Laurin612

Well, we pulled the trigger and canceled our Med cruise, especially with the new COVID19 case in the U.S. who had just come back from Italy.  😔 NCL has relaxed its cancellation policies so we were able to cancel before 90 days out for a full refund.  3/7 would have been 90 days out for us, so we cut it pretty close! 

I wouldn't have canceled if I was booked on a Caribbean cruise, but since this cruise leaves out of Civitavecchia and stops at several other ports in Italy and we were going to be traveling with my elderly parents who already have health issues, we decided this was the best move for us.  

On 2/29/2020 at 1:13 PM, Stealthdog said:

Yes - I’ve already cancelled my June Med cruise.  Not because I am concerned with getting sick, but I don’t want to be stuck in a situation where I get stuck in a quarantine, have restricted travel that will make me fight with insurance companies to get reimbursed hotel, flight, or other fees, or any other inconvenience that will change my plans.  I’m just going to stick with land locations in the US until there is a vaccine.

We are strongly considering cancelling (or rescheduling until next summer) our June Med cruise for the same reasons. Since we are leaving out of Rome and with several stops in Italy, it is a big concern.  

My husband and I have already been told by our respective employers that we will have to self quarantine for 14 days following our return.  That's fine for me--I am able to work from home.  With the type of work my husband does, he cannot work from home and we don't want to risk 2-3 weeks of unpaid leave while he waits out the self-quarantine at home.  So, we may cancel due to "Work Reasons."  

Poor kid! I hope he feels better soon. I’m right there with you on the insurance. We always buy it—it’s worth it for the peace of mind to us.

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Nice! Congrats!

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poo pourrit or whoever its spelled. add a couple of drops BEFORE you go.

I agree about Poo-Pourri. It really works! A little spritz in the toilet before a #2 is all you need. Also, I bring a Febreze small spaces air freshener. I’ve had several room stewards comment on how nice and fresh our room always smells.

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If only there were devices which allowed users to play their own music selection and have the sound play through some sort of device you wear on your head and the sound comes out directly into their ears. Someone should get on that. It'd be HUGE!

🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Grease is one of my favorite movies and I saw it in the theater with summer camp when I was 9. All the lewd stuff went straight over my head back then, but I loved the movie and have since seen it (and the musical/play) many times.

My kids are now 16 and 20. I remember being really shocked by how much they knew about a lot of things when they were in middle school! Unless the OP's daughter has been really sheltered, she would probably be unfazed by it.

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I successfully argued for my son to be moved up to the 12-14 group when he was 11 1/2. (Although that was nearly 5 years ago). He's very tall and mature for his age. I think it depends on the number of kids on a particular sailing.

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I'm not sure about Majesty, but not all ships have the Freestyle machines. The Adventure OTS did not when I was on it in 2015 and Brilliance OTS (which I will be sailing on next week) does not have it, either.

Can kids also order from the adult menu if they prefer something on there?

Yes, indeed. They can order whatever they'd like to try. My son has always been a somewhat adventurous eater with a large appetite and has pretty much always ordered at least some items from the adult menu, and we started cruising with the kids when he was 2 1/2. (He is now 16 and is a 6 foot tall 180 lb. hockey / lacrosse player, so imagine the appetite now! :D)

Was all set to go on our flight this morning to NewYork to spend a few days this side of our cruise down to the Bahamas and back.

 

As my son has spinabifida and wheelchair bound he wears a catheter leg bag for the duration of the flight, all this went as usual this morning for our long journey to Dublin airport, on arrival we decided to go drain his bag pre-flight only to discover it was full of blood and when removed the blood continued at quite a rate. An ambulance was called and just prior I ran over to the airline desk and informed them of the situation which they offer additional flight if we missed ours.

 

Anyway we are currently in the hospital on our 6 hour with another 2 before the doctor is out of theatre to see him so still no further forward as to the cause. In the meantime I just received an email from ebookers who we booked the flights and hotels through to say our flights there and back have been cancelled. The hotel is non-refundable so lost out there too and if the doctors say he isn’t fit to flight we lose out on our cruise too.

 

You read about this but never believe it will happen to you.

Oh no! I'm so sorry that this happened to your son. I hope he is OK--that is the most important thing--but I also hope that the doctors say he can travel and that you will be able to go on our cruise holiday.

Situations like this are why we always purchase travel insurance. It is worth the peace of mind to not have to worry about losing thousands of dollars in case we are not able to go on a booked holiday due to a medical situation with myself, my husband or our kids. My mother is elderly and a bit frail, so she is also a concern.

Fingers crossed that everything works out and you are able to go! Sending healing thoughts!

Never have I ever:

Stayed in an inside room

Stayed in a suite (other than a JS)

Purchased art onboard or gone to any of the art auction festivities

Sang Karaoke

Been on the Flow Rider

Set foot in the gym

Climbed the climbing wall

Run (or walked) on the track

Purchased "gold by the inch"

Been to Quest (I had no idea it existed but will look out for it on our upcoming cruise!)

Dined in one of the specialty restaurants (other than Johnny Rocket's)

On our honeymoon on Sun Viking almost 24 years ago we got champagne glasses and a bottle of inexpensive sparkling wine. I think it was J. Roget or Andre. Certainly not Dom Perignon!

It was a nice surprise, but I think our travel agent probably arranged it.

It's possible that "Retirement Mom" received the sparking wine meant for your honeymooners.

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Thanks, everyone. That definitely eases my mind!

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I called my credit card issuer and they sent me a four digit PIN. I also informed them of our dates of travel and the countries we'll be in.

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We only do pics on the formal nights, so I put in extra effort then. Most nights I embrace the curls and let my hair do it's own thing.

Definitely bring your own blow dryer. I find the ones provided to not be powerful enough.

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Yep. Walking around on "formal night" it looks like some folks are going to a wedding, some are going out for a nice dinner and some just left the drive-through at McDonalds.

That sums it up perfectly! :D

Great review, Jill! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. My family and I are on the 6/21 sailing. My kids are older--16 and 20--but I am a little concerned now that there won't be anyone their ages on board! Hopefully since our cruise is a few weeks after yours schools will be out and there will be more families on board.

I am glad to hear that you thought your room location was good--our room is near where yours was but is a balcony room.

We booked many of the same ship excursions as you, so I am also glad to hear that you were pleased with them.

We were waffling about purchasing the BOGO specialty dinners for the first two nights, but after reading about your excellent meals I think we may have to do that now. :)

I was already very excited about our upcoming cruise and am every more excited after reading your review!!!:D

I see no problem with that as long as your 16 year old is OK being responsible and actually supervising their 10 year old sibling.

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I'd bring your mom's ticket (and your son) and say your mom couldn't make it and that he is attending with you instead. It's not like you're bringing a 12 year old. [emoji846]

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Barbados had good snorkeling but I don't think it will compare with Tortola or Bonaire. I've snorkeled in Tortola and it was my favorite snorkeling experience ever. Crystal clear water, a wide variety of corals, anemones and fish. Simply awesome!

Snorkeling in St. Lucia was OK, but nothing special, in my opinion.

My worst snorkeling experiences have been Jamaica and St. Maarten so I can't recommend St. Maarten for snorkeling. Both had rough water and low visibility.

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That's great! And I'm glad to hear that you took the time to contact the CEO's office to decide him of the great customer service.

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My kids are 16 and 20 and they've been cruising since the youngest was 3. They've always attended and enjoyed the shows. The early shows are always family friendly. The adult shows are usually 10:30 or later.

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I'm so sorry to hear about your broken hip! How awful! I don't have any advice other than what has already been offered, but I wish you a quick recovery and hope you get to go home soon.

...No minimum wage employee in a right to work state wants to try and explain to someone the difference between a Service Dog protected under the ADA and a Emotional Support Animal that’s allowed to live in your “pet free” apartment while the customer stands and yells and threatens to sue you and your whole company.

 

 

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Speaking of "pet free" apartments, I mentioned this thread (and the continuing saga) to my 20 year old daughter yesterday. She is in college and mentioned that when she was in the dorm last year several girls on her floor had "emotional support animal" cats, despite the fact that pets are not allowed in the dorm. She also said that one of the girls lets her cat roam the hallways of the floor. :rolleyes:

She's disappointed that she can't bring her two pet cockatiels to school with her in the Fall, as her apartment has a "no pets" policy that includes birds (she checked). Maybe I should suggest that she purchase "Service Animal" flightsuits for them to skirt the "No Pets" rule. :evilsmile: (Just kidding--we wouldn't actually do that--but I'm sure plenty of people do!)