Markanddonna

We are wondering about the current status of Southwest Airlines with ticketing/baggage at SeaTac. Our last two Saturday departures (2013 and 2009) had HUGE lines. We are leaving at 2:30 on a Thursday and a friend is leaving on a late morning, Saturday flight. Does Southwest still have these huge lines wrapping around the terminal?

We plan on using the storage facility for our luggage for a few hours and getting a shuttle back to the airport from Pier 66, arriving about 12:00. Does anyone see a problem with my plan? Once again, my ship comes in on a Thursday.

Is this notification anywhere official for the rest of us to see on the NCL website? I see their explanation in the money matters section of the FAQ hasn't been modified with this new detail. I have a 19 night cruise in a week and feel like my head is spinning with these new specifics but I will examine the written info left in the cabin very carefully from now on.

I was on a TA on the Mariner a few years ago when the Asian sailings were announced. The Mariner has been my favorite ship so far but I could have probably predicted a lot of what has been reported on this review. Thank you so much for taking the time. It was once a great ship!

Maybe NCL is going to try to attract families with the same intensity as the more upscale cruise lines like Crystal or Oceania. Maybe they are trying to discourage families?

I think the coffee makers are only available on balconies and above...

The answers for this depend so much on where you are going.

Caribbean: minimal excursions because...well I don't find the excursions all that interesting.

Alaska,Europe, etc: excursions are a big deal but I do private excursions 98% of the time.

Destination and time of year make a difference if we get an inside, ocean view or balcony. A transatlantic usually means no balcony unless it is a great deal.

No to spas, bingo and fee classes.

Yes to very limited wine at dinner and DH has a small casino budget.

unless you are traveling to the Middle East or Africa.

I second bringing a very lightweight alarm clock. Make sure it is battery powered as the current is a bit funky and you may lose or gain minutes each day.

Groups tend to get better deals with TA's so check to see what they can do for you and then make your decision after you have also talked to the cruise line's rep. As an individual, I always book with the cruiseline as I've seen that we have received last minute upgrades, sometimes initiated by me and I have been let down by a travel agent who wasn't available for a few days and I lost my opportunity to upgrade. If you go with a TA, they are the only ones the cruiseline will talk to.

We took our 2 year old to Disney but had a hotel nearby for a cool down nap and then went back for a full evening. She won't remember it the next week and you won't have many options for down time.

There is an appropriate time and place for everything and a social event that represents a group of diverse people is not the forum for complaints or questions on this topic. Do your complaining so that you only represent yourself. People who arrange cruise critic events have worked hard to keep the group positive and pleasant. Stop the officers on the ship and talk but don't attach the name of cruise critic. I personally am unhappy about the increase but others see it differently.

I called NCL and they reacted like I was rather stupid and ill informed. They claimed no increase had gone into effect, but I also agree with others that these operators may be the last to know.

I don't care personally, but we invited friends on our sailing next month. One of them has some medical needs and would likely be spending a lot of time in the cabin ordering room service. I feel like I am personally disappointing them even though it wasn't my decision.

We will all be interested in hearing from more people.

Half of our Med days were cool and rainy. Just bring rain gear. You will have fewer crowds to deal with.

It probably depends on how important you are. I don't think the ships would allow this for a typical passenger anymore.

We took our first last minute cruise on carnival and we couldn't get them to change us for late dining to either early or flexible dining. Eating at 8:30 isn't for us and the dining room had so many large tables with just one lonely couple. Freestyle dining is ideal for last minute bookings.

Food and service was similar but incl has far better entertainment.

Only two large cruise ships are allowed in each day and the permits are issued by an agreement that favors "seniority". I believe the agreement is for ten years and then the details are negotiated again. That is why HAL, Princess and then NCL have the vast majority of the permits. Glacier Bay is really spectacular and known as the most desirable of glaciers of course even this is subjective.

I imagine that the sailings on the same ship that doesn't do GB costs less.

I agree that May is ideal. Another consideration might be to fly to another city or region that isn't serviced by a port. We flew to Krakow after our cruise and spent a week. It is gorgeous and over affordable. Flights within Europe are inexpensive. We used Norwegian airlines.

Next time we will do western Sweden and then fly to Warsaw. Think outside the box.

I recall some like lemon and raspberry in addition to the English breakfast and green tea types. There are usually 6-8 types of teas offered but they sometimes run out so you really can't count on a specific selection.

You still have PLENTY of time to learn about cruising. Make yourself a little spreadsheet with the major cruiselines like RCL, NCL, and even Carnival (those would be my order of preference and quality) and they should be the ones in your price range. A few others may offer deals but the population may skew a little older. BTW- Carnival was the LEAST fun ship I have ever been on, but the food and cabin were fine.

We did our one and only Carnival cruise and paid $725 for two people for a last minute inside cabin for an 8 night cruise in late Nov early Dec. I had never done last minute but they assured me it wasn't a prison ship... One problem with Carnival and RCL with a last minute booking is that you can't get into their flexible or early dining options and late dining was just too late AND many of our dinner table mates didn't show up so there were many, many couples dining at large tables all by themselves.

Keep track of specials and you might want to consult a cruise specialist but you can do this yourself. Some have very little experience and the few that do are hard to find. NCL has some really nice specials going on now with things like the ultimate dining package.

I did a trial booking for RCL and thought this ship looked interesting: It leaves out of Puerto Rico but Southwest offers cheap flights there and you could do the whole thing for under $2,500 for a pretty fabulous cruise. the flights were under $400RT from my Midwestern city to San Juan and the cruise was about $500-700 PP for an ocean view.:

The Adventure of the Seas offers just about every imaginable amenity at sea. Enjoy ice skating and professional shows at a skating rink that doubles as a venue for concerts, game shows and other productions. Or you can in-line skate on a track that swerves around the 13th deck. There's the nine-hole Adventure Dunes miniature golf course and the Royal Promenade, a bustling "street" of shops, restaurants and bars that's overlooked by four decks of interior staterooms. You can even climb a rock wall that looms 200 feet above sea level. Couples can take romance to new heights at the Skylight Chapel, located at the tallest point on the ship. A variety of themed bars and lounges, dance clubs (separate facilities for teens and adults) and the La Marquis theater offer nighttime diversions. Rising three levels is the Gotham Dining Room, where you'll enjoy Continental fare. For dining alternatives, head to Johnny Rocket's, a '50s-style diner, the Island Grille or one of the spots on the Royal Promenade. Club Ocean is the social center for younger guests, and teens have their own hangouts, too.

I purchased one of those heavy duty cruise luggage tags and keep it ready to go inside the outer zippered area of my big suitcase and put it on when I am ready to go to port. I also print out a 8 x11 piece of paper that has my destination and home address prominently displayed in the inside zippered area. That stays until I get home.

There has been little fluctuation on the pricing of that cruise in the past year. There was a blip for one day where they doubled the price, likely a tech error. The insides seem to have gone up and the balconies went down slightly, but all with little variance. There are lots of categories open.

Do a fake booking to see how many cabins are still available in all the categories. Personally, I would wait until final payment and go from there. There are lots of ships that do the Caribbean or do you only want NOLA?

I recall in making my current booking directly with NCL that they kept me online until they received confirmation that the billing went through with the credit card and then immediately sent me the confirmation right away. I will make sure that happens for sure from now on.

I'm really sorry that happened to you. A valuable lesson learned for all of us! Please let us know if you get that mini suite and goodies.

Welcome to cruising. What an introduction you had! I think Royal Caribbean or NCL sound like a good match. If you are going less than a week, you may have a repeat on the cheaper cruises ANY time of year because locals sometimes get huge groups together and you see 30-60 year olds acting poorly. It is a cheap 3 or 4 day trip for them because locals often get really great deals.

I don't know what you have in mind, but your family might really enjoy Alaska. You have adventure, lots of sports and the weather in summer will surprise you- in a good way. I've been to Alaska three times and absolutely love it. I had little desire to go there but got hooked after that first trip.

Don't eliminate other cruise lines because of their reputations. Some people think of Holland (HAL) as skewing older but in Alaska, there was a nice cross section of all ages groups and they have a roof that can close in the pool if the weather is chilly. Carnival can be a little tricky to figure out because you can get a great bargain and they can attract their loyalists who spend lots of time in the casino and really enjoy their great deal. To be honest, Carnival was my least favorite cruise line, but my preconceived notions were wrong. The food, service and crew were just fine. I found the entertainment on Carnival to be the least "fun" of any ship I have ever been on as were many of the other passengers. A DJ or guitarist was about all the pool area ever saw and it was often very quiet...

I guess it depends where you want to go. I'm not a big fan of the Caribbean (the islands all start to look alike) but many others here can give you good advice if you really want just beaches and palm trees. If you can swing it, consider taking a Mediterranean cruise with your kids and expose them to some of the wonderful cultures and history there. I much prefer an active vacation.

Start looking into the years when ALL of your kids are out of the house and you can go during the cheapest and best times of the year where you will encounter very few under age 21. Celebrity and Princess might be a great match if you go without kids. I think your Disney days are over, like you said.

I would call NCL to see if you can get an email of someone in charge. On our ship, it was the cruise director who handled the religious service. Personally, I think they would be thrilled to have you offer. Our Sunday services were held in the main theater and Bible studies, which had many in loyal attendance took place in one of the meeting rooms. One of the pianists offered to do the music, but lucky you with your own guitarist.

NCL has had a great promotion and the prices crashed on our cruise two days after the final payment. We could have had a cheaper deal AND received the UDP but then again, if we waited a week after final payment all the rooms would have been GONE except for the really expensive cabins.

We all need to find an inside scoop into the mind of the cruise industry. I am happy with my upgrade although 19 nights of specialty dining on top would have been sweet. My thoughts are that I would have 10 pounds to lose if I had 19 nights of eating like that...