tmusgrave

Absolutely the worst experience I've ever had. This was my first, and most definitely my last cruise with Norwegian. 

The ship smelled awful. Sewage smells throughout the ship. The elevators smelled like rotten sauerkraut. Disgusting! 

The ship was constantly vibrating. My mom said it felt like someone was kicking her bed all night. 

First stop in Great Stirrup Key was canceled due to sea conditions. Ok, no problem, better safe than sorry. 

When I booked, we were in Cuba for 24 hours - noon on 12/24 until noon on 12/25. Then they changed the itinerary to leave at 6 am on 12/25. Ok, whatever. Not what I booked, but I'll still have a good amount of time in Havana. Then we're told we won't get into Havana until 4:30 PM. WHAT???? Depending on who you talked to, it was either a problem on shore or a problem on shore. God forbid they are actually honest about the fact there was a problem with our ship. Their insincere response to the passengers incited a riot at guest services. 

It never really got any better from there. Worst cruise line with the worst customer service. 

Never again. Not even if it were free. 

Well, I have tried and tried to convince the kiddos to do Hawaiian shirts and we could pass out leis (so mom and I could snicker to ourselves about everyone getting "leid" on a cruise :p). They weren't going for it....we might be able to salvage the idea with a "Tacky Tourist" theme. It was met with some excitement and giggles for a minute.

If anyone else has an idea, let me know!

I recently had a friend that started selling them. She gave me some samples to try and I love them. I just ordered a couple new sheets and will be wearing them on my upcoming cruise in October.

They are easy to put on - you have to follow the instructions though. They need to be heated up before you apply and once they are on your nails. They last without chipping or peeling. If it starts to lift, just heat it up and press it back down. To heat them you can purchase the special heater they sell (NOT what I recommend) or use your flat iron (I like this method best) or hair dryer. The best part, they do not damage your nails. When you remove them, it's just a matter of buffing off the adhesive. I have done gel polish (which I LOVE) and regular polish (don't do the fake thing). This gets the job done in little time and the patterns are really cute.

~Tracy~

Thank you for the suggestions and a special thanks to those who understand that this is supposed to be a really fun time. If I thought it would be harmful in any way, we would not do it. I felt a little like I was being chastised for suggesting something like this.

I have come up with what I think is an AWESOME idea....now I have to convince the kids how awesome it is. That's going to be my challenge. All I am going to say is too bad we are going to the Caribbean instead of Hawaii!

Stay tuned! ;)

I think it's a fantastic idea from someone who went through a similar situation with my kids when they were 8 & 12. I didn't have a good friend like you who suggested a cruise but I did spend a lot of time planning day trips and doing zany activities just to keep us from drowning in despair. Another poster is right, it takes a LONG time to recover from a major death in the family. You know your friends, and if the kids are excited, go for it!

 

On a side note, tell your friend to Google "Comfort Zone". It's an awesome free weekend camp for kids who have lost a parent or closed loved one. My kids really enjoyed going and even wanted to go back the next year. We live on the East Coast but I think they also have them in California.

 

 

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Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely pass it along to her.

We seem to travel on cruises where there are interesting groups---

 

The group who wore tutus, tiaras and cowboy boots no matter the outfit.

 

A couple wore bunny ears the whole cruise.

 

Another group wore outfits derived from Alice in Wonderland characters

 

The same group, another year all wore bridesmaids dresses. Their leader wore a wedding gown.

 

There's always the Crazy Shirt idea.

LOL - I wanted to do tutu's! Both kids nixed that idea... :(

Working on my next idea...and it just may fly!

I'm sorry about your friend's husband.

 

You could go with a pirate theme. It could be slight (t-shirts) or more obvious, but still allow for individuality among the group.

 

 

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Thank you for the condolences.

I thought about pirates....I feel like I am on the verge of something really fun and crazy, I just can't quite get there. Maybe Pirates and Princesses. Hmmmmmm

Most 13 year old children would be mortified if they had to dress like their mother. Seriously, save the money and just give the kids a $10 OBC for something they would actually like verses throwing money down the toilet on matching outfits.

 

If you MUST be matchy/matchy then just pick a color family and stick with that (e.g., all wear red shirts)

Since the 13 year old was all about it when I brought it up, your suggestion is not really helpful. Like I said, we are a fun group.:cool:

My BFF recently lost her husband. To give them some respite, and time to find closure, she and I are taking her 2 children (10 & 13) on the Freedom of the Seas in October. We are a fun group - there's not a minute we are not together that we are not laughing. I thought it would be fun for us to dress up in crazy matching outfits on embarkation day. Anyone have any ideas? I need to get my creative juices going!

Thanks!

We used Executive Parking for our last cruise out of Port Canarveral. It is just a little bit away from the port. The lot was very secure and the staff were very friendly and accomodating. If you book online you get a great price. We paid $5 per day for our parking. The shuttle was quick and the driver friendly. I would recommend them all day long and will be using them again in the future. www.executiveparkingportcanaveral.com

Transportation to the resort is NOT included in the $75.00.

 

Anyone know how you get there and what the cost is? Is it within walking distance?

Breezes - $60 pp til 6pm (could be $70) on Cable Beach

Where do I get more info to book Breezes?

that you wear a Cardinals shirt:D, but that's just my preference. Go Cardinals!!!

I'm sorry for your loss (in advance) :p

In Pittsburgh, we call Cardinals "road kill" :D

Wear that jersey with PRIDE

GO STEELERS!!!