DMH15

I love this post!!! So cute!!! Yes, I admit I am a coffee drinker (no Kcups) but my sis and niece love a proper tea. see, Cruise Critic is informative AND educational.

It was a nice set up but very un-spa-like on my cruise. Very loud and obnoxious. People treated it like a bar and camped out all day. It was incredibly difficult to get a day bed or ceramic lounger.

What about bringing a premium insulated carafe with lid to keep hot water in and keep it hot. No heating element.

This is not wxactly the answer to the question but I once won a cruise on the Jewel from a local radio station and Honda. You did not have to be a Honda owner but I am. The local TA handling the res let me pay the difference to upgrade. Yay.

If someone coughs constantly during a 3 hour plane trip I would assume so. Especially if paired with sniffles, a red nose and a box of tissues depleted. If I were prone to something like carbonated drinks I think I would refrain while flying. Like it or not, the phrase “Perception Trumps Reality” comes to mind. I have a friend with a handicapped tag who walks fine but has severe heart issues and people are often questioning her trying to cheat the system. So, yes, there are exceptions. I got sick with covid flying from Dallas to Charleston last year. I was masked but lowered it to eat and there was a lady a few rows back doing all the things in the previous paragraph. Anyone prone to coughing fits who is in close quarters should wear a N-95 mask if they truly care about others.

Depends on the butler how much leeway in the exchange. we were in DOS Epic.

This may have changed since my mother was rewated on thr Jewel. Sorry if I was incorrect.

I think people are either TA people or not. We love sea days. Sometimes we are so overwhelmed on a port intensive cruise we don’t have time to relax and enjoy being “out in the ocean”.

I also cruised on the Sun in an aft PH. Twice. A total of 25 days. It is my favorite ship. I loved it. I loved breakfast and lunch in Il Adagio. I think it is a La Cucina now. I loved our aft balcony. So much. The Sun has no Haven but only 20 suites on board. I would cruise on the Sun again in a heartbeat.

We had a sofa bed in our living room and a bed in the bedroom. My mom insisted on the sofa bed. She was fine. I found it uncomfortable.

First, so sorry you got sick on your vacation. Several years ago my sweet mother got sick on our Jewel Transatlantic. We knew exactly when and how. We were seated at dinner with “Nick” who was sick, he told us… and he sneezed all over his hands and handed the bread basket to mom. It was all over… She missed excursions in Italy and Greece, was stck in the outside cabin with room service and did not see Athens except our hotel room. So, I know how disappointing it can be. She saw ship doc and doc in Athens twice. She had insurance but her asthma complicated the claim. We were just happy she recovered. That was pre-Covid. Since my mom was in her late 60’s she bought insurance and as her roommate I did too. I visited my brother in South Carolina last year in June for his birthday and was fully vaccinated but I, without question, caught covid on the plane. Sure it was that lady coughing behind me. After a few days, I was sick as a dog and shared it with my brother and his wife. My 4 day trip became 11. I was able to change my flight home because I included trip insurance… just in case. Anyways, the ship did not give you COVID, most likely it was a pax. Our world has changed. You said you packed your own COVID test since there was a possibility you would need it. Once you tested positive it became NCL’s problem, inasmuch as to protect everyone onboard. Unlike a land vacation they could not just pull over and “let you off” and of course their prime concern HAD TO BE minimizing the chance of your spreading covid. It does make more sense for you to be in a taxi than on a bus. The way people wear masks improperly alone is one way it spreads. COVID is here. We can all stay locked in our homes remotely or live our lives, taking precautions where necessary. The responsibility lies with each of us. And if we get COVID once, twice, three or more times we take accountability and responsibility. We are proactive with insurance and reactive with an emergency fund or alternative plans. It is not the cruiselines job to help us or expedite on our behalf over the normal contract or provisions of the additional insurance purchased. The ship’s Doctors are not part of NCL by the way. And yes, they are very expensive. You did not mention if you had trip insurance. Did you? Wishing you a speedy recovery. Again, so sorry. It is terrible to be sick on vacation. And COVID even worse.

I hope he has a very happy birthday. Yummmy.

I do not judge and could see myself doing the same. Happy cruising. On another cruise, on MSC Seaside in YC I was very disciplined. Ate a lot of beef and seafood. On the last night I had had ENOUGH! SInce I was on an Italian cruise line I ordered the spaghetti bolognese and it ended up being my favorite meal of the entire week. It was indulgent but so rewarding. So now when I am craving it I make the sauce and eat it with homemade ricotta and some grilled or roasted veggies. I wish you two could taste my Keto Chocolate cake. You would be shocked it is not the real thing. Myself, I choose carrot cake. LOL.

I also am Keto too and find cruising easy to accomodate. Breakfast is my favorite meal. I bring my own sugar free coffee syrup and some zero carb tortillas. Love protein, veggies and salad. Some sugar free ice cream, berries and such satisfy my sweet tooth. I allow myself one or two indulgences (I prefer that to cheat) during the cruise. And all the walking is a plus.

You have won me over. I have never been a tipper in advance. But I do feel sorry for the poor butlers who work hard only to not receive a tip. I have always mentioned to my butler and concierge early that I look forward to rewarding them personally for them taking care of us. Only time I did not tip at the end is when my butler got off at one of the ports and kept going. Even his girlfriend, a server, did not hear from him by disembarkation day. I do not think it was an accident or foul play, he was new and not very good. We tipped our concierge extra as she was instrumental in making sure all of the suite guests were still taken care of. i can definately see why you do what you do and the positive results.

I agree about Maxie. Just exceptional. His personality is contageous and his professionalism and work ethic are second to none. I have only had one butler who did not measure up. He was new and quit during our cruise so for the last few days one butler was tasked with 20 suites instead of ten. Luckily it was Armando, who was fantastic! I believe a senior steward or two assisted him. Even before our original butler left he was not good. He celebrated his birthday during our cruise and got wasted so was hung over. He told us! Two guys we met on our cruise were in an fwd suite while we were in an aft suite (on the Sun) and around day 5 were surprised when we told them we enjoy the evening cookies. They had no idea about that perk. sigh. In spite of it all it remains my favorite cruise. We roll with the punches and laugh it off. Having a great concierge Karen was a plus.

I loved South America. My favorite cruise to date!

LOL when I saw the title to this thread I thought it was a thread about entitled demanding cruisers

Or the person who feels the need to use them pack some snack size zip lock bags?

I love it. My BIL did similar for my sis. A land based trip to the Caribbean. He totally surprised her inasmuch he packed for both of them, including passports, arranged a secret week off from her boss, etc. The plan was to drive to the airport and let it play out. Only problem is he packed like 30 pairs of sox, no shoes, a beaded dress way too small, (it was vintage my grandmother made as a designer in hollywood) and really nothing appropriate. My sis got to shop at the island store! We all still talk about it! You will too for years to come!!! Good job.

What sweet eyes. Full of love. What is her name? I had a previous rescue. A male black lab. Jamie Joe. My SIL was an apt mgr and he was loose with no tags. No one answered the Lost notices. He came at the right time of my life. I had divorced and we had joint custody. After that dog passed I needed one and Jamie appeared. Timing is everything.

Thank you. I really appreciate your kind words. I tell people Lexie is the boss. I just pay her bills.

What a nice post. My old sweet girl is Lexie. She is a Shibu-Corgi mix. I am joking that we are buying our vet a beach house. As he says “she is a sweet and happy girl with ISSUES”. A month or so ago she tore her ACL just walking. So I pull her around in her buggy and all our neighbors say hi and love her. She has an inoperable mass in her ear that keeps giving her ear infections. And she has lypomas, after 2 surgeries, when she was young, we decided no more. But, every day I assess her her life quality, which is good as we speak, so every day has been a blessing. Funny, I have always wished I could take her on a cruise. She would behave admirably. But in reality I really do not think dogs belong on a cruise, especially a larger ship. But I can imagine it. Retirement is sooner rather than later so I know there will be more cruises. I can wait. Otis! Omg… “Dock of the Bay” is in my personal top 10 list. Hopefully you and your wife have many more years with him.

I have wondered the same thing. when I did my Jewel TA which ended in Athens people were talking about the next leg which went on to Istanbul. we would have loved to go on the next leg but I had already been gone 15 nights and i knew my boss would not have been amused if I asked to extend.

Cruising and all travel is on hold as I have a 15.5 year old dog. So, it is fun to live vicariously here.