Quiet in the Forum
 

Is anybody doing any cruises this fall and winter? It seems so quiet on the board. Surely, some of you are cruising someplace. Tell us about it so we can travel vicariously.

We would like to do something, but my daughter got a new job that is longer hours than she expected, and we have our little Granddaughter so much, picking her up from school everyday and keeping her until bedtime, sometimes overnight, we haven't figured out good daycare, so we are uncomfortable leaving.

We are still hoping to do our traditional Spring cruise and had one all picked out for during our granddaughter's Spring break, but now a family wedding is planned during that time, and the ship we wanted is departing from a different port than we thought. So still looking and trying to come to a decision.

Hope all of you are out on ships having exciting, or relaxing cruises, and that you will post reports afterwards.

We will be on a ship this New Years Eve. 16 month old GD will be on board with us. Not sure if we will spend more time relaxing or baby sitting ... LOL

This will be a new experience for us, hence the question of what to do with disposable diapers. This must be a taboo subject as no one on CC replied on my question. The roll call is also "dead" and devoid of any real activity.

This forum has been very quiet for the last little while, maybe people are too busy with the election news? or maybe we have sent everyone to cc and they don't have a reason to come back here. Just my 2 cents worth.

The "regulars" are also becoming less regular as well. :(

Eschew,
I would love to be on a ship for New Years Eve! I am not much of a party person, but that would be an exception! What ship will you be on? Where? Departure port?

No idea about the diapers. Are some more easily biodegradable now? After your cruise, you can post advice to others. Most toddlers that age are super busy, and have to be watched every minute, so cruising with one will be an experience! I might get one of those little harness things that has a tiny soft animal backpack on it for walking around the ship. It worked well with my Granddaughter for walking near busy streets.

I have noticed roll calls being small on our last cruises. Too bad because we've met some really nice people on the roll calls, and had lots of questions answered. Most people I meet now do not even know about cruisecritic or the roll calls, maybe because there are so many websites for booking. I also think people are using Facebook now. I am on Facebook, but don't know how they do trip things there.

Several years ago we did a holiday cruise and New Years Eve onboard was a blast.

A cousin signed up for a 12 night RCCL cruise from Baltimore at $60/night. what a deal!

Sass, No party for us either. With the little one, DS and DIL will be in bed early.

It would be the Ruby Princess sailing round trip from LA (8 days), with 4 Mexician Riviera stops. Nothing really that exotic but picked it out of easy access (direct flight so it would be easier travel for the toddler), the timing is right (DIL is a school teacher and can only goes during school holidays) plus it is to a warmer climate.

No plans for any shore excursions for ourselves, probably just walk off and hop on a cab, and more than likely, baby sitting while DS and DIL went ashore on their excursions. This one is more about them having a holiday than us.

Not sure what the rules would be for going ashore with the GD ourselves without the parents being present as they wold be off already on their excursions. I know it is an issue and needs letter etc at airport etc.

Being 16 months old by that time, GD would be active so we will have to figure something out to keep her safe. No balcony cabin for her to get into trouble for sure, and no pool activity on board (not toilet trained yet) and swim diapers are not allowed for obvious reasons.

She is learning to walk right now and can get up on her own, do a few steps, and sat; so no clue on what it would be like by then. I think they have a leash/back pack combo similar to what you described but not sure how she will react to that (movement restriction). We bought a "folding" stroller that folds into a brief-case size package so we should be using that lots.

Not even sure if she is too young (16 months) to go on a cruise. She probably would have zero memory of it when she grows up. We debated long and hard and finally decided on a cruise versus Disney or an all inclusive. Still not sure if it is the right decision.

We sort of joked that we will take her (GD) cruising with us (without the parents) when she is a bit older and she can take care of us on the ship like pushing us around in our wheelchairs. She could be "Elite" on the loyalty program before she turns 18 and have access to the free mini bar that she cannot use (drinking age is 21 on board?)

Will cross the diaper bridge when we got there. Probably bring s small pail (with lid) and small garbage bags as liners or lots of large zip-lock bags. Tip the cabin steward and hope for the best. Maybe air freshener too?

It was so long ago when our kids were small. I don't even remember what we did back then.

CC has been a mixed bag for us. We have come across some very nice people, but a lot more pretentious people, who just brag about how many cruises they have been on etc etc.

We used to go to the meet and greet and after a few of those boring people, we stopped going. Sometimes, we sort of showed up incognito and look around, and depending on the conversation around the table, introduce ourselves. We have pretty much keep to ourselves and yet we still managed to meet new people, usually at the Dining room (during breakfast) or maybe fellow passengers while we are ashore.

I seldom post on CC except for roll calls. I used to post reviews there but after noticing reviews posted by people who get "perks" writing reviews, I discounted the content of the reviews there, so it may not be fair on my part. I think the moderators here do a much better job keeping out the "commercial contents".

A trip report here is not like a CC review so I think the approach here is less critical, and more informational. And I like the interactive nature with trip reports here since it is on a forum. There are Q&A here whereas on the CC review, you can't ask questions and you won't get answers. Giving a rating number means absolutely nothing as it is subjective and my 5s could easily be someone else's 1s.

Leaving for the Panama Canal on the Coral Princess Sat 10-29. This will be my first cruise since I started peritoneal dialysis a year ago. Worrying that supplies will be delivered directly to the cabin as arranged. Its been about 5 years since my last cruise, hoping this will be good experience. We booked our excursions through the ship as we had large ship board credit. Looking forward to breakfast on our balcony. Will do trip report after we return from cruise and visit to FL.

LBloom,
Thank you for letting us know so we can share a bit of your worry, but also your pleasure of those breakfasts on the balcony. I am so excited for you! Pictures of the Coral Princess look beautiful, and the ship was just renovated. I will definitely watch for your TR.

Eschew,
You are brave! It will be a couple of years before she enjoys the cruise or Disney, but all of you grownups will have fun, just with more accommodation made for a toddler.

We did not take our granddaughter on a cruise until she was 4 and old enough to be in some of the kid's programs. She remembers that, and has been on 2 more. Still no balcony for her though. Even at 6, the first thing she did was grab a chair and climb up on it on our balcony. It doesn't matter what you say. They see no danger.
Our choices of ships and itinerary have also been with a child in mind, including short, non-stop flights. A happy, rested kid makes a happy trip.

I do want a TR from you about cruising with a toddler!

Well I would have a TR next month but RCI cancelled our cruise as some big $$ guy in Taiwan chartered the ship (Ovation) for a private outing. Too bad as I had airfare booked with our miles.

We are scheduled to be on that ship Dec. 2017 out of Sydney but who knows if we can manage to sneak another cruise in before then. :D.

Larry, did you get compensation for the flights? You should press them for that.

Since you booked it with miles, you might as well fly there and have a "land vacation". Christmas down south should be fun. Or maybe there is another ship lurking around the same time?

They offered up to $300.00 pp for flight compensation. As we booked with miles I was compensated for the $200.00 fee to put the miles back in the bank. As the flight was ORD-PEK and SIN-ORD I am glad it wasn't cash. Yes I wanted to go,anyway but my wife did not so you know who wins that one. :S-.

Dealing with RCI to pay us was another matter. I had to go thru hell but finally kept pushing it up and got in touch with some one high up in executive customer relations who apologized for how I was treated initially and. He said he spoke to this other person and informed her how inappropriate she was. Good! I also sent a certified letter to Michael Bailey about this entire incident. For my hassles two bottles of wine and two boxes of chocolate covered strawberries �� were given to us.

I have noted a huge disparity in CS from X and RCI between upper level Personnel and those who you are in contact initially and noted that in my letter. The people you speak to initially are seemingly into a "no" culture and are fixed and rigid. As I have gone up the folks there actually are pretty cool but man at first well let's say "Siri" has far more sense.

Our last cruise was September 2015. My husband and I would love to take another cruise, but due to health issues and work restrictions nothing in the plans now. Hopefully in another 1/2 year I can start planning.

We will be on a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel in December. Will spend Christmas on board and New Year's in Paris. It's hard to be away during the holidays when there are little ones (not ours, but a grandniece and grandnephew, as well as adult nieces and a nephew, who will always be "babies" to us), but we thought we'd take this this trip away just this once. It will be our first river cruise (AmaWaterways), and we will do some "scouting" afterwards for a group that is going on a second river cruise with us next June. All in all, we're looking forward to the adventure.

Burta, sounds like wonderful fun for New Years!

Waiting for the Carnival Horizon bookings to open in a month or so. No cruise until Summer 2018 as we are locked into making my niece 'a dreams come true at Disney World ��

Burta, that was a good cruise with Ama last year, we traveled in reverse direction. If you don't like a firm mattress ask them for an additional pad and they will have a foam mattress pad. I understand you can request it before you travel, we learned about them from another passenger after a difficult first night.

DH and I are taking a 9 day Christmas Market cruise with Viking the first week of December. Starts in Basel, ends in Amsterdam. One thing I liked was having 2 nights in port at the beginning and end. I did a Rhine cruise last year with a cousin and when DH said he would do a Christmas Market cruise found a great price rather last minute. I won't mind some of the ports being repeats since we had only an afternoon in most.

Scootoir, please come back with a trip report when you get home. We have thought about that rive cruise also.

We are doing the canal at the end of January on Holland America.

I will do that fmpden and will include some comparisons between Viking and AmaWaterways.

We're booking on Celebrity Eclipse for a tansatlantic crossing next October, Southampton to Miami with stops in Boston, NYC, Bermuda and Bahamas. We did this last year. Will spend 3+ weeks in UK and France before we board.

We live in Florida now and are finally settled so will start looking for last minute deals, it's just that the Caribbean isn't my favorite destination.

Should have said, "We're booked...."

Popping in to say hello to everyone. No plans for cruising in the near future, and I miss this forum :(

Hello to you too. The lounge is busy but I'll pass on most of it. :S-.

We've added another cruise, an 8-day eastern Caribbean in and out of Miami in March on Celebrity Reflection. Have never been to any of the ports, St. Kitts/Nevis, Puerto Rico

and St. Maarten/Basseterre. Looking forward to it, any advice or tips on the ports. We're very familiar with the ship, have loved it in the past.

Caribbean cruise is mostly winter getaways, some place warm, sun, beach, you get the idea.

When we take a Caribbean cruise, it is usually to relax, unwind, don't make plan for anything. When the ship dock, just walk off and see what caught our eyes.

The ship usually offers "port talk" the day prior to arrival, just don't fall for the "shopping talk" and coupon baits. Some port talks (usually not someone from the ship's staff) offer really good information such as what tourist traps to avoid, transportation tips, local food and safe local places to visit etc.

St Kitts is mostly famous for the water sport. The Grey's island tour could be interesting if you are not interested in the whole water thing.

Most would enjoy the rain forest tour in Puerto Rico.

St Maarten, again, is mostly water related. The "city" tour is interesting enough. Sea Trek is fun if you are adventurous but pricey.

The Reflection is nice, the ship could be the destination. Ask about Aqua class upgrade if the price difference is not too extreme. Well worth it if the price is right. Ask about the price difference and what "extra" you will receive and decide if it is worth the extra $. We were booked on the Aqua class last time with Celebrity and we were spoiled rotten ... and our upgrade cost was minimal.

Thanks, Eschew. We love aqua class and Blu restaurant but on this cruise friends asked us to join them and they're not in aqua class. It won't matter much on such a short cruise, we'll eat in the Tuscan Grill and the French restaurant for two nights. Twice we did suites on repositioning cruises, the newish suites-only restaurant is really lovely but usually suites are too expensive for us. Celebrity is our favorite line, I suppose we should branch out a little.

If you are in Aqua class, you can always bring your friends to blu and take them through your private entrance to the spa. We have been on many cruise lines but someone how we always ended up on the same two: Princess and Celebrity. Enjoy your cruise!

St. Maarten is on elf my fav islands. I recommend this person who arranged a tour for us. Its private, moderately priced and personalized.
http://joyceprince.com/

Eschew,

Wasn't aware we could bring guests to Blu. Will check because the difference in price wasn't much.

Thanks.

cath

A small up charge may apply as it is a "specialty" restaurant. We had guests on 2 occasions and the Maitre'd gladly accommodated us.

We just checked about Blu, only guests allowed are passengers with suites. Nice idea though.

That must be new then ... most night, it was not full at all. Our guests were not suite passengers and no one asked if they were. We just showed up at the door, told them we have guests, they said there is an "extra charge" and I said put it on our account and that was it.

We're looking forward to our winter cruise - that is, in the Australian winter. We're doing a five week cruise around the South Pacific - round trip out of Sydney with five ports in Hawaii, three in French Polynesia plus several others.
We're finding that we need to book well ahead - at least twelve months - to get the cruise and cabin we want. Don't know whether that is because of the limited itineraries out of Australia or the increasing number of people who want to try cruising. So now we're looking for interesting cruises for 2018 - hopefully without having to endure a long long flight to get to the departure port.
Eschew - hope you have an enjoyable cruise with your family. I still have a copy of your Alaskan report which travelled with us to Alaska last year - thanks again for all your suggestions.

Less than 7 days to go with the little one ... not sure if we are having second thoughts ... too late now. Let's hope GD travels well on the plane and everything else. DIL biggest worry is GD loses her favorite stuff animal by throwing it overboard ... LOL

Ordered a welcome package which includes a stuffed bear for arrival to cabin.

Sass, any last minute advises?

Eschew,

Our GD was a bit older, but she has a little doll carrier that holds a doll or teddy in front of her. It is great. She still uses it, now at age seven, because her favorite doll travels everywhere. With the carrier, she can see the doll and still have her hands free. The tube like carriers that hold the doll or teddy in back look cute, but are not as good because the child can't see the toy or sit down with it on. You have to take them off, so the whole point of not losing it is at risk.
The one GD has was cheap and very small, just in case you are interested. Do not know if they still have them, but you could find one on EBay. It is the American Girl Star shaped doll carrier, for bitty baby, but holds the bigger dolls just fine.
No other advice. Hope you have a fabulous time.

Eschew, how did the cruise with a little one go?

We just booked a 5 day a couple of days ago. I posted it separately. Things have picked up in the form the last few days.

Eschew, just realized you are not back yet. Hope it is going wonderfully.

Just got back today. The shooting at FLL airport created new airport security concerns. Flights were delayed for hours and have a spat with airline over luggage fees. I'll be posting something probably next week and this cruise surprised me. Maybe it is the time of the year, or maybe because we have the young GD in tow, we noticed things that you never notice before.

Eschew, can't wait to hear everything you can tell us about your trip! So, as soon as you can, thanks.

Look f/w to it!