AtSeaAlways

I was peeking at the website, and it seems there are now longer voyages for the smaller ship?   I am a huge Key West fan- getting there on either ship would be lovely.  It does seem with the current level of cruise occupancy and fares (both increasing) there is room for this line to make a living.  

The new staterooms on Summit are indeed nice.  And the Oceanview Cafe is lovely.  The bad news is the library poofed.  Connie has the classic 1997 library/computer room setup.  If it was me, I'd take out the stairway between them which uses a lot of space and lets noise travel.   If this is to be the world cruise ship, make the old computer center a card room and add chairs to the current library, which has a large central table.  A "library" could be made on Summit- there are some underused corners and spaces on three - but you need to not blast the music.  I get it a library is not a revenue space, etc.   If you wanted to go crazy put in a guest laundry 🙂 

On 12/11/2023 at 6:07 AM, z_cruisers said:

I am wondering if you go there on the basic pass how much is it to river tube once you're there? And how much is lunch buffet if not included? Thank you!

I did not see a price list for either extra service.  There was not a buffet price posted at the bar.  I would buy the bundle to be safe.   

Was any ballroom/latin dancing in the lounges observed?  Is there a quiet place to read, etc?  I like to wake up super early and try to escape the piped in music.  I see compared to the Connie there is no library.  

Can the new ship fit into Havana?  Whatever happened to that?  

The general advice in most ports lately- find an ATM and get bits of local currency.  On a recent Transatlantic, several ship passengers could not enter a pretty park as they did not have any Euros.   

Times have changed.  The recent surge in cruising demand has re-established the need for a low price point.  I can't blame the previous owners for COVID- they had a cool idea - it got blown up.  With deeper pockets, the fleet expansion can work.  Old small ships are tough.   New ports are good.  Tampa is ideal as the only giant ships business model (RCL, CCL) cannot ever work there.    So good medium sized ships can rule.   If I ran Grand Bahama, a trolley, train or even branded vans up to Lighthouse would be key.  They have some tourist infrastructure, it is just a drive away- similar to Atlantis in Nassau. 

Thanks.  That worked on the app.  So what is "Lounge Music" with the Lucky Band.  Could one possibly couples dance to it?   

21 hours ago, CarnivalShips480 said:

Here are some possibilities:

Costa Magica - 1358 cabins

Majesty of the Seas - 1777 cabins

Oceana - 1008 cabins

 

Majesty seems to fit the best

I would select a secondhand ship with some balcony cabins.  I think the ex HAL Veendam is out there laid up still.    Majesty has a ton of tiny inside and outside cabins which are unpopular lately.  Tampa is a good choice as you are not competing with the new jumbo liners, which will not fit into the port.  

On 8/31/2023 at 3:53 PM, Baggy178 said:

Me too.

I hate unnecessary and intrusive loud music.

It's everywhere.

Malls, stores, hotels, bars, restaurants, ships, planes.

A couple of years ago I spent two days by the pool at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

On the first day I 

discreetly ripped out every external loudspeaker around the pool and gardens.

There were 15 of them.

A few ended up in the adjacent waterway.

I left one unharmed near the outdoor bar area so no staff member would notice and amazingly no-one did. 

In restaurants before I even look at the menu I ask for the music to be turned down - if it's not I walk out.

I once took a holiday company to court and won the cost of my holiday back after staff by the pool of a Turkish hotel played the same Red Hot Chilli Peppers CD on shuffle by the pool very loudly for 10 hours every day.

Even now the sound of  Californication stirs grim memories.

Every day it's a screeching and mostly rap music onslaught on our sensibilities.

I fight back with every means I have and ripping out wires from loudspeakers is, in my opinion, perfectly justifiable.

Rant over.

According to "research" background music makes us happy, calm, more productive and buy more stuff.  Nearly all of the time it drives me crazy.  https://blog.thymebase.com/the-science-behind-background-music-for-events/
 

Based on all the negative energy we are ready to book on the Connie - a beloved ship from cruises past, and at a good price.   One question- was there any ballroom or latin guest dancing aboard?   The idea of a library is exciting compared to newer ships where these have been deleted.   And not having 4000 guests in line ahead of us- yaa.    Waiting for bus or tender #33 - no thanks.    

Could you please post a daily program?  A simple screen shot of the paper one is fine.  Looking for two things aboard- a quiet place to read in the morning (like a library- no yukky piped-in music) and any signs of ballroom dancing.  The ship has 3/4? of a promenade deck for outside walking that I can see?   We have fond memories of the Constellation and a trip to Turkey way back when. 

On 7/21/2023 at 1:33 PM, ray98 said:

Carnival should install bottle filling stations now that the trend is everyone having a water bottle within 2ft of them 24/7.

 

 

Water bottle filling stations are widely available.  Our local park has one.  It is a business decision- people prefer to purchase plastic disposable bottles 🙂 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bottled-water-chemicals-health-risk_l_630d11bfe4b065bfc4b11085

On 7/7/2023 at 10:19 AM, Red-Sol said:

One big plus for the Epic... IMHO the pool deck and Spice H2O setup on Epic is far better than on any other ship.

The Epic pool deck with the umbrella structures is large and classy 

13 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I still haven't pulled the trigger on the cruise and have one more question. Is there a quiet indoor place where you can read on the epic? I mean during the day.

The Epic has an actual library + card room which did not have the yukky piped in music on our cruise.  

Your stateroom is actually a bathroom with a bed in it- we would have liked more soundproofing around the toilet compartment. 

Was there a combo in the Oceans Bar?   We are dancers...

20 hours ago, Mrs. Dubya said:

Thanks @AtSeaAlways! That'll save me some $$$ 🙂

I forgot to add if it is streaming video- you probably should add the Premium package.  I'm not a video person- I was checking mail and looking up things to do on land.   I found Zoom worked on basic but did not test YouTube and the movie /streaming sites are filtered.   Some streaming entertainment content (sports, movies, TV) is not available outside the USA.

After a few weeks aboard the "plain" Wi-Fi + satellite Internet was OK and dependable.  Use some shareholder credit $ to help buy it once aboard.  Counting minutes and forgetting to log off is a source of stress.  You can borrow the login when he is asleep 🙂 

After our third, they keep getting better and better.  You leave the dock and get into the idea you are at sea.  So you get up, find coffee, check the program and build a day out of that.  We like a few long walks on the promenade.  MDR for all meals.  The idea you are out of reasonable helicopter rescue range (and any outside help is hours if not days away) for part of the trip adds to the adventure.   The weather at sea is just like that on land- it varies.   Waves come from storm systems, and can build up for hundreds of miles- or you can have days of dead calm.    Rumors that satellite Internet stops working mid Atlantic are false.  

Cunard does the best at these- a long list of activities.  Dressing for formal dinner takes an hour, high tea, lectures, ballroom dancing, etc.  

If you are easily bored- don't think of it.   

I have done Zoom on the basic Internet in the cabin.  Make sure you are in a good Wi-Fi signal spot.  Move the laptop if needed for stable Wi-Fi signal and the most bars.  You can shut off the video if the satellite link is congested and possibly stay on the call more reliably,  

9 hours ago, www3traveler said:

They are due in Ponta Delgada, Azores (Portugal) on Sunday the 11th.  Have not heard from him since they left Miami last Saturday the 3rd of June.

The bridge webcam updated via satellite about two hours ago- it's dark

https://www.cruisingearth.com/ship-webcams/norwegian-cruise-line/norwegian-getaway/

The satellite position report was last logged an hour ago.

NORWEGIAN GETAWAY Current Location (cruisemapper.com)

An electric cruise ship with gigantic solar sails is set to launch in 2030 (msn.com)

2 hours ago, www3traveler said:

I have a friend currently on The Getaway out in the middle of the Atlantic and he does not have Wi-Fi service.

  https://globalcomsatphone.com/support9/

Where is the ship exactly?  I have not personally had a problem in three recent crossings.  The satellite coverage maps do not show a gap.  

If you need or want to stay connected the unlimited plan is nice but pricey.  Buy it in advance it usually not cheaper on board.  Years ago I would use the bucket of minutes and attempt to log in and peek at my mail a few times a day, assuming you remember to (and can) properly log off.  The Internet Manager aboard can credit you back once only for mistakes.  You can use your smart phone and various $10 a day plans such as AT&T has in ports.  The NCL Shareholder Onboard Credit is $250 on a longer cruise of 16 nights.  I found it tricky to use that credit for an advance Internet purchase.  There are persistent rumors out here on CC the ship maritime satellite systems stop working in the middle of the Atlantic- they do not. 

Lovely ship.  My favorite Carnival feature is poolside casual Mexican- it looks like they have it.  The early MDR dining hours- check.  Bits of possible dancing- check.  CEO aboard- good thing.  Having the ship earning money vs. parked- excellent.  

After a month in Spain recently- Uber is rare over there- there still are taxis.   The US hotel chains/apps are not a thing - use Hotels.com or Orbitz.  The BCN airport bus is a money saver.  Spanish lessons.  I had to laugh- the cruise line airline departments- who sell games of chance (day of cruise flights) vs. transportation - you did luck out.  🙂