BubbaBoat

My wife and I are getting ready to book our journey on the Prima October 1st sailing.  We really are hoping to unwind and have a Haven where we can escape the screaming crumb snatchers.  For those of you that have indulged in Prima Class sailing before, have you been available to avoid children in the Haven spaces on board?  Nothing against kids at all, but I'd rather avoid them if at all possible.

One more thing, Storylines has a total of $343,897,455 in INVENTORY left to sell and lease.  122 units are still available.  A loooooooong way to go before this becomes reality.  

I think it's an excellent concept.  I love the fact that the ship is not beholden to spending one day in port and then off to the next, and that it can stop at many ports too small for the gargantuan ships to visit. The cruise industry has literally destroyed culture in so many ways.  Ports fill up with ships, 30,000 cruisers invade a city, and all the old shops have turned into souvenir traps to feed the frenzy...and this happens over and over again from port to port.  If you cruise into a port, it requires a car rental to escape the white-washed commercialism to find the advertised culture.  The Narrative gives residents the opportunity to explore without punching a clock.

Having stated that.   there are definitely some yellow flagsLooking at the available residences, approximately 125 residences are still available (+/- 25%).  Inflation may take its toll and Storylines has disclaimed itself all over its website.  Everything is a rendering and open for change.

Has the "Interim Ship" language always been posted in the FAQs?  To me, this is stating it won't be ready on time.  Furthermore, to me, this sounds as if Storylines will have to cough up some $$$$.

https://knowledgebase.storylines.com/interim-vessel/

Lastly, "Where's the Beef".  They have massaged the truth in the past.  Their builder is in pre-BK and have there been any pics of the shipyard with construction even commencing?  Storylines need to refresh the story as the narrative to me is looking a little fuzzy.  Just my two bits.

Hi.  We arrive in Civitavecchia on August 18th via RL's Wonder of the Seas.  We arrive in port at 7am.  We'd like to hop a train into Rome as I hear it's much quicker than hopping on a tour bus.  I hope someone out there can help answer a few questions:

1.  How long of a walk is it from the port for Wonder to the train station?  If it's too long, what type of traffic jam are we looking at for grabbing a taxi or bus?

2.  Are the trains packed like cattle cars?  Is there a way to guarantee a seat?

3.  What station do the trains arrive at in Rome and is it easy to snag a taxi once we arrive.

4.  What is the Zoo like on the way back to Civitavecchia at the Rome station?  If the cruise ship heads out at 8PM, what's the latest we should be leaving Rome?

Thanks in advance for your tips and advice.

Unless it's one of the big motivations for your journey, I really, REALLY don't see how things add up. We bring a case of water and a bottle of wine with us onto the ship.

Our typical day goes something like this:  We don't drink in the morning with breakfast.  We'll have coffee but no lattes.  We'll have water but not bottled.  So far ZERO $.

We hop off the ship and hit the port.  We might have a beer and wine with lunch.  We might even find a nice bar to people watch.  After a day on land, we hop back on the ship and head back to the room for a little down, or get down time.  So far ZERO $.

We get ready for dinner and hit a bar before dinner.  2 martinis at $12 a piece.  We are seated, have 2 glasses of wine at $15 a piece.  We have 2 black coffees with dessert.  Head out and probably have 2 more drinks a piece, 2 wines and 2 beers totaling $48.  A day's total on ship is Martinis $24, Wine with dinner $30, Evening wines and Beers $48.  Totals $102 = 18% gratuity for a total of $120.36. 

The current drink package is $146.  My water and wine that I bring on the ship certainly don't last all cruise long but it definitely offsets a portion of the cruise.  Furthermore, we might not even drink like that every day.  A difference of $25 a day x 7 is $175 less for us.  The cruise line knows how to make a boat load of money and I think the drink package is one of those ways.  Now, if you're not hopping off the boat at the ports and throwing them back all day long, I guess the drink package is the way to go, but you might also need to hop on the wagon once you hop off the boat.

I'm wondering about renting a car right around the port.  Our time is limited.  We arrive at 8am and depart at 4pm.  We'd love to see Sant Elm. Deia', and Soller.  Seems like a lot of driving and not even sure we can knock off all 3 with time to enjoy them.

1. Can we rent a car near the port, or are we forced to shuttle to the airport to pick up a car?

2. Are we trying to do too much?

3. Are there any can't miss restaurants along the way?

Thanks!

We will be sailing on Wonder of the Seas on August 14th out of Barcelona.  First time CRUISING Europe.  The 7 nighter really only offers 1 day at sea (the last day).  We've been to Italy a few times (We've seen Rome, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Capri), We've been to France but never to Marseille.  Researching Marseille (the 2nd largest city in France), nothing has my jaw dropping so any insight would be welcomed and appreciated.  Palma de Mallorca looks fun although there's not a lot of time spent in port.  I was hoping to rent a car and cruise some of the squirrely roads and visit Deia and Soller but honestly, I don't know if there'll be enough time.  For the stop in La Spezia, Italy...We haven't see Cinque Terra (but honestly, all the reviews look great but hoards of people).  Has anyone got off the boat in La Spezia and hit Lucca?  If so, how did you manage it?  We're staying in Spain post cruise.

Interested in how you'd rank the ports on a Western Med Cruise.  Which one would you miss?  Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, La Spezia/Florence/Cinque Terra, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples/Amalfi/Capri.  Thanks for the help Cruisers.

I'm very interested in cruise ship capacity.  Has NCLH limited the amount of cruisers per ship?  I was cruising in November and the ship was sailing at about 30% of capacity.  I'm getting ready to book another and I'm wondering if ships are sailing at 80, 90, 100% ?  

Considering the times we are in, I'd say a surcharge is fine with me.  The only way we're going to get through this war is to cut Russia off completely.  To do that, we need to stop buying Russian oil and start pumping our own again.  Russia's life blood is oil and if no one is buying, Russia is dying.

Things are going to be a bit more expensive and if it means getting rid of that cockroach, I'm all in.   Quit whining about a surcharge and just go have fun.  If you're complaining about a few hundred bucks,

nothing is going to make you happy...even 5, 7, 14, 180 nights at sea.

3 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

We were on the Majestic in Oct-Nov. I made WIFI calls on my phone every day. Worked great.We have T Mobile. Also did quite a bit of texting too.

Thanks Sue.  That's encouraging news.  The texting works while the wifi setting is on?  Airplane mode is on?  

Hi!  I'm hopping on the Regal Princess on Thursday.  It's a 4 nighter with one stop in Amber Cove in the DR.  I don't plan on even getting off the ship but would to make a couple of phone calls while in port.

I do want to make Cell Phone calls, if possible, while floating around on the sea.  Has anyone utilized your cell phone's "wifi calls" feature?  I assume it's possible.  I'd just need to purchase the Princess wifi plan.

If anyone has tried this, I'd love to hear your feedback.

I'm a single cruiser on the Regal 12/9.  Looking to do absolutely nothing.

1.  Can I bring 1 bottle of wine and 1 case of water when I board the ship prior to sailing off on the trip?

2. This Medallion Ap on my phone is buggy.  It mentions a Medallion for touchless charging, etc....Will I pick up a Medallion when arrive at the cruise port?

3. I will not be taking part in specialty dining.  I'm on the Regal.  Outside of the Main Dining room, do the other inclusive dining options stay up almost 24 hours.

I can see me skipping on the Main Dining room two out of the 4 nights because I might not want to hop out of swim trunks.

4. I plan on using the spa for treatments every day.  Do I tip my masseuse then and there or do I apply my tip to the final bill when the cruise is over?  If I have a 90 minute massage, what's a fair rate to use for tipping?

5. I have 2 COVID self applied test kits.  If I board the ship at noon on the 9th, I must have the negative test results after noon on the 7th.  Is this correct?  Also, will I need to test again once I return to Fort Lauderdale and have that test done before I board the plane?  I won't be getting off the ship the entire time.

Thanks for any advice.

Bubba

Is it possible to use wifi calling with your cellphone when out at sea?  My phone has a wifi calling feature.  I was planning on shutting everything down but I thought it might be nice to check in with the wife while I'm sipping on a cold one and staring out at the sea.

For those of you cruising right now, are there any zinger deals offered on ship by the Next Cruise Program?  I just booked my Nov. 6th cruise and plan to book next year's cruise for the family (2 staterooms).  Also, any zingers on Spa treatments while on board?

I was thinking of booking Odyssey with the exact same itinerary as Mariner on a 5 night stint but out of FLL instead of the Cape both on 11/6.  Now that the wife has decided to visit Monterey, CA instead during the same period with her buds, I'm going to book Mariner solo.  It's supposed to hit Cozumel and Nassau (two absolutely boring ports) so I'm just going to stay on the ship, hit the gym, hit the spa, hit the bar, rinse and repeat.  Really looking forward to it

THANKS FOR THE QUICK REPLIES! Well then, I guess it's just going to cruise around the ocean, if at all.  It's still on Celebrity's site and available to book.  I was hoping to find a 4 nighter headed somewhere so I could hit the workout, hit the spa, and unwind with a cocktail or two...Hopping off the ship at one port would have been more than sufficient.  I'll keep searching

I'm thinking of booking the 11/11 4 nighter out of FLL to Grand Cayman and back but I'm very concerned that it's going to be cancelled.  In reading Grand Cayman travel restrictions it outlines a 5 day quarantine.  That doesn't sound good for cruisers.  Before I call Celebrity to listen to their schtick, I'd rather reach out to y'all to see if any of you have received official word.

My wife is going on a girls week to Monterey so I thought I'd hop on a boat for 4 nights and pamper myself.

Thanks to those of you in the know.

I simply refuse to have to purchase a Celebrity excursion simply to be allowed to get of the boat.  All I want to do is explore each port on my own but Nooooooooooooooo because being vaccinated just aint good enough.

I totally agree.  Was it a way for X to negotiate a restart of cruising or is it a way for X to make more $$$$?

Beware of those X Athens cruises on Apex (Especially in June and July) as the Greek gov has placed restrictions on X.  Passengers will not be allowed to hop off at ports UNLESS they are part of an X scheduled excursion...So, no roaming on your own.  

So, I'm waiting to pull the trigger on X's Apex out of Athens on June 26th.  There's a ton of availability so I'm not sure if this boat will float.

X has come out with an excursion restriction which states cruisers MUST book X's excursions to get off the boat.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-Cruises-sails-from-Greece-in-June

The article states they'll revisit the restriction again on May 9th.

53 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

Greece today announced that it was extending restrictions on international flights.  

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-greece-flights/greece-extends-restrictions-on-international-flights-to-april-19-idUSKBN2BR09E?il=0

 

 

What's pathetic is a vaccination means nothing.  It's kind of pathetic about our world that we always bow down to the lowest common denominator...If your vaccinated, you should be able to cruise, and fly period.

I hopped on X's website and looked at Apex for 6/27.  Looking at the deck plans and posting it to what's currently available...Of the approximately 136 Sky Suites on board, 91 are still available.  Of the 16 Celebrity Suites on board, 14 are still available, of the 126 Aqua Class on Board, 76 are still available..

Although there may be a lot of pent up demand for cruising, folks seem to definitely be waiting on the All Clear sign before they throw their $ towards hopping on a boat.  I'm sure a fair amount of folks have already had to go through the whole cancellation process before on a previous sailing date and are waiting for that All Clear, as well.  

If you wait, be prepared to pay a bundle.  I'm getting ready to book now.  I'm vaccinated so the whole COVID thing is kind of water under the bridge for me now.  I'm sure prices are going to go through the roof as soon as more folks get their shots.  Here in the states, death rates are dropping dramatically.  Between those that have had the virus combined with those that have received the vaccine, it's not going to be too much longer before the U.S. is looking at this in the rear view mirror.  We just need to get the rest of the world vaccinated.

On 3/30/2021 at 9:09 AM, TeeRick said:

It begs the question as to why there are some American passengers so eager to cruise on APEX with the virus surging in Greece and with no current way to fly there.  Maybe in a few months this will all look much better.

Funny...I hop on United and can book airfare to and from Athens.  I'm vaccinated so I'm not really worried about COVID surging anywhere.  My concern is that I won't be able to hop off the boat to walk around the ports.

4 minutes ago, LittleMissMagic said:

 

As an "adult kid," I no longer allow my father to do this to me. Too many mornings of being woken up by someone banging on my balcony door! And too many times forgetting to close the curtain before getting changed!! 😱

Thanks Little Miss...It's my daughter 25 and my son 24 that are asking for it...They're sharing the same room and wanted it...so they're going to get it!  LOL