ewespinme

We are on Beyond now in 11180 and it, as well as the adjoining inside 11178 are so noisy. I sleep with a sound machine and it hasn’t helped. 

Testing, 1, 2, 3

Way back in 2014, celebrity let me upgrade to Aqua from Veranda for $20 a person on a transatlantic after final payment. It certainly would be worth the phone call in my mind. 

45 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

It was very basic, they were clear on their answers and do agree they are aware of social media talk.  Was anything new on information, not really.  

To me it was the message was this:

yes, we have screwed up over the past few months and we actually know we screwed up and we are going to give you three points as an apology for screwing up but we are going to just keep screwing up in the future and will continue to offer more power up points as we do 

On 6/21/2023 at 10:37 PM, tschwa2 said:

I didn't see anything in June either.  There aren't offers every month.  

I am hoping we will get a coco cat one, since they want to sell that. I don’t really care what it is about though. I just need a few more points. 

We sailed with a 13 month old in 2016 and a 2.5 year old in 2019. They did offer us a pack and play. I didn’t ask but learned later they may have diaper pails onboard. With the 13 month old, he still was taking a night bottle and I washed them in the sink. It was a great cruise and he loved it, my daughter loved hers at 2.5 also. 
 

there are no diapers allowed in the pools. Pre-COVID the kids club offered toys for checkout, and you could go play with your child in an infant area. 

On 6/16/2023 at 10:52 PM, mahasamatman said:

 

I suggest you change your notification settings. Once a week is more than enough.

And I can’t seem to get any (despite setting it for once a week).  I’m glad considering how the conversation devolved but I really do need just a few more points to hit that next level …

On 1/30/2023 at 1:34 PM, Get outta town said:

We are scheduled for a UTV tour with Around Aruba tours. The have a private tour option available too.

When is yours? Looking for early next year but would like to get something set and having issues finding a truly private tour. 

9 hours ago, dgparent said:

Hope you do not mind, I am going to piggy back another question. How early are the people there at the Muster Stations to check you off the list once you watch the videos etc. ?

We were on silhouette in January and got on around 11 am, did muster first with no issues. 

On 2/9/2023 at 5:38 PM, mahasamatman said:

I'm "watching" (background tab with audio muted) it now.

My husband’s preferred way to watch. I actually liked this one. 

3 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

Found that email is no longer working use wrk2cruise at gmail.com instead if you want.

 

The promo tomorrow goes back to 4 perks for the 3 perks price with the non-refundable deposit.

Sending you a message ...

I think I overbooked us on excursions and now instead of a tour we are contemplating a beach day in Granada  ... I have seen various posts recommending different beaches but I am wondering which would be best for a 2 and 5 year old - we need to be near food and a potty, and preferably where we can also rent an umbrella if we want to stay through nap time. I would very much appreciate the name of a specific place to send the taxi (hotel or restaurant) because I know some of the beaches are quite large. We are willing to do a hotel for a day, if there is one that is worth it ... my kids love pools. (Sell me on this please ... if you can ... I am excited for the tour but my husband says we are overdoing it and wants to do a resort for a day instead.)
 

Thank you so much!

On 8/19/2019 at 2:27 PM, MrMike45 said:

We're in a tough situation here and needing some help and guidance, preferably from someone who has first hand knowledge.  Let me explain...

 

We (me, my wife, our adopted 22 month old son at time of departure) have an MSC cruise booked for 10/18/19 leaving from NY.  My wife and I are seasoned cruisers, and this will be our son's third cruise.  

 

The adoption of our son is not finalized yet (mainly due to the backlog of cases in both NY and Louisiana (where he was born) in family court).  The final court date is scheduled for 9/12/19, however we have been advised that even after the final ruling it will be 6-8 weeks before we receive any paperwork, including his amended birth certificate listing us as his parents.  

 

For his first 2 cruises, we were able to obtain a certified/notarized letter from LA Family court listing us as his guardians and prospective adopted parents, as well as granting us permission to obtain a temporary passport on his behalf, which we did.  However, the US Dept of State put an expiration date on that passport of 12 months, as I assume that is what they deemed the appropriate time for the adoption to be finalized.  It expired in June 2019, and we submitted all the necessary (and same as the first time) paperwork to renew his passport for this cruise we have upcoming in October.

 

On Friday, we received a letter stating that the submitted documents no longer are accepted under the United States travel policy, and that we need to submit an original birth certificate listing us as the minor's parents in order to obtain a passport.  I immediately called the number on the letter and explained everything to the woman I spoke with.  While polite and cordial, in short she told me "tough" and that there was nothing she could do as this was the regulations of the law.  I asked if there was a supervisor I could explain the situation to, and offered to send the most recent letter we received from LA family court listing the adoption finalization date, prior to the cruise, but that we would not receive the birth certificate until after the cruise due to the backlog of cases.  She put in a request to speak to a supervisor, and indicated one should call me back in 10-14 business days!!!  (what?!?!)

 

As the cruise is in less than 2 months, as you can imagine, we are past final payment.  We are going to Canada and New England (if that helps).  But we're unsure what to do here.  Is a passport required for a child under 2?  Can we get away without one, although he have no other ID for him as his legal name is still his birth name, which is different as mine/wife's last name.  Are we basically screwed here and can't go on this cruise?  

 

Any help would be appreciated, and sorry for the long post.  

Just curious ... did you make it on board? I hope so! 

On 9/20/2018 at 2:20 AM, tinkr2 said:

Because I find they are cattle calls. Very large groups , no say where you are going and they cost more. I can book a semi private tour and plan my own fun itinerary and stop where I please, for less money.

This! We don’t “never” do them but we have found private tours so much more personal and thus more enjoyable. 

What did you decide? Traveling with a 2.5 and 5 year old soon. 

On 10/28/2019 at 9:35 AM, Allicakes2018 said:

We will be stopping at St. Kitts on a cruise in November. It will be my first time to St. Kitts (finally!), and we are traveling with our 4 & 5 yo children. I want to see the island but know they will not last on the 3 hour train that explores the island. Looking for a 1 to 2 hour activity where I'll be able to get a taste of the island. Not looking to spend tons of money, I just want to see what the island is about. We like to get off the boat first thing in the morning so we can make it back by nap time 🙂

Let me know what you decide. We have this quandary with a 5 and 2 year old in December. My 5 year old is train obsessed but I worry the 2 year old will be unhappy on such a long train trip. 

Does anyone have experience with the Atlantis Submarine in Barbados? Looking for thoughts - good, bad and ugly. We are thinking of going with a 4 and 2 year old (our ship has a minimum age of 4, but it looks like we can book directly since she meets their minimum height requirements).  My kids are really into turtles and I was thinking it might be a good way to see them without worrying about them in deeper water or tours that lure them with bread. 
 

Also the website has a premium option for $50 more to sit up front. Wondering if it is worth it? 

On 11/14/2017 at 12:23 PM, lynlyn said:

Would there be a minibus shuttle from cruise terminal to Villa beach? We would prefer this to using a cab

Did you find one? What did you end up doing? Contemplating heading to Villa beach. Thanks! 

On 6/25/2019 at 3:18 PM, Erica@cruisecritic said:

And I'll alert my cabin steward on day one that he will likely be changing the sheets more often.

And don’t forget to add a bit of an extra tip with that comment. It will make the chore a bit less tedious for your steward, who won’t get extra time allotted for it. 

You also might want want to ask for an extra sheet left in your room so that if an accident happens you can change it and she can sleep on a clean sheet rather than the bare mattress.  With my 4 year old we layer ... mattress, mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet. So on the rare times he has an accident we strip off the top two layers and he can go right back to sleep. We plan on doing that when we cruise with him as well. 

On 8/21/2019 at 3:50 PM, MrMike45 said:

If I get that on 9/13/19, I am hopeful I can submit to the US Dept of State and request the passport then be expedited (for a fee of course).  Right now, that seems like our best hope to be able to go on the cruise.  

Be sure to both go to the Department of State, since you need both parents. Your best bet will be to go to a passport agency, by making an appointment, which according to the DOS website can be made 4 weeks in advance for 2 weeks before you travel. 

Https://passportappointment.travel.state.gov/

or try calling 877-487-2778 

good luck! And congratulations on your upcoming adoption. 

(As a last resort you can see if your cruise company will allow you to push the cruise back for a month or so ... celebrity once let us do that even though we were within final payment ... they just made us switch to something that was also in final payment so we couldn’t switch and cancel and get our money back - if you explain the rules change at DoS and the legal delay they may be more sympathetic than the DoS employees who are stuck following regulations they may not agree with.)

4 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

don't know about the Miami area, but we routinely left our $300 Britax Frontier and a $100 Diono Monterey in the car at the ATL aiport parking and they never walked away

Thanks. Airport parking usually has a security presence. In contrast I know the area around MIA from when I used to live in Miami and, at least then, is not the kind of place I would want to leave my car unmoving and unattended for an extended period. That is why I was hoping for a recent review.  But the hotel reviews are pretty mixed also so I think we will stay elsewhere. 

On 4/22/2019 at 10:54 PM, Essiesmom said:

 

I have stayed in hotels in Miami (Hampton, Hilton Garden...

 

Somewhat OT but I have been trying to find a review of the Miami Airport Hilton Garden, and particularly their parking area. Are you able to provide me with any feedback? I want to make sure our car seats (and our car) don’t walk away while we are cruising. Thanks! 

On 9/27/2018 at 9:27 AM, sc4125 said:

 

Has anyone ever stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn (Miami Airport West)?

 

Did you end up staying there? We are considering it and looking for someone who had some experience with the hotel and parking there particularly. 

If you did stay, what did you use for return transport? 

On a cruise several years ago on celebrity, two octogenarians got into a knife fight in the MDR over which table received their lobster meals first. Maybe eliminating it is a way to cut down on violence? (We were in Blu, our waiter and several passengers told us the story the next day, when the instigator was escorted off the ship with all his baggage.) 

or maybe it is an attempt to get you to pay to book in one of the other restaurants, who often have lobster every day?