Cruising Caribbean

@FJB That's certainly a perk to not booking an excursion with the cruise line. Sometimes the excursions can be a bit limited or too structured based on specific interests. Renting a car and exploring on your own can provide so much freedom and liberty to make your own adventure instead of following the pre-planned itinerary of an excursion. @DebnMike I found some great information on cruising to the Virgin Islands. It's worth a read! https://www.cruisehive.com/whats-the-best-virgin-island-to-visit/68533

@716Matt I found updated information on some of the things that are banned while cruising with Norwegian Cruise Line. One of the things that were recently banned is fans. I think it's certainly a random and reasonably safe item, but maybe size was becoming an issue. Apparently, all types of fans are not permitted for NCL's entire fleet. Hopefully, you could bring a foldable, non-powered, manual fan in lieu of a battery-powered one to keep you cool if needed.

@kefthecruiser I can't believe the hurricane season is almost back again. So many of my friends that reside in Florida are still experiencing such a struggle while trying to get their homes back to a state of normalcy from the last major hurricane to hit down south, Hurricane Ian. I really hope that this year's hurricane season is milder than last year's. Usually, the season begins in August and poses threats into October. Hurricane Ian ended up making landfall towards the end of last year's hurricane season in late September as a Category 4. This is a great article on some of the ways a hurricane could impact your cruise experience this year.

What a tragedy! Unfortunately, fluke accidents happen quite often, but it's sad to hear this happened so unexpectedly on a family vacation. I'm thinking of this 52-year-old man's family. I hope this particular area in Rotan, Honduras will have a sign that indicates the potential hazards of the pier. Rotan is a pretty popular cruise destination, and I'm sure proper signage could assist to prevent this from happening again in the future.

@chuck1234 Thanks for sharing this feedback. Carnival Panorama is an excellent ship with such exciting amenities! The ship even has a trampoline park onboard! I love the positivity in your review. It's so refreshing to hear about all the positives. I'm so used to the constant negative-focused cruise reviews. Those winds sound pretty wild but the Carnival Panorama crew indeed tried to make the experience enjoyable. That's such a nice treat to extend the cheers and bubbles package hours for free! The constant updates must have made everyone feel very secure, despite the winds and choppy seas. Other than this brief part of your cruise experience, it sounds like it was a pure joy to be onboard the ship and explore Cabo! Was the ship pretty packed due to spring break?

@Jo Jarrett I would say if it's booked through the cruise line, it's certainly safe and reliable. Which port of call will you be traveling to? I would say every public transit could attract a variety of crowds, but I wouldn't consider it particularly unsafe. Carnival Corporation is hitting some booking records and gaining lots of popularity. It just released its first quarter review, and Carnival Corporation is excitingly surpassing financial expectations. I doubt the corporation would do anything to jeopardize its validity.

@pjs22 Were you able to get all of this travel stuff sorted out? Your cruise is coming up pretty soon out of Galveston. Make sure you give yourself ample time because there is a major road closure in the area that will affect your drive time. I wouldn't want you to miss your flight due to this. Your flight time seems a bit tight considering all of these factors. If Princess Cruises offers priority disembarkation, even if you have to pay extra, it would be worth it in my opinion.

It's to be anticipated, but Carnival Cruise Line is letting guests know that spring break cruising out of Galveston, Texas is going to be pretty busy. In fact, the heavy traffic may have some serious implications for cruise guests. There is actually a major road closure on top of the holiday traffic. For those adventurous cruise guests enjoying the good life at sea in the coming weeks, make sure you plan to arrange your travel plans with time to spare. I believe the motto "better early than late" really rings true for cruising during peak season. You definitely wouldn't want to miss your cruise!

@FJB Pickleball on a cruise ship sounds like a workout, especially if the cruise is not docked! It would be an experience for sure, but I'm more of the sit-down-and-watch type. I'm pretty sure tennis courts are pretty popular onboard so I'm sure the pickleball courts will be even more of a hit. Pickleball is pretty much a mini version of tennis anyhow. I'm impressed at the way you filmed your whole cruise, even when you were on the buggy adventure! Celebrity Cruises announced a sweepstakes event you may be interested in but it's in the metaverse. The "wonderverse" platform has been enhanced for one of its cruise ships too, but I'm not really sure this is the sweepstakes event for me. Do you think you will take part in this?

@LukeJ More changes are happening for Royal Caribbean Line. The four ships that feature SkyPad onboard will be closing down the virtual reality jump experience on March 31. At least guests will have the option to jump on the trampoline still, just without the virtuality reality component. New activities will be offered in the space and the sphere with the trampoline will remain as of now. I guess the SkyPad wasn't performing to the cruise line's expectations. Has anyone experienced this before? I guess the lines are usually pretty long for the SkyPad.

@RoadTravelled Thanks for doing all of this digging for me! That was so thoughtful of you. I didn't realize there were so many options. Were these transatlantic itineraries that began in Europe and ended in the United States? Wow, Carnival Cruise Line passed its 100,000,000-passenger mark! I think that all of the cruise lines are becoming more and more desirable, and it's going to be a big year for the cruise industry. Even though lots of aspects of cruising are becoming inflated, it's still such an unmatched vacation experience. More people are living in the moment and taking advantage of vacationing when they can. After the shutdown, going in public and vacationing became a luxury. Now more than ever it's time to appreciate the opportunity to enjoy cruising! I was pretty bummed when I had to cancel my cruises during the shutdown. I couldn't wait to do it again! My current cruise lineup reflects my excitement and appreciation for unmasked cruising.

@msb61 Will this be your first time cruising with Celebrity Cruises? I think you are going to have an awesome time onboard Celebrity Constellation in December. That's annoying that the cruise line removed the excursion reviews. That's a great way to get a feel for what the excursion is like from a more personal perspective. I would post on this forum about which particular excursions you are interested in, and I'm sure someone on here has taken part in a few of them before. There are lots of board members that enjoy cruising with Celebrity Cruises quite frequently. Where will your Celebrity Constellation cruise be stopping, and which excursions are you looking into?

@FJB I can't believe some of the live entertainment videos you captured. The clarity is so awesome; it makes me feel like I am there. The Sheraton resort looks truly amazing in San Juan. I wouldn't want to miss that if I cruised out of San Juan. It's a bummer the infinity pool was chilly because it sure looked beautiful!

Princess Cruises isn't the only line remaining heroic, P&O Cruises recently rescued three people from a sailing yacht! This rescue occurred in the Gulf of Mexico as P&O Cruises' Ventura had its first time at sea in that region, amidst a 35-night itinerary from Southampton. Two women and one elderly man were rescued and given food, drink, and necessary medical attention. Cruise ships are really making their mark at caring for others and rescuing when necessary.

@LukeJ You had me chuckling. I agree that an apology does not make up for the bad service. I would imagine that the customer service staff is pretty numb to customer complaints and comments. The best way to truly fix bad customer service is either avoiding it if you know it's going to be bad or trying to fix it on the spot. Complaining after the fact usually isn't proactive enough. That passive approach usually gets a passive response, and by the time you get one, it's likely too late.

@Ian Feldman It's so hard to say! I would imagine unless it's unsafe, the cruise line will still visit the Cayman Islands. There may be an advisory warning in effect in terms of the shores and beaches, but I don't think the port of call would be canceled due to this. My advice would be to avoid the beaches and book excursions that are inland. It would be a bummer to venture into the beautiful waters of the Cayman Islands and then you are unable to enjoy them due to the 2023 sargassum bloom. This is an awesome alternative to spending your time on the beach. It's the Cayman Crystal Caves.

@kefthecruiser I guess if you look at it that way, the cruise line will just reinvest the gains into another mega-ship. Do you believe this rumor? I think maybe if the offer was good enough, Seabourn could be sold entirely, but I believe it's a really well-rounded brand for the Carnival Corporation portfolio. Carnival Corporation has been selling off many of its ships recently. Maybe they are trying to modernize and streamline all of the brand's fleet members to create cohesion. That's a bummer of a loss! I really hope the share prices don't drop too much, if at all.

@RoadTravelled You have certainly traveled the seas! Barcelona is likely a very convenient area to fly out of as well. Thanks for sharing your feedback on departing from Europe. I always see transatlantic cruises that are so many days long. I wouldn't be able to swing that many days away for work and school purposes, but I wonder if there are some under 10-night options. Flights from the United States to Europe are always so expensive in my opinion. I guess it's just the cost of exploring the beauties of the area. Speaking of transatlantic crossings, Royal Caribbean just reached a super cool milestone. Royal Caribbean just carried the largest number of guests on a transatlantic voyage onboard Symphony of the Seas with over 7,000 passengers onboard.

It seems Royal Caribbean International is having some debatable mishaps recently. Mariner of the Seas had to cancel some itineraries and extend its dry dock. Additionally, the line is receiving some backlash from its new Royal Beach Club, and now it's refunding guests after a big-time mistake! What do you guys think about all of this? I think it's time for the cruise line to lay low and get out of the spotlight.

@MaggieGirl323 That cost does seem a bit high, but the lowered price almost seems to be good to be true. I guess it really was too good because Royal Caribbean wouldn't honor it! I'm sure you could always book a cheaper price to Atlantis without going through the cruise line, but I always prefer to pay just a little bit extra for safety and security purposes. Have you heard of the Royal Beach Club in the Bahamas? It's supposed to be opening in 2025 so keep it on your radar. Apparently, it's receiving some backlash from a local entity, also known as Atlantis. How ironic would it be if this news had something to do with the "glitch" you experienced? https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbeans-new-development-faces-backlash/96591

@Onboard Thanks for the great insight! I really appreciated reading about your favorite ports. It helps me narrow down some options for future cruises.

@FJB "Owl" bet guests were pretty shocked to see this!

Carnival Cruise Line is definitely staying on top of industry trends. The line is expanding more than its industry competitors by adding another "Carnival Fun Italian Style" ship and the anticipated Carnival Jubilee. Now Carnival Cruise Line has the fastest-growing fleet for this year. Costa Venezia will be renaed to Carnival Venezia. Has anyone cruised on Costa Venezia in the past? I think this rebranded ship is going to be a hit!

@KeithG I have always been so curious about back-to-back cruising! How does that work exactly? Do you get to stay in your stateroom the entire time or do they make you switch staterooms? I think a huge perk would be if you could just stay on board when practically everyone has to get off. You would have the ship to yourself for a few hours! That's pretty VIP.

I know many of the board members on here love cruising, but I'm curious if anyone on here has worked/currently works on a cruise ship. I would love to have the experience of working on a ship, but the hardest part would be leaving my family behind. I'm sure that is the case for many. If you wanted to work onboard a ship, you could use these tips to score the job! Does anyone else have the curiosity to work on a cruise?