Smq123

Trying to locate Tony Deen. Tony, if you see this I’m trying to find you! I’m in Rm. 6336. Trying to organize our tour in Tokyo. 
 

Susie

Got this email on Tuesday. No more covid protocals for Australia

Just got another email fro. Carnival yesterday. It now looks like we have to get our visas for Indonesia on our own. Originally they sent an email saying that they were doing it for everyone on the ship, and adding $35 charge to all accounts. We don't know what changed over the last month. Gonna wait a few days before doing ourselves to see if there is a clarification.

10 minutes ago, Smq123 said:

Hi John,

we are really excited about this excursion. We don’t have anything specific that we want to see. I’ll defer to our tour guide for recommendations. I’d like to shop to pick up some gifts.

 

If you have any other excursions that need 2 more people we would love to join. 
 

Thank you so much for organizing this!

Susie

Sorry Tony!! I’ll definitely remember your name now. 
 

Hello John & Donna.
 

Looking forward to meeting everyone. 
 

susie

Hi John,

we are really excited about this excursion. We don’t have anything specific that we want to see. I’ll defer to our tour guide for recommendations. I’d like to shop to pick up some gifts.

If you have any other excursions that need 2 more people we would love to join. 
 

Thank you so much for organizing this!

Susie

Did everyone get the email about covid testing from Carnival? We are not sure how to read this. It impies that you can take your own at home test the day before, but how do you show them a negative readout? Do you bring the test itself to show them? Unless I am reading this wrong, that seems like the only way.

Hi Theresa. Bobby & I are doing the 7 days to GBR too. I’ve never seen great libraries on any ship I’ve been on & we’ve done 27 cruises. I’m taking 5 books with me & depending on what you like to read I’m happy to give my books away once completed. 

On 2/11/2023 at 12:09 PM, deentonyo said:

Hi Susan, that’s wonderful! Would you like to do a whale watch in Icy Strait Point? It’s supposed to be spectacular whale viewing. We are going, prices seem somewhat high so maybe a group would help 😊

Hello, again! I love cruise roll calls because you can become friends with people before you even step foot on the ship & then you look forward to actually meeting them in person.

Bobby & I did a B2B to Alaska in September 2022. Everything in Alaska is expensive! We did a whale watching tour in Juneau through the ship excursions. We were on a boat that held approximately 75 people. We saw a lot of tails & blowholes in the distance. There were smaller boat private tours that could zip very closely to the whales once they were spotted and we realized that’s the kind of boat you really need to be on for whale watching. All the boats seem to communicate with each other and the smaller boats can get really close to the whales. The bigger boats seem to keep their distance. A lot of our fellow passengers did whale watching in Icy Strait Point & they were lucky enough to see Orcas. We would be very interested in doing whale watching in Icy Strait Point if it’s a small boat. 
We already did this so we wouldn’t be interested in doing it again but if you want to see bears Ketchikan is the place to do that. In September the salmon are running and it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll see bears catching salmon. We even saw bears with their cubs. 
Really looking forward to our cruise, and meeting all the lovely people on our roll call. 
 

On 2/8/2023 at 6:35 PM, deentonyo said:

Hi everyone, so super excited for this cruise 😁 Tony and Denise here from Rhode Island. Yes, two ppl from the smallest state going on such an epic cruise. 
 

Hoping we can tag team w a couple of other peeps and not get too lost lmao. So far we have arranged a tour for Tokyo and it’s for six ppl, so four spots remain. I would pay in advance and collect from you once onboard. This one is $100 USD per person and it spells out like this…

 

“Visiting today's most charming spots of Tokyo, feel the beat of this attractive city, guided by your experienced private guide. Through Tokyo's meticulously organized train/subway system we will cover not only the hot spots like Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa or Akihabara but also any spot you would like to see.

We can tailor arrange our visiting spots according to your group's specific interest. If you have any other specific spot of interest than the listed spots, that will be added or substituted.
Note: Sumo training house visit is not a part of this tour.

As Tokyo is such a big city, it takes 2. 5 days to cover major tourism spots. Please select 4 to 5 spots for a day. We use public transportation and walk 2 to 3 ml(4 to 6 km) depending on the selected course.”

 

since we get to choose four spots, each couple would choose one they like to see ❤️ please notate that it takes public transport, so please be willing to do that and all that that may entail 😊 Also, it was specified that the public transport would be our individual cost, I think it’s quite minimal. They suggested $20 USD for subway and lunch costs.

 

EEEK, Can Not Wait. 
 

I’m gonna look for a group tour for the underground cave systems in Puerto Princesa also, if anyone wants to tag along

Hi Tony & Denise. We are Susie & Bobby from Long Island, NY. We would love to join your Tokyo tour. It sounds wonderful to us. If you want to contract us to discuss details I can provide my email. Thank you  for organizing a wonderful day in Tokyo. We would also be interested in joining any other activities at our other ports. 

Thank you @CruizinSusan70 for your helpful suggestions and information. I very much appreciate it. One bad cruise on a cruise line would never make me totally rule out ever trying that cruise line again. There’s so many people that absolutely love & rave about Carnival so I’m guessing we just hit bad luck with the cruise we picked. I loved the comedians & the comedy venture and I met tons of lovely people on board that said the cruise we were on was very usual to their prior experiences. 

My husband & I are relatively new to cruising compared to many seasoned cruisers on CC.  In the past 5 yrs, excluding 1.5 yrs of non-cruising due to Covid-19, we’ve been on 26 cruises. Full disclosure my husband is retired FDNY, I can work remotely, and we’re gamblers which means we get really great rates. We started on NCL & have done 19 cruises with them. Our friends are very loyal to Royal so we’ve been on 4 Royal cruises and we’ve done 1 Carnival cruise. I personally think your question is very hard to answer because most things differ from cruise line to cruise line, ship to ship on the same cruise line, and the time of year you pick to cruise and the itinerary. That being said, try NCL! Personally it’s my favorite but there’s tons of things I loved about RCCL. We were on the Carnival Magic when they had the infamous brawl in the night club in the early hours before disembarkation. But we have an upcoming cruise on Carnival Luminosa in September 2023. It’s a B2B so we’ll be on that ship for 40 days. IMHO, it’s fun seeing what other cruise lines offer and how they differ amongst their competition. The entertainment, if that’s your thing, is great on both NCL & RCCL. But the funniest comedians I’ve seen were on Carnival where overall I didn’t think the entertainment was that great. The size of the ship matters too if you want all the bells & whistles. As far as food, I’ve had great food & horrible food on all the forementioned cruise lines. What’s definitely the most obvious is that for all cruise lines I’ve mentioned the quality of food & the potion sizes have constantly decreased in the short amount of time we have been cruising. So if food is your thing, most definitely consider purchasing a dining package. Try NCL I think you’ll really enjoy it. If you’re looking for a cruise that has a very active cruise director and an opportunity to meet people that you’ll continue to run into a mid-size ship or smaller is the best bet. The one thing that I didn’t like about Carnival was kids & teenagers having no curfew & entertaining themselves by running up & down the hallways typically after midnight & banging on cabin doors. Whatever decision you make enjoy your next cruise. 

We were just in Alaska last September, same time. We had days of 70 degrees and sun, and  miserable windy rainy cold days. You really have to pack for 4 seasons, and just for the couple days in Alaska, it kinda stinks.

On 11/14/2022 at 7:54 AM, EngIceDave said:

Thank you, but we start in Alaska

 

 

On 11/4/2022 at 4:12 PM, Sugar&Buddy said:

Is RC a good choice for Alaska cruise? Princess highly recommended for cruisetours they are selling out  quickly.

 

Any cruise to Alaska is a great choice! If possible, definitely pick an itinerary with Glacier Bay. RCCL doesn’t go to Glacier Bay. For many, it’s the highlight of their Alaskan cruise. It’s truly beautiful. Also, pay close attention to the amount of time allotted to each port. We did a B2B on NCL Jewel in September & we had 6-8 hours at each port. The bigger NCL ships only spent a few hours at some of the ports which meant if they did an excursion there wasn’t much time for anything else. 

Hello soon to be friends. We are Bobby & Susie from Long Island, New York. We booked this cruise a few weeks ago & I just looked to see if there was a roll call and was pleasantly surprised to find all of you! I’m excited that all of you seem to be experienced cruisers with fantastic ideas, and are opened to sharing private tours if the ones offered aren’t appealing. We are also considering adding the 7 day Great Barrier Reef cruise and now I’m thinking maybe we should do a 3rd one & add on the South Pacific! We’re also of like mind that we should capitalize on seeing as much as we can when we are in this part of the world. 

This cruise will be the longest we’ve ever been on a ship and only our second Carnival cruise. We loved the itinerary and I have a 1st cousin that lives in Brisbane with his family & I’ve been promising for years that I’d visit one day! This cruise seemed like a fantastic way to make that happen. 

We were just on a B2B NCL cruise to Alaska in September and for those of you who haven’t even considered this we had 2 nights of spectacular views of the Northern Lights while we were on the ship! It was magical! September is also a great month for seeing bears who are feasting on salmon before hibernation. 
 

We’re excited to meet all of you & to keep in touch sharing ideas for excursions and any research we find to enhance our trip to the other side of the world. I love that we have this forum to discuss our ideas & to get to know each other before our journey together begins. 

Susie & Bobby. 
 

In January, leaving out of NYC Pier 88, going on an NCL cruise, my slightly used suitcase arrived at our door with 3 wheels ripped off & one side completely cracked. The bottom of the case was also cracked and missing. Except for the one wheel which was still attached. I unpacked & brought the case to guest services & filled out a report. I was told someone would contact me the next day. No one ever contacted me. On day 3 I went back to guest services and I was told my suitcase had been sent to the carpenter to be repaired. I laughed out loud & told the woman at guest services that my suitcase was not made of wood & therefor I couldn’t imagine how a carpenter could fix my damaged case & that I needed to know asap what to do because on day 4 we would be in Puerto Rico & I knew there was a Marshall’s there to purchase a new suitcase. The woman at guest services called the carpentry department & surprise, surprise, he couldn’t fix it. They immediately brought out 2 very nice suitcases which I could chose the one I liked best to keep. Unfortunately, the cases were carry on sized. I was told NCL would give me $100 OBC if I have gave them a receipt from my new suitcase purchase. When we got to San Juan I ran to Marshalls & purchased the cheapest suitcase I could find for $129.99. What I discovered while at Marshall’s looking a suitcases was that there were actually 4 of us that had our suitcases damaged. So my recommendation would be to go to TJ Maxx or Marshall’s & buy a cheap suitcase & hope for the best. I’ve been on 19 cruises & I’ve only experienced this one time. 

1 hour ago, mets123 said:

There is always the 2/20 sale on the last sea day. Regular selection varies from cruise to cruise. Liquor selection is hit or miss as well.

•  

On the Anthem last week it was the 2/25 sale on the last sea day. 

I was on the Breakaway in November ‘21, 14 day cruise. No behind the scenes tour & no dinner with the officers. We were provided a letter that said canceled due to Covid restrictions. I was on the Gem in February & we received a letter stating those activities were canceled but to please go to the cruise next office. When we went to Cruise Next office we were given Lattitude pins and my husband & I were told we were receiving OBC in lieu of that platinum perk. I believe we received $100 OBC. 

1 hour ago, PIR8LUVR said:

I was on Harmony last week. Someone vandalized our luggage before we got to our room. We were told that individual was disembarked in St. Maarten.

I’m so sorry that happened to you. What a terrible way to start a vacation. The behavior of people sometimes really shocks me. I’m even more shocked that people don’t realize they are on camera. What a terrible thing to do. I wish I could say I hope they learned their lesson. But if you’re going to sink to that level maybe it’s to late to learn anything. Hope you still had a wonderful vacation & are thinking about investing in good locks for your luggage. 

Absolutely correct. Security comes. Then a psych exam. Then escorted to the ship jail. Then the boyfriend is notified. Then the boyfriend is told pay $ to fix room, pay $ for psych exam, get him a direct flight & a car service to meet us in port or we press charges. 

1 hour ago, Jasukkie said:

Alright, I'm sucked in. Why was the guy so mad that he trashed the room? Did that have something to do with the daughter charging the rolexes? Was the daughter originally in a room with her mother, and her mother's boyfriend? And that boyfriend is not a boyfriend of the two guys?

 

And they have extra TVs onboard to replace torn down ones but not pinot grigio?

Yeah and the TVs are made in China. Go figure. Lol

I was on the ship. I was on 1st name basis with all parties involved.  If my husband trashed the room and/or my daughter bought herself several Rolexes on my credit card, they would be kicking ME off the ship because I would be mad, mortified, and probably shaking with anger. If my husband or daughter were thrown off the ship it would be incredibly difficult for me to remain on ship, and I certainly would be unable to enjoy the rest of the cruise. I know for a fact I wouldn’t be sharing it with my fellow cruisers. I would be embarrassed by their behavior. There’s no way you can justify that behavior. That’s just me. 
 

The remaining boyfriend told anyone who would listen what happened. And the story occasionally changed but for the most part we all heard the same story. My friends who spent most of their time in the solarium knew the story verbatim. They never even walked into the casino.They also heard it from the boyfriend directly. 
 

As per the boyfriend, they repaired the damage to the room pretty quickly. I asked if he moved rooms & he said no. So it’s debatable how trashed it really was. It cost $6000 to repair according to boyfriend. 
 

I also asked why would you welcome a complete stranger into your room? I’m in my 50s, haven’t you ever heard of “stranger danger?!” Seemed odd to me. He said he felt bad. He clearly saw her behavior for several days prior to moving her in. 
 

Whether it was mental illness, too much alcohol, or whatever we want to call it, everyone on the ship was shocked by their behavior. The people that shouldn’t have been shocked??? The boyfriend and the mom. That behavior didn’t suddenly appear when they decided to sail the high seas. 

For the record, I loved my 1st cruise on RCCL. I was with a group of friends that are Royal Loyal. I thought the ship was beautiful, the entertainment, especially main stage, was amazing, and the crew were fantastic! I won’t hesitate to book another RC cruise, in fact, I’ll be back in June 2022. 
 

That being said, I noticed more so on the Anthem than any other ship I have been on since cruising resumed, that things were out of stock or non existent. The crew would profusely apologize when they no longer had something & promised it would reappear after restocking in Port Canaveral. In certain cases they were correct but some items were never available. Was it a big deal to me personally… no. Was it a big deal to some of the people I was traveling with…yes. Is it worth mentioning so my fellow cruise critic members are aware if they are boarding the Anthem in the near future? I thought it was worth mentioning. If you love Pinot Grigio you might want to bring some on board with you. Or Diet Coke. 
 

I am well aware that items are scarce in the grocery stores. I am also well aware that I can walk into any liquor store & purchase any of the items that were missing  on the ship. I might not be able to find cream cheese or vitamin water but I can certainly find Pinot Grigio. 
 

I received the RCCL survey late last night. I am going to give a glorious review. I wrote down a list of crew that I believe deserve recognition because they were wonderful. We are all big tippers & no one was penalized because they didn’t have what we wanted. We adapted & we were fine. It was 7 days of our life. But I will include a list of items that were missing in the hope that they aren’t missing for future cruisers. If that’s possible. Given the time we are currently living in. 

4 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Can those in the know, elaborate on what “trashing the room“ means?  
 

thanks 

 

m

Broke all the lamps, ripped the tv off the wall & destroyed it, etc. I was told by the boyfriend it was $6,000 worth of damage.