Emrys

3 hours ago, FJB said:

Another one gone overboard.  Sounds intentional.  MSC Euribia.  

That's correct @FJB, very sad news indeed. https://www.cruisehive.com/passenger-missing-and-overboard-from-msc-cruises-ship/126737

On 3/14/2024 at 12:24 PM, Jim Lamb said:

Well, according to the news this morning, Labadee is off the schedule for the next week or so. Good move RCL!   

Hey @Jim Lamb Did Royal Caribbean contact you about replacing Labadee for Allure of the Seas?

On 1/9/2024 at 1:03 AM, FJB said:

I am not a fan of what celebrity is doing with the suite class, especially the retreat area on the top deck - taking away the views from the front of the ship from those of us who are not sweet guests.  I always enjoyed watching us enter or leave ports from the front of the ship on the top outside deck.  Sadly no more.  
 

Like you, we enjoy the millennium and solstice class ships better than edge class.  We were on Millennium last February for the 3rd time.  We will be on the Silhouette this February.   Reflection is probably my favorite.  

Seems to be more and more spaces becoming exclusive spaces, such as The Retreat and MSC's Yacht Club. I do enjoy those views from the front of the ship!

Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald recently posted that the cruise line is planning a new, refreshed loyalty program. He did not reveal details about the program but did admit that it was in dire need of an update. Apparently, more details on this will be coming later this year. What would you like to see from the new program?

Celebrity Xcel will be the next Edge-class cruise ship to join the fleet. We have a while yet, as the ship won't arrive until 2025, but just wondering who is looking forward to the next new vessel from the cruise line? Also, any thoughts about the Edge-class in general?

Book through the cruise line so you are more covered is always a good idea. The cruise ship will wait if your tour is delayed, something that tours not booked through the cruise line can guarantee.

I never noticed that the Icon did that! I am a bit surprised. Could be related to security issues while docked at that specific port. Who knows!

I find the best thing to do is just plan what you will wear and hang them up in the bathroom while you shower. Usually works well. Could also do it without showing and just leaving the water on, but wouldn't want to waste all that water!

On 10/18/2023 at 11:17 PM, Maria said:

FYI, if anyone is sailing on NCL Epic on Jan 21, 2024 I just received a notification of an itinerary change.  Instead of visiting Harvest Cay, Belize on Jan 25, we are now visiting Belize City.  This change is due to port congestion in Harvest Cay on Jan 25.

@Maria Have you got the communication they sent you?

How large do you think cruise ships will get in the future? 😂

Great review @Onboard, thanks for posting!

It looks like we'll have an update on that coming today as a new itinerary for Norwegian Gem's November 1st sailing has been changed.

Never easy to see things like this, especially as I have a 6-year-old. I would do the same by jumping straight in to get him!

On 7/25/2023 at 8:26 PM, 3Sisters said:

RCL cruise guests were spotted sitting on the balcony railing with their feet dangling over the edge. I'm terrified just looking at this photo. It appears to be one of Royal Caribbean's Radiance-class ships. These passengers are seemingly young adults or children. This is just so unsafe and not smart at all! Have you seen anything like this before off of your cruise balcony? I wouldn't dare! 

With a six-year-old, that is a very scary view to see! Always important to make sure the kids are aware of the rules and not do anything stupid like that. 

And I'm hearing even more things are being taken away! Nice to see Cruise Hive looking good on your iPad!

On 8/1/2023 at 4:58 PM, LukeJ said:

I've been looking online for reviews from guests that have sailed with MSC cruises and tried to find any reviews on the food and the dining they have onboard. I've read quite a few on carnival cruises and even some stating good reviews on Disney. I was wondering if anyone has been on MSC lately and give me an insight in what to expect.

I've read a lot of negative chatter online regarding MSC Cruises food. Even from my own experience on the MSC Virtuosa, the food was something that was not so impressive, except for Butcher Cut, which was amazing.

On 7/3/2023 at 2:20 AM, George ulasevich said:

IT SEEMS CELBRITY CARES VERY LITTLE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY CANCELLED OUR BUCKET LIST DREAM VACATION TRANSATLANTIC FROM ROME WITH ZERO CONCERN FOR THEIR WORTHLESS CUSTOMERS. TO NOT HONOR THE FAIR ON A SIMILAR SAILING IS HORRIBLE BUSINESS BUT TO ONLY OFFER $100 OBC AND THAT IS ONLY IF YOU RISK BOOKING WITH THEM AGAIN IS "BEYOND" INSULTING. I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER CRUISE BOOKED ON THE ECLIPSE, I AM A CAPTAINS CLUB MEMBER, A CELEBRITY CREDIT CARD HOLDER AND AN RCL SHAREHOLDER, ALL BECAUSE I INTENDED TO BE A FREQUENT SAILOR WITH THEM. AFTER THIS MY OPINION HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. NOT SURE I EVER WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH SUCH A COLD HEARTED COMPANY AGAIN. HORRIBLE POSSIBLY IRREPPARABLE BUSINESS PRACTICE ON THEIR PART. MY FIANCE AND I WERE PLANNING TO GET MARRIED ON THE SHIP OR IN ROME. WHAT A WAY TO DESTROY A DREAM CELEBRITY!!! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. ABSOLUTETLY SICK OVER THIS.

 

Any plans to shift to another cruise line? Sounds like you need to avoid Celebrity Cruises fully moving forward.

The first changes are coming through due to Hurricane Hilary, which is impacting the west coast, including South California. Royal Caribbean has made an itinerary change for the Navigator of the Seas. Can take a look here: Royal Caribbean Adapts Itinerary to Avoid Hurricane Hilary (cruisehive.com)

So apparently, Carnival Cruise Line never planned on offering cruises out of Norfolk in 2024. The cruise facility there will be undergoing a major upgrade. Carnival already will return in 2025.

Here's the latest statement from Princess Cruises, which we just received:

Quote

Following today’s inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard, Princess Cruises has been advised that Ruby Princess will be cleared to sail once the area damaged in yesterday’s incident in San Francisco has been fully repaired.

Repairs are underway and our technical experts estimate that repairs are likely to take upwards of 24 hours, and the new estimated departure time from San Francisco is 1600 local time on Sunday, July 9.

As a result, the itinerary for Ruby Princess is being revised and the ship will now sail a 7-day Pacific Northwest/Alaska voyage, visiting Ketchikan on July 12 and Prince Rupert on July 13, returning to San Francisco on July 16 for disembarkation as originally scheduled. Guests will be free to come and go from the ship while alongside in San Francisco beginning this afternoon.

Princess has considered all possible alternatives and has selected this itinerary to preserve as much of our guests’ precious vacation time as possible. We deeply regret the disappointment the delays have caused and appreciate our guests’ understanding as we manage this unexpected situation.

Guests who elect to cancel their cruise will receive a 100% refund of their cruise fare, post-cruise hotel packages and transfers booked through Princess, prepaid shore excursions and other prepaid items and taxes, fees and port expenses. Each guest will also receive a 50% Future Cruise Credit of the cruise fare  paid on this voyage, which may be applied to any future Princess cruise that is booked by February 1, 2024 and sails by February 1, 2025. They may remain onboard until 1100 local time on Sunday, July 9 to better assist with alternative plans they may be making.

Guest who will continue with their Princess vacation will receive a 75% refund of the cruise fare paid as well as unused pre-paid shore excursions booked through Princess and the refundable portion of the taxes, fees and port expenses for the missed ports. Each guest will also receive a 75% Future Cruise Credit equal to the cruise fare paid on this voyage, which may be applied to any future Princess cruise that is booked by February 1, 2024 and sails by February 1, 2025.

Upon arrival to San Francisco on July 6, Ruby Princess made unexpected contact with the dock at Pier 27 as she was returning from a 10-day roundtrip Alaska voyage. There were no injuries and at no time were any of the guests or crew on board in danger. Ruby Princess now has 3328 guests and 1161 crew onboard.

We've also got a full report right here: https://www.cruisehive.com/damaged-ruby-princess-to-depart-on-revised-itinerary/105913

18 hours ago, Brett said:

This vessel hit the pier this morning while docking. Wondering what the likelihood of it sailing this afternoon at 4pm, as scheduled?

Will this accident delay today's sailing and the one next on the 16th?

Hey @Brett, the ship remained overnight so that they could make repairs. Here's the latest from Princess Cruises:

Princess Cruises can confirm the U.S. Coast Guard is currently on board Ruby Princess performing an inspection and reviewing the work that has been completed. We expect to receive an estimated departure time from San Francisco for today (July 7) once the inspection is complete.

The safety of our guests and crew remain our top priority, and Ruby Princess will depart once the ship is deemed by U.S. Coast as fit to sail.

Given the delayed departure, the Princess team is working hard to maintain as much of the planned itinerary as possible. As previously shared, Princess will also be providing compensation once the full effect of the necessary changes is known.

Upon arrival to San Francisco on July 6, Ruby Princess made unexpected contact with the dock at Pier 27 as she was returning from a 10-day roundtrip Alaska voyage. There were no injuries and at no time were any of the 3328 guests or 1161 crew on board in danger. 

Embarkation for the current roundtrip to Alaska voyage was completed yesterday, with 3,256 guests and 1161 crew onboard as the ship stayed alongside overnight in San Francisco.

On 5/17/2023 at 11:48 PM, KittyLiter said:

I just got back form an awesome cruise to Alaska. I am deaf with Cochlear Implants. The CIs generally serve me well in most situations but they are not a replacement for normal hearing. I still struggle in noisy environments and with understanding people with accents other than my own. My physical ears are almost totally dead and I receive all my audio input through a magnet on the sides of my head which feeds sound directly to my auditory nerves via electrodes in my cochlea.

First let me tell what went well and what they got right. Although I notified them in advance, there was a little confusion when I first boarded. I had requested a "deaf kit" installed in my cabin. It alerted me with flashing lights and a bed vibrator if the phone rang or if anyone knocked or entered my cabin. It probably would have also worked had there been an actual emergency. The tech that installed it checked on me periodically to make sure I was satisfied and I was. 

The other thing that worked were the captions automatically being shown at the onboard movie theater. It was appreciated.

Now let me suggest major areas that can be improved based on my experience. In the theater they need receivers with an audio jack. I brought my own cable and covers so I could plug into a receiver and get the show delivered directly to my CI. This was especially important for the educational lectures provided on the places we would be going and some of the relevant history. All they had were the receivers you stick in your ears (remember my physical ears are useless) that can be used for mild to moderate hearing loss. CIs are becoming more commonplace and so audio jack access would go a long way to helping people like me.

Another issue was the announcement system and the fact I could not understand anything over the speakers (combo of noise and accents). There needs to be a way to convey that information visually, at least for important announcements like safety or changes in schedule or meeting places. They passed a lot of info verbally through the overhead speakers but to me it sounded like the adult voices in the Peanuts cartoons (wah-wah-wah).

For the most part the ship's staff and crew were very patient when I asked them to repeat themselves or when I needed to ask someone else what was said. In spite of the challenges I had an awesome trip and lifetime memories.

Hey @KittyLiter, thanks so much for posting. That's really interesting to know, and nice to see a different perspective on the cruise experience. It would be good if they issued notices through the PA system in a text format on the cabin TVs or maybe even at the guest relations desk, so you can walk there and double-check. Glad you did enjoy the cruise!

26 minutes ago, Vic said:

I'm on her now with my husband. We've had notification yesterday that we will be going to Skagen tomorrow after all. To be fair though, these things happen. We're really enjoying the ship and all its facilities.

Hey @Vic, glad they added it back for you. They do indeed happen, and glad you're still enjoying! Here's the letter if anyone is interested:

Hey everyone,

Just letting you all know about the latest itinerary changes impacting the Sky Princess cruise ship. This follows the previous voyage that was affected by bad weather around Iceland.

There's been a lot of confusion over the past week after Norwegian Cruise Line banned selling and serving alcohol on its ships when in a UK port. Has anyone experienced this onboard? Is anyone currently on a UK cruise?