HuliHuli

We've found that the coffee bar on Fantasy class ships is a great part of the Cheers program, where you can get regular or spiked coffees, milkshakes and other beverages, e.g., Honest Tea, as part of the program.

Whether you feel "nickel and dimed" is very subjective; personally I focus on overall best value.  We've sailed Carnival and NCL about equally (see signature block) and find things we like with both lines.  To arrive at "best value" I factor in ALL of the cost for equivalent cruises, i.e., cruise fare, included extras (drinks, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, etc.), cabin type, required gratuities, on-board credits, port costs (including parking), insurance, etc. - literally everything.  It is easy then to calculate a daily cost of cruising.  Not only does that provide a comparable metric between cruises/lines, but it better educates you on what extras you may have to pay on-board (the nickles & dimes).  Then there are the subjective factors, i.e., mood of the ship where Carnival is more party-like, size of the ship (we've only cruised Fantasy-class on Carnival), port selections and timing of the cruise, etc.  There are truly so many variables, it's nearly impossible to assess one over another.  Over time you will find your cruise niche, but the common thread is that any day cruising is better (period).

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

Negative.  There is no federal law that requires prescriptions to be in their original labeled containers.  

Uh, negative again in that it is State laws that mandate prescriptions be in the original containers in which they were dispensed.  There is a wealth of data on-line from legal firms quoting the applicable laws.

Thanks

I also went to the Carnival Elation Roll Call page and posted the original message again. Hope that works.

;p

There isn't a Roll Call for that sailing yet (15 June). OP, now is your chance to create a Roll Call for your sailing!

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=34

Well indeed ProgRockCruiser, that was my intent. From what guidance I could find on this forum, posting the message as I did, should result in a roll call page in 24-48 hours. If it doesn't, I'll try again.

Thanks.

I know it is 271 days until we cruise and hopefully all of you are looking forward to another cruise that sails before this one (I know I am), but hey, it's never too early to start a dialog for a summer cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. Personally I have never sailed to these ports and I find that one of the most exciting aspects of cruising. So if you are going on this cruise and have experiences to share about Amber Cove and/or Grand Turk, please log in and share with your shipmates.

Cheers, HuliHuli :D

Exactly...but some folks just prefer one line over another, and some here take issue with that too...some think more than 2 drinks a day is binge drinking, some say that’s just getting past breakfast while on vacation. We are all different..one reason threads like this make me chuckle at times. Cruise on..

Fair enough PTC DAWG, and indeed cruise line and cruise ship preferences, as well as loyalty programs, itinerary, cruise dates, and a host of other intangible factors are all part of the "best value" equation. IMHO, folks are free to make their cruise choices based on any factors they may so desire. I make my decisions based on the factors I outlined and if it doesn't work out to be the best experience, I know who to blame. :D

Hey OP, I actually think it’s an interesting question. Given you are only paying the daily gratuity, it may actually make sense if you like n/a frozen drinks and mocktails. I’m betting you could get a specialty coffee drink with the shot “on the side” of you asked.

L1211: You are spot-on with your suggestion that you can get a "coffee" (I won't label it specialty because that is a bit subjective), but we ordered many Irish coffees on the BA with the Irish on the side - DH drank the Irish and DW the coffee. I must say, the bartender was a bit confused the first time we asked, but quickly caught on to the plan and was happy to oblige.

Imagine my surprise when the total cruise cost amount included a $178 service charge for the "Free Drinks." What is free about that? I chatted with a NCL rep and was told the service charge is the 20% gratuities for the free drinks! Free drinks should include the gratuities or it isn't really free.

Nothing is free people, do some simple math and cruise on..

PTC DAWG has the right idea on this, BUT do that math on the WHOLE of your cruise vacation cost. To single out just the $178 service charge misses the big picture. What do you have to pay for the entirety of YOUR DESIRED CRUISE EXPERIENCE? Include cruise fare; gov't. taxes & port fees; costs of all "included" promos, special dining, gratuities, and daily service charges; cost to get to and from the port, e.g., airfare, mileage, hotel, etc.; travel insurance; and don't forget to subtract the on-board credit or cash cards your TA might provide. ONLY then do you have a NET total cost to compare between cruise lines on which you can draw the conclusion of what is the BEST VALUE for your cruise.

As for live music, the ones we liked were a french woman who sang and was accompanied by a guitar and upright base player... believe they were called Sunset Trio? Then there was a band composed of a female and male singer and a couple of guys playing various instruments that did a pure Beatles tribute concert and then a lot of other pop/rock covers at their other performances. There was also a pianist who did a lot of Frank Sinatra-style music.

Thanks Jamie - so nothing particularly Caribbean in genre. Booked Specialty Dining today. :D

I was just on the Gem for the first time earlier this month.

Pros:

- Fantastic live music every day in various areas of the ship

 

Cons:

- Specialty restaurants were all booked up by the end of the first day

Could someone comment on the types of live music that are played, e.g., steel pan, cello quartet, etc?

If the Specialty Dining is booked, are walk-ups still possible?

My guess would be an older demographic

 

Families with kids say ages 10 and up won't be there as it's really a lot of school time to miss

 

Families with kids 10 and under won't be there because those are youngish families that probably have thanksgiving traditions if they have family nearby or if not would probably prefer to travel home for thanksgiving versus a cruise

 

Couples...older... with family that live far away that won't be seeing them for thanksgiving..yup

 

This cruise is on the longer side plus it covers thanksgiving so that is what will determine the demographics

 

If I had no commitment to family...if I had a job that allowed me to take the time off...or was retired...and had no reason to want or need to be home for thanksgiving I'd book this cruise.

I think you missed one @maggie cruises: Bring the whole family on a Thanksgiving cruise - parents, grown children and five grandchildren. Given favorable school closing dates, the oldest grand kids only miss two days of school. Now the challenge is getting a table for 11 on the Gem. :D

When it comes to questions like this, I go back to a familiar Dutch saying that I learned while living there, i.e., ‘over smaak valt niet te twisten’. The translation is essentially 'one can’t argue about taste'! So as esm54687 responded, one person's favorite could be your least desired choice. We've tried them all, but Cagneys, simply because I can grill a good steak at home, but installing a Teppenyaki grill in my kitchen is not going to happen. Try the ones you think fit your 'smaak' (tastes) and decide for yourself.

Wow! I honestly did not know this. Gosh, that's a little intimidating I think now to bid for me.

If you did not know this, you did not read the bid offer and rules. It is expressly stated up front. Read and be informed before bidding! Not being harsh, just candid.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1139/~/documents-needed-to-take-a-cruise

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We had a B6 balcony on the most recent BA cruise. Size is great, but they put two loungers, two chairs, and two tables on it which take up +/- 80% of the space. Have the steward remove what you don't want. Also, with sea swells of >15', for a couple of days it was unusable due to waves crashing against the side of the ship and splashing up to deck 10. Still I would do it again.

I am sailing the Getaway on January 7, and there was not time offered. I sailed this same ship last January and a time WAS offered. I called my cruise consultant, and he said that the Getaway was no longer on their list of ships requiring a check in time. I thought that odd, as that ship has 4500 passengers.

The Getaway has a 3,963 guest capacity.

In my experiences they cool things down (chill) but don't approach what a fridge at home does as far as keeping things really cold...bosco

Ours on the BA these past two weeks kept our sparkling wine iced cold the whole trip except when the ship's circuit breaker popped a couple of times.

We chose a 9:30 check-in time (no need to 'break the rules' as some suggest) and arrived about 9:15 owing to a fast Uber from the hotel. We waited inside until they opened the security lines a few minutes later. We were fully checked-in and seated comfortably by 10:00 with boarding group 7, which literally boarded a few minutes after The Haven and Platinum. With time spent at the box office booking shows, we were still able to get a table immediately and start lunch before noon.

We had thought about getting Vibe passes, but decided against it. It would have been a total waste of money due to weather and the fact that there was NEVER a shortage of good loungers on the upper decks in the best of weather, and the Vibe bar is available to anyone outside of the Vibe Beach area.

There was a range of comedy on board, but we only saw three shows. (Note: no need to reserve). We often find cruise ship comedy crude with more than necessary foul language – that was not the case on BA that seemed to strike a good balance in adult humor. Burn the Floor was tremendous, but Rock of Ages included crude acts that detracted from the show. Howl at the Moon was an awesome mix of great music and interwoven comedy – Rachael, Steve & Tom really blended together quite well.

GSC was the best day of the cruise! We caught the first Tender (after the crew) and were able to secure well shaded loungers for the day. Note: Book your tenders as soon as you can for the best excursion. Food, drinks and music were all great; the water was cool, but very swimmable.

We did do the Escape Room, which was fairly challenging; our team only got about half of the clues…watch out for red herrings. We also did “Wine Lovers the Musical,” which was well worth the price of admission even if you have the UBP. Here again, book this early if you want to attend. While the music in the blues club (FatCats) was good, it was much louder than necessary, which detracted from the experience.

We booked excursions at Costa Maya and Grand Cayman Island, but missed the former when the ship was redirected to Cozumel due to an on-board medical emergency, and cancelled the latter after boarding the cruise bus when the tour operator attempted to get everyone to sign an ‘open-ended’ waiver because the water was extremely rough at the beach (NOT swimmable) and it was raining. We refused to sign and suggested if conditions were so bad, they should cancel. They refused at first and would not agree to a refund. When we pressed them they relented and agreed to allow us to cancel and NLC readily agreed. Point: Stand your ground if something is not right. Your excursion contract is with NCL, not the operator.

We did not go to Margaritaville except for breakfast (complimentary) on one of the better sea days. Pretty much every time we went by there, it was >75% empty. There is plenty of great food elsewhere on the ship and you can get the same drinks anywhere so why pay $15?

More to follow when I get my review together. Happy sailing!

No, and not a good comparison in my opinion. First class are reserved seats, Haven access is not the same.

Wrong! The Haven is a reserved area for Haven guests, period.

A well known Dutch proverb says "over smaak valt niet te twisten," which generally translated says there is no point to arguing about taste...people's tastes differ.

We really enjoyed the salad bar and wide variety of meats; left very full!

My first cruise on NCL was in the Haven and needless to say was a great experience. Shortly thereafter I booked my current cruise with NCL. BUT, the way NCL has treated their clients on the 12/3 BA cruise has led me to shelve plans for two more NCL cruises in 2018 pending the experience we have in a couple of weeks. The NCL customer service team needs to learn how to communicate with passengers after a wholesale change of itinerary. I and numerous other people have pleaded with NCL for more information about the decisions they made and why; we have largely heard crickets. Since we were past the final payment, we were stuck and their lack of communication with us says to me they don’t care about the impact of their decisions on our cruise satisfaction. If they don’t care then they certainly are not going to get my future business. I’ll try RCCL next or return to Carnival.

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