jd1966

We got off the Seaside on March 16th (first on MSC) and I wouldn't hesitate to book the Seaside again!!

First time MSC cruiser. We are on the Seaside on March 9 (7:00 PM departure). My boarding docs state that my "Check-In Opens at 16:15)". What time do they really start the boarding process?

Nachi Cocom or Tulum

We usually use Carmel

Certain pages won't work with Chrome but will with Firefox, on my IMAC

The letter only said "schedule change" which to me screams CHARTER. I've has other cruises canceled on other lines but at least they were honest about why!

We've used Super Shuttle and Prime Time. Both are good. If you can, use Orange County/John Wayne. It's further, but no hassle!!

We had a rotten cruise on the Jade. She's an old ship -- we knew this before sailing (read it on Cruise Critic!) so we had altered our expectations. But things are really worn -- old -- broken. She's going into dry dock this year and really needs it. Ok we get it - they can't help "old" ships, but what we DIDN'T expect was that they were going to start renovations DURING OUR CRUISE.

 

They slowly (and LOUDLY) dismantled the water slide. Had to shut down the kids pool (the only one they were allowed to use -- until we got special permission to "let" our kids swim in the adult pool) too. The entire area was cordoned off with yellow CAUTION tape. SO this meant tons less space and deck chairs because half of one side of the deck was a construction site. Finding a lounger was really tough and even when you did you were crammed into your neighbor in an uncomfortably close way.

 

We had other issues -- for example Norwegian also did cabin maintenance on our neighbor's cabin at 2 A.M. for an hour. We understand maintenance has to happen, but seriously -- could there be some consideration of timing?

 

We missed Key West due to fog -- they can't control the weather, we get it -- but no one knew what was going on. Really poor communication between the staff on this cruise. Really poor. God bless anyone who is on that ship if an emergency takes place.

 

We are frequent cruisers and usually go with Princess. Decided to try Norwegian. We will be returning to Princess. Look - bad stuff can happen with any company. But the thing that really makes an impact on me is how the company responds.

 

We (at the suggestion of Jovo, the hotel director) wrote up our concerns and shared them with customer service once we were back on land. They basically told us "tough luck" (in so many words) -- that they are allowed to do maintenance whenever, and wherever they want. Expecting a pool? Maybe not. Hoping for a show? They'll let you know once you're onboard.

 

We were on the Carnival Escape that caught on fire years ago. That was bad. So, this wasn't technically our "worst" experience -- but it was a disappointing second. We'll skip Norwegian and suggest you do too -- not because of what happened but because it doesn't seem like the company really cares at all.

Good luck with Princess. We were on the Crown in September and had a less than stellar cruise. Our experiences included a toilet that broke on it's own at 12:30 AM and started a small flood. Imagine shop vacs in the hallway at that time of night! Provided Princess (via survey) with all the issues we encountered and what was their reply? Absolutely NOTHING.

jd1966

Zuiderdam - 18 days - Path of the Vikings - Copenhagen to New York - 8/23/2017

Fireproof box at home (once I remember to move it) or a pocket in my camera backpack.

I've only been on the Breakaway one time to Bermuda and loved it!! Everything was excellent and I would sail on her in a heartbeat!!!!

This discussion is getting really really petty. So, you got sick, got over it and all is well. That's like the airplane that had a problem and landed anyway but it was news to Fox!

 

A single engine aircraft went down in the local cemetery. So far the police have dug up 43 bodies.:D

Excuse me but I wasn't the one who started questioning my motives. I was replying to the individual in the post who indicated that the Crown was sickness free. I just passed on our experiences. Isn't that what CC is about??

Did you go see the doctor while on board? Why would you go to Customer Service? Might just be that after 8 days of food you are not accustom to eating your stomach said enough is enough.

Do all your clothes have the Princess logo on them??? I called Customer Service to tell them that we would not be going on our shore excursion (We have waited for others on past excursions) and I didn't want them waiting for us. I told her what the problem was but all she wanted to do was tell me that I wasn't going to get a refund which I never brought up! That's real caring!! No, didn't go to the doctor because after 36 hours we were feeling better. I'm not accustomed to eating??? After 31 cruises, I have eating mastered and just so you don't think we don't wash our hands, my wife travels with a six year supply of antiseptic wipes. If it bothers you, I could bring up the flooded bathroom at 12:30 AM, the horribly slow service in the MDR, the waiter who forgot our drinks, the 1 1/4 hour wait for a shore excursion and I could go on.........

We did not hear of any issues while we were on board the Sept 25th cruise. Didn't see anything in the Patter either. Could just have been food related.

If their Medical Staff cares as little as the Customer Service desk, it's not a surprise. Ship food and ship shore excursion food...............

From the Princess Patter on October2:

Important Notice: Ship's Time

Please be aware that local time in Puerto Vallarta is one hour ahead of ship's time. All tour times and the ship's departure will be at the ship's time.

It's been a long time since Crown had Noro.

Sure wish I knew what we got on our Sept. 25 Crown Cruise!! Diarrhea and stomach cramps seven days into the cruise, which a week later is starting to clear up! The Customer Service desk didn't seem to care though!! Despite their indifference, we stayed in our cabin for 36 hours. The last two days were at sea so at least we could keep close to the bathroom.

It was a ten-day Sea of Cortez Cruise.

 

I asked the assistant MD. She said the MD had decided not to enforce.

 

Yeah. . .not real quick on the uptake when someone is rude. Wish I could be faster on that. DH and I just looked at each other and laughed.

Which dining room were you in???

Agree. We were also on the cruise and the ship is ok. Ship did seem understaffed in the buffet and traditional dining rooms. Tables in buffet were not cleared and it was hard to find someone to get them cleaned. When we did find someone they were not happy and grumbled that they were understaffed. Same in Traditional Dining. It took at least 2 hours to get out each night. Servers had too many passengers to take care of and said the kitchen was slow in getting the dishes out for early seating.

We got off the Crown on October 5th and our Traditional Dining Room experience was the same. We were struggling to get out of there by 7:30 every night. Our experience in the Horizon/Caribe was just the opposite. Tables were cleared quickly and the staff was very attentive. The ship needs a facelift but is still in good shape (with the possible exception of our cabin bathroom). I was startled to hear rushing water in our bathroom at 12:15 AM and found water running out of the bottom of the toilet. Seems the "valve" that controls water flow failed and and was quickly filling up the bathroom floor. The staff responded very quickly and got it stopped before it overflowed into the room. Our poor neighbors had to put up with shop vacs running at 12:30 AM.

Our Oosterdam Transatlantic on March 31 was canceled due to the redeployment. I contacted HAL and they booked another Transatlantic cruise for me at the same price despite the new cruise being over twice the cost!! Since the new cruise was three days shorter, they lowered the overall price by the original Per Diem price. They also added another $100 per person on top of the OBC we already had! You can't beat that kind of compensation. Kudos to HAL!!!!

Because calling a cruise line call center is slightly more fun than calling Medicare, Social Security or the IRS!! Also, the cruise line FAQ's are semi accurate at best! A case in point, dress code. They publish it but people are allowed to dress pretty much as they want barring something really out of line. How does a cruiser really know if they don't ask other cruisers! Check in is at 2 on some FAQ's when in reality they start at 11:30!! I can cite quite a few others if you wish!

On our April cruise we arrived around 12:30 and were on the ship in less than an hour. Our cabin was not ready until around 2:45 (Deck 7). Seemed like the higher decks were ready first and they were going down in order. Relatively easy embarkation!

Roll Call for the cruise is at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2333742

We stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Westshore. Free shuttle from the airport. The hotel can arrange transport for a fee or you can just go outside and take a cab. We are also on the same cruise!

I would highly recommend Byway Tours (Bermuda Footsteps). Heidi takes you from one end of the island to the other and provides a unique lunch. Heidi is a real local and an excellent guide.

We've visited Altun Ha in Belize, Chacchoban in Costa Maya and Tulum (Near Cozumel). As someone said, there is at least an hour ride each way and in the case of Tulum a ferry ride also. If you want to climb on the ruins, only Altun Ha offers the opportunity.

I favor Tulum because it is one of the few located near the water. Beautiful place. However the trip each way is about 90 minutes.

We went to Chacchoban as part of an excursion with The Native Choice company. It's combined with a visit to a "local family" and an excellent lunch. The ruins are excellent.

My least favorite was Altun Ha because there were people all over the ruins and it makes photography rather difficult!. The roads there were terrible and it took almost 90 minutes for a thirty mile ride!