Itchy&Scratchy

well, our Thanksgiving cruise is sold out and is not even on ncl.com anymore. So, I guess, no upgrades are coming.

On 10/8/2018 at 2:11 PM, rogerdawhip said:

The Horizon Court and Bistro were a disaster. Even after 14 days it was confusing as to what was where.

 

 

we never had any problems remembering what was where. Even on 7 day cruises.

31 minutes ago, April7901 said:

I'm on the 11/11/2018 sailing of the Breakaway out of New Orleans. 

I got the offer to upgrade on 8/23.  I was booked in an Oceanview, category OB.  The offer was for either a mini suite, minimum bid $50pp, or a balcony, minimum bid $25pp.

I put in a bid of $95pp for a mini, and $75 for a balcony.

On Thursday, October 22th, I got the notice that we were awarded the balcony upgrade, and with the confirmation, moved to a forward BC on deck 13.

hmmm, October 22nd hasn't happened yet. Did you travel from the future? And it's not on Thursday either. :)

Sorry you're right, it's a BubbleBum.

 

https://www.amazon.com/BubbleBum-Backless-Inflatable-Booster-Black/dp/B00AQYZCXK/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1539042138&sr=8-1&keywords=bumble+seat

bubblebum has a 40# minimum, and as long as the child is at least 40#, and is mature enough to sit properly during the entire ride, the seat belt fit is good, and it's a perfectly acceptable booster. Provided the child will stay properly seated in it. If not, then it's not a safe seat.

hippo: don't forget your flip flops (I did on our first cruise) and your toothbrushes (my DH forgot on his first cruise).

Seriously the food in the buffet on my Royal Princess cruise was only fit for pigs. The presentation of the refried beans reminded me of a pile of dead bees.

 

Annie

wat?

 

Been on Regal twice, LOVED it, booked my 3rd Regal cruise 2 days ago. I seriously sail on Princess for food only, because it offers nothing else of value to us.

Yes, plus on the wayfinder screens near the elevator lobbies.

 

If you have the Royal Caribbean app on your phone, you can open all the menus for your cruise in the app.

how fancy. I don't believe RCI had that on Independence in 2014.

I wouldn't cancel. Our spring break starts on April 1.

I’m going to post them as we go along this week, day 1 is above.

The only exception will be Thursday as we’re eating in Chops that night.

Princess ships have dinner and lunch menus posted in a "billboard" right outside the dining rooms. Doesn't the Allure?

medications? sunscreen? sunhats/bathing suits? sunglasses?

if you want good food, go on Princess (Royal and Regal) or Celebrity. Norwegian and RCI are not famous for their good food.

Also, Princess and Celebrity are geared towards adult travel.

Catch Sip'n'Sail promotion on Princess and you will be all set. Or look into their current promotion of 3 for free (grats and onboard credit).

 

Don't forget that you will have to pay a 20% gratuity on Norwegian daily on that drink package, so it's about $20 per day pp.

If you insist your kids are in car seats no matter the law

sorry, but it's like saying - "well, if you do insist on using the life saving devices for your children (although I can't imagine why anybody would want to use those....)".

 

By the way, FLL airport has a huge sign at the taxi stand that says: Children under 5 must be in car seats. It's the law.

I don't know if this applies to taxi's, but with private hired vehicles the law doesn't require the use of car seats. You may want to look into this option

which doesn't cancel the laws of physics. Did you read about 18 people that died in a limo crash the other day? They didn't have seatbelts on, because it's not required in a limo by law.

 

As for the rental car seats - a big no-no. You don't know whether they have been in an accident and never replaced, or have been improperly cleaned (improper chemicals or submerged harness). Or they may simply be expired. Puked or pooped onto.

 

 

To OP: another option is to order an Uber with ImmiGo seat for your 4 yo. This way you will only have to bring a seat for your 1 yo.

 

If an uber driver has 2 immigo seats, you can use the other one for your 1 yo, but I'd rather rear face till 2. Especially with the crazy taxi drivers in ports and airports. But in an emergency, this would be ok to FF a 1 yo for a brief drive.

Thank you very much for that.

Was hoping it would be straight forward but alas!

what seats do you have at home? I traveled with a Britax Frontier for my 5 yo and it was actually better than I thought it was going to be.

 

https://community.babycenter.com/post/a62126569

"cooking for over 3000" is a cop out as an excuse for the poor quality. It is possible to serve very high quality meals to 1000s. High end banquet halls and caterers do it all the time.

Regal and Royal Princess ships serve 3,000+ people, and the food in MDR and the buffet is fantastic.

Food in NCL's MDRs is definitely of a lower quality than Royal Caribbean

when I was inquiring about NCL's food a couple of months ago, most people agreed that it was better than RCI, but worse than Princess. I was even told that if RCI is a 1 and Princess is a 10, NCL rates right around 5.

you will be better off bringing your seats with you. Or get a $40 Cosco Scenera NEXT for the 1 yo and Evenflo Maestro for the 4 yo. If the 4 yo is very tall and heavy, you may get away with bringing a backless booster.

You will need to use the Maestro on the flight. If you didn't book a seat for the 1 yo, you will need to gate check your NEXT - do it in the original packaging and do it at the gate. It doesn't guarantee its safety, but it's better than checking it with the luggage.

 

Even if a taxi arrives with seats, there is no guarantee that the seats will fit your children or will be age appropriate.

Also check out Travel with Children board on www.babycenter.com and Family Cruising here on cc.

Thanks everyone for your feedback!! Ironically, I always purchased insurance but didn't do it this time. Believe me, I know where my priorities are and where to direct my energy. I just needed to vent!!! Thanks again!

still check your credit card - my Chase visa has a trip cancellation insurance built in.

OP saw the choice when making the booking.

 

 

Since you already have the booking you will have to call your TA (or Princess if you are not using a TA) and ask to have your booking marked "will not accept upgrade."

I made a booking 2 days ago, and didn't see any buttons or spaces for a check mark.

thanks!

is it possible to buy a soda package for just one person? Is it better to do on the ship or in advance?

to answer your question - yes, US McDonald's has an Egg McMuffin, which is an English muffin with ham, egg and cheese. It's delicious.

DISPOSABLE diapers are not a necessity. I never said that I knew the number being sold. Nice try though better luck next time.

when traveling, disposable diapers are a god send. Have you actually traveled with an infant on solid foods in cloth diapers?

You have to store and wash the dang things. The last thing someone wants to deal with on a cruise is a pile of pooped on diapers....

just got this lovely email:

 

 

We have noticed a change in your reservation and, as a result, have cancelled your Upgrade Advantage offer(s).

what the? We are in OV, I bid for a balcony and mini-suite. NCL cancelled my balcony bid.

So, I placed the bid again.

does the cup have a chip or a sticker or something, like on RCI?

lol, I didn't even know we had lights on the balcony. Granted, we've only had a balcony cabin once.

 

P.S. yes, we were on deck 8 balconies as well. There was a lot of light coming from below, but that didn't bother us at all. We were so happy to have a balcony. Plus, I am a little night blind.