dchurchward

I am putting in a no package vote, but it really depends on how much you drink normally. The question I would ask myself is if I purchase the package, will I feel like I should drink more than I might normally, and how will that impact my cruise? For some people, it would not impact it at all, and for others it may have a large impact, positive or negative. I do find that when I have to purchase beverages individually, it helps me keep better track of how much I am consuming, but that may just be me.

I want to stick with royal, at least for this cruise. We will someday get to Alaska again, but for this first one we’ll do Royal. My husband and I are on a mission to visit every state together. We’ve been together for 5 years and have made it to 11 states in the time. We also did a cruise in the time and decided to get as many states via cruises as possible because we got re-addicted

I am sure you and your husband will have a good time. My family and I are on a cruise thru Royal next year to Alaska from Seattle on Ovation of the Seas. We are very excited about the ship and the excursions we have planned.

I agree that the cruise line is in a difficult position. If they respond to the report, a situation like the OP describes can be the result, and if they don't respond and a passenger tries to take his/her life then friend, family, and the other passengers will be upset and may take legal action. It is a real double-edged sword.

 

Years ago, my spouse and I had a vindictive neighbor contact Child Protective Services and make a false report about us. We had to go through a full investigation, and when they finally determined the charges were non-founded (false), we were still told we would remain on their records for the next 7 years because we had been reported.

 

For the OP, I would contact RCL and ask them if you can produce a letter from a psychological doctor that states you are normal and no threat to yourself or others would they remove you from whatever list you are currently on? Otherwise, I think the other responses are correct and you may have to stay off of any cruise line owned by RCL.

 

I am getting a letter from a professional. I just hop they will clear me to go. It was 2 years ago. I needed up staying on the ship with no issues. I have a stable job. lol I understand where they are coming from and that is why I am paying a lot for this letter. I really hope they'll approve.

 

I hope they will also. The main thing is to see if they will remove your name from the system that flagged you when you went to book another cruise, otherwise you may have to go through this each time. As other's have said, id that doesn't work then you may end up having to use another non-RCL owned cruise line when you vacation.

It depends on what the so-called friend told the cruise line. How would you like it if someone called the cruise line to warn of a suicidal or mentally unstable passenger and the cruise line did nothing about it and then the person does something that affects your cruise? Then you would still be complaining about the cruise line, but this time about not doing enough.

I agree that the cruise line is in a difficult position. If they respond to the report, a situation like the OP describes can be the result, and if they don't respond and a passenger tries to take his/her life then friend, family, and the other passengers will be upset and may take legal action. It is a real double-edged sword.

Years ago, my spouse and I had a vindictive neighbor contact Child Protective Services and make a false report about us. We had to go through a full investigation, and when they finally determined the charges were non-founded (false), we were still told we would remain on their records for the next 7 years because we had been reported.

For the OP, I would contact RCL and ask them if you can produce a letter from a psychological doctor that states you are normal and no threat to yourself or others would they remove you from whatever list you are currently on? Otherwise, I think the other responses are correct and you may have to stay off of any cruise line owned by RCL.

What has Princess go to do with it ?

My question exactly, isn't Princess owned by Carnival? Maybe the person meant Celebrity which is owned by RCCL.

I did an Alaska cruise on the Zuiderdam a few years ago. We found the food to be very good, but it really is a matter of preference. In general, Holland America caters to an older crowd, but my wife and I enjoyed it because we got the opportunity to participate in a lot of activities. Alaska is very scenic so be ready to take lots of pictures.

I will echo that Glacier Bay is really a must see, especially for your first time. I believe that only Princess and Holland America are allowed to go in there, but some feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.

If you aren't sure you will be able cruise again, taking either a northbound or southbound trip will allow you to see more of Alaska and potentially add on a land portion to get more into the interior. You can also go from Seattle or Vancouver BC. If you leave from Vancouver BC, you will probably only have Alaska ports in the itinerary. If you go from Seattle, you will stop a Victoria which is a very nice port.

There is a CC board for Alaska specific ports if you want to get ideas for excursions.

I am glad that you found a TA that you can work with and patiently answered your questions. I think it can be quite a challenge being a TA because customers will ask their many questions, but then there are probably quite a few who then go book through another source because it is a few dollars cheaper. At the same time, that is somewhat the nature of the service industry. I have a very good TA who answers my questions, is very patient, and understands some of my family dynamics, which is very helpful. Hopefully, if you like the TA you have found, you will continue to use them as you look for cruise vacations in the future.

Thanks for all the advice we are looking at Carnival Breeze in late September, bit of a worry about Hurricane season but what can you do?

Cheers for the welcome.

I hope that you have a great trip and enjoy the ship! I have been on a couple of Carnival cruises and had a great time.

In general, I would put it this way.

If you want ships with lots of activities to entertain, RCCL, Carnival, and NCL are all good choices.

For a more traditional cruise experience, Princess and Holland America are good options.

MSC provides a more European experience, but also have a large number of activities on their ships.

My key advice is that I would not choose by ports in September. As others have said, that is hurricane season so your cruise will change itineraries to avoid hurricanes.

I read this like Fight Club. In this corner you have the Captain, and in the other corner Formal Nights. I want a good clean match. :-)

The problem is even if they aren't 100% targeting more kids, the age range of those buying the cruises they are targeting want the better ships. So while I would love an adult only cruise, I don't want it to be a stuffy one on an old ship with nothing fun so so far my friends and I prefer the updated ships.

 

We're waiting to see how virgin shakes out, though so far I don't think things look promising.

 

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I might even make it more basic than that. People in general want to cruise on the newer ships. There are exceptions of course if there is a particular ship that people fall in love with, but in general, people seem to always want the newest ship. I don't even know if it is just who they are targeting.

While my last Carnival cruise was many years ago, I learned that the extended balconies on the Pride were well worth it and great for my children. I also learned that many of the merchants in mexico would try and sell stuff to my young children.

I tend to think it is best to look for the best deals and not be tied to a specific brand. However, if I had reached a specific tier level and the perks were good enough, I might change that impression. For my upcoming cruise to Alaska next year, the price per person per day is higher than what I've paid before, but I also see the price being tied directly to the popularity of an itinerary and the ship. As others have said, there are bargains to be found, but it may take time and flexibility to find them.

It seems to me that there are already cruise lines that meet the adult-only demographic or adult-focused demographic. It doesn't make sense in RCL's business model to change what is working so well for them. However, as others have stated, by cruising at times when kids are in school, or on longer itineraries, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of children on board. You could also look at Holland America, Celebrity, or Princess to further reduce the chances of children.

I hope the passengers requiring the emergency services recover quickly.

Some have done some innovative things to get around the distance limit - like a mesh set up, where multiple people set up a mesh network on the ship.

That is an interesting option. Since it looked like the discussion was around one family setting it up, I didn't think about that set-up.

Could you and your daughter find a happy medium. For example, she could be by herself by the pool and you, or another family member, could also by the pool but in a different section which allows you to see your daughter. I have done something similar, in the past, with my kids. My teenage "normal" son wanted to spend alone time with my disabled son. We came to a comprise that we would allow this as long as we could be in the same area. We were far enough away from them, that they felt they were on there own but close enough that if my disabled son starting fitting we could be there quickly.

 

Not sure how you have booked your cruise but we book through a Travel agent. When we have completed RCI's Guest Special Needs Form we ask the TA to send it to RCI and ask the TA to keep a copy for their own records. In the past RCI have claimed not to have received our special needs form.

Your advice could be a very good compromise with her. We have done that at other times when we are out in public with her, although she isn't always too happy about it. At this point, it isn't normally too much of a problem where we live as all of her friends know about her condition, and what to do if she has a cataplexy attack.

I will talk with my spouse before going to the TA. Honestly, I hadn't considered that as I assumed the cruise line would want very specific information that I'm not sure I'd want to share with our TA, but I didn't consider the advocacy angle.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts,

Make sure everyone has passports, in case the worst happens and they make you leave the ship in a non-US port. EM

Thank you for the advice. We are going to ensure everyone has a passport, even though the only international port on the cruise is in Victoria B.C. I like the family all having passports as that simplifies any vacation plans we have.

Even if this option is allowed by RCL, it seems somewhat limited due to the range of the router. While you are in your room, it would be nice to have multiple devices connected at once, but how often are you in your room? When you do this, do you take your router with you if you are spending time in other areas of the ship, or use it just in your room and the surrounding area?

Holy smokes that is a scratch for sure.

 

Seems like NY could fix this.

 

 

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Nothing a little Bondo and sanding couldn't fix. ;p

The cruise line should have a "special needs" department.

Contact them and see what they require and what they can assist with.

 

I would STRONGLY suggest that your daughter NEVER be left alone on the ship

"Most of the time..." probably isn't good enough on a ship. It's a relatively crowded area in many areas, and other passengers cannot be expected to know what to do. Some may not even notice she needs help or is unable to respond "normally", and she could get hurt inadvertently.

 

There are passengers with a variety of disabilities, and the cruise line will work with you.

On the other hand, they will want to be certain that neither your daughter or anyone else is likely to be at serious risk.

(If "something happens" and they find that she didn't have proper supervision, it's possible that you would be off-loaded at the next port. If she is always accompanied, then this not at all likely to be a problem, and hopefully you can all have a wonderful trip!)

 

Make sure that you have extras of ALL medications she takes or might need. Don't count on the medical clinic to have meds for unusual conditions.

And don't let those meds out of your sight while traveling to the ship. Do NOT put them in checked luggage.

 

GC

Thank you very much for your advice. If it was fully up to me, one of us would always be with her. She is turning 18 today, and like many teenagers, she can be very moody and determine she wants to be by herself. We have discussed this issue at length for when we are on the cruise because your thoughts completely match mine. I am very hopeful that we will have this illness even more under control at the time we are on the cruise, but also trying to have back-up plans in mind in case we don't. And yes, even though you didn't ask, I did purchase cancel for any reason insurance. :)

Let's be honest, a car never truly feels like it's yours until you get the first scratch on it. Maybe it's the same for a cruise ship...I think that docking could be very challenging, as even with a pilot, the wind and currents can change and a situation can go from normal to crazy very quickly. I am glad that no one was hurt and the ship seems to have only received minor damage.

My family are scheduled to take an Alaska cruise next summer. Recently, my daughter has been diagnosed with Narcolepsy with full body cataplexy. For those without a medical degree that means she will appear to pass out, but will be fully aware of what is going on, but with no ability to move or respond. Generally these episodes last no more than 5 minutes, but have extended up to 15 minutes on rare occasions. She has a medic-alert bracelet with a description of her condition, and our contact information, but are there steps I need to take to alert the cruise line, in case something happens. Most of the time, I would expect that my wife, myself, or one of her siblings will be with her in case she has an episode. I want to try and ensure she has a good time on the cruise, and make sure the cruise line is aware. Has anyone experienced something lie this and how do you notify the cruise line of specific medical conditions?