lauren009

It's per device. So if you want to text/call each other you both have to have it. But you're not required too just because you're both in the same cabin. You can take turns with the wifi depending on who wants to use it. But only if you're not trying to call each other.

Right, but what I've heard is that it may still be spotty. But they did dry-dock the Pride this year, so maybe the made improvements. I was just thinking that to support internet calling you'd need something good enough to also support streaming. I understood that you weren't trying to actually watch netflix. 

Some phones, or verizon, or iPhone can now call over wi-fi. Not sure why. Maybe for additional service in rural areas without towers nearby. 

Agreed that Google voice would not be in that category. 

Richelle, a lot of the ships have spotty wi-fi... they're making improvements but only one ship at a time (when in dry dock). I would only advise using Carnival's wifi for calling if you will be on Horizon, Vista, Panorama, Radiance, or Sunrise. (Not actually sure about the last two... the first three have upgraded their premium wi-fi to support Netflix.) And, yeah I don't know what the "$100" plan is as wi-fi is priced per day. I think you'd have to have Premium for it to possibly work for calls. Texting would work on the middle tier probably. Or just get the social media level and use Facebook messenger. 

I'm curious for myself... what was the pricing for AT&T?

The most affordable will not be nicest. You're going to get your best price with Carnival if you're okay with minimal frills. It's not the "nicest" but it's my favorite.

You should really call Royal Caribbean about this. For US travelers, there's no visa except a passport needed to travel to Japan, but I don't know if its different for Philippines. 

I only cruised that area in October, and the ocean was very calm. In the bigger ship, you should feel less motion and less seasickness, and April is before hurricane season so it should still be pretty calm. I recommend sea bands and ginger tablets. Enjoy your cruise!

Once you're on board, unless you hate it, 7 days will feel like nothing and you'll wish it was longer. Have an amazing time!

Here are some articles I put together for first-time cruisers!
A packing list (incl printable version): http://www.laurenofalltrades.blog/2017/10/cruise-packing-list.html
A shopping list: http://www.laurenofalltrades.blog/p/cruise-shopping.html

And basic tips: http://www.laurenofalltrades.blog/2018/07/cruising-101.html

Have a great time!!!

If you're comfortable with using one, go for it. It doesn't cost you anything and you can probably save some money. Especially if you ask nicely 😉

No. It's not worth what you might save by not needing a hotel. Some people never have a delayed flight and say you can do it, but think about how sad you'll be if your flight is delayed and hour and you cant get on your cruise. I'll never do it.

I just went on the Inspiration which is one of the Sensation's sisters and I honestly barely noticed that it was smaller than the bigger ones I've been on. There are slightly less activities, but everyone says they're less crowded. I actually wrote about my experience on the Inspiration on my blog if you want to check it out! https://www.laurenofalltrades.blog/2018/11/carnival-inspiration.html

If you don't have specific dates in mind, I love http://www.cruiseweb.com's advanced search. You can put in any months you can cruise, and all the ports you are interested in and your results will be for any itineraries that include those ports. You then book direct with the cruise line or with a travel agent.

I book my cruises at least a year in advance to get the best prices. If you wait longer, NCL might have some good "Sailaway" rates but that won't include drinks and you don't get to pick your cabin location.
Also maybe check out Carnival this year. I've done Carnival and NCL. I love both, but prefer Carnival.

There are probably a lot of options! I love cruiseweb.com's advanced search. I use that when picking what ship/cruise line to go on for a specific date/location. I would then book through the cruise line directly or a travel agent.

Here's all my tips for cruising, should answer most of your questions 🙂 : http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/p/cruise-tips.html

Here's a post from my blog I wrote about tipping that outlines everything: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2018/06/cruise-automatic-gratuities.html

I know this is an old topic, I was looking for the url (thanks for that!). No one posted the prices, so I thought I would. Looks like more expensive than on board, but you can pick the size you want instead of having to get the size they pick on board. No option for digital :/

For our first cruise, Husband insisted on a balcony room. We agreed that we probably didn't need to spend the extra money on it and our next room was an interior for a 14 day cruise! We loved it. Carnival has some of the best interior rooms. Maybe buy a couple things before you go though to help: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2017/10/cabin-must-haves.html
Oh and pack light! (this is for 7days, so bring a little less) http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2017/10/cruise-packing-list.html

Above the casino won't be loud - there's no loud music played there.

Here's what I did when I went to Nassau: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2017/11/nassau.html I don't like paying for excursions, so I find stuff near by in ports.

Haven't been to Princess Cays yet.

Last here's some stuff to know for cruising: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2018/07/cruising-101.html

...and specific to Carnival: http://laurenofalltrades.blogspot.com/2017/10/carnival-cruise-tips.html

The Atlantic is generally the most calm in the winter. This year has been unusual. But it's also been a fairly warm winter so it's really just luck of the draw. I experienced the ocean smooth as glass in May going from Halifax Canada to NYC last year.
Don't stress. Get sea bands (https://amzn.to/2C9n7Bb) and/or the sea sickness patch from your doctor and go in assuming everything will be okay. I personally like when it's a little bumpy, but I don't get any motion sickness. Sounds like a great cruise!

If you're looking for relaxing, try Norwegian. If you're looking for fun, try Carnival. I haven't been on Royal Caribbean yet - people say great things about it. If you can spend more on a luxury cruise, well, I can't help with that! I know there is less to do on board because the ships are smaller, but there will also be less people - esp. kids!

To be honest, you should filter first by where you want to cruise from, then by where you want to cruise to, then by how much you want to spend. I love cruiseweb.com for doing this! Try different cruise lines and see what you like. People are weirdly biased against Carnival, but it's my favorite.

Cruise when the kids are in school - avoid Thanksgiving, Christmas, winter, spring and summer breaks.

I think a cruise is a great way to see Japan because hotels are so expensive and it would be so hard to rent a car and drive anywhere (there is no English on the street signage).

Aim for Late spring (March to May) and late autumn (September to November) for the best weather. Go in the spring to see cherry blossoms, or autumn for fall foliage. Japanese maple trees get the prettiest red leaves!

The Ultimate Beverage Package can be a "Free at Sea" selection and can potentially be added to his booking for only the amount of the gratuities for the package (~$20) per day, but there are many factors for his to do so. He my have to either change the way he booked his cabin (price would go up), change his Free at Sea promo selection, or pick a higher category to get additional Free at Sea Promos - depending on how he booked his cabin. I can't be more helpful without knowing more details about the booking.

I'm renting a car to make that trip this February. You could also take an Uber/Lyft. I'm not sure which costs more. You get an extra seat (driver's seat) when you rent a car. If you rent with Enterprise, they'll take you from the drop-off location to the cruise port for free.

Sounds to me like you should move on to another agent. It's a sales position and your agent should get back to you quickly and never leave you hanging. I may be biased, as I would love your business myself.

I recently planned my wedding, and for every service I needed (hotel, venue, photographer, etc.) I narrowed my options down by how fast they got back to me. If they don't get back to me fast now when it's not important, how do I know they'll pull through when it does matter.

You may want to consider a shorter cruise to see if cruising is something you can do. Alaska is an amazing cruise destination, but maybe wave it for next year. I would recommend a 3 or 4 day cruise in the spring if you're able to (before hurricane season starts in June). You may still run into issues on a future 7-day Alaska cruise, but at least, if you have trouble on a 3/4-day, you're not trapped on the ship as long.

The short cruises have a reputation for being "party" cruises, but I think that is less the case during the school year and as long as you don't stay up to late. I was just on a 3-day in October and there were very few people that were drinking too much.