Fa-Li

I don't think I saw this one yet: check what kind of plugs are used in your pre-cruise country (and post cruise if you stay there as well) Should be all the same kind in mainland Europe. You will need an adaptor for these plugs. NOT a converter, which will throttle down power and render some of your items not useful. Also, make sure the electronics you take are dual voltage. Apple products all are, so no problem there. It's mainly things like hair flat irons/curling irons you will need to check. As someone said above, Rick Steves is a great resource. His books, website, and app all have tips and do-it-yourself walking tours.

This was on the list so thanks for the heads up. I was able to book for a Friday next month, and it did require a credit card.

Thank you! This has motivated me to get organized and start booking. And good point @John Bull about the later dining times, I had not realized that for the UK.

Search travel dresses on amazon. They have a whole line of lightweight, packable (wrinkle-resist) little dresses that roll up tiny in packing cubes. They look great with sneakers (Ugg or Cariuma make adorable yet supportive travel sneakers if you don't want to look as touristy) and you can bring a pair of sandals to wear with them for dinners. I was able to do several weeks in France with just a carry-on thanks to these dresses. A thin cotton cardigan will help with cooler evenings and in churches. If dresses are not your thing, Athleta has some great pants that look super nice but are tech-y fabric and travel so well. I'm currently loving the Endless pant for my trips. (But for space-saving, it's hard to beat a dress) As for your DH, (and if either of your kids is a boy) they have it so much easier! A few pairs of "travel pants" and then nylon shirts that look nice and they are good to go. My DH particularly likes the Stio and Kuhl brands of pants for the way they hold up to multiple wearings on a trip and yet still look sharp. Kuhl especially makes nice breathable options. Amazon also has a wide range of short and long sleeve shirts - looking for a nylon or poly blend. DH especially likes the Helly Hansen ones. I hope this helps/is what you were looking for. Have a great trip!

We will be spending 3 nights in Southampton ahead of our cruise in May. I'm eyeing various pubs/restaurants for dinner and wondering as a general rule if dining reservations are a must-have for a party of 2? We will be touring out and about during the day, plus will be getting over jet lag, so I'm hesitant to lock something in that we might have to change. We don't mind waiting 20-30 minutes for a table, but would hate to be flat out turned away. I realize it can vary wildly by restaurant. Just wondering the general vibe, if anyone had input. Thank you!

The nice thing about being forward on Enchanted is that it will be easy to whip up to the Retreat pool area. This was our favorite spot! Lovely sunning area on the deck above/surrounding the pool, and a great little bar that was never crowded so we really got to know the bartender (I can't imagine Rally is still there, but if he is, you are in for a treat!) We had an aft cabin and still made the trek every day to spend time in this area.

We sail Princess and Royal Caribbean. The plus or premier package on Princess is such a better value than any package on Royal that for us it's a no-brainer. $80 a day for drinks, photos, desserts, specialty meals, etc with Princess Premier, compared to $75-80 a day just for drinks package, $170 for a ten photo package, $154 for a 3 night dining package on Royal. I would much rather pay the one all-inclusive and just enjoy my holiday. I agree with Drew B 58, without the package we don't tend to indulge as much. Our upcoming cruise on Royal will be our first as Diamond, so we get 4 free drinks a day. That with our suite lounge drinks is enough to make the drink package a no-go for us, and we aren't willing to buy the other packages, having been spoiled by Princess. It will be interesting to see if we feel like this cruise is "less than" compared to our last one on Princess with a Plus package. (And I'm glad our next cruise after this one is back on Princess!)

Have a great cruise! Thanks for doing all the research!

It was served up in my Apple News feed this morning too. I did not recognize it as satire, it was just so ugly and negative. I suppose the repeated references to David Foster Wallace should have tipped me off, but this author was no DFW. It was just so mean spirited, in so many ways.

Safe travels and have a great cruise!

They aren't that heavy. The two clips just hold it in place and the curtains stay closed.

You can always use a pants hanger from the closet to clip the curtains closed

Thank you for doing this live. I remember following your other trip when your DH fell and I’m so glad he’s doing well and you are enjoying cruising again! We will be on Anthem for the first time in May so I’m excited to follow along as you explore her.

Wondering if anyone has used CitySpareSpace at Maynards in Southampton to store luggage for a day? Or had good experiences with some other place? We will be getting off our cruise on a Sunday morning and eventually will take a train on to Bath. But first we are meeting friends for lunch in Southampton, so will need to leave our bags somewhere for the morning through early afternoon. Any input would be helpful!

Thank you for all this info and for time you are taking from your cruise to share it! It's interesting to me, having always sailed in a suite but never been interested in the Sanctuary. I feel like there are so many nice places on Princess ships to soak up the sun, which is my main enjoyment. But I am excited to try that aft sun deck. FWIW, I've sailed on a Royal Caribbean ship with a suite sun deck and, even with lots of suite passengers, there was never a problem finding two loungers. Apparently a lot of passengers want other things out of their sea days.