Diplomacy

I love taking cruises, I think they offer the best value among all types of vacations. I have cruised all around the world on over 15 different cruise lines.

After taking nearly 80 cruises, here are eight things that I’ve done on cruises that I’ll never do again.

Wait Until Boarding the Ship to Book Dining

Most cruise lines will now allow you to book specialty restaurants before you board the ship.

I once booked a cruise fare that included four dining at specialty restaurants but I figured I would just wait until I boarded the ship to book them.

Unfortunately for me, most of the time slots were full by the time I got on the ship. The few restaurants that had openings were very late dining times (9:00, 9:30 pm etc.). I was only able to use two of the four free nights that came with my cruise.

Some cruise lines will reserve time slots for guests to book on embarkation day. I recommend doing that as soon as you get on the ship so you can take advantage of any dining packages that may come with your cruise fare.

Spa Raffles

On embarkation day, the spa will have a raffle for a free massage or something along the lines of a $100 credit to use in the spa on your cruise.

I tried going to them but they always turn into long sales pitches. Also, you have to return to the spa at the time of the raffle in order to win.

Sometimes I’d forget to return to the raffle and it always ended up being a waste of time. Now I just avoid them all together and it makes embarkation day so much more enjoyable.

Inside Cabin

In an effort to save money, I once booked an inside cabin on a cruise. I figured, it couldn’t be that bad not having a window, right?

I love to wake up to the sunrise and in an inside cabin, I literally had no idea if the sun was up or down. I felt like I was trapped inside a small closet for four days. 

One thing I love about ocean view or balcony cabins is that you have a window so you can always see where you are, even if you are just out at sea. In the inside cabin, I felt like I wasn’t even on a ship.

I know some people love inside cabins but I learned that they just aren’t for me. 

Upgrading to a Suite on Embarkation Day

On one of my short cruises, they had a sign up during check-in that said paid upgrades to suites were available. I decided to pay the extra amount to get a suite for a change.

However, since it was a short cruise, I was really only in the suite to sleep. While the extra space was nice, I would not do it again on a short cruise since I wasn’t able to really take advantage of the suite.

If it was a longer cruise and had several sea days, then I could consider it. For a short cruise, no thanks.

Free Souvenirs in Port

During port talks, cruise lines will tell you about certain stores you can visit the next day where you can get a free souvenir.

On my first cruise, I fell for this trap and started going from store to store to get my freebie. I ended up wasting a good chunk of my day visiting these stores only to get a hard sell at each one of them.

It was a complete waste of time that would have been better spent doing other things.

Art Auctions

I went to an art auction once to see what the big deal was. Most of the mainstream cruise lines have these auctions and they even offer free champagne to those who attend.

First of all, it wasn’t really an auction. If you bid on an item, you pretty much won it since so few people bid on anything at them.

Most of the items received no bids at all and ended with “Give a hand to the artist” before they brought out the next item.

I thought I was going to watch people get into bidding wars and unfortunately, that rarely happens at ship art auctions.

Visit Guest Services on Last Day

I once needed to visit Guest Services to take care of something and decided that I would just wait until the last evening to do it.

Unfortunately, the line for guest services was long and slow due to people asking to take their daily gratuities off of their account. It wasn’t what I was there for but there were many in line for that reason. But that’s a hot topic issue for another day.

I’ve learned to avoid Guest Services on the first and last day of cruises to avoid long lines.

Rent Scooters in Port

I tend to go back and forth between booking shore excursions through the cruise line and through 3rd party websites.  I find value in both and which one I use depends on the port and excursion.

However, one thing that I’ll never do is rent a scooter in port. My brother, who runs Cruise Fever with me, rented a scooter to drive the loop in Cozumel.

He said the scooter was in such bad shape that it almost got them killed a few times.

I once rented a car to drive the loop and a scooter lost control around a corner and almost slammed right into my car. Something broke on it but thankfully she was able to avoid my car. 

Seriously, avoid these things.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s entertainment for their new ship debuting in 2025, Norwegian Aqua, will include the first ever cruise ship celebrating Prince.

Norwegian Aqua will debut in 2025 and will have exclusive entertainment offerings. This includes guest favorites and two shows, “Revolution: A Celebration of Prince” and “Elements: The World Expanded”.

The tribute to Prince show will be an hour-long concert with performances featuring many of his chart topping hits.

Guests will have the option to enjoy the show on the dance floor with the cast or watch from traditional theater seating.

Patricia Wilcox, conceiver, director and choreographer of “Revolution: A Celebration of Prince”, said the following:

“I’ve always been inspired by Prince and the idea came to me, nearly seven years ago, to create a theatrical concert that would joyfully celebrate his music and exceptional artistry.

“After loving my past collaborations with the team at Norwegian Cruise Line, and seeing the beautiful, multi-purpose theater aboard Norwegian Aqua, I knew we would be wonderful partners for this collaboration, and I’m honored to bring this show to life alongside the NCL team, Prince Legacy, LLC and Primary Wave Music.”

Also, NCL is taking their highest rated show in their history and enhancing it. Elements: The World Expanded will have new surprises as the show draws inspiration from the four elements – earth, wind, water and fire.

Norwegian Aqua will also have “The Improv at Sea” comedy club, “The Price is Right LIVE on NCL” game show and “Syd Norman’s Presents: Rumours”.

The Aqua Theater & Club will transform from a three-story theater to a three-story Vegas style nightclub. Three themed parties will take place in this unique space.

David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line, gave the following statement:

“For decades, NCL has set the standard in entertainment at sea, with worldclass productions and talent that rivals those found in major cities like Las Vegas, New York City and London. For Norwegian Aqua, we are thrilled to build on our legacy of excellence in entertainment to offer our guests more options across the ship, including exclusive original productions that cannot be seen anywhere else on land or at sea.”

Norwegian Aqua will debut in April 2025 and will be a sister ship to Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva. The ship will sail from Port Canaveral offering seven night cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas.

After a season in Florida, the ship will move to New York City for five- to seven-night cruises to Bermuda.

The cruise ship will reposition to Miami for the winter sailing five- to seven-night sailings to the Caribbean from October 2025 until April 2026.

Norwegian Aqua will be the 20th ship in NCL’s fleet.

A couple is receiving backlash after a now deleted social media post detailed how they left their young children in a cruise cabin by themselves.

The two social media influencers, Matt and Abby Howard,  post videos about life and relationships.  After a recent family cruise the couple mentioned how they got some alone time on the ship.

Joining them on the cruise were their two young children who were 2 and 12-months old.

“So we ended up taking them for 5 nights and it became apparent that they weren’t enjoying it and therefore we weren’t either,” Abby said in the story.

“So, THEN we switched our dinner time to AFTER their bedtime and FaceTIMED the monitors while we ate. And that worked out muchhhh better for everyone!”

The couple apparently came prepared, bringing Motorola baby monitors onboard.  But Abby noted in the Instagram story that they didn’t work on the ship unless they were “only like 10 feet away” from the device.

Finding a way to use their mobile devices to show a “live feed” of their toddlers in the cabin was the solution the couple ended up using.

TikTok account, Anna Reports News, reported on the story, pointing out how dangerous this situation was, and how the post was likely deleted as soon as comments began flooding in.

“They left these two babies in the stateroom while they went out to eat and they FaceTimed the baby monitors,” Anna said.

“Just the every day unsafe things that kids could get into when they are by themselves, especially under the age of 2 and 1…”

@annareportsnews Matt and Abby left their babies alone on a cruise ship. #annareportsnews #theorywithanna #MattandAbby #cruise #CruiseShip #Cruises #Matt #Abby #Babies #Baby #Kids #Child #Unsafe #Alone #TrueCrime #Scary #Horror #Influencer #Influencers #Celeb #Celebs #Celebrities #Famous #Fame #Drama #Tea##expose##Expose##Exposing##Explain##Explained##Explaining ♬ original sound – Anna Reports News

Anna mentioned that this family cruise had other family members on board that could have helped to watch the children if they wanted some alone time at dinner.

Baby monitors were on the “ban list” for many cruise lines for a while, but the reasons for it were always in question.  Many point out that it was to discourage this kind of practice.  Toddlers should not be left unattended in staterooms for a multitude of obvious reasons.

On top of this, cruise ships are huge.  Even if the couple noticed an issues on the screen, they could not likely get back to the child very quickly.

Comments on the social media post showed anger and disapproval of what the couple had done, and neither of the two has yet to address the social media post that caused the firestorm.

Royal Caribbean has sent a letter to impacted guests after bookings had to be cancelled on an upcoming cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas.

One of the lifeboats on the Vision-class vessel was damaged on a previous sailing.   Due to the damage, this lifeboat cannot be used, and the cruise ship would not have enough capacity on the remaining lifeboats for every passenger.

Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requires a cruise ship to have a designated seat on a lifeboat or life raft for each passenger.   This makes sure in the event of an emergency everyone has space on a life-saving vessel.

Only passengers whose seats were designated on the damaged lifeboat were affected by the cancellations.

Rhapsody of the Seas is scheduled to depart from Puerto Rico on the next sailing on September 15, 2024.

Guests that were impacted by the booking cancellations will be receiving a full refund for their cruise in addition to credit for a future cruise.

Passengers will have until September of 2025 to redeem the future cruise credit and it will be for 100% of the amount they originally paid for the cancelled cruise.

The statement sent to passengers whose cruises were cancelled said the following, according to news reports:

“On our previous sailing, there was damage to one of our tender boats, which also serves as a lifeboat.  This leaves the ship over capacity for the number of available lifeboat seats in the event of an emergency in our next sailing. Unfortunately, this means we’ll be unable to welcome you onboard.”

Rhapsody of the Seas is currently offering 7-night cruises out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, visiting destinations like St Croix, St Thomas, St Maarten, and Barbados.

The ship will remain homported in San Juan until it is scheduled to move to Tampa, Florida in November of 2025.

“We know this is disappointing news and we’re terribly sorry for the impact on your vacation plans,” Royal Caribbean concluded in the statement.

Latest Update from Carnival Cruise Line: “Carnival Valor 09/12/24 (Now Departing 09/13/24): Thanks for your patience while we worked on plans for your shortened 3-day voyage, departing tomorrow, Friday, 09/13/24. We will not be able to visit Cozumel and will spend the voyage at sea. Please check your email for complete details regarding our offer and your options. If you wish to cancel, please call us by 8:00 PM (ET), today, 09/12/24. We will be in touch with details related to embarkation.”

Carnival will give guests a one-day pro-rated refund and $100 in OBC (on board credit) to those who sail on the three day cruise. They will also receive a Future Cruise Credit towards their next sailing.

Previous Update from Carnival Cruise Line: “Carnival Valor 09/12/24: If you are being affected by Francine, we hope you are safe. We remain in close contact with port officials in New Orleans and are still working on our operational plans for your cruise, which we expect to depart tomorrow, Friday, 09/13/2024. Given the shortened duration, we will operate as a voyage without a port of call visit. We will be in touch by 2:00 PM (CT) today, 09/12/2024, with more information and your options.”

Original Article: Carnival Cruise Line issued a statement about one of their cruise ships that was originally scheduled to arrive back in New Orleans this morning.

Due to Hurricane Francine, Carnival Valor will no longer return to New Orleans today as the port will remain closed.

The Port of New Orleans’ latest update on their website states that terminal operators will be conducting damage assessments but normal operations are closed today.

Carnival Cruise Line sent the following message last night to guests about the cruise today on Carnival Valor:

“Dear Carnival Valor Guests, If you are living in an area that is being affected by Hurricane Francine, we hope you are safe.

“The storm made landfall in Louisiana earlier this evening, and the New Orleans area is still being affected. It will take some time for port officials to fully conduct a post-storm assessment tomorrow, September 12, and it is now clear that the ship will not be able to return to New Orleans until sometime Friday, September 13, 2024.

“We will be in touch by 10:00 AM (CT) today, Thursday, September 12, with more details about our operational plans for your cruise and your options. We apologize for this weather-related change to your vacation plans and thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Carnival Valor was scheduled for a four-night cruise to the Western Caribbean from New Orleans today. It will now operate as a three-day cruise with all sea days.

Cruise Fever will continue to monitor the situation with the Port of New Orleans and Carnival Valor and will have all updates as more information comes in.

Princess Cruises has announced a few changes for their newest ship, Sun Princess, that will go into effect on October 14, 2024. This is when the ship begins sailing to the Caribbean from Port Everglades.

Princess Cruises will be moving the locations of several restaurants on Sun Princess to accommodate their new Sanctuary Collection that debuts on October 14.

The Sanctuary Collection is made up of 215 cabins (80 suites, 123 mini-suites, 12 premium deluxe balconies) on the ship.  Guests in these staterooms receive access to the retreat area and Princess Premiere that makes the cruises all-inclusive.

A new Sanctuary Restaurant will be added to the ship for these guests. This will be an exclusive restaurant for guests staying in Sanctuary Collection staterooms. It will have a custom chef’s menu and is promising to take luxury to a new level with a dedicated waitstaff and ocean views.

The Sanctuary Restaurant will be located on Deck 8 aft, the current location of the Americana Diner.

The Americana Diner will be moved to Deck 9 aft. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner all day long and is one of the most causal dining options on the ship.

Crown Grill, the Catch by Rudi, and The Butcher’s Block by Dario are also moving to new locations.

Crown Grill, the signature steakhouse on Sun Princess, will move to deck 7 after where the current Reserve Collection Restaurant is located.

Taking the place of the current Crown Grill location will be The Butcher’s Block by Dario.

Lastly, the Catch by Rudi is moving to the current location of the Signature Restaurant.

The Butcher’s Block by Dario and Catch by Rudi are currently located at back of The Eatery (buffet).

In addition, Princess is also making a few name changes around the ship.

Park19 has been renamed to the SkyDeck Sports Court & Track.

The Horizons Dining Room on deck 6 and 7 have been renamed Soleil Dining Room and Eclipse Dining Room.

Sami Kohen, vice president of food & beverage for Princess Cruises, gave the following statement:

“With the relocation and transformation of these popular specialty restaurants, we’re not only enhancing the ambiance but also optimizing the overall dining experience for our guests. These new locations allow us to expand capacity while also creating more intimate and immersive culinary environments, ensuring that every meal aboard Sun Princess is truly exceptional.”