3Sisters

@euroguy Thanks for sharing this supporting information. I agree that having your passport is just the more secure form of documentation, and allows you to ensure the documentation will be valid and accepted everywhere. I would imagine that not having the proper documentation would be very upsetting, especially if you are denied boarding, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Having more forms of documentation is better than having fewer. Based on @Don nix comment above, I will always be cruising with my passport from now on! It must have been so frustrating to fly all the way to Fort Lauderdale to then not get on board. 

@Bobh002 That's awesome! Is that an alternate, outside insurance company, or is Allianz travel insurance the primary company recommended for travel insurance for NCL? Do you remember how much additional you paid? I recommend every cruise guest spend the extra money to ensure their itinerary is wholly taken care of. Lately, I'm seeing more and more itinerary changes and cancellations with all cruise lines. I think it has something to do with the recovery of money post-shutdown, such as cutbacks, and becoming more sustainable/environmentally friendly.

@stevenr597 Actually, lithium-ion-powered cruise ships are becoming a thing! In fact, AIDA Cruises ship, AIDAperla has a 10,000kWh lithium-ion battery, and it's a pretty large ship. https://www.carnivalcorporation.com/news-releases/news-release-details/aidaperla-will-receive-largest-battery-storage-system-passenger 

I really hope that we will begin to see more lithium-ion-powered cruise ships in the future. That's an exciting way to power a ship, by Hydrogen powering fuel cells. The MSC Cruises-owned line, Explora Journeys is in the process of building some hydrogen-powered ships. It's all a great way to begin decarbonizing the industry. 

@euroguy Thanks for your CCL review. I agree that all cruise lines, not just CCL, have begun to reduce food waste and shift around dining menus and offerings due to cutbacks. I also think that crew morale has gone down post-shutdown. Maybe this is due to forced social distancing or not being able to get off the ship or even staff cutbacks, having to do more labor. I really hope that Carnival Cruise Line regains its momentum and continues to impress its guests versus disappointing them with lower quality standards! 

@Shan What a bummer you contracted this sickness post-cruise! Was this Seattle to Vancouver Alaska cruise a masked vacation? I think this time period wasn't requiring masks onboard anymore, but I don't quite remember exactly. I think hand washing is super important and a great way from contracting a sickness but unfortunately, it's not always effective, especially in a packed cruise ship without social distancing. Most cruise lines have upped their games in terms of cleanliness, but things like this happen more often than not. Realistically, your contraction of this virus could have even occurred off-ship at a port of call or while enjoying an excursion. Do you have an idea as to how or when you may have come in contact with the virus? I hope your next cruise experience doesn't involve sickness! Thankfully and hopefully this was only an issue towards the end of your cruise experience. 

@Actorguy This post was initially misplaced but the error has since been corrected and is now properly placed in the Carnival Cruise Line forum! Were you intrigued by something in this post, other than seeking to spot this error? Have you experienced or been affected by any sort of illicit substance abuse on a CCL ship in the past? 

@Runningdog I'm surprised RCL is being so restrictive, but I have heard some specialty items are being restricted as such. Most cruise lines are cracking down on food waste and cost so this isn't very surprising to me. I'm bummed that the rules are so intense as to not offer an additional soup or salad. It sort of ruins the whole MDR experience! I haven't cruised with RCL for some time (since pre-pandemic), and all of the other cruises I have recently sailed on were not restrictive in any way in the MDR. I'm curious to hear feedback from someone who has been on a Royal Caribbean cruise recently. 

@rindybar I think cruising MSC Yacht Club is a great way to get a little more space for yourselves and experience the ship within a ship cruise style! I have been really wanting to cruise with the yacht club experience but I haven't been able to save up enough for my entire family. I definitely think you should give it a try. You even get a 24-hour personal butler! MSC Seashore has the largest Yacht Club in its fleet, but MSC Meraviglia (currently homeported in NY) also has a grand Yacht Club. I say go for it! You get so much more privacy from a private pool to a price main dining area. Did NCL offer that sort of experience?  

@jryka I totally agree with you there. Any stateroom onboard Explora I is spacious and filled with new luxury! I don't think that MSC and NCL are even a comparison to Explora Journeys. Just the fact that Explora Journeys only offers balcony staterooms speaks volumes about the caliber of the cruise line. I think after cruising on this luxury ship, you are going to want to book another luxury experience. It's certainly going to change the way you cruise. It's like interior vs balcony staterooms. If you haven't tried it you don't know better, but once you do, there is no going back. 

@kefthecruiser I'm usually a "think on the bright side" type of person, but this recurring error seems to be happening all too often. With all of the experience RCI has, I think they can properly book itineraries without overbooking them. I also think the IT team is well-versed enough to correct the error from continuing to reoccur. Even if the IT team is a novice, it doesn't take a genius to get the simple math right and booking within the limit of each particular ship. My theory could very well be a fallacy but it seems to make more sense in my mind that overbooking thousands of people for no true apparent reason. It's all an algorithm now. If I can buy a simple shirt online and it tells me when it's sold out (once all inventory is purchased) then I think RCI can get it right too.

@Ann Payne Hi! Many cruise options visit Bridgetown Port, but not many ships embark from this port of call. I saw an excellent 7-night Christmas 2023 itinerary on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Viva that visits Bridgetown but it embarks/disembarks from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas will also be sailing a 7-night holiday cruise, departing December 23 from San Juan to visit Bridgetown. Would either of these itineraries interest you? 

@dutchcruise-SE Royal Caribbean isn't a bad brand but it's clearly not putting its guests first with this overbooking strategy. I'm not sure why this keeps happening but it does seem like a game. You deserve to make it onboard your first cruise! I really hope everything goes smoothly for you. Did you by chance purchase travel protection this time around? I'm pretty sure Royal Caribbean offers it to ensure you aren't getting screwed over again. Since you have made all of these other flight and hotel arrangements, I would call the cruise line and make sure you have that extra security this time around. 

@kefthecruiser Although the ship is selling Seabourn Odessy, it is also doing other progressively big deployments with its first-ever Grand Africa Voyage that will circumnavigate the continent in 90 days. This 2024 voyage will depart from Barcelona, Spain on November 30, 2024. The Carnival-owned brand will deploy the luxury Seabourn Sojourn on this 17,000-mile itinerary that will visit amazing ports of call such as Luxor and Cairo, even stopping in Madagascar. If you book and pay by July 26, guests can actually save 10% off of the cruise fare. It's a big price for an unforgettable journey. If I had the time and capital, this is the cruise of a lifetime for me! 

@KeithG Costa Cruises will be sailing some pretty awesome itineraries on Costa Fortuna for summer 2024. I think the cruise line really knows how to create a pretty reasonable total cruise experience. The ship will be sailing to the Greek Island and Turkey, departing from Athens. Costa Fortuna also offers some flight+cruise packages that are a really convenient way to bundle, and potentially save with ease of booking at a one-stop spot. Although the ship isn't a new, mega-ship it's the perfect size and caliber to take you to these majestic destinations in style. Do you enjoy cruising with Costa Cruises?

I agree! Why is it so difficult to book the ship up until its max capacity and then close the bookings for that specific itinerary once it's filled? It almost seems like a scam to me. Those overbookings here and there are ways to receive capital quickly and keep it without actually having guests cruise onboard. Hear me out. So think of it like this, thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars are been paid when ships are overbooked. The cruise lines get to keep that capital if the canceled cruise guest chooses to book on another ship using cruise credit or moves to another ship at a later date and books at a higher price point or completely forgets about the credit and allows it to expire. This is a way cruise lines are generating capital; it's sneaky but it's a strategy. I bet most of the cruise guests that are receiving cancellation notifications are those that booked at a lower price point, those guests who booked years in advanced with a better promo and paid for services that are now more costly. Those cruise guests get canceled but the ones that booked at the higher price point get to cruise onboard because they will be contributing more to the overall gains of the cruise line. Call me a conspiracy theorist but it is definitely a possibility. 

The ship is such a beauty. These are some incredible shots of the ship during a beautiful time of evening! I love the city scenery in the background. The Sportsplex onboard MSC Meraviglia has so much to offer from pickleball to miniature golf! I love miniature golfing at sea. The views are unbeatable from the outdoor, upper decks! 

@kefthecruiser I would much rather pay more for good quality. I'm not fond of the idea of paying more and receiving a lesser quality cruise experience. I'm so used to a higher quality of customer service standards and I'm not willing to compromise that standard to minimally save. I have noticed some cruise lines are choosing to cheapen the cruise experience. For those cruise lines that are remaining true to their standards, I'm more prone to cruise with them than others that are lowering their standards. I loved the pun! Yes, they truly are in the same boat and trying to keep their companies afloat. 

@avidcruiser NCL recently canceled one of its February 2025 transatlantic voyages onboard Norwegian Breakaway. The itinerary change occurred because the location changed for its dry dock for maintenance. The upgrades for Norwegian Breakaway will take place at an alternate location, and although it's a bummer that the itinerary is canceled, the ship is going to be so lovely upon its return to passenger cruising! NCL did a really good job at properly compensating its affected guests this time around. At least the cruise line announced this cancellation 22 months before embarkation, unlike some other cruise lines lately. 

AIDA Cruises is continuing to prove and pursue sustainability efforts as it continues to decarbonize its fleet. This month, AIDAsol hooked up to shore power on several occasions during one of its cruise itineraries, at ports in Denmark and Norway. Using shore power is both cost-efficient and reduces emissions, being very important in the future of this Carnival Coorporation-owned brand. 

I agree MSC Meraviglia is going to attract lots of cruise guests to the area! All of these new visitors are going to greatly support New York's local economy. I remember when MSC Meraviglia was notorious for its Cirque du Soleil shows in its Carousel Lounge. Post cruise shut-down, I'm pretty sure its Cirque du Soleil shows onboard are no longer and have been replaced with another alternative. I was bummed about that because I have always been so impressed by Cirque du Soleil.

@FJB That sounds about right. I wouldn't say any of the cruise ship jobs come with much rest time though. The food runners and chefs, really anyone working near the dining areas, is a constant physical labor. These jobs also require tons of mental toughness. The crew members that run the drinks don't have an easy job either! If I worked on a cruise ship I would likely want the job of a bartender though. The job is intense but there is never a dull moment at the bar. 

@Onboard What a great, thorough review of Ambassador Ambiance! I'm bummed that a few of your itinerary stops were canceled but it seems the ship did a good job protecting the ship and cruise guests. The crew can't control bad weather but four canceled ports of call are quite a lot! I look forward to reading your review on Ambition. Thanks!

@BOCCENANA I hope you are able to share your October cruise review here for @jryka before the November sailing! I haven't actually cruised on a luxury cruise line before so I'm curious to hear about both of your experiences. Will you both be cruising on identical itineraries? I would love to book an anniversary cruise for me and my husband and save up for a luxury cruise experience. Will this be both of your first times cruising with Silversea Cruises?

I was so surprised to read that the popular cruise destination, Grand Turk, has only had domestic fire services for 3 years! The City of Miami partnered with Carnival Cruise Line to donate a fire truck to the Grand Turk Domestic Fire Services from the City of Miami Fire-Rescue Department. This department only had one fire truck with six employees and is in the process of recruiting more trained volunteers. This new donated fire truck will assist the Grand Turk Domestic Fire Services in recruiting more fire-rescue personnel. 

@buckdawg Your cruise is right around the corner! I hope you got everything sorted out by now and Princess Cruises has properly responded to you. Cruising to Alaska is an amazing experience, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you.