CruzeFan
Captain
Joined 09/2018
35
Cruises9
Reviews134
Helpful VotesUpcoming cruises
Past cruises
April 2024 - 16 Night Alaska & Honolulu: Glacier Bay Kauai & Maui (Honolulu To Vancouver) Cruise on Norwegian Spirit
February 2024 - 4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on MSC Seashore
February 2024 - 7 Night Western Caribbean & Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on MSC Seashore
February 2024 - 3 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on MSC Seashore
October 2023 - 19 nights on MSC Seashore
August 2023 - 7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Panorama
May 2023 - 17 Night Msc Grand Voyages (Miami To Barcelona) Cruise on MSC Divina
First Transatlantic Cruise
This was my first transatlantic cruise. It was good and the ports were interesting. The food, service and entertainment were below what I experienced on the Divina previously. Noting was bad, just not the same level as the roundtrip cruises from the US.
May 2023 - 7 nights on MSC Seascape
Great Cruise on the Seascape
The Seascape is a beautiful ship that is well designed. Enjoy the differences with MSC rather than comparing it to other lines.
January 2023 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on MSC Divina
Great Cruise on MSC Divina
This was my 4th MSC cruise in the last 12 months and 3rd on Divina since October. All were very good, but this time was excellent, primarily because of people I met and the group at my table. We did many things together and had a great time.
October 2022 - 19 Night Caribbean & Bahamas (Port Canaveral To Miami) Cruise on MSC Divina
Great Cruise on MSC
This was a 19 day B2B cruise that had the feel of two completely different cruises. The first 7 days was roundtrip from Port Canaveral and had 1,850 passengers, with around 80% being US citizens. The last 12 days was a repositioning cruise from Port Canaveral to Miami with 2,250 passengers, with around 75% being International passengers. Both portions were good and it was interesting to meet people from many countries.
June 2022 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Mobile Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Ecstasy
Definitely Noticed the Staff Shortages
This was a last minute solo cruise after receiving a great offer via email. This was my 21st cruise, but I had never been on a Fantasy Class ship, been to Progresso or cruises from Mobile, so I got to experience 3 new things. The cruise was ok, but it was obvious they were short staffed and the cutbacks in the food were noticeable.
May 2022 - 8 Night Alaska (Seattle Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Splendor
Great Cruise to Alaska
This was my 3rd cruise to Alaska and first from Seattle. I prefer a one-way itinerary between Vancouver and Alaska since the first and last days from Seattle have little scenery and the potential for rougher seas. There were a few small issues, but Alaska never fails to impress. The app did not give me a chance to review the ports, but I had great excursions. Seattle - Snoqualmie Falls & City Tour with Show Me Seattle. Tracy Arm Fjord - Small Boat Tour through Carnival. Skagway - Yukon Bus Tour with Chilkoot Charters. Juneau - Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier combo tour with Juneau Tours. Icy Strait Point - Whale watching with Hoonah Adventures. Ketchikan - Self-guided walking tour using map from the Visitors Center. Victoria - Did not get off the ship since it arrived after 8:00 PM.
January 2022 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on MSC Meraviglia
Excellent First Cruise on MSC
This was my first cruise with MSC and it was in the top 3 of the 20 cruises I have taken in the last 35 years. Having less than 500 passengers on a ship that holds 4,500 was a great experience. No wait for an elevator, no lines, no problem getting a deck chair or seat at the buffet, etc. This cruise also stopped at Costa Maya, it was not listed as an option to review. I went to Maya Chan, which is always a great experience.
November 2019 - 8 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Adventure of the Seas
Great cruise to the ABC islands!
Another great experience with Royal Caribbean. Super-fast embarkation and debarkation, great Royal Up upgrade on our room, excellent food variety and quality, average entertainment on the main shows, 3 great ports and 4 relaxing sea days. One thing to note was that we saw medical evacuations at each port (including before we left Ft Lauderdale) and a helicopter evacuation at sea. This is why we always have a good travel policy that includes medical coverage and medical evacuation coverage. Hopefully those evacuated are all doing well.
March 2019 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip) Cruise on Rotterdam
This was a solo cruise for me and my second time on the Rotterdam (and HAL). I booked this cruise primarily for the itinerary and it was the best value for the timeframe I needed, including airfare. I was not impressed with this ship the first time, so my expectations were not very high for this cruise. The itinerary was very good, but nothing else really stood out as special.
Being solo, I did not eat in the dining room or any specialty restaurants. I realize food is very subjective, but overall I found the food at the Lido just average. The buffet set up is a nightmare (and was on my previous cruise as well). I have never been on another cruise line that uses workers to serve the food at the buffet. There was no starting point for the line and people were coming from both directions and the servers seemed to just serve whoever walked up with no rhyme or reason. Once you did get a servers attention the seemed to be rushing you and handing your plate back before you had a chance to see what was further down the line. I also never saw any trays being used, so if you got a salad, entree, sides, dessert and bread, you had to juggle several plates or take one at a time to the table and return to stand in line again. The one upside was the Dive In burger and fries was by far the best food I had all week.
The entertainment on this ship is also lacking, in my opinion. There is no venue for nightly upbeat music and no live band for sail away parties or poolside. The main nightly entertainment was hit or miss - a comedian who was ok, a comedy magician that was ok, a BBC movie with live music and 2 different performances by Post Modern Jukebox. I thought the 2nd PMJ performance was much better than the first, but sadly the theater was only about 35% full since many did not seem to care for the first night’s performance, as I saw several leave early.
Overall I had a good time as my primary purpose was a solo getaway to spend some time in ports I enjoy. I might sail this ship, or HAL, in the future if the itinerary and price was right, but overall I will probably stick with Carnival or Royal Caribbean for most of my cruises in the future due to the better food and entertainment options.
December 2018 - 7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip) Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
January 2018 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip) Cruise on Rotterdam
May 2017 - 9 Night Alaska Hubbard Glacier Northbound (Vancouver To Seward) Cruise on Radiance of the Seas
December 2016 - 8 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Splendor
May 2016 - 6 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Valor
January 2015 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Explorer of the Seas
May 2014 - 7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip) Cruise on Jewel of the Seas
March 2013 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans roundtrip) Cruise on Navigator of the Seas
October 2010 - 8 Night Exotic Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale roundtrip) Cruise on Carnival Miracle
March 2008 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans roundtrip) Cruise on Norwegian Spirit
August 2007 - 7 Night Gulf of Alaska Southbound (Whittier to Vancouver) Cruise on Island Princess
May 1995 - 7 nights on Dolphin Seabreeze
October 1992 - 3 nights on Mardi
January 1992 - 3 nights on Carnivale
October 1991 - 7 nights on MS Caribe I
October 1988 - 4 nights on Oceanic
Carnival Splendor
Sail date: May 02, 2022
This was my 3rd cruise to Alaska and first from Seattle. I prefer a one-way itinerary between Vancouver and Alaska since the first and last days from Seattle have little scenery and the potential for rougher seas. There were a few small issues, but Alaska never fails to impress. The app did not give me a chance to review the ports, but I had great excursions. Seattle - Snoqualmie Falls & City Tour with Show Me Seattle. Tracy Arm Fjord - Small Boat Tour through Carnival. Skagway - Yukon Bus Tour with Chilkoot Charters. Juneau - Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier combo tour with Juneau Tours. Icy Strait Point - Whale watching with Hoonah Adventures. Ketchikan - Self-guided walking tour using map from the Visitors Center. Victoria - Did not get off the ship since it arrived after 8:00 PM.
MSC Divina
Sail date: October 02, 2022
This was a 19 day B2B cruise that had the feel of two completely different cruises. The first 7 days was roundtrip from Port Canaveral and had 1,850 passengers, with around 80% being US citizens. The last 12 days was a repositioning cruise from Port Canaveral to Miami with 2,250 passengers, with around 75% being International passengers. Both portions were good and it was interesting to meet people from many countries.
Adventure of the Seas
Sail date: November 09, 2019
Great cruise to the ABC islands!
Another great experience with Royal Caribbean. Super-fast embarkation and debarkation, great Royal Up upgrade on our room, excellent food variety and quality, average entertainment on the main shows, 3 great ports and 4 relaxing sea days. One thing to note was that we saw medical evacuations at each port (including before we left Ft Lauderdale) and a helicopter evacuation at sea. This is why we always have a good travel policy that includes medical coverage and medical evacuation coverage. Hopefully those evacuated are all doing well.
MSC Divina
Sail date: January 20, 2023
This was my 4th MSC cruise in the last 12 months and 3rd on Divina since October. All were very good, but this time was excellent, primarily because of people I met and the group at my table. We did many things together and had a great time.
MSC Meraviglia
Sail date: January 23, 2022
This was my first cruise with MSC and it was in the top 3 of the 20 cruises I have taken in the last 35 years. Having less than 500 passengers on a ship that holds 4,500 was a great experience. No wait for an elevator, no lines, no problem getting a deck chair or seat at the buffet, etc. This cruise also stopped at Costa Maya, it was not listed as an option to review. I went to Maya Chan, which is always a great experience.
MSC Divina
Sail date: May 15, 2023
This was my first transatlantic cruise. It was good and the ports were interesting. The food, service and entertainment were below what I experienced on the Divina previously. Noting was bad, just not the same level as the roundtrip cruises from the US.
MSC Seascape
Sail date: May 07, 2023
The Seascape is a beautiful ship that is well designed. Enjoy the differences with MSC rather than comparing it to other lines.
Rotterdam Retired
Sail date: March 31, 2019
This was a solo cruise for me and my second time on the Rotterdam (and HAL). I booked this cruise primarily for the itinerary and it was the best value for the timeframe I needed, including airfare. I was not impressed with this ship the first time, so my expectations were not very high for this cruise. The itinerary was very good, but nothing else really stood out as special.
Being solo, I did not eat in the dining room or any specialty restaurants. I realize food is very subjective, but overall I found the food at the Lido just average. The buffet set up is a nightmare (and was on my previous cruise as well). I have never been on another cruise line that uses workers to serve the food at the buffet. There was no starting point for the line and people were coming from both directions and the servers seemed to just serve whoever walked up with no rhyme or reason. Once you did get a servers attention the seemed to be rushing you and handing your plate back before you had a chance to see what was further down the line. I also never saw any trays being used, so if you got a salad, entree, sides, dessert and bread, you had to juggle several plates or take one at a time to the table and return to stand in line again. The one upside was the Dive In burger and fries was by far the best food I had all week.
The entertainment on this ship is also lacking, in my opinion. There is no venue for nightly upbeat music and no live band for sail away parties or poolside. The main nightly entertainment was hit or miss - a comedian who was ok, a comedy magician that was ok, a BBC movie with live music and 2 different performances by Post Modern Jukebox. I thought the 2nd PMJ performance was much better than the first, but sadly the theater was only about 35% full since many did not seem to care for the first night’s performance, as I saw several leave early.
Overall I had a good time as my primary purpose was a solo getaway to spend some time in ports I enjoy. I might sail this ship, or HAL, in the future if the itinerary and price was right, but overall I will probably stick with Carnival or Royal Caribbean for most of my cruises in the future due to the better food and entertainment options.
Carnival Ecstasy
Sail date: June 06, 2022
Definitely Noticed the Staff Shortages
This was a last minute solo cruise after receiving a great offer via email. This was my 21st cruise, but I had never been on a Fantasy Class ship, been to Progresso or cruises from Mobile, so I got to experience 3 new things. The cruise was ok, but it was obvious they were short staffed and the cutbacks in the food were noticeable.
Cruise tips
Rabat & Casablanca Tour through MSC. Interesting, but not a fan of large bus tours.
Great island tour with Karambole Tours.
Didn’t have time to see much since we arrived early afternoon and I had an early flight the next day. I plan on seeing more when I return in October.
Excellent all-inclusive snorkeling tour with El Tigre catamaran.
Excellent tour to Nun’s Valley with Madeira Happy Tours.
Nice beach day. Just walk or take the water taxi to downtown. Lots of vendors offering chairs, umbrellas and drinks for $ 20-25 for the day.
Take the free walking tour that is available at 10:00 AM each day a short distance from the port. You must register to reserve a spot.
Great snorkeling at Eden Rock a short walk from the port.
MSC Seascape
Don’t expect a carbon copy of Carnival, Royal Caribbean or NCL
I did the Sharks & Rays Snorkeling with a beach break at Caye Caulker. It was excellent.
There was a lot of rain before we arrived, streets were flooded, traffic lights were out and traffic was in gridlock trying to leave the port. I did a tour with Dora the Explorer that was good, but the traffic delays, excessive heat and overly aggressive vendors hurt the overall experience.
I did the Tortuguero Canals & Veragua Rainforest excursion that was somewhat disappointing and seemed overpriced for the experience. The rainforest portion did not have the type of wildlife as I expected. We did see monkeys & sloth on the canals portion of the excursion and I would probably only do that separately if I return.
I did an excursion to Gamboa to see monkeys, sloths & the Panama Canal. The tour was excellent, but required a 1 1/2 hour bus ride each way and around 2 hours on the water.
Very easy to navigate and board the ship.
Relaxing day at Bamboo Beach Club.
MSC Divina
There is minimal internet access or tv reception on most of the sea days crossing the Atlantic.
Mobile itself was good. The embarkation and debarkation process both took longer than I have experienced at other ports.
I had an independent tour booked through Shore Excursioneer to the Uxmal Mayan ruins that was scheduled to end by 3:00 PM (the all aboard was 4:30). Once I arrived at the meeting point, I was told they could not go to Uxmal and offered to include me on a tour to Chichen Itza and swimming at a Cenote. I asked about the return time and was told 3:00 - 3:30. The tour was good, but we did not arrive back to the port until almost 4:45. Luckily other tours were late as well and I was able to board the ship at 4:50. In 30+ years of cruising that is the only time I have ever been close to missing a ship. I will definitely not believe tabtour operator in the future who offers a different tour than what I booked.
Carnival Ecstasy
Pack your patience if you sail in the next few months.
Third time to Ketchikan, so I just did the walking tour following the free map available at the Visitors Center right at the pier. Lots of history and great architecture on the walk - Creek Street, Married Man’s Trail, the Fish Ladder, Totem Heritage Center, etc.
Great tour to the Yukon with Chilkoot Charters. Lots of snow still at the summit, lakes still frozen, incredible scenery, great lunch at Caribou Crossing, interesting wildlife museum and got to see the husky puppies.
Great Whale Watching / Mendenhall Glacier Combo Tour with Juneau Tours. Saw multiple whales, sea lions & otters. They give you flexible time at the glacier that many tours do not. They do the whale watching first, then go to the glacier. Their buses run every 1/2 hour to return to the pier.
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
Great day at Icy Strait Point. Saw many whales & sea lions with Hoonah Travel Adventures. Rode the free aerial tram between the two piers and hiked the trail back to the original port. Tip - try the miniature donuts available at the stand outside the main building.
Cruise Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska
Amazing scenery. Take the small boat option if offered by your ship. We could not get very close to South Sawyer Glacier due to ice, but did get close to North Sawyer Glacier.
Carnival Splendor
A mid-ship cabin on a lower deck may be better for those who have issues with motion sickness.
Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, Bahamas
The best private island I have been to.
Lots of options in Cozumel.
MSC Meraviglia
Don’t believe the bad reviews of MSC. The website and customer service can be tricky to deal with, but once on the ship it is a great experience.
This was our first time here and some of the best snorkeling we have done anywhere. We did the afternoon tour with Woodwind Catamaran and it was excellent. We stopped at 2 locations for 35-40 minute of snorkeling each time, and were provided with drinks and great food as well. The number of people onboard was limited, so it never felt crowded.
Our first time here. We did the All West Beach Hopping tour with Irie Tours and had a great time. Our ship arrived 2 ours late due to medical evacuations, but they were waiting for us at the pier and still gave us the full tour. We visited several beaches and interesting sights and there were only 12 of us on the full size bus, so we each had our own row. We were able to snorkel at 3 different sites, including snorkeling with turtles.
Excellent catamaran snorkeling excursion.
Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida
We love Port Everglades. Very convenient to the airport and easy and quick embarkation and debarkation from the ship.
Adventure of the Seas
Make sure to check-in online ahead of time to speed up the boarding process. The Royal Caribbean app is also very helpful for viewing menus, activities, deck plans, etc.
One of my favorite ports. I went to Maya Chan Beach Club, which is always excellent.
Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
This was my 3rd time to Mahogany Bay, but the first time to just stay at the port and use the beach. We were the only ship in port, so the beach was never crowded, with maybe 15% of the loungers ever occupied at one time. The weather was perfect and I had a great lunch of jerk chicken, rice & beans and plantains for only $ 9.00.
Santo Tomas De Castilla, Guatemala
This was my 3rd time to this port and I enjoy it because it isn’t commercialized with the typical shops and bars. I have done a tour of the Rio Dulce and Livingston in the past with Happy Fish. This time I was on a solo cruise and booked a day pass to Amatique Bay Resort through the cruise line. It was a First Class resort with a great beach, waterslides, amazing pool with a swim-up bar and reasonable drink and food prices. Frozen drinks were $ 5 US, burger and fries was $ 10 and bottled water was $ 2.
I booked an afternoon snorkeling excursion with Sebago tours and loved it. I saw 2 of the largest sharks I have seen in over 30 years of snorkeling. The sale back with drinks included was relaxing.
Embarkation and debarkation were the fastest of any cruise I have been on. I did self-assist when departing and left my cabin at 7:30 and using Lyft was at the airport by 8:05.
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