WAMarathoner

Sounds like its going to be pretty big???? Over 150 lectures offered?? Normally cruise lines inform you when your booking that there is a special event or big charter group. Surprised this wasn't mentioned to you. While I realize its still a year away...Some passengers , like you, reserve early....so they should be contacting you so you can make alternative cruise plans...if you want to

Celebrity's done this to us twice, booking huge groups and not telling us. It's not right.

That doesn't make sense, as all these cruises have to be advertised for sale. You won't sell many charters if you keep them secret.

 

What I'd like to see, and it applies to all lines, is an announcement thread with the dates of planned charter cruises, the group concerned and the size of the charter. If the cruise lines don't make the information public the group's offering the charter certainly will.

This is actually a great idea -- any way to make it a sticky or at least a thread?

Yes, I do it my way, my way is to offer a tip, if others look down on that that's your or their problem. If there was signage that specifically said no tipping of course I wouldn't, but in my travels all over the world I have never seen such signage in resort areas.

We were surprised to see such a sign at the Port of Vancouver. We tipped anyway because we had left some paperwork in a bag that needed to be retrieved; the baggage handler was very appreciative, and it was clear it was not expected.

Last time we were in Japan, I left a tip on a resort restaurant table and the waitress came running after me to return it. I explained the American custom, but she refused to accept it.

On my Christmas list I added a backpack designed with carry-on luggage in mind. We've already test packed it for March. 2 full changes of clothes for each, bathing suits, all meds, cruise and port paperwork, cameras, cell phones, Kindle, assorted chargers, books - still have room. Always good to have a backup plan.

I think this is a great idea. My son just got back from a cruise where he packed everything in one carry-on satchel. Flew cheap-o air who said it was too large to be considered a personal item. He smiled warmly, started taking clothes out and putting them on, asking whether or not it was small enough now after each item. I think he said he had all five shirts and two pair of pants on before the terminal person would consider it small enough to be a personal item. We might try the backpack idea. Sure would be easier not dealing with baggage claim at the airport -- and we're flying into FLL. Y'all have me concerned.

We take the Bolt Bus. It's ~$25 per person. Nice, relaxing, newer buses.

Seattle is outrageously expensive. You can take the Seattle-Bremerton for $8, and then book a hotel in Bremerton (we like the Fairfield - about $120/night). The ferry takes about an hour, is a nice ride, and you only pay the fare coming from Seattle (free the other direction). The hotel is two blocks from the ferry.

we started asking for a table for two after we were seated with a couple who ate with their hands, ordered every entree on the menu and ate it, and the guy was collecting unemployment because he couldn’t find a job that paid him $80 an hour. He and his SO were “sharing” her drink package. She had a masters degree in education and still didn’t know how to use a fork, knife and spoon. My daughter and I scrimp and save all year for our one week of pampering. We make no where near $80 an hour, jointly .

That's hilarious to read, but probably not as much to witness ;-). I think I would've asked for another table after the first night. We have met some wonderful people, and usually get along well even with others who don't share our values. But the eating with hands thing would've been the final straw.

Last cruise, we were at a table for eight. Three single women sharing a birthday month cruise, and three others celebrating their divorces (!). dh was the only male there and we've been married a long time. Made for some interesting conversation. One of the divorcees insisted on using the phrase, "I'm not going to be anyone's purse or anyone's nurse," at least once every fifteen minutes.

Yes, my 20 year old daughter loves them as well. I take her on all my cruises, but have to work around her college. Carnival people are alive no matter the age. You can chill or enjoy the party.

Thank you for confirming what I said. They're noisy and festive. That works if that's what you're after.

Because someone chooses a different sort of cruise, that does not make them stuffy. Each person needs to find the best fit FOR THEM and for the particular cruise. Sometimes you want quiet relaxation; other times you want exhilaration.

Are you like this in real life?

here is a photo of the waffle/chicken selection offered on our sailing

the waffle is the same round one served in the buffets and at the suite breakfast. If u look closely u can see it is hiding under the fries at the top.

I can't see the photo :-(. Do you think the waffles were leftover from breakfast? Sounds gross.

Reread what I wrote -- families, low-income cruisers, short getaways, noisy & festive.

If you fall into any of those categories, Carnival might be a good fit. It doesn't mean ALL of those categories. Carnival tends to be less expensive than some of the other lines and is therefore often more affordable for families or folks who want to cruise, but can't spend a lot of money.

I hope that clarifies it for you.

Here's my take:

Princess for active people over 40 who are looking for relaxing sea days and great ports.

NCL for 20-something singles and single GLBT cruisers.

Carnival for families, low-income cruisers, and short getaways. It's "Princess-lite." Noisy and festive.

RCCL for non-stop activity. A lot to do on the ship, and it is rarely quiet.

The last two Celebrity cruises we were on catered to large groups and the rest of us were SOL.

We're headed out in a few weeks with a couple of coffee cards. Won't be able to use all 30 of the drinks on the cruise, so check your stateroom Bibles. As we don't have enough vacation time for another cruise before the end of the year, we'll just be leaving them there for the next folks.

Once they removed the steak (or was it beef tournedos?) entree from the Always Available dinner menu and substituted a hamburger, which sorry, no, doesn’t work for me

There's no steak on the Always Available dinner menu any more? Ouch. It's the thing that dh is most looking forward to on the cruise. What else has been cut from the MDR menu? Is there a place to see the cruise menus for the Caribbean Princess?

The more I read here, the more I think we should have gone with one of the all-inclusive lines.

On our first RCCL cruise, they were auditioning chefs so the food was exceptional at every meal. I didn't realize it wasn't the norm until the next (and next, etc) cruise. The food was passable, but not a highlight of the cruise, and for us, food is a big part of vacationing. I was excited about the Flowrider. It was fun -- for the 90 seconds you get on it. The wait was more than 30 minutes. They run it for private parties most of the time, so unless you're willing to pay, you don't really get to play. The shows on RCCL are Broadway-quality. They are really amazing. The coffee sucks on both lines. Royal has non-stop entertainment and it feels frenetic. Yes, it's fun, but you need a vacation to recuperate afterwards.

On our last Alaska cruise, Princess had us extremely close to the glacier. The captain and crew were accessible to passengers, and every effort was made to make sure passengers were attended to. We've never had a bad steward on Princess (horrible one on RCCL), and there is a deferential quality that seems to be missing on RCCL. Princess closes down before midnight. The ship is extremely quiet between 12-6. Just about everyone on Princess goes on excursions in the ports; on RCCL, a lot of people stayed onboard, which I found odd. The pace is considerably more relaxing; the library actually gets used and people generally DO listen to the quartets, piano players, and lounge singers.

It's a matter of preference. We initially moved from RCCL due to the political donations their CEO was making (while Princess supports vets and veteran's organizations); I highly doubt we'll go back.

I think the cruise line can make money and not take away every night steak as an option

There isn't steak every night in the MDR on the regular menu????

If we find out those policies exist, we'll figure something else out. Tipping into a pool isn't a practice I'm comfortable with. I don't tip the cook, the manager, the hostess, or the busboy at a restaurant.

No need for the rude and condescending post, Bruce. It is thoughtful and we have had nothing but thanks from those who have received it.

Wouldn’t you both be exempt from luggage fees if you both flew on Southwest ? Your husband wouldn’t be “ saddled “ with your luggage , either.

Yes, but I got an extremely cheap fare on a different airline (and there was only one seat left). It just works out better for us. I pack in one rolling carry-on and he's a pretty fit guy so he doesn't seem to mind.

We're not big drinkers, but plan to each bring a bottle. The second one will be a good quality champagne to leave for the steward at the end of the cruise. On one cruise, I had an allergic reaction to the ship's champagne and asked the waiter to dispose of the bottle. He asked if it was okay to "dispose" of it in his cabin. Of course. You would've thought the guy won the lottery.

It's ACCEPTABLE when you show up in shorts and get in...

blame it on Princess, not the person

deal with it, get over it, move on if you don't like it

How about a little personal responsibility? It's not acceptable attire according to Princess. Don't like the policy? "Deal with it, get over it, eat in the buffet if you don't like it."

You must be a real barrel of laughs on holiday, but it’s your holiday. You could spend even less by staying at home! [emoji23]

Why would you seriously want to tell the world how much pleasure you get from being so miserly!

Wow, Paul, who peed in your Wheaties today?

Being frugal is about saving money where it doesn't matter so much so that you can spend it where it does.

We fly separately. It started when the kids were young and was a "just in case" measure. Now, with baggage fees, I fly the cheapo airline that doesn't let you carry bags. dh flies Southwest and carries my luggage with his. No baggage charges. Sometimes he'll mystery shop the flight and get half his fare refunded in exchange for a one-hour report. More money to spend on the things that matter. Plus, I'm not very fun to fly with (fidgit-er) so it works out.

We're done with the auto-tips, and are going to have them removed in exchange for tipping directly. It's my understanding that the employee has to turn over *cash*, but we're going with gift cards. I couldn't find anything about their having to put those in the tip pool. Same with leaving the bottle of champagne we won in a contest, but didn't open. Auto-tipping means that regardless of the level of service they provide, they'll all get the same participation trophy...er, tip amount. Not a concept I want to promote.

You should still be able to use the offer by making a payment on your cruise, or by buying OBC if your cruise is paid off. I did both of these for my upcoming cruise. Just be sure to add the deal to your card(s) before making the payments, and check if you have more than one card linked on your account, in which case you can get the rebate on both cards.

Thanks! We paid the cruise in full, but it didn't occur to me for the OBC. Heading there now! (I owe you a drink :-)).

( 2 or 3 night cruises give such an unfair advantage to those lucky enough to be able to do them)

The reason for this is to fill the ship. I live within driving distance of Seattle. Due to the laws, the ships can't do a domestic-only cruise. So they have to sail from Seattle to Vancouver. It's an 18-hour cruise for ~$100 each. The addition of the cruise credit is what makes it worth it, and many of the passengers are there for that reason. I highly doubt they could otherwise make the trip profitable -- which means the next cruise would have to pick up the financial cost.

Amex has a benefit that gives you $100 off a $500 CCL purchase - deal going on right now. Go into your account under "benefits" and add it before booking or making a payment on existing booking.

Oooh, wish I had seen this one before booking! Thanks, will check before the next cruise.

Not doing EZ Air again after the story of the old lady who got routed through several different airports and then missed the boat. Pretty sure I can do better on my own.

Thanks so much. It's disappointing news. I'm not a sushi *snob*, but was looking forward to some.

I was unable to find it in my cruise personalizer. Anyone know?