Treasure Hunter

After what is spent on the cruise, flights, hotels etc. Definitely take the car service. Especially if your hotel can arrange it for you. Easy with no lifting and dragging luggage. Worry about missing the ship. Leave at nine am and enjoy your cruise. The cost is a drop in the bucket.

Thanks!

Leaving in September on Emerald Princess for New England/Canada. Does Princess ever leave from Westside Manhattan or only from Brooklyn? Can’t get a definitive answer

As long as the ship sails to Glacier Bay, you are good. The best cruise to Alaska we did sailed from Vancouver to Anchorage . Then we took the Princess land tour toDenali via a domed train staying in the lodges all the way to Fairbanks. It was the best of both worlds but the land part cost as much as the cruise. It was fabulous. Princess does a great job in Alaska. Also if you can spring for it , the helicopter to the glacier and dog sledding is amazing. I don’t think the ship matters as much as the time of year. Too early in the season is cold and August has the state bird ( mosquitoes).

I think the fact that there is no professional historian/lecturer on the ship or nights with zero entertainment ( long boring days with no ports and then hit with missing St Louis) except the trio ( actually very good and a duo ( if she played that screeching violin one more time…) . No rock and roll or up to date music. I love Sinatra and the American songbook too but give us a break. A little more variety could have been brought aboard with more thought. But it was the buffet for two out of three meals with lack of service that means that $25,000 does not get you a luxury vacation. Misrepresentation.

Both upper and lower

We have AT&T

See that's the problem. Someone will try that on a holiday sailing when tables are hard to come by in the Haven restaurant. They have every right to say "but I did it before". You pay, you play.

We are on the Encore in February with our daughter and two grandchildren. Last year we took the two bedroom suite in the Haven on the Getaway. Kids slept in the small bedroom bunk beds and went for $99 each. Daughter slept in living room on pull out couch ( steward opened and closed everyday) for $350. We had the best time! Grandson ate steak for dinner almost every night. The kids said it was the most wonderful vacation they ever had.

You will meet many terrific people in the Haven, either at the bar or around the pool who will invite you to join them. The bar and lounge can be very jolly.

Then Haven guests will be really angry. If you pay for the Haven , you should get the perks. If you don’t pay for the Haven , you shouldn’t. Very simple.

Internet is poor ( in and out). Cell service non existent . Very scary if you have an emergency at home.

Yes

The Crystal Itinerary is overnight Amsterdam ( Amsterdam just posted no more cruise ships like Venice), Bruges, three days docked on the Seine in Rouen for the D-Day Beaches etc. and Guernsey Island. Hopefully the entertainment won’t be as bad as our recent Viking Mississippi which caused me to swear off river cruises. I know I’m going to miss the ship within a ship. I love the big ship amenities and the special treatment in the Haven. But this itinerary was too good to pass up.

The best cruise experience that ever happened was when my daughter was in the elevator with someone who was going to the Haven and invited her to take a peek. We had no idea that it even existed. Now , I feel nothing compares to the Haven. We have booked a Crystal cruise for September 2024 because of the unusual itinerary and my husband is already complaining about the dress code. After 45 years of wearing suits every day , it’s the last thing he wants to bring on vacation. And Crystal just removed their casino😢. We have the Encore booked for February and I can’t wait. Two bedroom family suit in the Haven with grandkids.

What about toothpaste toothbrush. Hairbrush, hair products, over the counter meds like Tylenol Pepto Aleve. Ships don’t sell those anymore. Last trip (. 8 days in Greek Islands. I brought a pharmacy ( saline spray, TheraTears, Glyoxide, Vaseline, antibiotic cream and bandaids. Etc.). Why wear heavy jeans?

I have written a full review on cruise critic. The Field of Dreams excursion was wonderful . An original actor( ghost player) from the movie spoke with us at length. And you could play ball with him. Sign up early as the tour sold out. The tour of the Minneapolis Institute of Art ( extra cost also) was excellent. And Viking did provide golf carts for those who couldn’t make it up the steep levees on the southern part of the cruise. However the price $25,000 was not worth it. It is not a luxury cruise. The young affable CD ( he came from Disney) worked nonstop. He needed help. There is no scenery in the south. . Except for the Vicksburg battlefield and the Steve Azar show in Greenville, there is nothing to see. The scenery on the upper Mississippi is beautiful . We had nothing to do on the ship and many days without a port stop. I read four books. I guess it was the lack of service and the buffet meals that really did us in. Also the lack of a professional resident historian was a poor contrast to the American Cruiseline Lewis and Clark trip we took last year. That cruise had sit down service at every meal.

I don’t for sure but if you are in the Haven , they take extra care. Our laundry always came back beautifully folded.

Was in the Greek Islands mid June. Very busy. We were able to get on the Santorini cable car when it opened at 8:00z it was empty by 11:00 there was a two hour wait. Ephesus was almost dangerous because of the crowds and slippery stones. Rhodes was Ok. No problem walking on the Main Street or lunch at a restaurant. We were told that by July tourist will be shoulder to shoulder. Mykonos was jammed. Venice is crowded but not as bad since the big ships cannot dock near the city. The most enjoyable port was Kotor in Montenegro. There is a wonderful restaurant opposite from the entrance to the Acropolis that we had breakfast and watched everyone else do the climb.

We were thinking sports jacket instead of suit or tux( which doesn’t fit anymore) and my usual black pants and fancy top

We plan to be touring every day. So not too worried. Sorry they eliminated the casino. Glad they have a library. It’s a big anniversary. Hope the formal nights are optional. It will be a real throwback.

Thank you.😁🥰

I’m a faithful follower of yours on NCL Haven posts. I know you will be on Oceania. We were looking for a September 2024 cruise that would allow us to visit the D-Day beaches. We found a Crystal cruise ( Dover to Dover that actually docks in Rouen on the Seine for three days. ) We have always wanted to cruise Crystal and are very excited but nervous too ( as a newcomer). How does it compare to the Haven, our standard ). We’ve been disappointed in Celebrity Retreat. Just got back from Viking Mississippi and did not enjoy it. Two out of three meals served buffet. You made your own toast. It was the most boring cruise with skipped ports. Husband loved Field of Dreams excursion but then we had a canceled flight on way home with people crying in the airport ( flooding in NY). Previous cruise in June was a fun Celebrity to Greece with family. Decided I need more than a riverboat. Tell me I’ll be happily surprised by Crystal. Your fan.

The upper Mississippi was not offered alone when we booked two+ years ago. Perhaps it is now. Oh yes and the electricity went out in La Crosse so we couldn’t eat lunch ( bars came down and locked the food up) so we walked into town and had great Reuben sandwiches at a dive called the breakfast club. The elevators came on after lunch.

The meal I described was not in the cafe ( buffet on five) where 70% of the passengers chose to eat because they could return many times to pile their plates high but in the restaurant it took two hours to eat three courses. Believe me , I did my research. I am an adult reference librarian. And yes the upper Mississippi landscape is beautiful but Viking doesn’t offer just that cruise. Perhaps Viking could have done some research and not built a too large, too slow ( out of greed). Maybe skip a smaller port by planning ahead and not skip St. Louis. We scraped the bottom of the boat coming into Red Wing. And yes we met some great people that we plan to keep in Touch with. The field of dreams tour ( sold out before you board with many disappointed passengers) was memorable . I am trying to be fair . We have cruises over fifty times and traveled all over the world . Two American cruise line American River cruises were done better. You can’t make any comments to Viking loyalists. But if I’m the banker for a line for two years , I expect more.