ajtaylor29

I may not be the best opinion here, since we try to avoid WJ the whole cruise if we can?!? But, i would vote for lunch anywhere other than WJ on embarkation day. It is usually crazy busy, with people dragging around their carry-ons and sitting until the rooms are ready (so few tables available). We will opt for either a specialty restaurant or any other venue that's open, like hamburger or pizza or sandwich options? You don't mention which ship you're on, but there are often other choices (like Park Cafe or Solarium (i think??) Once the rooms are open and people start spreading out, you'll have plenty of food opportunities! No one has ever gone hungry on a cruise.... 🙂

On 10/28/2023 at 5:24 PM, blueslily said:

 

Thinking about booking a sailing later this month. A couple folks above mentioned a bad smell in some areas. Did you experience that?

I remember a couple of times getting a whiff of something....but definitely not enough to disturb my cruise! Honestly, we recently stayed in a penthouse suite (at an unnamed Caesars property) and had way more "whiffs" of a sewer smell there than we did on Explorer so there's that?!? I think occasionally on all ships - but especially the older ones - there will be a whiff here and there.....but i also get that walking down the street! Don't let it deter you! 🙂

The quality of the food is almost secondary to me after the quality of the service. By that i mean: We cruise for so many other pleasures, and eating is sort of important but necessary. I have come to expect mediocre food in the MDR and the buffet - it's food mass produced for thousands of people, how can we expect it to be super-high quality??? - but i can always find something to eat and get full. What i CAN'T accept is bad service, slow service, waiting in line forever for "my time dining". To me, that is wasting my valuable cruise time when i could be doing other things!!  When i don't get that service, that's when i get frustrated.

I agree with another poster above who observed that Carnival has their MTD figured out MUCH better than RC....

Last few cruises, my DH and I average 1 meal in the MDR and 1 meal in the buffet all cruise long. The rest of our meals are either specialty restaurants, Coastal Kitchen (if we're lucky enough to cruise in a suite!), even sandwiches or pizza for a meal or two.

ALso, fyi - most people want to eat at 7 pm, or close to it. So, if you can be flexible, eat early or late....and avoid the long lines at MDR and always get a table at the specialty restaurants.

My 2 cents: the 7 day plus the newer ship make Wonder the winner for this first family cruise! 

We've been on lots of cruises, and pretty much love them all, but i always prefer at LEAST one week to fully wind down and relax. The shorter cruises to me always leave us wanting another day or two!

We started out cruising 10 years ago in a balcony, so i was spoiled right away with never wanting to do an inside cabin! Now we've expanded our criteria to suites when we can get them/afford them, and i admit i love the extra amenities BUT your family won't know what they're missing and they'll be so wowed by Wonder and all the fun things to do!

I didn't see what ports you have on Wonder....? but, imo for the shorter cruise - i don't like Nassau, but Labadee is great!

We used PK Travel last month and they were great! Had a driver and a guide for my family of 6. Very reasonably priced for this size group for sure.

Note rush hour traffic in the morning getting from the port, thru Piraeus (sp?) and out to the Acropolis site. Our driver figured out the quickest way to get us there and still beat the crowds!

Guide was very knowledgable.

I haven't met a cruise ship i didn't like....so I'm not the best to give advise BUT - i've been on both. I prefer Symphony for the Aqua Show, Central Park and Boardwalk. But we had a great cruise on Odyssey too (also, love the Northstar and the bumper cars!) so based on itinerary i would definitely go with Odyssey!

We were there in April, and i have to be honest - i was really disappointed (i was so looking forward to it as our other Costa Maya stop the year before was cancelled). It wasn't their fault, but the seaweed was AWFUL, and imo they shouldn't have opened that day. They had been texting us in the weeks before we went, telling us that the seaweed was bad and they would monitor it and if they felt it was too bad they would close for the day and notify us. So when they DIDN'T close, we were excited and figured it would be ok. Well, it was definitely not ok. Their beach was covered in stinky seaweed, it was impossible to get in the water at all, so we sat on beach chairs in the sand for a while, had lunch (which was great!) then got an early taxi back to the port.

It was just too gross to sit there all day.

I have read so many great things about the owners, and this resort, and i SO wanted to love it, but i was irritated that they chose to remain open and it just wasn't a good visit for us at all. I understand that this is their livlihood, so i feel bad for the negative review, but i'm just being honest. 

We'll be back in Costa Maya in 2 weeks, and now i don't know where we're going to go! I think the seaweed crisis has passed, tho, so we'll probably just find a beach close to the port.

Agree, I used Scootaround this summer on an Alaska cruise, they were very good to work with! I rented a scooter, and it was waiting for me outside at the cruise terminal before we boarded; then, at the end of the cruise we dropped it back off outside in their tent. Very easy!

We were on Explorer 2 weeks ago. The Tavern (next to the casino on deck 4) was playing NFL games. Remember with the time change that the games will be late night! The Sunday we boarded I started asking about where i could catch the Cowboy game, i was told in the Tavern "no, we're only showing World Cup". I decided i would just have to miss the game and went on about my evening. Then, walking thru late night on the way to the casino, and there was the Cowboy game (plus one other game)! I'm not sure why someone didn't tell me earlier that they'd be on late but glad i found it eventually!

We sailed on Explorer 2 weeks ago (Greece and Croatia) for a family vacation and all had a great time! I loved the ship, it's definitely older but we like the old ships as well as the new amped ships! 

I will say that we got the unlimited dining package so never stepped foot in either MDR or Windjammer. My DH and I just know by now that we prefer the specialty restaurants. Our adult kids did eat some at the included dining venues and said the food was good, not great, but that's what is to be expected in any venue that is serving hundreds of meals imo.....

I would not hesitate to book Explorer again! Our next cruise is Harmony (big ship) then back to an older ship (Voyager), then Symphony again (3rd time!)

8 minutes ago, Driftwoodgal said:

I am doing research on Venice. Could you share what excursions you are doing. We will be there three nights after sailing on the Explorer.

We are in Venice for 2 nights before our Explorer cruise. The only excursion we've booked is skip the line for Doge Palace and St Marks Basilica. I've read that there can be long lines to get in to these so i'm hoping we'll avoid too much waiting this way. Other than that, we plan to just walk and get lost - that's what i've read is the best way to see Venice. Maybe take a water taxi over to Murano Island to see the glass blowers if we have time.

We're about to leave on a European cruise in 6 days, i always second guess myself about how much to take as well! Keep in mind that you can use your credit card for most purchases while on shore, so that's what i plan to do. Then figure out how much is needed for excursions (some require cash which we'll get in euros), tips etc. You can always get more if you need it. I'm pretty sure the ATM's will dispense euros so you can get more as you go along. Have fun!

We'll be in Venice this Friday!!

We LOVE the crown lost suites, so for me that would be an easy decision. Love the location, especially love having 2 bathrooms!!! Our first time (on Symphony) it was the back ones that face the sports areas and the aqua theater, and i actually liked that better than i thought i would. I still prefer the side facing cabins, but i'd take the rear-facing over a grand suite for sure!

On 8/26/2023 at 7:01 PM, BirdTravels said:

For a Crown Loft, the week of sailing. 

Not necessarily, i say it depends on the ship and how full it is. We've bid and won twice on Crown Loft suites, and both times were notified maybe a month ahead of our cruise. I also think how much you bid factors in - if it's a low bid i'm sure they'll wait until the last minute hoping someone will bid higher?!?

We've done it once on Odyssey and enjoyed it! I think like most hibachi experiences (to me) it's a lot about the entertainment value and sometimes the food is pretty good?!? So we had fun and our chef was entertaining. As i recall most of the food was pretty good, i'd vote for the beef and seafood options instead of chicken (cause i already eat too much chicken anyway?!)

Would definitely go again if the timing and opportunity work!

Great advise from others about taking your time to research and focusing on one port at a time.

We're about to leave on our 3rd Med cruise (all new ports for us!) and i know the feeling of "where do i start?!?"

I always read CC threads to find other peoples experiences/suggestions and slowly start to lock in on what sounds good for us! Also do a lot of you-tube videos, google searches, reviews, etc. until i make a decision and book it! (can you tell i'm the planner in our family?!?)

You may find that one tour company offers tours in several ports and that can simplify things sometimes. We rarely use ship excursions so almost all of our tours are booked privately.

Occasionally we will go DIY without any structured plans, but imo - those are the stops that i tend to feel like we just wandered around and we probably missed a lot of the highlights. That's just me, but if you can afford it i recommend some kind of planned activity in each port.

As you make decisions and start locking in plans for each port, the excitement will build! I actually think the research is part of the fun of planning a cruise!

I know every port/cruise lines are different but i'll share my experience: I broke a bone in my foot 2 weeks before our Alaska cruise last month (Carnival Spirit out of Seattle). I had a walking boot but decided to rent a scooter just to be sure i had it if i needed it with all the walking required. I rented from ScootAround (i think it was about $220 but then i added insurance so that bumped it closer to $300). They had a tent outside where i checked in and got my scooter. I rode it onto the ship, up the elevator, parked it in our cabin (yes it fit!) and didn't use it again all week until we were disembarking and i rode it down again!)

If i hadn't rented it i would have needed it of course?!?

In the short time i rode it, i realized how difficult it can be to maneuver around a crowded ship, and how some people (not all!) ignore those chairs and scooters and walked right in front of me! I decided that i could handle my walking boot just fine if slightly slower and i preferred that to riding in the scooter.

Having said that, i am so grateful that my situation is/was a temporary injury only, and i have a new-found awareness and sympathy for those who are confined to wheelchairs and/or scooters permanently.

I hope that if i run into you on a ship, I'm the one who's holding the door for you, or moving aside to let you by. 🙂

Thanks for this info! I was also wondering about our Acropolis tickets, which we bought before the new policy was announced. However, we're on a guided tour so i feel like we'll be ok. I'm reaching out to them just to be sure!

I just got royal up offers for our Septemeber cruise, looks like about 75 days out. I'm sure it varies based on how many available cabins they have....

We just booked a casino offer and got our $100 OBC no problem. It came in less than 24 hours which surprised me because in the past i've waited weeks to get confirmation! We did pay a little to upgrade from a free balcony to the Vista Suite (corner aft wrap) but it wasn't much at all.

Just now, Ihearttravel11 said:

We were on Spirit June 27-July 4.
It was fantastic! Shows were great. Jake (cruise director) was great. Staff was great. Frozen yogurt was great, lol.

And DH just tested positive for Covid. I'm negative still.

No real comments or tips, other than that. Anything specific you want to ask?

OH i'm good with how many times you said "great"!!! That's what i really wanted to hear!!

Sorry for your DH's covid, hope it didn't affect his trip (or yours?!?) I just broke my foot over the weekend so found out yesterday that i'll be in a walking boot for 4-6 weeks. That is NOT how i wanted to cruise, but i'll just have to deal with it. We will have to adjust some of our plans to accommodate my gimpy foot but i'm sure we'll still have a blast!

The Segway tour is definitely out, but I'm hoping most everything else i can power thru.

We loved the Pride so i'm hoping we feel the same about Spirit. I have no problem with the older ships, or the smaller ships, as long as they're well-maintained. 

Actually, we love every ship we've been on!!! 🙂

We sail on July 18th out of Seattle. Really looking forward to this cruise! We've been to Alaska but it's been several years, and we've never been on the Spirit.

We were on the Pride last year in Europe, i think they are sister ships so it will feel very familiar to me.

But, i'm just curious about anybody who's been on recently? Any comments or tips?

We were lucky to snag the deck 4 corner aft vista suite, excited to have that panoramic balcony for Alaska! I'm hoping the weather cooperates!

1 hour ago, slyster said:

Totally get that.  We want to bid on the Crown Loft Suite and Grand Suite on Allure.  We are happy with any of those locations.  I wouldn't necessary want to be AFT facing in CLS, but heck if i win that bid, I'll take it happily! 

FYI, we've had 2 CLS's (both on Symphony) and one was rear facing/one on the side. While i definitely like the ocean-facing suite better, we had a blast on the rear facing - people watching! - and those cabins are so wonderful that i'd take one wherever it faced if given the chance!!!

5 minutes ago, Anton said:

Don’t forget that cruise points are based on the original cabin category you booked so if you get moved from the balcony to the suite you won’t get the extra points for it.  But you will get the other suite perks and the opportunity to pay the higher gratuities.  

are you sure about that? I thought that we had upgraded from a balcony to a suite before and got double points, maybe not....? 

A few years ago, while in Ketchikan, we did the Bering Sea Crab Fishermans Tour. To our surprise, once we motored out a ways from the dock they drove us to an area where we saw LOTS of eagles, i mean hundreds of them!!! We did not expect that on this tour. We also saw whales. I think we saw more wildlife on this tour than we had on other tours (like a whale-watching boat!). Just a very pleasant surprise!