DCGuy64

Thank you for the clarification. I'm not a gambler, so not familiar with terms like "coin in." Bear in mind, I've only gambled twice in my 60 years: Once in Las Vegas at a casino while on Spring Break from college, where I think I won $8 while playing a nickel slot machine, and once while onboard the Carnival Liberty in 2013 (similar situation, I think I may have won $10). Point being, I'm not familiar with gambling terminology. I just always think it's funny when people it's easy to get $200-300 in OBC when in actuality, it involves spending a lot of time and money to get that. Personally, I've never seen the point of gambling while on a cruise ship, but to each his own.

"Simply put." OK, well I can't speak for anybody else, but no way in HE** do I have $125,000 of disposable cash. Exactly.

Beautifully stated, and I couldn't agree more!

Maybe not the article that started this thread, but I did read at least one yesterday that said the guests held Carnival partly to blame. Can they sue Carnival? Sure they can. My attorney wife says "you can always sue, doesn't mean you'll win."

Your trip sounds wonderful. Are you looking for just a hotel, or a resort? I did a little searching now on a hotel website and there are good deals to be had during the time of your visit (as low as $49 for a place in Oranjestad, but nice resorts for under $200 a night). Congratulations to the lucky couple having their wedding in Aruba. Have a great time down there!

Congratulations and have a great time!

THANK YOU! It's nice when someone just answers the question straight out. I appreciate it. And I feel terrible for these two ladies. What a horrific experience!

Do you know the name of the ship? I keep reading the article but don't see it.

I read three articles on this subject and none mentioned the name of the ship, only "Carnival." That's why I'm asking.

Does anyone know which ship this was?

You make a very good point: sometimes when I'm on vacation, I'm too lazy to take pictures, and then later I forget the beautiful things I saw. Maybe I should force myself to take the photos so I can remember the places better afterwards. Thank you again, you are quite the photographer!

I'll say it again: these pictures are simply stunning! I never had an urge to visit Antarctica on a cruise, until now. OP's pictures are worthy of being used in advertising for NCL. Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for posting these.

Ah, thank you, that makes more sense to me now!

I actually don't know. Maybe it's Covid fog, I tested positive yesterday and have been somewhat fuzzy-headed, so maybe that's it.

Then I'm double-stymied why the drink package wasn't even worth it, apparently. Is there really just ONE menu item OP likes, and the lack of it made the drink package worthless? Who knows... Also, OP joins the ranks of many people who just joined Cruise Critic today, posted 1 time, and it's a rant against the cruise line. There should be a "one and done" hall of fame sticky on CC.

This tracks with what I'm hearing, too. They've dramatically decreased the processing times for passports. What a welcome change. My advice to OP is to inform the person without a passport to apply ASAP!

Oh definitely, I agree. I was just surprised that the author thought there was nothing (or nearly) at the onboard Starbucks, that it was better getting the free coffee at the buffet. I don't think I follow that logic. Even a limited menu would be better than "just" coffee. Anyway, the point is moot since OP has decided it's one and done with NCL.

Something about this sentence isn't right. I don't know what you mean. "I'd I hadn't gotten the topper IS be walking...." ? What are you trying to say here, I'm confused. Sorry.

I would love to know what @S. Bergen means by "they did not have a regular menu selection like the regular stores have." What items were missing from the Starbucks menu on the ship that varied so dramatically from a land-based location? I'm not a Starbucks fan, but I will occasionally drop by, and from what I've seen, the menu onboard the NCL ships is pretty extensive.

Thank you, not having kids, I have never dealt with this issue and wasn't aware. The OP says he's not new to cruising, so I inferred that NCL's policy differed from other cruise lines'. Thanks again.

Your photos are simply amazing. Thank you so much for taking and sharing them!

No, they don't have to be in color. Our printers are always acting up, so instead I just send a print job to my local UPS store and they do a nice job of printing them for me. 🙂

It definitely sounds like NCL is not the right fit for OP. Sorry things didn't go as planned. I'd only say that, given such large group as he had, there are bound to be issues at the restaurants. That's a lot of people to cater to all at once. Weather and docking times are outside their control, as OP noted. The collapsing buckets not being allowed? That one has me scratching my head. I'm assuming you were given a reason? Anyway, one of the great things about the cruise industry is that OP has tons of other options. Taking his business elsewhere might be the best course of action here.

I would imagine that, given you're in the Haven, you can get on one of the earliest tenders. We were there in November 2023 and there were 3 other ships. The lines wouldn't have been as long, but the seas were choppy that morning, so all but one of the NCL-sponsored excursions were cancelled. That meant having to tender (and wait in line) with all of those people. (We had a private excursion booked.) Unfortunately, the line was then about 2 hours long and we were very late for our tour. But we still had an incredible time. I know we wouldn't have been late but for the snafu with the NCL excursions, though. I considered walking up the hill but my wife wouldn't have been able to.

Get up early, would be my advice. Tendering isn't so much the issue, because it's a short trip from the ship to the shore. The issue is getting up that steep hill once you arrive. The earlier you go, the better. To the best of my knowledge, the Haven status does you no good once on land. Also check what other ships are there the same day as you, and plan accordingly. If you haven't been to Santorini before, I would say it's definitely worth the wait. It can be a bit of a madhouse due to so many tourists visiting at once. Next time we go, we'll fly and rent a villa.