KKB

Not on our Carnival cruise...it was 2 weeks to Hawaii. Now, spring break, Celebrity ship full of FSU students...yep, plenty of early (and constant) intoxication. Our Carnival bartenders said the key to Carnival is longer cruises as the short ones tend to be booze cruises.

Doesn't appear to have the booths like on the Getaway & Breakaway. Too bad--fav spot is those high stools at the back of the booths. No chance of anyone standing in front of you like the high top tables at the back. But I understand this is more practical for using the space at other times of the day.

Luckily we figured this out on our 1st NCL cruise w/ Syd's. Now it is part of our evening...grab a drink nearby, watch for the line to start & jump in. In 4 cruises, I don't think you could have gotten a good seat 15 min. prior at any show. Unfortunately Prima appears to have a different set up...so we can't sit close & watch for the line to form. I'm sure we will figure it out. At least with 2 of us we have someone to chat with (and someone to go get another round if necessary!)

Impossible to know. Book the room you are happy with & don't worry about it. I booked a solo interior on the Getaway. Min bid (maybe $5 more) for a balcony. (all my bids are close to min) My balcony was on deck 8--could walk out my door & be in the action in seconds! LOVED it. We sailed Celebrity Equinox 10 nights w/ friends. With Move Up, we paid $1500 less than our friends' balcony--right across the ship. (same floor, one port, one starboard) Now, on Carnival we were upgraded from interior to balcony...RIGHT below pool deck. Not my fav. Knew every song playing at the night deck parties. But we aren't early to bed, so not a huge issue. I love a good value, & I'm a gambler so Move Up is fun for me.

The oddest thing--I have not seen one thing from Carnival (email) mentioning this New Caldonia insurance need. Someone posted a link from Carnival site elsewhere...it is BURIED on the site. If one does't THOROUGHLY read everything on their site (including every link), or know that it is there to find, most people are NOT finding it. We got Reserve for the MedEvac insurance after a cousin needed that while in the Caribbean!

Bought tickets at tourist center. just be early—not sure everyone got tix

Yes, that’s why it was odd how they labeled it on the deck plan

MDRs were better 2 years ago...still good, but the selection is a bit odd these days. Petite Chef is nothing great. But Eden is AMAZING on all ships. Beyond has Daniel Boulad's Le Voyage which is fantastic. Normally we don't really care about specialty dining as we find MDR meals fine. But Celebrity we always do at least one! VERY excited for Prima...we managed to snag a balcony that is categorized as an Oceanview (so Oceanview price!), plus it was the last one & is accessible so extra large. Might not even get off the ship--love to enjoy a ship w/ few passengers aboard!

Thank you--I'm a bit of a Syd Norman's junkie...don't want to sail a ship w/o it!!!

One more thing... Celebrity pool areas are MUCH larger & nicer than NCL, especially Eclass ships. NCL continues to think if they have lots of "intimate" areas, people will naturally spread themselves equally about them. No concept of what things will be popular (LIKE POOLS) & making those larger to accommodate demand. But Celebrity's prices are starting to run 30-50% higher than NCL...that's a tough pill to swallow.

Agree BUT we never have a set dining time on Celebrity & never wait, but we eat by 6. On any line, you will wait a bit if you go between 6-8.

Agree...sort of. Celebrity Eclass is not sedate. And Eclass specialty restaurants are better than NCL's, imo. Celebrity just dropped tips from their AI...it does include coffee, water & unlimited internet so edge still to Celebrity. Prima in 2 weeks!

When I do a Google search, it sends me to this forum & people have said it does in the past. BUT when I go to NCL.com, it is not listed under the bars listing as it is on Breakaway, Getaway, Prima & Viva. The deck plan says "The Pour House" If anyone has been on the Escape recently, can you confirm whether they do the Syd Norman's show or not? Thanks!

THANK YOU--THAT was the page I saw earlier. I saw the dates but the comment that says "AND WHEN cruise liners call at Kirkwall" gives me hope.

Did this in May & it was a terrific tour. Wanting to take friends & DH in April. Whatsinport.com no longer lists the T11 specifically. Here is the link to Stagecoach's routes: file:///Users/kristinbunde/Downloads/All%20Bus%20Routes.pdf Can anyone help me--we are there Sunday April 28. Will we be able to do a similar tour? If so, can you tell my which bus/route to take? Thanks!

We did this cruise last January--our 1st on Carnival. It was fairly casual...DH wore slacks & polo every night to dinner. I usually wore black slacks & a dressy top. The ship decor is unusual--I was glad we had watched a You Tube tour of it, as then we were prepared for the literature themes throughout the ship. Do bring seasick meds--patches were a lifesaver on this cruise. Had not needed patches on any cruise in 10 years. Better to be prepared! We really enjoyed this cruise! Happy to answer any other questions.

Yeah that's why they think they can. But if product doesn't live up to pedigree, eventually this could come back to bite them....

What things does the award change? My point is that while they are more expensive...but they aren't hands down better. (again...my fav line...but struggling to justify how much more expensive it is)

@adamio360 Thanks for your review. I am of the belief that sometimes issues are situational & I am always willing to give a brand a second chance--I try a new ship, new itinerary--and see how it goes. Same issues twice? Probably an issue w/ the line. For instance: my MSC cruises: Caribbean vs Europe. SAME ISSUES. Won't sail them again. NCL: Encore in 2019 we encountered similar service to what you just experienced on the Sky. They just felt understaffed. And not surprisingly, also then not as engaged w/ passengers. Luckily our 3 NCL cruises since (different ships & one different itinerary) prove it was situational. We have not had those problems since. We sailed DCL 20 years ago so I can't compare to now. But at their price difference, they SHOULD be better. (solid 50% higher on base rates) Celebrity is my fav, but they too are starting to run 30-50% higher than Princess, particularly when taking all-inclusive package into account. So one must take into account the price difference. IMO Celebrity & DCL should be 30-50% better than Princess. IMO they are not. We find the lines we have sailed (these plus RCCL, NCL & Carnival...toss out MSC) to be more alike than different. Generally speaking we find service good to great on every cruise we have sailed; if not, it was situational. All the other things--certain ships have things we like better than others, but no one ship has it all. I wouldn't judge Princess on one cruise. Service sounds to be the biggest issue of all on this cruise. With all the upper respiratory viruses running rampant right now, this is NOT surprising. Admittedly Ocean Now can be hit & miss. Entertainment: Princess is similar to Celebrity M & S class ships, imo. (I find RCL, NCL, DCL & Celebrity E class to be a step above the others) Activities: after 40 cruises on varying lines, we have determined that a cruise director makes or breaks this; but again, overall more alike than different Music: if I can find 1 group or 2 I enjoy, I consider that a win. Cruises have a wide variety of musicians to appeal to a variety of tastes. They won't all appeal to all. I wouldn't have a problem w/ steel drum music during dinner on a Caribbean cruise, so that is a matter of taste. Again, nearly all we have heard over the years are good to great. I can think of 1 bad one over the years...and it appears they were on a "test" trip. Casino: Not a fan of smoking in the casino either; was so intolerable on Discovery I had to wear a mask. You are incorrect on the Poker Pro tables only holding 8--they can accommodate 10 players at a time. We have been able to ask the Casino Manager to add more poker tournaments when there was passenger interest. Other than when we have sailed official poker cruises, there has never been more than one official poker table on a ship (whether live or Poker Pro). NCl tournaments throughout the year are held on 6 person regular gaming tables (tho more than one if demand merits). Not a fan. Just my thoughts. Perhaps Princess is not for you.

@DoubleEntry 11 Celebrity cruises in the last 10 years; 5 NCL in the last 4 years. (40 total in 20 years) Just got off Celebrity Beyond 2 weeks ago; sailing NCL Prima 2 weeks from Friday! First: I find mainstream cruise lines to be more alike than different. We find difference more between ships & each individual cruise--anything can happen! I generally put Celebrity at the top, but they are pricing us out unfortunately, especially of our beloved Eclass. RCCL & Carnival are as well--once you add drink package & internet, they are just as expensive. Princess is pushing from 2nd to 1st due to best value w/ Princess Plus (tips, unlimited internet & drink package--plus a few other fairly worthless perks-- for only $60pp/day. THAT BEING SAID... NCL has very good speciality dining & production shows (but for how long?) as well as fun trivia & gameshows. MDR is solid, buffet is "meh". Breakaway/+ ships have Waterfront (bars/restaurants/open seating out on deck 8)--EVERY ship should have this! Some ships have Syd Normans. If you are into 70s-80s hits, this is not to to be missed! (and, yes, you must get it line up to an hour early, AND IT'S WORTH IT) Pricing some intineraries for next fall, NCL is winning the price game, hands down. (and this is on Breakaway or better ships). @graphicguy & I have similar views on Celebrity v NCL...well, cruising in general. I highly respect his thoughts as they are spot on.

Craft Social & Le Grand Bistro do charge, FYI. We have sailed Eclass 5x total on the 3 ships sailing. We LOVE Eclass. I still find MDR food to be pretty good but not exactly memorable. We normally do not eat specialty dining when sailing (MDR is fine) but Eclass specialty dining is the best at sea, imo (well, among mainstream lines). Eden was very good on every ship. We did both Le Voyage & Chef's Table (in Voyage--not included in a dining plan; costs extra). Absolutely terrific. Tried Le Petite & Rooftop on Equinox. Both good, but not good enough to go again. Both are more about the experience. Buffet on Eclass has someone who makes the salad for you. There are many stations where they will make things--pasta, grilled items. You may also like Eden Cafe (upstairs from Eden restaurant; only open sea days) for breakfast & lunch. They make most items--sandwiches, soups, salads--another you can choose your items. El Bacio has desserts that are served to you, not picked up by passengers. Pizza is in the back of the buffet but self-serve. Mast Grill serves burgers poolside. It does sound as though you are very picky (no offense, just an observation). I mention this, because you may not enjoy the restaurants that we did, as we are foodies & not picky.

Ok…on another social media site people from my upcoming New Caledonia cruise are saying we need proof of travel insurance with a COVID rider. My travel insurance is thru Chase Sapphire Reserve (I use it to pay for all travel). I imagine I can print that off. How do I go about getting insurance JUST for COVID?

Didn't get those on the Island... Hopefully Regal will have those!

I find Princess to be very much like Celebrity (older ships, not Eclass so much). We rank Celebrity our fav (tho they are beginning to price us out), followed closely by Princess. RCCL, NCL & Carnival close behind. (in no particular order) All that being said, we find all mainstream lines more alike than different. We have sailed Princess more than any other line. Princess Plus is a tremendous value even if you drink little--best value at sea, imo. $60: $16 for daily gratuities, $15 for internet...will you drink $30 a day? Nice coffee, soda, bottled water, wine at dinner--$30 adds up quickly! For me Premier isn't worth it, but it could be for you. For $20pp/day more you also get unlimited fitness classes, up to 4 internet devices (tho u can switch between devices with the regular plan), unlimited spcialty casual dining (value varies greatly depending on ship--best value on newer ships, basically worthless on Island), 2 specialty dinners, unlimited digital photos + 3 prints, Princess Prizes game. Probably the one area Princess is a bit weak is production shows...with RCCL, NCL & Celebrity Eclass shows out there, Princess, Carnival (have only sailed Miracle) & Celebrity older ships can't compete. We just did N. Europe on the Island Princess in October for 12 days & are doing 28 days TA/British Isles on the Regal in April. Europe is a port intensive cruise, but Princess still has plenty of activities when you are on the ship.

Does anyone know how much OBC is offered for each cabin level with the FCC?