careyayn22

13 hours ago, amarvel said:

I meant to write you yesterday and say hi (remembered the username from back in the day) and can't believe we will miss each other by a month!

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That would have been so cool to actually see each other there and the boys would have loved having some automatic new friends at the Splash Academy! 

One thing I’ve done for camping and cruising is to take a hanging shoe holder with pockets that can hang from a door, shower rod or hook. 

We put all of our toiletries, meds, first aid, Yeti mugs, extra batteries, etc... in the pockets. Everything is out and accessible and not taking up limited space. 

25 minutes ago, amarvel said:

Us too! I love getting a coat in Alaska. I just had to get rid of my last one, so I am due at the perfect time.

 

And every cruise is what you make of it. So many complaints are things that could either have been avoided with proper planning (i.e researching the destination or ship) or by making a request or complaint while still on board. If you need more towels, don't sit all mad in your room all day, call housekeeping.  

 

When we booked the POA I was really nervous reading the reviews and that was one of our favorites trips ever. So we booked it again the following year.  Not sure if it will be the same for the Joy, but we are giving her a chance.

 

Read the reviews and be prepared for some of what it says, but also be mindful that your cruise and vacation are what you make of it. Be prepared to be flexible and you will be just fine 🙂

Hi Angela (I’m pretty sure. Lol) 

::::wave:::: looks like we are missing each other on the Joy by a month. 

Carey

Princess Star 2002 Inside passage Alaska 

Refurbished in 2017 and  still sailing 

3 hours ago, Defhermit said:

 

... or you could actually READ the review, which is in no way a bad one at all:

 

notes from cruise critic's review of Joy (Dori Saltzman)

positive: 
'packed with engaging activities and spaces'
'gorgeous and serene Observation Lounge'
'so many of the activities onboard are sure to put a smile on your face'
'the crew are among the friendliest we've encountered at sea'

negative:
'be prepared for a variety of extra costs onboard' (Galaxy Pavilion and specialty dining)
'there are just two small pools to serve everyone onboard'
'pool deck is one of the oddest we've seen' (big space between 2 diagonally-opposed pools, wasted space)
'no spa thermal suite or relaxation room'

 

Don't be a hater.

I read this as a mostly positive review.  It isn't a raving review, but it is generally positive.  I really am not a cruising expert, but I have read and experienced enough to know that ALL of the NCL ships have extra charges for speciality dinning and all or most nickel and dime for extras; I was on the Escape and I was surprised about the lack of pools.  I had only cruised Princess before and they had a lot more and larger pool options, so I am assuming this is pretty standard for NCL; the odd pool design is due to the Asian market design of allowing for more "green" areas and less pool/sunbathing and probably could not be redesigned but I think should have been if possible; I am sure the thermal spa also had to do with the previous market as well....this is probably the most legit and specific to the Joy complaint.  

So, CC said it was perfectly fine, but has a couple of flaws unique to this ship.  Meh. Again, just sounds like all mass market ginormous ships to me.  

Maybe I will hate it, but I am thinking it will be very similar to my Escape experience with NCL.  A lot of good, some minor annoyances.

14 hours ago, mikembs said:

 I had crab legs on the Joy the next week. The king crab was ok. The dungeness was really good. 

Yes, I, wondering where and what day. Very curious. 

I am on the Joy June 15th. I’ve read the negative reviews, and I’ve lurked at the reponses to every complaint by the NCL apologists. 

I’d say take it all with a grain of salt. Somewhere in the middle is the truth. Most of the complaints I’ve read don’t seem like things that wouldn’t happen on any large cruise ship made for the masses. My last cruise was on the Escape. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but nothing was so bad that I didn’t want to sail NCL again or that I would give it an overall bad score. I mean the buffet was crowded. The elevators could be crowded. The ship was just, well, crowded. It’s big and crowded and has a ton of “moving parts”, and it is full of the types of flaws that occur when places are big and crowded and made of a lot of moving parts. 

It should not take 2.5 hours to eat, you shouldn’t have to camp out for buffet seating and food shouldn’t be cold. Those are the types of kinks that should be prioritized because we pay for decent service and a better than Applebee’s experience. These are likely growing pains and hopefully those are fixed ASAP. However, this isn’t a high end or an intimate cruising experience, and sometimes it feels like some of the reviews expect the Joy or those ships like her to be something they are not and never can be. 

I am not an Alaska expert, but I was there in July on a cruise and the temps varied from 40’s in Glacier Bay to at least mid-70’s in one of the ports...mostly in the upper 50’s to high 60’s during the day. We had an inside room, but my parents had a balcony and we spent quite a lot of time on the balcony.

We will be on the Joy in June, and I am planning on both shorts and jackets with layers and hats for glacier viewing/rain. We are not bringing big parka type coats. Might throw in my boys’ thin Patagonia coats....but we are from Minnesota and are a hockey family, so we are used to cooler temps.  We also spent our last summer trip in Iceland with the temps mostly in the upper 40’s and 50’s and sat outside on our patio at our Airbnb whenever we could. So, what I’m saying is that your tolerances may be different. 

We have mini suites that are connected with 8 people on the Joy. Hoping we don’t feel too cramped myself.  I’ve wondered if we should have gone with the inside family, but I’d miss the real air and privacy of a balcony especially since it will be light for so long. 

Like everyone says about Alaska...bring and wear layers. 

I know we get what we pay for,  but I do think it’s strange not to include an ice bucket. Even the couple crappy hotels we stayed at for hockey tournaments gave you an ice bucket (And one had a coffee maker too). 

We are sailing in a mini suite. Not sure what that really even means other than a few more square feet and we have adjoining rooms. Oh, and an ice bucket. 😏

I haven’t been on the cruise and only been to Maui, but we went three years ago with three generations.  I have some back issues and none of us middle generation is in real shape, and we were fine for everything we wanted to see. A lot of waterfalls were just short hikes. Uneven and dirt,  but not real high imapact. 

My parents were with us.  My mom had back surgery and was stooped at the time (in between surgeries) and she was able to do short hikes but no climbing; we rented a wheelchair and used it a couple times for her.  She could do about 75% of what we did. . My dad rented a scooter. He was on O2 and couldn’t really walk. He saw a lot and did about 65% of what we did. Both loved it no matter what. 

DO you know if king crab legs are going to be a standard offering or was it for the inaugural public voyage?

We spent ten days in Iceland last summer. We literally went on one tour. We did not tip, but we also just rode a boat out into Jokarlson for a half hour and got a basic spiel about glaciers and icebergs. 

If I did a half day plus tour of various sites with a good guide, I’d tip——like others have said, Iceland is as close to cashless as possible, so I , personally, would try to give ISK and not USD. 

My kids were nine when we last cruised. They will be eleven this summer when we cruised. (Twin boys) 

At nine, they could not sign themselves in or out. They were either with us or another adult at the splash academy or family. We had our fridge cleaned out due to a medical need at the time. 

This time, I plan on letting them choose to be alone in the room and check themselves out (and maybe in) at the splash academy. I want them together though. They stay home alone for a couple hours at a time and will be together in the room and on the ship. 

My one son has pretty severe ADHD and limited impulse control, but still isn’t the type to run around a ship and seems to have a healthy self preservation instinct. 

I am looking foreword to the freedom. 

This is really a weird and interesting topic.  I am uncomfortable with both ends of the spectrum here.

On one end, it seems some people might cross a line that makes the workers uncomfortable or put them in a place of being pressured to continue a relationship outside of a working relationship.  I can see where it might be very condescending to assume a worker would just be in awe of your presence and attention.  They are autonomous beings and not our performing pets or charitable projects.

On the other end, it seems as if people think that a worker and a passenger couldn't possibly forge an authentic bond over time and even more alarming to me is to claim that workers and passengers are so culturally different that they could never associate with each other outside of this unequal relationship.  Not all passengers are middle class/upper middle class, retired/middle aged white people.  Yup, a lot are, but we aren't all borg and neither are the workers.

I am a teacher.  I teach older students, so I love getting ANY gift from a student, even a card (because, unlike elementary teachers, we rarely get gifts).  Of course, I really like gift cards, and if I HAD to choose, obviously I would pick the $$$ option over, say, brownies, but I would also love it if a kid knew I liked a certain Starbucks drink and brought me a drink instead of the $5 gift card.

Yes, money is good, and giving stupid crap to people because you think they "should just be grateful to get anything" is culturally insensitive and possibly racist/elitist, but yes, a thought or a fun gesture "can" be appreciated as well.   

Also, someone mentioned Applebees.  I thought this was funny because, back when I was in my early/mid twenties, my DH, friends and I befriended a middle aged waitress at a local Ground Round (she went on to Applebees after that).  Yes, we brought her flowers on her birthday, bought her dinner and drinks after her shift and ended up  doing some things with her outside of her job.  Of course, we didn't think of ourselves as her "betters."  We weren't condescending or thinking we were doing her a favor by gracing her with our magnanimity.  We just liked her and she liked us.  

I don't think most of us will have this happen on a seven day cruise; however, every situation is different, and I can imagine with frequency over years, or in a very unusual situation, it could certainly occur in an authentic manner.  

I saw those while booking our cruise for June. I believe they have virtual balconies. They are bigger inside rooms with a virtual wall to simulate a view. 

I am not a cruising expert, but I know that that week is definitely low season for family travel.  The following day is MLK day, so places like Disney will have a brief surge that weekend and maybe the day or two before, but I’d be more concerned about the following week since many schools have that Monday off. I’m a high school teacher, and I might have a couple students out in January for week long or more vacations, but February and March are much more likely (we don’t have a spring break in my district). Even with MLK and the Yeshiva break, it is one of the lowest weeks at Disney (probably only a handful that are lower). 

Like others have said, “too many” is relative. I travel with my twin 11 year olds. We are cruising to Alaska this summer and I expect many kids on the Joy. When we sailed Alaska back in 2002 on Princess, I don’t remember a lot of young kids. I do remember older kids, but I am pretty tolerant of kids and don’t seem to notice or get as annoyed as some. Not that I don’t occasionally get annoyed with misbehaving kids/clueless parents, but they don’t bother me more than entitled and/or whiny millennials, drunk and/or rude middle aged or cackeling and/or clueless old people. 

On another note, I have wondered about Panama Canal cruises. We have talked about taking the kids, and it is on my mom’s list. I’d have to take over a week off during the fall/winter and try to attach it to a school break. I have wondered how my kids would do.  They like the kids area, but they aren’t in love with it. They generally prefer to be with us.  They’d likely be young teens when we went. I don’t think they would mind not having other kids/teens, but it would be a different vibe. 

I recommend Poo-pouri. If you haven’t seen it, it’s an oil-type spray you put in the toilet before pooing and it cuts down on the bad smells a lot. We used it on our last cruise and in our RV.  It’s not cheap, but it lasts fairy long since you only spray it once or twice. 

Nine of us are booked for LFK next week while on NCL Escape.

My parents have scooters rented. My dad can't walk long distances at all since he is on oxygen. I know the island is accessible, but I'm not sure how to get them there.

I sent them a message yesterday but haven't heard back yet.

Anyone with this experiences have any insight?

Thank you.

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Thank you Suitetraveller for those links. Very helpful! . I am sorry for the loss of your mother.

I did ask the excursion person about the rental cabana and he said we can only have six people. I don't care if we all fit, but they must.

We aren't going to rent two at that price. It is a great idea though. We would get use of the golf carts that way too!

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I've only been on one cruise, so I don't have anything to contribute. However, never stay in a hotel when middle school state wrestling tournaments are in town. Just don't.

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I don't think we could change. It was hard enough to find an assessable balcony+ with nearby rooms. This was the third cruise I tried, and we were restricted to June or August and didn't want to get that far into hurricane season if possible. We really wanted southern Caribbean, but it just didn't work out. Europe would have been awesome, but $1600 plane tickets for us and first class tickets for my parents was cost prohibitive. My parents have been to Alaska twice and cruised it once.

I may have just got unhelpful people yesterday. I do hope more excursions open up. I know one of the two handicap accessible excursions is currently not listed for me on the website (a trip of tequila sampling---not really multigenerational friendly.) I think that's it for this cruise, but maybe more level one tours will open.

I think we will do Harvest Caye together, and just book one or two outside tours. Thank you for the recommendations.

As far as info about disabilities, until you've been in charge of organizing and traveling with a multigenerational group that includes limited mobility adults, (and an ADHD kid) you might just not get it. By default, I am in charge of organizing all this and it's incredibly difficult to watch people you love struggle and keep control of the kids and delegate things to the other adults, etc... I'm just trying to know what to expect upon arrival that day and find out what they can do to help smooth things out and make this a pleasant or non-painful experience. I've read a few horror stories of elderly disabled people waiting in line with no where to sit, etc...

Again, thanks for the leads and those who offered some empathy. My post did say "vent." ;-)

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Oh, and I got some misdirection. On some other thread here, someone mentioned contacting the accessibility desk for help getting it all together.

Now I see they mostly only deal with on cruise help.

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Thanks so much Spidybabe. I'm sorry for your loss.

From my perspective, I don't feel like I want NCL to plan my trip.

I thought a cruise would be easier to plan than Iceland (the other bucket list choice for my dad). I regret that choice now. Iceland we needed a VRBO, a rental van and a driving plan.

I figured since so many disabled people cruise, they cruise lines would provide more assistance and options. Since that isn't the case, I just want helpful guidance and straightforward information.

I'll figure it out, I'm sure. I'm not cruise savvy (only been on an Alaskan. My parents have been on a couple more in Europe);however, I've travelled quite a bit. I am just surprised how limited the options and communications are.

This thread is helping. Thank you!

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Thanks for the ideas and input so far. You've given me some good leads and some things to think about.

I'm on the road right now and can't respond to everyone.

I think a travel agent might have helped, but I'm mostly just asking for some guidance and some clear directions from the accessibility specialists at NCL.

For excursions: Offer a tour with beach time at each port? If you can't do that, provide some ideas? Good customer service says if we can't help you, I'll get you in touch with someone who can.

We aren't looking for crazy excursions. My mom would like to see some animals/flora, see some ruins and watch the kids on the beach. Even the beach excursions say level two. Like I said, we could handle Hawaii--other than being technically ADA, it isn't very accessible.

As far as overall accessibility, we get more help and guidance from the airlines---not known for customer service.

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If I were you, I'd look for independent shore excursions, since they would be more able to help you when talking about mobility issues.

 

Keep in mind that NCL is simply the middleman when it comes to excursions purchase through them and if an excursion company hasn't explained all the issues with regard to mobility to them, they would not have any idea as to some questions asked.

That is true. I felt more annoyed with the accessibility desk than the shore excursion person. I do know there is only so much he knows. I just wish I didn't have to "dig" for everything sometimes.