albean99

Very timely topic for us. We book the Joy for Jan 22nd and wanted to wait a few days after hearing about the update to POC. We're leaning heavily to cancelling but it changes hourly. A lot of our questions have been mentioned. One difference for us is that we have a TA booked for the end of April on the Dawn so could use the FCC to help pay it off. We're traveling with friends from Canada and we're all waiting to decide closer to the pay date in late February. We're retired so don't have to worry about jobs if that one had to be rescheduled. 

1. Missing ports isn't too big of a deal for us since we were only planning on doing 2 of the 4 but still a consideration. 

2. Entertainment cancellations if more of a deal for us, especially if it ends up being mostly sea days. I know that Footloose has been canceled in recent days and worry that Covid is spreading through the cast. 

3. We're not worried about having to wear masks but there will be considerable time not wearing them while eating and drinking. That seems the highest risk time while on the ship. 

4. The biggest thing that we're hung up on is the chance of having to quarantine. I know we could read but we could do that at home while not stuck in a little cabin (assuming they move you). 

5. Of course air travel is a concern like others have said. We're flying in the afternoon before so not too much leeway in a cancellation. Safety is another one although I don't think very many people get Covid from air/airports. 

Thanks for the comments. I think we'll have to sit down and do a pro/con list like we do for any big decisions. Safe travels for everyone deciding to go. 

No comment on how effective it is but they had the hand sanitizers in use on the Eurodam as of yesterday. I do prefer having a hand washing station available but that's usually only at buffets. 

That's great news! We'll be there in early October. Thanks!

This is the cruise we did! From Venice? What did you think of the excursions? We were dumped in Athens as it was gridlocked caked with coaches, there were 6 cruise ships in port that day! I had to walk with my stick to the Acropolis by the museum!

The shows were fab weren't they? Where did you fly from? Bev.

 

 

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We may have been the cruise before yours because we left from Barcelona. Yes, the shows were very good.

I'm not sure if all our stops were the same but loved all the Italy ports and most of the rest. Least favorite was Zadar, Croatia because we had a terrible guide at Krka (through NCL). We were in Athens on a Sunday and took a chance on a cab tour which was great! We loved our Rome tour which wasn't a ship excursion.

Il Trattoria was not only beside the buffet but if you went in the day the walls were down and was a part of the buffet.

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We just did a 11 day on the Spirit in April. We had 5 pay meals and several dining room dinners although didn't always go to the MDR. I my meals were okay although the one beef meal I got wasn't good. The fish and chicken always seemed good. I agree about the desserts but I usually find that in the big dining rooms. My favorite dessert was the coconut ice cream sandwich in Cagney's.

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I think it depends what you're comparing and what you like. If you compare an older Carnival to an older RCCL or NCL, it will probably be close. Ditto with the newer ships. From there it's just preference.

We've been on all 3 and like NCL and RCCL over Carnival for us although it was great when we had young kids. Of course all 3 have good kids programs. We like freestyle dining and casual dress so have been doing mostly NCL in recent years and the beverage & dining packages don't hurt. One thing that bothers me with Carnival is the non-refundable deposit with promotions. I like booking early so sometimes things change.

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We went a very long time ago on one of our early cruises and our snorkeling excursion was cancelled due to choppy seas. We walked off the ship and took an open air bus to a beach (not sure what one). It was a wild ride on a very windy road so we held on tight and had fun with it. We came over a hill and saw the most beautiful blue-green water. We rented a couple of lounge chairs and umbrellas and had a frozen drink while our boys had a great time in the waves. Our ride back was less eventful in a van. We had a wonderful time and I've had a soft spot for Tortola ever since.

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We're doing an 11 day from Barcelona in April and it was a great price when I booked over a year ago. I compared itineraries/prices and nothing compared at that time. I probably wouldn't normally pick a small older ship but it will be fine for this port intensive cruise. I cruised on the Dawn last fall and thought it looked very fresh after the dry dock but this won't be the same type of dry dock.

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We did Los Lobos a la cart and loved it. The guacamole is incredible and they make it at your table. It's a lot of food by itself. The spicy margarita was included last fall. The bartender there was really good. We went early and had a drink first.

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There are companies who have semi-private tours which are similar to the private ones but you pay a per ticket price instead of per vehicle. They still have to get a minimum number of people. We booked Rome and Florence with Smart Cruise Tours. We'll be cruising in April so will try to remember to post here.

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I like both but there's a reason we almost always go NCL. We like that you don't need to dress up if you don't want, can eat when or where you want if not doing pay dining, the drink package is pretty good for trying new drinks, and on the newest ships we love the waterfront on deck 8. We enjoyed both Breakaway & Getaway. There are things I enjoy about RCL also and will be on Oasis of the Seas next February. That's our 1st of their big ships. Either way you should have fun if you're not expecting everything to be equal.

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We haven't done the Haven but did an inside for our last cruise after a balcony because the prices on the NE/Eastern Canada cruises were a lot more for ocean view and balcony. It was perfectly fine for us. We don't spend a lot of time there other than sleeping and some reading. There are times I'd rather just save the money for other things.

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Splendid idea! I assume the bar hours mirror the restaurant hours?

I'm not sure but the hours are in your Dailies. The had a margarita tasting scheduled there but only 4 of us showed up. That was not during restaurant hours but think that was a special event.

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We were on the Dawn 3 weeks ago and had dinner there. We didn't have the dining plan but it seemed reasonable. The guacamole was wonderful. The chips, salsa, @ guacamole were filling enough that we didn't want any other appetizers.We shared the cactus salad which was interesting. I had enchiladas which was also good. You can just come to the bar for their specialty margaritas and get chips/guacamole there if you don't want dinner.

I live in Texas and imo it was so much better than your average Tex Mex restaurant. People at our Meet & Greet recommended we all try it.

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Someone asked the Hotel Director of the Dawn about it at our M&G 2 weeks ago and he said that the price of lobster has gone up a lot so would be off until it's lower which he expects at some point.

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We were just on the Dawn and no MLB playoff games we're shown. I know they don't have the rights to ESPN anymore either. We got some limited football and the rest was soccer.

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We really enjoyed it and I'm not even a big magic person. We got the better seats in the middle and I think it was worth it. We happened to notice people lining up earlier than we planned which ended up being worth doing. They seat you in order, front to back so the earlier ones get the better seats (after the suites people of course). We thought the food was pretty good but each to their own. You're eating while watching so not easy to it. If you do a search you'll probably see lots of info and reviews.

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50 days until our New England/eastern Canada cruise on the Dawn. Looking forward to it but don't want to wish the rest of the summer away. :)

We did the opposite a few years ago (went from the Epic and got on Carnival Liberty) and haven't been on Carnival since. It was fine when our kids were young but not for us now. NCL is still our favorite but RCCL is a very close 2nd.

We were able to get on the first tender that was available after the excursions. It beats getting in line for the tickets plus you don't have to wait for a specific number to be called.

We did the disembarkation although the self-disembark people were ahead of us. Probably won't wait next time because the customs line was so long.

We've done it from Dallas to Miami a few times with no problem but not in the winter. My dh once got delayed flying to San Francisco from a 7 AM flight and didn't arrive until 4 PM due to mechanical issues. No cruise but it taught us that it's not worth the risk for us. Good luck in whatever you decide.

We didn't stay in one because we ended up getting an upgrade but it seems to be a nice cabin. I looked in one on deck 11 on departure day when it was opened to be cleaned and it seemed roomier than a normal ocean view with extra storage under the window. I think I'd do a starboard side one as I had heard about some noise issues in some of the port side ones.

Someone got me on prosecco with a splash of Midori melon liquor on our last cruise. I like it alone and with a little cranberry juice also.

15 days until the Jade. Yay!

We've cruised on NCL for over 5 years now and love the freestyle dining and not having to dress up so much. We'll be going on our 2nd smaller ship very soon but prefer the bigger ships. We loved Breakaway & Getaway. and are hoping to go on the Escape at some point. I do think the staff is more overworked but think they do their best under the circumstances. Our stewards have all been great and we've never had problems getting a drink. There's the odd serving glitch when dining but nothing to worry about. Overall it's still a great value and an enjoyable vacation.