MominWA

Just did a 8 day cruise on the Legend to Alaska. I think there was a total of 66 kids (ages 2-17). I have a 7 year old daughter who has some special needs and she had an awesome experience with camp ocean. In fact she would have preferred to hang out there on port days instead of going on excursions with us (though she didn't have a choice). She got seasick the first sea day and had to wait 24 hours and be cleared by the medical staff before being able to return and you would have thought it was the end of the world. They were kind and sent a care package to the cabin with activities and crafts for her to do. Since there was such a small number of kids they were often grouped together (2-8 age groups) and I never saw more then 10-12 kids (if that) there at one time.

I have to totally agree with you here. Being a first time cruiser I didn't know if I should be as annoyed as I was over the chair hogging in the Unicorn. Made it very difficult to find a place to sit down and eat. We took our food upstairs and outside a few times which was no small feat with a special needs seven year old in tow!!

And the day we cruised Glacier Bay it was totally ridiculous!!! Son and I were shocked to find there were hardly anyone out on the serenity deck. I know I am from the PNW but we didn't think it was that chilly outside.

My one big gripe here was not the café but the people. There were many times that people would camp out in the café and take all of the chairs and tables by the windows (where the vast majority of the seating was) and they weren’t eating. They were just sitting there with their binoculars and some were even sleeping. Really?? There are flipping thousands of chairs by windows all over Decks 2, 3 and 4 if you don’t want to be outside watching the beauty of Alaska sail by. I get that you want to see it but please don’t take all of the chairs and tables during the main feeding rushes. That’s just rude. People that were trying to eat had to juggle their plates and drinks as they searched all over for seating. Slam me if you think I’m wrong, I don’t care. The tables and chairs in the buffet area are for those eating. If you’ve done eating or have no intention of eating, please move and give your spot to those that are trying to eat. It’s called courtesy people. Rant over. Overall grade for the buffet (not the people)..."A"

We had a great time in the piano bar but what was played was of course based upon what the crowd requested. There were a couple of times when other performers would drop in and Jam and things would get a bit more rowdy. My son closed down the place a few nights and said it was much more upbeat the later it got. Having a seven year old in tow I was always limited to Camp Ocean hours and seemed to miss those moments.

They did have the big Jam session with all the artists one night in the Red Frog Pub and that was a good time. The last night with Murphy's Law was a great time too. The playlist performers and Adam all hit the dance floor. The actually got my non-dancing son out there with them. Those pictures are priceless!!!!!!

I never did get a chance to try the Alchemy bar. I've read such good things about it and with your review added in I am a bit bummed. But hey, that gives me a reason to go back. :)

Had a ocean view cabin on deck 1 (1172) heard NOTHING from the Follies or Firebird during our cruise. A couple of times I thought I heard faint cheering that I was hoping meant someone in the casino had hit something good but it was very low key and not something I think I would have even heard if I wasn't awake. I was worried about noise after I realized where the cabin was (of course this was after the cruise was booked solid and changing was not an option) but we seriously heard nothing outside our room. :)

Thank you everyone for the feedback. After having son review camera choices I think we are going with the Lumix Fz80. Now just counting down days till we sail! :)

I did take a look at the Canon sx540 but the reviews for it were a bit less stellar than the Lumix or Nikon. It seems that the Lumix may be the better choice as it will allow my son more options when he is using it. Forgive my lack of knowledge but is there a huge difference between the 40x and 60x zoom? And/or the difference in the shutter speed (1/4000s vs 1/2000s)? In regards to the quality of the pictures we may take?

I will be going on my first cruise ever in less than two months. An eight day cruise to Alaska on the Carnival Legend. I have an old Canon point and shoot and and iphone 8+. My 20 year old son has an older point and shoot and a Galaxy 9. He took a couple of photography classes in high school and since he is tech inclined would probably have little issue figuring out a new camera. I love my electronic toys, but truth be told I would really like to be able to zoom in and push a button.

I think (having serious commitment issues over this) I have it narrowed down to a Nikon Coolpix B500, as this looks pretty simple with enough playability to keep 20 year old happy for a bit or the Lumix FZ80 which offers more options but may still be easy enough for me to be able to use.

We will be taking other trips in the next couple of years and I work in a school and take a lot of pics of students that are shared on a private school page for parents, so the camera will get both travel and every day use.

Thoughts on which of these may be the best bet or a better suggestion? I'd like to order one so we can play with it before we get on board.

Following. Going to Alaska in August of 2018.