ryanpatricksmom

Also, there are still some ships where they actually hand you cash rather than having it available to download on the machines (the Spirit class ships as an example). If that happens you can certainly choose not to play it and use it to offset your onboard charges.....I personally don't have that level of discipline, LOL!

I'm still getting a different balance due every time I try to get into my booking which leaves on February 11th...It's been paid in full since October, LOL! The shore excursions are all screwed up as well. I was looking for a couple of quick ones to book but the descriptions aren't matching the port, so I don't have any confidence that I'll actually end up with anything that I want. It's going to be a long Monday for the NCL IT Dept.

100% agree with holding entertainment in the Center Stage Area. Even bingo was a disaster. I think that it would be fine if they had a band playing, or any other type of performance that didn't require you to see. Why on earth they would have a dance/aerial show where at least half of the seats (if you can find one) were blocked by either pillars or the level above is beyond me.

The odds are very good that even if exposed you will make it home before you have an issue. My July cruise was a 10 day and I got the sore throat and a rash on the last day. I was still negative all the way home which took 2 days. Other than the nasty sore throat and fatigue it was never a big deal. The second cruise was 8 days and I developed the rash (again) with a milder sore throat on debarkation day. I again was able to fly home before testing positive. This time I was very sick on day 3, fine by day five. I still haven't gotten a negative test (and I sail next Saturday), so I'm in stressed out mode too! I think being double boosted you start to get symptoms before the viral load gets high enough to test positive so you get some time to get your ducks in a row. Hopefully this variant will start losing steam soon. Good luck!

I'm pretty sure that was our cabin as well. Loved everything about it except for the shower/tub set up. It took some really careful maneuvering to get in and out of the shower.

We had an entirely different experience. When you arrive they have lines (outside) clearly marked for your boarding time. They only allow the passengers with those boarding times to move up to the terminal. Once in the terminal it was a breeze. What may have set our situation apart is that we stayed at the Hyatt at the airport the night before and took a Carnival transfer to the port. We were dropped off to stand in the line, but our luggage was taken directly to the porters. We didn't see it again until it arrived at our cabin. We may have waited 15-20 minutes before our line was allowed to enter. We could easily have taken a later transfer if we had really wanted to avoid the wait. For debarkation I did find that the signage at the terminal was a bit confusing. We stayed at a hotel less than a mile from the port so we decided to walk with all of our luggage (it proved to be a poor decision due to bumpy, crowded sidewalks). It was ridiculously difficult to figure out how to leave the port area as a pedestrian.

I have been vaccinated and double boosted. During the pandemic I visited Disneyworld multiple times, sometimes for 14 days at a stretch. I live in a golf community that wouldn't understand social distancing no matter how many times it was explained. I have flown at least a half dozen times to various locations staying in many hotels. I live in a state that hasn't abided by masking requirement for the entire pandemic. I sailed in August of 2021 and January and March of 2023. I evaded COVID for all of that time, through all of that traveling. Since the more virulent strains have become predominant I have cruised twice. Both times (July and August) I have returned from the cruises with COVID. The first instance could have been considered like a "cold", but I promise you this last time was not. It was very much like a bad flu with a temperature of 102.9. I am about to sail again for 3 weeks, so I will be getting the 3rd booster and hope that my immunity is in overdrive since I had a more severe case this last time. I fully support relaxing the rules on testing since it really only captures a moment in time rendering it a useless tool. What everyone should know, however, is that for me, and for many others that I know who have had similar experiences, you should be prepared to get COVID (likely towards the end of your cruise). While the likelihood that the vaccinated will not require medical attention, it will not be a pleasant experience either. Take medications with you such as Mucinex, Tylenol, Throat Lozenges, and Cough Suppressant. Have a plan in place in the event that you are too sick to make it home, and bring masks so that you don't spread it to anyone else.

Thanks so much for the responses regarding the On Demand section. I had actually thought that could be the case but when I checked the first few movies there was a fee, so I didn't think to keep looking. It would be a lot more helpful if they had a "free" section, but whatever. There are at least a dozen movies for free, many of them suitable for the junior cruisers. That's the downside to losing the paper Funtimes. That's exactly the type of information that used to be communicated. Lesson learned. If you're on a ship with an interactive television, there are still free movies, just no movie channel. As another poster pointed out, it's actually an improvement....if you know where to look!

Apologies if this has been posted already, but the internet has been even worse than usual so a search is out of the question, LOL! We're currently on the Horizon and the complimentary movies channels are gonzo. We were just on the Miracle a couple of weeks ago, and they were still available. Is this fleet wide or just a Horizon thing? It's our first time sailing her. Honestly, it's been very rare that I was lucky enough to ever catch one of the movies from the beginning, but it was a nice option to have.