kidlessatsea

Does anyone know when we might be able to book these cruises? I will read the article again but on the first scan I didn't see dates. 

Danish Viking - I apologize if this has been asked already. I read through about 10 pages then skipped to the end. 

We aren't cruising until June 2021 but I'm a planner. We plan to arrive several days before the cruise to check out the city. We are a couple in our 40's travelling with our 10 year old (she's 8 now). I would love to hear any absolute must-see recommendations that are easily accessible before the cruise. (castles, canals, houses, Little Mermaid etc - I've just begun my research).

After the cruise we would like to rent a car (easy?) and drive to Billund for the obligatory Lego House and Legoland visit for a couple of days before flying home. Do you foresee any issues with that?

Thank you!

Question for anyone still out there. We will be in St. Petersburg in June (2021). My understanding is that the regular ballet season is August through May. Does this mean if we attend the ballet it will be a visiting troupe? What is the best way to find if it will be 'worth it' or not? Can I assume that all ballet in Russia is superior to the States or is that false?

Thank you for being gentle with me. 

We've used Best Western Seatac several times and have been happy with them.

Did you just Uber to the port then? What was the cost?

Thank you! I was just on that website looking for hotels near Seatac and didn't see the cruise port option. I will look into that. Thanks again.

Worst case, we get an inexpensive hotel and book the $13 parking separate, no biggie.

I believe the Marriott Waterfront does.

Thank you. They do but they don't. They offer reduced rate parking through Parkway Parking ($13/night) but you can also book through Parkway without booking at the Marriott.

Does anyone know of a hotel in Seattle that does a park and cruise? We are driving up from Portland area the night before our cruise and would love the simplicity of a park and cruise. We can Uber to port if needed so a shuttle isn't necessary.

Thank you.

If you recall, can you share what activities are available at night? Do they offer comedians or just music in various bars?

Please let us know which ship you choose. It would be irritating to follow this whole thread an s never know which ship you decide to sail.

LOL - true.

As of now, we are sticking with the Bliss. We decided that a variety of evening entertainment is a must. We talked also about how a cruise is what you make of it and we will enjoy any ship we are on (in terms of crowd level etc).

To be honest though, I am still considering HAL because I do like the idea of Sitka over Skagway. If HAL had nightly entertainment (comedians, shows, etc) it would be a no-brainer. I may be able to still sway my hubby but basically, my daughter and I pass out at 9pm and he likes to go watch comedians, not listen to music.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the Eurodam itinerary is better as well, you visit Sitka instead of Skagway (major tourist trap) and you visit glacier bay instead of Tracy’s arm which is much better

Both ships visit Glacier Bay on this particular itinerary (2019). HAL visits Sitka and NCL goes to Skagway.

You all have given me a lot to think about and the decision isn't any easier. I would jump for HAL but my hubby is worried about evening entertainment. He likes to see comedians and shows. I could find very few of the When & Where for HAL and the ones I did locate did not show any comedians in the evening and very limited shows. What is there for an adult night owl to do on HAL?

Good luck with your choice....and don't think I didn't notice the irony of your name and this cruise choice being partially considered for your 8 year old daughter. ;)

I KNOW!! I've been trying to come up with a new name but all the cool stuff is taken. :D

I think I can speak to this. HAL is not known for their kids club or evening activities.

 

In 2017, we sailed on a massive ship - NCL Escape, and while my 11 and 13 year old had a fantastic time, I waited in lines, made reservations for everything and suffered from decision fatigue.

 

Conversely, our December ‘17 Cruise on the Rotterdam was a pleasure for the adults with its lack of crowds, excellent MDR dining and limited choices of venues in which to relax. However, my daughter was bored and my son was not impressed by Club HAL. The club hours were limited and the staff was unenthusiastic.

 

Just my opinion. Hope it helps.

It doesn't help - ha ha!!! Basically I have to choose between my sanity or my child's happiness (which affects my sanity).

We sailed on the Oasis of the Seas and while it was crowded, the size of the ship dispersed everyone enough but we had to make reservations for everything and were never able to see a comedy show because they were always booked. Then we sailed on the Breeze - tons of passengers with nowhere to go. I do like Carnival for the family but the ship just wasn't big enough with enough resources for that type of crowd. There were lines everywhere and it just wasn't enjoyable for us or the kids.

I feel like I'm seeing the same thing with Bliss. I really want to sail the new ship and I did enjoy the Freestyle cruising when we did it BUT now you have to make reservations for everything because of the number of passengers. I have read multiple reviews of people not being able to get a go-cart reservation and/or waiting in line 2 hours for their reservation. Of course, I'm not interested in go-carts but it seems like it would bleed to other areas of the ship.

Hey there, we are booked on NCL Bliss for Alaska with our daughter who will be 8 when we cruise.

We have sailed on several larger ships and some have been great but some have been way too crowded. I'm seeing reviews come in from the Bliss that there are lines at every turn so I started looking for other itineraries and found the Eurodam.

I like the idea of Sitka vs Skagway but could honestly go either way. Can any families weigh in on the kids club or evening activities on HAL? Any other points for consideration would be great. The NCL cruise is $800 more total but includes the drink package (I am not a drinker though) so it's really a wash there.

Thanks in advance

In reading the terms of the beverage package, it states that everyone over 21 in the stateroom and travelling with you must purchase and anyone under 21 must purchase the soda program.

If we choose the beverage package as one of our freebies for our cruise, are we required to purchase the soda package for our children?

Hey there, we got off the Breeze April 8th and I thought I would do a quick recap of our trip. I do have some gripes this time but nothing that would affect my overall opinion of Carnival or change my cruising decisions much.

We flew in to Houston on Friday 03/30 and stayed 2 nights at the Staybridge Suites in Webster/NASA area. It was a nice hotel with a decent breakfast. The pool was a tad cold but we swam anyway. Free laundry and close proximity to NASA and other restaurants was great. We spent Saturday at NASA. Sunday we got up early and did our laundry and called for an Uber.

Our arrival time was 11:30 and we got the email to arrive an hour later but disregarded it. We arrived at 11:40ish and were on the ship before noon. It was the absolute fastest boarding process ever. We got the kids signed up for kids club, Cat in the Hat breakfast and double checked that they were able to accommodate our request for a table for 9 by the window. It took me a while to get through all of that because I could not navigate the ship yet. I kept going upstairs then over and down then up to find the restaurant entrances. By the third day I had figured it out but I do prefer the ships where you can walk from front to back without taking stairs.

Anyway, Sunday was Easter so after dinner they had a kids scavenger hunt. You had to find several locations throughout the ship, there was someone there who would give them a sticker and candy. Then once you filled out your card you were told the secret party place (Liquid Lounge). We were travelling with two youngsters and they each got a different map so we basically had to go to double the locations to get what they needed. The party at Liquid was great! They had a DJ and dance contests, a big cake and cookies for everyone. My daughter is STILL eating on the candy they gave them, it was a lot! The one thing I did notice was the staff was more interested in dancing and interacting with each other than with the kids. It didn't phase the kids though. They had a blast.

Monday was a sea day. Nothing of note but we did discover that if we arrived at our table right before 6pm (early dining time) we were served and done with dinner by 7:00ish. If we arrived at 6:01 then we were one of the last tables out of there and saw the next seating waiting for us to leave the tables so they could eat. The ship is crazy crowded on sea days. We played one round of mini golf and it took a long time because we had to wait and wait. There were lines everywhere. It was insane.

Tuesday was Cozumel. We got up and had breakfast then got off the ship and headed to our excursion. Chankanaab park and the Dolphin Discovery. It was super fun. I was shocked that for $70 we got to pet, kiss, shake hands, get pushed and pulled by a dolphin then a bit of extra time with a manatee too. It was a much longer experience than expected. The lunch they served was inedible. We ended up leaving and going back to the ship for the remainder of the day for lunch and relaxation (and a quiet ship)! Our friends stayed and had a great time on the beach.

Wednesday was Belize. We booked our tour through cavetubing.bz and it was amazing. They picked us up and drove us out to the area we would tube. We hiked through the rainforest and crossed the river 3 times. It was about 20-ish minutes. Then they tied our tubes together and we hopped in. I cannot describe how amazing it was to cave tube and see bats and beautiful rock formations. Once we were out of the cave we continued down the river for a while, it was so beautiful. After we were done they took us over to the zip lines. My 6-year-old didn't want to zipline so I stayed with her while everyone else went. It was about 30 minutes. Then we drove back to the owner's home and they served us a traditional Belize lunch of rice, beans, chicken and coleslaw. They also had rum punch and soda. It was very tasty. We were the first tender off the ship and one of the last back on. This excursion is ALL day but so worth it!

Thursday was Honduras. We spent the day at Little French Key. It was a quick van ride over there and a short boat ride. They walked us around the island and we picked a place to sit. We spend all day in the water. We paddleboarded, snorkeled, kayaked, ate and drank. The food was very good and we had a great beach day. There's not a ton of fish out that way but the water was very clear. On our way back we shopped through the port and they had some really neat places there.

Friday/Saturday were sea days. We spent the time playing trivia (when we could find a seat) and just hanging out. The two younger kids didn't love the kids club so they played in our room a while each day. They are a boy and a girl and apparently each time they went to the kids club, they would do a boy group activity and a girl group activity so they never really got to play together.

Debarkation was flawless. The longest wait was through customs, maybe 5 minutes? We walked right off with our luggage, got our Uber and were on our way in less than 20 minutes. We were many hours early for our flight.

Things of note (sorry for griping):

-I could not figure out where the smoking section was. I don't smoke and I try to avoid it but I swear that people were smoking on every deck outside. Even right outside the kids club. I noticed smoking on deck 11, deck 10 and deck 5.

-The hot tubs on deck 5 are where it's at! They are cold like a pool but with hardly anyone there.

-My hubby bought a couple spa pass for $219 but I only used it once. I went to the counter and asked if they would adjust my charges and they did but they hadn't actually had him down for the spa pass. He had been to the spa every day but there was no record of it (weird huh)? I even went with him and they still didn't show that we had ever gone. It was a little unorganized.

-Thanks to you all I knew that I could get a duplicate key for our rooms since we moved people around once on board. Unfortunately EIGHT keys later, none of them worked. Their key coder was down and it was never fixed the entire cruise. Hubby had to carry around our daughter's key card to get into our room.

-Our cruise director Lee was AMAZING. So charming. He sent over some treats for our kids and they were thrilled. Those treats though, came at 10:30 at night when we were dead asleep. Room service knocked once then walked in. Good thing I at least had something on when I was out of bed to answer the door!

-Ice cream machines were almost always out of cones or down. There were constant lines there and they are right in a walkway.

-Water slides were super fun!

-I enjoyed the ship but feel that it needs more resources. We also cruised on the Miracle. It has 2k less passengers but the same amount of ice cream machines, pizza places and pools etc. There were SO many people, they just didn't have anywhere to go. For Carnival, I may stick to the smaller ships in the future. In contrast we have cruised on Royal's Oasis of the Seas and it wasn't nearly as crowded as this ship seemed.

-The deli was the only place to get "regular" french fries. The line was always so long so I would just ask someone at the front to grab me a plate of fries. Everyone was pretty nice about it.

-Laundry was frustrating also. We were on deck 2 port side and our room steward had no idea where the laundry room was (it was on the starboard side). I eventually found it but both times I went to do a load, I waited in the room for others to finish. There were 3 washers and they were almost always full.

-We had our steward come in at night. He didn't do much other than leave a towel animal, empty trash and turn down our bed. In the past (and on the Miracle) they would do a little more. I'm sure our guy was busy.

-We did not go to any shows. Hubby did some comedy (he said they were really funny) but I had to stay with the kids since they wouldn't go to kids club.

We had nine of us - five adults and four kids (17, 12, 7, 6). The weather was absolutely gorgeous every single day except during dinner our last night heading back to Galveston. It rained and was cold but it was nighttime - whatever. All of the excursions we did (dolphins, cave tubing and LFK) were appropriate for all ages and we would not hesitate to book any of them again.

Hope that helps others. Again, sorry for the gripes. We did enjoy our cruise. I will book another Carnival cruise without hesitation. Please let me know if I can answer any questions.

What time of year is fog NOT an issue for Galveston? We are cruising April 1-8, is there a strong possibility of a fog delay upon our return April 8th? I know that nobody can predict the future, but historically, any thoughts?

Her total OBC with Carnival and the TA credit is $248. The $50 OBC Carnival promotion is still happening so she has $100 promotional OBC plus $148 from price drops.

Thank you for the information.

Hey there, I did lots of searches but couldn't find quite what I was looking for.

My MIL booked a cruise through a TA. She got a $50 OBC through Carnival and another $50 from the TA for a total of $100.

This morning, the price dropped and she received an additional OBC (it's past final payment date) of $148.85 from Carnival.

So she has $248.85 in OBC that I know she won't totally use.

Help me understand. Is the price drop OBC ($148.85) refundable after the cruise?

My guess is that the $100 promotional is non-refundable.

When gratuities are charged, do they take them from the non-refundable OBC first? For example, if she only spends $100 then is it the non-refundable portion she's spending?

I hope I am making sense...

Have one adult sleep in the inside stateroom.

Well that wouldn't make for a fun husband/wife cruise now would it. :-)

My son is 17 and he will be sleeping in the inside room (hopefully alone).

Some of the sofas are convertible into a bed and others are not. From the cabin number you have given, no, it will not make into a bed.

But would they put sheets on it so my tiny 6 year old can sleep? She's pretty low maintenance.

My family of four is travelling on the Breeze in April.

We have the two kids booked in an inside cabin and we are booked in a cove balcony across the hall (2266/2264).

My daughter is 6 years old and it is highly likely that we will actually want her in our room at night.

Is there a place for her to sleep? I know this room is 'designed' for two but is there a couch that the steward will make up as a bed for her?

I have been unable to find information for our actual room. I have seen videos and pictures of many cove balconies but are they all the same?

Any help is appreciated.

Thank you for your review, it was informative and helpful.

FYI, you may have used a debit card but it's a VISA debit card. So unless you entered your PIN for the transaction (which I assume you did not) you are protected under VISA as a credit charge (it just happened to come from your bank account). Hope that helps. Disputing should be easy although I do not know what the time limit is.

Question that was asked on my roll call for this upcoming 1-night cruise at the end of September:

Are the photographers on board and available to take photos? Or with the shortened duration, do they forego photography due to logistical issues (how do we get our photos etc)?

I am no help but FYI I am waiting for my time for an April 2018 cruise.

It seems that FTTF guests are able to secure their time now (not that it really matters) and the Carnival rep told me any time from 4-6 months before sailing (120 - 180 days).