amygutman

Darn it...But smoking weed in public and on the balconies is OK? I like to keep zen on a cruise but if I can smell it, I'm inhaling it and so is my kiddo. It's disappointing if security did not address it, but I'm not shy and I certainly will (politely of course). What you do on a private island is between you and the government, but once it enters my space it's definitely MY business. Appreciate the heads-up. Warmest, Amy

Very intrigued with Explora. As much as we love the "bells and whistles" for our kiddo, the smaller ship port options seem very interesting. We love suites, and although there are different "levels" of suites on the Explora, it seems that the lowest suite class gives you the equivalent Haven / YC experiences and treatment. Could be mistaken, and looking forward to gathering more information as Explora I and II have more sailings. Whilst we still will be primarily NCL and MSC cruises out of Florida (home state advantage there), haven't decided if the Caribbean ports on Explora are worth the significantly higher cost vs Haven and YC suites. Time will tell...However, we are looking at Africa in 2025 and debating land-based vs cruise-based. Leaning towards a cruise and Explora I African itineraries look amazing for 2024. Exciting times for sure! Warmest, Amy

@LadyBerard Had the same trouble in April. Try taking the photos using head / shoulders only, no glasses against a white background using a smartphone and saving as a .jpeg or .png file. Email the photos to yourself and only try checking-in using your desk-top or lap-top. Something in the algorithm got angry when I tried to use my phone to check-in and it took about 6 different photo configurations until I got it to "take". Then, of course be prepared to have 5-6 emails sent to you to view re: watching the safety videos. A small but frustrating price to pay! Hope that is helpful. Warmest, Amy

@CDR Benson Sir... you are correct. We are so excited to see this part of the world and even more excited to share the experience with two friends - one from London, and one from Jamaica. Neither have ever been on a cruise and we will ruin them for life as we booked the DOS. Pricey? Yup. Worth the OT? Also yes as even if every port is cancelled we will still have the scenery as our backdrop (and crossing our fingers for whales and northern lights). Living in Bermuda, one of my favorite things was being in a small boat and just seeing the expansiveness of the ocean. From both working on cruise ships and sailing as a passenger, that "O'Dark Thirty" time on the water with nothing but the stars, moon and the sound of the ocean...it really does make you appreciate how small you are in this amazing corner of the universe. Maybe that's the essence of booking early - making sure you have the best experience in a way that makes you happy. Room, itinerary, ship, location...figure it out, secure it, and then wait excitedly until it happens. We decided long ago to stop waiting for "the right time", and live in the moment which is why we now look to book "bucket list" trips every 6 months of so. It's more than check boxes - it's exploring the world in a way few are privileged to do. Would love to cross paths with you and your lovely wife and hear about your adventures. The world and cruise ships are full of cool stories and I love collecting them one-by-one... Warmest, Amy

@9tee2Sea and @ontheweb 57 days 22 hours 30 minutes until we board the Encore in Alaska. Started at over 500 days. At this point I'm both giddy AND exhausted from the excitement!!!!! Warmest, Amy

@Essiesmom Agree on time of year and pricing. Europe in Feb is definitely less appealing than the Caribbean. However, kiddo has a break and will be studying WWII in history class. I figure what better way to learn about history than to visit / touch / feel that history. Plus, we will already have our colder weather gear from Alaska (NCL Encore in 68 days 22 hours 30 minutes, not that i'm counting). Warmest (which, likely not in Europe in Feb 🥰), Amy

@mica178 WOW!!!! Talk about "sea-to-table". That looks amazing, and sounds like a great day for your entire family. Warmest, Amy

@AspiringCindy Personal opinion - any time on a ship and especially on a Med cruise (which sounds amazing and we are on a countdown to the Med as well) should be wonderful. Knowing nothing about Costa other than what Emma Cruises on YouTube says (great channel...may be helpful in your questioning), and nothing about you, our likes / dislikes, family with young kids vs none, older cruises, love to party vs love to sit on balcony, it's a difficult question to answer. Can you tell the forum a little about what you are looking for in a ship and maybe the itineraries? Lots of CCers have very firm opinions about ships, ports, itineraries, restaurants, etc and should be able to help you out a bit. Again...you will be on a cruise in the Med. Not a bad place to start! Warmest, Amy

@julig22 Horse-drawn tram WITH a beaver tail AND kahlua-infused coffee. Now THAT sounds like an amazing way to spend a few hours! Warmest, Amy

@tokidoki If you mean Victoria, our only plan is to get off, touch BC soil to check off kiddo's "Places I Have Visited" list, have at least one (ok, maybe two) beaver tails at BeaverTails (2.8 km, 10 min taxi ride), perhaps a local beer, take some photos, and hop back on the ship. Not a lot of time to do much else in what looks like a beautiful city, but it's a necessary port stop for a primarily US port-based cruise. How about you? Curious what others do with this very short stop. Warmest, Amy

I am so glad you enjoyed yourselves and it sounds like an amazing way to spend your anniversary. Viking is on our "when kiddo is older" list as it sounds like true pampering and very cool itineraries. Yes...we certainly got Rock Fever, but to put it into perspective - I moved to Bermuda literally 2 weeks before Covid for work. Husband and kiddo could not join me for 6 months due to the travel restrictions so that by the time they came, every day on Bermuda was special. We rented Boston whalers and catamarans as much as our budget would allow and loved seeing the island by water and fell more in love with our beloved humpbacks. Bermuda is magical and having two fabulous cruises from home is so special. Trust me.. we took great advantage of the "resident" specials every time we could. Our next trip to Bermuda will be plane as there are no long overnight stay cruises from Florida (which, is so crazy, right? NY, Boston and Florida would be perfect!). Thanks for making me smile! Amy

Booked the Euribia in early July for a 7 night February European in a YC Deluxe Suite. Priced 3K LESS than a 7 night Caribbean from Florida in both Seashore class and Meraviglia class ships. Out of curiosity, just looked today - the price is still lower, but only about 1.5K. Still a much better deal - and it is an apples to (nearly apples) comparison as using the same TA with his same booking discounts / perks but obviously Euribia is a newer ship. Granted, the YC is a very different experience than non-YC, but I think the overall value for the money is quite good. It's not quite at Haven prices yet which is our benchmark of "damn...that's pricey". Definitely more expensive than 2021. Reasonably, as many on CC have pointed out previously when you have a huge ship that has to be at / above capacity to make a profit, you can only add so many people to a sailings therefore the prices increase. Warmest, Amy

Actually, I agree with your daughter. Being spoiled all day every day is awesome! That being said, I would likely have a hefty BMI due to the amount of amazing food options. A week or two twice a year is manageable. Laughed so hard last cruise: I Googled "how many miles do I have to walk to burn calories eaten today" and it was something like 20. 😄 Glad you are having a great time, and so happy for your daughter being adopted by those grans. Warmest, Amy

@bluesea777 So jealous!!! I moved back to the US from Bermuda last year and was excited to see the Orion homeporting in Hamilton (we lived on Parliament Street). Looked into a cruise "stay-cation", but seemed incredibly silly to spend that much money as we 1) could not enjoy with our kiddo and 2) could spend less money being spoiled at the Princess. There were rumors that ships would home-port in Bermuda and go back and forth to NY / Boston, and a "partial" TA stopping at the Azores before heading to Southampton. That would have been wonderful. I literally put the webcam live on my computer when having trouble sleeping just to hear the frogs. Bermuda, despite it's challenges, remains heaven on earth to me and I miss my island home every day. https://www.portbermudawebcam.com/ Enjoy every moment and have a piece of cassava pie for me! Warmest, Amy

Well...considering the lack of "irresistible" Haven prices, I think you are wise looking for alternatives. Just in checking prices on some potential cruises, YC rooms are around the same as family villa balconies on NCL and way cheaper than NCL with more inclusions (like the thermal spa...amazing perk). Will you be happy on MSC? I think so - but as alluded to by more eloquent folks than myself on this thread, personal experiences are truly personal. I bet your girls will have a blast whatever you choose. I'd glad you explained "fashionable", as I was picturing more "bougie" than "sporty". The kids club on NCL is frankly much better than MSC but it depends on the other kids there. If your kids are friendly and sporty, it's likely they will love the experience of being "parent-free". MSC has more esoteric activities for teens- parties, pizza parties / late night gatherings, whereas NCL has a more laid back approach and more sports, computer-based activities, and movies. Kiddo is at the awkward age at 14 that he's too young to fit in well with the 16-17 yos, and being on the spectrum, he is not always socially comfortable. The counselors on NCL go out of their way to be a friend, but on MSC there is less individual attention from the counselors. @JamieLogical and @graphicguy have wonderful explanations on this thread but just a thought about crowding: ultimately if you book an MSC balcony room you will likely have a similar experience crowd-wise on MSC. Very busy, lots of families, and lots of people. LOTS of people. We love the YC as well as the Haven for the relaxation factor more than anything else - I HATE waiting in lines and it seems that anyone not in the site area spend quite a bit of time waiting in lines. The great thing about CC is the variety of opinions. Take it all in! Warmest, Amy

Really? I don't remember that policy. Is it new? That's a darned shame though having had many drinks spilled on me by over enthusiastic (or over-indulging) fellow theater-goes, I can understand why. Perhaps its a holdover from Covid. Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Warmest, Amy

Thank you @mica178 for taking the time to write this live review. We are getting on when you are getting off so am following along happily as you are helping get my "pre-cruise mojo" on! Wishing you smooth sailing for the rest of your vacation. Warmest, Amy

5-7 night itineraries out of Canaveral that go somewhere other than Nassau. Puerto Rico is amazing (hint, hint) and you could still hit their private island. That's a selfish wish though as Canaveral is only 45 mins from our house. Honestly, I love smaller ship cruising and love the posted Explora itineraries. Really awesome ports that only smaller ships can use. Definitely a magnitude more expensive than than the YC on MSC, but if Explora delivers a true "all-suite" experience at a price that currently is lower than Regent and Oceania, then that may be worth exploring if you can status match from MSC. Warmest, Amy

Ahem. 😄 Woke, Based, or otherwise (and I echo the "please no political discussions" on CC - this forum is occasionally prickly enough), upside down pineapples on your neighbors (or yours...judgement-free zone here) have certainly been spotted in the YC. Not my photo, not sure what ship, but definitely more adventurous than this old happily married woman! 😇 Warmest, Amy

Agree with @Cruising Lynne re: cross-posting on the MSC Boards and with @LadyZolt re: booking the Yacht Club. Honestly, am not sure what you mean by "fashionable" teens - if they like glitzy things then MSC may be for them. We have a 14 yo son who is the opposite of fashionable as he is in his broody teen angst stage of adolescence. I am sure you have already figured it out that each ship and experience are different. Have you been in regular rooms on NCL or in the Haven? There are many board threads re: the differences between these two class experiences. Maybe if you could provide more specifics, you can get some very good information and advice. Having been on smaller + larger NCL ships in the Haven and suites, and in the very large MSC ships in the YC I will keep an eye out for your response and see if I can help. Warmest, Amy

@CDR Benson A TA can make or break a cruise. Glad you found one to help out with your needs. Clearly, it seems like your early cruises were at the behest of the government and they really don't care if your accommodations are luxurious nor if you have the drinks package. As the daughter, grand-daughter and great-grand-daughter of veterans who is honored to take care of our service-members daily, thank you for your Service! Warmest, Amy

@Nunagoras Sex therapist? Huh. Would definitely be more exciting than bingo (or perhaps less exciting...depends on the lecturer I suppose). If you like vloggers, Ben and David have a whole series on Virgin Voyages, but on their first episode they opened their welcome package which contained a "Virgin Branded Vibrator" 🫢 Well then...talk about setting the tone for their cruise!!! Warmest, Amy

@TravelandLeisure85 Thank you so much for this wonderful review. I really appreciate your objectivity and honest opinion of all of the facets of the ship. It will be interesting to read you compare and contrast with your upcoming YC Seashore experience. Having been in the YC on the Seashore and Meraviglia it definitely was worth the money for us. It was our very first cruise after moving back to the US and post-pandemic and had a very good experience. Looking forward to trying out the Seaside YC July 30th. I'll post some pictures and reviews because like you, I very much rely on other cruisers experiences listed on cruise critic to help not only choose a cruise but choose experiences. Very excited specifically to hear that Star Walker was a good show. Kiddo loves Michael Jackson and it will be a big treat for him. Thank you again for your lovely review and I look forward to reading your compare and contrast comments. Warmest, Amy

LOVE THIS!!! Apologies for getting slightly off the "disappointing trends in NCL entertainment" OP posting...may I add Freddie Mercury to that threesome to make it a power quartet?

Christmas on the Gem....Oh Man. What a wonderful time. All of the ships do it right, though the smaller ships really make it special for families. The gingerbread houses all over the ships, decorations at each restaurants, festive outfits, and just a wonderful feeling. The crew are really missing their kids so each child on board really gets a lot of love and rather adopted for the holiday. We always try and add something festive into our usual tips - a little ornament, stocking, light-up necklace. The crew rooms aren't large but a little token goes a long way. Here's kiddo helping to decorate one of the trees on the Gem. He still talks about it and it's a wonderful memory. Warmest, Amy