gwsster

LOL! We live in Southern CA and have lots of warmth and sunshine. My DH will tell our NY daughter who is griping about the freezing weather that it is 10 below here too. For DH anything below 70 is freezing. So 10 below for him is 60 degrees.

> We live in Orlando, so anything below 70 is freezing to us

 

My BIL and SIL, who will be cruising with us, live in Houston. We live in Wyoming.

 

Typical phone conversation:

 

Them: We're having another cold spell, it got down to 50 last night

 

Us: It's been awfully warm here, got up to 40 yesterday

 

:)

 

I don't expect they will jump into the pool but my kids probably will.

We are avid cruisers and have been on several lines We are cruising this September cruise to Alaska on the Infinity will be our first Celebrity Cruise. We have the Anytime Dining and in reading the posts some say the wait can be quite lengthy to get seated. Is it better to go with a set dining time? We are traveling with friends and the flexibility of Anytime Dining sounded appealing. What is your experience with either Set dining times vs. Anytime Dining. Thanks for your help and I do know that there are most likely threads out there, but I am looking for recent experiences.:) I won't even ask about the dress codes, have read enough about that, I just pray that the formal overalls on Gala night will be OK.

Noro is bad this year in the community and NOT just cruise ships. Several of our schools in Ventura County were closed for a day or 2 to do a thorough cleaning. Any closed community is at a higher risk for spreading the crud. Hospitals, schools, Cruise Ships, Airplanes, Trains...That icky stuff is everywhere.

And Noro repeats itself. We were in the Infinity in March 2015. TheBA >Val cruise before was really bad. Friends were on Infinity,Spring 2016, same thing. Looks like 2017 is no different.

This is great news. My husband is NOT wearing a Tux, or a Suit. He will do dress slacks and a sport coat and that is fine with me. I will have something fashionable yet comfortable and easy to pack. I don't think lack of a Tux or Suit for the Men or full length formal dress for the Ladies should cause digestive upset to anyone. I do agree that there should be a dress code and have it enforced for the main dining room. Slacks and sport coat/or dress shirt and tie for Men, dress or dress slacks and nice top for Women. I love seeing people dress up, but for me, wearing a formal would make me feel so awkward, it just isn't my thing. I will dress appropriately, nice dress or nice dress slacks and top for the main dining room, I hope this would be adequate for admission to the dining room. Knowing that HAL has a business casual dress code for the Main Dining room makes me more likely to book my first HAL cruise.

On our last 21 day cruise, there were only a handful of men dressed in tuxedos. And only a few men wore jackets and ties or suits.

The majority of the men wore slacks and a collared shirt on Gala Nights -- and that includes the specialty restaurants.

Ladies wore nice slacks or skirts with nice tops or dresses.

HAL's dress code has become very relaxed.

The Epic had by far the best entertainment venues of the ships we have been on. The Blue Man Group was amazing! There was a musical with celebrity impersonators that were really good. Howl the Moon was a blast and the Karaoke was well monitored to allow many people to participate. The food was fine. We weren't crazy about the room configuration and the smoke that drifted up through the Atrium from the Casino. That being said, it the price and itinerary was what we were looking for I would sail her.

Great question, I will be on the Infinity the week before you on the last Alaska trip so was wondering the same things myself. This will be my first Celebrity cruise.

For those who have been on the Infinity, is it really 'lacking' as the reviews suggest? In the past, I have found information on these forums more helpful than the "Reviews" section - thinking that people just want to write a bad review and be done. Either way, we are certainly anticipating an enjoyable time regardless, and are not being "scared" by the opinions of others. :D

I don't stay up late either and I have witness the "evidence" near a wall mounted trash can with the opening on the side. I was trying to figure out if the vomiter was trying to hit the can on an angle but was grateful it wasn't done in the elevator. This was on the Epic on NCL either the person had imbibed too much or was seasick. It had been there for awhile, obviously the person didn't notify housekeeping.....I did though. YUK! I know generally this doesn't happen, but I may have inadvertently booked a chartered Puker cruise. : ) Pun intended, one of the other complaints about cruising.

We have been on 20 plus NCL cruises and never saw anyone get sick unless it was a rough sea. Of course we do not stay up late and hang out near the bars. We usually hit the bed about 11pm.

Be careful with this strategy, book a vacation and then check for price drops until final payment date. After final payment there are rarely any concessions for a lower price on the cruise. If it is a popular cruise itinerary with few sailings the price often goes up closer to the cruise. When the final payment date gets close bookings get dropped opening up rooms. If too many cancellations, then the price drops as the cruise line is trying to fill the boat.

I have 3 cruises booked one for May, (sold out) Price stayed about the same, one for September 2017 (sold out) price went up a LOT! A British Isle cruise in 2018 and that price is slowly climbing and the ship is almost sold out. I always watch for perks and price drops around my final payment date to see if I can get a benefit without losing my cabin or perks. There are potentially "gotcha's with changing a reservation in an attempt to grab a savings such as losing perks and you may lose a preferred cabin. This may negate any savings that you thought you would be getting.

Have fun.

Timing just sucks! I understand what everyone is saying. Just hope it doesn't happen to you! Lesson learned is either you book it and forget about it or just book it close to the sailing date.

They do have this offer on occasion, generally in off peak times. They had that as a perk when we sailed last May.

I know the Hawaii cruise always have different promos. This is fine but I need a nudge in memory. Does anyone recall seeing a 3rd/4th person sail free promo for Hawaii. My DD and I plan to take my DGD on this cruise and of course like everyone we are trying to see what would be the best promo. I also would appreciate any thoughts on this cruise.

Sounds good until you add in taxes, port fees, DSC and any gratuities on the free perks. This can add 50% to 100% of the advertised cruise fare. Seasoned cruisers know this, often though,new cruisers are often surprised that the final rate is much more than what they thought it was going to be.

Just a visit to the NCL site the first cruise it shows me after clicking search is a 7 day $499 per person. Sounds pretty cheap to me.

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I will tell you that NCL does call and verify to see if your travel needs can be met without a HC cabin. I would suggest always book a HC cabin as your health situation is unpredictable. If NCL calls and the HC cabin is needed by someone with greater needs you can trade for a traditional cabin. We had my MIL on an Alaska cruise and was walker dependent....(85 years old). NCL called me as I am the one who booked and paid for the cruise to see if she could manage in a regular balcony room. The answer was NO, she needed the grab bars and a place to sit in the shower. They really tried to coax me into changing into a regular room and I declined, but they did try.

It would be to crowded. No where to walk

 

 

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Is there a way to determine if a Charter has booked a cruise? Is there a thread or forum for each cruise line regarding this? I know there is a forum on the HAL site regarding charters for specific cruises, are there other forums for the other cruise lines? Just curious.

Thanks

Have been on several cruises with large groups-- ethnic singers, blues/country music. Worst was a first week in November 3day on Princess out of Los Angeles. Huge group of adult dodgeball players. They booked Princess because Carnival asked them never to sail them again. I'm a Carnival cruiser, they must have been horrendous to be banned from Carnival.

Is there a limit to the number of bottles of wine we can bring on board NCL cruise ships? Are 2 bottles per person allowed? I know that there is a $15.00 corkage fee per bottle but didn't find a bottle limit when searching the NCL website.

Thanks for your help.

Wine & Champagne Policy

Guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board. When bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in their stateroom, a corkage fee will be charged according to bottle sizes noted below.

750 ml Bottle: $15.00 USD

1,500 ml Magnum: $30.00 USD

Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship by travel agents, friends, family, etc. or from another retail source, are subject to the same fees. Box wines are not allowed on board.

April 30th for me and this will be my first Jewel cruise.

I'll be on the Jewel May 13th, and can't wait.

Great Link, do you happen to know if there are similar threads for charters for other cruise lines? This would be a great master thread for all cruise lines.

My DW and I are booked on the Koningsdam Feb 14/2018 to Mar 7/2018 for an 11 and then a 10 day cruise. We have 5 other friends booked on all or part of these cruises but I have been checking all the postings here and it seems hat our ship has already been reconfigured from a 11 & 10 day cruises to 3 seven day cruises.

According to CJcruzer who has a list of charters on HAL the Koningsdam has a charterfrom Feb 4 to 11/2018

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...light=charters

also according cruise critic member Kazu the Koningsdam from Feb 11 to 18 is doing anRSVP Charter Eastern Caribbean.

Is HAl letting people book cruises knowing that they already have these ships booked for charters? Isn't that false advertising?

Remember that the DSC for suites does not cover the Butler or Concierge. We also tipped our room steward extra because of the great service. I will admit that we never saw the Concierge and couldn't reach him when we needed something. He only "visited" us while we were trying to dine, most annoying, interrupted our conversation multiple times. . We did not tip him, split his tip and added it to our Butler and room steward tips so they got a nice bonus thanks to the Concierge.

what is the current service charge for suites. to tell the truth I never even pay attention cause it it just added to the tab. Just got an email as of April 1, 2017 it is going to 16.99 person but have the option to prepay at old rate.

Old Chaperone tip....We used to put a piece of painters tape high up on the outside of door of the kids rooms we were in charge of at curfew....10:00. It won't stop the kid from leaving the room, but you will have a clue that they didn't stay in the room after curfew. I think a much better idea is connecting rooms.

When traveling, I put address labels on valuables (binoculars, cameras, phones, tablets etc.) If there is a security concern, then label with a cell phone # only on the item. It could make getting important items back to the owner a little easier.

Staggering is the word + a few others too. I have never sailed RCI but have booked or sailed on 4 other lines. Reading about this hot mess of cancellations for RCI cruisers has raised a huge red flag for me. I most likely won't be taking a Royal chance of roulette with booking a RCI cruise. I wonder how many cruisers that don't check their email or itinerary or credit card statement will be surprised when they show up in port that their cruise was cancelled? The posts at the middle to end of March about RCI and cancellations might be heart breaking.

The amount of 'glitches' we hear about are quite staggering

 

The small % population of those who sail RCI on Cruise Critic that have their cruises re-priced because they log into their booking is appauling. If that is happening to those on here, how many people outside CC is it happening to?

 

A Cruise planner full of bugs that can't carry out basic reservations

 

It's laughable

No That wasn't what I meant to communicate. Disney prices their cabins (after you put in the number of persons sailing) and then calculates a price for the cabin including fees and taxes. On most other cruise lines you have to add the port fees and taxes onto the price. The point I was feebly attempting to make was to understand how each line prices their cabins so that you get fair comparison pricing for similar itineraries. Disney tends to be much more expensive than other lines. It happened that their cruise to the British Isles was favorably priced with other lines sailing the same itinerary so we went with Disney. Like I said in the original post, I like to cruise and look for value and itinerary and compare apples to apples in price and number of people sailing in a cabin. I have sailed on NCL, Princess, and Disney. We have our first Celebrity cruise this year. I have found that there is more alike than different with the cruise lines. Go with what makes you happy.

You're saying that whether you put 2 or 4 people in the room, the price is the same? That was not the case on any of our 7 DCL cruises or any I've priced out since. Disney prices are no way comparable to other lines! I can book a concierge balcony or sometimes a suite on Celebrity for the price of a DCL inside stateroom on a comparable itinerary.

 

 

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EXACTLY! Finding an itinerary and cruise line that meets your needs and wants is the key. I think most main cruise lines are more alike than different and I would never choose Disney over another line unless it had the same itinerary or better and the cost was in line with the other ships. I love the freestyle atmosphere of NCL. We are doing a NCL in May, a Celebrity in September of 2017 (first Celebrity cruise) and the Disney British Isles in September of 2018. The ship is a huge part of the vacation for me.

We regularly sail NCL and sailed Disney Dream once in a 1 bedroom suite. We used to sail in The Haven on NCL regularly and found the suite experience to be comparable on both lines. We prefer the freestyle dining concept and specialty restaurants on NCL as well as their type of entertainment. We are HUGE Disney fans and go to WDW multiple times per year, but I just did not feel that DCL was better than NCL and certainly was not worth the huge cost difference. My kids are teens now and NCL is just a better fit for us.

Just booked a Navigator veranda for a 7 day British Isles cruise on the Disney Magic for 2018. This room has the enclosed balcony with a porthole opening for a view for under $5,000 for DH. Disney's charges are for the room, not per person and includes the port fees and taxes where the other lines are per person and do not include taxes and port fees. You have to add all the costs to get a fair value for a specific cruise.

We do not cruise with any specific cruise line but choose the best value for the itinerary we want to sail. We (DH and myself) compare prices with other major cruise lines, Princess, NCL, Hal, and Celebrity. Disney was on par and a little less expensive for this cruise, the cruise just opened 2/24 and is already almost sold out. You have to remember that you have to add the the fees to the other lines to get a comparable rate.

I thought that the $7,000 for our family of 4 over Thanksgiving was outrageous, but I just looked at Summer of 2018. I couldn't find a balcony on a 7 night cruise for less than $8,000!

 

There's obviously a demand when Disney can get away with this kind of pricing.

 

 

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Nolan on a cruise right now. The tether is for his Cochlear Implant processor. He is an amazing kid. I know you know how to take care of your baby and if the cruise line will accept your child and you have the supplies and there aren't too many sea days then you should be good to go. Life has risks and I know with a special needs child you have already considered the pros and cons of a short cruise. Bless you with keeping your family routine as normal as possible.

Thank you so much to everyone for their replies and help. I will contact special needs for sure.

 

 

 

 

Great idea! I will ask around and see if anyone in my immediate family would be interested. And you are so sweet...thank you! We are tired for sure, but it is worth it all and we feel so blessed every time our little boy smiles at us. ❤️❤️

I would definitely check with the Cruise lines special needs department and make sure that they can handle a tube feeding infant. My Grandson had a G-tube for 3 almost 4 years (reflux Ehlers Danlos and other issues) and graduated off of 2 years ago.he had the tube from age 4 to age of 8.

I am not sure I would trust a child care center who wasn't familiar with your child or his needs. I know that my Grandson had issues with his Mickey becoming loose and coming out. Maybe a good G-ma or Auntie who is familiar with the baby and his needs would be willing to sail with you to help out?

Good Luck, if anyone needs a vacation it is parents of special needs children. I know I didn't answer your specific questions about the cruise but wish you luck and happiness on your vacation. It isn't easy as a matter of fact Daughter and SIL and both Grandsons are on a cruise right now. Their first. Thankfully things are easier for them now.

A little background:

My husband and I are trying to book a last minute cruise. Our just turned four year old has been begging, almost daily to go to the "beach", which for our family, translates to cruise 99.9% of the time. :D;)

 

We went when my oldest was 8 months, and again when he was almost 3, so we have some experience cruising with one small child...but both times were Carnival.

Fast forward to last July...Our new baby boy came early, was IUGR and had aspirations, requiring him to get a feeding tube in his belly. He is now 7 months...will be 8 at cruise time. He is a happy, active just-like-other-babies little guy...he just is smaller and takes his "meals" via G tube instead of mouth.

 

We haven't done RCCL since right before we had kids, so I'm really not sure how their kids program compares. I know we loved Royal before! I hadn't a few questions I am hoping someone here can help me with:

 

Does Royal have a kids program or offer for-fee child care for children under two with similar issues to him if we wanted to go to an event onboard during the day for an hour or something? And what are the current rates?

 

Are any of the staff onboard knowledgeable about G tubes? We would never leave him with a caregiver anywhere near feed time if not to avoid any issues, and may be hesitant to leave him at all.

 

 

For those who have cruised both...Which program, CCL or RCCL would you say has a better all-around kids program?

 

 

Will I have any hassle getting his needed supplies (button, feed tube, medicine syringe, bolus feed supplies, formula/frozen breast milk) onboard?

 

 

Does anyone else here have tips for cruising with a tubie baby? Bonus points for pics! We love meeting fellow tubie families!

 

 

Thank you all in advance for your help!

I enjoy reading about the experiences and questions about cruising. I have learned so much (good and bad) from this website. I even like reading the gripes (chair hogs, bad manners in the buffet, bad table mates etc) It is all good.

Somehow talking about cruising makes me miss it a little less.

 

Until I get hit with the ads. I HATE THEM! Now I want to do a river cruise and a northern cruise and a polar cruise and ...

 

(took me 4 tries to type "northern" correctly, I really need a cruise!)