flwinejunkie

23 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Mary, the spreadsheet that you were clicking on is just an image.  Here is the link to the actual spreadsheet.  There you will find active links in the spreadsheet to take you to the web pages that you were expecting.  If you still have problems, let me know.

 

The tour operator for the cancelled wildlife tour was Boutique Wildlife Tours.  I was so disappointed that it was cancelled.  The tour is designed to extend into the night to give you a chance to see some of the nocturnal animals.  When it was cancelled, we received a prompt refund.

 

David

David,

Wow, the spreadsheet with the links is a wealth of great information!  I was overwhelmed being a newbie on Celebrity and not knowing anything about New Zealand and Australia, so this New Zealand and Great Barrier Reef reviews are a fantastic starting point.  Now I'm really excited to start my "homework".

I can't thank you enough for sharing all of this great information!

Mary

 Thank you so much for posting this review!  I booked Celebrity Eclipse from Aukland, New Zealand to Sydney for March 2022 and excited to see you're visiting some of the same ports as my cruise.  Looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for the info about the Sydney Harbour Marriott.  It sounds like the perfect place to stay so I'll look into it.  You mentioned that your wildlife tour was cancelled.  Do you remember the tour operator?  I'm interested in doing something similar (btw, the tour, breakfast, lunch and dinner links in your itinerary spreadsheet jjust go to a jpg picture of the spreadsheet.  Didn't know if you meant the link to go to a website for the restaurant/tour..)

Also, thanks for posting a link to your Great Barrier Reef cruise.  I'm planning to read that one next since I'm going on a similar cruise out of Sydney on Carnival (casino rate was too good to ignore a couple of months ago).

Thanks again for sharing your cruising experiences with us!

Mary

4 hours ago, christieSF said:

It was through Corfu Walking Tours.  We didn't get to go on the tour, but I highly recommend them based on their communication and the quick refund when our cruise was cancelled.  Hopefully we will get to Corfu one day and will be able to take this tour!

Thanks for the info!  I'll look into it.  We're supposed to be cruising in May 2021, but who knows if we'll be able to go.  Appreciate your help!

On 2/24/2020 at 1:43 PM, christieSF said:

Thanks!  We decided to bite (hahaha) the bullet and booked a food tour.  It's more pricey than we were planning for Corfu, but I know my family will enjoy it!

 

I do have the Rick Steves Med Port guide, so we will supplement each day with his suggestions!

Hello!  Could you please share the name of the tour company for this food tour?  Sounds delicious to me!

Thanks!!

3 hours ago, cruiserssandr said:

Always rolls. If he had a table to use instead of the bed I'm sure he could get even more stuff in. 

I'll give it a try.  THANKS!

8 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

I have not used packing tape (great idea!) but somebody on CC taught me a similar method years ago.  You line the flimsy paper laundry bag they give you with a plastic bag (medium trash bin size works well) and then roll your clothing items very tightly and stack them in the bag.  It is amazing how much you can fit in.  One thing I would add is to count your items as you add them so you can fill in the number of items without unpacking them all again. 

Great idea!  Thanks for sharing.😃

1 hour ago, cruiserssandr said:

My husband has it down to a science. He's a big guy and it's amazing how much he can get in that bag. We each get get a free bag so it's a really good deal. And he has never used tape!

Can you share his tips so I can become a scientist too?   😉  Rolling vs. folding?

Yea I realize things will be different once we are able to begin cruising again.  Since it has been 4 years since we cruised on NCL I was curious if the service was still an option before the shut down.

Thank you for providing your recent experiences with the bundled laundry service!!  The pictures showing the different options with cost are very helpful!

Can't wait to start cruising again since we've recently decided to pull the trigger and retire!!

Hello!

When I was on the Epic for a Mediterranean cruise in both 2014 and 2016, NCL offered a laundry deal towards the end of the cruise.  I stuffed everything I could into a laundry bag for a specific price that was pretty reasonable.  Does NCL still offer this deal?  Any idea on the price?

I'm going on an 11 day Greek Isles & Italy cruise in May 2021 and planning to spend some time before and after the cruise in Italy.  It would be nice to be able to have some stuff washed.  

Thanks for your help!

Mary Jon

On 3/17/2017 at 1:05 PM, Jamman54 said:

The mid ship pool with the retractable roof…..

 

Hi Jeff!  I'm a long time aficionado of your cruise reviews so I'm excited to see this review because I'm going on my first journey cruise in Jan 2021 on Pride for partial Panama Canal. 

I also remember another review where you said Pride is one of your favorite ships.  I've only been on the Magic and Breeze so interested in comparing that to Pride since it's a smaller ship.  Which leads me to a question.... Do you know if the retractable roof is still there or if it has been removed?  I didn't realize that some Carnival ships have a pool with a retractable roof so dounds great for a January cruise.

My cruise is a little different than this cruise because it leaves and departs from Baltimore and has some different ports.  But, I know I'll still learn alot about what to expect thanks to your posts of the daily Fun Times.  And I'll actually get to see some different menus that aren't available on a 7 day voyage!  

I can't wait to learn more about the panama canal piece because I know you'll be very detailed and Patti's pictures will be a fantastic preview of what we'll experience in person.  

THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your experiences with me and everyone else on Cruise Critic.  You are a fantastic cruise ambassador!!

Take Care abnd hope to see you on a future cruise once this chaos is over.

Mary Jon

Thanks a million Sid to help me from going stir crazy!!  I've read alot of your adventures but think I missed the original.   Thanks for posting it. 

Also, could you post the link to your ATL blog?  I know the letters are spelled out somehow but can't remember it and I can't find the link I use to have either.  Sometimes I think I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached...

I had a problem with a low balance gift card on a Carnival Magic cruise in December 2018.  I couldn't apply it to my account on a kiosk so I went to Guest Services and absolutely received the worst customer service of my life.  The lady was rude and told me amounts below $10 can't be aplied to S&S card.  If I remember correctly, I only had $8 and $5 and change on 2 different cards.  I mentioned that none of the Customer Service reps I talked to on the phone mentioned anything about left over small balances on a Carnival gift card and I used multiple cards to pay off everything including gratuities prior to the cruise.  And, there wasn't any small writing on the card itself.  I asked if they could do anything for me to compensate for the loss of my money she just said no and stared at me.  I asked specifically for a drink coupon and she said no again with the stare.  When I asked to speak to a Supervisor, she said nobody was available.  When I asked that a Supervisor contact me she said the only thing she could do was to write up my complaint to send it to the corporate office for someone to contact me.  She didn't say a word while she typed for about 10 minutes while supposedly typing up my issue with a smirk on her face the whole time which made me think I would never hear from anybody.

My husband was so upset about my treatment that he went and took a picture of the lady.  He returned to guest services later that night when she wasn't there and asked to speak to a Supervisor.     The supervisor agreed the policy is to not apply any amount under $10 to accounts (it goes to charity) and the computer system won't allow them to do it.  She apologized for the poor service and stated she would use this example as a coaching opportunity 1-on-1 with the specific representative and at a future staff meeting.  She then offered 2 drink coupons and a bottle of wine that we used at the Italian restaurant and just paid the difference in price for the more expensive bottle.  Needless to say, we were pleased with this great "service recovery" to make everything right.  Shortly after returning home, we booked a family cruise on Carnival for 2019 and I told my familty to make sure they have at least $10 remaining on a gift card to apply to S&S accounts.  So now more gift card issues for me! 

Hope you have a great cruise!

Mary Jon

17 hours ago, Mayamocha said:

Thanks bunches Mary Jon.  Will share this informative blog/post on our Roll Call....she's really detail oriented and gives many good pointers for any Getaway sailing....I will try to remember to post the April 2020 dailies from the Med...maybe remind me if you can before I go

Cheers

Deb

You're welcome Deb!  I'm sorry that I confused you.  I'm interested in your dailies for your NCL Getaway September 20, 2020 11day Greek Isles & Italy cruise, not an April 2020 cruise.  I know it's a long time in the future, but I'll remind you before you go.

I really appreciate your help!!!

Mary Jon

Hello,

Here is a link for a review in progress for the Getaway. It's only on day 2 right now but dailies are posted for both days.

I've been lurking on the roll call for your cruise because I'm booked on the same cruise in May 2021 and want some ideas for excursions.  You've done a great job finding excursions and sharing the ideas with the others.  I'm hoping to do the same for my cruise.

If possible, could you please post the dailies from your cruise upon your return?  Or send them to me directly to dudemp52 at comcast dot net.  I'd love to see them but understand if you forget about it by the time your cruise is over.

Have a great time!

Mary Jon

Thank you KeithJenner, GGTexasGal and julig22 for your insight into tendering!    Unfortunately we don't have any status on NCL so won't receive any tendering preference.  Does anyone know where to go to pick up the tender tickets? We'll definitely need them for Santorini.  We'll be on the Getaway if that makes a difference.   

I'm a planner, so not knowing anything for sure will be a challenge.  I prefer taking smaller private excursions so I'm concerned about planning a pick up time at the port if I don't know when I'll be able to be get on shore.  I assume the private excursion companies have experience with this issue and will be able to provide guidance about times.   But I know I'll still be stressing out over it once on board.

At least I'll be able to plan my dinner and entertainment plans in advance!

Thanks again for your help!  

Thanks for the tip on determining if a port is tender or not!  

I'm going on a Mediterranean cruise of Greece and Italy on the Getaway next year.  Several of the ports can be either tender or port.  When and how do you find out that it will actually be a tender port instead of dociking?

How do you get a tender ticket if you don't take a NCL exursion?  Is it something that can be done on the website at some point before the cruise?  Or do you need to wait until actually boarding the ship or a day before? 

As long as I'm asking questions, here are a couple more.

• When can I make reservations for a specialty restaurant?
• When can I make reservations for entertainment?

Appreciate your help!  CC is a great source of information! 

21 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

I did a partial transit on Carnival Pride.  You lock up through the Gatun Locks into Gatun Lake.  You float around in there for a couple of hours, then lock back out through the same locks.  In order to offer excursions, the ship would have to tender them from Gatun Lake to the Gatun Yacht Club, where they would be picked up by buses.  Then the ship would go back out and dock in Cristobal or Colon in order to pick up those returning from excursions.  Carnival has chosen not to do this, so the canal transit is you excursion.  If you want to go on excursions, you would need to book a different cruise line.  Princess, HAL, and NCL come to mind.  EM

Thanks for confirming how Carnival Pride handles it!  Positive thing with going through the same locks twice is that we will have the opportunity to move around the ship and look for different viewpoints.  My husband will love the opportunity to take more pics.  Looking forward to it!

On 6/5/2018 at 4:35 PM, SCcruiser123 said:

In reading the post from Essiesmom- Carnival does not do excursions. We are already booked for our Panama Canal trip in January on the Carnival Freedom. Our day is listed from 7:30 am to 7 pm. Does anyone know what happens on a Carnival cruise during this time if there are no excursions? Seems like an awful long day if we're mostly just sitting on the lake.

SCCruiser123 - Can you please share what happened on the transit day for your cruise since Carnival doesn't have excursions?  I just booked a Carnival partial transit for Jan 2021 to celebrate our early retirement and wondering if I made a big mistake.  

If you had a port day in Limon, what did you do there?

Appreciate any insight!

5 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Spice H2O is adult only and free.  They do allow children in at night for themed parties and movies.

 

Vibe is the paid section of the deck.  If you are interested in this it’s $199 per person for the cruise.  There is a limited number of passes sold and they go fast.  You will need to be in an early boarding group to get one.

Thanks so much for this helpful information!  Know I understand the difference between Spice H20 and Vibe.  Love that everyone on Cruise Critic is willing to share experiences and information!  

Hello!  I'll be on the Getaway next year so it was great to hear your feedback!

I'm unfamiliar with H20.... is it adult only?  Free or is there a fee for it?

Thanks for your help!

Hello!  Yesterday I just booked an inside cabin on the Jan 10 2020 partial transit cruise on Pride out of Baltimore, so was excited to see this post.  Just beginning to do some research now.

Any suggestions on the best location on the ship to experience going through the canal?  We have an inside cabin and will only reach gold status during this cruise.

Also - any suggestions for excurisons in Limon?

Appreciate any insight you can provide.

30 minutes ago, daisymay1960 said:

Cant help thinking the cruise  would be better if not sharing a room with MIL!

Yeah, it's going to be very interesting with the 3 of us.  😉 I keep telling myself that we don't spend much time in the room, so it should be OK.  We're in a spa interior room so DH and I have the spa passes and that's where I'm planning to chill.  She'll be in the casino most of the time too. 

But hey.... I'm on vacation so any day away from work is a good one!

Thanks so much for your quick responses!  Can't wait to board and have a great cruise.

Hi everyone! 

My MIL is staying in the same room as DH and I,  but she will be arriving to the port later than us.  Do all 3 of us need to board at the same time?  Hoping we don't need to wait for her to board the ship.  

We'll be on the Breeze departing from Port Canaveral on the Dec 14 sailing.

I searched Carnival website, but couldn't find the answer.

Appreciate your help!

On 10/2/2019 at 5:46 PM, trivia addict said:

Not on your list, but of all cruises, Norwegian, Celebrity, and Royal my very favorite was the spa suite on the Norwegian Pearl.

Hi!  We just booked an interior room on the Norwegian Pearl and bought spa passes.  Did you like the spa itself or just the spa suite?  Would love to hear some feedback on the spa.

Thank you!