cruz.n.carebear

I think my last two river cruises messed my brain up when thinking of departing.  We were able to leave super early as we were already docked, so for some reason, I was thinking we could make it work. Ocean cruises are obviously very different.  HA! I made our return flight the next day after arriving back to port.  Excuse the teacher brain - it is the end of semester for me, and I'm trying to do too many things at once! LOL

I have one more question regarding our Norway cruise.  We are scheduled to be back in port of Kiel on a Saturday following a day at sea.  It says arrival back into Kiel at 8am.  We would like to book an earlier flight out of Hamburg (like 6am).  Is that possible?  Or do we truly not arrive until 8am?  In cruises past, we arrive in the middle of the night.

We are travelling as a group of 12 in August.  Our flight arrives into Hamburg, and as we are arriving in a larger group, I want to book a transfer company to take us to the cruise port.  Do you have any recommendations?

We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August.  I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure.  We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am.  Do you think that's possible to make?  If not, are there any other suggestions for our group?

We recently took our first MSC cruise, and we went with open minds. I knew going in what people said about it, and I thought it would be nothing that we couldn't handle. I was right. However, having said that - I was ready to get off the ship after the first two days. Thank goodness it got better.

Yes, the ship is beautiful. Yes, the food is divine. However, it does take some getting used to. With an overwhelmingly European population (I've lived in Europe, traveled several times, etc...it truly doesn't bother me), we had to adjust our way of thinking. Things like forming lines didn't seem to appeal to many, when the elevator would open - waiting for those leaving before getting on wasn't important, etc. No, the staff isn't OVERLY friendly. I never encountered a rude person (other than the maitre'd on sail away) but it wasn't like the other lines where they are ridiculously nice. If we were to focus on those type of things all week, it would have made it impossible to enjoy the trip. However, once you just accept them as the current reality, you get over it and enjoy the trip.

On our last sea day, we talked at dinner with our group about whether we would travel MSC again. When you take it all into account - the cost, the ship, the stops - yes, we would. However, I wouldn't want to do a heavy sea-day itinerary.

The most scared I have ever been on a cruise is when we did what you first brought up as your option. Due to a crowd rush for the last two ferries, we were stuck on the very last ferry that did not give us enough time to get back to the ship in time. Thankfully, Blue Lagoon skipped the Paradise Island drop off and took us directly to the cruise pier...and we RAN to get on our ship. My 60 yr old mother hadn't moved that fast in 40 years. Ha! Bottom line...don't chance it.

Hello!

In 2013, our cruise stopped in Barcelona. Based on recommendations here, I joined the "Friends of Sagrada" and we skipped the lines and saved a ton of money. We are going back this summer, and this morning when I went back to look at getting them again I noticed that it said "residents only" for the family ones. Does anyone know if this has recently changed? Or are we still able to get the Friends of Sagrada family membership being in the States?

I'm looking at the Equinox Mediterranean cruise next year for my family. This sailing doesn't have any family balconies available, so I'm trying to come up with next best option.

Is it the better choice to get a Sunset Verandah (there are 3 cabins worth of people) all together with some connecting, or should we go with the Concierge class? It's only $20 difference in price...just wondering which is the better way to go. Aft, or go with service?

Question: After reading this thread a while back, I applied and got a Carnival Master Card. I have been doing my shopping through the links in the site to get the point boosts. I notice that the points for the purchases themselves are there, but not the 8x or 4x the amounts that are stated on the site. Are those applied once a month? Or do I need to look in to it further as to why they aren't there?

That's awesome!

We are doing it this year for our Christmas cruise. I thought about waking them up the day of and saying we are heading for Ft. Lauderdale, but my teenagers will most likely need a day or two to prepare. :p So we depart Dec 20th, and on the 19th we are going to tell them that we've decided to not make them wait for Santa to come and to go ahead and open their gifts. I've been picking up items as they've gone on sale (swimsuits, sunscreen, etc) and I'm going to make up some cool color flyers for what excursions I've booked.(we are doing The Amazing Race excursion in Cozumel so I think I'm going to make up clues as a tie-in)

I think the surprise is going to be just as much fun as the cruise!

Make her go the first night. That is when everyone makes friends for the cruise. Remind her everyone is in the same boat! (literally..lol)

I LOVE the Country Inn and Suites there at the port. They will allow you to park for the duration for free and shuttle you back and forth. I went with a big group of people and originally was staying at the Radisson. They were booked by the time I made my reservation so we went with Country Inn & Suites. It was in great shape, great people, and we were happier than the Radisson crowd.

We are booked on the Freedom for Christmas of 2014.

When did they make the itinerary change to not be in Grand Cayman on Christmas? We are scheduled there again, and the excursion companies are telling me that GC basically shuts down on Christmas day. And did they do it with a reasonable amount of time before sailing so you could change excursions?

The Fantasy class ships are virtually the same. If the itineraries are different, I'd look at that. (I try to avoid Freeport at all costs and also want to go to a private island so I look at that)

That being said, I love the Fascination. I have been on her twice and love the people, I like cruising from Jacksonville, and I love the Nassau/Half Moon Cay (or even Stirrup Cay now) itinerary.

I just booked yesterday for our Christmas cruise, too! I went back and forth and decided that this would be our Christmas in lieu of gifts! We are not telling the kids - we're sailing on a 12/21 sailing - so we're going to somehow surprise them by maybe wrapping up little gifts that give hints, like sunscreen, or shore excursions, etc and let them open them up on the 19th and tell them to start packing!

I do have a question since there are so many of you that have done this over Christmas. Are shore excursions affected on Christmas Eve/Day? We are in Cozumel on Christmas Eve and in Grand Cayman on Christmas Day. Will the excursions be operating as usual, or will we have to adjust our plans? We want to do Amazing Cozumel Race and Stingray City.

Are the itineraries the same? If so, then it might be worth the switch. I sailed last November with my 12 year old and she loved Circle C on the Elation. It doesn't have any of the upgrades, but the kids loved playing basketball where the Water Works would be - so it is not a terrible trade-off. Although, in November when we sailed the kids probably wouldn't have used the water slides even if they were there, but in August you might want to.

Hello!

I'm looking at booking a Christmas surprise for our family this year. The pricing for a 6 night Carnival and a 7 night MSC Divinia is exactly the same. My family loves Carnival, and my teens thrive in the teen club atmosphere and making friends on every ship they sail on.

However, it is enticing to get an extra day for the same price. But I wonder if the teens would be bored on the Divinia? I'm interested in those that have sailed with teens on the Divinia - I'm well aware of the ship facts and accomodations, but I've never talked with anyone who has sailed on them with teens.

When we boarded, there were approx. 25 English speakers on board. When we left Barcelona and most of the passengers changed, that dropped down to 10, with my group having 7 of them. This isn't one of those ships that will allow for you to make a bunch of new friends at the bar, unless you speak Spanish.

As far as the entertainment....it's a mixed bag. The first night in Genoa was a ballet/modern dance show that was called "Sorry" and it was about how the earth was being destroyed by humans. And remember, Europeans are far less modest than Americans are, so there were a few thongs, see-through costumes. So that was interesting. The comedy night was the worst, because it was all in Spanish and we didn't understand it. Plus, the comedian was a clown and he did really weird things. The crowds loved it every night, though. So we decided that Americans are so used to over the top things that we are a little spoiled in that regard...we were on the unimpressed side. But each night, we went back to see if it would get better.

The entertainment staff was fun. They all spoke English, but their activities were all in Spanish. So it was entertaining to watch the poolside activities, but we didn't understand what was being said.

As someone who has handled many groups of HS seniors doing cruises at the end of each school year, I can safely tell you that you don't need a notarized letter. However, I DO recommend that you get the power of attorney for any medical emergencies that you hope never occur. That's just safe and smart thinking. And of course they will need their appropriate travel documentation (birth cert or passport)

Because there won't be anyone 25 or older in the cabin, you will need to be either next door or across the hall from them.

It came down to cost and port times for us. Our only short day was Tunisia, which was fine with us. NCL was actually our 2nd choice because they also had long port times (MSC was in last place for their short stops) But the cheap (and I mean cheeeeaaaap - like, I'm a TA and my agent rates couldn't touch this and I paid mainstream cost) rates on this cruise sold it for us. Was it luxurious? No. Was it safe? Yes. Did it get us around the Mediterranean for a fraction of the cost? Yes! The food was different, but good. The common areas were clean, and it was just like going on an older RCL or Carnival ship.

Plato123, thanks for your update. Now that it's been some time, we are considering going back for the Eastern side and will definitely look in to the Grand Suites.

Sorry for the delay in response.

I found it was much easier to just handle everything on board. The only excursion we used for them was a bus transfer to Florence from Livorno. Other than that, I booked everything on my own or we did not utilize an excursion. They have one excursion that is guaranteed to be in English every port, but other than that there has to be a minimum.

Prior to sailing, it was hard to get information as to what to expect, know, etc. We boarded in Genoa, so I'm not able to assist with Barcelona. But I've had clients board there and we docked there for the day. I found it was very easy to get to and very accessible from the city. The cruise terminal itself is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.

I did a search on CDF, and you are right -- there is next to nothing out there. I would contact RCCL and ask them how to contact them for marketing information. Based on the little info I did find about them, it seems to be strictly a French ship catering to a French crowd. If you don't speak French, you might be in trouble. With Pullmantur, they at least try to market to the British and other English speaking markets so they include English in their messages. I don't know that CDF will. Best of luck!

But everything I did read stated that gratuities are in fact included in their pricing, so unless they have changed it since 2010 when the person reviewed their trip, you are in luck on that front!

Our gratuities were not included. They were approx. 70 euros a person. But the all inclusive experience includes alcohol, food, etc. The main difference is the alcohol.

I am so sorry! I just came back on here. Yes, that is the May 5 departure itinerary. I hope you have a great time!!

What is your departure date? I'm a TA and can check on my end as well.