lmccray

Would the mention tour get you back to ship before departure? I’m nervous to not take a excursion if not with Carnival do to the distance.

Thanks for the information. I would love to see the last one. I don’t swim so no plans of getting in Cenote. Would you recommend the other ruin with that starts with a “D?”

I went to their website and it states not recommended for cruise passengers. How much time did anyone have to get back on ship.

Booked excursion through Carnival. I will post review.

Has anyone done this excursion? Please give review. Been to Mr. Sanchos previously and wanted to do something different. Will be in port from 12pm - 10pm on Carnival Victory.

We're a black heterosexual couple. I guess I used the wrong wording.

Hi Imccray. Do you mean out of place for being a male couple (hope I'm not being presumptuous), for being too young or because of some other reason?

 

We're a married gay couple and we have never had any trouble because of that with the staff on either HAL, Celebrity or Princess. Also HAL seems open and regularly host LGBTQ charters (RSVP I think?, or maybe it's only gay cruises I don't know?). Once on HAL an elderly couple from Texas were seated with us at dinner (open seating, table for 4) and clearly the man had trouble with us, however his wife was nice and seemed embarrassed by him. After that we have requested a table for 2 more often.

 

We're also young for being on HAL, now in our mid 30s and early 40s, and we started cruising with HAL four years ago (first cruise ever on any line). But we haven't had any problems with that either, I enjoy talking to the more travel-experienced (and thus elderly) crowd.

No we aren't a gay couple. We are a black heterosexual couple. I guess I should've said boyfriend. Lol. Anyway thanks for your reply.

QUOTE=DaveOKC;48020811]Ditto this. Please do not be afraid to cruise on HAL.

Thank you for this information! This is the cruise itinerary I've been looking at.

Checked prices today and Navigator in December dropped $150 and the Oasis foe September went down $400.

 

happy cruising

Here's the link I found.

http://www.nassauparadiseisland.com/what-to-do/upcoming-events/

I thought Explorer was in Australia then.;)

Enchantment of the Seas.

I ran across this event held in Nassau on the day EOS will be docked in Nassau. Has anyone ever been to this parade? Reviewing the EOS itinerary 4-day Bahamas cruise, it will be docked in Nassau from 7:00 am - 11:59 pm.

Thank you so much for posting your review. I've been on Majesty four times and debating on going again or trying Sky. I've read boards that Majesty is having plumbing issues so I was thinking of Enchantment. Can you give more detail on entertainment (shows, activities). I've been on Oasis and Freedom.

Just completed first NCL cruise, on their oldest ship, the Sky, on a 4 day Bahamas run. Wanted to get a feel for NCL but realize this ship doesn't have all the bells and whistles or amenities or larger ships. In many ways this ship is comparable to Vision-Class or Majesty of the Seas. But there are a few things NCL does that as a long time Royal Caribbean guest I found appealing and some areas RCI should outright steal ideas from NCL:

 

1. Dining room open on embarkation day for lunch

2. Pool side BBQ's every day of the cruise

3. Sign up available at guest services if you wish to dine with captain/officers.

4. Late night food; way larger variety and choices than RCI including a buffet line until 2AM and a sports bar with about a dozen different items made to order (no charge) until 5AM. This is an area RCI trails the industry frankly and the difference is embarrassing. On the Majesty of the Seas, for example, if you are hungry after 9 you can get terrible pizza. And if you are hungry late at night too bad.

5. Pool towels are in the cabin when you embark. More are available for checkout if you desire at the pool deck, but nice to have them in your cabin to start with.

6. Hard ice cream scoops with multiple toppings at no charge. Maybe not Ben & Jerrys, but no charge wins.

7. Every port had tent set up near gangway with lounge chairs in the shade, iced tea, ice water, etc. This was a nice luxury touch and have never had that on any RCI cruise.

8. The Sky is always "resort casual". I saw no sloppy gym clothes in dining room, but many men and women in shorts and golf shirts. Just a preference here. On NCL's larger ships they designate one dining room as dressier. Don't understand why Royal can't do this especially now that they market their ships as floating amusement parks. These are not ocean liners.

 

 

That's not to say RCI doesn't have advantage in certain areas. I think RCI ships are "nicer" or "classier" and easier to get around. RCI buffet laid out way better than NCL's single file lines. Buffet foods about equivalent. But NCL main dining room was better than RCI MDR and this shocked me because I have read so many negatives of their food. No live Show Band on NCL, but had 14-16 singers/dancers and the shows were aimed at a younger audience than Royal. I'd call this a draw though as entertainment tastes vary so much. Overall found more similarities than differences. Thought there would be a much bigger gap between NCL and RCI; but the gap is very minimal in reality and would consider them competing for similar market space.

 

If you are looking to spice things up or have found RCI too repetitive, take advantage of the NCL promos for a great deal and go without trepidation. We are now booked for 3 in a Balcony on the new Escape in 2016 with free drink packages. Booking on Harmony/Allure/Oasis for the same week in a Balcony room, even with Diamond discount, would come up to almost $800 more than NCL and we would not have a drink package on RCI.

 

Royal; copy items 1 through 8 stat.

 

I'll be on Carnival 4 nighter in a few weeks after many years away from the brand. So then I will have tried the short Miami ships for all the major brands. Hopefully next year when Enchantment comes to Miami I will book that.

Thank you for providing more information. I've been to BB Kings in Nashville and the band is great. This will be my male partner first cruise. He's worried about this line because he feels we will be out of place if that makes any sense. I love the itinerary and cost.

QUOTE=Alberta Quilter;47968697]Certain ships offer BB King's Blues Club in the Queen's Lounge. These are the larger ships, including the Eurodam:

B.B. King's Blues Club/Queen's Lounge: Direct from Beale Street, the B.B. King's All-Stars Band brings the best of Memphis music to sea. From funky and fast to soulful and smooth, this eight-piece band performs nightly in the newly reimagined Queen's Lounge while guests enjoy specialty cocktails like Lucille and Rock Me Baby.

They also usually perform one night in the main show lounge.

BTW, I was 42 when I started cruising with HAL. I feel HAL's a good fit for me; we've done 14 cruises so far.

Two of the reasons why I'm considering HAL over RCI is the itinerary and price.

We have had good cruises on both cruise lines.

 

The trick is to understand what you are buying and match it to your current requirements.

 

Our experience is that there are large variations between ships within both fleets. As usual, timing, itinerary, and length of cruise can make a significant difference.

I'm looking into Eurodam for Christmas but only been on Royal 5 times. I'm somewhat nervous but my male partner doesn't want to be around obnixous cruisers (drunks, etc.) so I'm opting for this line; however, I'm 47 and he's 51. I read they have Motown and Blues entertainment so I can do without the belly flops and alot of kids.

Why would you choose Splendor over Glory?

Splendor all the way.

I'm back at looking at Royal but their BOGO is a joke; the up the price on the first passenger...LOL.

I'm nervous to go on Carnival but their prices are great but I'm waiting to read the review on Amber Cove.

I've only been on Royal and out of the three ships, I rank Freedom, Majesty, Oasis in that order and itinerary. I had a blast on all but there were different in size and activities. I have no other cruise line to compare. :confused:

OP - You want to look at Royal Caribbean. Plenty of entertainment and night time fun / dancing, but doesn't tend to attract a really rowdy crowd. From your description HAL may be too quiet; possibly Princess would too. I would throw one of NCL's big ships into the mix too.

 

can't believe someone would suggest Costa of CdF for a new cruiser

Thank you for your advice. If I were to cruise on HAL/Princess, which ship would you recommend? HAL has the best itinerary for the ports I want to see and the cost so far is in my range.

I think a comparison of the two lines is meaningless because there are so many variables.

 

A better comparison might be by ships. HAL has a few duds in their lineup..ships that they are actively trying to unload. Some are maintained to a higher standard than others. Princess ships differ in size. They all differ based on sailing date, crew, management,etc.

 

Once you select the ship, itinerary, and date the rest can be a crap shoot. No doubt the Princess and HAL cheerleaders might disagree however this has been our experience.

I'm looking back on Royal to see if the price have dropped. It appears HAL is not an option.:D

So it's pretty much come down to this. If you want more active activities that are close to what you've seen before, book Princess. If you want bingo, knitting and church, book HAL. Unless the priest does baptisms by belly flop, I don't think you're going to find the activities you want on HAL.

My brother did a 7 day on Norwegian Sky to the Eastern Caribbean and enjoyed it and my sister did one on Carnival Splendor and said it was okay but she didn't care for the atmosphere as much.

I'm leaning toward doing Royal or Norwegian on a 4 day to the Bahamas so he can get an overview on cruising but I have feeling HAL may still be "my choice" :). Cruising is an experience I never thought I would do five years ago but I;m hooked.

Funny how I came across this thread as I was about to start exactly the same one. I am also trying to decide between these two lines. I am in my late 30s(practically 40). What I love on a cruise is dance lessons and maybe some other activity that is interactive, maybe cooking classes(not demonstrations). Not interested in lectures of any kind either.

 

I like a quiet and calm atmosphere and don't mind older crowd at all. If it helps to know I am interested in a 7 day Caribbean cruise for next year.

 

I have been on Carnival and NCL and decided to never again. Technically they are not much different from each other.

I took your advice on the port times. Zuiderdam only stay in San Juan for 6 hours and Westerdam stay in San Juan for 10 hours. Zuiderdam goes to St. Maarten for only 7 hours and Westerdam goes to St. Thomas for 9 hours.

First check the times you are in each port.

Some cruise lines stay longer in ports than others.

HAL doesn't have belly-flop contests or Quest anymore.

Depending on what HAL ship you are looking at depends on how many dance options there will be. There is always dancing in the Ocean Bar in the evenings. Some ships have a DJ and late night dancing in the Crows Nest. The Vista class and Signature class ships have the Northern Lights disco dance area.

I took your advice and looked at the port times. Westerdam stay in San Juan from 12 pm to 11 pm but it stops in St Thomas from 8 am - 6 pm and Zuiderdam stay in San Juan from 12 pm - 6 pm and stops in St. Maarten from 8 am - 3 pm.

Thanks for suggesting I look into this.

Thank you all for your opinions. I gave him an update on what I've been told. He really doesn't want to go on Carnival due of his concern of the ship being "too lively" for him as he stated he wants to relax and not be around drunks...blah blah blah (which will be on all cruises) - you're on vacation. :) He want me to pick the cruise line/ports but I would hate for him not to enjoy and see all that a cruise have to offer. I would hate to do a 3 day cruise because it's so quick and costly then going on a 7 day cruise...decisions. :rolleyes:

It appears Carnival, Royal or Norwegian will be the line I need to look into. :)

Trying to go around the holidays.

Well I better do some more searching or pay extra.

Thanks