jerseyralph

On 9/12/2023 at 3:23 PM, jdog99 said:

I see that this will be your first Carnival cruise.  Each cruise line has a distinct personality and I enjoy the vibe and personality of all of them.  Holland tends to be a quieter cruise with older guests while Carnival tends to foster a louder party atmosphere and Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are between the two with a more family vibe.  A positive outlook makes all the difference between finding enjoyment or misery.

Jim 

Agreed! 

Looking forward to this trip!  Many past cruises on CCL.  Both myself and DW are Platinum.   Celebrating our 35 wedding anniversary.   

That was not the only issue, but it was the final straw.  If, when we were exiting the ship, they had indicated that we were owed money, not that we owed MSC money, we would not had been as upset.  Our experience and observations have always indicative that if you get flagged leaving the ship, you owe money to the company.  

We departed an MSC ship on Sunday. We are avid cruisers and had two more booked. MSC is, by far, the least coopertative with cruisers than we have ever experienced. Here is an example. We followed the rules on Sunday, in departing the ship in New York. Our group was called and we got on line. We knew we did not owe any money and no one had told us we were owed money. My husband makes it through departing and I am stopped at the gate. Huh? I am told I have to report to customer service. They would not let my husband join me. Long story short, we made it to customer service. They told us they owed us $14 because we did not pick up an umbrella we had reserved on the island. They walked us over to a cash machine and retrieved 4$ in quarters and a ten dollar bill and then told us we could go back to depart the ship. That was the finale to cruise adventures we had never experienced before. Never again. 

We will be sailing on the Carnival Venezia in February, 2024.  We are going to island we have never been to, Antigua, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Maarten.   Recognizing that the cruise ships excursions are heavily marked up, I am looking at several companies, ShoreExcursionner and Shore Excursions Group.  I have also seen some discussion here about Venture Ashore, generally to stay away from that company.  

I would be interested in any feedback or recommendations, good or bad anyone may have. 

JerseyRalph

We wish you a long, healthy and happy marriage. We will be on the ship with you. We are in a balcony stateroom. We are avid cruisers and this is our first time on an MSC ship. 

Ralph and Gina

Great information.  Thank you.  We will be getting on the Meraviglia on 6/18.  We are seasoned cruisers on the usual suspects (NCL, Carnival, RC) and we are eager to see how MSC stacks up. 

We used Verifly to board the Legend two weeks ago. It was easy to do.

They asked us when they looked at our boarding passes if we had used it. We said yes. They asked to see our Verifly, we held up our cell phones and we walked onto the ship. I am posting this to remind everyone that Verifly is the new way to travel. We are flying on American Airlines on 5/19 and they have asked us to use Verifly. 

I am a stem cell transplant patient who found out on 11/6/21 that my 2 doses of the Monderna covid vaccine produced no antibodies in me. I immediately was given a third full dose. I wear masks everyhere I go. Many of us with health issues are having issues with the vaccine and the press is not paying much attention to it.

We booked two cruises back when we thought the vaccine was going to bring this pandemic to a close. We were booked on the Gem to depart NYC on 12/19 and head south. We are gold on NCL. We also booked A February cruise on Carnival ( we are Platinum and had lots of credits because of the pandemic ) out of Baltimore to once again head south. This morning we got up and the NYC news reported that at least 10 people tested positive for Covid on the cruise that returned to NOLA yesterday. 

I called NCL. They told me that there was an outbreak and that it started with a crew member from South Africa. Yes folks, NCL told me that and a supervisor confirmed it. I was stunned. How could a crew member board the ship covid positive? My husband asked me to cancel. He is even willing to take the financial hit. He is afraid for me to board a ship. WE believed NCL's protocols would protect us. 

NCL Miami is refunding things like our wifi upgade. We have to go to insurance to make a claim for about $2500. If insurance declines the claim ( my doctors will help me with this.), NCL will give us 70% back in cruise certificates. Trying to transfer the cruise to sometime next fall or winter would have cost me 3500! 

Carnival was different. They transferred our paid in full cruise to one that sails out of NYC in Sept.They waived the fees. Much easier to deal with. We can change it again if we need to. 

I share this to remind everyone that some people who believe they are fully vaccinated find out they are not and everyone PLEASE buy that insurance. Without it, my husband and I would be out $2500. 

Be safe and well! 

As an experienced cruiser I'm sure you understand nothing is "required" it's only a suggestion. We were recently on Anthem and there was a wide range of dress on any given night.

Thanks for your reply. I am taking it to my packing heart.

I agree that its not true, but its also not from an old thread. That is taken directly from Cruise Critics own page about Anthem. I remember being super frustrated when I first started researching Anthem. The dinning situation is annoyingly confusing when both Royal's own website and CC still refer to Dynamic Dinning and formal dress in The Grande. I expect that from Royal's awesome website, but not here.

 

Griping aside, I finally figured out that dining is just like any other Royal ship now except Anthem has 4 "main dining rooms" with different decors but consistent menus in all 4. Menu does change each night, but on any given night each of the 4 rooms is serving the same things. 2 rooms are generally used for traditional dinning times and 2 for MTD.

Thanks! I agree with everything you wrote. It can be confusing and we are experienced cruisers!

No, that is not true. You must be reading an old thread. Dynamic Dining was discontinued over a year ago. There are now two formal nights on a 7 day cruise, just like other ships.

Thanks for your reply. The quote can be found on CC's Anthem page. It is still there.

Hi Everyone,

As per Cruise Critic (today),

"Anthem of the Seas does not have a formal night, but if you dine at The Grande on any night, formal dress is required. Acceptable formal wear includes evening or cocktail gowns or dressy slacks and blouses for women, and tuxes, suits or slacks with sports coats, dress shirts and ties for men."

Is this true?

Thanks,

Gina and Ralph

so, the port of canaveral is closing today and the carnival victory dropped off its passengers (a day early) and is now heading out to sea empty. I am on tomorrow's cruise and just called carnival to see what the status is. They claim they're on standby. I then ask the csr so that means i am expected to travel to a closed port to board a ship that's not there? She said at the moment that's what that means. Unbelievable. :rolleyes:

oops! Someone else posted Carnival's update.

We are boarding the Sunshine on 10/8. We have done Canada 5 and 7 days on Carnival multiple times. This time Canada will be celebrating Thanksgiving on the day we dock in Saint John. What should we expect in terms of closings?

Thanks!

Gina and Ralph

You can read this thread and tell who has been part of competitive team sports and who hasn't.

Yes!

We raised a sports team captain, a State champion fencer (now age 23), and taking her away from her team over winter breaks, when practice happened daily, was simply unthinkable. Her coaches would have thought we had lost our minds.

Thanks for everyone's positive responses. We are truly looking forward to that trip!

This week we booked the 10 day Gem departing NYC on 10/10. I just realized that NCL is marketing this itinerary as part of a 17 day trip that begins 10/3 and includes 7 days Canada first, back to NYC , then 10 days Eastern Caribbean. I am a bit concerned. We will be boarding the ship with passengers who have already been sailing on her for 7 days.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of trip? Are there any downsides to sailing with people who boarded seven days before you?

Thanks for any input.

Gina and Ralph

Yes. So?

 

Close to $200 a head for five hours or so in a park? That was what I can't imagine . . .

We have imagined it and done it quite a few times now from a variety of ships departing from NYC, Baltimore and Cape Liberty. It has worked quite well each time.

Last time was from RCCL's Explorer. We took Royal's excursion, as did about 200 other families, including the Captain's wife and their three small daughters.

If you plan ahead, you can do much in the time allotted.

Hi Everyone,

DH and I had a mini-suite with large balcony for our third Breakaway cruise this 10/19/14. I believe we were in 8128. We loved it. The balcony is somewhere between 8x11 and 9x12. There are standard dividers between each balcony. To speak to your neighbor requires leaning around the divider along the railing. The balcony had two chairs, a very sturdy table with plenty of room for dining and two loungers.

Balconies above you can look down and see a large portion of your balcony. It was never a problem for us. We did have quite a view of the neighbors above us who rigged a clothesline and hung laundry, underwear usually, daily!

That stateroom also has an amazing shower built for two (!) with adjustable jets that come be moved around.

We loved the deck 8 forward location. We had smooth sailing all the way and never really felt any motion. We will book this location again.

Have fun!

Gina

Random thoughts I have been on 19 cruises all lines more than once except Princess I am shocked that 10 days later I am still somewhat wowed by this ship and this cruise line. We had been on the Jewel in Europe for 12 days in 07 and found it to be a good cruise but many of the bad things people say about this line were right on, that is not the case with the Breakaway.In fact a would call this ship the breakthrough and boy is it ,it has the most incl. food spots and irish pub (D.W.loved this) . The waterfront a real design breakthrough (I will bet other ships will soon have this)This is my new favorite ship (sorry Sillhoutte)and would love to cruise with her again. As far as things I did not like they are minor quibbles at best low water pressure in the shower and one thing I did miss from R.C.C.L. and X ships is the large night club on top of the ship. On this ship many things were held in the atrium which was to small to host many of the events.Also a small number of T.V. channels.There is one thing I more than likley be sorry I mention SMOKING(we do not) but this ship is very smoke frendly(it does not bother us)you can smoke at the waterfront, a lounge at pool ,the bar at the pool and in the casino. It was a great cruise and would tell anyone who asks , the Breakaway Yes. if you have any ques. please ask.

I so agree with your comments. After a terrible experience a few year's back, we had decided we would never step foot on an NCL ship again. Then we were working too hard last winter and a two-day opportunity on the Breakaway was available and we said, "Why not?". We came off that ship just loving it. This year we took two more Breakaway adventures and still love it. It is our current favorite. We have sailed Carnival x 12, RCCL x 10, Disney x 2 and Celebrity x 3. We reserve the right to let Quantum change our minds.

Anyhow, the atrium is too small, the food is remarkably good in all venues. Ocean Blue is amazing. We did UDP and will do it again. That is not to say the no-upcharge venues were not good. They were very good. I do wish they would expand the tv channels but... must admit I loved cuddling with DH and watching Wizard of OZ. The smaller entertainment venues are great. We had so much fun with Les in Fat Cats and Howl at the Moon. The freebie, no reservations, Tina Turner show on day six was amazing. I love not wearing formal stuff for dinner. I love choosing where and when to eat. It is a gorgeous ship and we will board her again, asap. We just need more vacation time.

We had a mini-suite with large balcony, about 9 x 11 feet, a dining table with two chairs, two loungers. We loved the jetted shower built for two. It is powerful and so relaxing.

Glad to read you had a great time. We look so forward to doing it again and yes, we bought a certificate for our next visit.

Be well,

Gina

? How would you make a change to MDR reservations? They are all open and freestyle-no ressies needed. Unless you are with a large group?

We have sailed the Breakaway twice this year (Me and DH) and we are boarding her again this Sunday. We take the Unlimited dining package and always have reservations for dinner. If you are planning on eating in any of the specialty venues, you should make advance reservations. Additionally, one night we walked past the MDR and there were about 200 people on line at the hostess desk. The hostesses were walking the line suggesting people go to Taste or Savor. People were not budging.

Make those reservations...... if you can. Freestyle is not quite as freestyle as we imagined it to be!

Enjoy!

Gina

Hi,

I'll be in Breakaway on 29th of March with my family. We were two times in Miami but never gone to Orlando. The first stop of our cruise is Port Canaveral. My daughter, age 8, wants to go to Magic Kingdom park. I know we'll be on a Spring Break weekend, the park will be 8/10 full, won't have much time in the park, the price is very high, but... it's a "unique" opportunity to go to Disney because I don't know when I'll back in Florida. I'm planning to go with NCL to have the peace of mind of don't think in traffic/delays.

 

 

So, can anyone tell me how it's was its experience in the park leaving Port Canaveral in a shore excursion? Advices to have a better experience?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide us.

If I were in your position, with an 8 year old, I would go for it. There are a few things you can do that will make the experience less difficult and more memorable for her.

We now have a 21 year old daughter and she has visited Disney every year, since she was 6. We have visited with longer stays on property, combined often with cruises that departed from Port Canaveral, and day long visits from cruises we boarded in NYC.

It can be done! The real issue from the Breakaway is the timing, the afternoon arrival. You can do it, but more careful planning is required.

To guarantee great memories for an 8 year old visiting MK, I would book a character dinner at Grand Floridian (princesses). For example, You can take the boat or the monorail to the hotel (memorable in itself). OR visit Pooh and Tigger at the dinner near the entrance of the park at the Crystal Palace. Either can then be combined with afternoon parade viewing and one or two venues.

Be a well-armed parent and know where things are and what would make her happy. There is no way for you to see it all in the time available. But great memories can be made when a well-educated parent is driving the journey.

I would pick my battles carefully based on what she would be excited to be part of. If a show at the castle and parade viewing would be the most powerful for her, I would stay centrally located on the center of MK only trying one additional section of the park. You should have no problem surfacing schedules on line.

You must have reservations for character dinners six months in advance. So, now is the time to make those decisions.

There are forum driven websites that can help you make very specific decisions. Check out the dis.

Have fun! They get to be 21 really, really fast! Now, in addition to college tuition, we pay for suites at Disney hotels!

Gina

I guess I should have read the whole thread first!

I purchased a 7-day cruise for whole family of 5 people at Norwegian about 1 month ago, but my wife will have a medical exam next week, the result may not be good and we may have to cancel the trip due to that. It will be 3 days prior to the departure of the cruise, and according to the policy, we may not get any refund, it's over $4000

 

The doctor said she can write up a doctor note for us, but I don't think we can use it.

 

Is it possible to buy insurance now? Like www.insuremytrip.com and http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com ?

 

My concern is that the insurance may deny our claim for reasons like pre-existing condition. Buy my wife is not diagnosed with any illness now, she could still go if the exam result is good. It all depends on the medical exam result next week.

 

Welcome any constructive suggestions!

I have much experience around miscarriages! There is no reason at all for you and your wife to be waiting to find out if this pregnancy is not progressing. Your doctor should be able to schedule an ultrasound and, if necessary, a subsequent D and C immediately. If, in fact, she needs a d and c, it is likely she will be physically fine and able to cruise afterward. Sorry you have to go through this. For you and your wife's emotional, physical and financial well-being, your doctor should be able to help as quickly as possible. I am sorry you have to go through this.

Gina