Oh how I'm missing Symphony of the Seas! It's official, I'm hooked! I love everything about cruising and absolultely LOVED royal carribean! I can't wait to go back!!!

So I was typing my daily report over dinner but then it started raining and thundering and lightning-ing and knocked out the internet haha lost all my progress!

So today i have landed in Cabo! Gorgeous town really enjoy seeing it. I heard there was lots of issues with the ferry things they had shuttling people to the shore so decided to stay on the boat and rest up. It was another late night of shows and night clubs and drinking so the sleep is definitely nice.

Last night (day2) I caught the end of Monday night Football at this random bar and then after the game they did this one hit wonders show which was great! After that went and saw the Beatles show which was also great! We had another late night of partying and drink which ended at the local bar around 3am. Great night lots of fun made some new friends =]

So today was a big rest day after landing in Cabo! Kind of relaxed on the balcony for a big enjoy the sights and feeling of Mexico. Did a quick buffet lunch and then back to the room until our solo meetup at 5pm. They were doing more ice breakers which was fun.

We did the manhatten room for dinner as a group which went much better tonight than it did last night! Service was fast and the food was actually super good. Got the new York strip which was very tasty.

But then! As I was finishing up dinner and typing up this post apparently tropical storm vance came to cabo 😅 things are getting pretty choppy with the boat and theres constant rain, lightning, and thunder. Debating if I should still go out tonight or just stay in....well will update you all tomorrow =]

Passengers on residential cruise ship Villa Vie Odyssey asked to disembark with their belongings in Cambodia as the company runs out of money.
I think the business model doesn’t work with current food and fuel costs.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/villa-vie-residences-suspends-operations-in-cambodia-as-it-pursues-restructuring-and-recapitalization-302920622.html

So today was day 2 of my 7 day cruise down to Mexico. Was out super late last night seeing the night scene on the cruise which was wildly fun. The social club was converted into a night club with a dj and I pretty much drank and partied the night away. Fun time great vibes.

Expected to sleep in super late but somehow woke up in time for a solo traveler breakfast meetup =] somebody also solo traveling in the same cruise reached out and we grabbed breakfast at the main dining room. It was pretty alright! Afterwards went back to the room and slept the entire day away 😅 finally shambled out of bed in time for the solo traveler dinner meetup.

We met in the social lounge played some ice breaker bingo (I was 2nd place!) And then collectively made our way to the Manhattan room for dinner. It was pretty cool, had a chance to meet some new people and hear some fun traveling stories. The food sadly took over an hour to come out which was a bit of a let down but it was still a fun experience.

Remainder of day 2 I think will be football and more late night drinking! I figure ill do these posts for the remainder of my cruise unless people start hating them haha and then ill stop 😅

First stop in cabo tomorrow! No excursion planned so I might just stay on the ship. Guess we'll see!

Thanks for all the encouragement! I still havent given up hope on solo traveling yet! Hoping to have an amazing vacation

Turns out everyone calling this a floating disaster on here was right.

Apparently management sent out a 7:00 AM memo saying they couldn't secure fuel, giving residents until 2:00 PM the same day to pack up and get off in Cambodia. Not even a "sorry" from the CEO.

Between the endless delays in Belfast, mechanical drama, and management recently hitting residents up constantly for extra cash injections just to keep things moving, it was a total house of cards from day one.

Honestly, The World is still the only residential ship that actually works - presumably because it's built for multi millionaires who can easily absorb bottomless operating deficits.

It feels like these ventures will stay afloat as long as that initial influx of cabin purchase cash is rolling in to cover early costs, and once that dries up, monthly fees won't keep up.

It almost encourages a bit of a desperate, Ponzi-like dynamic where everyone onboard needs new blood to buy in just so their cash injections can keep the ship moving a little longer. Trying to run with the concept that regular people can live on cruise ships on a budget always seemed like an uphill battle.

It’s massive!!!

For anyone booked on Royal Princess during the Sanctuary Collection preview period, here are a few practical steps if you are also mad about the changes in access to the retreat pool. For people like me, who are outside their refund period and who’s cruise is sold out, I have lost what I consider to be a significant part of my cruise - being in an adults only pool, or sitting next to it with a book, a drink and peace.

I was sold a cruise that included certain amenities that contributed to my decision. I take one cruise a year, and princess would not have been my choice if I had known about this. They have misled people,not only in what they’ve done, but by announcing it well after any consent to change or ability to change their plans is possible.

(Before anyone tells me no one uses the pool - the preview period is going into Australian summer, and covers part of our school holidays. One pool for 3000 people, with a movie screen above it isn’t what I paid for)

Contact Princess Guest Relations in writing. Explain how the change affects your booking, state your preferred resolution and request a formal response.

Keep records. Save your booking confirmation, dated screenshots of relevant information, the announcement and all correspondence.

Get a case number and ask for written confirmation of any discussions or commitments. I had to message princess cruises on Facebook to get a case number.

If you are in Australia, you can contact the consumer agency in your state or territory to ask about dispute resolution and whether they can assist with your circumstances. Each state and territory has its own consumer agency. I spoke to NSW fair Trading who told me to give princess 5 working days to respond before filing a complaint with them. Australian regulatory agencies can and have fined/ordered foreign flagged cruise lines to comply with consumer law.

You can also report concerns to the ACCC. It does not resolve individual disputes, but reports can help identify broader patterns of potential consumer law issues.

I’m not guaranteeing this will do anything - all I’m asking for is for access to be restored to those already booked. But I’m not going to shrug my shoulders when a big part of my expensive holiday is taken away

I’ve attached some images - the email, the ‘preview’ period for Royal specifically, and the current deck plans on the app.

https://i.imgur.com/TDs6qxK.png https://i.imgur.com/47G9Spd.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/QYaAN4v.png https://i.imgur.com/0cLCa14.png

I booked this like a month ago. $200 deposit for a four day Baja cruise over thanksgiving weekend. Obstructed ocean view or balcony, can’t remember which. I’m in first position in a room class with 60 rooms. Am I actually going to get to go on this cruise? Will we find out like one day before sailing? I guess my odds are 1/60. I’m wondering if I should have a plan b trip planned.

Has anyone taken a cruise with Celestyal? We’re considering booking a cruise with them and would love to hear about your cruise experience. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello! I'll try to keep this short; I'm debating which cruise line to go with for sailing out of Los Angeles, between Norwegian and Carnival.

I'm looking for a more energetic, party vibe (I can always find "quiet" time. And I heard both were good options.

Specifically looking for 5-6 days. In Jan or Feb. (7 if no other good options)

Carnival only has Panorama available for all options, but it stops in Cabo for 2 days (mixed reviews, i know it doesn't stay docked) and then hits Ensenada (which I heard that one sucks)

Or Norwegian, which is 7 days, but goes to Cabo, Mazatlan, & Puerto Vallarta.

The boat is Encore Only

obviously food/activties is a factor as well. But I'm tryna not be too picky. I'll be getting a balcony for either one.

I've cruised plenty of times, but never either of these boats & never from the west side.

Any helpful input would be greatly appreciated!

I applied to both positions at the very beginning of the month and got rejected by Park West, which makes me really sad, since I have A LOT of experience working in art galleries. This summer, I also closed a major sale worth around $8K USD here in Latin America in just two days. I'm not sure what kind of profile they're looking for, but I'd really appreciate it if someone here could share their experience with me or even take a look at my résumé so I can identify what might not be working

A little context about me: I'm a 28-year-old woman who speaks English and Italian, with extensive experience in PR. I've been working at art fairs since I was 21, including the biggest art fair in Mexico. I have experience working with high-profile clients across different industries, including interior design, art, and real estate throughout Latin America, and I've closed sales ranging from $1K to $8K USD

I'd also say I have a bubbly personality, partly thanks to my three years of experience in musical theatre. I LOVE talking to people and helping them find the perfect match for whatever they're looking for, and that's something I enjoy doing not just with clients, but also with my friends and family

Right now, I'm working remotely as a graphic designer, but I'm looking to make a career move into the cruise industry, specifically in the arts.

If anyone here has worked for Park West or has any tips on how to break into the cruise industry, I'd REALLY appreciate it! :)

I've done around 4-5 cruises with family and friends but have never booked on my own. I've done Norweigian, Royal Carribean, and Carnival. Id rank them in that same order. Me and wife are going to start doing a cruise once a year, maybe twice a year in the futute. Give me your best pointers! Things like how to get the best deal, best times to book, worthwhile add ons, tips and tricks. We've usually done the alcohol packages. My last cruise with NCL we had one cover charge covered for a specialty restraunt which was great.

I'm looking for some bundle services which couple airport to hotel to port and back to airport services in Miami. Something like what GoPort has in Port Canaveral. I prefer something one step, but any suggestions would be helpful.

If you’ve ever gotten a bunch of help from a TA to figure out the best cruise and cruise line for you, then you’ve turned around and booked the cruise directly with the cruise line, here’s a PSA: Please don’t do that. You do yourself no favors, and you’ve just made the TA do a load of work for absolutely nothing. The only party that benefits here is the major corporation behind the cruise line that simply keeps the commission they would’ve given the TA had you booked through them.

Why ghost a TA? Why book directly? You wouldn’t have had to paid the TA anyway! And now you’re on your own to deal with a cruise line that cares way more about their bottom line and their shareholders than the customers.

You don’t get the perks, discounts or OBC you would’ve gotten with the TA (thus you end up paying more!) You don’t get to benefit from their expertise in the cruise line or destination. Cruise lines already charge you for their commission whether you use one or not.

You still have more control over the booking than you think. Even if you booked direct and wanted to make changes, you’d still have to go through a cruise line rep (a middle man), but you’d have to do it over the phone and on their office hours. If you use a TA, you just text them whenever you want and let them do it, and you don’t have to wait on hold.

Just book with the TA! It’s the kind and right thing to do. It’s a free way to thank them for their help. TAs are real people with families, feelings, and limits on their time. They don’t like working for free.

If you’ve ghosted one in the past, or basically took their commission out from under them and gave it right back to the cruise line by booking direct, write them a message. I probably speak for all TAs when I say that we’d welcome you back with open arms. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Have been asked to join friends on a 26th December NCL cruise. As a total newbie and coming from Ireland, can some avid cruise goers give me advice to find the best deal? Should I just book direct with NCL?
Any tips much appreciated.

I wanted to post an update with better photos, confirming no injuries, and the best update I had found on the situation:

“No passengers or crew were reported injured and the vessel returned safely to Columbuskaje under tugboat assistance. Following an inspection, TUI Cruises cancelled the scheduled three-week Canary Islands cruise for urgent repair work.

TUI Cruises said: ‘We can confirm that, as the Mein Schiff 3 was leaving Bremerhaven in the late afternoon of October 25, a collision occurred with two container ships.’ The company added: ‘The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority.’

North Germany has been experiencing bad weather with gale-force winds and heavy rain since Friday.

There was…no water ingress on any of the vessels involved, and Mein Schiff 3 retained power and manoeuvrability, allowing it to dock safely after the incident.

Passengers remained onboard overnight, with restaurants and other venues operating as normal. TUI Cruises said: ‘We know how much our guests were looking forward to this cruise and deeply regret the inconvenience this causes.’ The company added that its focus is now on informing and supporting passengers, and said: ‘We will proactively provide further information as soon as reliable findings are available.’”

Article: https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/ports-destinations/mein-schiff-3-damaged-in-collision-with-two-container-ships

Photo sources:

https://www.bremerhavennews24.de/%f0%9f%9a%a8-kollision-vor-bremerhavens-containerterminal-mein-schiff-3-kracht-gegen-frachter-kanarenreise-steht-auf-der-kippe/

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DiN2NMRXM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Can anyone currently on the MAS Paradise ship tell me how they’re doing? How are the waters? We have not gotten any more updates from them yet. I see mixed answers everywhere I look.

I grew up on cruise ships (how privileged I am to be able to say that), early 2000s until 2018. Unfortunately I became ill and spent a lot of time in hospitals. I'm finally set to go on a Caribbean cruise in two weeks with my parents, who are already on board.

I've heard about hiding ducks and decorating your cabin door, I know it's pretty common nowadays. I don't feel like it was really a thing when I was a kid (we had other games back then), so I never grew up with these inside jokes.

I'm planning on bringing 100 mini ducks and hiding them around the ship. Maybe some magnets for my cabin door ? And bracelets ?

Are mini ducks appropriate ? My parents never stopped cruising, and I feel like they mostly see and hide larger ducks.

The last thing I want is to annoy or disturb anyone.

I'm not on Facebook, so I'm not sure how to find people to exchange gifts with.

I'm also pretty nervous about the cruise itself. I'm scared of losing my balance or forgetting how to walk on a moving ship ha ! Due to my health, I can't eat any of the food on board, and I can't swim or get my medical device wet. That rules out water-based & food-related activities. And now that I'm no longer a kid.. I'm a little worried about getting bored or frustrated.

The ship I'll be on is what I call a "modern ship." I've been on it before. I hope I won't start an argument, but I don't really like... at least on pictures... the more recent ships. I'm more of a Costa Victoria/Serena/Concordia/Pacifica and MSC Sinfonia/Lirica/Orchestra kind of person. The Splendida and Fantasia are about as far as I'll go (I love them !) Anything newer, Royal Caribbean-style ships... Well I haven't been on many of them but they haven't clicked with me. I will keep an open mind but I didn't like them as a teen and yeah.

Sorry if I sound like an old fart !

I also know that a lot has changed on board, starting with phone apps ! Hopefully I'll have my parents to guide me. I know it took them some time to get used to all the changes. Now they love the big interactive screens, ice scream shops, Cirque du Soleil, etc.

Honestly I'm a ball of nerves because it feels like I'm returning to a place that used to be home but isn't home anymore.

I'm not sure whether I'm looking for advice on guest-led games and activities or whether I just needed to vent, but yeah... I'M NERVOUS !!!!

We solo cruising guys! Still day one just left the solo meet-up which was a little uneventful but we shook some hands and met some people. Fine dining solo dinner 😅 still optimistic itll be a fun time but so far havent found my crowd yet

Hi All,

I booked a cruise sailing to Nassau (docking from 7 am to 5 pm the same day) in November. I’m from a country that requires a visa to travel to the Bahamas. I do have a valid US visa with multiple entries, and I've been in & out of the US multiple times. The cruise will leave from Miami

My question is – do I need a Bahamas visa for this trip?

Thanks.

Why the hell is it called symphony if 99% of the musicians there are wood winds?

My aunt bought a cruise first certificate but no longer wants to cruise given health changes. What would she need to do to be able to transfer the certificate to my wife and I?

I saw somewhere that she just needs to email info@cruisenext, but want to make sure its that simple!

I just got off a 7 day cruise on NCL aqua. This was my 5th cruise and 4th cruise line so I thought it would be helpful for others to share how my experience compared between my different cruises. This is of course super subjective, YMMV etc.

For context, I always cruise with my two kids. We always book standard oceanview room and never do specialty dining.

We have cruised twice on carnival (magic and horizon), 1x on Royal Caribbean freedom OTS and 1 time on MSC seascape. This was our first cruise on NCL and consensus is that NCL is our new favorite. Staff was amazing and my fellow cruisers were a mix of fun but not too rowdy (and they did not leave their messes everywhere on the ship - unlike on carnival)

Here are some areas of comparison:

Cabin:
best: NCL. The cabin on NCL aqua felt huge in comparison to the others. There was lots of storage, the bathroom was big (in comparison) and aesthetically pleasing. We were impressed.

Worst: Freedom OTS. It was the smallest and it looked very outdated.

Buffet
Best: MSC : the buffet was huge and there was so much selection. The food was mostly excellent.

Worst: NCL the buffet was tiny. It was very crowded. Selection was very limited. Very limited vegetarian offerings, good luck/bring snacks if you’re vegan. It’s a good thing there were many other places to eat on the Aqua.

MDR
Best: NCL aqua the food was consistently good or better, the venue is beautiful, service was very good. The staff were also very knowledgeable and attentive with food allergies. Dining times are flexible and we never had to wait for a table.

Worst: MSC the food was bad and often was not hot by the time we were served, they are very strict with the assigned dining times, the MDR is very cramped. The people working there did not seem happy at all.

Kids Club
Best: carnival: it’s got the longest opening hours, very organized activities that you can see in the app. They take your kids for dinner if you have other plans. (My child once ditched me to have dinner with his kids club friends- it was not my idea!) My kids loved it.

Worst: NCL but only because the hours were very limited in comparison to the other cruise lines. My kids loved it anyway.

Embarkation and disembarkation
Best: NCL the port arrival was so easy. There were no lines and we breezed right into the ship. Disembarkation was equally fast and smooth.

Worst: MSC even though we arrived at our assigned time, we had to wait in a waiting area for more than 30 minutes. No one told us why or how long the wait was. Then another snafu with disembarkation where we waited in line without moving for 45 minutes without being provided any updates or information.

Daytime organized activities

Best: carnival. No surprise there. It is definitely the most fun cruise line, always something interesting going on. Honourable mention to Royal, it is also a fun cruise line

Worst: MSC: entertainment was very limited and a couple of times events were cancelled without notice. It was frustrating.

Sports
Best: NCL the aqua has a glow court that you can reserve for your family to play various games including soccer and basketball. On carnival my kids can never play because the courts are always taken over by older kids or adults. Also NCL has some ping pong tables, a small pickleball court, shuffle board, table soccer and fuss ball. There is mini golf, which costs extra but is actually very well done so I didn’t really mind paying the $5 per person. We spent a lot of time in this area.

Worst: MSC the facilities were very limited, there was no mini golf at all

Pools and Hot tubs
Best MSC the pools were big and there is a covered pool for when there is inclement weather. Lots of hot tubs. Honourable mention to NCL for the number of pools.

Worst carnival magic the pools were comically small and crowded.

App
Best Carnival. For real, there is so much information and functionality compared to other cruise lines. You can make dinner reservations for the MDR, see what your kid is up to in kids club, see what’s on at any given time.

Worst NCL the app has next to no functionality. It holds a copy of the daily planner and a generic listing of places to eat, along with general information about the cruise. So much wasted potential here.

Overall, while NCL really stands out for us, our next cruise is on carnival (which we also love) and we will definitely explore more NCL and Royal cruises in the future.

Every cruise line has pros and cons but MSC is the only line that we are not too keen to go back on (even though it was the cheapest of all our cruises).

Ask away if you have any questions!

Hi! We leave in 3 days on a Princess cruise. We are super excited and have our pre-check-in all done.

Our assigned check in time is 1pm. However we’d like to board well before then. The app/website says it may or may not be able to process you if you get there early.

For those of you who tried to check in early, were you able to get on the boat early or did you have to wait?

Also, what’s the earliest you can arrive and check in?

Thanks!