natefish95

Thanks for that great review! I'll be going on the Fascination solo next month.

Your review is making me so much more excited for my Bliss trip next year. Those photos are amazing.

Regarding the thermal suite, were there saunas/steam rooms in the locker rooms or is similar to Escape with the only ones in the main area?

So awful seeing all that destruction despite how much time has time passed. I'll be going on the Fascination in a few weeks and your reviews have been so helpful!

Both you and Doug did not get proper mushy peas in your fish and chips! What a travesty!

Dominica was really badly damaged, as was St. Maarten. I'm doing the Carnival Fascination next month and our port in Dominica was changed to Antigua because they still have a long way to go.

St. Maarten was hit pretty bad, but ships are returning and will be in much better shape when you go. The French side was hit much harder than the Dutch side, and the French have not been very quick at processing claims from what I hear.

Barbados went almost unscathed because they are so far south.

All of this is of course dependent upon no future hurricanes coming through again this season.

Your review is definitely going to keep me going during finals week. Have a great trip!

So excited to follow along! I bet this is going to be a great review.

Thank you! That sounds great. I'll be moving to Arlington, but along the orange/silver metro lines. This next month will be super busy, so I'm really looking forward to this trip.

I'll be on this sailing as well! What part of DC are you from? I'm moving up there in June. Going solo to celebrate my birthday and finishing grad school.

If your ship offers some variation of a "Catamaran Sail to Nevis" shore excursion, they all put you ashore on Pinney's beach just a short walk to Sunshine's.

 

I also prefer to avoid what PortRoyal charmingly calls T'erds, and ship tours, but I make an exception here, so I can get a hassle free ride over to Sunshine's.

A word of caution: Respect the Killer Bees

Thanks! I'm going on the Carnival Fascination and see a similar excursion, but I don't think you get very much time at the beach, which is why I'm thinking about trying to go on my own. I might do that if I can't figure out the logistics.

We were just on Nevis 2 weeks ago, 3/27/18. Did a Princess excursion from St. Kitts with tour, lunch and beach. Had also been to Nevis 20 years ago for 30 days - Sunshine's there then also, larger now. Excursion ferry ride was an hour but regular St. Kitts/Nevis ferry faster and passed us going and returning. We had a great lunch adjacent to Sunshines, which is also very close The Four Seasons resort owned by Bill Gates. Pinney's beach in that area is gorgeous. We were glad we went.

 

 

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Thanks! I'll see if I can get some more information on the St. Kitts/Nevis ferry. I'm going on Carnival, and they have an excursion to Nevis, but you don't get much time at Pinney's. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

I'm going to St. Kitts/Nevis for the first time next month and I've heard good things about Sunshine's in Nevis. I think it would be a fun, relaxing day. Has anyone been recently? And tips?

I'm a bit nervous about having to deal with ferries between St. Kitts and Nevis. I've seen ferry schedules online, but does anyone have any experience? It looks like a ferry leave's St. Kitts at 9:00 and then there is one leaving Nevis at 1:00pm (these are the times that work best for me).

Thanks!

Glad you had a great time! I'm going on my first solo Carnival cruise in a few months and I'm really looking forward to it.

We are just off this cruise as well. Agree-- it was a great cruise!!! It is probably our favorite cruise so far. The ports were great! Each had something special about it. St. Thomas and St. Maarten were in much better shape than what I was expecting. The people there were very friendly and the beaches we went to, Sapphire and Great Bay were pretty. The waters there are as beautiful as ever. I heard people on the ships saying they were skipping these ports because of damage. IMO that is a big mistake. We had a wonderful time on both islands. The only excursion I booked through the cruise line was Sky Safari zipline in St. Kitts. It was fantastic!! Great staff and so much fun.

The best part of this cruise for us was the staff. From embark until our last goodbyes, the crew was amazing. Our room steward Floyd was so attentive and helpful. If we ever needed anything, he got it for us immediately. Our favorite bar was the Casino Bar, and we don't even gamble. The bartenders Gumono, Harta, Razil, and Dodi were awesome!! Always friendly and fun no matter how busy they were. They knew us by name and were so personable. We had a blast with them!! Best bartenders we have ever had, cruise or other wise. The in-house band Cherry Burton was great!! They played 70's to today's songs-- all were excellent. Very talented and obviously enjoy their job. My DH rarely enjoys listening to musicians on cruises, but he loved them. Their 80s night show is great for entire family. They were much better than the typical cruise ship band. Very friendly as well--great people.

We did not go to the shows other than the Punchliner. The comedians were funny, especially Spike. He was hilarious-- family version and adult kept you laughing. There were jugglers, magicians, dancing, good variety, just not our thing.

The Blue Iguana was a big hit with us-- loved their breakfast burritos and DH really liked the fish tacos. Guys french fries were yummy and so was the veggie burger. Red Frog Rum bar was nice as well. Saw many people getting the draft beers there.

Serenity Area was kept adults only and in a great location. Only drawback-- no bar. Rather difficult to get a drink. But a very nice place to go when wanting to get away. Being at the aft of the deck, it was a great place for sailaways.

Marcelo, the CD, was also great. Announcements were made throughout the day, but not too many. Saw him numerous times over the week interacting with passengers-- really liked that.

No bar in Serenity is a bummer. Where is the closest bar? Do you know if you can get a bucket of beers with the CHEERS package?

I am 23 and just booked a cruise on Carnival (first CCL cruise in a long time and I'm super excited). Once I paid the deposit and the booking was confirmed, I noticed something on the page that said "If the primary guest is under 24, someone 25 or older needs to be added to the stateroom" However, I went on the Carnival website and read "guests must be 21 years of age or older to travel on their own". I'm really confused by these conflicting statements.

In short, can I at 23 travel on my own on Carnival?

Your comments are completely out of line telling the OP the kids will be fine. The OP and the kids have NEVER cruised before. So your experience, while it turned out ok for you, also may have been because you and your cousin had "sailed many times before".

Woah there, no need to get all angry and raise your BP. Even on my first cruises as a teen, I had no issues. Being their first cruise is all the more reason for OP and their kids to have a discussion beforehand and set meeting places, check-in times, etc.

I disagree with almost everyone in this tread because I don't see an issue with this. When I cruised as a teenager with my parents, sometimes the cabins were close together, sometimes not. My parents had me meet them at their cabin before dinner every night, but other than that I was always in the team club or exploring the ship. It's a cruise to Alaska, so I highly doubt the party atmosphere will be like that of a cruise to the Caribbean where everyone is on the deck drinking all day. If you already have a sailing that fits your schedule, I wouldn't hassle with changing it. Talk to your kids beforehand about potential dangers and set some ground rules, meeting places, etc.

One thing that irks me about Oasis-class ships are how the bottom three levels of balcony cabins are slightly taller than the other decks of balcony cabins. That's the first thing I notice when I see an Oasis-class ship. They are the only class of ships I notice this on and it drives me insane how all decks are not a uniform height.

This was a great review. I was actually supposed to take this cruise, but a family obligation popped up at like 93 days out, so I switched to the Getaway in May. Looks like y'all still had a fun cruise. Loved your search queries. I ordered a Cesar salad once (on land) and the waitress asked me what kind of dressing I wanted. I was really caught off guard and was like, "uh...Cesar..."

This thread is the exact reason why people hate using cruise critic. People get so angry about the most minor things. Is it so difficult to look at the deck plans for the ship you're cruising on? No, no it is not. Y'all need to chill.

This is super exciting. Can't wait until March for more details to emerge.

Will definitely be following along. Going on the Getaway in May!

@Natefish, yes Rambling Wreck.

THWg :)

Yellow Jacket, huh? As in a GT Yellow Jacket?

I'm curious as well. I'm debating doing a 3 day on the Liberty in March as a quick end of spring break getaway. I'm going to keep watching to see if I can snag a last minute deal. I always book 9-12 months in advance, so thinking about booking last minute makes me a little anxious, so I'm trying to gather as much info on the Liberty as I can.

For anyone who has been to Tortola recently, was the NCL excursion to the Baths offered? I'm sailing on the Getaway in May and don't see it listed. Checked the general excursion website and don't see it listed there either. I know they were hit hard by the hurricanes, but I thought it was open?

Yes, I know it's possible to do it on your own, but this is one I'd rather do through NCL given the ferry rides and early departure from Tortola.

Love the review so far. I don't see many review about the Mexican Riviera on here. I'm thinking about doing the Bliss in 2019 to the Mexican Riviera, so I'm curious to read more about your experiences in port.