WeAllLove2Travel

 

I think sometimes parents think their cruise vacation is a vacation from parenting. :rolleyes:

The only real vacation from parenting occurs when the kids are grown, self-sufficient and living on their own. We have awesome grandparents who prefer to have our kids with them than for us to take the kids on vacation with us. Even when we are on vacation without the kids we miss them and call so often they may as well be with us. Now we have talked the grandparents into coming along with us. Now the kids are with us and the grandparents get to spend time with their grandchildren. Everyone wins.

Good for you for saying something to the kid and calling security. We live in a creepy world where awful people could do something unspeakable to an unattended kid. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean a creeper isn't on board with you. Scary times.

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I always taught my son that if we can see his bottom during dinner, that means we can spank it. He needed to sit on his butt during meals so that we couldn't see it.

LOVE IT!!! [emoji23]

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"I hate people!" Is spoken by me at least once a day! It seems to be happening more and more as I get older and people get stupider!

 

 

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I have a coworker who says that at least once a day! [emoji38] LOL. Shes not a cruiser so I'm sure you aren't her but it did make me laugh when I read your post. Lol

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Please tell me the ship(s) so I can avoid when considering my next cruise?

I'm with him. Sadly, even as a parent of young children, I typically prefer cruising off season to cut down on the number of rowdy kids. Though my children are not perfect, we often witness unruly behavior that they will notice and comment to each other over. We use it as teachable moments so they'll realize we aren't trying to prevent them from enjoying themselves but to see it's disruptive and inappropriate behavior. I've noticed fewer kids on longer itineraries and on some of the pricier cruise lines. We can't do these types of trips very often but when we have its been refreshingly relaxing!

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I mentioned earlier a bit of our cruise history – our longest cruise to date is 60 days. We have also done a 48 day followed by 6 days on land and then another 21 days at sea. Patching together 4 cruises we have circled the world – Fla to Rome, Rome to Sydney, Sydney to LA and LA to Rio (same trip) plus Fla to Buenos Aires – a total of 144 days while just duplicating Rio to BA. So in our combined trip we went around South America and used the Suez Canal to bypass Africa and this time we use the Panama Canal to bypass going around South America while going around much of Africa.

 

The Fla to Buenos Aires cruise was the start of my love of longer cruises and vacations. I say ‘MY love’ as Freda does not share it to the same extent but thankfully she agrees to come along. A lot of people have asked how we can go away for such a long time voyage. We will certainly miss a number of things, but we feel there will be a lot more of upsides than downsides.

 

My love of travel came from my parents –I got the wanderlust early, some of my greatest childhood memories are travelling with my family. I was fortunate my father was in the airline business and we travelled a couple times a year back in the late 50’s and 60’s on his free passes at a time when not many people we knew could afford air travel.

I know this is an old post but I just found it this morning. I fantasize about taking an ATW cruise when DH and I retire. I just turned 40 so I'm gonna live vicariously through the travels of others for quite some time but part of what you said made me sit up and vigorously nod in agreement! When I mention wanting to do an ATW cruise people are stunned and wonder why I'd want to be gone so long. My daddy always says "home will always be here" and when it comes to travel I wholeheartedly agree! Enjoy your journey!! DH doesn't have my burning desire to sail for months on end but like your DW he would go along for the ride because he loves travel and more importantly he loves me. [emoji4]

Unlike you, my parents don't possess my love of travel. We went a few places during my formative years but not many. Quite honestly, vacationing was and still is an annoyance to my daddy. My mom will usually go along to get along but she can't walk for long periods of time so it decreases her options sometimes. My children (DD7 & DS10), however, did inherit my sense of wanderlust. They've been traveling with us since they were 3 months and 7 months, respectively.

Looking forward to continuing your live report but for now I must stop and head off to work. Years to go before I will board my first ATW but your account is the next best thing! Thanks for such a detailed report!

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And I reserved an aft balcony - so I'm very excited!

First time ever travelling to Europe. First time on Jewel.

We are going September 9, 2018 on the Italy/Greek Islands 9 night. Any advice? Recommendations?

We sailed the Mediterranean four years ago on Holland for our 10 year wedding anniversary. That region of the world is absolutely beautiful!! Enjoy!!! Main advice is research what you'd like to see in port and either book an excursion (what we did) or hire a cab to take you to these sites (one lady we met did this). Book excursions early as the good ones fill up. There's lots to see so get organized so you know what is where and you'll want to experience as much as you can. Example- cruise line had excursions that made me choose if I wanted to see the Amalfi coast or Mount Vesuvius. They were both must do activities. I wanted to see them both so I looked and found a ground tour (not associated with cruise line) that allowed me to see them both. This port is still one of our favorite memories of the trip! If you have an overnight pre or post cruise in Venice, stay at the Molina Stucky. It looks so beautiful and I opted against staying there but wish we had. Wander through the streets of Venice and be okay with getting lost. That's the only way to explore Venice. RELAX on your sea days because those port heavy European itineraries are exciting and tiring. You'll have a blast! Excited for you!!

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The whole island was transformed by NCL, it was built by the cruise line for their passengers, it is a beautiful island, The only local flavor will be the people who work there. Had a great time there

So it's an island like the cruise lines private island not a dock to a bigger island that you can wander away from and explore?

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That is a non starter with me. I carry only my sea pass card which weighs nothing. I'm not trading that in to haul around my phone the whole trip. One of the first things we do is turnoff and toss our phones in the room safe where they stay until the cruise ends.

 

But nothing says you have to use the app so for those that do carry their phone everywhere it is a good options. I'm all for multiple choices.

I'm with you!! The best part of cruising is powering down and disconnecting from everyone and everything not on the boat with you!! [emoji5]

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Yes, the cruise last week was able to go to Harvest Cay. Personally, it was a whole lotta "meh." Lots of little vendors selling chotskies, a big pool and a decent beach. One restaurant (a couple of the little vendors were selling food) and a couple of bars, all "pay for" (not complimentary or subject to the Ultimate Beverage Package.) On the plus side, unlike Belize City, you don't have to tender in or worry about getting mugged.

 

If we ever stop there again, we will probably just stay on the ship.

While docked at Harvest Caye is it possible to leave this area and go to another portion of the island that isn't so touristy and has some authentic local flavor? It seems everyone posts about Harvest Caye like it's the only place to go there. Is that indeed the case?

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Thank you for your review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, especially as we were on the Wonder just before Christmas. The question, would older children still like Disney, well, let me tell you my girls have been DCL cruisers (as well as Princess and Celebrity) since they were 5 and are now 16 and 19. They still love DCL although in a different way. The 16 year old loves the teen clubs and the friendships she has made. My oldest daughter loves the shows and now that she's over 18, she loves being able to go to the adult pool and the spa. They both still like getting photos with the characters and the different activities.

 

But even more than that, my MIL, who is 76, enjoys DCL along with her husband, with or without children in tow! I think she took photos with every single character she ran across on this last trip.

 

I certainly feel DCL delivers a great product, but like Patricia, I was less than overwhelmed by our servers this trip, the first time in 4 DCL cruises I felt that way. I don't know if it was because we didn't have little kids with us (it was me, my daughters and my MIL) but our waiter, while attentive enough, didn't seem to go out of his way to reveal any kind of personality or make our dining experience any different than any land-based restaurant. His assistant waiter seemed preoccupied, in fact, I inquired on evening if she was not feeling well.

 

We did enjoy the entertainment staff. One staff member appeared to be running the entire cruise by himself, he was at everything. Very personable and very professional.

 

Disney really went above and beyond on our last day. We, along with everyone else, were ready to disembark, but heavy fog caused the ship to drop anchor out of Galveston Bay and delayed the process. The crew swung into action, starting up trivia games, opening up food venues and the kid's clubs. Some things could not be helped but they did what they could to keep the crowd of people with their suitcases occupied until we could sail into port.

 

JoAnn

That sounds wonderful that they went above and beyond for y'all. Great customer service makes such a difference in anything but even more so on vacation!

I understand what you mean about there being a difference in service when young children are present vs bigger kids or no kids. When we cruise other lines without kids (vs cruising alone) there's a substantial difference in the attention we received from the staff. They are way more energetic when the kids are present. Thanks for the feedback. You make me further appreciate my decision to book a Disney cruise. [emoji5] Can't wait!

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If you're going to Iceland on a cruise you'll have limited time and there is so much to see. We went to Iceland and booked a full day tour that took us to Thingviellir, the geysers, the glacier, the waterfalls and Vik.....we were there on our own so we did the Blue Lagoon separately. It is easy to drive around and if you're there on your own, I would recommend it...but with a limited time you'll see more on a guided tour than on your own....IMHO of course. It's an unforgettable place.

Which company did you book your day tour with? We are planning to visit Iceland for a few days before moving on to another site for cruise embarkation.

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Has Celebrity released a sail date for the maiden voyage? Or a schedule for booking, etc.? Or said when it'll be released if not. Design looks beautiful!

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Thanks everyone. Great information. I look forward to finding/booking a Princess cruise. I will definitely look forward to these informative lectures onboard.

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Ok!! Thanks! That makes me feel much better! I can handle $0.49 [emoji6]

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So we haven't ever cruised Princess. We plan to sail Princess for the next cruise we book. Can you tell me more about destination experts and what they do. Do any other lines have these experts? I don't recall hearing anyone discuss the ports of call but it sounds amazing. Are they done the night before you dock in that port? Is it after dinner? Any details you have would be great for future trip planning. Thanks

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You do realize its only .49 a day increase (unless you're on the Sky or a suite or above). Hardly worth worrying about~ For 2 ppl in a mini suite or lower only, an additional $6.86 for a 7 day cruise. :D

I keep seeing people suggest it's a smaller amount like what you quoted above and I think maybe I'm missing something so I'll do the math to see if I'm looking at it incorrectly:

4 people X $13.99 PER PERSON PER DAY X 7 day cruise= $391.72

VERSUS NEW INCREASE OF

4 people X $16.99 PER PERSON PER DAY X 7 day cruise= $475.72

That's an $84 difference for a family of four. While $84 won't break the bank it is still a larger increase than .49 per day that you calculated above. Also, at an extra $500 per cruise, that completely changes the rate they quote when you book. That needs to be communicated at booking. When I took my first two cruises I was a student who got one as a gift and saved for the second. A potential $500 increase at that time would've been the difference of cruise or no cruise. I'm sure this isn't their last price increase so eventually it seems they'll make lots of people rethink the number of cruise vacations they take if they keep increasing.

Hopefully I'm wrong in my tallies above (#FingersCrossed) but can you explain your calculations and how you got $0.49?

BTW, I've seen several other posters on the threads agree with your tally. I'm not being combative or cantankerous, just curious. [emoji5]

Thanks

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Has anyone received an email about Norwegian increasing their daily service charges? Our TA says this increase goes into effect 4/1/17. If you booked before 3/31/17 you can prepay your gratuities at the lower rate. See below for details......

' Please be advised of some important information about your Norwegian Cruise. Norwegian Cruise Line is making a nominal adjustment to its daily service charges, effective April 1, 2017. Norwegian's discretionary daily service charges make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest service during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff. The new rates for all ships, except Norwegian Sky are: $13.99 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom $16.99 per person per day for any suite or Haven category To better address the demands of the enormously successful all-inclusive product aboard Norwegian Sky, the new rates for Sky are: $18.99 per person per day for any category up to a mini-suite stateroom $21.99 per person per day for any suite category Any guest that has made a booking by March 31, 2017 will have the option of prepaying their service charges at the current rate if done prior to sail date. Guests with existing cruise reservations who have already pre-paid their service charges at the current rate are not affected. '

I know it's not a substantial increase and the staff definitely deserve their gratuities for the great job they do for us. However, any little savings we can get can be put into a fund for the next cruise. [emoji6] Hope this helps.

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I'm really looking forward to going to Iceland, and driving the Golden Circle (by ourselves, using a rental car). However, I'm trying to figure out how much time we'll need to visit the highlights of the National Park (Thingvellir) and how walking-intensive a visit there will be. I guess I want to at least see the church and houses (I think) that I've seen in photos, plus the Logberg (Law Rock) and where the two teutonic plates meet. Can anyone give me any advice on how best to see these places? Is much walking involved? Where should we park, as I notice there are several parking lots. Does anyone have any good links, maps, blogs or pictures that would help me get a sense of what the park is like?

 

I know there is a visitor center there, but if I could get any information before I go, I think it might enable us to save our time and feet a little bit for the rest of the circle.

We plan to visit Iceland in the next couple of years in conjunction with a Baltic cruise. Unfortunately I can't help with your questions yet but wanted to suggest posting this in a forum on Trip Advisor. They likely have an Iceland forum and you could glean loads of information from it. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

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This is all BEYOND AWESOME - how exciting for you and your family!!

THANK YOU [emoji2] Itll be hard not to tell but Ive got all year to think up Disney type clues to wrap for Christmas morning and make the trip the big reveal [emoji322]

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You're asking about two different things there.

 

 

 

Door decorations - typically people will make Disney-themed magnets to put on their doors.

 

 

 

The gift exchange is called Fish Extenders. The holder for messages outside most doors on the most of the ships is a fish. If a Roll Call is started for your cruise, someone may organize a Fish Extender Exchange group. You must sign up for it, it's not something that DCL does, only the people within your group.

 

 

 

You make a hanging pocket organizer type thing that hangs off the message holder (hence Fish "Extender") and others in your group (that have signed up to participate) will leave little surprises during the cruise. You, in turn, must also drop off surprises for them.

HOW ADORABLE[emoji2]

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As for this part, I'm glad you're considering doing it and I do think it's useful to compare to the WDW park experience - the DCL experience I think is really a more high-end experience (realizing that the price tag of a WDW vacation is already pretty high-end) that you get in the parks - in the same way that the Beach Club resort or the Wilderness Lodge are more high-end experiences than the Value Resorts. You have the Disney theming, but also Disney's non-character take on the environment/context - in the case of DCL, you get to see what Disney does with a nautical theme (just like how the Wilderness Lodge borrows the best elements of classic National Park resorts, etc.). Does that make sense? Basically, I've felt like the Disney is there, but only the best parts, and not as in your face as you might think.

Thank you!! After I sent my inquiry to you this morning I called DCL myself to ask some basic questions and ended up booking a Disney cruise for early next year! Lol!! I was already excited after reading your review and seeing the utter glee and excitement on the faces of your children! When I spoke to the rep on the phone and he was equally as upbeat I booked it on the spot. I'm super excited and think DCL should give you a finder's fee!! Lol. Thanks for the feedback! I'm gonna finish reading your trip review then head over to the roll call for my pending Disney cruise!! [emoji38] I'm going to "TRY" to keep it a secret from my kids and give it to them as their Christmas gift! Fingers crossed that their grandparents (who may accompany us) won't let it slip! [emoji87]

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We only flew into Dubai once, but it was a very busy airport. It took at least an hour to get through customs. By the time you deplane, get through the airport and customs it will likely be mid morning. You can head over to the port. If you are interested, there is a nice duty free shop (at the airport) if you want to carry some wine on board.

 

If you have a later departure, you may be able to hire a taxi, take a quick tour of that amazing city and then go to the port.

 

enjoy

M

Yes it took us awhile too but baggage claim actually took the longest for us! We even joked that the luggage must've fallen into the ocean along the way!

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Hi Guys,

 

I know you get a time to board with RCI but for those who's been to Dubai on Vision, has anyone booked the flight and cruise separately? As I wont be taken to the hotel first (didn't realize they did this :() what time can I turn up to the port if my flight gets in at 8am? Is there somewhere I can chill out and wait?

 

I did ask for suggestions on what to do whilst I wait but I'd rather just get to the port and wait....if I'm allowed to.

 

Thanks

 

Dean

Hi Dean! My husband and I just returned from Dubai a couple of weeks ago. We did not cruise from there only visited the city and surrounding areas. The city is AMAZING so hopefully you'll get to explore it BUT as another person stated, you will be exhausted when you get off the flight. We flew from the states and that long international flight was a beating. I'd suggest a quick tour of the city via cab (not Lexus cab because it's more expensive) en route to the cruise terminal and then exploring more extensively upon disembarkation. Hope this helps. Have fun!!!! [emoji2][emoji2] We had a blast in Dubai!!!

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We certainly don't get to eat like this at home. As any busy family with three kids - DS10, DS6, DD4, meals most nights are not the prettiest (although usually quite nutritious). How wonderful to be served better than average food multiple times per day in a kid-friendly environment?

Hi Davidmbfonz! Love the review and the pictures!! We've never cruised Disney but have cruised Carnival (3X's), Royal Caribbean (2X's), Holland & Peter Deilmann (European River cruiseline that closed). My kids (DS10 & DD7) have been on Carnival (LOVED IT!) and Royal Caribbean (liked it but not nearly as much as Carnival's kid program). Disney was never on my radar (until recently) as we've been to Disney World several times with them and I wrongfully assumed (it seems from your review) they were similar experiences. One of my coworkers went on a Disney cruise this past summer. Though this is her only cruise ever and her son is 4 she swears by it!!! It made me rethink it.

Now for my question, since my kids are 7 and 10 are they getting "too old" for a Disney cruise?! They turn 8 and 11 this year and there's no way we can squeeze in another trip in this year's travel calendar. DH and I are taking a trip next fall for our 15 year anniversary that'll max out all of his vacation BUT I'm toying with the idea of the January 2018 sailing from Galveston to San Juan now that I've read your review! The itinerary looks amazing! Eek! Dare I add one more thing and just take kids without DH so they can experience a Disney cruise while they're still awed by Disney (plus it's cheaper than other sailings given it ends in San Juan)?! OR am I worried for nothing and DCL is so amazing that I can wait a few more years (9 and 12 or 10 and 13 yrs old) and kids will be fine and still love it? Right now I feel like "Hurry hurry!" like I'm chasing their "biological kid clock" to get it in before they are "too big" to enjoy. Any feedback on appropriate DCL age of kids for greatest enjoyment for them would be so appreciated! Thanks [emoji16]

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For people who have things to do and places to go, they should get off and enjoy.

 

Port days can be pretty much like sea days, just without as much crowding. Usually plenty of available loungers by the pool, discounts in the spa, no waiting for the flowrider or zipline (I've been there when they begged me to go again while I was still harnessed up), etc. There is still some Trivia, but much less crowded and cut-throat than usual (and better chances of winning). MDR is NOT open for lunch, but the Windjammer etc is relatively calm. The Captain lets you blow the ship horn (okay, lying about that one). To be honest nothing exciting happening, but a day more relaxing than most which your parents might find wonderful.

Thank you TravelerThom! I will let them know. They're quite sedentary and typically go on vacation only to lie around in the hotel room (rolling my eyes) but I'm hopeful they'll enjoy the cruise enough to be willing to travel more with us in the future.

I laughed about the captain allowing you to blow the ship's horn. Lol. That's a good one! [emoji38]

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