Winnigirl

I am not a fan of Norwegian - I used to be a huge fan - our first cruise was on the Norway. At Christmas we cruised on the Norwegian Epic and we were pretty underwhelmed. It was the most bizarrely laid-out ship I have ever sailed on. The food was mediocre at best, the corkage fee for bringing wine on board is just plain tacky and now they have announced that you will no longer be able to bring food to your room from the buffet and are going to charge a service fee for room service. All those reasons are why we'll never cruise Norwegian again.

I would definitely look at a RCL cruise. They are tailor-made for families and - other than Disney - provide, I think, the most entertainment for kids and adults alike.

Oh do take tea at the Empress! Yes, it is expensive, but both you and your sister deserve it!

We were on the Oasis a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. I was skeptical too because I thought it might be a zoo - but the opposite was true - I think because it was so huge, people spread out to so many different venues that there was never a crowd. .

1. Of course there will be certain things "off limits" to small children - the flow riders and zipline come to mind. I don't know what the age limits are, but I highly doubt your kids would notice the difference - there is so much that they can do.

2. I found that I did have to do more planning than usual - simply because I wanted specific times for all the shows and the speciality restaurants.

3. As members of Disney Vacation Club I know exactly what you mean. I was glad I did make the reservations for the things we wanted to see - but it's not in the same league as Disney planning.

4. I didn't notice the difference with shore excursions.

5. Never tendered, so I can't answer that.

6. The sample Oasis menus were on the NCCL website. I would assume Allure's are there too. Can't tell you about the others.

7. I'd say food allergies are taken seriously on every reputable cruiseline.

8. Simply because of the number of restaurants on the mega-ships, I would think there would be more vegetarian choices.

9. I never noticed any difference in the cabin-placement for sea-sickness....of course, I've never had sea-sickness, so I can't say for sure.

I'm Canadian. We fly back to Wpg, usually through Chicago or Toronto. You should be fine with a noon flight. Of course there are no guarantees because the unforeseen can happen, but if you disembark with your own luggage at the first call and grab a taxi you will have ample time. There have been times when the only flight we could get back is late afternoon - believe that makes for a very long, tiring day.

Thanks so much for posting the review. Although it doesn't sound amazingly exciting, I think it beats sitting in the airport all day! We have two days before we sail in New York and with this little tour after I think it will be just fine. DH really wants to see the Ground Zero memorial, so we can plan for it on the last day.

Our first was in 1996 on the Norway to St. Maarten and St. Thomas. We usually went to Walt Disney World with our kids, but that year my husband said "no Disney", so I asked a friend who had just become a travel agent for suggestions. She suggested a cruise. We loved it. But we still go to Disney World - often adding a cruise before or after.

Cruise ships, like God, work in mysterious ways. It may not make sense to you - but that is the way they do things. I'm not going to tell you to "relax", because I get nervous about the same sort of things - that is why I insist on choosing our cabin from the get go. Relieves a lot of stress.

Our first cruise was in 1996 on the beautiful Norway. What a beautiful ship that was! It was such a wonderful cruise. White-gloved waiters, teak decks and afternoon tea! Makes me sad to think of what happened to the Norway. As they say "they don't make them like that anymore".

As the above poster said, it's helpful to know what you are looking for in a cruise. As to the Oasis of the Seas - I was skeptical of such a huge ship but my husband really wanted to sail on her. Long story short - I was completely blown away. Loved it!

Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival are all going to have lots of activities for kids. Depending on your 16 year old - it's a toss-up. There will be a teen club - but whether that would be fun for your son/daughter, only you can answer. I would - if finances allow it - choose a seven day cruise with either Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. Don't think that you must take the cruise line's excursions. There will be plenty of excursions available at whatever islands you stop at. Do a little research and don't be afraid of taking an excursion with a "local". You will be inundated by tour companies offering all kinds of excursions the moment you step off the ship. Most are well regulated and perfectly safe. You will be shown what they have to offer on an excursion. Once you choose one you will be escorted to a van that usually holds 8 to 10 people. Once it is full - off you go. Nassau, Bahamas is pretty safe for walking around - but it's not that exciting for kids. You can catch a cab to one of the beaches for a reasonable price.

What kind of people are you? Do you like to party or do you prefer to relax in a quiet corner with a good book? Do you want to visit lots of ports or do "sea days" appeal to you? Are you "foodies" or just happy with good, plain food? Do you like to dress up or do you prefer being casual? There is no way of knowing which cruise is best for you, until you answer those questions. The "best" is subjective. Maybe if you gave us a little more information...

I grew up in Detroit, right across the river from Windsor, Canada. Monies exchanged easily (for the most part) and as long as they were near par, no big deal.

 

Now with the significant difference, its more of an issue on both sides. Personally, I am OK with paying par for my US$, as I understand that the merchant has to cover his time in reconverting the money later. I do not want to end up with alot of Canadian dollars at the end of my trip however, as they are impossible to use here in Oklahoma. so, the convenience of paying a bit more is worth it to me.

 

I think some folks are making too big of a deal about this issue, as its really part of doing business in border towns anywhere. If you do not want to get a bad exchange rate, buy the local currency before you leave home. Otherwise, be prepared to pay for the luxury of having someone else do it for you at the time of purchase.

I think it is more a matter of respect. I don't mean to be rude (after all I am Canadian), but is it so much trouble to go a bank and request a few hundred Canadian dollars - and those same banks will accept the Cdn. money you bring back, so you aren't "saddle" with a bunch of Monopoly money. The "oh it's only Canada, they'll be happy to have US dollars" attitude no longer really exists here. We're friendly and welcoming, but we are not your 51st State. I would never attempt to use Canadian money in the USA....can you not return the courtesy?

June 21st is Father's Day in Canada too, so I would suspect that there will be a lot of restaurants offering "Father's Day Specials", so it might be a good idea to make sure you have a reservation well in advance.

I'm enjoying your review and I think you are very brave to write about your struggles with anxiety and agoraphobia. So many people deal with issues like these yet are reluctant to admit to anything. I'm an anxious person and I know how hard it is to "relax and enjoy" when you're trying to keep yourself together. Fortunately I'm married to the most laid-back guy in the world and he's been able to help me "let it go". I'm looking forward to reading more! BTW - you mentioned the Disney ship and thought about all the children on board - of course there are many - it's Disney after all, but no other line does a better job at having their adult-only areas stay that way. I've been on 2 Disney cruises - and as crazy as it sounds - I saw less children on them than many other cruises. Disney knows how to keep kids busy. Don't ever discount a Disney cruise even if you don't have kids. They are incredible. Anyway....waiting for more!

In July we will do our first Celebrity cruise on the Eclipse in the Baltic. Previously, we have sailed on Princess and Disney. I have always enjoyed everything about the cruise and both of these lines have excellent staff in the MDR.

 

Celebrity's price for the Baltic cruise was less than Princess and Disney, so we're trying them for our first time.

 

I've been a CruiseCritic member for several years and read the boards voraciously looking for info on the particular ship and itinerary. True confession here -- I'm a little concerned because it seems at least half of the posts I read on the Celebrity boards seem to start with "We're elite", "we have suite dining" or "We're Aqua and we'll be eating in Blu." It makes me feel like I'm part of some kind of unwashed masses eating in the -- horrors! -- MDR.

 

OK, OK, I know you are entitled to what you pay for, and not everyone has the same priorities for vacation spending. But it does give me concern that I will not enjoy my Celebrity experience as much. I really enjoy getting to know the servers and coming to dinner each evening to talk over the day's activities. That's been my experience with Princess and Disney.

 

Another concern I have after reading the boards in the evening entertainment. My teen-aged daughter and I went every night to the live show on Disney. During the day I'm fine with reading a book but we do like to check out the game shows or other activities. I've read a lot of complaints about the entertainment on Celebrity. I'm hoping I'll like it because going to the show is also a big part of my cruise experience.

I could have written this post. Our first Celebrity cruise will be to Bermuda on June 14. In the past we have sailed Disney, Princess, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Norwegian and Carnival. Truthfully, the only one we didn't enjoy (my husband was looking for a way to abandon ship before we even left the dock) was Carnival. I, too, was concerned when reading the Celebrity posts, of how often "elite" was mentioned. I really was beginning to wonder if we'd feel uncomfortable, being lowly "first timers". Everyone has different ways to vacation and to cruise. For us cruising is a welcome break, but not the only way we vacation, so we usually look for an appropriate cruise for the time and place we want to go. Others like to cruise exclusively and like to be loyal to one line. There's nothing wrong with any of these choices. Everyone is free to choose. I'm anxious to try Celebrity, but I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be allowed out of "steerage". "Elite, Aqua, etc" seem so important on this Board. Anyway, I hope that my worries are for naught and that we will thoroughly enjoy Celebrity, (even in a lowly veranda cabin).

(I do agree that no one can touch Disney for entertainment - they are in a class by themselves).

We're set to board the Summit on Saturday and will take the Manhattan Highlights excursion afterwards. I'll try to remember to post a review afterwards.

Terrific! Thank you for the information.

We'll be taking the cruise to Bermuda on June 14, returning on June 21. Our return flight doesn't leave until 4 p.m. Does anyone know if there might be a ship excursion into New York (or surrounding area) on that day, which could then drop us off at LaGuardia?

Was that excursion a ship-organized one?

No. My husband was going golfing and I was just going along with him.

OK see your point, when the OP stated that the thought crossed her mind about a sexual encounter I thought how ridiculous is that! :rolleyes:

It was said lightheartedly - that's all. Relax.

The people who check the minibars always work in pairs and - now that it's been mentioned - it usually is a male and a female. I would think that's the likely explanation

I think you're right. That makes the most sense. I was never inferring that they were there for "nefarious purposes", I just wondered what reason they could have for entering. I never thought of the mini-bar, etc. As I said, I told my husband to put up the DND, but, well, he's a husband....so I can't say for certain that it was on.

Where they in RCL uniforms?

Yes they were.

So, do you think they were in a relationship?;)

Well, I have to admit it did cross my mind.:)

you can lock the door from inside the cabin and not rely on just a sign on the door. The staff did knock first and you did not respond so I really don't know what they did wrong.

I'm not saying they did anything wrong - I just thought it odd. I couldn't think of any reason why two would be coming into our room. Several have given reasons why they might come in. I'm sure it must have been for one of those reasons.

I don't know why I'm posting this now - as it happened months ago on our last

cruise on the Oasis - but it's been in my mind and bothering me ever since. We were in port in Jamaica. I woke up that morning with a terrible migraine and knew I couldn't make our excursion. My husband, though, decided to go. I took a couple of my pills and went back to bed. I told him to put the do not disturb on the door, but he probably forgot. I was sleeping and was awoken by a tapping on the door. I just felt too groggy and sick to get up and figured whoever it was would go away. Then I heard a key in the door and two Oasis staff entered. I sat up in bed when they came in. I think they were shocked to see someone there and they quickly left without saying anything. I just flopped back to sleep and honestly wasn't in any mood to question it. But afterwards....I started to wonder. Why would they have any reason to enter our room? It wasn't our steward. It was a man and a woman. They gave no explanation and backed out quickly. I know I should have enquired into it, but I didn't. It's bothered me ever since. Now we have another cruise coming up and it's on my mind again. Has anyone ever had a similar occurrence?

I won't miss the Epic - no matter where it's sailing. We just got off the Christmas week cruise and I have to admit I just don't "get" that ship. We rarely sail on mega ships, but after a fantastic cruise on Oasis of the Seas last year, we thought we'd give the Epic a try. Our adult daughter was able to come with us thanks to the studio cabins which have to be one of the BEST perks of the Epic. But that was about the only thing I can rave about. The ship is so mixed-up, so jumbled, so no "rhyme or reason", that I was still trying to figure it out on our last day. I hate to compare cruise lines, but there is absolutely NO comparison between the Oasis of the Seas - one of the most amazingly organized, beautiful ships we've ever been on to the schizophrenic Epic. And what is with the "Atrium"? Does Norwegian know what the word "Atrium" means? Because the "Atrium" on the Epic had ceilings lower than the average basement rec room. I have to shake my head at a ship that has to leave instructions in the cabins as to where all the "secret" storage is. No, I won't miss the Epic. (We've sailed on three other Norwegian cruises and enjoyed every one - my complaint isn't with Norwegian - it's with the Epic.)