elaine5

would I still get the "in transit" card, or have to disembark with all my luggage and then do the embarkations again with 2 one ways?

On 1/28/2024 at 11:02 PM, MacMadame said:

Then I made a reservation for 2 at 5:30 pm in one particular MDR for the entire cruise ahead of time. (That's about when we normally eat and it allows us 2 shots at the show.)

We did similar for 6:20 each night for table for 2. We plan to sit at a share table a few nights. I'm guessing that the hostess will happily to swap us on those evenings, as there likely will be diners waiting for 2 tops. 

For Alaska cruise: we can book 2 one ways (N/S) or a 14 day cruise. Any major pros/cons in just booking 14 days? On 14, we'd keep same cabin. How about embarking, anything else to consider? As the N one way would stop in Whittier, it's not likely we'd want the flex to canx one leg later, like in Ft Lauderdale.

Hi, wondering about the “limited free shuttle” to Lyttelton? Do we need to sign up? Just get off the ship? Do they run out?  We just want to stay in L and not go CC. 

I'd say Sun is the best bet if you want Princess, with Sun adding more fun/active things. I read this was Princess trying to attract families/younger cruisers with Sun's design. My kids also really enjoyed the RCCL Navigator/Freedom class ships. Just the right size with lots of "fun" things. There are likely to be more kids their age on RCCL in October. But at 11/13, they likely are happy to explore the ship together-that's what they did as tweens/teens. Mine also enjoyed the Princess MUTS (poolside movies) at night (when age appropriate) if the stage entertainment didn't appeal to them. If you're doing Princess 3/4 in cabin for free, it's a great deal. I'd think it'd have enough to keep them busy and happy for the week on the Sun. IMHO, food better on P than RCCL in MDR.

On 10/14/2023 at 6:39 PM, bren61 said:

Are there any cruisers out there that had the same concerns, & were content after going back to the small ships you started on?

Please post back how you liked your cruise. We are considering for 2025.

We sailed Vision in 2022. I expected a smaller, older ship, and thought it was fine--but definitely not a big ship experience (compared to Anthem or even Explorer). So wondering on Grandeur about Entertainment, MDR and buffet food, activities in Centrum--game show, silent disco, 70s night, etc.?  

We had extras added to Asia cruise for this spring. They also added some to an excursion that was not accepting WL. I happened to check and they still had the 8am as full, but then offered 9 and 10am departures. So, keep checking also. 

2 hours ago, Traderboy said:

It sounds as if we need to book a local tour in Olden. 
is it possible to book one in advance or are they easily available on disembarkation?

We booked in advance. It was an excellent tour. 

 oldenadventure.com

For Alesund, we walked into town and walked up the 500 steps to the top of the mountain/lookout point. It is fabulous if you have good weather. Easy walk (5 yr olds were doing it), not steep.

4 hours ago, Traderboy said:

Secondly  it would be helpful to know what is easily accessible in these various places

if you mean mobility impaired, I'd highly suggest:

Olden-above mentioned tour, but adding troll cars. It's a very fun excursion. You must be able to transfer to the four wheel, jeep-type vehicle. 

Stavanger-Boat excursion to fjords, view (from bottom) of Pulpit rock. Short walk around small pier to get to boat. Same one used for ships' excusrions. https://rodne.no/en/

45 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Are you saying they have smoking in the music venues?  Or just nearby?

Smoking is in casino on deck 3, which is above those deck 2 venues with an open staircase. Seating towards midship is fine; seating on the perimeter towards front is not if you are sensitive to smoke. BB King's is further midship and is not affected by casino smoking. 

Thanks, Terri, were those the actual dr/hospital charges, even if not in network? And was it for illness or accident (as I think coverage might be more generous for accidents)? Thanks so much for posting! Elaine

We also took the X99 on prior BI cruise. Easy peasy.

1 hour ago, gknep said:

From what I'm reading it sounds like Princess sits in a nice middle ground between HAL and NCL in terms of activity level, entertainment, and service. 

I'd say this is spot on. 

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

I think you merged quotes from two different people .  I did not say the first two  line you included in my quote. 

 

Only the last line is something that I actually wrote.

yes. merged quotes, yours was only last part. sorry. 

16 minutes ago, TRLD said:

[I still do not think Music Walk would get me to choose HAL over Princess.

And, I wonder if it is true that the actual play-lists are that tightly controlled?]

....Once they were hired they started on learning/practicing the songs from an approved Playlist

We were on Rotterdam a few weeks ago. The Music walk is fun, but doesn't make up for lackluster headliner entertainment. The Rolling Stones band some fun 80 music and people were dancing on a small dance floor. BB King is a nice jazz/blues band, Billboard is dueling piano singers. All are good for an evening or two. 1 group rotates off each night. You must go at least 45 minutes ahead of 1st show to get a seat, then fairly packed for the rest of the night. They usually play 3 45 minute sets/night. Again, if smoke bother you, almost 1/2 of Biilboard and Rolling Stones are not good, thus limiting seating options. 

I'll also put in a plug for Cunard. We sailed QV to France/Spain last summer as we got a great deal and it fit out time parameters. We expected a stuffy, boring cruise--not--we enjoyed it very much. There were very few children, even during UK summer holidays. Good food in MDR and buffet. Entertainment was the main drawback-headliner show was salute to 20/30s songs. But there were several nights that were very good (crazy cellist). Theater was Victorian style-beautiful. We also enjoyed watching cruisers ballroom dancing very much-some were very good. At it was fun watching the host/hostess teach others to dance. If we wanted a refined, fairly sedate cruise to relax, read, get some sun, this would be it for us if we wanted to mix it up from Princess and Celebrity. 

9 hours ago, leck57 said:

Compared to Princess we found HAL a near death experience. 

We will give them another go on their newer ships

Just got back from Rotterdam. We expected an older crowd. But, on our sailing, I'd guess at least 25% were 50 and under, with 25% in the 50-75 age group. A few children and young adults. Music walk was full in the evenings. On the Orange party night, the venue (at BB King's) was packed at 10pm. The Orange bar hop was at capacity at 9:30. Someone at HMC (young adult) said she felt that her (older) HA ship was mostly a quite old crowd.

There is also a recent comparison with Celebrity on the HA board. Celebrity is a better fit for us; it has a good mix of activity, more than HA or even Princess, but less than Royal C, Carnival, or NCL. Pricing is usually better on Princess so we tend to stick with Princess for similar itineraries. For ex, on a NZ cruise, a balcony on a 13 day P was $1K less than an OV on 12 day C for the same ports. We have always had a good experience and feel P delivers a quality product. But, there are many loyal HAers, who feel the same for HA. 

On 2/25/2023 at 9:35 AM, disneyochem said:

 HAL did not show any games (no NFL, no World Cup) during the Thanksgiving week—not in a public venue or in our rooms!

On Rotterdam early January, college bowl games and pro play-offs were on large pool screen and also in rooms where one could chose which play-off game to watch.

We just got off a 9 day HA in the Carib. It is similar to Princess in quality, with a bit older demographics. It was not school holiday in USA, so very few children. I do not know what it would be like for school holidays. We were on Rotterdam, there is a good discussion of our sailing (comparing to Celebrity) recently on the HA board. Overall, we much prefer Princess and found HA to be a bit too quiet for us, with the entertainment is severely lacking. Food was very good. 

Here is a recent discussion:

thanks. I just found the video. I thought that would be really weird as it seemed to open directly in deck plan.

2 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

and all beach chair sets ( sets of 2 or 4) include a complimentary umbrella

are those chairs free, or do you reserve them for a fee? 

I'm considering an OV cabin on deck 3 across from the photo gallery (3700-3712). Is there a separate hallway for the cabin? Confirming that the doors do not open directly into the photo gallery area?

Can we just get off ship, grab some chairs in the shade (under a palm tree, etc.) and hang for the day at the beach, swim, eat the BBQ lunch without spending extra $? Or do we need to get a clam shell? If so, can we pick which one or is it assigned? Are there certain places/beaches that we'd need to pay an entrance fee? We don't care about water toys, zip lines, etc. Just a great beach day for 2 60 yr olds. 

Asking here on CC for late 2024.  Didn’t realize excursions are still Canx after boating incident.