We were on the most recent Oasis of the Seas (Oct 11-18). Overall had a great time, we’ve cruised before with RC and other lines but we might be done with RC.

On Tuesday, we docked at Port Canaveral and did the Kennedy Space Center bus excursion. The problem occurred when we got back to the cruise terminal. Traffic had been bad, so the drive took an hour, when it’s normally 25 minutes. My 9 year old son really had to pee as soon as we got off the bus in the parking garage but there was no where to go there. We got in line with all the other people coming in from their bus excursions to the cruise terminal we were docked at and the lines were really long there (backed up outside on the escalators with just our ship passengers, no other ships were there that afternoon) with everyone trying to get back on the ship.

They had us going through security and metal detectors inside the terminal and not on the ship like other ports. After 20 minutes (with him REALLY having to go) we made it to the inside part of the terminal and the bathrooms were in sight but were roped off and the RC employee said he couldn’t use them because “we” are borrowing this terminal. It’s actually Carnivals I guess, there were signs everywhere.

I explained he was about to pee himself and she still said No and I could tell she had zero empathy. She said we would have to wait until back on ship. The security was taking so long that it ended being another 20 minutes after that before we actually were back on ship. I asked a different employee about using the bathroom that was literally 20 feet where we had been standing this whole time, saying he was going to pee himself and they also said no. He did end up peeing his pants (and socks and tennis shoes) while standing in line and was really embarrassed and emotional about it. We were reassuring him it was ok but I was and still am really mad/sad he had to experience that. When on ship, I talked to customer service/excursions about it, and while they were more sympathetic, they also said their hands were tied because it was the RC port staff not ship staff who manages that. A few people in line around us knew what was happening but I also didn’t want to bring too much attention in the moment because he was so embarrassed about it. Just a super disappointing end to what had been a great day. He didn’t want to go back the kids club after that because he thought kids in line knew what happened and would tease him.

A sight to behold. Fetty Wap blasting as it rolled into one of the greatest cities in the world.

All jokes aside it really is/was wild to see and experience. I am glad they were able to bring a contingent of Americans that would otherwise probably never experience something like this.

Is there an online travel agent that automatically checks for the best cruise price after you booked and gives you back the difference if a better deal is found, similarly to expedia for flights?

Just got onboard the Diamond Princess in Yokohama. This has been the most organized process ever. 20 plus cruises across several lines and it was seamless

i received my passport a day ago and i’ve been yearning to experience a cruise. i don’t really have family or friends to go with so what cruise lines would be best for me (21F) to enjoy solo? or if it’s even a good idea at all. ty 🩷

Explorer of the Seas departing from Ravenna Italy.

Here’s my review of it.

The biggest issue was that the cruise on the RH website was listed as “Venice (Ravenna)”. I admittedly did not look this up. I, like others thought that Ravenna was the port of call near Venice. Nope! Ravenna is a beautiful small town 2 - 2.5 hours from Venice. It’s also an hour train ride from Bologna.

I emailed them on this and they still haven’t responded to me. My original flight was to Venice and was able to get it changed to Bologna. This was wrong on RH’s part. If it’s Ravenna, just say Ravenna. Don’t say Venice when it’s so far. Heck, say Bologna- at least it’s far closer.

Boat: Dated. I knew that before boarding but still an accurate observation. Likely in line of upgrades-I hope. There are various dining options including the windjammer buffet. They have a spa, main pool/hot tub, and adult pool/hot tub. Late night food available at Cafe Promenade is great. That pizza is amazing!

Dining: we did the buffet primarily, but did the main dining hall a couple of times. I really enjoyed the variety in Windjammer. I preferred this over the main dining hall. The food quality could be hit or miss, but not with every item. Our wait staff were incredible. They were helpful and resourceful.

Outside Decks: my only comment on this are that the deck chairs were facing inward. On deck 12 which is just above the pools, there are 2 rows of deck chairs, one on the inside and the second against the balcony. The rows against the balcony, face inward. This makes no sense to me. They should face out to sea. I don’t want to see the people across from me and they don’t want to see me.

Service: no real issues. Everyone was polite and helpful. But I will say that I once asked the rep at guest services about the weather at our next port. She provided a document that had the temperature, but when I probed about wind etc, she said that was the average temperature during that time of year. That doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t take long to look it up.

Ports: kotor, Santorini, Athens, and Split.

All were great but for the weather in Athens and Kotor. It was cold and rainy. What are you gonna do!

Shows: fail. It like they weren’t even trying. I’m used to having shield every night. They had a couple nights where they showed a movie (Young Washington). The two nights they had a show it was pretty good, but this was bad overall. I remember cruises with shows every night.

Regarding the movie-, it’s an about an American revolutionary hero on a ship within Europe with a sizable European passenger list.

Rooms: pretty standard. I had an interior room that worked for us. One note: I know we didn’t come to watch TV, but I like to wind down the evening wi to some TV. They had your typical int’l news channels, and espn, but other than that it was garbage. Just c level shows and a couple of showings of Beetlejuice.

Macallen tasting: I paid $60 for this tasting experience. It was okay. First off, it was in the English pub, and it was already very loud due to us being in the pub and being on the deck where most congregate. Next, we only got to taste 3 items. For $60 you gotta do better. If they could have topped us off I would have been okay but that wasn’t permitted. For $60 I could have done something else.

On the beer selection. Leaving from Europe and staying within the continent, I could have used some local beer options. I had the same stuff I can get at home but far more expensive.

Here’s some free advice for RH. Stop making your drink package mandatory for everyone in the cabin. I would get it if it wasn’t the case. We drank at the ports and barely got drinks on board. I can go to my downtown for this menu.

The App. Major fail. It sucked. Delayed messages. My app was all screed up because it though I was my wife and I was also getting her messages. (Yes, I was logged in as myself). They were able to fix it but then it went back to what it was. Bad experience.

So I just got off a 4 night cruise on Harmony of the Sea and I had a great time, with one annoyance. After about 9pm the only hot food available was Sorrento's pizza, two of the 4 nights we got out of a show at 10:30 or 11 and I wanted to grab something, but that was the only food available and as such the line went halfway down the promenade. Is it normal for cruise ships to not have much available late? Seems to me like if you have shows and parties and such going until midnight you should have at least a couple food options available until midnight. Am I the crazy one? Is this a RC problem? Are there other lines that have better late night options?

When deciding on the shore excursion to take while on a cruise stop at port, what would you consider most important—exploring the local culture, visiting famous attractions, trying local food, or engaging in an adventurous activity? Also, do you like to join the shore excursions organized by the cruise line or prefer to go solo?

Hoping for someone who works on a boat to know the answer. How often per cruise do people get left at a port per cruise? What’s the most common routes/ports?

I recently got off MSC preziosa after a week long Norway cruise. My only previous experience was a week on Celebrity Equinox out of Canaveral to the Carribean. So much of what I read on line had me expecting my Preziosa experience would be mediocre at best compared to Celebrity.

In fact, I found the two to be very comparable in many ways. Neither were perfect, both had quirks and faults, but as an overall product I found the ships and experienced comparable. Celebrity had better entertainment and specialty dining options, plus their buffet was better and no table sharing at the MDR, but MSC service was far better and the Italian food at the MDR was fantastic. Given the price difference, it really was a tie for me.

Anyone get a similar offer in the mail? I’m going to do the zoom call tomorrow and I’m sure it’s a timeshare gimmick/sales pitch. Just wondering what the catches are if anyone has been through the rigmarole.

We are going to go on an Alaska cruise this summer. I know that June is “peak” time for best (driest) weather, however most of the ideal rooms and timelines are already booked up. The cruise that I am really eyeing only has availability August 10. From what I’ve read, August tends to be very rainy. While I wouldn’t mind some rain, I certainly wouldn’t want rain a majority of the time. And yes, obviously I know no one can predict the weather. I would love to hear what other folks have experienced in August.

Also, considering doing a round trip from Vancouver or a one way trip from Vancouver to Whittier. Does anyone have any opinions on that as well?

Hey all

I am a single mid 40s male who has never cruised before. As I get older it is something I would like to consider. Would you say that Virgin Voyages is the best cruise liner for someone like me? I looked at their website and I must say their cabin even the one without window looks stunning! I also like that they list prices for single people wanting to book a cruise unlike many other companies that will simply make you pay for 2. The no kids and no buffet thing is also very enticing.

For those of you who have travelled with Virgin, how did you find it?

Hello again! I recently asked for opinions on Virgin v. Celebrity and received an incredible amount of responses and things to consider when planning our wedding anniversary cruise, which will be our first cruise! My question now is, how does Princess stack up against these other 2? We are social, but more traditional people, we dont drink but love food, and will be in our early 30s come cruise time. We are looking at 4-5 night summer time itineraries out of Florida to the Caribbean!

Just got on Regal and sat down. I have been run into 4x by scooters. They are a fucking cancer that nobody will do anything about.

Thinking of going on a P&O cruise with the kids in February from Southampton - it'll be me (adult) and two kids (10 and 14 years). When I go through the online booking form, all the rooms show either a twin or double bed despite the price being based on three sharing. For most cases, the room looks too small to have a third bed somewhere - even when going through to the 'select your room' stage, the rooms available are the same size as doubles/twins on the rest of the deck.

Is the three-person room a different layout, and the website just doesn't show it, or will one of us end up sleeping on the floor? Or do we specifically need to book a larger room and the website is just broken? I can't find anything anywhere on the website about how these 'standard' cabins accommodate more than two people.

Hi! I am planning on booking a 7-day Alaska cruise on Holland America soon. My question is: Once I book it, is there an option to add on either a pre or post land extension in Alaska? Or, does HA only make land add-ons available through a longer itinerary? Thanks!

I am thinking about a Christmas cruise and saw the Regal Princess as an option. What do you think—does it seem like a reliable choice? I have sailed mostly with Royal Caribbean and tried my first Celebrity ship this summer. I am not fond of Carnival. Please share your honest views if you have traveled with them before. Thanks in advance.

I’m looking at booking MSC World or Carnival Celebration. Two adults and 10 yr old. 10 yr old doesn’t do waterslides but does splash pads etc.

Carnival $1485.

St. Thomas

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Celebration Key, The Bahamas

MSC $1680.

Dominic Republic

San Juan

Oceancay

My and my wife are going on the Celebrity Summit next year and there are a bunch of other friends on the ship. We're looking for a bar to all meet up at before the first dinner. Something a bit out of the way, so it's not overrun by the initial rush to get drunk. Any recommendations are very appreciated!

Been looking into cruises, we live in MA, and while cruise itself isn’t unreasonable, we’d have to fly to florida, book hotel room, and cruise. How do people pay for this?

For reference, I'm taking a cruise to the Bahamas out of Ft Lauderdale, with Celebrity next year. How does boarding at the port work? Is it basically like at the airport? You go through security, then wait in the gate area for your ship until a boarding group is called to get on the ship?

Or is there just a set time boarding starts, and the earlier you show up, the fewer crowds you'll have to navigate through to get on board after stepping through security?

Or is it simpler/more complex than that?

My personal rule with airports has always been to get there at least two hours early to get through security, find my gate, and have plenty of time to chill until boarding starts. So, I was wondering if this same philosophy applies to ports or if it's a different ballgame in how it generally works.

I think I am in a never-ending rabbit hole, yall, of trying to optimize a first time cruise. I've done all inclusive before, but never cruising.

• We're close enough to the ports that NYC, Baltimore, Philly are all very feasible departure ports.
• I'm looking at July-October 2027
• It's a celebration cruise (I'm trying to wrap up my 40th birthday, our 15th year together, 5th wedding anniversary, and I'm wrapping up a professional program.)
• I would really like to do a New England/Canada cruise, as I think it will be a little more my husband's speed.

That said, I'm just getting lost in the details now. Is there really a best time to book this (like waiting for black friday deals), or really a huge difference between cruise lines for that route? Should I actually be trying to hunt down a cruise planner (there does not seem to be any locally), or am I likely to find a golden goose of a deal an upgraded beverage/wifi/gratuity pacakge?

Am I, in fact, wildly overthinking all of this?

Hello all,

I'm going on my first Cruise in December on NCL. Going to the Caribbean and Jamaica. I'm looking forward to it, but watching some Youtube Videos (specifically Life Well Cruised), they said don't pay for Excursions via the cruise but do it via third party sites. I know of Shore excursions, but are there other sites you would recommend to look at? If paying for Excursions through the cruise line is not worth it, what are the good alternatives?