lrowe70

So the moral of this thread is: nobody knows.

Oh well, thanks for everyone's opinions. I'll let you know the final verdict when we return from our cruise. :cool:

GoHawksBroncosPanthersColts!!!!!

And yes, that is even the case if the Eagles make the dance this year which is increasingly possible.

;):)

I've been reading some mixed messages and hope all you experts can offer a concrete answer.

If your ship departs on Superbowl Sunday, do they turn off the game for muster or is the muster held at a different time? :confused:

Thanks for any insight.

Depends on your goal for the cruise.

We've had 1. If it were up to my husband we would always get one, if it were up to me, we would never again get one again.

pros:

Elemis products

robe and slippers

spa passes(heated loungers, steam room, T pool, etc...)

2 free yoga classes

cabin steps from the spa

cabin decor was nicer than the rest of the ship

cons

high deck and all the way forward

limited times for free classes

Elemis products and slippers aren't that great, also only come in 2 sizes.

More money. May be worth it if you use the spa on a regular basis.

My husband used it a couple times a day and loved every aspect. I used it almost daily simply to get my money's worth. However I found the T pool uncomfortable to sit in due to me being short(under 5'). Also the loungers weren't all working. The free classes were only very early in the morning and I like to sleep in.

Yes, many Florida schools will be out. Many other schools all over the nation are out too.

Go a week or 2 earlier to avoid the party crowds. ;)

Oh my goodness.

If this were Weight Watchers, you'd be eating about 6 points a day(protein shake). The lowest they recommend is 26 points.

Of course the weight is coming off, you are starving.

Never even heard of them but thanks to this post and Google, I'm interested!

Some of those tops are really cute. Are they comfortable?

Since it is your big toe, there is nothing taboo about having that one(errrr both big toes) different from the other 8.

You can do a fun island color on your 8 toes and your big toes can be that color with an elaborate design in black-like swirls. Or those jeweled appliqués.

Maybe something like the big toe in this photo, and then your other toes are bright green, gold or yellow?

http://vvcf.net/toe-nail-tips-lets-choose-colors/easy-toenail-art-designs/

Thank you for continuing this thread over here. Really enjoyed the first half, looking forward to the rest. :)

Thank you for this review, it was really enjoyable.

Loved the afternoon tea photos, that is my goal for my next cruise as I always seem to miss it.

Sounds interesting though I've no clue what it is.

Please tell us more about this and the new menu. :)

One nice thing about cruising is there are no hidden costs (though some like to act shocked).

You pay upfront for the cruise and often the tips.

Anything else is extra and the fees are clearly stated by the cruise line. All lines have a method of sorts of keeping track of onboard spending, so it's up to you to decide what to budget for and when to cut yourself off.

Optional things on the mass market lines you may want to budget for:

Insurance, additional tips, speciality dining, drinks, excursions, souvenirs, photos, room service, babysitting, gambling, taxis, hotel the night before, parking, and internet.

There are people who pay for their cruise and tips upfront and don't spend a single dime once onboard. It is possible.

Recently someone posted on the Carnival board from the pier that she had forgotten her wallet and credit cards at home. Oops, but oh well.

You'll probably get the best deal on NCL, MSC(kids sail free) or Carnival. But possibly RC, HAL, or Princess depending on when and where you are going and your overall wants and needs.

But it's hard to say without knowing you. To some Cunard is an inexpensive cruise for the not wealthy, while for others that is something they can only dream of.

Sorry, we need more details in order to fully help you.

Time frame, location, general budget, and ages of your children would be a good start.

I disagree with the suggestions to speak to a professional. They'll just try to register you for whatever line gives them the best perks. No one on cc has that agenda. You'll get all the advice you need(and tons that you don't) right here ;)

edit:

because I'm a little confused. You say you've cruised once but your post history has replies on Carnival, RC, Princess, NCL, HAL, and Paul Ganguin????

Sounds like you already have a lot of cruising background, why this post?

Are you posting on someone's behalf?

Yes, unless your kids are toddlers, 4 people in 1 cabin is not ideal.

If there is an issue with motion, it shouldn't affect all 4 of you. So the 2 people most bothered can be in the mid-ship cabin. ;)

If you are really concerned about sickness, there are many many threads with tips on pills, bands and whatnot to help.

I hope she gets caught and fined. :mad:

I believe the fine is $250 per day or per infraction, at least I hope it is.

Either smoke in designated areas or upgrade to a balcony.

The Liberty. It's longer and those ports are much better.

You're only in your cabin to sleep and shower, there is plenty of deck space to lay out and watch paradise. We've done insides, portholes, windows, balconies and suites. All were good, but quite frankly, a longer cruise is a better cruise.

My only concern would be a fee for switching ships or the added cost of air to San Juan. But possibly you have already factored these things in?

Aside from the whale tail, a 7 day Alaska trip will be 100% different from a 4 day party cruise. You'll like it, the reviews have been outstanding.

With that said; Princess and HAL have what many consider to be the best Alaska cruises. They get to go to Glacier Bay as well as provide top notch land packages.

What a fun trip!

Looks like the deciding factor will be a covered pool. Find a ship with that and then book! The things you are worried about(families, kids, partiers) will not be an issue on a longer repositioning cruise to Europe.

There are tons.

I just went to an online travel site that I can't name here, and came up with over 50 cruises out of Florida in mid December. Most of them seem to have balconies available. There is one listed on HAL Niew Amsterdam that may interest you.

How many people do they tender in at a time?

Depends on the ship. Each tender can hold 50-300 people, and they often run several at a time.

I'm wondering how long it takes to get 2,500 people to land.

No idea, but everyone doesn't run to be off first. Some people take a long breakfast, sleep in, choose to stay onboard...

If I book a shore excursion NOT from the cruise ship line, how long should I expect it to take to get from ship to land?

Depends, could be an hour. Don't book something that begins right as the ship is docking.

How often do the tenders run?

All day, they pretty much just cycle around from ship to shore. Once the morning rush is done, they often wait until there are a good number of people on the boat or dock before going. During the middle of the day it has happened that a tender will run with only 1 person.

If we are in port from 8-5, can I choose to go to land at any time?

Pretty much yes. The last tender out will be about 3:45pm, the last one back will be 4:30. They will have a sign reminding you of this, it's also listed in the daily newsletter and they will tell you a zillion times. Don't miss the last tender! As long as you are in line for it by 4:30 you'll be fine.

What about if I only want to spend a few hours in a port, then go back to the ship to enjoy some quiet pool time; can I go back to the ship whenever I want?

Yes

Also, are the tenders hard to get into?

No, tenders are just boats. You just walk the gangway, step onto the tender, find a seat and go.

this is my first cruise, and I'm having trouble finding details on this issue.

Really? There are tons of threads on this issue, some very specific to your ship and line. Also you can Google photos of tenders as well as many videos on You Tube.

Here's one I found of a Carnival tender in Grand Cayman. You can see ne tender leaving as people are lined up for another. At then end you can see how they attach it to the ship to let people off. They are using local tenders and not the ship tenders which are the smaller lifeboat looking boats with orange tops.

The last cruise we went on my mom was nervous about tenders and was very relieved to find that on the ship tv station the cruise director went over the whole process including showing a video of exactly what was to happen. They do this on many lines in their morning news.

Relax, you're going to have a great cruise. :)

How old are you and what things do you like to do?

I like the ports on Hal better, but would prefer the NCL ship because we like to stay up past 9pm. Possibly if you go at the end of March it would be closer to spring break which could bring out a livelier crowd on HAL.

Airfare tends to go up about 6 weeks out, and it doesn't go back down.

Especially not going to go down at the holidays, it may very well double if you wait much longer.

Either buy now, or plan your driving route(and don't forget to add in the cost of parking). Possibly check out Amtrak?

Just like everything in life, we have choice.

We have a bazillion options for everything we do: malls, cars, foods, homes, schools, hairstyles, even my dentist has about 8 different flavours of fluoride!

It only makes sense that we have many different vacation and cruise options.

It surprises and somewhat confuses me that you are so shocked. :confused:

Sounds like you are going into the cruise with the mindset that it is going to stink. With that attitude it will. Probably best to cancel.

However, I just looked at the reviews.

Out of over 1000 it has a 72% satisfaction, which is a bit lower than others, but hardly reason for panic.

There were about 15 made in the past month, with only about 3 being really positive.

I randomly selected 3 poor reviews to read.

First off: none of them were very long(i.e.: lacking any significant detail).

1 had terrible grammar and spelling leading me to consider who may have written it. Another complained that there were too many people on board?!!! The third also complained that it was crowded(what do you expect from one of the biggest ships in the world?) and that they couldn't record the evening shows.

So in the past month almost 20,000 people have been on the Epic. Of those 12 came to cc to write crummy reviews.

Enjoy your cruise. :cool:

Doubt it and hope not. That's really pushing it.

In many places the unwritten rule for holiday decorations is they are down by January 6(Epiphany). Though most will take them down by the 2nd.

You can put up any decor you wish on your cabin. Being the height of football season, maybe your favorite team?