Napagirl

Especially when I'm working! 😄

Years ago I worked in a very expensive resort. There was one guest who came often and ALWAYS handed a hundred dollar bill to every employee he encountered - and I mean if he walked past you, you got a hundy. Do you think he got the best service on the planet? haha!

The smaller pier is the worst! But I still choose SF because it's such a breeze living near the port. And the sail under the GGB is spectacular. There are tricks to having a better embarkation experience - but I learned it the hard way haha! Mainly it's about getting there early and if the line is long you go to a restaurant that overlooks the line. Wait for it to go down. That's our plan for October. I guess this isn't really FOR you since it's not worth it to you, but this is for anyone sailing from SF.

I've only been on Carnival once - Panorama in Feb 2020 (whew, just made it lol) and I was so very bored! I had anticipated this being a "party" ship and I was traveling with my sisters - we were all ready to have some fun. They had so little to do and for some reason they were always trying to get us to do silly dances with the "boys and girls" on opposite sides of the space. I just didn't get it. I've had way more fun on Princess. But I do agree that it's a different vibe. It seems a bit more elevated on Princess to me. Maybe it was just that one cruise?

Right? I always knew some people were nasty long before covid hit the scene. My hand sani, washing hands, clorox wipes routine is exactly the same as pre-2020. I just feel like some have caught up to it. lol

It's pretty addicting actually! We keep choosing cruises from SF because it's so much better to not have to fly. Our daughter drives us to the ferry in Vallejo and off we go. I also wish we had more going out of SF. We have our eye on a 15 day to Hawaii.

BTW - Consider taking the ferry from Vallejo to the SF dock. We get a ride to the ferry, then walk to the ship. So nice if one has the physical ability to do so.

When I went on Carnival I don't remember thinking - wow, these showers are so much bigger! I thought - yep, it's a cruise ship shower. lol Now, ARE they bigger? Maybe? But not that I could notice. I've been on Princess Ruby and Grand, and from what I can tell these are about the same as the Crown which we will be on in October. (FYI we always sail in a balcony) Sailing under the GGB - just nothing like it! Enjoy!

You're my kinda people! 🙂 Cheers!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015WJQ7A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I carry these everywhere! I'm a singer and I have to protect my hearing, but I also want to hear the music and typical cheap earplugs don't do it for me. These are great for when you want to "turn the volume down" but still hear.

I'm so sorry - I hope you are both on your feet again soon!

When we were on the Ruby we found Adagio to be a great daytime place to play cards - but with the recorded music I would not be able to focus on reading. It's jazz-ish music but it's distracting. Don't know if it's the same on the Crown but I'll be finding out.

My husband is 6'6" and when we cruise he says he has to shower in shifts. haha! Let's face it, not much of anything is designed for tall people. Flying coach is interesting.

I can't even eat 95% of what's on the menu in the Crown Grill but I like to go to the specialty restaurants to get that added service and having a more "special" kind of experience.

I have always disliked it when someone judged a whole cruise line from one ship and one experience - but it was not in any way what I like or enjoy in cruising so for me, I'm judging. haha! I don't want to take that chance again.

Thank you - I'll use the spa port day discounts! Yay!

I guess it depends on where you live? I hardly see a difference between the Lotus spa prices and anything I could get where I live - but I'm in the Bay Area, CA so that's probably why. There are some facials and massages under $200 in the ship spa - you don't have to go in for the most expensive things. And of course the prices are even better if you book a special. The salon - hair/nails - are right about what I would pay at home. Getting my treatments on board is so lovely and well worth the money IMO. As for the products, I have never had anyone "hard sell" me. I did end up getting some Elemis products once and I was so happy with them! For those who also love that brand, they are having a sale online right now. 😉

Those are allowable lol

Even when I ate meat I didn't get it either. I have one about two miles from my house. When my son came home from deployment it was our first stop. haha

This is helpful info! I usually just ask the people behind the buffet but now I know to ask for a supervisor. Usually the description or the food itself is obvious but I can't always tell if something is made with a meat broth and/or butter. Cross contamination doesn't bother me and won't make me sick IME. And if it did bother me, I think I could almost never eat anywhere but my own home so thankfully, it's not an issue.

Yes, and they were pretty pushy with US dancing too. hahaha! By the end of the cruise I was over it - just sat there until the music ended and we could talk again. I don't remember a pitcher being only ten bucks...maybe that is only on some ships? Regardless, compared to where I live, all cruises have "cheap" drinks. lol

In the MDR, did they bring out a menu each night for the following night's dining to sort of plan it out?

Spot on! Another thought about the officer and the "shorter cruise" comment is that it's likely this was in response to a question that was asked. Perhaps the answer really IS that it's different on a 7 day cruise vs. a longer one. We all perceive things the way we perceive them, doesn't mean that was what was meant. I also agree that nothing was the OP's fault - it's their experience. The app is buggy and during our last cruise we found that we did better just going to get what we wanted ourselves - or we ordered room service on the tv instead of the app. The amount of activities are just right for me - I bring my yellow highlighter pen haha! In between running between the line dancing and trivia/game shows, I manage to fit in some pool/hot tub time and of course lots of eating. But if NCL offers more of what the OP is looking for then that's cool. There are many options for cruising!

I'm so very happy to hear this!!

I hope to do that sometime! Right now we're so enamored with leaving from San Francisco since it's close to where we live. No flights! I did the Carnival cruise because it was a celebration for a loved one and I didn't choose the cruise line or the departure port.