Jan115

Now if they could just eliminate that darn single supplement!

David was just asking me about the Edge, thinking it looks really cool. I said, yeah, Andi and Ed are cruising her in February. Too bad we can't go!

Wow, as if climate change and environmental waste wasn't bad enough on the reef. Very sad.?

CONGRATULATIONS, SHARI!!!!! It's an honor well deserved for all you do here to keep us coming back. Plus, you are always happy and cheerful, and you're the CruiseCrazies ray of sunshine! ☀️ Keep up the great work! ?️???

Hot Flash Sale!! Book an Ocean view or above and GET ALL FIVE FREE AMENITIES! Book with a $50 Deposit and Fly for Free! Select Sailings only - Reply here, send me a message or contact me to plan your Norwegian cruise today! Ends November 6th, so hurry!

"Short & Sweet Halloween Escape" View full cruise review

In attempt to keep the costs down for this cruise, we initially booked an inside cabin. However, the price dropped and we were able to upgrade to a standard balcony at no extra cost. I wondered, would a balcony even be usable on a cruise like this, one in which driving rain and wind kept everyone inside? First things first ... get the balcony door open. We pulled and yanked to no avail, but finally the door slid open so that we could barely see the skyline and Statue of Liberty through the mist. Come to find out, when we had trouble with the door later that evening, we were told by our very gracious cabin attendant, Grace, that the wind makes it hard to pull the door open, to lean into the door and then pull. Whew ... what a relief! I didn’t want to gaze at the scenery through a rain-slicked window! Once we looked around the cabin, I realized what I love about Princess staterooms - the fact that the space is much more functional and usable than the Norwegian cabins we’ve become accustomed to. I like having a desk more than a couch, for instance. The couch becomes a place to throw stuff, whereas a desk has drawers to hide things away. Love the Princess beds, as well, and their comfy beds are everything they advertise. The bathroom is compact but leaves enough room to move. The large flatscreen TV is mounted on the wall directly across from the bed, freeing up precious counter space and making TV viewing convenient without having to strain your neck. This ship is absolutely gorgeous, and even though the weather kept most people inside, it didn’t feel crowded. The decorating scheme is tasteful, done in muted colors, using lots of mirrors and creative lighting to make it look ever so elegant. Artwork throughout the ship is sophisticated, matching the elegant tone and design of the ship. The Atrium is absolutely stunning. A special mention goes to the Seawalk, a very cool walkway extending out from the upper decks over the ocean with views at your feet 15 decks below to the water. Pretty awesome, and not as scary as I thought it would be. We have recently learned, after many a cruise, to head to our muster station about 15 minutes before the required drill alarm is sounded. In this case, our muster station was the Concerto dining room, to which we leisurely made our way, and had our choice of seats. We have also discovered other like-minded seasoned passengers who do the same - we saw one couple playing cards to occupy their time. We had intended on stopping by Club 6 for the Elite cocktail party at 5:00 pm but found ourselves at the Wine Bar, instead, off the Atrium for sail away. The weather was too nasty for a proper deck party, so the festivities were moved inside. Being our first time in a wine bar, we decided to try a “flight”, which we learned was a set of three 2-ounce wine samples. Even though the menu showed 8 different groupings, strangely enough, only two were available. I chose the European, and David chose the Italian. We were soon joined by three other friendly people From Long Island, adding some great lively conversation to our wine sampling. Due to the storm, sail-away was delayed by about 90 minutes. By then, some of the mist had cleared, and we had a decent view of both the NYC skyline, Lady Liberty and the Norwegian Breakaway heading into port.

I remember my husband and I being aboard the Ocean Princess back in 2012 and watching a preview of the soon to premier Royal Princess. The new design looked so beautiful, with her large open atrium and understated elegance, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until we would sail this new class of Princess ship. However, it wasn’t until sister ship Regal Princess entered the picture a few years later that we were finally able to consider a cruise aboard the biggest ship in the Princess fleet. When I saw the Regal Princess was sailing a 5-night cruise to the Canadian Maritimes from New York in late October, I convinced my husband to juggle his schedule around in order to accommodate this short cruise, and it didn’t take much to convince my brother Norm and his wife, frequent cruise buddies, to join us! The big day was finally here. The only slight blip on the horizon was the forecast of a nor’easter heading our way, threatening our sailing. As a result, instead of the 4-hour drive from Rhode Island to Brooklyn on the morning of the cruise, we drove down the night before with a stay an hour away from the Red Hook port, in Stamford, CT. This was a good move, because it made for a much less stressful drive for my brother, and we arrived relaxed and ready to cruise! We arrived at the port at 11:00 am in pouring rain, where Norm dropped off us and our bags, and went to park the car. Being Princess Elite, I was able to escort us all through priority embarkation quick and easy, and we were on board and in our cabins by noon. One of those fabulous things I love about Princess ... the rooms are always ready after boarding. No need for schlepping your stuff around while occupying your time until rooms are ready. We dropped off our stuff, checked out the room (more about that later), admired the fog, rain and mist from the balcony (I think I spot the NYC skyline ever so slightly), and is that Lady Liberty peering at us through the haze?). In just a short time, we were off to explore the ship!

In case you weren’t aware, Princess is running a 3-for-FREE promotion which is combinable with our group amenity of $50 onboard credit per cabin. In addition to the $50, you’ll receive an additional onboard credit up to $200 per cabin AND Princess will pay your gratuities. Lastly, your cabin will be an upgrade within the category you book. Don’t miss out - book by November 19th! https://7seajourneys.com/mbg/canada-and-new-england-summer-cruise-2019/

Jeanette, if you are talking about a formal group portrait off the ship in a nature location, for instance, most likely you’ll need to hire an independent photographer. However, if you want something special done on board above and beyond the usual camera setups around the ship in the evening, speak to a staff member to see if you can arrange a special setting, like outside on deck somewhere. Or maybe your travel agent can pre-arrange something in advance.

Haven’t been in touch with us here at CruiseCrazies in a while? We’re still here, and we miss our friends who have been away for a while. Well, here is a perfect reason to re-connect: a 10-day cruise for CruiseCrazies and their guests from Quebec City to New York City, departing on August 9, 2019. You’ll receive $50 onboard credit just for booking with us. Plus, reserve your cabin by November 19th, and receive up to $200 bonus onboard credit AND Princess pays your gratuities! So come back to CruiseCrazies and join us on the Caribbean Princess next summer! We’re still a friendly bunch and look forward to seeing our old friends and loyal community come together! Learn more about our cruise and reserve your cabin today: https://7seajourneys.com/mbg/canada-and-new-england-summer-cruise-2019/ Even if you’re unable to cruise with us next summer, pop in and say HI!

I think it would be a very interesting cruise and lovers of all things Titanic will love it. Blue Star Line has very little info on their site about Titanic II, but I'm definitely curious as to what the prices will be. It looks like it's going to be a near exact replica - except for the ticket prices, of course!? I wonder, also, what happens to the ship when the novelty wears off. It's definitely being built for a specific specialty and audience, but is that audience large enough to keep customers coming? We'll see!

These are great - thanks for sharing! ?

Here is the official letter from the cruise line announcing the increase, which I posted in the Carnival forum last week:

I’ll be looking for an ice bucket on the Regal next week. ?

Thanks for promoting this, Jason. We definitely need a boost in active membership to keep our friendly community going, and I think the referral link is a great idea! Just one question - what are "credits" and what good fortune will they bring us? ?

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out ... jobs for locals vs. maintaining the nature and culture of the environment.

Not welcome news, but still not as bad as the $95 per person per day that NCL now charges (without the gratuity!).

It's good that the cruise industry is emphasizing building small ships - but some new affordable ones would be nice for those who want small and intimate but can't afford the price tag that comes with it. Maybe MSC will be the one that breaks the mold. ?

Just PLEASE, PLEASE, Silverseas - DON'T mega-size your ships like Royal Caribbean - I beg you! ?

This is a good move for Carnival if they want to compete with Royal Caribbean. ?

Welcome to CruiseCrazies @Jhoie! We welcome your comments, cruise stories and questions and look forward to seeing more of you around our friendly community! ??

Sounds innovative, but not sure I want to risk getting a skin infection or allergy to ink when I'm hundreds of miles away from home - world famous tattoo artist, or not.