NYCcruiser86

Yeah, you're 100% right, I guess I'm just curious. No harm in that is there?! 🙂

Does anyone in the hive mind here know why Sensation canceled her call on Cozumel earlier today (today is Saturday 2/9)? We're scheduled to do this same itinerary in a few weeks and would hate to miss Cozumel only to have it replaced by Nassau! Anyone onboard have any updates here? On MarineTraffic.com she made a very clear U-turn around 4:45AM. Not sure on her new destination but guessing Nassau to comply with Jones Act. 

Thanks!

We also love Celebrity but did t use them in Alaska. We went with Holland America and it was really fantastic. It was quite an older crowd than Celebrity (lots in the 70+ range) but the quality of the cruise was fantastic. We chose Holland because they do Glacier Bay national park which Celebrity doesn't do. It's an entire day cruising in the park but they have park rangers on board who provide narration over the loud speakers. The quality of the cruise was similar to Celebrity and the ship (Nieuw Amsterdam) was also really great. Princess is also supposed to be great in Alaska but those shops are huge and (in my opinion) not well laid out. It was worth straying from Celebrity this once. Whatever you choose you'll def have a great time but do choose one of the departures from Vancouver to experience the Inside Passage. Our last day at sea was entirely in the passage and it was so lovely have mountain ranges going by on either side. We even saw a pod of Killer Whales! You don't get that same experience from Seattle.

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Hi,

I have a quick (possibly stupid) question. We frequently cruise with Celebrity and LOVE the way the beverage packages work on that line. You pay $X per day and get unlimited drinks and water and soda etc....

The way I understand it, HAL's is quit a bit different. Can somebody explain how HAL's works? Can I purchase a package in advance? Is there a cost/day like on Celebrity? What is included/excluded? etc...

Thanks in advance!

Like the second respondent stated it may cause a potential "clash of interests" between Carnival and Costa. The caribbean is to Carnival as the Mediterranean is to Costa, each cruise line performs its strongest in those areas. Thats why Carnival generally speaking stays out of the Mediterranean and vise versa.

 

I think MSC will have a difficult time here in the Caribbean and will eventually position Divina elsewhere, but its too early to say and time will tell....

The answer probably is within this response. Carnival will deploy ships based in the strength of the brand and it's target demographic/passenger. Costa seasonally deploys 2/3 ships in South America from dec to april-ish because the brand is strong there. We did a costa cruise many years ago in the Victoria and as Americans were greatly in the minority. This didn't bother us a bit as my mother is Italian but some of the other Americans felt out a tad out of place.

All of that being said I would happily do another costa cruise of I could find a ship I liked but a lot of the Farcus ships are just awful.

J

Yup looking forward to a great trip! Just need to get the flight over with and then we're all set! It'll be such a nice change from frigid New York for a few days. I'm sorry I hadn't realized I never said our names! The J is for Jonathan and my boyfriend is Gustavo.

Looking forward to meeting you and Steve and Merry Christmas!

J

Hi Steve!

Great to hear from you. We knew we couldn't be the only one on the cruise! There's probably quite a few more of us still who don't read cruise critic. This is our first cruise together that isn't a Pied Piper led one so we are really curious how much family will be on board.

We'll see you by the martini bar!!

J

Hi All,

I'm doing the New Years cruise on the Constellation and I'm getting more than a little worried. We all know that recently she had some engine problems that kept her in Key West overnight (not a big deal, I actually wouldn't mind that!) but she was "fixed up" and sent on her way.

It appears from searching Marine Traffic that she's been having some more problems though that Celebrity isn't telling us. She departed on the 19th for her usual itinerary only to return to PE the next day and depart again.... (screenshot below) Further more its 3 days in and they still haven't made it to Key West, they've just been sailing around aimlessly it appears (another screenshot below).

Should I be worried that my cruise will be cancelled (a la Millennium this summer). I know Celebrity won't care but this is the only vacation my boyfriend and I had planned all year. Even though I'd get my money back it would still not be a great situation to be in.

Any thoughts or news updates from Celebrity/passengers currently on board would be very much appreciated.

Hi All,

My boyfriend and I are looking forward to ringing in the New Year at sea in a few weeks! Will there be any others joining us on the Connie?

Hope to see some of you on board!

Thanks for all the suggestions! We're really excited to go. We'll definitely hit up the Bourbon Street Pub and love the idea of cuban for lunch. Now to just get through all this work beforehand.....:eek:

We're on Celebrity so I don't think we'll be at the Outer Mole pier.

Thanks again guys!!

Hi All,

My bf and I are going to be in Key West for one day on our upcoming cruise. He's never been before and I've only been once probably 15 years ago with my parents (so that basically doesn't count either!) We're not going to do a tour and just thought we'd walk around ourselves and relax, maybe get a few drinks, maybe shop a little.

Given that we'll only be there during the day, can anybody recommend some bars that have a fun "daytime" scene or even just some places that are great to get a drink and relax? Similarly we're hoping that for shopping there are some cute local stores (no chain stores, Tommy, Coach, etc...) we could explore for swimwear or just a good browse.

Any and all comments welcome!

Thanks guys :D

I was in San Juan PR for gay pride and it was quite awesome! We were there for a week and had a great time. There are also several gay bars. I would be curious what other islands or Caribbean ports people have had personal experience with being gay tourists and feeling welcome and a part of the local community.

Yes! Puerto Rico, especially San Juan are is a great gay destination. Just went this winter with my boyfriend and had no problems at all.

Also the following: St. Martin, St. Bart's, Curaçao

All of those are great and feel like little slices of Europe in the Caribbean, particularly St Bart's. curaçao is a little far for what it is.

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Hi Guys!

I was just browsing the forums and came across somebody requesting that all men stop wearing speedos on cruises.

We've all heard this before. Men should cover it up! Now, I don't agree and I suspect a number of you don't either. Being 26 I just purchased my first speedo ever :eek::D(I must have tried 10 on) and cannot wait to wear it! There's no question I'm bringing it to Miami and to Fire Island this summer but what are your thoughts on wearing them on a cruise?

My boyfriend and I did a Med cruise last year and obviously they were everywhere (oh those Europeans! :D) but this year we're just doing a NYE in the Caribbean. I guess this is a Cruise Critic episode of "What Would You Do??"

I'm not embarrassed by wearing it at all but will it cause a "problem?" You know how some American's are...

Thanks Guys!

I have always wanted to be on a ship for New Year's Eve so 2013-2014 will be the year. I love a good party so I'm really looking forward to it. Haven't decided which ship or where yet other than from Florida since we will be there for Christmas anyway.

My boyfriend and I had the same idea!! We just booked a NYE cruise for 2013 as well. Celebrity Constellation Dec 28th. So excited for it!