NutsAboutGolf

IMO, besides yoga classes which aren't technically fitness classes in the sense they won't get you in shape, on a ship, a fitness class is a waste of time unless the scheduled class and/or having an instructor is the only way to motivate yourself.  Otherwise, wake up whenever you want, put on workout gear, grab a coffee, go to the fitness center, do at least a half hour of weights and another half hour doing cardio

34 minutes ago, AC Stew said:

 

Class quality can vary greatly. Much depends on the expertise of the instructor, their background and experience with specific disciplines. I've had "marginal" classes and absolutely fabulous classes. Agreed, at the very worst, "they get you moving!"

 

I would not expect a more dance/yoga trained individual to conduct a super challenging Boot Camp class. Nor would I expect a beefy soccer player/body-builder type to teach a perfect yoga class.

 

Bottom line, you make the best of it. Then go have breakfast!!

 

Instructors need to cater to student fitness levels.  If one has a high level of fitness and most other students have a low level of fitness, it probably won't be a very challenging class for the one with a high fitness level.  Or worst case, the instructors get lazy "Just do as many burpees as you can"

13 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I guess your experiences are different from mine.  I have seen the PC rental car locations jammed during the 10 - 11 am period.  There are few rental cars and very few staff to handle all of the renters.   As far as the busses are concerned, waits have always been much longer than 5 minutes.  If I go through the effort to get off early with self-assist, I want to be able to leave when I get to the curb.   I have also encountered long waits to check-in and to go through security, so I want to control what I can in order to make an earlier flight.

May depend on the day. Have only been there once which was on a Sunday last month

11 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

PC is not my favorite departure port, I don't find the same number of nice hotels and restaurants that I'm accustomed to Fort Lauderdale or Miami.  I have always been able to find a decent price on a rental car and we do a one-way trip from Orlando to PC.  This gives us plenty of flexibility to explore the area for one or more days.  Drop of the car early, around 10:15 or so, and catch the shuttle to the port. Th car rental offices get really busy with lots of people returning from the ships and wanting to rent cars.  I usually have more issues on the return, because no one wants to wait for an afternoon flight.  On the return I arrange for a car to take me the Orlando airport.  It's more expensive than a shuttle, but I know I'll get to the airport without waiting.  On the plus side, airfares are often lower than Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

I understand there are many reasons to book a private ride/driver but waiting isn't one of them as there is more than one; you may wait 5 minutes for it to fill

When we arrived at the PC Budget rental location to drop off at 11am-ish, it wasn't busy at all, perhaps that's just late enough for those getting off the ship 

Miami, FLL, and West Palm were all roughly 20-25% cheaper.  Pre-cruise we did the one-way to Miami with the one-way rental, post-cruise, we took the $30 shuttle to Orlando and flew from there

13 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I will also search the departure port pages, but also looking for some specific info about sailing Celebrity out of Port Canaveral.  If anyone who has done it can report back on their experience?  Particularly if they want to fly in several days earlier and rent a car and stay in the area?  Does Celebrity offer shuttle service from the port back to Orlando?  Has anyone used it and how might it compare to private services or Uber/Lyft?  Are there rental car options available that don't charge around $400 PER DAY for a one way rental should I want to do that (yes, I typed the number correctly!).  Is it worth it to stay outside of the immediate area and Uber to the port?  I can't believe the prices of hotels I am seeing for early March (yes I know spring break is starting but shouldn't be too bad that early).  I thought Lauderdale and Miami were bad - they're nothing compared to these prices.

 

I strongly advise anyone considering sailing out of that port do some research prior on these things.  I already booked my cruise and now almost wish I hadn't.  I don't think that area is really geared up yet to handle the huge increase in sailings caused by the addition of more Celebrity and Royal ships (not to mention other lines).  Any input would be appreciated and fingers crossed I can figure this all out without needing to take a second mortgage out on my house.

We sailed out of PC on an RCI ship last month

-Uber/Lyft, you could reserve one ahead of time for $80 one way, otherwise, it's the luck of the draw with their dynamic/surge pricing.  You can check the prices right now on the app

-Return to Orlando, they had a $30(?) shared shuttle.  You'd imagine it would be operational for X but who knows for sure

-One-way rentals, like Uber/lyft, check pricing right now and if you are okay with the price, book it with free cancelation.  We were told a one-way rental would have been stupid expensive but it was only $55/night from MCO from Budget.  Budget has a place by the port and has a free shuttle to the ship

-Amazing beaches, Cocoa Beach is a great beach, but the problem with it along with FL's east coast beaches is that FL's amazing west coast beaches have the whitest and softest sand in the world.  If one is craving to stay somewhere with dazzling beaches, one should consider visiting the Tampa area beaches of St Pete and Clearwater which is still a fairly easy drive over to PC or from Orlando

-SE FL, you could also consider flying into Miami, FLL or West Palm Beach.  Obviously need to check the costs

I’d love to be a fly on the wall when these decisions are made.  “Hey, I got a great idea, let’s remove the ala carte basic wi-fi!”

35 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

The reason the auctions are so lively is to lure you into buying.  If you like an artist, write down the info and follow up when you get home. See if you’re still as excited about it.  Compare prices.  The artwork sold on the ship isn’t so valuable or unique that you won’t find it elsewhere.  
 

The alternative is to buy something cheap such that you won’t have regrets later.  

This is related to one of the reasons they do auctions vs selling them at a fixed price.  For example, let’s say you win an art piece which is 5 times the amount you can buy it online; now you have no one but to blame but yourself.  When you sit down at the auction they’re watching you like a hawk and will try all sorts of different types of art in hopes to get you to bid.  Also, a lot of the pieces aren’t even painting but are rather prints unless things have changed

13 hours ago, cw2go said:

Thanks for the info... I've been to Alaska 4 times and I'm one who does love it but to be honest, I was very reluctant on my first trip, Hubby made me do it. 😁 

I fill my port time to the brim with amazing tours and always try to get the Glacier Express so that I get as much out of The Real Alaska as possible. 

 

Now he's making me go to Norway next May, I am hoping that I am as surprised with how much I love it as I was with Alaska, if not more. 

 

To be fair he does oblige me quite often with my desired destinations, Italy & France. 

 

Patty

We try to do the same with trying to maximize the time in ports.  You just have a lot more options in most Norway ports

10 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

We are sailing on Princess to Norway as we don’t want to sail E class for a scenic cruise.  
 

In Vienna today …
 

 

Makes sense, not wanting the E-Class on a scenic cruise.  You’re on a river cruise I assume, how do you like them compared to ocean cruises?  We did Norway on carnival last summer but X does go to Norway.  I injected my opinion as folks may already be turned off by the Alaska congestion and looking for an alternative.  On our Alaska cruise we did love the crab boat tour, perhaps a top 3 tour of all time (I think only kids and those who live fishing would live it), but found the helicopter and dog sled tour just so-so

2 hours ago, Tierun said:

RCL and NCL are both more expensive. MSC is the best priced. Celebrity is middle of the pack. 

For RETAIL pricing meaning flash sales and promos do NOT apply, in order of MOST expensive:

NCL

X

RCI

MSC & Princess (tied)

CCL

HAL

Then all of the MAJOR luxury lines which charge no more than $30/day

Just now, Atebir said:

These days they regularly have a collection of pre-owned Rolex, restored & guaranteed by an arguably questionable company. 

Thanks.  They're Rolex's that Rolex won't service and therefore not as valuable and won't appreciate as much as a watch Rolex would service.  The questionable company providing the warranty service would be a drop in the bucket for most.  

4 hours ago, mrsbunder said:

I'm glad I found this topic, I was on the Apex last month and was on the Edge the year before.  I will be on the Apex in 2025, and I was curious to know which brands of watches they carry.  I thought that the Edge's store seemed larger and had more selection than Apex.  I know the store will have Rolex, other than that, I'd appreciate any input on what brands Ascent carries.

Unless something has changed, they do not sell Rolex's.  Generally, once per sailing, they put up for auction a used Rolex that Rolex won't service

On 5/16/2024 at 2:24 PM, ScottC4746 said:

Yes Scuba that is what I am thinking of.

 

S-N-uba.  Snuba typically uses the same mouthpiece (primary regulator) as scuba diving uses with fins, is restricted to a shallow depth and you will be monitored.  A company called Sea Trek came out with these snuba helmets where you don't don't wear fins and instead, walk.  This is because if the helmets are not kept upright, there's a risk the seal could break

On 9/3/2023 at 7:31 PM, jelayne said:

The ship will not leave until the excursion is back.  More likely the excursion time will be moved up to align with the time in port.

I know exactly what you mean, in this scenario, the ship won't leave until a scheduled tour returns at its scheduled time.  I'm just pointing out some incredibly rare scenarios in which ships have left ports early due to unexpected fog.  Also, ships can and have left during the scheduled time despite missing a tour that hasn't returned on time.  In the T&Cs, X would take care of accommodations and transportation to get you back on the ship

4 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

I skipped the long video, but I can say that we did a MoveUp to AQ for the first time ever on Solstice last December and I ordered something off the MDR menu every evening when we dined at Blu. Nice service and ambiance but I didn’t care for the food as much. 

To piggyback off this, I was pretty much thinking the same.  The biggest advantage to Blu is the ability to order off both the Blu and MDR menus yet some ships (perhaps per the M'Ds request?) restrict MDR ordering.  Blu's food is the same quality as the MDR however you get some more premium selections.  On a typical 7 nighter, assuming nothing recently changed, Blu will offer filet, duck, and lamb at least twice.  Also, assuming nothing recently changed, you can get as many lobster tails as you want for free

I didn't watch the video yet if the topic is appealing, I'll happily watch an individual's YT video.  In this case, it's a double whammy no as it's long and I really don't care what others think about the food.  If a first-time X cruiser says the mast grill burger should be awarded 3 Michelin stars, it doesn't change my actual opinion that I believe it's the worst complimentary burger served on a mass-market cruise line.  X doesn't seem to care that Carnival puts out a good burger.  I've always thought they should spend the money on comfort food items so one is more likely to fill up on it and eat less at the MDR which I'd imagine the MDR food is more costly

11 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

No, not at all,. I never print my luggage tags anymore. I just wait until I get to the pier and the Porter hand writes some for me. 

This is accurate however some ports like San Pedro (L.A.) require you to wait in a baggage tag line where the worker looks you up on a list to confirm you have the correct room versus taking your word for it.  We were on a Nov 2022 sailing out of Sand Pedro and the porters could use the blank ones, they changed this by the NYE cruise and it had more to do with bad timing but we were in that line for a solid half-hour.  So one doesn't need to print them out but worst case scenario you may need to wait in a line

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

I’ll do a spreadsheet when it comes time to really think about it.  We may book on our Bali cruise in January to get the $100 deposit.  For cruise in May/June 2026.

If you go sail only, I'm sure you know, that purchases like the wifi, drinks, etc., are fully refundable if you cancel them.  Therefore, as soon as there's a flash sale, you should purchase to lock it in which protects you from the inevitable wifi retail price increases yet you do have the flexibility to cancel if a bigger flash sale appears

4 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Thank you for this! I've done Alaska twice when I was on a running cruise, and it was ok, but I don't get the OMG that so many others do. I've been off and on pondering Norway but afraid I'd be "Meh" again - and that's a lot of money to be "Meh". I'm glad to hear that a) I'm not the only one not totally bowled over by Alaska and b) Norway is different.

Norway cruises go out of England so there's an opportunity to visit some European countries pre/post cruise.  We pre-cruised for a couple of nights in Paris and post-cruised for a night in London.  Most Alaska sailings start and/or end in Seattle or Vancouver, both are fantastic cities yet Paris and London are on another level

34 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

Last June we had 5 ships (one was a small ship) in Skagway, 5 in Juneau and 3 in Ketchikan. In Skagway we did an excursion to the Yukon where it wasn't crowded. In Juneau we went to the Mendenhall Glacier early in the morning where it wasn't very crowded and stayed away from the city centre when we returned to Juneau as it was absolutely jam packed with cruisers. In Ketchikan we got off the ship early and visited Creek Street before the crowds and then did a hike. Maybe going out early will help with avoiding some of the crowds.

 

It seems that many places that cruise ships go to are getting busier and more crowded. I must agree with @NutsAboutGolf about Norway. I went to Norway in June 2019 when the sun didn't set for four days. It was one of my favourite cruises and I would love to go back again one day.

 

32 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

This is our next ocean cruise …

I didn't want to do a Norway cruise thinking it would be an Alaska 2.0 and was pushing for Japan but "Ms. Nuts" really wanted to go.  Glad we went because the scenery was amazing.  For those who enjoy terrible puns, Alaska and Norway were a night-and-day difference

I just want to mention, that if someone is on the fence with an Alaskan cruise, strongly consider a Norway cruise instead.  Alaska was a one-and-done for us, perhaps when there's more to do in the ports we'll consider it again.  The Alaska Fjords were enjoyable, but the Norway Fjords were stunning in comparison plus you get 18 hours of daylight.  It was just magical to walk around the outside of the ship at 9 pm and it's still sunny out illuminating the Fjords.  In the Alaska ports, after you finish your tour there isn't a whole lot to do besides tourist shops, bars, and restaurants.  Much more to do in most Norway ports as they berth in major cities which are often several hundreds of years old.  Norway was occupied by Germany in WW2 so there's some interesting history in most ports

Their best free dessert, ice cream, is available all day, usually opens when the buffet opens for lunch, and closes when the buffet closes for dinner

They used to stack them but you can no longer do so

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

My thoughts/questions are:

1) Do you really need the Wifi? Our free Elite + Captains Club minutes are more than enough - share one lot and once that's used you will see if the second lot will last until the end of the cruise. If not use the second lot as a discount on a full package as by then there could well be a special on the remaining days. Free WiFi in every port.

2) how much do you drink? All speciality teas/coffees/chocolate are free if you are Elite+. Japan is port intensive so not much drinking time in the day. 

3) if you are a couple do you both drink the same amount of alcohol?

Do the maths (sorry math) and you may find neither WiFi or drinks packages are the best option. These products are priced to give X a profit I.e. the majority of passengers lose.

No right or wrong just personal choices.

To expand on the alcohol, you can carry some wine and "forget" that you left some wine in your checked luggage

In a single word "maybe"

6 hours ago, markeb said:

 

Everyone's taste is different. I've always found the choices very good. My wife sometimes has issues with them. That's why I was asking.

 

Was that the Ginger Crab Cake? We've had that before and it was excellent. Makes me wonder if they were doing something different. Again, it's one shot one night on a cruise and if it's wrong, it's wrong.

 

We're on Summit in 11 days and I'm curious about our wine service. We had good wine service in November on Equinox, although we had to work harder for selections some nights. We had a lot of OBC and just bought a bottle a couple of times. But the sommelier was responsive. This time we paid for excursions in Alaska, so that bottle is our money...

Never tried a ginger crab cake but give X kudos for introducing bold flavors as I feel their MDR crab cakes have too much filler.  We live near a restaurant that serves award-winning (non-traditional) crab cakes called Fishing with Dynamite in Manhattan Beach which has ruined us.  While they use a crust made with Ritz crackers and Worcester sauce, they don't use fillers at all with the idea being you can dip the crab in the sauce if you wish.  I grew up in New England and was never a fan of the Maine-style lobster rolls which are served with a mayo filler.  Always preferred the Connecticut-style lobster roll which is served with hot lobster dipped in butter and often some herbs and spices