wannavacay

On 4/24/2024 at 3:02 PM, Motorman23 said:

Sorry, I didn’t detail my dates, I’m looking for 2025 but assumed pricing would be similar. Too early to get exact pricing just trying to get my ducks in a row…

We noticed prices are much higher (& lots of hotels already showing sold out) for same room in 2025 than today & thinking it has to do with it being Jubilee year. 🤷🏻‍♀️

On 11/29/2022 at 6:30 PM, Earthworm Jim said:

So will our free included excursion for each port of call be an excursion to Venice or an excursion to Chioggia?

Thanks for asking this -- I realize your post is a little older... what did you find out (if anything) since then?

I will definitely check out the other forum for hotels in Rome, but since I'm here... for those of you who stayed in Trastevere, did you walk to the primary sights?  Or did you catch a train or cab?  Seems like a pretty hefty walking distance, especially if they weather is ugly.  TY!

On 6/20/2023 at 12:46 AM, Peregrina651 said:

 

All DV cabins are treated alike. Shorex open 67 days prior to start date, dining reservations 60 days prior, whether you are a DV1 or a DV6. For details on cabin amenities by category click here and then scroll down; the information is the same for all of the ships.

 

Embarkation is the same for all guests: first-come-first-served once disembarkation is complete (usually around 10 am).

 

DV cabins are promised to be ready by 2pm -- but are usually ready before then. There is no announcement about cabin readiness until all of the cabins are ready. You may check your cabin any time to see if it is ready.

Hi!  Thanks for the info.  What creates the difference in the DV's (or other categories) so that all the amenities are the same, but the prices are higher for the different DV levels?  For instance, there is $600 difference between DV6 and DV1 on a particular itinerary.  Is it only the location that creates the differences?  Or rooms with blocked views?  If we are looking at DV, for instance, why wouldn't we just want the lowest price category? Thank you & have an amazing day!

1 hour ago, KurtMo said:

This is the kind of memory foam that was on the Escape in the Haven at end-January.

Hi!  Thank you for responding.  Was there a picture?  Wasn't sure which one you were talking about.  TY!

Hi!  For the folks who have gotten the memory foam pillow, was it the flat kind or the kind with the hump (like for your neck)?  We prefer the flat kind but I didn't want to order it and get the wrong one.  TIA!

We are also interested in what we can do in Victoria from 7pm-midnight (hopefully we have recovered from jet lag by then too).  Someone that used to live there said the nightlife is amazing, but I'm prob packing more parkas and sensible shoes over club stuff this trip lol.  Family members are pushing for us to go to Buchart Gardens but hubs isn't all that interested since we've been subjected to viewing over 1000 pics of Buchart Gardens already several years back.  At least 3 of the same butterfly too.  

3 hours ago, SomewhereGirl said:

For my sailing last September, I went on the excursion to the Lumberjack Show, then stayed in town for at least a couple hours afterward and then took the shuttle back instead of the excursion bus.

Good to know!  This is kind of what we were hoping for, but weren't sure we'd be able to stay in town or if there was some kind of liability for a tour to not bring someone back to the ship afterward.  Thanks for the info!

7 hours ago, LMKakaThing2 said:

In my experience, they tell you 30 minutes before departure from a port to be back on board. They’ll make an announcement telling you what time to be back. NCL states an hour before departure but the announcement usually says 30 minutes. The 2 hour rule is for day of embarkation. 

Thank you so much for pointing this out -- this makes me feel a lot better!  

And to Don, thanks for the suggestion, we generally vote with our money and avoid NCL, but they have the market cornered in Hawaii and the options for our schedule matching a trip to Glacier Bay (which was our must-do) were pretty limited.  Honestly after this, can't really see choosing NCL again.  

We are going to be there from 7:15am-1:15pm, and the hubs read something from NCL saying that everyone needs to be back on 2 hours before we leave each port for security...  In theory, that means a 6 hour stop, which is really 4 hours with security (if this is true), and a 20-30 min commute each direction = 3 hours.  None of the shore excursions from NCL that "guarantee" you'll be back onboard include a shuttle, or enough time to just check out downtown on your own.   Serious bummer.  Kind of hate it for the peeps that rely on tourism in downtown Ketchikan.  If anyone has any ideas (from experience) let me know.

Be sure to jump on your Roll Call thread for this date (I'm sailing then too!) and register for the Meet & Mingle.  I think we are upwards of 200 guests to the M&M now.   Several folks sailing with us appear to have sailed Anthem before and loved it.

If you haven't booked them yet, they should be available in the cruise planner now.  Also, if you download the Royal app (not the Royal IQ), Anthem is now using the Royal App & can book more on the mobile app.

Is that true for the Royal Suite Class program for Anthem & a few other ships?  I can't get a solid answer on this either -- they used to list it on the old suite perks, but it's not listed ANYWHERE in the Royal Suite class perk list.  I will have to test it out!

I might have missed it but I don't think anybody has mentioned the other reason -- Fort Lauderdale could also have several gigantic ships disembarking on the same day and all their peeps will be at that airport also.  Even if you can take advantage of the RC luggage valet service & skip the checkin counter, the security lines can still be outrageous.

Duluth NOGA Pants have a small hidden pocket in the waistband that can hold maybe a driver's license or small keys, and another zipper pocket on the thigh that is as wide and tall as my phone.  Sometimes I walk the dog in them.  Sometimes I wear them with heels and a dressy top and you wouldn't know they were casual pants... You can get straight leg (which is wider at the bottom but doesn't hug you like leggings), slim fit (which I have recently discovered and especially love -- narrow at the bottom but not like leggings) and leggings style.  

BetaBrand has all kinds of pants with hidden pockets.  I bought some of the travel pants.  They look and feel more like jersey leggings but they are baggier.  More casual.  But they do have dress slacks also.  In any case, the travel pants have two different pockets built into the waistband -- one is horizontal and can hold your phone or a passport, and the other is a small one.

Neither is especially inexpensive, but I wear the NOGA pants enough to make them worth the purchase.

On 6/8/2019 at 12:25 PM, cruiserdru said:

I buy keychains as a substitute because most stores have loads of them. 

I also have a "Travel Tree" for my keychains and treat them as ornaments.  Good trip down memory lane each time we put up and take down the tree.  The only place I had trouble finding one so far was Cheyenne, Wyoming, and even there I was finally able to wrangle one.

I went to Hopewell Rocks on a road trip with a friend who lived in Maine, many years ago.  We were there for low tide in the morning (had stayed in the motel next door), then left to go shopping in Moncton to kill the time before returning at high tide.  My husband has never been, so on this cruise, first thing I did was look for an excursion.  RC is offering one, but like everyone is saying, it takes 2 hours each way to get there, and honestly, if I went all that way and it didn't coincide with the tide schedule, that would be a bummer.  The magic is in seeing the difference in the tides at Hopewell, and "walking on the ocean floor."  Sadly our arrival that day does not match up well with the tide schedule so we are choosing to meander around Saint John and check out the Reversing Falls.

We have had balconies (exterior) and CP balconies, and enjoy both.  CP is very chill.  However, they do have musicians playing chill music sometimes in the evenings, so if you're in a window you might be closer to the music.  I don't remember it ever being late at night though.

I did check the itineraries for port days.  Both Ruby and Bliss r/t out of Seattle with Glacier Bay itineraries are within about 30min to an hour of one another.  Juneau has ok times, arrive early afternoon & stay till late evening.  It should give us enough time to go to Mendenhall Glacier before the park closes at 730.  I think Ketchikan or another is really weird like 6am-1pm on Bliss and 7am-130pm on Ruby or something similar.  Thanks!

Well the trip is definitely billed as Inside Passage with Glacier Bay, but I guess I'm trying to figure out if the Glacier Bay viewing is as good on Bliss as it would be on Ruby.  We are leaning toward Bliss right now.

I am looking at the same two ships...  We want to sail out of Seattle so we can do round trip & save on airfare, sail inside passage, AND go to Glacier Bay.  I saw a review on CC on Bliss that said it was too big for the inside passage, and most importantly, it doesn't actually go up in Glacier Bay National Park -- it stays a bit away.  I'm trying to figure out if that's really true, because Ruby Princess goes UP IN THERE.  I have looked at as many YouTube videos as I can stand to figure this out, but I can't seem to get a good look, esp since Bliss is pretty new (2018).  Does Bliss get up as close to glaciers in Glacier Bay, or is the nearest glacier way off in the distance?  Thanks!!

I cruised mid-March around Hawaii a while back and also again early February last year.  Each island is completely different, and the adventures you'll have might have different temperatures.  Also if you do a helicopter ride (I highly recommend you do), dress in all black to avoid glare in the photos.  It rains somewhere just about every day, so I kept a lightweight waterproof Columbia rain jacket in my backpack for our excursions and it came in handy more than once.  Bring light layers and you'll be fine.  You won't need cold weather gear though.  Have a fantastic time!  

2 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

A 12 pack 1L on Symphony was $48.00 + 18 % service charge. 

Our upcoming Anthem sailing was on sale last week, prices were something like $39 for 12 and $68 for 24, + 18%.  Sales pop in and out over time, have to keep checking back.

I forget if it was a youtube video or some other post I've seen, but there are some balconies with an overhang -- I think on Deck 13 -- that offer less sun than others.  You'd have to look at the pictures of the outside of the ship.  Can't say for sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but the advice given was to avoid the overhang.  Maybe someone who has had one of those cabins can comment.

If you don't get any answers to this post and you are staying in a suite, maybe you can get a hold of the concierge and get some answers.  My parents celebrated their 50th with us on Allure.  My mother rented a scooter from a 3rd party because of her mobility issues and there was plenty of room in the suite for her to keep it there at night and charge it.  She was glad she got it and would have had difficulty going anywhere on the ship without it.  Good luck!