LindaD22

Please do share your experience, that would be most helpful. I’ve made a note to do a taxi from the cruise terminal, but your real-life experience in December would be very helpful as well.

Okay, 2 votes for taxi! I appreciate your help, one less thing to worry about.

We will be disembarking from Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance OTS next February and have a flight at 1500 to MCY (Sunshine Coast). What is the easiest way to get to the airport? Online reviews of shared shuttles seem to be mixed. Private cars seem expensive, of course. It seems taxis might be in great demand and difficult to catch. We thought about waiting to ask Guest Services onboard about a RCI shuttle to the airport. I would love to hear about your experience in handling this. My husband is a Reluctant Traveler so I try to make each step of our travels as smooth as possible, so that he will continue (albeit reluctantly) to indulge my love of travel. Thank you very much for your help.

Looks like he was rescued, amazingly https://www.insider.com/royal-caribbean-cruise-passenger-rescued-after-fall-overboard-2023-10

Just grabbed The Key @ $18.99 pp for our AUS/NZ cruise in February and our Arctic Circle cruise in May. Great price!

We are using them also in January for the first time. The reviews, both on here and elsewhere, are good. Certainly makes everything easier!

When do full-transit Panama Canal cruises fall? Under LAX cruises or longer Caribbean?

You may want to keep an eye out for deployment schedules. Given your large group and need for multiple cabins, it may be to your advantage to book as soon as schedules are released for the best choice of cabins and, probably, best price. Itineraries for July 2025 will be released well before November 2024, if I understand your planning correctly. Also, going through a travel agent could reduce your workload tremendously on this and net you some perks as well, such as onboard credit. i do all trip planning for my husband and me, I actually love “getting to know” a place before we visit through research and online exploration. This site is a wonderful resource.

FYI, Royal recently changed to 18+ for the Solarium

We do not use the pools or hot tubs on the ship (agree with the yuck factor!). For warm weather cruises, I bring 2 bathing suits and 1 coverup for beach days. I also wear Land Ends suits and yes they do take longer to dry! On sea days, we find a nice spot to lounge, read a book and people watch. But no swimming!

Great suggestion, I will contact them. So far Royal Caribbean has not posted any excursions for Alesund.

Thank you, I will do more research!

We are in Alesund for a short day, I think - from 1100 to 1800. This looks like it won’t be enough time for an excursion on the Troll Road, which are 7-8 hours. How best to spend our time? This will be with Royal Caribbean next June.

The port will be Piraeus, not Athens, just FYI

We have also done very port-intensive cruises in the Mediterranean with very busy days. Time was always built into the schedule to allow for lunch at a local establishment of one’s choosing or one that was part of the excursion. I don’t think you need to resort to smuggling off food. You will not starve but will be properly cared for.

Travel (or trip) insurance is meant to cover/reimburse for disruptions, cancellations, inconveniences etc encountered during your trip. It is not medical insurance, that is a different type of policy. We always get travel insurance, especially with more costly and longer trips abroad such as this. There is so much that can happen! And having that coverage to protect our expenditures gives us great peace of mind. Our medical policy is not in effect outside of the country, so we also get an annual medical policy specifically for travel. And yes, we did apply for and get the ETA well in advance, this is a necessity.

I do love the Brooklyn pants, but still can’t get on board (literally!!) with a jumpsuit

The room service continental breakfast on Royal Caribbean is complimentary, I believe until 11:00 am. Perhaps you were ordering something other than that?

Ok I have to agree with this 100%!! It’s all the “extra” that I just cannot figure out! With pants and a shirt, I’m only removing/lowering half of the equation when necessary. So for me, a jumpsuit or overalls would never be a suitable travel outfit.

We did a Mediterranean cruise this past June and brought back olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It was not a TA cruise, we flew home to the US with these items in our checked bags, but no problem.

It is the logistics of wearing a jumpsuit or romper that stump me. Do I really want to essentially get undressed to use the bathroom? Do I want my garment puddled at my feet in a public restroom? And then there’s versatility, since a jumpsuit is kind of a one-trick pony. I’d rather wear/pack some comfortable pants that I can mix & match for different outfits. 🤷🏼‍♀️

We always arrive at least a day early in the US. We sailed from Rome (Civitavecchia) this summer and arrived several days early to explore. I would never feel comfortable flying in on the day of a cruise, especially internationally.

I’m doing a 5-Nt Caribbean cruise in March so this is very helpful! I love the coordinated blue and taupe pieces. That’s exactly what I try to do, too.

Very interested in the 2025 full-transit Panama Canal. I want to book as soon as it’s released so I can get an aft balcony!

Has anyone booked this? We are going February 2024. We booked the Taieri River Gorge Scenic Railway in Dunedin, which we are looking forward to. This multi-day excursion is very pricey, but we are not likely to be back to NZ so wondering if this is worthwhile.