Daytonasailor

8 hours ago, WhaleTailFlCruiser said:

So about all of my cruising experience has been on Carnival ships minus one trip on Symphony of the Seas. I saw a good deal for Escape out of PC for a seven day next year over new years so I grabbed it. Can anyone tell me how the Studio cabins are and how the spaces work? Also I saw that it gave me car and Wifi ext does the open bar include Soda? I honestly don't drink so it is a waste on me lol. 

 

Thank you all :). Can't wait to get back to cruising. 

Our GD (23 yrs old) sails with us often. We always get her a studio if available. She is booked for a studio on our Dec, 21 cruise on the Escape. She loves them. Studio is very small but has everything you need as far as the room goes. There is a nice lounge at the front of the cabins and they offer snacks and drinks. They even included a bottle of wine with the room. The front door of the lounge is secured and you must use your room fob to enter. People were sitting in the lounge when we went to visit and it was a friendly group. If I was to go single, I would book a studio.

On 5/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, AdoraBelle said:

I know this never works, but I'm going to try it anyway. 

 

Would anyone like to discuss their return to cruising, specifically on NCL (since this is the NCL board), but without actually arguing about politics, masks, or the pandemic? I would personally enjoy such a discussion. I miss the days of merely making fun of NCL's minor policy decisions, but I can even exercise self-restraint in that regard if it will help keep things chill here. 

 

I will probably pull the trigger on an Alaska cruise tomorrow, for August. I've looked at NCL's return to service policies, and I'm pleased with them. (I'd link, but I'm trying to avoid another thread about masks and vaccinations. It's easy to find on their site, though.) 

I've never been to Alaska, and have never sailed out of Seattle. I have been on the Bliss when she was doing a winter run out of Miami, and I do remember the fantastic Obs lounge, although I'm sure it will be PACKED to the gills in Alaska. I won't have a balcony (solo studio for me, unless a deal pops up), and I'm considering a spa pass as a backup viewing location just in case the obs lounge is really impenetrable. 

 

I've never even really considered Alaska because it will be such a long flight for me, and the thought of my first post-pandemic flight being so long makes me a little antsy. But something about it is very appealing right now, after not having traveled for so long. (My last cruise was a cruise to Bermuda out of NYC in July 2019.)

 

Would take any advice about, for example, hotels near the port (it's Pier 66, I gather?), and/or some other area I should stay in. With the flights I'm looking at, I will get into Seattle too early to check into a hotel, with my baggage in tow, and most likely desperate for a shower, so I'm also trying to figure out how to kill a few hours. Or find a hotel that will let me pay a little for early checkin. (I think I would land a little after 10am. For Florida I never thought twice about flying day-of, obviously not doing that this time.)

 

Yeah, my Alaska ignorance is pretty breathtaking. I have a hard time packing light for the Caribbean, so this should be interesting. 

 

I know a title like this is basically throwing out chum for trolls and the irrationally hostile, so I wanted to include this useful link: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/ignore/

We flew from Florida a few years ago. Long flight, but we considered it part of the vacation. We traveled in May and had a balcony cabin. For me it was to cold to sit outside, even in May. Probably one of the best trips we have been on. Alaska is like nothing else you have seen. A trip well worth it. If you get to Juneau, go to the Red Dog Saloon. Lots of fun. Guy on the guitar and sings popular songs. He asked us the most requested song and of course it was the old "North to Alaska" song. He then asked what was the second most requested song. No one seemed to know. It was "Cheeseburger in Paradise" Go figure, Ha, tourists.

On 4/23/2021 at 12:36 AM, complawyer said:

 

nothing magical about it, pure luck. we've been sailing with ncl since 2010. had a march 2020 cancelled, and we just watched the stock go down.  we bought mgm also.  since we didnt know in 2020 that it would take over one year and still no cruising, we bought the stock. i didnt think ncl would ever tank completely

I bought at $7.90 and watched it go to $16. Felt good about it and cashed out. Doubled my money in a couple of months. Wait, you say it's at $30 now? Jeeze.

19 hours ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Just to clarify the info re: your GS not being able to join you.  IMO, you'd be best to leave him on your ticket and do a "no show" at the port.  Why, b/c you'll receive his taxes and fees back automatically anyway vs having to reprice your cruise and possibly lose your stateroom (unlikely but possible) by having him removed from your ticket.  

I hope your cruise is a go but who knows what will happen by then.  

Good luck

That's good advice. I thought you lost it all on a "No Show". Thanks for the info. I'm gonna do that.

9 hours ago, Two_UW_Badgers said:

I have a Christmas cruise booked and final payment is currently due in August. My kids (8 and 10) may or may not have the opportunity to be vaccinated by the cruise... wondering what will happen with final payment dates and of there will be flexibility given this uncertainty...

Right you are. I posted earlier my concerns of our 11 year old GS who we have booked on the Dec  cruise also. Our final payment is Aug. How can we be sure of his being allowed to cruise? We can't at this time. I'm thinking of cancelling his passage as he is in the same cabin with us, and then if things change and he is allowed to sail, just add him again. He did get "free" 3d person, but the tax and all was over $300. Guess we will have to wait and see.

On 4/14/2021 at 9:14 PM, lenquixote66 said:

It is not a story.I was a journalist early in my life and I know the difference between truth and fabrication.My neighbor said that his 59 year old friend a resident of NY and healthy went to Fla and 3 days later died from Covid.

Obviously he could have had the virus in his system in NY.

A journalist, truth and fabrication. You have to be kidding.

14 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I honestly don't think the CDC has any intention of giving the go ahead...period.  It's why more lines will begin to seek other embarkation ports.  Celebrity is already launching Caribbean cruises out of St. Martin.

Aaahhh, St Martin. Loved sitting at the Sunset Bar and Grill watching the planes 50 feet over your head.

On 4/6/2021 at 10:05 AM, latebloomer56 said:

I don't like the idea of being vaccinated if and when I can. However I like the idea of not cruising even less. I will do what I must to cruise, my husband has had both shots, hope our sons get theirs next month when they are eligible but worried our grandson will not be allowed to cruise as he will be 12 in Oct.

Anybody know about children at this time?

Also not sure if they would refund us if we can't sail due to this new requirement which wasn't an issue when we booked our first time in 2019 for 2020. Hoping the third time is the charm for this Oct. 29th.

Thank you as always folk's, stay safe.

Not sure of kids at this time. We are concerned as our grandson (11) is booked to sail with us on 18 Dec. His 12th birthday is 11 Dec. OK, he gets a shot then, but don't you have to wait two weeks? I hope all of this mess is decided soon.

Hummm, you might want to go to Daytona Beach one time and tell me if you think this is a wealthy community. I got my shots months ago. I really didn't think that this service was due to any donation to the governors election committees.

7 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Funny.   Us Navy guys used that same saying.  It was usually delivered by a rather grumpy Master Chief.  🙂

Yea, I tried to join the navy but they turned me down. They did a background check and found out my parents were married.

Just now, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Should have picked a better Community College.  😉

Cole, as we used to say in the Army, assumptions are the mother of all F@#$%ups.

On 2/19/2021 at 10:15 AM, DCGuy64 said:

This is something I strongly agree with, especially the penultimate paragraph. To be sure, Covid-19 has been devastating, but the response has been way overblown, in many cases. And I think history will show that there was a lot of overreaction (which is understandable given how quickly it spread and how many people died initially). The thing is, if we don't learn from our mistakes, we'll just repeat them. It's not that the wise don't make mistakes, but they do learn from them. Covid-19 is somewhat more deadly than the seasonal flu. A LOT more deadly. But deadly enough to warrant the virtual shutdown of the entire world for nearly a year? No. We all know of isolated instances of the common cold, norovirus, and seasonal influenza causing outbreaks onboard cruise ships. But they never caused a shutdown of nearly the entire industry for this long. Again, I think history will show that the response was not commensurate with the risk. I hope we learn from this and don't simply repeat the mistakes we made. The bright side is this: all of our speculation on Cruise Critic isn't going to be the deciding factor when it comes to what the cruise lines do. We can all armchair quarterback for as long as we like, but the big shots are going to make the call.

Jeeze, I've got two college degrees, but I still had to look up the word, "penultimate".

On 1/3/2021 at 5:11 AM, FLcruisergrl said:

We were feeling sad last weekend because it was cold outside and we usually cruise this time of year. Ended up booking a little 5 day on the Escape to Mexico for Dec 2021!

We too booked the Escape in Dec of 21. Used my FCC to cover the cost so no out of pocket. Hope if it's cancelled, they will extend my FCC.

I called my TA and they have a sale till 31 Dec midnight. I'm booking now and will get $525 OBC. They are calling NCL now to see if I can get another 10% off. I have a FCC which will cover the cruise. Now is we can only go. It's for 18 Dec 2021.

On 12/21/2020 at 7:09 PM, Crown Vic said:

Sailed in a First Class cabin on the SS United States, in the 60’s, from Southampton to New York. Ship maintained speeds in the 30+ knot area irrespective of sea conditions. Crossing took approximately 4 1/2 days. Great to reminisce. CV...

We sailed on her in the early 60's too. My father was in the army stationed in Europe and he was the transportation officer in his unit. He said my mother had a fear of flying so he arraigned for first class tickets for the family. I remember that everything was just perfect  and feeling that this first class is kinda nice.

On 12/9/2020 at 3:50 PM, TonyFred said:

In carried my daughter, son in law and 2 grandchildren on a Western Caribbean last October. (2019) With air and 2 cabins and other expenses it ran me about 10 grand. This one not on NCL.

On Halloween night I hit a "MAXI" jackpot for over 5 grand on a Star Watch slot machine. I put that money in my safe.

On Saturday evening (the last night)  I found a casino voucher for 40 bucks from earlier in the week that I had forgotten to cash in. I had not been back in the casino since the jackpot. The machine to cash the ticket in was out of order and there was a line at the cashier.

So I put it in to the other Star Watch machine next to the one I had gotten lucky on. Two spins later I hit the MAXI on it for over 5 grand. I still look at it as the Good Lord reimbursing me for doing a good thing!

 

Hey, were you on the Bliss when you found that $40 voucher? See my Dec 12 post.

Good and bad. I was playing the slots on the Bliss and was lucky to win $40 on the quarter machines. I stuck the winning ticket in my pocket and went to a show in the atrium . After a few drinks I  was slouching in my seat and you can guess what happened. After I reached into my pocket to cash out the ticket, I realized it had fallen out of my pocket. I went to the lost and found but no one turned in the ticket, Ha!

On 12/5/2020 at 7:09 AM, Nclcruise1415 said:

So when I bought a couple hundred shares at $9/share that was a good thing? You know, when many said they were going bankrupt and not going to survive? Too bad I didn’t purchase more. 😉 

Bought at $7.9 early this year. Got scared due to the election. Sold at $16. Made a nice profit. Wait, the stock is at $26? Oh well, that's the market for you.

9 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

I don't think the number of cruise customers who died of Covid is very high.  There are 382 million people in the US with less than 140,000 deaths.  I doubt that number includes a large number of cruisers.

Anyway, I am watching the stock daily and am considering buying stock if it dips around $10 again.  I still have 100 shares, but sold the rest for a profit.  I think it's a good buy at $14.50, but may take some time to recover.  It's a guessing game with stocks.

Aaahhh, now were back on track with the subject. Your right, I bought at $13.82, and it looks like about $15.80 this AM. Still a couple of bucks ahead and watching closely. I'm a gambler and I'm riding the waves of the market. My personal opinion is that all the three big lines will survive. I play the game for fun, so there's no life changing money involved which makes it fun.

I got on here to check out opinions on the CCL stock. What's with all the stats on dead people?

Sligo, and the  Bliss Beatles were great.

On 7/4/2020 at 5:34 PM, Ourusualbeach said:

A farewell photo of the three sisters together one last time. 

We will always remember our first cruise on the Monarch of the Seas. Had the best time on that old ship. Probably the only thing I did wrong was thinking it was a good idea to get on stage for the Love and Marriage Game Show.

5 hours ago, bigrednole said:

I get where you are. Every day doing the same routine I have to hope our November sailing goes. Obviously and realistically, my hopes does not mean it will sail nor does it mean it will be safe. My hopes are to be able to vacation again and that is all. Unfortunately, we are resigned to wait it out for RCL to cancel. It is the only way we could afford the next time slot we cruise. If I took a refund now, we would have to give up the drink package to go because of the price difference. The 125% FCC would close 50% of the gap in price. We would have to cancel an excursion or cutback somewhere else to afford it. Otherwise, we take the full refund and book on another cruise line for less and fly into FLL. That's the sad part, ~$1,000 in airfare will still be less than what the cost of a cruise to drive to Port Canaveral. That's what is driving me crazy at the moment. If they cancel, we would have to diminish our vacation to go on vacation with RCL.

When we lived in NC, we would fly out of RDU or Charlotte on Allegiant Airlines into Orlando/Sanford airport.  Sure there are no frills but  for an hour and ten minute flight I could survive without a bag of peanuts. I paid $25 for a one way ticket. But they got me flying back, they upped the price. I paid $29. Check them out.

7 minutes ago, rimmit said:

I own all three major cruise stocks but I couldn't figure why RCL was dropping so fast. I saw on another thread that Pullmantur was filing for bankruptcy and RCL owns 49% of the company. Is this the reason? I bought at $57.35 and this morning it's $45.30 premarket.

 

 

I would say many would agree at this point that it was overvalued. Down to around $45 premarket or 40 percent from its recent high of 75.

20 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

I decided to sell 600 shares of Carnival stock and hang on to my last 100.  I also sold 50 shares of Royal.  I made around $4,200 on Carnival and $1,400 on Royal.  The airlines stocks look good, so I am hanging on to those.  If Carnival or Royal takes a big plunge, I will probably buy more.  Same for the airlines.  I am really glad I was more aggressive with United, because I caught that a very good low.  Anyway, when the stocks plunge, I will definitely be ready to buy again.  

 

 

Agree. So far my only cruise stock which is down is RCL. Bought at 57, now it's 52.Bought CCL at 13 and NCL at 7.9. Those are doing well at this point. Only have one airline stock (ALGT) which I bought at 94 and it's up to 110 as of yesterday. Some days are nervous, but I think in the long term all will do well. Hope I'm right!