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I see a couple (a little bit off rates plus some funchips) but nothing compared to what we had last month! Glad we booked when we did!

Not sure of the formula either but we just got a beautiful deal through the casino: $75 interior / $185 oceanview / $425 balcony for 8-day Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Breeze. The offer came in to my mother's "My Offers" tab on her account and she only played with a few hundred (total) on her last cruise.

Spinnaker is also necessary on the Pearl/Jewel for Alaska sailings. It offers great panoramic views when the weather is too cold/rainy to be outside.

On the phone, we were told by the CAS representative to expect 2 drink cards in the room but when we arrived to the ship, we had 4. Supposedly, it has to do with the casino hosts on board and how many casino guests are sailing. If the numbers are low and/or the host is in a good mood, they may be more liberal in providing drink cards.

Hey folks,

I know everyone has an opinion so I'm curious to read some of yours and see if any of your insight will help me make a decision as to what Southern Caribbean ship/itinerary combo I should pick for this winter. We are two adults (mother and son) traveling this time:

The options are:

Carnival Liberty 1/17-1/24

San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Barbados

7 nights, 5 ports, 1 sea day

Carnival Breeze 12/19-12/27

Miami, Grand Turk, Amber Cover DR, Aruba, Curacao

8 nights, 4 ports, 3 sea days

Both are good options and we've weighed some pros and cons so far:

- Better ship: Breeze

newer and we've never done this class ship before.

- Better time: Liberty

we've never sailed over Christmas [we don't celebrate the holiday either], but I imagine there would be more children and we typically like vacationing in January after the holiday rush.

- Better ports: Tie

We've never been to Aruba/Curacao/Amber Cover nor have we done St. Lucia/Barbados/St. Kitts. We've heard great things about both sets and I think we'd be happy with either.

- Sea Days: Breeze

We like to relax around the ship. The Liberty is so port intensive it may not give us much time to sit back and just be. On the other hand, is 3 sea days too much?

- Days total: Breeze

8 is better than 7 :)

- Price: Liberty

We got a great casino offer so the price for the port is unbelievable for either itinerary. Overall, Liberty is a little cheaper (including airfare too) but not enough to sway the decision. And while Liberty is cheaper overall, some may say that Breeze is a better value since it's usually much more expensive than the Liberty.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts!

Thanks in advance!

I think it really depends on the ship and the sailing.

When I booked my most recent trip, I was told we would receive drink cards for the first two passengers yet when we got to our stateroom we had four! Other times, however, we have only had two, as we were told. Perhaps it has to do with how many CAS guests there are on any particular sailing? Or maybe it has to do with the mood of the casino hosts this week. In any case, we were very appreciative of this extra gift!

Just came off the ship 5/31 and saw no signs of Noro. I didn't hear of anyone have problems either. Hand sanitizer was everywhere. There were constant announcements that reminded everyone to be vigilant and discouraged handshaking.

I think you'll be fine! Just avoid touching your face and constantly clean your hands (good rules to live by on and off cruise ships)

For some reason, this last pic won't upload so here it is in a different format:

http://tinypic.com/r/9h2akm/8

I was told that our week 5/24-31 was completely different than the others. Three Pearl dancers were injured/out for other reasons and they were working to rehearse a new one while performing every night. As a result Legends was performed on the second night and Swing! on one of the last nights when usually these two shows are reversed.

I noticed a lack of female dancers and how they seemed to be working double duty and dancing with several partners, and this explained a lot. They did a great job, especially with all these problems working against them.

Here are the pics. Sorry for the delay.

Enjoy your cruise! The Pearl is a beauty.

We found our room on the Pearl very spacious for 4 adults. It was one from the wall and one trundle. Granted, we were in an accessible cabin, so we were fortunate. We wouldn't hesitate to book it again!

I just returned from my Pearl cruise in 8600, and the view was great! I think 8598 would be a very similar view. It's behind one of the smaller lifeboats so the view out is near perfect. There are no metal structures in the way blocking the outward view. You're just unable to look down to the water. When I get home from work I'll post a picture.

We were VERY happy with and pleasantly surprised by the view we had, and we wouldn't hesitate to stay in this room again in the future.

ginluv18, for the locks, however, I do not know if it would be great as I imagine since the canal is so tight that you would want to look down to see the mechanics. My cruise was to Alaska so most of the view were the mountains on the horizon, so the view was great.

I just returned from this week's sailing (sadly). We had an absolute incredible time. Alaska is a beauty. Review and pics to come but in the mean time, if you have any questions I am happy to answer them.

1) Latitudes party was on the first sea day at noon.

2) Noro virus seemed under control. I didn't hear of anyone getting sick. Buffet was self-served. Hand sanitizer dispensers were everywhere and the CD Dingo Dave made several announcements from the first day reminding us to use them and also discouraged handshaking.

Noro is everywhere! It's just that on ships it's easier to see it. Just be mindful and aware; wash your hands frequently, especially after touching surfaces, and all should be fine. Noro isn't airborne so you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Airplanes are one of the worst places to contract Noro. Many other public places are worse than our beloved cruise ships (with their constant cleaning of surfaces) as well. Flights, however, and time spent in other public areas, are shorter in suration than the incubation period for Noro (about 24-48 hours). If a person contracts Noro on an airplane they are more likely to blame the last thing they ate than the dirty tray table or bathroom door handle on the plane (especially when the only others they know who got sick are their family members who traveled with them who also happen to be people they shared recent meals with).

On a cruise ship, however, where you are there for several nights, the virus has time to incubate. By the time you become symptomatic, others aboard have too and you are able to better assume that the virus came from the ship.

So while you are more likely to contract Noro elsewhere, they are frequently reported on cruise ships more often because the evidence that suggests such is handed to us on a silver platter.

This courtesy of your CruiseCritic resident epidemiologist. I'll be on the Pearl in 5 days and am not worried at all. Just wash your hands frequently, open bathroom door handles with a paper towel, and try to avoid putting your hands to your eyes, nose, and mouth!

Third and fourth passenger rates always vary and are different from the first and second passenger rates, and often depend on how fully booked your specific sailing is at the time you are looking to book. Usually these rates are less than the first and second. But with this promotion it seems that NCL hiked up the third and fourth passenger prices so that with 1/2 off, you're really not getting any kind of deal. So in a way it's deceptive since these rates aren't easily found, but it's technically not wrong or a scam. I think the KSF promo is really only a steal if you find a sailing that's actually 3rd/4th sailing FREE, and not 1/2 off - that's what we did and we saved $1000!

http://www.spaceneedle.com/webcam/

Wow what a beautiful day in Seattle. I hope it's similar when we're there.

Look at that scenery and that ship!

I'm pumped!

I will see you there home-mom :D

It's officially the start of NCL's Alaska season, as the Pearl embarks today on a 10 day itinerary and the Sun begins its first itinerary tomorrow. I for one am looking forward to, as always, the amazing pictures and reviews that come with this time of year. I'm also excited to contribute this time around. Just two more weeks!

What are you most looking forward to this Alaska season?

My impression of the OP is not that she got an upsell offer or call. It calls like the current price of the suite is $660 so she could upgrade herself. In this case they would be entitled to the current perks.

I had cabin 5833 on the Breakaway last year, and I loved it!

It's actually slightly bigger than the average inside stateroom and because the room is more square, there is a bit more walking space so I think you will find that it is roomy for even 3 adults.

If you're concerned about motion, we didn't feel a thing. We also found the back of deck 5 to be very quiet and the quick access to deck 6 and than 678 Ocean Place was great. The main downside was the long trip up to the pool decks but the extra cabin space can't be beat.

If you don't decide to upgrade, don't be too upset, I don't think you'll regret the decision once you're on vacation.

Please see some pics of 5833 attached.

Sure you'll be "coming out ahead" if you were planning on getting all the perks anyway with your original booking. But if you say you aren't a big drinker then it may not be worth it to rebook. Instead, take some of that extra $600 that you'll be saving by not booking and use X amount of it to by Y drinks over the course of your week.

Obviously, it's whatever you'll be happy with and whatever you think is best for you. Personally, for me, it would not be worth it because I never get the UBP or UDP and have wonderful cruises without it. Therefore, I would never want to pay more just to have it "included." I'd rather spend the money on something else. Fortunately, my cruise went down in price AND I got to snag the UDP so I will be enjoying it. Maybe I'll be a changed man for future cruises afterwards :D.

We know NCL likes to start its new ships with veteran crew. However, often after those initial contracts crew return to ships all throughout the fleet. I always enjoy talking with crew members to see where they came from and where they are going (in life on and off ships) and quite frequently if crew members mention getting to rank preferences they mention wanting to go to the Sun or Sky. Some like the smaller ships, different itineraries, etc. I think it depends on how each person works and what they're doing. Still, some like the new ships since living quarters are nicer and often times more private.

So I don't think the answer can be as simple as the older ships are training ships. It's a mixed bag of sorts.

Thank you for all the input. Yes, that is the excursion I am talking about. I am very excited for it, and can only imagine how much more beautiful the landscape (icescape :) ) will be in person.

I think I will leave the camera on the ship if I don't get a waterproof case. I want to enjoy the whole excursion and not worry about the camera while I'm rowing. I think I'll manage with a gopro and an older/lower quality camera for the few hours.

For anyone who has done the Mendenhall Canoe trip in Juneau, what did you do for pictures? I have a GoPro and plan to take that but it isn't the most ideal way to capture pictures. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I would like to document it appropriately.

Would you not recommend me taking my DSLR if I don't have a waterproof case for it? Perhaps I could take my old Coolpix in case anything happens to it.

Thank you in advance for suggestions!

We will be on the May 24-31 sailing of the Pearl as well. Should you decide to book, definitely come on over to the Roll Call page we have going and say hi!