lpops

Happy holidays

DW and I recently transferred a booking from a direct telephonic booking with Princess cruise line to our TA.  We did this to join a group cruise in April 2022.  When we contacted the cruise line we were given a form to fill out and return.  Princess made the change within 48 hours.  Fast and easy.  I have enclosed a copy of that form for anyone who would like more information.  Happy days are just around the corner.

Reservation Transfer Request Form .pdf

9 hours ago, elliair said:

I have a cruise booked for Alaska in May.  I did a fake booking on the same cruise using the new sale offer.  We already get free wifi and OBC on the original booking.  If I switched over to the new sale offer, I would have to pay $850 more.  I don't drink, so the beverage package wouldn't be worth it to me.  I might book another cruise for later in 2020 using the offer.

DW and I  took a long hard look at the “Best Sale Ever” promotion currently being offered by Princess Cruises.  We came to the conclusion that it may be a good deal for some travelers but not for others.  We are currently booked on a January 2021 15 day cruise.  We have a balcony stateroom on the Lido deck for which we paid $2399.00 per person.  Included in the fare were $200 OBC and Prepaid Gratuities valued at $217.50 per person.  The effective rate for the room is $1981.00.

In order to take advantage of the “Best Sale Ever” we would pay $3299 for the same stateroom.  Included would be Prepaid Gratuities again valued at $217.50, Free WIFI valued at $129.99, up to $200 for airfare, and Free Premier Beverage Package currently valued at $70.79 per day or a total of $1061.85 for the duration of the 15 day cruise. 

Based on the above I believe that in order to benefit from the “Best Sale Ever” an individual could indeed get a better deal only of they were going to purchase the Premier Beverage Package anyway.

My wife and I have been on a number of Princess Cruises and have always found them to be great vacations and worth the expense.  Due to medical considerations a drink package does not apply to us.  What we have in the “Best Sale Ever” is a promotion that could work for some but not for others.  Everyone should do the math.  Just saying.

I would very much welcome everyone’s take on my analysis and if I am way off I would really appreciate your comments and guidance.

2 hours ago, smeck said:

Last May we sailed on the Radiance from Hawaii to Vancouver the Hawaiian portion of the cruise was great but the sail to Vancouver well another story. After the first day of sailing it was to cold to stay on deck obviously not Royals fault. But the activities was lacking during the day.  If you enjoy gambling or reading or just the ocean you’ll be happy.   Make  sure you bring plenty of reading materials!!

All very valid points.  Heading back the other way our weather was chilly and a little wet until the morning of the 4th sea day.  After that the weather was fine.  Both my wife and I love an early morning work out at the gym and a invigorating sauna and hot rock chair relaxation period which took up most of the mornings.  We did not use the casino and merely watched some of the Bingo.  Some of the trivia and other such activities were interesting and entertaining.  We watched a couple of movies in the cinema on deck 6 (50 seats get there early).  We spent time having leisurely meals in the various venues.  The concierge lounge was a great place to get a great cup of coffee and a snack. Art auctions are not of interest to us.  Evenings we went to the Aurora Theater for the evening show which was hit or miss (more miss) as described in our review.  As we stated earlier for a more energetic experience one should consider one of the more modern larger ships with Rope Courses, Flow Riders, Go Karts, etc.  Last year in the Baltic on the Norwegian Breakaway we were accompanied by our two eldest granddaughters (12 and 14 years old).  The trip was great with lots to do on the Breakaway but would have been much different on the Radiance of the Seas.  We really do our homework and consider what kind of an experience we want before we finalize.  Thank you for bringing up this issue and giving me an opportunity to comment.  Happy travels.

3 hours ago, czcruiser13 said:

How was the tendering in Maui? 

Tendering in Maui (and Kona) was a smoothly run operation.  We were lucky to have calm conditions in both ports.  Maui, the first port since Vancouver, was very busy with many people wanting to get ashore after a long six days in the mid North Pacific so there were lines and a little wait.  It was all handled very well.  From what I could tell there were 4 tenders in the water and as they filled up dispatched.  Kona much the same.  Later in the day the tenders were back on a regular schedule as none of them were completely full prior to scheduled departure.  In Kona DW and I arrived at the forward tender departure point just seconds after it departed.  We were escorted by security via I95 (main crew work area of Deck 3) to the center tender departure point as a tender was about to depart there.  All in all I have to say that the Officers and Crew of the Radiance were the best, most helpful and, friendliest we have ever encountered.

Daily Compass Radiance of the Seas 10 Days from Vancouver to Honolulu

Day 1.pdf Day 2.pdf Day 3.pdf Day 4.pdf Day 5.pdf Day 6.pdf Day 7.pdf Day 8.pdf Day 9.pdf Day 10.pdf

1 hour ago, essgee_ca said:

Thank you for the detailed review.  Along with the previous poster, I will be sailing the Hawaii to Vancouver cruise next May.  You didn't mention anything about the sea days between Vancouver and Hawaii.  I have never been on a ship for that many sea days in a row and I'm curious what type of activities were offered on those days and whether you'd recommend any of them.

Thanks in advance.

Thank you all for your kind comments.  I saved the Daily Compass for each day of the cruise.  I will scan them starting this weekend and post them (starting with embarkation day) a few pages at a time on this thread.  They  outline all the daily activities of the trip.  We were kept busy with trivia, demonstrations, activities in the gym, and other normal things.  We found that the days were both relaxing and busy as one chose to participate or not. 

Disclaimer - We would like to pass on our impressions and thoughts of our cruise experience to anyone planning for or getting ready to participate in a similar Itinerary. Everyone knows that reviews are subjective. One person’s gold is another’s trash. That said please remember this is our personal impressions and yours, of course, will vary. We ignore postings that are made in response to our reviews that merely seek to flame. We will review subsequent posts in order to provide answers to questions asked. We appreciate this understanding. Please ignore any spelling or grammar errors – we want to get this posted swiftly before we lose focus on our experiences. Thank you.

 Travel and Embarkation - We are a semi-retired American couple (both 66 years of age) living as expats in an Asian country. This was our seventh cruise (3 on Princess and 3 on Norwegian, and now 1 on Royal Caribbean). We made all our own arrangement for this trip including direct reservations with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, air travel, and hotel, (we did a RCCL transfer from the ship to the airport in Honolulu).

 We flew in one day ahead of the 10 September sail date so we could enjoy some time in Vancouver without the stress of trying to make a flight on cruise day. This was a good decision in retrospect as our experience in the Vancouver airport was one for the record book. We were queued up three times in multi-hundred person lines before we got to immigration. The airport appeared to be completely overwhelmed with passengers. It literally took three and a half hours from exiting the airplane to getting to the point of retrieving our baggage. We took the light rail line from the airport to the Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver. The train was very easy to negotiate, quick, and inexpensive. Our pre-cruise stay was as the Exchange Hotel located a couple of blocks away from the cruise port at Canada Place. The weather was typical Northwest – cloudy with a couple of periods of heavy rain. Vancouver is really a beautiful city.

 On boarding day we took the short 5 minute walk from the hotel at just after 10:30. We were in a Grand Suite for this cruise so dropping off our bags we walked directly to security and then to the express check-in without waiting in a single line.

 The Ship – It is small as ships go these days. The Radiance was launched in 2001 but had come out of renovation in May 2016. The ship looked to be in generally good condition. There are numerous areas around the ship that could do with a little paint and rust removal but overall the ship is well maintained, clean, and free of obvious neglect. Our Grand Suite was Port Forward on the 10th deck and we generally walked the stairs and rarely took an elevator so crowded elevators were not a concern. We did notice that often there were many waiting to ride.

 We did not use the casino but we did walk through the area a couple times and noticed a very heavy tobacco odor permeating the area. We decided that after the first day when walking from the front to the rear of the ship we would simply walked up or down a flight of stairs, crossed over or under the casino and walk back up or down the stairs on the other side. The odor, while evident, is not in our opinion, something to get upset about after all it is a casino.

 There is a rock climbing wall, 9 hole golf putting course, and basketball court. The weather was agreeable most days. There are two swimming pools on deck 11 (one adult only and one open). Both are small and busy on the Hawaii itinerary.

 Our Cabin – We had a Grand Suite with balcony on Deck # 10 Port Side Forward. Our cabin steward was very intuitive and was always available but never intrusive. He was very friendly and always helpful. Towels were replaced almost as soon as used and the room serviced regularly. The room was kept very clean.

 The grand suite has a large sitting area with full sofa and two easy chairs and a coffee table. We had a king sized bed located in a separate area of the suite. The bathroom was very large and had a big bath tub with shower. As suite guests we were provided upgraded amenities (soap, shampoo, rinse, body wash, etc.). The bathroom was spotless. Storage area was more than adequate. Even with three large suitcases we did not even filled up one closet with two to spare.

 We had a large flat screen television. Channel selection was non-existent but useful for checking your shipboard accounts and reservations. Ship announcements were not broadcasted into the rooms so you had to listen from the outside if you wanted to hear the public announcements.

 We had an unlimited Voom Surf and Stream Wi-Fi package. While billed as the “fastest at sea” that was not our experience. It was the slowest and most prone to disconnection of any service we have every had on any ship.

 There was a water pot and coffee maker with free coffee provided in our cabin but we did not use them as the coffee available at many locations around the ship provided plenty of very satisfactory coffee.

 Dining - We ate breakfast and lunch in the buffet on deck 10. Breakfast was the standard fare with omelets made to order and a wide variety of breakfast foods to choose. In our opinion the buffet was well designed with adequate seating. The staff was very fast at removing plates and silverware and cleaning tables as people left. If you meet Jade in the buffet say hello to a wonderfully upbeat and kind young man. Since we were suite guests we never had a difficult time finding a seat because there was a reserved dining room just off the buffet. We found the food in the buffet to be generally good but somewhat repetitive. There is a self-serve soft ice cream machine in the buffet area.

 We had dinner twice in the Main Dining Room. Both were excellent meals. Having reservations we were seated immediately. We did notice a slight lag in service but the menu items were always appropriately hot, warm, or cold. We also dined in our room twice with selections from the main dining room menu which was delivered hot and quickly from room service.

 Extra Fee Dining - On our second sea day we ate Izumi’s sushi restaurant. The food was well presented and very tasty if not quite as fresh as we would have liked. On our fourth sea day we ate at the Samba Grill a South American Churrascaria concept venue. The food and service were excellent. Come hungry as portions are large and filling. On our sixth sea day we ate at the Italian themed Giovanni’s restaurant. Again the food was wonderful and the service attentive and friendly.

 Entertainment - The one area for which we would like to see change is more entertainment in the theater. We enjoyed the one revue show we saw as very entertaining and well done but other evening entertainment presented appeared to be filling an otherwise empty evening.

 Tours – We booked all our tours through Royal Caribbean. As most everyone knows this is a more expensive option but the benefits of ease of booking, guaranteed return to the ship, and tour operator vetting are hard for us to ignore. We did not want to take any risks getting back to the ship on time.

 Maui Hawaii (Lahaina) – Hana & Haleakala Helicopter Exploration. We had a wonderful time during this just over one hour aerial tour of Mt. Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano. We were picked up at the port and escorted to the Blue Hawaii air terminal located at the Maui airport. Our pilot was personable, knowledgeable and gracious. The views are indescribable. While costly, this tour is well worth the money. Upon completion we were again picked up and returned to the cruise port in a comfortable van.

 Kauai Nawiliwili – Grove Farm and Kilohana Plantation Railway. A short drive from the deep water port of Nawiliwili the Kilohana Plantation harkens back to Kauai's Golden Age of Sugar with a four-hour tour of the Grove Farm museum and a narrated railway ride around the former plantation plus free time at Koloa Rum Company and other artisan shops. Rich in history and slow in pace this tour is a relaxing stop on the Garden Island. Of all our tours during this cruise we found this to be our least favorite and not worth the cost and would not consider it worth repeating.

 Hilo Hawaii (Big Island) – Zipline through Paradise and Waterfalls. A total of eight zipline runs follow the Honolii River high over thundering waterfalls and deep gorges. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and obsessed with our safely. We were given three rules to remember and were quizzed repeatedly concerning them. The three rules were 1) don’t adjust or handle your harness, 2) don’t put your hands on the cable, and 3) have fun. Some zipline runs were tranquil and easy and some were quite thrilling. We had a great time and would have liked to have gone back up and done it again if possible. The light rain throughout our tour did little to dampen our enthusiasm. Highly recommend this tour if physically able.

 Kona Hawaii (Big Island) - Atlantis Submarine. We rode a large comfortable boat with around 70 other guests from the cruise terminal out into the ocean where the submarine was waiting. Boarding was done via gang plank from the boat to the submarine under the watchful eye of the crew who stood by to assist if needed. All went well. There were two entrances into the submarine (one on each end) so boarding went quickly and easily. The interior of the submarine has individual seats (two rows facing back to back) and each passenger has her/his own designated port hole through which to view. The nearly hour long dive visited two ship wrecks and numerous coral formations. While many fish were in the area none were large and the light filtering effects of being under up to 100 feet of water drained most of the colors leaving the viewer seeing mostly in gray shades. The submarine is well lit, clean, ventilated, and large enough to eliminate any possibility of Claustrophobia. This tour is very interesting and well worth the cost.

 Overall we had a wonderful time and would recommend the Royal Caribbean and the Vancouver to Hawaii itinerary. The Radiance of the Seas is a great ship for a relaxing cruise. Younger cruisers with families may want to consider larger ships with more traditional entertainment venues (water parks, rope courses, flow riders, etc.).

Ship - Radiance of the Seas

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 1034

Stateroom Category – Grand Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Totally Quiet

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? -  No

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. –   No Obstructions - large overhang - no view upwards nor mid day sun.  I liked it that way but others may not.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -  Normal

Was wind a problem? - No wind problems.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Not Applicable

Any specific problems with this cabin? -  None - loved the size and location.

Any other comments? -  The suite life.  We are spoiled forever.

DW and I just signed up for the party - showing 86 registered.  Looking forward to meeting everyone. 

19 hours ago, shopaholic6 said:

 

I agree! We did Baltic last June and the temperature was ... baltic! 😂

That is Great advice.  We did the Baltic with the Norwegian Breakaway last year late June to early July.  No problem with overly warm days.  Suggest you take a sweater – we had a very chilly day at Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg.  Have a great vacation.

I noticed on the RCCL Radiance of the Seas web page the Concierge Lounge is being referred to as the Suite Lounge.  The quote on the page is:

"TOP SHELF PRIVILEGES -

It’s serenity with a twist of lime. Reserved exclusively for guests of Grand Suite-level accommodations and above, the Suite Lounge presents complimentary continental breakfast and evening drinks. So from croissants to Cosmos, we’ve got your cravings covered.

Insider Tip

For Grand Suite-level accommodations and above."

Does anyone know if the change has been made from Concierge to Suite?  Just wondering.

9 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

In May we will come up on the 15th anniversary of my friend's passing. Her husband remarried a couple of years later; her children were raised by a wonderful, loving stepmother and they have had a good life in spite of losing their mother.  I know my friend would have been deeply grateful and appreciative of this as well.  She would also love to have been able to ever take a cruise with these children as they were growing up, even if the ship had dated décor, or Old Country Buffet quality food, or whatever imperfection.

Quote

Thank you for your kind words.  I do appreciate it when someone "just does their job" because it is not always the case.  Early last year I was communicating with another cruise line concerning a Baltic trip for my wife, two eldest granddaughters and myself.  I refuse to go negative but my experience then and now was different.  We still had a great trip.

During my recent telephone calls with Royal Caribbean I spoke with 4 different individuals and each were above and beyond positive, above and beyond helpful, and above and beyond courteous.  The last two called me by my name without me having identified myself.  I know that this is all in marketing 101 but still it tickled my fancy – Oops I just aged myself.

I too had a visit from cancer two years ago when I lost my right kidney.  I don’t wish that experience on anyone but it had some really positive effects on my life.  I no longer “expect” anything.  I am just thankful when I get something.  I don’t have time to start or continue fights and cherish every second of my existence on earth.  My marriage is so much better now that I know that I am not in competition with everyone and everything.  I am much happier now than I have ever been and who needs two kidneys anyway?

Thank you again.  Have a really great day!

P.S. I am anxious to see if anyone will flame this post.  If so – please have a great day!

 

I want to put in a good word for the Customer Service Representatives who work the telephones at Royal Caribbean.  They sometimes get bad press and some of it may be well deserved.  All I can do is express my personal experiences.

During September last year my wife and I got the “we gotta cruise” bug again so we went shopping on the various main stream cruise companies web sites.  We have been every other year or so cruisers since 2002.  Mostly we have booked our trips personally on line.  Our prior cruises have been with Norwegian and Princess.

We found a date and location we thought would be good and we booked a 1 Bedroom Grand Suite on the Serenade of the Seas for a 10 day Caribbean cruise departing Ft Lauderdale on 31 January 2020.   Our excitement began to build – only a year and a half to go! 

Then our situation changed and suddenly January 2010 was not a good time.  What to do?  We had made a very substantial down payment which we may have had to forfeit.  One call to RCCL later and we were booked into a “Spacious Ocean View Balcony” room on the 10 September 2019 sailing of the Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver, B.C. to Hawaii.  We had to pay a $200 change for Ship and Sail Date charge which was part and parcel of the deal we agreed to.   We made final payment and were happy with our new itinerary.  Final payments usually signal an end to bargaining.

Last week we noticed that Royal Caribbean was offering substantial savings listed as BOGO60NRD (-$3041.00) SAVINGS NRC (-$150.00) and RESIDENT NRD (-$810.00) on reservations for a Junior Suite for that itinerary.  After doing the math we realized that for a little more than the price of the Balcony we could have the JS.  Another call the RCCL (this time they answered my call by saying my name) and were booked into the bigger room, purchased “The Key”, and selected and paid for excursions at all four stops in the Hawaiian Islands.

All our dealing with Customer Service at Royal Caribbean was an absolute pleasure.  Kudos to RCCL!

Thank you for your kind and quick responses. I guess patience is truly a virtue but unfortunately not one that I seem to have a grasp on.

We are new to Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines though we have taken several vacations on Norwegian and Princess.

We have just booked a Junior Suite on an 11 night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Serenade of the Seas sailing from Ft Lauderdale on 20 January 2020. We are looking forward to re-visiting a smaller mature ship with full promenade and multideck atrium.

We can see our reservation when we log into the RCCL cruise planner web site but every menu item indicates that we should purchase or reserve once we are on board. We realize that we are very early in the planning process so we will not be able to accomplish much now.

Can anyone give us an idea when we may be able to start planning in earnest? Thank you in advance

Ship - Breakaway

Deck - 8

Stateroom # - 8134

Stateroom Category – Mini-Suite with Large Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - Port Forward

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very Quiet - Never heard an Outside Noise

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Non-Connecting

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – No obstructions - clear view in all directions

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Very Large Balcony - 2 recliner chairs, 2 regular chairs, and a large table.

Was wind a problem? - No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Great Cabin - no issues.

Any other comments? - As with any forward mini-suite on deck 8 it is a good walk to the elevator / stairs. Those with maneuverability issues may not want to book these cabins.

Quick question: Was there a discount offer for a bag of laundry during the cruise?

No discount offered (that we heard of) for laundry except the 50% off 1 bag for Latitudes Gold members.

Hope you have a great day!

I posted this question on the port's board to no avail. Is it possible to make a 12:15 International flight on a Saturday? I think the cab ride/shuttle is approx 45 min. is this correct?

If you are referring to disembarking the NCL Breakaway in Copenhagen after a 9 day Baltic cruise than this may assist. We were on a similar cruise and returned to Copenhagen on 5 July. We did a walk off with bags and were off the ship and into a cab within 15 minutes of departing our cabin. There were no immigration or customs checks and you are correct - an estimate of a 45 minute cab ride to the Copenhagen Airport is ball park .

If my assumption about your itinerary is not correct I apologize for jumping into the conversation.

We wish you a great trip.

Thank you for posting your wonderful review. I am on this sailing in August.

In St Petersburg do you think any of the crowds was due to the World Cup, which thankfully will be over when I get there.

There was a lot of talk of the World Cup (especially on the ship) during our trip. I don't think that any of the crowds were related though as we were not interacting with airports, hotels, or public transportation while there. There could have been additional crowing at the museums and palaces from football fans but my impression was the vast majority of tourists were from the ships docked at the cruise terminal. Please try and enjoy even if crowded - There is so much history and significance there.

Have a great trip.

We are leaning towards the self walk-off depending on how much luggage DMIL brings! I am surprised yours was so smooth, when we have done it in the past there was usually a huge line for the elevators and a crowd at the gangway. What time were you able to do so without any issues?

 

I am arranging a private transfer to the airport for several of us in our rollcall and want to make it as easy as possible but all of us have flights before noon to catch so can’t wait but so long.

 

Thanks again for the advice and the best wishes for our cruise.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We were very surprised how east things went. We had a good breakfast in the buffet, went back down the room and finished packing and walked off the ship at around 9:30. There was only one hitch in the process for us. As you mentioned the elevators were very busy (there were four of us with one bag each) so we each carried a bag down the stairs from our room on deck 8 to the ship exit on deck 4). No one was waiting at the gangway so we just walked up, had our card swiped, and walked off. We were probably very lucky and got there in between departing groups. We hope that you get as lucky if you decide to do a walk off.

Have a great trip.

Great review.

Can you share a little information about the hotel you stayed at? Also, do you happen to remember how much the taxi fare was from your hotel to the ship?

Thanks!

We stayed at the Scandic Copenhagen very near the city center and across the street from the Tivoli amusement park. It is one of two hotels in Copenhagen that NCL uses when you book through them (we booked individually). NCL will set up a welcome desk at the hotel where a very gracious lady was available to provide updated information concerning the ship. The hotel includes a buffet breakfast (one of the best I have ever had) included in the price of the room. Everyone at the hotel speaks wonderful English and were very friendly and helpful.

The taxi from the hotel to the ship took around 15 minutes and cost something less than 400 DDK (we did not request change).

Hope this helps. Have a great cruise!

Thanks so much for your wonderful review. We leave tomorrow night for Copenhagen and are looking forward to this trip. You mentioned requesting an earlier time to join a group in STP. I am wondering (anyone else join in) if this is possible, then perhaps I could speak with the concierge? We are in the Haven and I know he/she can assist with other issues with tours, shows, etc. Other than that, would you recommend the Rostock NCL Trip? My husband is leaning in that direction now. So excited!

In St. Petersburg Haven customers were given extra consideration (as they should) in many areas. For the NCL sponsored tours Groups 1 & 2 were reserved for those in the Haven and were able to depart the ship without first going to the Theater so they were off the ship and into immigration before other groups were allowed off the ship. In the case you are using a different tour operator in STP I believe that Haven customers will be provided an early opportunity to join an early group if desired.

We greatly enjoyed out Rostock tour. The guide was a jewel and my wife and I are seeing how many places in the world we can ride trains in (especially coal/wood fired steam trains). For us Rostock was the least hurried and least crowed stop we made. We recommend the tour we took but think any choice would be a good one in that port.

We sincerely hope you have a great trip.

Thanks for your information! Your embarkation info is particularly helpful ad I plan our September cruise with my hubby and his Mom on Breakaway.

 

Can you share any information or advice on final disembarkation if you don't mind?

 

Thanks so much?

You are welcome - glad to try and help.

The day before we arrived back in Copenhagen we started to receive disembarkation guidance. We were given the option of packing and placing our bags outside the door the evening before so they could be collected or, if you are willing and able, to keep the bags and do a walk off with your luggage. We decided to walk off with our luggage. We picked up some "Purple walk off" luggage tags from guest services and after breakfast we took the elevator down to deck 4 and walked off the ship. We were directed through the terminal and walked out the door and got into a taxi. No immigration nor customs inspection.

What you decide to do really depends on several things. Do you have a same day departure flight from Copenhagen? Have you signed up for a NCL transfer from the ship to the airport? Do you have an early or later flight?

We wish you a wonderful relaxing cruise.

Thanks for posting these. It looks like Margaritaville is “missing”? Was it removed post dry dock? Also, did you go to the “pour house”? What did you think of the cocktails and/or the house band?

Margaritaville is still there and appeared to be very busy in the evenings. It is a semi-outdoor venue on deck 16 so it is somewhat weather dependent. We walked by the "Pour House" many time every day on deck 8.

We cannot comment on the cocktails as health issues have eliminated that pleasure from us.

The house band (Hispanic Music) - daily performances pool side was enjoyable the first few times but extremely repetitive after the first few days. Many seemed to enjoy as they were quite talented.

Thanks for sharing! My family & I will be on this ship in less than 2 weeks. Just curious about the disembarkation (spelling is off I know) in St Petersburg. I know you were with an NCL tour so were you able to just walk off the ship and meet the group outside of immigration? or did you all have to meet up inside?

NCL sponsored tours: In St. Petersburg we met in the theater at 6:30 AM and were broken down into groups of 40 or so. The theater was filled to capacity. When our group was released to go to customs we went down to deck 4 and walked a short distance to immigration. We waited in line (short wait for us as we were in group 3) and presented out passport, cruise key card, and tour ticket to the inspector. It takes about 3-4 minutes after you give them the documents before you get your stamp. As you depart immigration you will directed to your bus. The second day you just go directly to immigration as you already know your bus number and the immigration process is much quicker since your information is already in the computer system. Returning to the ship you have to go back through immigration (again presenting you passport, cruise key card, and tour stub).

Other tours: You will be assigned to group (i.e. group A, Group B, etc.). Groups will begin meeting in the theater at 8:30 and released in order from there. I think you can request to be assigned to a group from the television in your stateroom or at the services desk. From there I assume the process is the same as for NCL sponsored tours. I have been told that after the morning rush lines are shorter and quicker. I can't verify that as we were in the morning madness.

All venues were extremely crowded (4 large ships in port the days we were there) Fortunately each berth has its own immigration facility but you still all converge at the museums and palaces.

We wish you a great time on your cruise.