3Sisters

@kefthecruiser I totally agree with you there. It's really imperative that the U.S. Coast Guard ensures all of the repairs were done properly. Unfortunately, the process just seemed to take so long! At least the guests were safe, but I bet this poor captain is going to be so very cautious at every other port of call from now on. I'm glad Princess Cruises properly compensated its guests. It's not every day that you read cruise lines are literally paying for their mistakes.

@CEHCrusin That's going to be an exciting itinerary! I, too, haven't been docked at a port of call for more than one day at a time. Three days docked at the same location is new to me as well. I recommend trying to eat at least breakfast and dinner onboard the ship, because like you said, you paid for them. Also, the food is readily available, which makes eating on board more practical. Evening shows are a must! You should definitely try and make all of those as well. How long is your Celebrity Cruises itinerary? If it is less than 7 nights maybe opting for the later dining time would be better so you don't have to feel rushed to head back to the ship in time for the early seating.

@rindybar Wow, you have been to Bermuda so many times! You have much more experience than I do cruising to Bermuda. I have been to crystal caves and caverns in the past but never in there. I believe the last one I visited was in North Carolina. They are truly amazing, but as you mentioned, they are definitely not for someone who gets uneasy in small spaces! Is this one of your favorite things to do when you visit Bermuda?

@Joe36251 This is pretty odd. It's impressive this search continues after such a long amount of time has passed.

@kefthecruiser It's such a bummer Ruby Princess took so long to get out of the port after the collision! I wouldn't have imagined it taking so long, really impeding that cruise itinerary. https://www.cruisehive.com/ruby-princess-finally-departing-san-francisco-after-collision/105977 The current itinerary had to skip visiting Sitka, Glacier Bay, and Juneau and is currently planning on stopping in Ketchikan on July 12. Ruby Princess plans to make it to California on July 16, following its originally slated itinerary.

@SpaceCowboy9That sounds totally up my alley! I appreciate you sharing this info. The next time I'm there I would be very interested to visit. My husband, on the other hand, may be apprehensive accompanying me to a day of leisurely shopping at my discretion. I may end up needing a whole other empty suitcase for my novelty finds! There isn't anything better to shop for than handcrafted goods. I guess the second best is shopping for second-hand goods, including thrifted items. I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

@Jess Are these stateroom choices or itinerary change options? I think you could potentially back out but I'm confused as to what special offers you are referring to. If it's a stateroom bidding option, you won't be able to back out if you bid and RCL accepts your bid. You could always call the cruise line to clear up any details. I would hate for you to be kicked out of a stateroom/itinerary you were super excited about just for betting on a "special offer." Is this the first time you have received an offer like this?

I'm assuming it wasn't a great white shark then! Those things are massive. I agree that the no teeth comment doesn't sound accurate. Thankfully you enjoyed it for its beauty and nobody got attacked so that's good! Earlier this year, CCL ended up canceling several shore excursions because of the number of shark attacks in Noumea. I definitely wouldn't want to risk being shark bait. I guess some areas are more prone to attacks than others. I wonder if it has something to do with the amount of food access for the shark locals. If the sharks get hungry, they will be searching for a vacationer floating on a beach mat. At least that's what I imagine could happen.

@kefthecruiser I'm just following up with this article now! https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruises-ship-damaged-after-striking-pier/105703 What in the world, both the ship and the San Francisco port were damaged. Thankfully no one was injured but I'm sure this incident shook things up onboard. It's one big vessel to navigate but this is going to take time to patch up. I guess Ruby Princess will just continue on its route considering the operating system are still intact.

@rindybar Oh no, that's right! It's a bummer you will have to miss out on visiting Ocean Cay. At least it's going to be undergoing tons of enhancements. You will likely love the MSC Yacht Club experience, and then possibly rebook with the line, gaining an opportunity to stop there. You can't go wrong with Bermuda though. It's a classic port of call. I'm not sure if you have been before, but this link has some fun options to do while you are docked in Bermuda. https://www.cruisehive.com/essential-things-to-do-in-bermuda-on-a-cruise/26347

@Seaawgs That's very true! The market and potential clientele for cruising have definitely changed. I guess everyone is on the market for a good time. Might as well live it up now in case we have to relive the years past, unable to cruise! The price increases don't seem to be stopping anyone from booking with all of the payment plan options out too. If you budget it out, a cruise can be pretty doable for most. If you book far enough ahead, you can take like a full year to two to pay off the cruise in relatively low payments if you are strategic about it!

@kefthecruiser Thanks for clearing the air on this one. I was under the impression all Celebrity Cruises will be getting the Retreat Sundeck onboard. Do you know if there is a projected timeline for the Retreat Sundeck build-out? I'm right there with you my price point doesn't afford me amenities like this, but a girl can dream!

@Delmar Sam The itinerary sounds pretty fantastic, so I hope the line pulls through for you guys. You are very well-traveled having visited so many different areas in South America already! I believe you will find that NCL today is quite different that NCL 20 years ago! I'm hopeful that NCL will adhere to its stated itinerary but unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. You can always look up alternate ways to book excursions if the line doesn't pull through. The ship will surely be enjoyable, but I'm hearing many negatives about the customer service lately. The lack of excursion options is just one of those negatives. Ideally, you will be able to get off at all the listed ports of call and truly enjoy your vacation, even if you have to look for excursions outside of NCL's scope.

@Delmar Sam That's not a lot to choose from! I too would be disappointed with that minimal amount of excursion options. Do you believe that the cruise line will open up more excursion options in the coming months? I don't see why this itinerary is so limited with excursion options. Post-pandemic many cruise lines, including NCL, have changed a lot of their ways and have made significant cutbacks. As much as guests have been complaining about the decline of service from NCL, people are still booking out itineraries and staying loyal to the line. I'm not sure if the line is doing so great financially. I really hope some of the recent changes with upper management turn things around, creating more positive guest feedback. I have heard more bad than good about the line lately. Your Panama Canal itinerary sounds pretty epic though! Have you toured this region before?

That actually sounds a bit frightening! Were you able to recognize what kind of shark it was? Hopefully, it was just a little guy. I remember as a kid snorkeling and seeing Baricudda in the reefs. I always wanted to go back ashore after that. Snorkeling is so fun and great until the fish and sea life start looking at you the wrong way! I'm not so sure that sharks come without teeth. Maybe they don't attack often, but I have only seen sharks with teeth. Whales on the other hand, those creatures are cute as a button and more like a grandparent than a shark!

@rindybar I appreciate the info. The NCL Haven experience does sound pretty amazing. I would love to be able to try both the MSC Yacht Club and NCL Haven to compare, but I will leave that to you! Embarkation and disembarkation should be a breeze with MSC Yacht Club's priority process. If you cruise to the private island, Ocean Cay, you will get a private golf cart shuttling you around the island and a private beach spot with cabanas. The line really outdid itself for the Yacht Club guests visiting Ocean Cay.

Vacationing on a private beach in the Dominican Republic must have been amazing! Yes, I would imagine after flying and spending so much time and energy to arrive, you must have wanted to explore the area. Was the beach water crystal clear? The area is expanding so much on the cruise front that two ports are being added to the DR. The Port Cabo Rojo and Semana Byport are being constructed as we speak. Both of these ports are set to open by the end of this year.

@Chelle You really did your due diligence here! I'm actually impressed you made it as far as you did in terms of attaining a reply from the Vice President of guest services. I wasn't expecting you to reach the $300 credit opportunity. That just goes to show not giving up can certainly get you somewhere. I would imagine it took a very long time to receive any sort of response. Turnaround time must have been dragged out. I do agree that the line hasn't been keen on customer service lately. What's so wild is that people still book with NCL all the time. I guess you just have to learn the hard way. Once something like this happens to you; you can't go back to booking with the line again.

@SpaceCowboy9 Thanks for all the insight on Mullet Beach! Do you enjoy any of the local artisan markets in St Martin? That would be another fun thing to do while there during your extended stay.

@rindybar How very exciting you will be cruising with a new line. It's always nice to branch out and try new things. You never know when something will be better than expected! I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I believe the MSC Yacht Club dining room will not only be smaller, but less crowded in terms of guests and more space between tables. The MSC Yacht Club pool will also have that same benefit. Does the NCL Haven stateroom experience come with its own separate pool for its guests?

@SpaceCowboy9 Thanks for sharing! I do love a good snorkel spot, especially if it's close to some shady trees for a beachside picnic. I will have to try Mullet Bay Beach next time I visit St Martin. How far is this beach from the cruise port? If I were to cruise out of St Martin, I would likely get a hotel close to the cruise port!

Freedom of the Seas is slated to undergo a dry dock at the end of 2024 into the beginning of 2025. Has anyone's cruise vacations been impacted by this news? The ship's 2024 Christmas sailing has unfortunately been canceled. On the bright side, Freedom of the Seas will be getting some seriously awesome enhancements from Playmakers Sports Bar to the ice rink that can become both a laser tag area and a nightclub!

@Darrell Do you have any updates on the technical issues you experienced onboard this Princess Cruises itinerary? Hopefully, these issues have been resolved and didn't trickle down to the proceeding itineraries. I can't believe you felt the shake while onboard. That's sort of frightening!

@Tasselhoff Did you see that Carnival Cruise Line released info about its themed parties onboard? Carnival Dream will have the Mega Deck Party, 80's Rock and Glow Party, Motown Showdown, and 90's Party. Do you usually participate in the themed nights?

I always enjoy doing my own thing and having the liberty to choose based on the itineraries released to the stateroom the evening before. I don't always stick to my initial plan of action, but I do like to pick and choose at my leisure. I do like to have the last-minute opportunity to view the theatre shows though. During the pandemic, everything was reservation-based and I'm hopeful cruising post-pandemic will feel much different.