coloradocruiselover88

Not sure what the procedures on disembarkation in Southampton would be like. The ship docks at 8am. Including clearing custom, and walking off the ship carrying your own luggage, when is the earliest you can walk off the ship? That's assuming regular line up and you have no problem clearing custom. Thanks!

Southampton has it down for the clearing customs process. I have found they are quite efficient. Have a wonderful journey!

Interesting . We got off a 6 day cruise on the Carnival Vista recently . While we enjoyed our annual cruise with " The Miracle Waiters " very few of us were impressed with the Vista. Our next years cruise will be on the Silhouette and our 10 year anniversary cruise will be on the Conquest. We find the older Carnival ships more passenger friendly. That being said last May we were on the NCL Escape with our 21 year old Grandson and thought the ship and the Staff were just Fantastic. Looks like they are going give Carnival a little Competition

Sailed the Vista twice and had issues with the service on the inaugural cruise but on the TA crossing the staff was amazing.

Our last cruise was in February and our next is 201 days away! Feel free to brag if you don't have to wait as long as I do.

205 until my first cruise with Norwegian! 33 days until my next cruise....not on NCL and 623 until the last cruise I have booked so far :-)

Need to book one some where in between 205 and 623. Any suggestions?

:D:D:D:D:D

No they don't have to purchase it

 

 

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Thanks!

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No, the 3rd and 4th guests do not have to purchase the UBP when the others got it as a promo perk.

Thank you!!!

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Comparing the newest Carnival ship to a 10 year old ship in Norwegians fleet isn't really a fair comparison but will give you a feel as to how NCL works but on a scaled down scale.

 

Bill

I totally agree here; I can't compare an apple to an orange! But the things I can compare are the service, the entertainment, the food and cleanliness. But most important I will be able to decide for myself which experience (cruise line) I like best.

On the Vista inaugural cruise we had a horrible experience with service at dinner the first night of the cruise. I expected glitches on the maiden voyage but not at the service level (we were practically ignored at dinner by the waitstaff). Did I let this experience ruin my vacation, no, we simply asked to be seated in a different section.

I had a Havana cabana and the private pool area during the day was great.

On the TA on the Vista the majority of the staff remembered us and service was very much improved.

In September, I will be on the Jade, Several months after her drydock refurb. But I will be in a two bedroom suite with access to Butler and a concierge. So that would not be a fair comparison either as it will be a totally different experience from the Vista.

So again what I'm really comparing is the carnival experience versus the Norwegian experience and who will get my next cruise dollars.

I have learned so much about Norwegian from this website, and for that I am so very thankful. I can't thank members/posters enough for their in-depth reviews, pictures, and the great sense of humor here!

I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

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We have a two bedroom suite, four adults. My question is this; in the current promo up to 5 free offers all are included in the suite for two passengers. The third and 4th sail free. My question is this. Do the 3rd and fourth guest have to purchase the UPB? Technically the 1st and 2nd guests did not buy the UBP, it was free. Any insight? It is an 11 day cruise and if 3rd and 4th guest have to pay it for the UBP it would be over $1k each.

Does anybody have the menu for the Magnum champagne / wine bar on the Jade?

Saw this:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=389207&d=1467566020

The cruise director on the vista (Matt) is awesome. Best cruise director around.

Sailed the Vista twice, once on the inaugural cruise and then the trans atlantic. Matt was awesome, great cruise director and such a gentlemen.

Lots of activities for kids on the Vista and the pool situation was great.

Have my first NCL this fall on the Jade and looking forward to compare Carnival and NCL.

Cheers!

Also, if you are not American, you will have the on-board exchange rate. I figured this all out as well and we are bringing our wine on-board for way less money than just buying it on the ship.

How much wine are you allowed to bring on board?

Thanks!

I am on the first cruise post drydock in the haven. Will send lots of pics for everyone to see.

That would be great to see the pictures! Thanks!

:):)

It is policed by a combination of neighborhood watch folks and Gray Panthers.

I love Vintages, but they do very little to promote it

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Eat at jasmine - it's free. It's Chinese; there is an upcharge sushi menu but anything that's listed in the menu without a price is free and it was really good.

 

Second Bali high bar; was our favorite outdoor bar. Bartenders were good and friendly and never a long wait

 

We liked the champagne/martini bar area; after 6 they had live music every night and lots of seating. Wait service was spotty though so we usually just went to the bar to get our drinks.

 

Moderno and la cucina were our favorite meals; definitely recommend.

 

There's afternoon and late evening snacks everyday at the aft buffet; and that's the only place we found cookies.

 

Recommend making your specialty dinner reservations ahead; there wasn't much availability on the ship after the first day.

 

My favorite indoor spot on the ship, especially at sail away, was spinnaker's. Very front of the ship and wall to wall windows. Plus they had comfy seats.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks! Great information! Sounds like l will be at the champagne bar nightly [emoji16]

What did you like best about the champagne and cigar bar? Were they crowded?

To the OP who says they don't understand how travel agents stay employed, they compete against the big guys, the data search engines and people like you. They offer personalized service and incentives. One firm donates 5% of of the very small commission they receive to charity. One always purchase gifts for their clients from their commission as well on cruises. TA's can book in bulk and the cruise line offers things for them to give their clients.

Can TA's beat all offers, no, but can they help people, create ideas, offer suggestions based on their experience and personalize a vacation for you - yes. Studies are showing more TA's now are being used then ever.

Not selling anything here, just offering a simple and honest answer.

Thanks for the information on the Post Passes, I hope to snag 2 as well....Time will tell :)

Are post passes available on all ships or just the epic?

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It's a picture of the beach at Universals Royal Pacific, I'm just a newb to posting and couldn't insert it into m the correct spot.

 

 

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Anyone know what this is? First time NCL cruiser here :-)

Thanks

My daughter did RCCL for her honeymoon in her mid 20's and loved it! I have no experience with HAL

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The casino is quite large, and very smoky! Worst I have ever experienced and it is sad because it is a brand new ship and you would think they would have the ventilation down.

At the bar in the casino where everyone was smoking, you could not tell or smell; the smoke must have been ventilated out into the casino area!

I was on the inaugural cruise and the smoke stench was awful. Saved me lots money as I didn't visit it as often as I would have normally.

I was on the inaugural cruise and had a wonderful vacation. I did have some bad experiences including poor service in the main dining on the first night (got a $400 onboard credit for my next cruise for the poor service), the room attendant never once acknowledged me by name and service was not generally up to par for my liking, but got better each day of the cruise. I was a member of a facebook group and actually got chastised by the group for just voicing the horrible experience in the main dining room. No one wanted to hear anything bad and told me I should expect glitches. Well of course, I expected things to not be working correctly and I expected glitches, but I would never expect poor service and bad attitudes from staff. And that goes with any vacation I take (Cruise, All Inclusive, etc....). I did not let the bad experience ruin my vacation, but I did tell Carnival of my disappointment upon my return.

Sometimes on CC people are way to quick to judge, especially when someone post something negative; but walk a mile in the situation before you start hammering on people. I agree that perhaps if the OP would have added more detail more appropriate responses could have been made, but ask questions, don't slam people.

The most important thing to remember is to no let it ruin your vacation, relax and enjoy and have fun. I did!

It was mayhem in the laundry areas on the inaugural cruise, but many people spent several days in Italy pre cruise. There was never a good time to go.

There were laundry specials as well.

Morrisons market in Harwich

Can anyone tell me if Keith Williams is a good CD? Is he out going? What can you tell me about his personality?