JohnS43

They must have decided that the worst is over, because this morning at breakfast the buffet was back to fulll sellf-service.

So do you tip on the sodas and mocktails? If so, how?

Nice price for Mediterranean on NCL Spirit in the summer.

 

Norwegian Spirit

August 25 - September 6, 2016

Mediterranean (Venice to Barcelona)

12-day

 

inside $999

oceanview $1,399

balcony $1,999

 

 

government fee/taxes $193.61

 

And it qualifies for a perk (internet, SDP, excursion credit, or beverage package).

May I ask where you found that rate? I just checked NCL and the cheapest they show (inside) for that sailing is $1,998.

Ruby Princess 10 Days RT Los Angeles leaving Jan 7, 2017.

 

$798 + $125 tax + $115 tip = $1038 ($104 a day)

 

$100 OBC for inside.

 

Princess site screenshot attached for more info.

I just checked that exact same thing and the cheapest price shown was $2,198. So either I'm doing something wrong or there was a short window of opportunity for this fare.

Thanks to both of you who responded. You're both absolutely correct. I feel like a dummy because I'm usually pretty careful about checking everything, bu somehow I missed that.

I was checking NCL's site today to see if there was any availability for the studio cabins this fall, and every sailing I saw showed they were "N/A" (so, presumably, sold out.) Do any of the cruise lines have wait lists for sold out cabins in case there are cancellations?

I was just on Carnival's site looking at some of their supposed "no single supplement" cruises. When I did a search and used "1" for the number of travelers, a few good deals came up where there was clearly no single supplement. But when I attempted to book, the price went up quite a bit. For example, they were showing an interior for around $200 on several cruises to Baja (Inspiration, Imagination). But when I went to book, even selecting the cheapest option and all of the possible discounts, the fare (before taxes and fees) was well over $400.

I thought maybe I'd made a mistake when initiating the search, but I went back and did it several more times with the same results. They always show a low fare (again, with one traveler), but attempting to book the lowest fare yields a MUCH higher price. Any ideas what I'm (or they're) doing wrong?

Unfortunately I did not take a picture, but I think it might've looked like the 220 outlets on the left of the photos with the red backgrounds on the first page of this thread (the ones posted by Shmoo Here and Sadie N.)

I was on the Inspiration for the first time last week and was very confused by the 220 outlet in the room. I have what is supposedly a "universal" adapter that has plugs for US, UK, EU and Australian outlets. However, NONE of these plugs fit into the 220 outlet in my room.

I was able to use my US power strip on the 110 outlet, so I didn't have a problem, but I still am curious as to why my adapter didn't fit the 220. Is it some sort of proprietary outlet, or one that's no longer in common use?

OK, so I just got back from my first Carnival cruise, on the Inspiration out of Long Beach. Now, first of all, I'll say that the TV channels available were far better than the ones on the Norwegian Star cruise I took in March. (They didn't even have the major TV networks.)

However, can someone explain why Carnival appears to use a DirectTV feed from Miami on a West Coast-based ship? I'm willing to bet that most of the passengers really didn't care about seeing local news programs from Miami. And it was so odd having all of the network TV programs on three hours too early (but at least I got to see Seth Myers's show, which I'd never watch at home well after midnight!) I was also totally baffled by one channel that was labeled "TCM" but was not anything like our normal TCM, even though it used the same logo. It had commercials and interstitials in Spanish, so I'm guess it must be some sort of Latin American version of TCM. (Oh, and they showed mostly older, but not TCM-worthy, movies.)

And there were lots of interesting commercials or infomercials on some of the channels that provided toll-free numbers for 10 or 15 Latin American countries to call from.

Does anyone have any insight into this?

I'm a bit of a foodie and really wanted to try it but two things kept me from doing so: (1) I don't care for wine, so I think I'd be wasting my money and (2) supposedly they want you to get dressed up, which I do not like to do on vacation.

And I took the "Behind the Fun" tour, so I'd already met the chef and toured the galley.

That said, I walked past the room where they were serving the "feast" (on this ship it was in the library) and it looked wonderful.

Well, I just got back from my cruise and was able to find some free Wi-Fi in Ensenada. Just past the Starbucks (the one that's to the left of the entrance of the cruise terminal, as you're leaving the ship), there's a small outdoor, covered shopping/entertainment center that features a Sanborn's restaurant and the Cinepolis movie theaters. On the main level, there are benches in the central plaza between Sanborn's and the businesses on the other side of the center, one of which is a coffee place. Both Sanborn's and the coffee place advertise Wi-Fi. I was able to connect to a service called "Infinitum" while sitting on those benches with no password or other requirements. Perhaps it came from Sanborn's or the coffee place; I really don't know. But it worked fine.

And on a related note: I have T-Mobile's plan that includes unlimited free data (not high-speed) in Mexico. I was able to get decent 3G coverage while we were docked in Ensenada, and also throughout the downtown area.

Disembarked from my first Carnival cruise today at Long Beach. Everything on the cruise was fine, and the entire debarkation process took less than ten minutes. However, once I got to my car, the "FUN" ended. I got in my car, parked on the third level, at 9:35 AM. I did not get out of the garage until 10:45! Over an HOUR waiting in line, with my engine running. There is absolutely no excuse for this. They had one (of only two) exit lanes open. And even with two lanes open, it STILL would've been slow.

Unless I find out they have improved this situation, I won't be using that parking garage (and therefore Carnival, unless I find alternate transportation) again. I think I should let Carnival know about my dissatisfaction; I'm sure they'd have more clout with the the people who are in charge of the terminal and its parking contracts.

Major construction began today (5/10) on the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement project. This bridge is one of two that connect the Long Beach port area with the San Pedro area. Here's a link http://www.newgdbridge.com/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=22795 to some information about the project.

It's recommended that if you're driving to San Pedro, you do not take the 710 all the way to Long Beach and then take the two bridges west to San Pedro. Either take the 110 all the way south, or connect to it from the 105, the 405 or the 91.

Conversely, if you're driving to the Long Beach (Carnival) cruise terminal, take the 710 all the way to the port; do not take the 110 to San Pedro and head east on the two bridges.

And you might want to allow extra time, especially on weekdays, as everyone will be trying to figure out the detours and closures at first. (This project is going to last for at least two years.)

Are there any places within walking distance of the dock in Ensenada with free wi-fi? (And, on a related note, wouldn't it be a good idea for a "sticky" for a list of wi-fi places for every port on this board?)

There's a trolley service in Catalina http://www.catalinatransportationservices.com/CTS_docs/07-trolley_route_card.html

that takes you around town and up to the Botanical Garden all day for $7. However, you can get most anywhere in Avalon easily on foot.

I think you need to find out (1) what day of the week (for traffic reasons) and how long you will be there, and (2) what kinds of activities you want to accomplish in the time you have. There's lots of information on line about things to see and do, although I can imagine it might be overwhelming if you're unfamiliar with the area. So I think I'd also take a look at a good map (paper or online) to get an idea of where things are.

Princess docks in San Pedro, which is directly south of downtown LA. Most of what you might want to see will probably be west of downtown (Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Malibu, etc.) or in the Valley (most of the studios are there.)

If you want to post again with some specific ideas about places you want to see or visit, I'm sure we'll be able to help you out.

I'm leaving two weeks from tomorrow (guaranteed Ocean View, solo) and haven't received a stateroom assignment yet.

Updating my answer: Just got assigned an Ocean View room on the Empress Deck for 5/12 (8 days out.) So at least I can now print my luggage tags!

I'm leaving two weeks from tomorrow (guaranteed Ocean View, solo) and haven't received a stateroom assignment yet.

These deals are great, but as someone else mentioned, there aren't that many options for departures from West Coast ports. The majority are the three- and four-day quickie Ensenada trips. It would be really nice if there were some longer trips (Mexican Riviera or even Panama Canal) available.

I guess the same goes for the East Coast -- most of the destinations are in the Caribbean. Now that I'm older, I'm trying to concentrate on destinations that are new to me rather than revisiting the same ones. So I guess I'll keep searching for solo traveler discounts wherever I can find them, if the destination is to my liking.

By sheer coincidence I am in the San Diego area today, the same day the Crown is docked here. I checked into my hotel, turned on the TV, and they were covering this story on the local news. Apparently a number of passengers want to leave the ship (for good) in SD, but Princess is enforcing the rule that requires them to reimburse Princess for any violations of the law that prohibits them from transporting passengers between two US ports with no foreign stop in between. The news story said it costs $300 per person for every passenger who leaves "voluntarily." Princess's position is that, since the itinerary was not changed, they are fulfilling the terms of the cruise contract. (This is from the news story, not me.)

There doesn't seem to be any option for setting up a Meet & Mingle on Carnival (using these forums), unlike several of the other popular cruise lines. Does anyone know the reason for this?

It's going to be interesting to see how this develops, because as I posted back on Sunday evening (in the thread labeled "Problems on the Crown Princess") they were apparently aware of a potential norovirus issue before they sailed. (There was a lengthy delay in boarding caused by the time needed for thorough cleaning and sanitation.)

Under the same menu try TRANSATLANTIC TRANSPACIFIC depending on where you want to go

 

There are options like Panama Canal as the ships reposition to the east or west coast

Thank you, I'll try that and see what comes up.

I've never seen a category of "repositioning" in cruise calendars or search engines. Some ideas you need to look for are categories like transAtlantic, transPacific (as previously mentioned), or coastal cruises.

Mary Ellen: Go to the main page of Cruise Critic, to the FIND A CRUISE tab. Then the drop-down under "Destinations." Between "Panama Canal" and "Russia River" is "REPOSITIONING". This is what I used when I got the five RCCL cruises (and nothing else.)