firstimecruiseronncl

I'm so sorry that you are dealing with so much. I hope the surgery and IV antibiotics will get this infection under control and you will be on your way to feeling better.

2 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

When are you going? I’ve probably already asked you that. 😳 my sistah and I will be “Blissing” on Feb 23rd. Am just so excited! 

Yes, I think we've discussed it. We are going Feb 16th. It is winter break for the schools in NY that week, so the ship will most likely be packed!

6 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

A few pics of my arrival, making my way up to the lido deck...

 

Soon, Alchemy... Soon...

 

I've only been on Carnival twice (usually sail NCL), but the Alchemy bar is my favorite bar on any ship. 

7 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

FIVE MORE WORK DAYS until I'm free from the toxic work place that my job has become!

TEN MORE DAYS until I'm on the Bliss with a drink in hand!

 

I can't believe I haven't had chance to come fill you all in on my cheeky little 3 day cruise. It was a blast, though filled with glitches from start to finish! Despite it all, it was so much fun. I drank too much, ate too much, played more trivia than I ever have in my life, laughed lots, danced lots, and just enjoyed 3 stress free days!

I'm going on the Bliss in February. I can't wait to hear about your cruise. 

1 hour ago, kpark895 said:

You all might think I'm crazy, but I have a plant that is alive, and I don't mean in the "I haven't killed it yet" alive.  Leaves on this plant move independently of drafts, open windows, doors or other natural things that might cause leaves on a plant to move.  I always catch the movement out of the corner of my eye when watching TV in the evening.  The plant sits to my left.  And it's not a bunch of leaves that move, usually it is only one, and the movement lasts at least as long as a second or two (at least that's how long I see it move for).  The other night, though, it was three - one on the front right side, one on the front left side and one toward the back, left side.  It doesn't happen every night, but often enough for me to know I'm not seeing things.  Anyone believe in ghost plants?  Not sure what type this is, as my Mom gave it to me (and she is very much alive!).

 

I did a quick search. It seems to be a Maranta Red Prayer Plant. It says the leaves rise and fall as if it it were praying. Very interesting! 

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Unfortunately, it appears as if Koda has taken a turn for the worse... She's decided that rather than allow him to suffer, that she's going to let this be the day that he goes to doggie Heaven... I can't even imagine how she feels, as I've never been really close to a pet like she is. I can say that among dogs, that Koda is truly one of a kind. He really does have a humanlike personality, and a gift for bringing happiness to all those around him. He will certainly be missed greatly by many, including myself. I'll be tipping one (or two) back in his honor tonight. Till Valhalla, Koda... Love you, buddy.........

 

That is so sad. Even though you know you are doing the right thing, it is so difficult........

9 minutes ago, tampadee said:

WhatsApp is used with WIFI - e-mail and text messages.

 

Receivers need to have WhatsApp downloaded also.

Yes, WhatsApp works great. I was able to send text and make phone calls. 

21 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

Aw, I will just miss you. We leave on Feb 23! I actually originally booked the 16th then saw it was $300 cheaper the next week so changed it. 

You picked a much better week. NY schools are closed Feb 16th week so I'm sure the ship will be packed.  

12 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

That’s great! We are doing Bliss Bahama run in February. Agreed not a fascinating itinerary but this time it will be all about the ship. It’s a relaxing itinerary, which is nice. And a wonderful break from the NE cold. 

I'm booked on the Feb 16th sailing. When are you going? 

5 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I sailed the Haven once.  After that experience, why would I bother again?  And if it's more or less a gamble whether I get a pre-school or luxurious experience, I'm not interested.  We sailed in February, not spring break or summer or winter break, or anything of the sort.  The courtyard was loaded with kids.  10 - 15 all day long.  Screaming, running, splashing, snorkeling in the hot tubs, playing loud games in the pool.  Basically, the parents would love the enclosed area to keep their kids in view, they sit and read a book and let their kids run wild.  This is what happens when you have 3rd/4th guest free and 2 bedroom family rooms.  The Haven seems (possibly unintentionally) designed to encourage exactly this.  Posting a picture I took at the bottom, it was usually even more full of kids than in the picture!  And again, it comes down to simply why would I roll the dice on whether I'll have a kids cruise (in Feb!) or a quiet shang ri la?

 

The solarium on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean is 16+.  So the idea that there will be kids is not accurate at all.  For me, I just see no value in the courtyard and pool.  It can be full of kids, no view outside, it's totally enclosed with no ocean view, loud and echos, small, etc.  The solarium on X/RCI is exactly the opposite and you get access with any normal cabin.  On X, we sat in beautiful big padded teak loungers overlooking the ocean.  The pool was big enough for laps, the hot tubs had an ocean view, servers were coming around for drink orders, and there is a little cafe in there, too.  So why would I have interest in the Haven and pay substantially more for it?

 

Have you sailed Oasis class yet?  You may have a different view of entertainment on that ship.  And yeah, I love the slides!  So for us we like Harmony/Symphony.  Though the Escape has probably my favorite slide at sea.  Forget the name but it's the big inner tube slide.  It's outstanding and they move the line fast.

 

And I would say we still had a very nice time on the Escape with the Haven.  The spa must be the best at sea, it's amazing.  The waterfront was a blast and we enjoyed the specialty dining quite a bit. The thing is, you don't need a Haven room to do any of that!  Our favorite stuff was not in the Haven!  We would much rather have drinks on the waterfront than the tiny enclosed lounge/bar sitting next to the concierge.  The Haven restaurant is highly overrated and just vanilla.  There are so many better things to do outside the Haven.

 

 

This has been my experience for all three of my stays in the Haven. We sailed in the Breakaway Haven 3/4/18, Escape Haven 7/15/18 and last month in the Escape Haven - 4/14/19. The hot tubs were being used as kiddie swimming pools.

3 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

On European itineraries, I have heard of people finding out 60 days before sailing. On US itineraries, I think I have heard of people finding out 30-40 days out, but that is INCREDIBLY rare. Normally people find out in the 3-7 day range.

I found out on April 1st that my bid was accepted for my April 14th cruise this year on the Escape. Last July, I found out the week we were sailing, about 5 days before (also on the Escape). 

On 5/15/2019 at 11:43 PM, xcell said:

Booked a MC (GTY) cabin for Dec 2019 and I could downgrade to a BF (GTY) for $400 less -- should I save some money?

 

I hear the only difference between Minisuite and Balcony is a bigger washroom -- is it really just that?

 

Better chance for a bid upgrade in a minisuite?

Yes, a Minisuite is the exact same layout as a balcony room but the shower is bigger. 

16 hours ago, browniegirl said:

Yes it showed on my confirmation email as well as each person in room getting a $50 obc.

Thanks to this thread I called and received the shore excursion credit and 250 wifi minutes for my Feb 2020 Bliss cruise. I also saved $40 because our fare decreased $20 a person.

The $100 onboard credit was also given because we used cruisenext certificates on the original booking. 

I was amazed too. I don't know if it's because I paused it allowing it to load or not, but it streamed without any problems. 

16 hours ago, alexgtp said:

We will be on Joy this Sunday and will also miss the season Finale. My wife is insisting we watch it.

 

I have been looking as best way to to do this.

Options:

 

1.download locally to my phone/tablet using my xfinity app, downside to this, watching entire episode on a cell phone

 

2.download to phone/tablet and cast to my chromecast , unfortunately HGBGO and Xifinity do not allow this to work so this is no longer an option..

 

3.download a copy to my laptop and use an HDMI cable from laptop to TV to watch (i will do this only if i am able to download in Ketchikan via wifi a copy of episode)

 

ahh The JOY's of being GOT fanatics.. worst case scenario, we watch it when we get home like most normal people would do!

 

 

We sailed on the Escape, April 14th, and had the  unlimited premium wifi package. We (my husband) were able to watch the full episode on our laptop without issue. We accessed it through HBO Go and paused it for a bit (allowing it to load). Once we hit play, it streamed perfectly.

42 minutes ago, 4wheeltravel said:

I called NCL about exchanging my free 250 minutes for its (listed) value and purchasing a better plan.  She said that bc it's free it has no value.  Has anyone had better luck?

 

You can upgrade the package when you get on the ship. They will give you a credit for the cost of the 250 minute plan. 

On 5/5/2019 at 9:28 AM, Midge207 said:

Were you successful? We are going on this itinerary on the 10th and I'd love to be able to watch it. 

We were on the Escape on April 14th and we streamed it on my laptop without any issue. It worked perfectly. We upgraded to the unlimited premium wi-fi package. 

4 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Unfortunately, for the time frame we are looking at, the Oasis class sailings are out of our price range. At least for a comparable experience (balcony stateroom and drinks package). Priced out with just the base cruise fare, it comes out to about $200 more than the Breakaway and Seaside. By the time we add on drinks and any specialty dining, it would be cost prohibitive.

If you are looking for something different then go with Seaside. If you want the same, go with the Breakaway. I've done the Breakway five times and the Escape twice. The Escape is my favorite ship. It is basically the Breakaway but better!  But, I am considering trying MSC Seaside to see how the Yacht Club experience is. We are currently booked on the Bliss for February. I'm looking forward to that.

1 minute ago, erdoran said:

thanks, guys!  Very encouraging!  Folks at home know email is going to be most reliable to reach me, but it will be good to be able to call home every day to check in and make sure everything is ok.  mking, thanks for that wealth of info!  Yes, I remember using skype over 2G in the Caribbean in 2009 and it was fine; I suspect Ring Central voice will be just fine as well.  Haven't used wifi during a TA before, never sure how good - but backup plan is the $10 for the NCL app calling.

I've never had a problem calling, and receiving calls, with Whatsapp. The Wifi for my regular calls and regular text messaging didn't work on the last two days of my cruise (not sure why), but I just used Whatsapp. 

4 hours ago, robin13 said:

So I am on the fence about what internet package to buy for my upcoming 15 day TA cruise.  I was thinking of doing the 250 Minute Anytime Internet but after reading numerous posts about how slow the internet is I was thinking that I would go through those 250 really fast.  So then I thought I would do the Unlimited Social Media package but I don't know if you can use the What's App on that.  If I can then I will probably do this package as once we get to Spain I will have the AT&T International Plan so I will have access to the internet in the ports.  So can anyone tell me if they actually used the What's App on the Social Media package?  

Yes, I've used it to make phone calls and text. It worked great. 

30 minutes ago, NY1sttimers said:

Congrats!! What was inventory like?

There was a lot of availability. 9 Haven Spa Suites, 8 Haven Forward Facing, and 15 Haven Courtyard Penthouse. There is still availability so there is still hope for anyone with bids in. Last July we won an upgrade from spa mini suite to Haven Spa Suite the week of. At that time there were 5 rooms left in that category.  

13 hours ago, RedRover96 said:

 

My bids for the April 14th sailing on the Escape:

We were in a spa mini-suite.

We bid per person:

Haven Spa Suite $900

Haven Forward Facing Balcony $1100

Haven Courtyard Penthouse $1000

We were notified on April 1st that the Haven Courtyard Penthouse was our winning bid. This was earlier than expected! I didn't even have to check my account multiple times a day since I wasn't expecting an upgrade yet. 😁I was checking inventory a lot though! 

48 minutes ago, linga said:

I'm On an April sailing of Breakaway.  We had an aft balcony room and bid on both a Haven Aft and the 2 bedroom Haven because we wanted to add a 3rd person and needed at least a one bedroom unit.  There were tons of empty rooms on this cruise, so I thought we had a good chance.  I kept upping our bid, at the end I had bid $1600 each.  Then last week, all of the Haven rooms we wanted started disappearing rather quickly.  The 2 bedrooms sold out in one day.  We bit the bullet and just upgraded because we really wanted the room.  By the time I upgraded, there were only 2 Haven Afts left.  There were 7 a week prior.

 

Not sure where all those Haven rooms went, but we weren't successful in getting a bid approved.  Still very excited to have the Haven Aft and that huge balcony!  Can't wait!!

 

 

 

 

I'm on the Escape - April 14th. I won my bid on April 1st. I bid last year on the Escape and my winning bid came in the week of the sailing. Both times we bid $1,000 per person. We went from a spa mini-suite to a Haven Courtyard Penthouse w/balcony. Last year we went from a spa mini-suite to a Haven Spa Suite. While it isn't a bargain, it is certainly cheaper than booking it outright. 

I think Food Republic has lobster rolls. 

5 hours ago, TampaGambler said:

I called customer service with this exact question, they told me I would need a WiFi package and that the social media package wouldn’t work for IMessage 

 

That wouldn’t be the first time I got bad info from customer support.

But, you could both download the Whatsapp APP and you can call and text (including sending pictures) on this with just the social media package.