Countrygurl

My last cruise was August 2018. My next cruise is October 2019.  In between I’ve gone to Nashville for a long weekend and next up I have 5 days scheduled in Key West.  But mostly it’s work to pay for trips!

Yes and it doesn’t have to be in the original package.  I typically bring a mix of candies in a ziplock bag and never have issues!

i have cruised anywhere from July to November.  Never noticed any difference in the choppiness of the water.  

As long as its not near or around any school holiday, kids are not a problem.

On 11/6/2018 at 11:45 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

I can highly recommend Hyatt on the Hudson. The views of NYC from there were outstanding. Has a bar. Lots of restaurants within walking distance. You are going when the weather should be terrific for strolling the boardwalk. Adjacent to PATH if you change your mind about going into the Manhattan. There is also a water taxi shuttle that will cross the Hudson river and drop you off right next to One Tower. IMO, the Jersey side of the Hudson is a hidden gem for cruisers.  The Hyatt is very costly, but an absolutely lovely way to start vacation. 

100% agree.  This was the best decision I made last August.  We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful  hotel and the area.  We stayed one night pre-cruise.  Called an Uber the next morning, and he was already sitting outside waiting for fare.  Easy and convenient.

On 2/7/2019 at 12:55 PM, ramja96 said:

Was it difficult getting a driver on the app with so many people coming off the ship, and then finding the car? I'm an Uber virgin. 😇

Absolutely not.  We were there this past August.  I used the Uber app and had a driver there within 5 minutes or so.  So easy and the cheapest alternative.

1 hour ago, kyleg2949 said:

Does the rum bar make a Painkiller?

Painkillers are my favorite drink!  I don't know if they do, but last August on RC AOS, that was my go to drink!

On 2/2/2019 at 4:52 PM, Butterbean1000 said:

We always start off with the Funship Special.  It's the drink that lets us know we are on our cruise.  I can't have more than two because they are so sweet.  We usually ask for a rum floater to go with it.  After that, my favorite drink is a dirty martini with blue cheese olives at Alchemy Bar.

Agree!  I always start my cruise with a FunShip!! It just seems fitting.   Always starts the cruise off right!

My first cruise was an Alaskan cruise for our 20th wedding anniversary (over 16 years ago, oh my!).  I learned not to sweat the small stuff.  Go with the flow, relax, and enjoy yourself!  

To this day, I prefer the "smaller" ships over the new mega ships.  Vista was nice but I much preferred Glory, Conquest, and the like.

Agree mostly with all the above comments.  Its a cruise.  It is what you make of it.   You will have fun on either line.  We took our first RC cruise last summer and while it was great, we just prefer Carnival.  We booked our October cruise this year on Magic.  I would definitely sail RC again.  Just prefer Carnival.

What I disagree with most, is that the clientele is different.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  We have seen it all kinds on both lines.  Carnival is definitely not lower class clientele as some have suggested.   I can say if you are taking a short duration cruise, that may be the case on any line.  

Again, I think any vacation is mostly what you make of it.  Enjoy your cruise!

21 hours ago, cruzer_77 said:

How bad are inside rooms? We went on our first cruise last year and had a balcony. We may be going again this year but want to save some money and are thinking of booking an inside room. Not sure if I would be able to handle not having sunlight in my room. 

I have been on 5 cruises.  Always had a balcony or an ocean view until last year when we booked an inside room.  Granted it was on Royal Carribbean, not Carnival.  With that said, I would have absolutely no problem booking an inside room again.  In fact, I am getting ready to book another cruise for late fall, and it will be an inside cabin.  I don't cruise to spend time in the cabin.  I love being outside people watching.  So a cabin isn't a big deal to me.   (Side note:  When we cruised Alaska, I couldn't have imagined having anything other than a balcony.  So I guess too it depends on where you are going!)

Thank you all.  I am 100% not worried about having the 4th person.  More concerned we will have a 5th person who wants to go.  Think I will take the advice and book as "TBA".    October is so far away but there is nothing like the excitement of booking your next cruise!  Except, I guess, actually boarding your next cruise!!

Thank you both.  The three of us that are committed, really like the itinerary and ship.  So torn on what to do!

Planning a girls' trip in the fall.  Right now 3 of us are committed.  We are confident we will have a fourth, and possibly more.  Is it possible to book 2 cabins on a Carnival cruise now, with only the names of the 3 who are committed and then add other persons over the next few months?  

Thank you for your review. I will be on this same ship/itinerary on the 28th. I still haven’t made a reservation for the night before our cruise and would appreciate knowing your thoughts on the hotel in Jersey City when you have a moment. Enjoy your cruise.

Just off the Adventure this past Friday, Sept. 7. HIGHLY recommend Hyatt House in Jersey City. Brand new. Right next door to Path. Right on water. Amazing!!!!

Don't worry you will love the Vista. We sailed her last October. I was worried about the size and number of passengers, but it really didn't seem different than smaller ships.

The sky ride is a lot of fun, although the line moves slowly. Definitely worth a go once.

We LOVED the cruise director (alhough I can't remember his name for the life of me). He was one of the best.

And agree with those who have said don't miss Flick. Best show ever!

Have fun and enjoy. Just got off my first RCI cruise yesterday. Didn't enjoy it as much as my Carnival cruises, but any cruise is a great cruise to me!

When I was looking at my upcoming oasis cruise AAA was offering that. I didn't use them ultimately so I won't be able to comment on it, but from what I remember on my first oasis cruise I don't recall a line for non CA/suites.

 

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Just off Adventure of the Seas yesterday. We booked thru AAA and received priority boarding. We arrived at the port at 10:30 and by 10:45ish we were on the ship.

We just got back from a wonderful cruise aboard the Adventure of the Seas today, and I will write a full review here shortly, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up to steer clear of the St Andrews by the Sea excursion offered by RC for the stop in Saint John, Canada! It was a nightmare.

 

It started out good with a jovial guide and driver, but then when we got to St. Andrews (a sleepy seaside tourist location) it all went downhill. For starters, most of the quaint little shops were closed (noon on a Tuesday)! Some apparently out of business. Plus you just barely had time to see the few places that were open. About an hour and 20 minutes there, with a one hour drive each way to St. Andrews.

 

Second, the driver and the guide both did a head count and they still left behind one person (evidently traveling alone) and this wasn't realized until about 30 minutes into a one hour ride back to the ship (which was timed to arrive back about a half hour before the ship departed)! Another passenger said she wondered where that lady was to the guide (it would have helped if she spoke sooner, but she wasn't sure if the woman sat somewhere else). So we had to drive all the way back and pick her up. (It would have been much smarter for the tour operator to arrange an Uber - at the operator's expense- to drive her to the port, but whatever) Poor woman looked scared to death when we arrived back at St. Andrews. (Another frustrating thing was the fact that no one could answer whether she was there or boarded some other tour bus!)

 

Finally, our tour guide was so frazzled by all of this (I guess he's anticipating a stern lecture on the merits of an accurate head-count) that he resumed his Canada stuff lecture but went off on a tangent about his various bouts with cancers and the importance of cancer screening and even talking about some inappropriate topics about his sex life after prostate cancer... it got so bad that one woman stood up (overly dramatically in my opinion) and begged him to stop talking about cancer. (Maybe she'd lost someone or had some bad experience herself) Then she began sobbing. Several other guests asked him to get back on Canada info.

 

The guide reluctantly stopped talking about all this non-Canada info and went on a fast delivery rant of mostly catastrophes throughout Canadian history (kind of a downer) and I eventually tuned him out.

 

Adventure was late getting out of port that day as our tour got back about 45 minutes late.

 

Again, I highly recommend NOT DOING THIS TOUR!

Thank you for your review. I, too, just returned home from this cruise. I wanted to post about my disappointment in general about St. John, but good grief these boards host a tough crowd. I will just say I had a great cruise, but I think a different port may be in order.

The name of the port is Bar Harbor. not Harbour.

 

SBtS

Pardon me.

Hello. Just an update. True to their word, ANP Tours had us back by 4:30. Awesome excursion!

Acadia National Park Tours is an experienced tour provider who has been doing tours for years. You will be in good hands and should not worry any further about it.

 

SBtS

Thank you!!! I feel so much better!!!

It is not a RC excursion. I will check the Compass. Here’s hoping if it’s earlier than I anticipated, I can cancel with a full refund. Says refunds must give 24 hour notice but I scheduled with less than 24 hours!

Tomorrow is our Bar Harbour port day. Ever the procrastinator, I didn’t book our Acadia NP Tour until today. It’s a 2 1/2 hour excursion arriving back at 4:30. Considering this is a tender port and we have to be back onboard by 5:30, am I cutting it too close? I’m stressing now!

Is it a private or HAL tour? If HAL - no problem as they will take care of you. If private, you are cutting it a bit close, but should be OK if the tour runs ontime (assuming that the last tender leaves the pier at 5:30PM).

It is not a RC excursion. Privately booked through Acadia National Park Tours. Hence the nervousness!

Tomorrow is our Bar Harbour port day. Ever the procrastinator, I didn’t book our Acadia NP Tour until today. It’s a 2 1/2 hour excursion arriving back at 4:30. Considering this is a tender port and we have to be back onboard by 5:30, am I cutting it too close? I’m stressing now!

Cape Liberty easy embarking. AOS nice ship.

Windjammer. Holy crap! Yikes! What a zoo!

Sitting outside with a drink in hand. Gonna be a great week!!