jesstree

I wouldn't trust what they tell you on the phone from what is on the ship. There three things I was assured of on the phone only to get on the ship to feel like it was a bait and switch. Don't want to go into details. What I will say is there is a corporate communication issue between the land and ship staff. Just got of the Bliss a while we overall had a good time, we had some type of unanticipated headache daily.

Just got off of Bliss. No Splash Academy. They had different activities that were family oriented but when we went there was only one other family so we stopped going. My 6 year old referred to them as "baby activities". She was not impressed. We did an arcade package and she and her older cousin spent hours in there every evening. We had a great time.

8 hours ago, craig01020 said:

I'm still going on my Jan. 9 cruise on the Bliss, but I've decided to cancel any booked excursions that include transportation. I'm not afraid of catching covid, but I don't want to be identified as a close contact in case someone else on the bus does.

 

Now I just have to endure calling NCL.

We just got the Bliss. Don't bother with any excursion that is "shopping" city your, or anything that is not on the ocean. We cancelled Ensenada and so glad we did, other members of our party did not. In Cabo we did the 3 in 1 snorkel and that was great. You are on a boat outdoors. If you have to get on a bus cancel. In Mazatlan we just did our own thing Cabs are open air and cheap.

17 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

the comparison between school and cruising is a bit weird. Cause school has a reason and is mandatory,cruising is not. 😉

I have no doubt that splash academy is safer than school.(or at least not unsafer)

I just said that the risk of virus spreading with open Splash Academy is higher than with closed splash academy. If the difference in risk is significant...i don`t know.

 

And yes, they are operating with reduced crew and so have to decide in which department they can save staff without having too much influence on the satisfaction of the guests.

And i guess that a closed splash academy affects much fewer guests than e.g. closed bars or significantly reduced staff in bars,cabin service or restaurants.

Well kids should be welcome to all parts of the ship then. 🙂  At least don't be surprised if my child is dancing or doing Karaoke (which she loves to do). We have a family friendly Karaoke bar here, although with COVID we have not been since they closed 😞 .

@KAYKAY121Yeah communication within the company is bad right now. I'm not going to get on the phone and yell and scream, it is what is and we will still have a blast. I'm going to ask her 16 year old cousin to watch her a night or two. I really want to go see Prohibition and have a date night. Sorry in advance if you experience a hyperactive little girl running around the dining rooms, I'm not going to yell at her. I hope everyone actually complains to NCL to open up the Splash Academy, it's good for everyone. See you at the sail away or meet and greet?

@Lauranicole1 Not sure if you have been on the EPIC before but it is great ship. I really enjoyed that ship. 

Oh well I call before booking and was ensured there would be one. I even called today because I had received a letter yet for our Bliss 26th cruise and we are 5 days out. The cruise that left on the 19th received their letters 10 days out. As of early this afternoon I was told there would be a Spalsh Academy. 

I did chat and call when I heard the early rumblings at that time I was told what the OP was told. I also dealt with a very rude chat that I wish I kept. 

@CruiseMHKids are good about social distancing when told they need too, much better than adults. Kids have been in Schools and camps in most parts of US for over a year. All them are 100% vaccinated on the ship, and kids under 12 have all been recently vaccinated. I don't see how Splash Academy is unsafe compared to going to school or camp. 

To me this is purely a cost saving issue. The other major cruise lines have their version of Splash Academy open and they have been taking unvaccinated children for quite sometime. I chose NCL because of the vaccinated policy plus I called about this topic prior to booking. 

15 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

the nights have been cold here...  but inside the ship you should be fine...  maybe a nice wrap if you want to go on deck...

 

Just did HAL Thanksgiving week out of San Diego... yes, once past Cabo it definitely warmed up but nights out on the balcony were still a bit chilly...  inside the ship it seems to be the same temperature no matter where you are, which runs a bit warm for me....  

 

I wore a mix of sleeveless dresses, long skirts with linen or silky dressy tank type tops & was comfortable the entire time 🙂.  Happy New Year & enjoy!

Thank you this was very helpful. 🙂 

I too am interested in the weather and the temps inside the ship. I get cold easy and trying to decide if I should wear long sleeves at night. Curious about those ocean breezes. I know the Ensenada area is cold, I lived in San Diego for a short period and would drive down there.

11 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

You made the decision to sail under ever changing protocols, what is in place today May/will change in the coming days/weeks/months.  Easy button is to blame someone else.

I specifically call and asked in early November when the CDC approved. They told me they would be open. This was something I also discussed a few times even prior when researching this cruise for extended family as well. The website should call this out. I have been sent other communications regarding this cruise but nothing about the Splash Academy unless I call. 

I called today. I was told that as of four days ago they are looking each sailing. It was a scripted answer with no elaboration. He did state they planning activities but no drop off. I complained that basically my husband I are cheated out of adult activities because this. I ask should parents just drag their kids to the Cavern Club or the dance club, he said why not. He was very sympathetic to the problem and understood that this was not right, and the lack of info on the website is also not right. Maybe more complaining with get them back online faster.

I asked the online customer service rep today about this and he told me they put the policy in place on Dec 26th. The policy is until further notice. I have not received my formal notification on this for my Dec 26th cruise. I mentioned there is no mention of this on their website. He said sorry but this is the new policy. I'm super tempted to let my ADHD child just do their thing at Cagney's and all the other establishments. Sorry not sorry to the other cruisers, but let the kids run wild outside all the bars and in dance clubs. I would have never booked this if I knew this was the case. I should mention I'm usually not out past 10:00pm, but having 3-4 hours of adult time is part of what I'm paying for on a cruise. I could have save 2K-3K and gone to resort elsewhere or did a ski/snowboard trip (which was our second choice).

This is a bit of a vent.... 

On 12/7/2021 at 1:06 PM, familytradition said:

We cruise on December 19 with a 9 year old and 16 year old. We just got notified today that there would not be Splash Academy or any type of drop off activities for our 9 year old. We'll definitely have a good time as a family, but the kid's club is something she (and her father and I!!!) really like about the cruise. We figured she'd be one of the first to meet the vaccine requirements, but them not offering one of the key features for kids is annoying.

I completely agree. I also feel like they should have this advertised on the website. It looks like they are notifying people 10 days prior to cruise. We made dinner arrangements based on this. URGH. It is a key feature. I would not have book the cruise knowing this. We will have fun but I feel cheated. 

Need help ladies. I'm about to get on the NCL Bliss for a New Years cruise. I'm super excited. Planning on dressing up two nights, and then nice casual the other nights. My main question is what is weather like? Is it strappy dress weather or sweater weather at night?

I have my days figured out since we will be very active. 

I live in Texas so I'm a bit of lizard and enjoy the heat. I did live in San Diego for almost 4 years, and I remember it being quite cool at night in the winter. Is it also cool at night down past Cabo? Any help or wardrobe examples are appreciated. Also have a grade schooler with me. I was planning bring a mix of leggings and skorts for her. She hates dress but loves skirts and skorts.

Thank you,

Jessica

Sunglasses are supposed to be fun. I'm Goodr fan because they have some crazy colors and some frameless. Rock it be unique, we only live once, have fun.

Recent travelers on the Western Mediterranean cruise, can you advise what the earliest disembarkation time is. Hoping to make a 10 am flight.

 

 

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The flight was supper cheap and change fees will cost me more than just rebooking or taking the train to my next destination if I miss the flight. I'm flying within Spain though not flying out of the country, so I'm quite as concern with the airport.

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1. Yes

2. No

Smoking is a health hazard imposed onto others by another person. Alcohol is a personal choice and only affects the person consuming.

Following

Following. I'll be on NCL EPIC June 24th.

Does anyone have dailies from the Epic 2018 western med cruise yet that they could post?

Thank your

Thanks for that recent information. We are doing the express walkoff. Traveling with just carry on travel backpacks. Our three year old has been through airports 8 times in the last four months and she is becoming a pro at travel day. About half of those flights involved being at an airport around 5 am. It sounds like this is one of the easier ports to get in and out of.

Thanks for all the feedback. There are four ships in port but 2 are not there until later in the morning. We are going to keep to our schedule as plan. I'll grab some snacks the previous day and stash them in room for breakfast. We are are use to traveling in the wee hours of the morning anyway for most of our trips. I have the terminals down and since we are flying from one Spanish city to the another I'm less worried than if I was flying home.

I did come up with a backup plan for just in case something goes wrong.

So I accidentally booked a 9:00 am flight out of BCN to Seville fly Veuling on July 1st. EPIC is in Port by 5:00 am.

If we do the easy walk off how early can I get off? There's only 3 of us and we are traveling light, but one person is a 3 year old.

Will I be okay with a TAXI, or should I arrange trabstransport?

Any tips would help. I would like to keep that flight since the next one isn't till late afternoon, and I still need to drive to Portugal that day. We are American's and EU citizens, if that makes a difference, slowing us down at the airport.