AQW

Glad I'm not the only one who immediately thought of this hilarious TikTok trend!

Sorry for the delay in responding @KmomChicago, I've been offline. I'm also afraid I won't be much help -- I couldn't tell you a thing about the upcoming NCL Alaska cruise in July other than we're going to Glacier Bay (the one thing I asked the planner to do). This is a celebration cruise for my best friend who beat breast cancer last year; her brother is planning and paying for this trip for her family and the folks who got her through the dark days. We could be on a rowboat with granola bars and juice boxes for all I care, as I'm sure you can understand! ❤️ I hope your planning is going well.

When bestie and I cruised earlier this year and wanted to avoid Covid, we brought cafeteria trays like the Amazon ones linked above, procured all our food from buffet/Guy's/deli/pizza, and ate on our beautiful bowling alley balcony. Didn't miss the dining room one bit. ❤️

I mean, I would love to hear a string quartet... I just want to hear it as I sit with my feet curled up, cocoa in hand, wearing sweats. 😂

In 2017 I took a 14-night cruise to Alaska roundtrip from Long Beach (my home port) on the Miracle. It was my favorite cruise ever. ♥️ I'll be on the Spirit to Alaska in four days! 🚢

We have very similar cruising tastes! Carnival's product is a perfect fit for me. I don't want to dress up; I don't want five-star, white-glove dinner service; I don't care if the ships are aging or décor is dated; I like tons of trivia and silly deck parties and bargain cruises. I haven't even sailed Carnival's bigger/fancier ships; other than one cruise on Splendor and one on Freedom I've sailed nothing but Spirit class and Fantasy class for my 29 Carnival cruises. Put me in my beloved bowling alley balcony on a Spirit class ship and I'm a happy gal. I tried RCL once and Disney once early in my cruising career and have stuck with Carnival exclusively for the past 12 years or so. The only two things that would get me on another line would be an itinerary I *really* want to do that I can't get on Carnival, or if somebody else is paying (I'll be doing NCL to Alaska next summer on someone else's dime, but I'd never book that myself and it doesn't appeal to me any more than Carnival).

I'm doing this excursion next month and would greatly appreciate whatever review/information you can share. Have a great time!

That part! I'm constantly floored by people who want the testing requirement dropped so they don't have to "risk missing their vacation" -- in other words, they just want to be able to bring the virus onboard and expose thousands of people with impunity. Mind-boggling.

MEANAGERS!!! Bwahahahahahaha!! 😂

Truly unfathomable.

AMEN.

I've never heard a single sound from the stowed upper pullmans, no matter how rocky the seas.

This damn pandemic, I swear! I have two cruises booked this summer -- 12-night Europe solo in June, then 6-night Alaska with my best friend a week later. I'm on the verge of canceling my Europe cruise because I don't want to risk catching Covid and having to miss the Alaska sailing, which is more important to me since I haven't seen my best friend in three years. Even though I'm very dedicated to Covid safety protocols (masking up everywhere, etc.), there's only so much I can control. Just ugh. 😔

My family is also doing the same B2B (come join us on the roll calls!) and we purchased a policy from Insure My Trip. I've used them often over the years, although I will likely be switching to an annual plan post-pandemic. In general, if you want pre-existing conditions to be covered (which you obviously do), you will need to purchase your insurance within a certain period (often 14 days) of your *initial* trip payment. I recommend shopping for insurance at the same time you're shopping for your cruise, then when you make your initial booking, hop right over and purchase your trip insurance.

My teen and I brought a HUGE suitcase, two carry-on suitcases, and two backpacks for a 9-day B2B. All of our clothing/toiletries/etc. fit in the carry-ons and backpacks. The only thing in the giant suitcase was bedding -- two queen-size fluffy blankets, two heavy memory foam pillows, one lumbar pillow, and two microbead throw pillows. We knew we would be spending countless hours lounging on our balcony, so we brought every creature comfort from home. Since we drove to the port, we figured why not? We dubbed it the Cozy Cruise, and it definitely lived up to the name. ♥️

Ohhhhh, please let that be true for this month's sailings!!

I would be devastated if they did away with my beloved bowling-alley balconies. The *only* cabin on a Spirit class ship that I would consider potentially better would be those Vista suites (which I haven't tried yet).

I'm so sorry to hear this... I hope he feels better right away. This damn virus is just relentless.

They'll have a wonderful time. We cruised with friends who are about 10-20% English proficient and they had a blast -- they were not competitive at trivia (obviously), and only went to one comedy show, but the main shows were a huge hit, as were karaoke, deck parties, and the piano bar. Something about music being the universal language, maybe? 🙂

Amen -- I fully admit to selecting cruises based on the availability of these cabins. I can't begin to count the number of hours I've spent on those loungers (including sleeping out there on multiple occasions!). Not sure there's anyplace I'd rather be. Bliss. ♥️

Like clockwork...

Same here! Following along.

Woop-woop! Congrats! 🏆 My teen and I enjoyed the antics of these sea lions for well over an hour, then made memes and GIFs from our favorite pics. 🤣

Do whatever makes sense to you for your personal level of risk acceptance, and ignore anybody who has an unsolicited opinion about it. 😉 For me, I was masked at all times, indoors and out, with the exception of my own room and balcony, two outdoor meals in a clamshell on deck 11, and one indoor meal in a near-empty dining room. I attended one show in the main theater, sitting waaaaay in the back away from anybody else (theater was maybe one-third full). I spent the vast majority of my time on my beloved bowling-alley balcony, as well as people-watching on the open decks. I had a wonderful vacation. Again, it wasn't like pre-Covid at all, but it was a perfectly delightful, relaxing getaway. ♥️

This is what I did on a recent Miracle cruise, and what I plan to do on the Pride in three weeks. No, it's not the same experience as pre-Covid, but there are definitely worse things than eating a meal (that I didn't have to cook) while lounging on my fabulous balcony, listening to the waves and watching the ocean go by. ♥️ I can't wait.