carohs

Well, no one ever needs a balcony, and anyway I most frequently will book an inside room anyway and spend my $ elsewhere. Especially in Hawaii, we would rather put the money towards excursions than a room upgrade. We never missed the balcony. By the time we actually made it back to our rooms (after dinner and a couple of drinks), we were tired and ready for bed. Heck, most days I was tired before getting back on the ship.

Sorry I missed you live, but I managed to get caught up. That sure went by too fast, but it was fun while it lasted. 

And just because no one else did ...

On 3/14/2024 at 3:43 PM, TxTeach79 said:

He’s banging the gavel so hard #notaeuphemism

That's what she said. 

6 hours ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Grand total on the Jade remains $3024.

Grand total on the Legend adding the value of the free at sea perks to make it comparable now totals $3221

That's only a $200 difference, yes NCL can be cheaper and it's a great value for some. I'm not in any way bashing NCL as I like their product too. But with only a $200 difference (maybe it's having one port less?) how do you argue that the cost of FAS is not baked in? 

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Fine let’s do two. The cheapest I can get for two on Carnival is $1,763 with no extras. The cheapest I can get on NCL for two is 906 that includes drinks and two specialty dinners for two.

 

 

Hmm I find this comparison interesting. Not exactly the same since one is a closed loop. Although the NCL one may arguably have a better itenarary for visiting Alaska. I'm willing to bet the NCL one doesn't include air, too. Not that the CCL one does. But NCL cruise fares have been known to drop as they get closer to sail date, and maybe it's a coincidence but they also drop the FAS BOGO air closer to sail date too.

Don't get me wrong I do think NCL can be a great value and continue to keep an eye on their offers. But although they can be a great value it's not always going to be the case. 

2 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison. Encore is a far superior ship to Spirit or Luminosa. The NCL port in Seattle is in a more desirable location and the Sat-Sat schedule is more desirable than Tue-Tue or Thur-Thur.

 

But I’ll play the game. I went with two people since that’s what I figured you did. Somehow I came up with $5,300 to $3,900 for a balcony. That’s without my 10% discount from NCL which would knock $500 off or using a cruise certificate which would knock another 150-250 off. You’re going to have to add a drink package for two to that carnival one. And two nights in the streakhouse to even things out. That’s another $1,200 so that brings it up to $5,100 for carnival.

 

 

This pretty much sums up the point I was trying to make. Add in the taxes and fees and subtract the FAS gratuities, and NCL is more than the cost of the CCL cruise. I don't need to or want to add any extras or drink package. Just comparing the two fares above, CCL would come out ahead for me. 

6 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I think their prices are probably better for everyone except casino players. I don’t think most couples enjoy dropping a grand a week for drinks on carnival.

 

Yes but are you comparing prices with an included drink package on both? OP has already provided examples of where Carnival comes out ahead if you have no interest in any drink package. For the most part we don't drink enough to make a package worth it and even when we do it's a nice glass of wine. You're right, we aren't spending the grand, we're bringing our two bottles and supplementing with a drink or two on board, which can be way cheaper than booking on NCL. NCL can also lose value for the customer if for example the customer isn't flying in. When you booked you looked at the total cost for things you would have purchased anyway out of pocket and NCL worked in your favor. But if I'm looking at a few nights, out of a port I can drive to, more likely than not NCL isn't going to be the best deal for me. 

You know what would be nice is if my allowed bottle of wine on CCL for a 3 night cruise, would be doubled for a 7 night cruise. Twice the nights, why shouldn't I be able to bring on two bottles? 

1 hour ago, Daruma said:

 

Wife hates cruising... hates beachy, swimmy warm climate vacations, and prefers hikey, woodsy, cooler climate vacations. 

 

I'm the opposite. 

 

So, we go on two vacations a year together as a family, then we each take our preferred vacation solo... though I require our now 22 yr old son to accompany her because I don't want her traveling alone... he's never had a problem with this, lol. 

 

It's probably only been in the last ten years or so that we've advanced far enough in our careers to be able to afford this. 

 

I'd always taken my solo vacation on a land based tropical trip. 

 

It wasn't until my son asked for a 4 day cruise, (Royal Caribbean), with friends for his college graduation gift, (coming in May), that cruising again entered my head, and that I could now afford to go solo. 

 

Wife didn't enjoy the first cruise at all, and the only reason we went on the Disney cruise at all was for our then 8 yr old Cub 😁

 

I enjoyed both cruises immensely, so depending on how I feel with this, it may become my goto drug 😂

 

 

DH and I are the reverse in what we like. But since I'm the vacation planner, we've been doing cruises. He does get to go camping almost once a month but that's more or less local. And he did really enjoy the scenery and weather of our Alaska cruise, and the hikeyness of our Hawaii cruise. 

I hear you about career advancement, I don't think my past self 10 years ago ever really thought she'd get to plan these kinds of vacations let alone on a semi regular basis. 

If you do decide to go solo, sometimes NCL will offer a no solo supplement or solo discounted rate. It may work out better or not, depending on all those price changing factors. 

Congratulations to your son's graduation! 

Welcome back to cruising!

I've looked at and sailed both lines. I'm not dumb enough to think the cruise lines are loosing money by giving me things for "free." The cost for FAS is for sure built into the cruise fare, gratuities excluded. I agree that if you're not a drinker, you're going to find better value on any cruise that doesn't include an alcohol package. Just do the maths and pick what gives you the best value for you. 

What I find interesting is that you been on two cruises, each a decade apart, and didn't decide then to turn into a duck. What makes you think you might this time (figuratively)? 

I hope when my daughter grows up we'll have the kind of relationship you have with your mom. Looking forward to seeing what kind of hijinks y'all get into. 

I find that spring break memo somewhat reassuring. Hopefully it leads to more people second guessing their bad decisions.  

Here's my advice. Say you're not going to get cheers, and in exchange if you manage to spend over $1200 she has the right to a big ole "I told you so" for the rest of your cruising days. Nothing like giving your wife the right to an air of superiority to convince her to go your way this time around. 

I think you settled on a great compromise. We next to never head out to Catalina, but it is fun to stop there for a few hours. I liked the Radiance and the crew onboard, too. While Cabo would have been great, too, it's very touristy. Keep in mind you booked a cruise not a vacation to Mexico, and enjoy the ocean breeze as you sail on the Pacific. I second the Cloud 9 Spa pass. Neither Catalina nor Ensenada are ports that should take up most of your day, so even on port days you should have a chance to take advantage of the heat loungers or saunas. If you feel comfortable enough there's Spas in Ensenada where you can book facials or massages at a fraction of the ship's price. Easy to take a Taxi or Uber there and back. 

I've seen 3th and 4th for $99 each (plus fees) often. Still a great deal if you think about costs of food or running the kids club. What's even better is the $99 deal will be the same regardless of stateroom category booked. 

We were on Spirit late Aug 2022, and it was my least favorite cruise to date. Here's what I didn't like:

-The casino is between the atrium/lobby and the main theater. The smoking smell was not super bad, but it was at times inconvenient to either have to go thru it or around it. 

-The temp was in the low 60s high. I was definitely in my winter clothes on Tracy Arm day and still felt cold. Went inside after an hour or so. Inside viewing areas were all either crowded or obstructed. 

-I'm not a gambler or trivia enthusiast. I felt bored. They had not yet brought back any Dr. Seuss activities either. 

-The water slides water was not heated. Too cold for Alaska temps. 

-When the roof covered the pool the smoke from the forward smoking section would come in whenever someone would open that door, which was often. Because the roof was closed, the scent wouldn't dissapate. 

-Couldnt hear the poolside movie from the pool. We were swimming late and there were very few people out. Not a noise pollution issue. Had to be seated basically in front of the screen to hear. Seemed like they should have had more speakers. 

-The forward smoking section on 10 is near the kids club. Had to approach kids club from inside the ship to avoid it. 

-The pool is shown from your stateroom TV. It was a little weird knowing anyone could be watching you swim at any time. 

-Times in port were limited. We have a full day in Juno but only a few hours at night in Victoria and only til 1 or 2 pm in Ketchikan. Combine that with I'm not an early riser, and lack of activities that interested me, and you can see why that ended up being a disappointment. 

-Sea Day brunch was not very brunchy. More breakfasty with a steak choice, and less options than buffet. Slow service and couldn't order anything custom. 

-The Playlist shows were only about 30 min and not quite Broadway quality. While fun, they just didn't impress. I hadn't known what to expect since it was our first CCL cruise. 

I say all that, sounding like a privileged spoiled 1st world citizen, to explain why we didn't have the best time ever. I didn't say it was bad, just that it was our least favorite. 

6 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

The wine & bites tastings in Palo are not the "regular" tastings.  

Oh! Thanks for the info 😊

On 2/12/2024 at 12:54 PM, breezy_carol said:

A spin off question (this will be our first Disney cruise), can I pour wine into a cup in my cabin then carry it with me to dinner or a lounge?  I have a Corkcicle I did this with on my last RCL cruise.

We have often taken a glass to dinner and it's never been questioned. DH even goes as far as to request glasses from a bar, and that's never been an issue either. Haven't tried the lounge but also there's nothing preventing you from ordering a glass in one place and walking around with it to another lounge. Not like you can really tell if a glass of wine is a one of the brands offered on board once in the glass, right? 

We did them when they were $25. I wouldn't say they are worth the $85 though, unless they've changed the experience. The pours are small, and the bites were literally bite sized. 

Generally, any cruise 4 nights or longer will have a pirate night. Fireworks are only a few short minutes, but lots of people like to dress up for it. You'll repeat one of the three restaurants, depending on your rotation, but that night's menu will be Caribbean/Pirate themed. 

I agree that repositioning cruises tend to be the best priced, per night. They usually have a repositioning cruise in May that goes from FL to Barcelona. Summer 2025 cruises should be coming out real soon, sometime in March, usually. But if you're looking at 2026 you'll need to wait another year to book. The one that comes back from Europe I believe is in October. They have longer cruises too, on the Wonder around the same times, that go from Vancouver to Hawaii, then Hawaii to Australia (and back). There's been a lot of speculation on what routes will change, with the addition of the Wish and Treasure. 

Something to keep in mind is that the newer the ship the more adult areas you'll find. The Wonder/Magic only have one specialty restaurant. The Dream/Fantasy have two. 

In general, the closer to release date, the better deals you'll find. Although, sometimes, you'll find good deals for last minute sailings. DCL just opened a second private island, you can find cruises that will visit both, but these are more popular. 

Yes you'll find more kids, but they're there to experience the magic just like you are. I travel with mine, and I find that their magic and wonder adds to my experience. You'll walk past and hear a girl cry out, "mom, I see Cinderella!!" and there's just a certain joy there. But like I said they do have adults only areas too. 

Hi! Anyone cruise recently on the Miracle, that also used the Wi-Fi? DH would need it for work, for video calling specifically. Just curious if this would be do-able on this ship. Oooh, and are packages available per day on the ship, or is it better overall to pre-buy the package?

1 hour ago, cacruisin said:

SoCal where sushi and Mexican food are abundant

Yes! And we get things like sushi burritos, or rolls with jalapeños. 

And sometimes you can even find refried beans and chorizo on a pizza around here. 😂

While I would try either, I won't pay extra for food on a ship, especially pizza. 

3 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

They’re very kind to smokers on this ship compared

to others.

 

Yes. I was very put off by the amount of smoking and the location of said smokers on this ship. I should be able to swim on lido without having to smell it. Or go from the buffet to kids club, without having to go out of the way not to walk past it. 

I'm almost certain that the "kids eat free" benefit is the same as booking any other cabin. As in, kids under 12 eat free as long as they order from the kids menu. This is the same kids menu that is ship-wide. If your kid want to order off the regular Teppanyaki menu, you'll probably need to pay or use a specialty dining credit. 

Yes no sense in upheaving everything now when you haven't reduced your "threat level". Both Cabo and Ensenada are just as safe as, Los Angeles, for example. There's parts you may want to avoid but you wouldn't be going there as a tourist anyway.

The best deal we found was right after the pamper party. There were also some embarkation day specials.