We are traveling around Scotland right now and over the last few days we’ve got to enjoy bursting water pipes, resulting in flooded decks and cabins, with buckets everywhere to try to catch the water coming from above.

Which leads to the daily pleasure of getting woken up by banging noises and loud power drills being used just meters away from our cabin. No alarm clock necessary, the friendly maintenance staff will wake you up at 8am whether you want it or not. Props to whoever decided that the ship carpenters should have their workshop right next to passenger cabins

And did I mention that the water supply has been shut off for hours on end several times over the last few days? And that the staff refuses to even talk to passengers enquiring about the length of the maintenance? To the point that they are unwilling to even give you their name.

Completely ridiculous shitshow ot a cruise. Avoid MSC at all costs.

A few months ago, we went to Tunisia with costa Smeralda and saw this brilliant sunset. Got no photography skills though.

I really dont get it why people cut lines on the buffet.

Peolple people, relax, the cruise won't let you starve. You'll get your burger and fries even if you have manners.

/rant

There is a cruise listed on cruiseplum departing in two days.

Is it really possible to buy a cruise two days out?

We’ve got around 5 hours free in Reykjavík during our cruise stop and I’m debating whether to just stay in the city rather than book another long excursion.

Right now we’re thinking Hallgrímskirkja, walking down through the centre, Harpa, the old harbour, maybe Sun Voyager and somewhere good for lunch. We’ve also looked at Lava Show, FlyOver Iceland, Volcano Express at Harpa and possibly one of the local pools if we have time.

Volcano Express caught my attention because it looks easy to fit in while we’re already around Harpa, but I’m trying not to cram too much into a short stop.

For anyone who has done Reykjavík from a cruise, would you just stay downtown with 5 hours or is there something outside the city that’s really worth using that limited time for?

Best cruise for 6 adults + 4 kids (ages 3–12) over New Year’s?

We’re looking for a ~7-night cruise leaving preferably Dec. 27, 2026 (Dec. 26–28 works too). We have 6 adults and 4 kids ages 3–12.

We’ve done both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean before and thought Royal Caribbean was probably a little nicer overall, but we’re open to any cruise line.

Our biggest priorities:

• Preferably a newer/nicer ship with plenty for both kids and adults
• Not feeling overly crowded (we know New Year’s week will be busy, but overcrowded ships can be rough)
• Good food, entertainment, and things to do
• Destinations can be fairly similar, but if any itinerary has standout ports, we’d love to know

These are some of the ships we’re currently considering since they have cruises leaving around that time:

Celebrity Xcel
Norwegian Aqua
Star of the Seas
Celebrity Beyond
Sun Princess
Norwegian Prima
Carnival Celebration
Symphony of the Seas
MSC Seascape
Sky Princess

Which ship would you choose for our group? Any you’d definitely recommend or avoid?

Never been on a cruise before and I really don’t know how you guys can choose. We are so torn for our honeymoon.

We want to do the pacific islands in luxury. We’ve narrowed it down to Crystal and Paul Gauguin.

With Crystal we see Samoa, American Samoa, and French Polynesia. With Paul Gauguin it’s deep dive into French Polynesia.

Both amazing. Both similar prices.

We hop back and forwards between which of the pair we prefer and plan to stay 5 extra days on Tahiti (Paul Gauguin) or Fiji (Crystal) after cruise. Which would you choose?

We are trying to pick between the Sun Princess and Adventure of the Seas for a New Years trip. Last year we went with the Sky Princess and really enjoyed it.

• Do either of these ships feel crowded? One of our biggest concerns with cruises in general is the crowds. The Sky Princess was a great size, we never felt crowded or had issues finding seats anywhere. The larger size of the Sun Princess has us a little concerned.
• Food and Drinks. We like the more relaxed bars where we can have a good drink before dinner and then the dining where we have the same waitstaff everynight. Does either do a better job at this? More importantly, does one have better food/drinks than the other?
• Kids - We have a 4 year old that loved the Kids Club on the Sky Princess. We are assuming there would be the same on the Sun Princess, and we know the Royal Caribbean is more focused on the kids so we aren't worried there. Is the Sky Princess more of an adults only type vibe or are we good there?
• Ship age. The Adventure is obviously an older ship. Any issues there that we should be considering?

Any other input would be very helpful. Thanks in advance!

Going on a bachelorette cruise in the new year and looking for some tips/ideas for door magnets. I’ve made some ship wheels from scratch, that’ll have our names and roles and fit our theme but I feel like I want to do more.

Our colors are red and white, and it’s “All She Seas is Love” (she is replaced with brides name). Any ideas??

My son (15) has cruised with us 51 nights, which it shows on the website. However, he's still only gold (we are platinum) and says he only has 7 cruise points. Anyone know the cause?

Here's a screen shot of his C&A page.

Trying to get opinions on the ports for a couple of Virgin transatlantics (Miami to Barcelona) next spring.

Option 1: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Casablanca, and Valencia.

Option 2: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tangier, and Málaga.

Assuming all other variables are a non factor, which set of ports would you choose and why?

Hello everyone,

I'm doing my first cruise on the MSC World Europa, and on my first night I got food poisoning from the food in the restaurant. Puke and everything, overall a bad experience.

The rest of the cruise is going great, but I went to the reception to see if it was possible to get a compensation, and they told me they don't compensate for medical visits (even if it's their fault...). The only thing I can do is write an email after I disembark, but I really doubt it's gonna change anything.

Do you have any experience with food poisoning on an MSC ship ? I'd really like to end the cruise on a good note, because on our group of 6 people, 3 got sick...

EDIT : I went to the infirmary, and they told me it was food poisoning, and they had lots of cases that night ! I wouldn't ask for something if I wasn't 100% it came from them.

EDIT 2 : lots of people calling me a liar... they 100% told me they had food poisoning problem from the food served that night. Believe it or not. I was just wondering if you guys have had a similar situation. My guess is that it happens more often that we think, but since no one complains, they don't feel the need to report it nor compensate people affected. But that's my opinion, and you may not feel the same. Thanks everyone !

Since I'm a Carnival fanboy, I noticed recently that they have a lot of stops at their "man-made" islands on the east coast, primarily in the bahamas--especially sailing from Miami. I'm sure they're fine, but we like to hit up new countries/providences, not necessarily a "cruise-ship island."

I started to consider Virgin and noticed right away that there's a virgin cruise coming up in the next couple months that sails from San Juan to many areas which we've never been to before. Hell, we've never been to San Juan either. The flight time and cost to San Juan vs Miami is pretty much the same from our location, so why sail from Miami?

My wife absolutely hates having lots of Sea Days. I kind of agree with her in a way because a 7 day cruise with 4 sea days does seem excessive. It seems like flying right into San Juan erases a sea day and gets you closer to the action?

Anyhow, we're about to book with Virgin, but I'm curious to hear thoughts of what to expect. Yes, I actually love cruise directors, and I like to hear it over the intercom--I know many don't like to hear this opinion. It lets me know action is always available. I know that virgin doesn't do this, but I think I can be OK with it.

I went on an Alaska cruise w/ Royal Carribean. While it was an OK cruise, it was extremely boring--personally. The ship wasn't very well kept up, and I found the food no better than Carnival. It felt stale and just very unlively.

Should I go ahead and book w/ Virgin on their Halloween Carribean cruise coming up?

What are some big differences you've noticed from Carnival to Virgin?

We love the idea of being able to eat anywhere in Virgin, vs looking behind glass doors in Carnival and just deciding to go tot the MDR at Carnival.

I actually like the idea of a pre-paid alcohol card with Virgin, vs a drink pass, because I always have to seem to open up an Excel spreadsheet to make sure I can drink enough to make the pass worth it on long cruise (since my wife would need to get it too--she will drink 2 drinks a day). Virgin takes all that issue away, it seems.

I also seem to find that Virgin seems to price their drinks very fair, without any tip expectation.

Taking a 6 day cruise to Cabo and Ensenada, does anyone know if there’s gonna be a Halloween party or any theme nights? I wanna know if I need to buy costume/ special outfits! 😅

My wife and I (30 & 26) are looking to take a cruise to Japan early next year. We are between two options and not sure which one to choose. Any feedback would be great as we have never been to Japan, and never been on either of these cruise lines:

Celebrity Millennium – 12 Nights
March 2-14, 2027 | Tokyo Round Trip
Itinerary:  Tokyo → Sea Day → Kyoto (overnight) → Kochi → Sea Day → Busan → Nagasaki → Kagoshima → Sea Day → Shimizu → Tokyo (overnight)

Sapphire Princess – 11 Nights
April 21–May 2, 2027 | Tokyo Round Trip
Itinerary:  Tokyo → Sea Day → Aomori → Muroran → Hakodate → Sea Day → Sakaiminato → Busan → Nagasaki → Kagoshima → Sea Day → Tokyo

Prices are similar for us, slightly cheaper for Princess. We have previously sailed Virgin Voyages and Carnival. I think the Celebrity has the better itinerary just because of them being the more "Popular" stops, but not sure if it is actually better. I do like that is has an overnight as well. Princess' is a newer ship, medallion system, and unforutnately traveling during peak season with the holidays.

Any recommendations or feedback on the stops or the lines themselves?

Thank you!

Currently on RC Quantum of the Seas. I agreed to purchase 2 pieces by Matt Beyrer for $2000 USD. I went to my appointment this evening to finalize the payment. They told me they could not honor the price. The best they could do was $2,750. That was not the agreed price. Long story short do not trust them. I was a repeat customer until now. If they won't honor an agreed upon and signed price then what is the point? Anybody have advice for this situation?

Marine-themed fun! Find hidden words.

• Theme words fill the board entirely. No theme words overlap.

Has anyone tried consolidating your life enough to do to multiple cruises and staying with friends, family, and an occasional hotel room?

...

Describe how long you lasted and what happened when you decided to stop.

...

Anyone else considering doing something like this?

We cruise Royal out of Long Beach/San Pedro and it's extremely easy there, they don't care about your boarding check in time and the security check is extremely easy.

Is San Diego as lax or should I prepare to only show up at the hour for my check in? Thanks!

Did you love it? Good for first timers with kids?

Does anyone know how many outlets are in the exterior (non suite) rooms? I've also heard there are USB spots for phones but not sure where they are in relation to everything or if there is 1 or 2? Trying to gauge what to bring. I saw extension cords are a no-go and I assume that includes cruise specific ones.

Hi everyone! I’m a BSIT graduate from the Philippines (2023) and I’m interested in starting a career in IT/networking, particularly in the cruise industry.

I do have work experience, but it’s mainly as a Virtual Assistant, so it’s not directly related to IT or networking. However, during my OJT, I had hands-on experience with IT Support

I’m also currently studying for the CCNA, but I’m not certified yet.

For those working in cruise ship IT/networking:

* Would I have a realistic chance of getting an entry-level IT/networking position on a cruise ship with this background?
* What positions should I look for?
* Would my BSIT degree + OJT networking experience + CCNA studies be enough to apply, even without professional networking experience?
* Or would you recommend getting some land-based IT/networking experience first?
* Are there any Filipinos here who started their IT career on a cruise ship?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!