Viva_la_Vida

On 10/8/2019 at 8:04 AM, ev_mybryan said:

I see you took your tot to the splash area, we have an almost 2 year old and I thought he wouldn't be allowed in any of the water areas! Is it just the pool under 3 is not allowed in? 

From what I understood on the sign, age didn't matter as long as the child was potty trained. That said, the pool was always so crowded, we never even tried to take him in there so I didn't read those signs. I hope that helps! 

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Thanks for the review! My first three cruises were on Elation. Sure has changed a lot...especially the cabins!

 

I’d be pretty disappointed if my cruise got switched to overnight Nassau. I don’t have to fly to Florida to cruise to Nassau. 

 

You mentioned no map or google map. I use an offline maps app. I think google has an offline option but I’ve never tried it. The one I’ve been using is called maps.me. You just have to download the maps ahead of time. 

 

I haven’t been to paradise island yet but since you said the beach wasn’t anything special I wonder if you would’ve been better off walking to Junkanoo beach. It seemed like a much easier walk than what you went through. 

 

The cruising ducks is a fb group. They hide ducks on the ships. Some of them really get into it and buy 50-100 ducks to hide. Some name them. Some create passports for them. If you find one they usually want you to post a picture of it on their fb group. Keep or hide. You decide.

 

 

 

Saint Greg, thank you so much for your response about the ducks, I was so curious. . . 

And yes, Junkanoo would have been sooo much better. I wish we'd done that! Hindsight and all . . . hopefully I'll save someone else the trouble. 

Good tip about the maps offline! 

I'm so glad I read until the end!! Ahhh, so funny but I felt your pain! Thanks for letting us laugh with you 🙂

Great review! I went on BA a few years back and enjoyed it but also think a smaller ship is preferable. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

We had a great time, despite a lot of disappointment at missing both our ports. It did change the mood of the ship, although not our overall mood. While we will sail Carnival again, we will only go on a newer boat, and much of that is motivated by the fact that we will receive a discount from the issues we had on this sailing. I know problems can happen on any ship of any age, but I think it's more likely on the older ones like Elation. 

Things we loved and appreciated:    The service, the Hub App chat feature, the small size of the ship, the karaoke, Sea Day Brunch, photo backdrops, Guy's Burgers, Chocolate melting cake. 

Things we didn't love: Cigarette smoke smell in our cabin and flowing out from the casino, the lack of latch on our cabin door, Carnival's lack of communication regarding mechanical issues of our ship until it was absolutely unavoidable on their part, Disembarkation chaos 

Carnival is a very anything goes, much more relaxed experience than some of other cruises we've experienced. If you like a cruise where you can be casual and laid back, this is it 

DAY 6, DEBARKATION 

We received a letter giving us a 7am self-service option, or an 8:30 am option where we checked our bags the night before. We opted for the first, hoping to avoid long lines and big crowds. Reality was the opposite! This is where I wish FTTF had worked, or I had known how to use it! Marc ran to the buffet around 6:15 to grab B and me some breakfast and said it was packed. That should have been our first clue. We arrived out to our forward elevator bank to find it packed with people waiting for elevators. The elevators would stop and open, but would be so packed nobody could get in. Despite our two large bags, stroller, backpacks, and baby, we decided just to try and get up the stairs. Our letter said we were supposed to go to the 8th floor to disembark, however when we got to 7, it was a mess of people lining up. We got in line there for lack of knowing exactly what else to do. I did see someone finally who worked for Carnival and asked about FTTF. They said there would be a priority line when we got off the ship - presumably at customs. The line was awful, but probably just worse because Bennett was being very difficult. Next time we'll opt to check our bags. 

When we finally made it off the ship and into the customs line, there was no priority for FTTF. When we asked a Carnival employee, she just looked at us like we were crazy. The customs line was also terrible and we witnessed what was almost an altercation when one woman was physically trying to push others out of the way to get ahead in line. 

Once in the parking deck, it was fast to pay and exit, and just like that, vacay was over and we were on the way home!! Final thoughts and comparisons coming up to finish this up. 

DAY 5, AT SEA 

We got up early to attend the Dr. Seuss Breakfast. We had an 8:30 reservation, and the letter that arrived at our cabin the day before said we should arrive fifteen minutes early. We arrived and the lobby was packed. There was a cute little cutout for pics, otherwise, nothing to do but wait.

Doors did not open until 8:30, so I'm not sure why we needed to arrive early. 15 minutes standing around with a 2 year old is an eternity!

We were happy to see Charo, who was always ready to dote on Bennett. The setup was very cute! 

We were seated at big round tables with other people and as we ordered and waited on our food, Thing One and Thing Two came out. We ended up not buying the pic, but they did have the professionals out to photograph. 

Unfortunately we ended up leaving the breakfast early. The food was fine, but Bennett wasn't in the mood for it. I think he was a bit young. We'll try again next time! 

In true cruise fashion, we ended up eating again pretty soon, haha! We enjoyed a Sea Day Brunch and although we sat at least 15 minutes without anyone waiting, it ended up being the best meal I had on the cruise. I had the huevos rancheros and I cannot recommend it more highly! The chocolate chip pancakes were also a win! 

After  brunch, we headed back to the cabin to let Bennett finish out his nap. Last towel "animal" - wahhhhhh

😞

Marc stayed with Bennett while I went out to get some sun! We were moving slow, and I don't mean just us, the ship itself! The sea was placid - completely opposite of our first night. 

Bennett and Marc made it out for one last adventure in the Water Works! 

Everybody was out and soaking up the last day. 

Dinner was good, with a fun little show enjoyed by all. 

We headed back to the room to pack . .. ahh the boring life as parents, haha. Next up, debarkation. 

On 10/2/2019 at 1:39 PM, Chelle621 said:

Loving your review!!!!  And your little guy is the cutest   Looks like he enjoyed himself.

Thank you so much! He did love it! I'm so glad he didn't get seasick 🙂

DAY 4, DEPARTING NASSAU AND AT SEA 

We headed to breakfast in the MDR around 9am and were seated right away, in a great corner by the window. We were really pleased with the breakfast selection. Everyone ate well. 

We enjoyed the parfait and house made granola - yum! 

We had a very relaxed day that included a lot of exploring the ship, eating, napping, and a little shopping on board. We took advantage of the 2 for $20 tshirts for one. 

We enjoyed going up to the top decks in the evening. There is a fun golf course up top. The elevators were always out of service though, so it was a pain to get to. This seems to be a constant issue on the ship. 

We noticed they were clearing Serenity out for a function. Looks fun! 

No pics, but our party had a blast in the kareoke venue! While I didn't get to go this trip, the piano bar is also so fun. Some others in our group also had a blast in there this trip. 

The bottom line of the long story below is do your research, and don't trust anyone. And going with the general theme of this trip, go with the flow and be flexible. Finally,  to have fun no matter what and enjoy the beauty around you. OK, if you're up for a long story, continue on.

Because we didn't know we were going to Nassau until the day before, researching what to do there was very difficult. We had a tip to get a boat over to Paradise Island. That is the island where Atlantis is - you can't miss it! We found a couple of stands set up right off the pier that advertised glass bottom boats to Atlantis for $4 each way. They had us pay round trip, and did not charge for Bennett. I don't remember the stand, but beware. When we got over to the boat, it was definitely not glass bottomed. That was the first red flag. We were told they would drop us right at the beach. Well that didn't happen. We were dropped off at the ferry terminal and given some vague directions. We set off, all uneasy and confused and very much without a map or the help of google maps. We encountered someone trying to sell us a taxi ride right away. They warned us it was a long walk to the beach. At that point though, we didn't know who to believe and decided to just keep going in the direction we thought it was. Thank goodness we had a stroller. With the help of asking people along the way, we found the public beach after about 25 minutes of walking.

Ahh finally, the breezy lovely beach (as long as you kept your eyes forward and not on the bank full of trash!). Everyone in our party except us rented chairs and umbrellas. We knew we'd not want to stay too long, and that we'd be chasing Bennett anyway. The beach itself was just OK. There were tons of people pushing all kinds of products, etc. This is where the offer of a topless massage happened. .. A lady came over, offered one of the men in our party a massage. When he refused, she then offered to do it topless.  Mind you we had two kids under 5, and another three kids under 15 in our party so while it seems kind of funny now, it was definitely not a welcomed proposition. It also definitely smelled like weed, which is a little awkward with the kiddos, but one of the adventures of travel, I suppose. Some of you are now thinking "this is the beach for me!" To that, I say you're welcome, lol. But for those of you with kiddos, this is just a heads up. A couple in our party also got ripped off with the promise of all you can drink for a flat rate. Just beware, lots of shady business on this beach. Ugh, at this point you probably think us inexperienced and dumb! I promise we're not, but planning is everything and we just didn't get to do that. 

I had never seen the Caribbean so rough. I know that's a risk of traveling at this time of the year. It was so bad we couldn't get in the water other than just feet and legs. Even then, you would get knocked flat by the surf. It's hard to tell in this pic how rough it was. 

Here's another - you can see some of the crashing action of the waves! 

Having access to google maps now, it seems we were at Cabbage Beach. It was about a 1.5 mile walk. There weren't any food options where we were, and we were starving and tired from the walk over. We opted to take a cab back. I was really reluctant to do this without a carseat, but the cab was a big shuttle van, and there were other children with us, including an infant. This made me feel a bit better. The shuttle itself was another $4 per person. Well worth the $8 for us to not have to walk a mile and a half, then wait who knows how long for a ferry, then take the 10 minute ferry ride, then walk back to the ship. Customs was not bad, and all in all we were back on the ship within an hour. Half of that was waiting on the shuttle van to fill up. 

We paused for a quick pic before getting back on the ship. 

How nice it was to come into our freshly made up room. 

 We were a sandy mess, so took quick showers and then headed up to the buffet because we were starving. We missed everything but the deli and Pizza pirate, but luckily that's all we needed. After the snack, Marc and Bennett went to take a nap and I got to spend some much needed time in a very empty Serenity. Ahhh. This is the adults only retreat. I didn't use the hot tub, but I got some nice time on the lounger. 

So Serenity is a little tricky to find from the inside of deck 9. It's on deck 9, aft.  You have to go through the Cole Porter lounge and there is an inconspicuous door that leads you out to the area. Here's a pic so you know where to go. 

Here is the door off to the right 

Dinner that night was just us as the rest of our party was napping or off at the straw market. Marc enjoyed the adventurous item - something he did every night! Tonight's was rabbit, I believe. He said it was good! 

A solid shrimp cocktail for me. 

And the flat iron steak and potato, eaten in peace with a sleeping boy on my lap 🙂

After dinner, Bennett got three ducks! Can someone explain the duck thing on Carnival? I've heard people hide them? 

Here was our position and the course we took. I happened to take a pic the night we were docked. 

Night night, ducks!! I would have LOVED another day at the beach, but unfortunately, we were to be back on board by 6:30am, I believe. I hate we only got the one beach day. At least we have some good stories to tell about it. 

DAY 3, NASSAU 

We woke to see Nassau very close by. We had put out the little door hanger for room service the night before, and had checked the time window of 7:15-7:45, I believe.  Shortly after waking, there was an awful noise - something to do with the ship docking. I know this is common with all ships depending on where your room is, this just happened to be our luck. Room service arrived perfectly in time. There are several cold options, and no meats unless you want to pay an additional fee for a breakfast sandwich. We just opted for coffee, cereal, pastries, and milk for Bennett. Unfortunately the milk was very warm and we were concerned about giving it to him. Luckily he's pretty chill and was fine with water until we could get to the buffet. BTW, the fridge does not cool anything down to be food safe. I don't know what I would have done if I had needed to keep medicines or breastmilk/formula cool, but that fridge wouldn't have done it. I'm sure Carnival has a solution, but if that's something you require, make sure to call ahead. 

We got ready, fueled by our yummy coffee and breakfast and headed out to meet up with family. We actually ended up in the buffet to meet them, and topped up on some protein. While there, we met a delightful Head Waiter, Percival. Bennett took to him immediately. He was wonderful with B, walking him around the buffet and even standing in line with us! This is very rare for our son, he's usually shy with people he doesn't know. We felt all of the ship staff really went above and beyond. The service was great all week. Percival is just one example! 

It turned out that it seemed like it was going to rain, so we decided to hold off on going out into Nassau until the weather was less cloudy. So, we explored the ship a bit and then headed back to the room for us to get our things ready. 

The sound had luckily stopped when we got back to our room! 

It was really quite beautiful!

Life calls and groceries need to be bought, but I'll be back later to talk about our trip to Paradise Island. 

Formal night was fun! Another big difference in Carnival is the relaxed nature of the dining room, even on formal night. You did see quite a few people dressed up, but nothing like you would see on Celebrity. DH would wear a full suit on X while he blended in with the rest of the crowd just fine in khakis and a long sleeved collared shirt. We had fun getting pictures taken with several of the backdrops. There were plenty to choose from, most with no wait at all. 

We all loved the decor of the Inspiration Dining Room. We thought the colors and light fixtures were beautiful and the decor was upscale and modern. We had early seating, and had linked our reservations ahead of time so we could all sit together. That was seamless, great job, Carnival! 

As far as the food, it was a mixed bag. With a few exceptions, the food wasn't really memorable, except for the desserts. I had a good, albeit simple teriyaki salmon,  but DH's lobster (which was $20 extra) as well as another in our party's filet (also $20 extra) came out 10-15 minutes after everyone else's food. And the lobster was was overcooked and would have been better and cheaper at Red Lobster. Of course, the Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake stole the show. I had it every single night and it was always perfect. I usually got two scoops of ice cream - one for me and one for B. 

I think food is another area where the budget aspect of the line really shows. If you know what to expect, it's fine. It will be simple things you can get anywhere as opposed to the more upscale and higher quality types of dishes you find on other lines. You get what you pay for,  but you certainly won't go hungry. If you don't like something, try something else!  

The wait staff did a cute dance presentation during the meal. This was the kind of thing I wouldn't miss unless I was with kids who were into it. My son loved it, so of course I loved it too 🙂Here he is, enjoying every second! Bravo to the waitstaff, they always gave the shows 110%. I know it must get tiring for them, but they didn't show it one bit! 

There was a kids menu, however we didn't know it until our third time in the dining room as we never got one the first two times and didn't think to ask. Luckily B likes what we like and ate from our plates. 

While we didn't get to go to any of the comedy shows, others in our party did and again, it was a mixed bag. The family comedian was good, but there were some negative opinions of the late night comedian. 

Up next, (mis)adventures Nassau . . . . here's a little teaser. . someone is offered a topless massage 😄 

DAY 2, AT SEA 

A BIG thing I should mention before getting into Day 2 is a major safety issue we had. Bennett figured out how to open our cabin door right away, and was strong enough to open it, despite us bolting it. There was no way to secure it that he couldn't figure out. This was a giant oversight in my opinion. We had to barricade the door each night before we fell asleep because we were afraid he'd wake up and try to run out! We did the best we could by piling our empty suitcases in front of it, and opening the closet doors. Still, one night he woke up in the middle of the night and ran towards the door and was pushing the stuff out of the way to get out when I got to him. SUPER SCARY. CARNIVAL, YOU NEED TO FIX THAT!!! All the door needs is a sliding chain. 

Another thing that we didn't deal with the first day because of me being sick was the cigarette smell in our cabin. We didn't notice it at first, but after sail away, the smell was strong. This was a persistent issue throughout the cruise. We complained to guest services and they investigated but couldn't do anything about it. We were told it was probably someone smoking in another room, which is totally not allowed, but they couldn't figure out who it was. What I was told by our awesome cabin steward, Vas, was that it was a smoking area nearby. On further inspection, there was not a public one that we could find, so we think it must have been a crew smoking area. They did send us chocolate covered strawberries and even bring in an ozone machine to make it smell better, but that was definitely something I never had to deal with on any other cruiseline. Celebrity and Disney are smoke free, and NCL only allows it outdoors on certain decks. Carnival needs to be more transparent about where these crew smoking areas are so that guests can choose cabins with that knowledge. TIP, make sure you know how dangerous Ozone machines are. . . I didn't and regret having them use it in our room. 

OK, finally to Day 2!! 

Sea Day Brunch was a must-do for us! I was so grateful to be feeling like myself again. We were seated by 9am and enjoyed fruit loop french toast, a bagel platter, steak and eggs, corned beef hash, and mac and cheese. It sure beat the buffet! There was a line to be seated by the time we left. No wonder, it was awesome! 

After we left brunch, we went back to our cabin for a bit. It was around this time that we heard an announcement that changed our entire trip. The Captain announced that due to a propulsion issue, we would not be making it to either of the ports - Amber Cover or Grand Turk, and that we'd have an overnight stay in Nassau instead.  I was insanely disappointed. I chose this cruise specifically for those ports - two I'd never visited. I'd visited Nassau at least two other times. What did help our disappointment was the promise of 50% off a future cruise, and  $100 OBC.  I think we should have just been refunded 50% of the trip we were on currently. A letter arrived shortly under the stateroom door explaining everything the captain had just said. To be clear, nothing about weather was mentioned. This was 100% a mechanical issue. I'll leave the letter below. I think had we known about the vacation guarantee Carnival offers, my DH would have been all in favor of taking advantage of it, although it would have been nip and tuck to speak to guest services before 24 hours was up. There were some who didn't even hear in time this was an issue, since the announcements are often hard to hear. That said, I'm glad we stayed on although I think Carnival knew about this ahead of time, and I think it was a terrible idea to take a boat full of people out to sea with a ship that wasn't functioning well. When we looked on our app at charges, our port charges had been refunded *before the cruise even officially started*. What the heck!? If they knew, we should have been told so we could decide whether or not we wanted to continue with our trip. This, I think, was some shady business. Anyway, on with our day. 

We wandered around a bit and I found the coffee bar "Musical Cafe". Great coffee and ran about $3.50-4.50 depending on what you got.  As you can see, the sea was very choppy!  We then hit the Water Works area. Only the "baby slides" were open, but that was fine for us! Bennett had a blast. 

Next up, formal night. 

At some point, we wandered into a registration table for the kids' clubs and Dr. Seuss breakfast. We didn't register our little one for the camp stuff, but we did go ahead and sign up for the Dr. Seuss Breakfast, which was supposed to be at 8:30am (eek) on the last day at sea. A little early for us night owls, but that's OK! It was $5 per person. I am not sure where we would have gone to take advantage of this had we not happened to see it. It wasn't advertised at all, from what I saw (could have missed it, though!).  

I was anxious about muster drill (re: spirited toddler) but all was well, he slept the whole time. Our muster station was in the Mikado Lounge. After that, we headed up to a forward deck for sail away! It was crazy windy, but we enjoyed seeing the Breeze sail out and then follow her closely. Disney Fantasy was also in port. 

It was really a beautiful day. Unfortunately, just a little while into the journey we started really rocking. This is my 6th cruise as an adult with at least one other during hurricane season and I've never been seasick. Well, I guess there's a first time for everything!!! I didn't take Dramamine quickly enough, threw it up, and was down for the count by 6pm. Thank goodness Bennett was OK and didn't seem to be affected at all. Marc didn't feel great, but could at least function. I didn't even make it out of the room until the next morning, and that was only due to my aunt having an extra scopolamine patch. It saved me, but they take several hours to take effect so it wasn't until midnight or so that I felt OK. I heard later from several sources that the ship sold out of seasick products within a half hour. I don't doubt it. I've never felt such rocking. 

Next up, Sea Day 1 and some news that changed our whole trip . . . . Stay tuned 🙂

Actually, let me attach the rest of the cabin pics before I move on to sail away!   The bathroom was small, and I expected it to be. It was fine for our needs, although my 2 year old didn't love to shower - he's used to a bath. 

A big area of difference between Carnival and the other lines on which I've sailed is the toiletries. This is were the budget price point shows. They only provide bulk shower gel and shampoo - no lotion. 

Here is also our Fun Times for the first day. 

And for those curious about the hairdryer, it was in the desk drawer. If you need help finding it, just recruit a toddler 😉

Here's a view with what we ended up calling the "toy corner" over to the left. TIP: Bring some magnetic hooks. The walls are all magnetic and can hold lightweight things like funtimes. The ceilings were great for our hooks to dry clothing! 

After dropping our things we headed up to find the buffet, but not before Bennett found the cornhole! 

The buffet was super hot and crowded. We lucked out and ran into some of our family, who gladly sat with our kiddo and let him devour their food so we could find a seat and get food! 

I recommend eating at either of the outdoor cafes (Guy's Burgers or Blue Iguana) and sitting outside if you can. The food was OK and most importantly, the coffee was good! 

Hello dear viewer! I will be embarking on a multiple part picture review of my family's voyage on The Carnival Elation, September 21-26. Yes, this was the sailing where our ship, due to a mechanical issue, ended up not going to either port we were supposed to. This will be an honest review, that said, I am most definitely a half glass full kind of gal.  But I'm also honest, and if I perceived something to be less than fair, not as good, or on the flip side, totally awesome,  I am going to let you know. It is 100% my opinion, so take it or leave it. I always write these reviews after cruises and really enjoy it. Hopefully, I can help people look forward to their trip, re-live some fun times, avoid issues, or answer questions you may have. Don't hesitate to ask! 

A bit about us: In our party was Valerie (me), husband Marc, and our toddler, Bennett, who just turned 2!  We were also joining a large party of additional family and friends of family on board (14 of us in all!). While I had been on a Carnival ship before, this was the first trip ever for our son, and the first Carnival sailing for my DH. We had previous experience on Disney, NCL, and Celebrity. We are from north of Atlanta, Georgia. 

TRAVEL DAY AND GETTING ON THE BOAT 

We left around 4pm after work and arrived at our hotel in Titusville, FL around 1 in the morning. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, which was about $100 less than other hotels in Port Canaveral. Totally worth it! The room was more than adequate and we slept well. Breakfast was pretty awesome with fresh pressed juices, hot waffles, good coffee, etc. This hotel was 3 minutes from Walmart, Target, and CVS, etc. and also a straight shot to the port. It's about a half hour drive from the hotel. Again, more than worth it to save $100. 

We had purchased Faster to the Fun (FTTF). This meant we could get on board starting at 11:30am and our room was guaranteed to be ready. It was that last part that was important to us. Our toddler is, um, spirited, let's say 😉 We needed a place to put down our carry on items and get him settled ASAP so we could have four free hands to handle him!  Because of this, FTTF was worth it to us, however, I would never purchase this again without him in tow. Why? The rest of our family, who didn't purchase FTTF was able to board just as early as us. Granted, their rooms weren't' ready until 1:30, but still, no biggie if you're not chasing a toddler or needing a place for him to nap. Furthermore, we didn't see any other advantage to FTTF other than skipping forward in guest services. Are we missing something? We are admittedly new at this so I'd give it another chance if I had good reason. . . Debarkation (which was a holy terror nightmare) gave us no FTTF perks either, although I think technically it was supposed to. More on that later! 

Parking: We used the extremely expensive parking deck located right next to the ship. At $17 a day, including arrival and departure days, I was hoping it would wash my car and sing to me. No such luck. But, it was convenient. Had we not had our little with us, we would have parked off site and shuttled in! TIP: Take a picture of where you parked so you remember after you get back. TIP 2: Make sure you tape your luggage tags on ahead of time, or bring tape! You can either pay ahead of time and bring your ticket with you, or do what we did and leave the ticket in the car. It was no biggie to pay upon exit. 

Getting on the ship was easy. We parked, headed to the elevator, and dropped our luggage. Then we met up with two of the others in our party - yay! Here we are, happy times, with the ramp up to the arrival area in the background. You can see how close it is to the deck. 

We were on the ship and in our room before noon. One confusing thing was the signs saying rooms were not ready. We double checked that it did not apply to us, and then went on and found our cabin. We were on deck 6 "Upper" and in porthole cabin U9. It was very far forward, a mistake I won't make again! But, we loved the cabin itself, just not the location so far forward. Here are some pics. Great layout, go Carnival! We loved the 4 USB ports, ample closet space, and room for a little toy corner for Bennett. TIP: Purchase water ahead of time via the website, and they'll be waiting in your cabin. Best deal of any cruiseline I've been on - $2 something for a 12 pack. Free water is kind of scarce on board, as odd as that sounds,  and I am a huge water-drinker so this was essential for us. We got 3 packs and it lasted us 5 days. This was almost not enough! I will get an extra in the future. DH brought his nalgene water bottle and refilled many times in the buffet and I also got a free giant bottle for being a repeat guest. 

We loved the little area under the windows for additional storage up and away from our busy toddler! 

Here are the USBs on the other side of the bed. 

We joked that the closet was going to be Bennett's bed. He then was calling it "bed" the rest of the trip, haha!! We did not have them make the trundle up, he just slept with us. 

Next up, sail away! 

Hopefully you're still reading this thread. I've got a question about the Thermal Spa since my DH and I are also in a spa mini for next month and he's very self-conscious about his size. Did you see anyone in there with a t-shirt and shorts? He's not comfortable changing in the locker room, too, and I told him he can have the robe on to cover himself lol TIA!

Hello! I am happy to try and answer this. I honestly didn't remember what people were wearing, but DH says he remembers seeing people go in with shirts on. Honestly, you see everything on cruises and there are plenty of people feeling self conscious - probably just about everyone! The robes are great and are given out in the locker room or as you walk in, so he doesn't even have to enter the locker room unless he just wants to :) You guys will have a blast! I'm so jealous! I'm 3 months pregnant so no cruising for me for many months!!

I know it's far off but when you cruise with the kids put their cards away and save them. When they turn 18, they will be credited with all cruises and achieve whatever status goes with it.

That is awesome to know :D

Viva_la_Vida - first, my deepest condolences on the loss of your child last year.

 

Second - I have nothing to offer in the discussion on cancellations or insurance to help you in this situation but may I add, as someone who books very well in advance myself - give that up. Many people book closer to the cruise dates, often at big discounts. While cabin selection will be more limited - the lack of stress over the cancellation policies might well be worth the trade off.

 

May all your dreams come true!

Thank you!

This is (sort of) the reason we had a 5 year cruising hiatus.

We took our daughter at 8 months old (booked so far in advance that when the TA asked for her birth date, I said I didn't know. I could feel her confusion over the phone... I then explained she wasn't born yet!)

 

But, we lived in Florida at the time so it was an easy drive down and no big plans to rearrange, plus I figured that with only an 8 month old I wasn't going to be pregnant with a second.

 

After that, with as far in advance as I like to book vacations (and am somewhat required to based on my work schedule), cruising just didn't work because we never knew when #2 might come along.

 

Now that #2 is here (with no more planned) we are planning cruises like crazy!

 

In the mean time, we did land-based trips which we could book closer to the time. SW has refundable fares if you need to rebook. Also, if you travel simply to say, Florida, medical care is close by so if you are pregnant and DO need care, you can get.

 

I was willing to travel shortish distances pregnant, so it was not a concern. For a big trip we took to Mexico when my daughter was 2, I just simply made sure for the few months prior that I didn't get pregnant and stopped my birth control the last day of the vacation :)

 

I would have been really stressed trying to plan pregnancies around cruising (er, I mean, cruising around pregnancy?!) We missed it but enjoyed our land trips and now a little bit of the magic of cruising is back (absence makes the heart grow fonder.)

 

Good luck with whatever you choose!

I can't imagine a 5 year hiatus, but sounds like it was an adventurous five years!! Love those stories!

Thanks all, for the advice and kind words.

I love the credit card insurance suggestion, I'll definitely check into that. I've used insuremytrip before and found it overwhelming, even when not taking pregnancy into consideration but I'll give it a second look as well.

I know some people mentioned saving the stress and not booking cruises until things are certain. But honestly, cruising and even planning to cruise is one of the most relaxing things I could possibly do so I won't be giving it up unless I really can't find a solution. It sounds like I have some good research to go on, so thanks again for all of your suggestions.

Hi All,

I am an avid cruiser who is also trying to start a family. I am looking for any advice from women in a similar position and have cruised on X recently. I like to book in advance, but am concerned about cancellation policies if/when I become pregnant.

I should probably mention that I am a mom to an angel baby after giving birth at 22 weeks last year. For that reason, I would never cruise pregnant, not even in very early pregnancy. I know lots of people do it and Celebrity's policy is 24 weeks, but t's just too risky for me personally. If I had been on a ship when that happened, I probably wouldn't be here today writing this.

Are there any pregnancy caveats to Celebrity's cancellation policies? Does anyone have experience with special travel insurance one can purchase for a situation like this?

I may just have to give up on cruising, but I hate to give up something I love so much for something that could take months or years to happen. Maybe last minute cruising is the simple answer, sigh.

Thanks for any advice!

Great review!

 

I hope the chorus are doing well!

 

ex techie

Thanks for sticking with me :-) Kids doing great, but I'm ready for another cruise, ha!

A little late, but what were"rustic" about the bathrooms at Mr. Sancho's?

 

One reason for the slow discussion on cruise critic is that a lot of Disney cruisers are Disney people, as opposed to cruising people, and tend to stay on Disney-specific boards!

 

Enjoyed the review! Do you have any reviews of Celebrity Reflection? We are going on Reflection next year... first time on Reflection! (lots of cruises on Royal and Disney under our belts.. trying something new next year!)

Rustic for me meant not being able to put toilet paper in the toilet and the facilities being old and worn.

I do have a Reflection review! We LOVED the reflection. It was my favorite ship by far. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2021981

You can't see the pics anymore unless you click on them though.

Thanks so much.

Wrap Up thoughts, tips, and issues:

• Be cautious with flip flops on deck. The staff members are constantly mopping, but it’s always wet and slick from sunscreen and I almost fell several times.
  
• Pictures are a mess. Plan ahead and if you’ve got two cabins, always give both cabin #s to the photographers
  
• Free drinks at the captain’s party! Stand in line for pics and drink at the same time :-)
  
• Nightlife is severely lacking so know this going into it so you won’t be disappointed.
  
• Muster drill is awful, wait until the last minute go out to it or you will be squished like sardines until it’s time to start.
  
• Don’t book specialty dinners on the Animator’s Palate show night
  
• Check out the buffet in Enchanted Gardens on Embarkation day in order to avoid the huge crowds
  
• Disembarkation is chaotic. Watch your bags closely and bring your best patience!
  
• Drinks of the day are a wonderful deal and way less expensive than other lines
  
• A drink package like other lines offer is needed on DCL
  
• Quiet Cove is wonderful, you have to check it out! Don’t forget Satellite Falls when the Cove gets crowded
  
• Don’t forget about the mostly unadvertised last sea day brunch
  
• Eat light on Pirate night because the midnight pirate buffet looked so yummy! I was too full to eat anything though.
  

I absolutely enjoyed this cruise. I hope to take children one day, but it would be a rare treat. We would choose other lines for the cost savings. I found the service better than any other line and the food on par with Celebrity. Celebrity would still be my first choice overall due to the free drink promotion and the significant cost difference but I understand that with kids, X would not be ideal. For now though for just the husband and myself, it fits our needs well.

Now, some input from the kids!

Bayleigh’s Words:

• Kids club is fun, make sure you talk to people there and make friends!
  
• Mexico was my favorite because you had all the smoothies, food, pools, beach, and fun toys in the water. The server was great.
  
• Try to stay up late because once it’s over, it’s over.
  
• Room service is awesome!
  
• Shows - go see them and sit on the lower floor if you want to get picked. Shy people stay in the balcony.
  
• Aqua Duck - go at night and make time for the line during the day
  
• Pirate costume made me want to go to sleep
  
• Lots of activities
  
• Character breakfast was good because of the unique characters
  

Will’s Words:

• Eat a lot of food
  
• Be good to servers
  
• Do lots on the islands/ports
  
• Ride the Aqua Duck
  
• Go to Edge Club
  
• Go to Vibe
  
• Have fun!
  

I hope you’ve all enjoyed and I’m sorry again it took me so long to finish. Our play one first place this past Saturday though, so we go to state finals this Saturday! I knew if I didn’t finish now, I might not get to it until after Christmas, ha! Please feel free to ask questions though and I promise I’ll try my best to answer.

I'll leave you with this last wonderful pic of our fabulous servers from the last morning. Happy cruising, everyone!

September 24, 2016

Disembarkation Day

Disembarkation day was done so differently than any other line I’ve been on. For breakfast, you’re assigned the same venue you eat dinner at the night before and it’s served in two seatings, also just like dinner. So, if you need to leave early to catch a flight, you want to make sure you choose early seating dinner.

We had Enchanted Garden, which was so convenient to our room.

Even on the last day, we felt they were pulling out all the stops. You could definitely tell everyone was in a rush, but that’s understandable.

I actually had the “Chef’s Farewell”, which is sort of an odd combo of BBQ chicken w/swiss on an omlett. It was really good though!

And of course, my new favorite, muesli!

We stopped back by the room to grab our cases and head up to our waiting zone. Bayleigh didn’t want to believe it was over:

Well we headed upstairs right after breakfast and they hadn’t even announced that we had cleared customs or whatever it is we have to clear yet. IT WAS A MADHOUSE IN THE LOBBY. It looked like the whole ship was there and there was no way to tell where the line started as it curved around every which way.

We still had to pic up pictures, so Bubba, Donna, and I headed up to photo place while Darla and the kids stayed with our stuff. I forgot to mention, but we had a lot of trouble with the photo people the whole trip. Some of our pictures kept not showing up on either room key. I’m still not convinced they found them all. We had to go through each one on the computer painstakingly with one of the cast members. It was a major drag and a huge time waster. So the night before we had been up to purchase pics after going several nights before and having the lady find our pic. She assured us it would be there when we came back. Friday night it wasn’t, so we waited in the huge line to get them to find it again. Since they couldn’t get it to us then and it was their fault, not ours, they said the promo that was going on would still work on debark morning. Guess what?! It didn’t! We were so very upset and there’s nothing they would do about it. Disney, get Shutters straightened out, they are hands down the worst part of the Disney experience!

When we finally got our pics paid for, we headed back down to the crazy 3rd floor and that’s when we noticed we were missing a bag! It was a small, rolling black bag and it was nowhere to be found. The guest services line was extremely long, but luckily Bubba found someone who could help immediately. We were worried the bag would walk off the ship before we got out of guest services line. THANK GOODNESS someone had turned it in. We don’t know if it was grabbed by mistake or if someone grabbed it on purpose and didn’t need or want the makeup it almost exclusively held, but we were just happy to get it back. As a side note here, I will note that a lot of people reported fish extender items and magnets from doors being stolen :-(

During the bag debacle, we had been keeping our place in line, which was finally moving. Once we got the bag back it was probably about 15 moure minutes before we got through. There were LOTS of people with no bags getting through, despite the fact that this was supposed to be just for people with carry off bags. They had ropes that were meant to stop people from just walking out of the elevators, cutting/avoiding the line, and disembarking, but by the time we got up to the front people were just climbing right over it and cutting in line. Ugh! So annoying. This was another area DCL could improve a lot.

I would classify this as the most chaotic disembarkation I've experienced.

Loading the car was easy, as was exiting the parking garage. We were just so sad it was over!