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I was elated to find out that as a surviving spouse, I qualified for the military discount. I used both the military discount and cruise next certificates.  My husband gave up attending the NCL meeting because it was so lame.  He loved, and we always attended the Carnival veterans programs.  It is bitter sweet that there are so few WWII veterans left.  Some of our best cruise stories were of meeting veterans around the ship.  We met a man who was 82nd airborne in WWII, he apologized for having to use a walker (really, bad knees who would have thought!)  Another time we were seated with a 90 year old man and his wife, they were newlyweds!  He wore his Marine Corps uniform to elegant night. My husband proudly wore a Marine Corps lapel pin to dinners and a USMC ball cap during the day.  

18 hours ago, chill6x6 said:

I've got a little time between other cruises...lol! Looking at something quick and easy and most of that would be Carnival Liberty out of New Orleans OR Carnival Legend out of Tampa both 7 day cruises.  Would be in a GS or Vista suite.

 

Any comments will be appreciated!

If September 2022 and January 2023 count as recent, then yes.  I hadn't sailed since Spring 2019 (NCL Joy to Alaska) and lost my husband in 2021.  I wasn't sure I would ever sail again.  Then...Friends who had NEVER cruised before called and said they had booked a 5 day Carnival cruise out of Mobile.  It was the Elation, scheduled for the junkyard.  Asked if I wanted to come.  I went, it cost less than $300 for me alone in a OV.  We had the best time.  It was so good, we booked a 7 day out of Mobile in January 2023.  Been on NCL Alaska and a Transatlantic since.  If you like NCL, you are most likely going to like Carnival.  Also, I am a strong proponent of New Orleans.  I love the 8 hour sailing down the mighty Mississippi!

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this question, however, it was something I was wondering about.  Background: We were on a NCL Alaska cruise last spring and booked the Lumberjack show.  We received a ticket and then a sticker for our bus into Ketchikan from Ward Cove.  This bus was specifically for our Lumberjack excursion.  When we arrived they dropped us off at the show and instructed us on where to catch the shuttle to go back to Ward Cove. I remember(?) the busses were lining up near the Visitors Center. This shuttle was not specifically for our excursion, it was a continuous line of busses taking cruise passengers back to Ward Cove and was, I believe for all NCL passengers going back to Ward Cove not for specific excursions.  We were told when the last bus left to go back.  We enjoyed the show, then did some shopping, not as much as I wanted but we wanted to catch the shuttle.  There was a line but the busses filled up and ran.  The individuals running the line to catch the shuttle were very knowledgeable and helpful.  There were more busses after ours.  We are going again in September and have booked the lumberjack show because we are fans of puns and dad jokes.  Questions:  The excursion description says there is time for shopping.  Is there a specific bus for our booked excursion that we have to be on at a specific time, or, like last year, will there be continuous shuttles up until a certain time?  Will the line of busses be where they were last year?  Has anyone done this excursion this year, and what was your experience?  I am going under the impression that NCL will make sure that anyone waiting will not be left behind, however, I want to be prepared.

I'll be the La Cucina fan.  One of my favorite and would choose it over Cagneys.  The Teppanyaki doesn't seem to be a value to me when I look at what I pay for it at home.  At La Cucina I love the osso bucco and also the filet with blue cheese ravioli is better than any steak I have gotten at Cagneys.  

I have booked NCL air 3 times, twice on repositioning cruises and once on my upcoming Alaska cruise.  In all cases I first priced it myself and NCL was cheaper.  I ended up very happy on the first two.  I received my flights for my upcoming Alaska cruise very early, 100+ days out, and was satisfied, I had a 5 am departure to get there and a 11:20 departure coming home.  Yesterday, I received notification that the airline had changed my flights.  To BETTER flights.  I don't leave home until 7:30 and leave to come home at 12:40, getting home at 10:05 pm.  I have never had such good flights to Seattle, even when I booked them myself.  Now I am quietly crossing my fingers for no more changes!

I'm so excited about your review.  I am on the Aug. 30th sailing in a solo balcony.  I booked an oceanview and used points to get a balcony, I am traveling with friends.   

I am most disappointed by no more duck at LeBistro, but they still have the escargot so I will still go.  

I checked my account and had a $137.50 balance, 3 days past due.  I called NCL and they said it was an incorrect fee and would be taken off.  I asked what the fee was for and was told that sometimes when they are making the flight reservations a fee is put on.  1 week later I got my flight information.  I am still more than 100 days out.  Cruise not cancelled, fee removed, great fights.  

Thank you for this post and all the replies.  I didn't really pay much attention to the Military Discount program until today.  My husband joined the Marine Corps on his 18th birthday.  He also loved the military meetings on NCL and Carnival. He proudly wore a Marine Corps pin or baseball cap while on board and was often asked about it.  We have many great stories about veterans we met on cruises. He passed away on 9/11/2021, before NCL had this program.  After reading these posts, I checked and as a surviving spouse, I am eligible for the discount.  So I am signed up and ready to book more cruises. Thank you all!

5 time Alaska cruiser here.  6th is booked for later this year.  The first two were on Princess, the rest are NCL.  We loved Alaska, did not love Princess, but it was fine.  We also cruised the Panama Canal on Princess.  Coming from Alabama it was a little too "fancy like" for us.  We cruised NCL (also Carnival) out of New Orleans like other people booked beach homes, 3-4 time a year.  Once we started achieving latitudes status, it was hard to give up the extra perks to start as newbies on another line, and the prices let us put extra into excursions.

All this being said, pick the cruise that suits your needs and has the itinerary you want.  Alaska is really about the scenery and the excursions.  Standing on the balcony looking at the glory that is Alaska is awe inspiring.  

On our recent Joy cruise we ate at Cagneys, La Cucina, Ocean Blue and Le Bistro.  After several attempts, I am giving up on Cagneys.  The best part of the meal was the creamed spinach, the potatos au gratin and the OMG cheesecake.  The filet and Blue cheese ravioli in La Cucina was a better steak.   Love the carbonara.  The duck at LeBistro was terrific and escargot!!  We also loved Ocean Blue, scallops and pork belly, enough said.

I do miss the old osso bucco at La Cucina, it is now lamb shanks.  The older version had the bone marrow.  

I was on the Joy post refurbishment transatlantic with friends, husband and wife and me.  He had fallen in a cave on a cruise in December and had surgery on 3 rotator cuffs.  It was his right arm.  Our last specialty dining was at Le Bistro.  Best meal I have ever had on a ship.  Best waitress I have ever had on a ship.  The food was delicious, the presentation was excellent.  When they uncovered our meals, my friend reached for her husbands duck so she could cut it for him.  Our waitress told her, no, you start your meal, I will cut it for him.  She proceeded to cut his meal and even fed him one or two pieces so he could eat with us.  It was a beautiful thing to do.  We made sure to write a hero card for her.  

YES!  I sailed the  Prima New York to Iceland.  Very rough seas.  Missed ports. Very cold. The thermal spa was worth the money.  I can sleep thru anything so I rarely heard the noise. There was creaking during the really rough seas. I don't eat at the buffet.  I did walk thru several time and there is not room for everyone at busy times.  I also don't attend entertainment so I wasn't bothered by packed rooms.  

I agree with many, rolling the clothes is key.  Start filling the bag with the smallest clothes at the bottom.  Be gentle when putting them in.  Work up to the largest, heaviest clothes on top.  The bag can be left open with clothes laying on top.  I am always amazed at how many clothes I can fit in the bag.  You will get them back, usually, nicely folded in a wicker basket.  Once I got my shirts and pants back on hangers. 

My husband would tell a story of two salesmen in a new town.  The first went to the local diner and asked the waitress what the people in town were like.  She asked him what the people in his town were like, he replied that they were lying backstabbing thieves.  She said YOU will find the people here are the same.  The second salesman went in the diner and asked the waitress what the people in town were like.  She asked him what the people in his town were like.  He replied, they are the kindest, honest, generous people.  She told him, YOU will find that they are the same here.

I have been 35 cruises, never had a bad one.  Bad weather, bad food, missed ports, norovirus once, and, I was on one of the last sailings of the Carnival Holiday! Each one of them had positives to make up for the negatives. My least favorite cruise was a Panama Canal on Princess.  I still enjoyed it.

When I feel the cruise is not worth the money I spent, I will consider it not a good cruise.  Hasn't happened yet.

Now ask me how I feel about Disney World, That is a waste of money (for me).  

It's why there is chocolate AND vanilla.  To each his own.  I like vanilla, but if you like chocolate, I'm happy for you.  If you don't like ice cream there is something wrong with you.

I did this in October.  We arrived later on the day before sailing and stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at the airport.  On the morning of the cruise we went back to the airport lobby to get the bus.  We missed the first round and waited with the second.  It was very easy. It will take some time to get your luggage and thru customs.  Find out when the last bus leaves.  They take your luggage and when you get to the port you do not have to deal with it (with attached luggage tags).  I highly recommend this!

On 11/18/2023 at 5:06 PM, mitsugirly said:

Was having issues as well (Chrome) and it would ask me to log in and then ask me to log in again...and again...and again. I finally gave up. Well, after trying that over and over about 5x. Then I gave up. lol

That is what is happening to me on Chrome.

Itinerary!  Alaska is such a port intensive cruise the ship fades to the background.

The only time I have been told I could not take food back to the cabin was a cruise with Noro virus.  I asked to take my dessert back to the room and was told that was not allowed.  I was sick the next day and it kept up.  Signs included no condiments on the tables, paper menus, the washy washy song being played over the loud speaker every 15 minutes, and of course everyone talking about who was or had been sick.  The crew, of course denied everything.  After the cruise, I mentioned it to my cruise consultant and he said I should have gone to the medical office since it was covered under my insurance.  The walking down there in the state I was in was not an option, I just spent 24 hours in the shower.

14 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

Our room steward filled our ice bucket daily and told us to keep it in the 'refrigerator' so it would last longer.  He was right.  

On day one, when I meet my cabin steward, I tell him I would like ice and extra towels.  Then I give them a tip.  I always get ice everyday and towels.

Several years ago I read a post from someone who tested the water from various locations and concluded the melted ice was the cleanest water on the ship.  I refill my water bottle with the melted ice so it serves 2 purposes.  

Just yesterday received my flights, 46 days before my cruise.  We leave Birmingham, AL Tuesday Oct 10th at 3pm, 1 stop in Houston, 3 hour layover, and arrive at Heathrow Wednesday at 11:30am. Our cruise leaves on Oct 12.  I asked for that deviation. We depart Heathrow at 11:45 on the 22nd, 1 stop in Atlanta, 2 1/2 hour layover, and arrive in Birmingham at 6:30pm on Virgin Atlantic. We have transportation from NCL from the ship to Heathrow on our return. Now I have to plan Heathrow to Southampton and lodging the night of the 11th. I don't know how we could have gotten a better itinerary.

DH and I always took advantage of the free laundry for platinum guests.  Sometimes we needed it for the cruise, or at the very least we used it to take home clean clothes so one less chore when we got home.  DH was a Marine, so he would roll the clothes up very tightly and carefully stuff the bag so no rips.  It was always amazing how much could be stuffed into the bags.  One of the great joys is getting the clothes back perfectly folded in the basket with tissue paper.  We would pick it up and put it dircctly into the suitcase.  As mentioned above, ask your cabin seward about the special, they can help.  Usually, they will take care of you if you take care of them.  I always tip when I first meet them, tell them what I want during the cruise (extra towels and lots of ice) and thank them in advance for their service.  

Great review!  

DH and I always ate at a specialty restaurant on the first night.  My last two cruises were with my stepdaughter and we spaced out the specialty restaurants and got tired by the end.  On our upcoming cruise we will eat our 4 meals on nights 1 to 4.  

On 8/9/2023 at 4:53 PM, MagnoliaBlossom said:

the sailing down the Mississippi is always nice.  I just wish they would depart at 10:00:am so you could see the mouth of the river during daylight. For sailaway get on the port side, as after the ship sails it will turn and you want to see the French Quarter and it come up quick and lasts but a few minutes.  Lots else to see downriver.  Grab a drink, find an outside spot and watch all that history float by.

 

 

I am Sapphire on NCL and Platinum on Carnival, I do not prefer one over the other, I chose value of cruise primarily.  NCL having CruiseNext is of great value to me.

In September 2011 my DH and I had btb on the Carnival Triumph, a 4 day followed by a 5 day.  The 4 day experienced very bad weather and the river was closed when we should have been coming in.  We sat outside the river most of the night and only made the trip up starting around 8 am which delayed the arrival.  We may have been the only people undisturbed about this since we did not have to get off.  We arrived late in the day and did not leave til early morning.  We got to see the trip both up and down during the daylight.  We loved this experience.  BTW, we learned that there are alot of cows in south LA.