lol I have so enjoyed your jolly review and wish you were doing B2B so we might meet you.

 

No way will we be sailing as scheduled. Someone posted that in addition to crew and passengers going thru immigration/custome there was a total review of ship by Coast Guard. Guess this means no lunch for those of us waiting to board. It will be dinner time before they get everyone off and on.

 

Are you two flying back across the pond Saturday? FYI we have cold front descending on Florida and next week temperatures in Central FL are supposed to be low in 40s. No fun in the sun, so to speak.

I was thinking the same thing about them doing a B2B so we could meet them! I hope it's warm where we are going next week...I need to work on my tan. Sad that we will miss lunch tomorrow - going to throw all our plans overboard!

I depart from here on Saturday. How do you know what terminal your ship goes out of?

So woke up early this AM to find we have no water on the ship . it seems to have gone off around 2 AM and is supposed to be back on around 6 AM this is not a good sign at all. The toilets are also not flushing. Going to be very happy the toilet is its own room if the water does not come back on.

Yuck...hope it's back on now

I may or may not have had water forming in my eyes reading your introduction! I depart on the Epic on 11/18 (I'll wave as you get off and I get on) and am in a solo cabin. My coworkers have been bothering me to try online dating but I said "maybe, just maybe I will meet someone on the cruise" - you and your OH give me hope!

Thanks for this thread. I'm assuming there is a drink list for you to try different drinks? I'm usually a beer drinker but on vacation like trying tropical drinks that I wouldn't normally try.

I recommend the iConcierge app. You can connect to the ships wifi while waiting to board and reserve your spot. I did it on my January cruise and managed to get the first tender for Grand Cayman and Great Stirrup Cay.

 

 

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Thank you, I was wondering which ports needed a tender.

What was your experience like with Acquarius tours?

I leave for my cruise on Saturday. Will let you know when I get back

Where do I go to book my spot on the tenders? I want to be sure to be off on time in Grand Cayman. :ship:

I'm worried about the waking up panicked thing. Worse case scenario is I'll go sleep up on the top deck! LOL. Heard Deck 18 has comfortable lounge chairs

I was wondering where I can find some chips and popcorn should the desire arise! Maybe I'll have to bring my own! I like snacks while laying in the sun

Jesus just reading this thread is giving me a panic attack.

Me too! I'm sad for all those passengers, talk about an unforgettable vacation. I pray this doesn't happen often as I'm heading on my first cruise in 1 week.

Thank you for the post. Are you enjoying yourselves? I'm on the Epic in 9 days...my expectations aren't high but I hope to have fun and relax!

I'm taking the stingray tour with Acquarius and the description states the tour is only 3.5 hours long. Once they drop us back off at the port is there anything to see within walking distance? I would like to visit a beach or do some shopping.