cooncat_mom

We’re coffee drinkers but passing on the Starbucks package. Sometimes the free ship’s coffee can be gruesome so my daughter adds 1/2 to 1 packet of hot cocoa if it’s there…it sweetens and flavors it !

Thanks! I don't really need much of anything but I remembered those emails. It's good to know about those plastic shards - I hadn't heard! Guess we're bringing cheap refillable water bottles! Too bad they stopped doing the Aquafina.

I got one of those emails too and our Joy trip isn't till October! Do they still do an email for the Haven folks with the pillow menu and that stuff? We don't have many requests -at all! We're terrible Haven people! - but I do better with email than with the phone now 👵🏻!

I usually travel with my daughter (she’s 44…I’m in my 70’s). If the area isn’t walkable, we do ship excursions. It worked well for us on one cruise when weather and bus problems got us back late. No problem - the ship was there and the crew gangway was open and waiting for us. (We were the only ship in port so that helped too!) We like the little extra security!

I book my own cruises and when the Free at Sea offers are put up at the beginning of the booking you should be able to uncheck the beverage package and I believe it’s the dining package - I always uncheck both of them. I don’t believe you can uncheck the shore excursion or the 75 minute WiFi.

I had no idea about this menu, and I sail NCL! Actually, it would be nice if they just had a Vegan menu like RCI does. While most people think about those "silly vegans", you would be surprised how many lactose intolerant people there are. I am very lactose intolerant but it is not an allergy (allergies are life threatening. This is not - but it hurts!) so like many lactose intolerant folks (cross contamination is not an issue for many of us) I manage it by making the best choices I can and taking Lactaid which usually works pretty well. I don't think the staff needs to go through the added work of maintaining my diet so I don't use the special access desk and many others of us don't either. On RCI when I sat down at the table, when I mentioned "I watch out for dairy" they produced their Vegan menu. It was so nice walking into RCI's dining room and having a menu with food I didn't need to figure out easily available! Hopefully, NCL will start incorporating one or two vegan dinners a night into their MDR menu. If not, I'll keep on doing what I do!

You are absolutely right it is not an unobstructed view of the area. It worked for us, but it may not work for you. (Just as inside cabins don't work for us but many people love them.) Don't book this cabin looking for an unobstructed view of everything. We did enjoy it, however like Promenade cabins (which we also enjoy) it's not for everyone. (By the way, the top photo is taken from the balcony table while sitting down - with some help from an iPhone zoom lens)

We were 10329, which is the last balcony room before the theater. The slides were in front of us, but they didn't obstruct a lot of the view. We were sailing shortly after Covid so we were at half capacity or a little over (it was lovely!) So the noise wasn't overwhelming. These pictures were helped by a zoom lens, but it gives you a little idea.

We did the Oasis just after it started back up and had a Boardwalk Balcony aft on deck 10. We could see out to the water, enjoyed during in the balcony and people watched, and we watched every show (and rehearsal) in the Aqua Theater. The lack of privacy didn't bother us since we change in the bathroom! Loved it and would book it again.

After our Carnival Venezia cruise this past October, we walked off around 8 am with our luggage, crossed the street to the line of legit yellow cabs and immediately got one who took us to Monyhan Train Hall. We had no problems at all.

We’ve stopped flying to FL for cruising too. The price (for the times we can fly) is expensive and I’m not fond of the Caribbean…or of flying, for that matter! We’ve cut down to the NY and Boston ports. We’ve dropped Bayonne too just because it’s a pain to get to unless we drive. We Amtrak to NY and we Amtrak to Boston as well, which makes for a more relaxed vacation. It would be nice if they could figure out another southern route for Boston besides Bermuda since my cruisin’ buddy likes warm and does Canada once in a great while for me (I love Canada!)! Our next one will be later this fall on the Joy to Bermuda.

Good point scottca75! If I knew how to red I would have known that! I know Royal had a daily children’s program pre-pandemic because even though my kid is grown, she and I would go to the kids’ end of cruise show (very cute!). NCL also has a daily children’s program, We cruised with my 2&4 year old grandchildren but my older granddaughter was shy and after one time there were too many kids so she opted out. Fortunately we had lucked into a Garden Villa so that was fine - lots of running around room, a hot tub ( well, a cool hot tub) and Gramma brought an inflatable splash pool, PLUS they had Auntie and Grandma. Oh. Mom and Dad were there too…but those kids were ours! I would think the bigger Royal or NCL ships would be something to look into. They seem to have multiple family activities…Royal Oasis class has Mega Slides, zip lines, rock climbing walls, aqua park, escape room, bumper cars…none of which we’ve tried. We had a Boardwalk balcony on the Oasis so we watched some of the activities in comfort! NCL's larger ships have many of those things as well. Try Googling family activities or head over to the Family Cruising board under Special Interest here. Hope you and the family have a great time!

We’ve done Carnival, Royal and NCL. Our first cruise was the little Carnival Imagination, which is what got us hooked. With airfares being so much now (and my hatred of flying!) we pretty much cruise out of NY or Boston. We tend to like both Royal and NCL. Totally enjoyed the Oasis, which was our first post Covid cruise, but we were spoiled since it was at half capacity. Great Vegan menu though (dairy and my body are not on good terms), and we like RCL’s private island and cabanas. We did the Carnival Venezia last October, and won’t do Carnival again. It was a cruise and we enjoyed it, but the vibe was not us, we didn’t enjoy the private island, and I did miss a vegan menu! We thought about MSC, but getting there would be a pain so our next cruise will be NCL’s Joy. I think post Covid service has slipped some and the food is kind of meh sometimes on the mainstream 3 lines, but it’s better than my cooking and I don’t have to clean up. Having the steward coming in only once a day doesn’t bother us since we keep the room neat anyway. That said, even though we’re not purposely loyal to one line, we’ll probably sail NCL most of the time, and if we “cheat”, it’ll be Royal. For us the question is more along the lines of big, tricked out ship or smaller one. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it!

We’ve done all 3 mainstream lines, with Carnival Venezia as our latest cruise. (Our first time on Carnival in 10 years.) We’ve decided that we weren’t fond of Carnival and are more suited to NCL because it’s more casual, there’s a coffee package, we’ve enjoyed the entertainment more and there’s no formal night - or - RCCL because it’s got some interesting shows, and a good Vegan menu (I’m very lactose intolerant and having an actual vegan menu means choosing food is much easier for me…plus they had some really good dishes!) and we really enjoy the Promenade rooms on the mid-size ships and the Central Park and Boardwalk balcony cabins on the Oasis size ships. We also like the cabanas (RCCL) and villas (NCL) on the private islands. Carnival’s island and cabanas didn’t impress us at all. In all honesty, we did enjoy our Carnival cruise even though it’s not our favorite atmosphere. Give us a ship, a balcony and someone who feeds us and we’re good! If you go with a happy vacation mindset, it will be fine.

Just wanted to add, it wasn't a big thing for me since I have an intolerance (a big uncomfortable one that lactaid doesn't always help but an intolerance) NOT an allergy. An allergy changes the game!