I was supposed to be boarding Dream Saturday until today. Did I make a wise choice?

[cruzinlisa]

OP- I would have probably first looked at a ship out of Port Canaveral (like Disney). If that did not work out, then I would have looked at other ships, like you did. I definitely would have been tempted by Epic. Or I might have just looked into a week at Disney, but my DD is little and she would enjoy it. :D

[cantwait2cruise]

Saw Epic pull in to naussau last Friday, gorgeous and huge. Also saw them greeted by band and refreshments getting back on.

 

Have a great time! Let us know how it goes!!!

[halos]

Wife, two friends, and myself were supposed to be on the Dream this Saturday until this morning. Having already had plane tickets, vacations, precruise hotels, rental car, etc we were at odds on what to do. We started seeking other lines out and this was the best option for us. Tell me what you think.

 

We were booked on next door balconies on the Dream and all was suuposed to be good. We were in it for $1650 per room with $100OBC per room.

 

Now we are booked on the Norwegian Epic out of Miami for a 7 day with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. Not the greatest itinerary ever but what are we supposed to do.

 

We are in it now for $1100 and change per couple with $25 OBC. Although we will have to drive from Orlando to Miami, I did not think it was a horrible thing.

 

All things considered, how did we do? What would you have done? Anything about Norwegian we should know? We tried getting on Liberty but it was sold out. Thanks for everything.

 

Just an FYI, I am not flogging Carnival or dragging them through the mud. I will sail them again but just needed to do something in a hurry.

You know how they say every cloud has a silver lining???

Well, you have a very nice silver lining. This may wind up being the best thing that ever happend to you. I hope you have a blast!! :)

[dvdkndy]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement. Having this curve ball thrown at you at the last minute was not something that I necesarily wanted coming my way. All we can do is roll with the punches and go with the flow.

 

We had planned so much for this cruise and were sad to see it all disappear with one check of a craftsman generator. :( Even though I am joking about the situation, I am glad that I am not stranded in the middle of the ocean waiting to be pulled in. In the realm of the real world, this too will pass and one day the frustrations will disappear.

 

Now we are going into territory that we are absolutely scared to death of. New line that we know nothing about. We don't know their shows, their food setup, their daily schedules, the way their spa works, and so many more things. I keep looking for the grand atrium, serenity, and WCM in pictures and do not see it. We have no clue what we have got ourselves in to and are really really nervous about it.

 

New ports that we have never been to other than Nassau. Now we are scrambling trying to find something to do in places that we never planned to do something in. We have been rebooking flights, hotels, rental cars, and everything else. Who knew a hotel in Miami would be over $300 tomorrow night! :eek: It really has been a mess.

 

We went over to the NCL boards and they are sleepers over there. The port boards are boring as anything. If I post something about St. Thomas here where the action is, it gets moved. Really I am at a loss on what to do and am fearful this will blow up in my our face.

 

I am not mad at CCL and appreciate that they have been kind to us in the times they have called. I am not a finger pointer and take things in stride. What else could I do? I just pray that everyone else will take the same approach and not try to be a bull in a china shop about the situation. The poor girl answering the phone is doing the best she can and does not need me cursing at her or flogging her over the issue.

 

Thank you for your kind words and if any of you have any port help or anything like that I would be greatly appreciative of that. Good night to you all and thanks for letting me open my heart to you guys in this post.

[chill6x6]

I think that was a VERY smooth move!

 

I also predict a new cruise line preference!

 

Be SURE to go to the production shows!

[LemonLorraine]

I think you did a great job! I got booked on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam for Sunday as a consolation for being cancelled on the Dream.

 

Enjoy your cruise!! Happy Sails! :)

[antsnanny]

Wife, two friends, and myself were supposed to be on the Dream this Saturday until this morning. Having already had plane tickets, vacations, precruise hotels, rental car, etc we were at odds on what to do. We started seeking other lines out and this was the best option for us. Tell me what you think.

 

We were booked on next door balconies on the Dream and all was suuposed to be good. We were in it for $1650 per room with $100OBC per room.

 

Now we are booked on the Norwegian Epic out of Miami for a 7 day with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. Not the greatest itinerary ever but what are we supposed to do.

 

We are in it now for $1100 and change per couple with $25 OBC. Although we will have to drive from Orlando to Miami, I did not think it was a horrible thing.

 

All things considered, how did we do? What would you have done? Anything about Norwegian we should know? We tried getting on Liberty but it was sold out. Thanks for everything.

 

Just an FYI, I am not flogging Carnival or dragging them through the mud. I will sail them again but just needed to do something in a hurry.

 

You did a great job and I think you are going to love "Freestyle Cruising" on NCL. Bon Voyage!

[merlot]

I'm glad you were able to find another vacation that works for you so quickly. Have a wonderful time.

[sthelder]

Well done, family vacation time could be difficult to move and you have done the thing that I would want to do myself too.

[Cindy]

I can't comment on the Epic or NCL, but I think you did a great job finding a ship quickly and getting booked! Since it's Spring Break I know choices are very limited. Have fun!:)

[jsfromsc]

Anything you can do to salvage your long-anticipated vacation is good in my book. We save for years to be able to cruise, and I would be devastated if I were in your position. I'm glad you were able to find something else with such short notice. Good luck to you and enjoy your cruise. Let us know when you post your review on the NCL cruise. I'll be anxious to hear how this cruise compares to your experiences on Carnival.

[pmoniz]

dvdkndy - Not sure if you are still looking for something to do in St. Thomas - but when we went there a few years ago we did a tour with Lipton Tours and had a fantastic time. Maybe that's something you can look into for your family?

 

It's awesome that you're making the best out of a horrible situation! You have a terrific attitude with this whole mess - good for you!! Have a great time!

[TrqoisWtrs]

I've always wanted to go to St. Maarten - so I would grab a cab and go to Maho Beach and watch the planes land. Awesome!

 

[cruiseonthebrain]

Wife, two friends, and myself were supposed to be on the Dream this Saturday until this morning. Having already had plane tickets, vacations, precruise hotels, rental car, etc we were at odds on what to do. We started seeking other lines out and this was the best option for us. Tell me what you think.

 

We were booked on next door balconies on the Dream and all was suuposed to be good. We were in it for $1650 per room with $100OBC per room.

 

Now we are booked on the Norwegian Epic out of Miami for a 7 day with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. Not the greatest itinerary ever but what are we supposed to do.

 

We are in it now for $1100 and change per couple with $25 OBC. Although we will have to drive from Orlando to Miami, I did not think it was a horrible thing.

 

All things considered, how did we do? What would you have done? Anything about Norwegian we should know? We tried getting on Liberty but it was sold out. Thanks for everything.

 

Just an FYI, I am not flogging Carnival or dragging them through the mud. I will sail them again but just needed to do something in a hurry.

 

 

I think that was a great decision! What a way to be flexible and not let circumstances ruin your vacation! Do you still have balconies?

[deedle7544]

I love St Maaren, its one of my favorite islands. I want my next cruise to include it again.

[jakesnana]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and encouragement. Having this curve ball thrown at you at the last minute was not something that I necesarily wanted coming my way. All we can do is roll with the punches and go with the flow.

 

We had planned so much for this cruise and were sad to see it all disappear with one check of a craftsman generator. :( Even though I am joking about the situation, I am glad that I am not stranded in the middle of the ocean waiting to be pulled in. In the realm of the real world, this too will pass and one day the frustrations will disappear.

 

Now we are going into territory that we are absolutely scared to death of. New line that we know nothing about. We don't know their shows, their food setup, their daily schedules, the way their spa works, and so many more things. I keep looking for the grand atrium, serenity, and WCM in pictures and do not see it. We have no clue what we have got ourselves in to and are really really nervous about it.

 

New ports that we have never been to other than Nassau. Now we are scrambling trying to find something to do in places that we never planned to do something in. We have been rebooking flights, hotels, rental cars, and everything else. Who knew a hotel in Miami would be over $300 tomorrow night! :eek: It really has been a mess.

 

We went over to the NCL boards and they are sleepers over there. The port boards are boring as anything. If I post something about St. Thomas here where the action is, it gets moved. Really I am at a loss on what to do and am fearful this will blow up in my our face.

 

I am not mad at CCL and appreciate that they have been kind to us in the times they have called. I am not a finger pointer and take things in stride. What else could I do? I just pray that everyone else will take the same approach and not try to be a bull in a china shop about the situation. The poor girl answering the phone is doing the best she can and does not need me cursing at her or flogging her over the issue.

 

Thank you for your kind words and if any of you have any port help or anything like that I would be greatly appreciative of that. Good night to you all and thanks for letting me open my heart to you guys in this post.

 

First of all, sorry this happened to you. I can totally relate, as I was supposed to be on the Splendor the week after she had her fire, and didn't find out until Wednesday that we would not sail the following Sunday. We did the same thing you did, scheduled a cruise on NCL for the same time frame, only we went on the Pearl.

 

About some of your concerns, if you haven't already committed to a non-refundable hotel, check out Priceline and Hotwire. You can reserve 2 rooms at once, that way you will not be at a different hotel than your friends, and you could probably pick up a very good price for a 3 or 4* hotel.

 

In St. Thomas, check out Godfrey's Tours. We have used him several times and I have referred him to several people. All had a wonderful time, with no complaints. If you decide to go to the beach after the tour, I recommend Sapphire Beach. There are not water sports there, or a bar/restaurant, however, it is a beautiful, quiet beach with clean rest rooms and a small convenience store to get drinks/snacks.

 

While on the Epic, check out Blue Man Group. There is a cover charge for it, but you saved money on the cruise, so what the heck. I think you will find the entertainment on NCL far better than Carnival. It's one of the things I like best about NCL, as well as the Freestyle dining.

 

I hope I have alleviated some of your fears. Relax, have a glass of wine and start looking forward to you new adventure :)

[kjquilts]

First of all, sorry this happened to you. I can totally relate, as I was supposed to be on the Splendor the week after she had her fire, and didn't find out until Wednesday that we would not sail the following Sunday. We did the same thing you did, scheduled a cruise on NCL for the same time frame, only we went on the Pearl.

 

About some of your concerns, if you haven't already committed to a non-refundable hotel, check out Priceline and Hotwire. You can reserve 2 rooms at once, that way you will not be at a different hotel than your friends, and you could probably pick up a very good price for a 3 or 4* hotel.

 

In St. Thomas, check out Godfrey's Tours. We have used him several times and I have referred him to several people. All had a wonderful time, with no complaints. If you decide to go to the beach after the tour, I recommend Sapphire Beach. There are not water sports there, or a bar/restaurant, however, it is a beautiful, quiet beach with clean rest rooms and a small convenience store to get drinks/snacks.

 

While on the Epic, check out Blue Man Group. There is a cover charge for it, but you saved money on the cruise, so what the heck. I think you will find the entertainment on NCL far better than Carnival. It's one of the things I like best about NCL, as well as the Freestyle dining.

 

I hope I have alleviated some of your fears. Relax, have a glass of wine and start looking forward to you new adventure :)

 

 

No charge for Blue Man Group but you will need to sign up when you get on ship if you have not pre booked it. There is charge for the Cirque dinner show but not for BMG.

[jakesnana]

No charge for Blue Man Group but you will need to sign up when you get on ship if you have not pre booked it. There is charge for the Cirque dinner show but not for BMG.

 

Thanks and sorry for the mis-information, I haven't been on the Epic yet. Oh well, since BMG is free, go see Cirque. What the heck, you saved money on the cruise :)