AdvocateMom

I don't think they have the bitter n blanc anymore. Broke my heart!

It broke my heart, too, when they got rid of it! BUT - according to JH they are bringing it back. starting this Fall, I believe. When I have time to look on another social media site I'll post his post about it. So happy!

We experienced this new system on our 7/22 cruise on the Sensation and it worked just fine. We're Platinum, and our cards were in the mailbox as soon as we arrived at our cabin after boarding. There were a couple of people that we saw walk down to their cabins, see no card and then walk away. I hope that it helped the stewards get things done with less of a crowd.

As far as purchases without having a S&S card in hand - we saw people at the Atrium Bar on the second leg of our B2B that presented their boarding passes to buy a drink. They were scanned easily and I didn't notice anyone having a problem (I know this is just a small sample/observation).

I was a little unsure before this cruise, but in my experience it worked just fine. It was a bogey-man-free process for us :)

Received the Bluetooth speakers on a 7/22 and 7/27 B2B on the Sensation. Haven't used them yet, but I like the size of them for travel if they work.

And yes - if you've pre-registered he can show up on his own. I've sent mine down without me since he was a teenager (now 16 in Club O2) and we've never had an issue. However, if you'd like to go down with him the first night when he checks in just to be sure you're welcome to do so. I did when we were new to it :)

Heather - there is a small sticker that Circle C and Club O2 put on the child's S&S card (just like the Cheers and Bottomless Bubbles stickers). It's an easy way for staff, etc. to know that the child is registered for the program.

Just to clarify: my "trying to put that nicely" comment was toward those who ignore the rules and aggravate me, not toward your post! I should never post after only 1 cup of coffee! :)

Happy sails!

Are you Diamond or Platinum or have FTTF? Because if not, then no you can't go to your cabin and drop things off. Your S&S key won't be there. People doing that very thing is one of the reasons why they went to this system.

Yes, we are Platinum cruisers, and also aggravated by the "rules don't apply to me" mentality that we see onboard from time to time (trying to put that nicely).

Thank you OP for posting this and to all of those who answered. We're sailing on the Sensation on Saturday and I was a little unclear as to how all of this works - it's the first time for us to use this procedure. It's good to know that we can still get in and drop off carry-ons right away. We're usually in and out pretty quickly - we like to keep out of the stewards' way when they're crazy busy on embarkation day.

Also 3!! Hallelujah! (although the countdown ticker says 1 day and change...).

This is great information! We have a Havana cabin with a lanai next May on the Horizon out of NYC. I think that will be an incredible view for sail away, and I'm glad we can enjoy it from the Havana aft pool.

The Destiny was also my first cruise. We were married aboard her in 1998. We had a beautiful reception in the Downbeat Lounge with 20 friends and family. We had our wedding pictures taken all over the ship and on deck, and all we had to do is go back to our cabin, change clothes & were instantly on our honeymoon :) Maybe it's just for sentimental reasons, but we loved that ship.

December of 2013 we took a family cruise on the Sunshine. I'm sure that some changes were needed (although, truly, we had no complaints about the Destiny), but I'm really not a fan of the Sunshine's layout. Seemed very disjointed. Didn't affect our cruise at all - just my observation.

We'd like to go back on the ship and get our old Destiny cabin next year for our 20th anniversary. We're big sentimental saps :) Happy sailing, all!

Had a spa balcony on the Breeze in March and used the Thalassotherapy pool and the Thermal Suite every single day. Get the pass while you can!

I agree with the "book as early as possible" advice above. We booked for May 28, 2018 on the Horizon months ago, right after reservations opened. We need a room for 3 - this is a surprise trip for DS's HS graduation - so we knew that we had to move quickly.

I'm really excited to try a new type of stateroom on a new ship! Will be looking for reviews on these cabins often until we sail.

31 SOS, 7 medals and 6 plaques from contests at the past guest party. We also have have every issue of the Capers/Fun Times/ Patter from each cruise and all of our S&S cards. They bring back such good memories and my son loves seeing them and going through the "cruise books".

We do try to limit to one per cruise, but if I get one from trivia and DH/DS gets one from a cornhole tournament we keep both :)

That is wonderful news! Congratulations to all 3 of you! This the the best thing I have read on the internet in AGES. Thank you so much for sharing your joy with all of us. Hope to see your family out on the beautiful blue water someday :)

Have a wonderful time!! I still remember watching DS the first time he was on a ship years ago. Priceless memories :)

We were on the Breeze in March and loved her. I hope you guys will, too. Bon Voyage!!

We also ask for both A.M. and P.M. service. It's nice to have the room nicely put together when we stop back in during the day, and nice to have the ice refilled for both afternoon and evening/late night drinks. Also, depending on our activities, it's also nice to have fresh towels in the cabin if we need them (sometimes different family members are off doing different things, and shower at different times than right before dinner).

I really hope that we will be able to continue selecting the same twice a day service that we've always enjoyed, but am thinking that this is the first taste of reduced cabin service to come. Deal breaker? No, of course not. A bit disappointing? Sure.

I normally use the shampoo and body wash provided in our shower, but make sure to bring my own conditioner and body lotion in travel sizes. The salt water and sun do a real number on my fine hair and I NEED that conditioner! I can use that conditioner when I shave my legs, too. I also use the Olay (or generic equivalent) disposable face cloths, which saves me room in my 3-1-1 bag if I'm flying.

Like others have posted, I use the toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, etc. from the dentist, and travel sizes of deodorant, etc.

I never scrimp on sunscreen. If I'm flying I'll have a 3 oz bottle/spray in my 3-1-1 along with a face stick (DH and DS do the same) to get us through if luggage is delayed/lost en route to the port, but always also check full-sized bottles. If I have to pay an inordinate amount to replace/restock it on board or in a port I'll grumble (a lot), but I'll do it. Spending your much anticipated cruise in pain from a bad sunburn is horrible!

As for make-up, I'm pretty minimalist, so a small amount of foundation decanted into a small plastic jar (found in travel toiletries section at WalMart or similar retailers), the same amount of facial moisturizer into the same size jar, some blush, eyeliner, and a tinted lip balm (love the Burts Bees ones!) get me through.

We most recently had a Spa balcony on the Breeze in March, and the Spa/Thermal Suite/Thalassotherapy pool area was my favorite area on the ship. We had one day where 1 steam room wasn't working, but the others were so not a huge inconvenience. Also, on the return leg of the journey, when the ship hauls a** and goes about 20 knots or so, the motion of the ship caused big waves on the Thesso. pool. We were all laughing hysterically and hanging on to the metal bars of the benches. Not relaxing, but funny - that's just life on board a ship :) I'm not sure the cost of the package, as I've only had it when in a spa cabin, but if it can be managed I think it's well worth it.

Just a shout out and a thank you to the OP for posting! We sail pretty often, but May 2018 is our first time out of NYC. Trip is son's HS graduation present/celebration. We're going in a few days early, and have already been looking into what airport to use, where to stay, best ways to get to the pier and from the pier to airport, etc. I'm taking notes & will be watching this thread as well. Love this helpful community of cruisers :)

Thanks so much, everyone! I just wanted to be sure before I sent information out to our entire family reunion group.

I hate to ask such an embarrassingly simple question, but are there really not hair dryers in the cabins? Or only in balcony cabins (or only aft balcony cabins)? I've searched online, and a lot of the information out there is dated. We're traveling with a large group, and I don't want to pass along incorrect information. I know this is an older ship, but I can't remember the last time I had to bring my own hair dryer. We're all flying into port, and I don't want to take up space/weight with a hair dyer if I don't have to.

Thanks for any help you all can give!

My kingdom for Bitter and Blanc!!! I ask on every cruise and have had no luck. These posts give me hope. Thank you, fellow Bitter and Blancians :)

The cheesecake in the Steakhouse will spoil you! Love it! It makes the MDR cheesecake look puny and sad (which it kind of is...). Highly recommend!

Geri & Jack - what a wonderful post! My husband and I were married aboard the Carnival Destiny in 1998 (also my first cruise). We cruise as often as we can, and I hope that years from now I can post a comment just like yours :-)

We remember well those good old ships. We sailed on them all. We had the time of our lives. Those ships were so innocent, glorious and new to us newly wed. Now 50 years later we are still sailing because of the fun we had.

Three cheers for Regent Cruise line, the Greek shipline and most of all - those grand ships!

Geri & Jack

Canada

Azure 2x

Pegasusx2x

Oceanis 1x

Bolero (I think)