2tall

I will be consciously grateful for the opportunity to travel and to be on a ship.  I have to admit that I've taken it for granted over the last few years. 

I don't know about cruising but flying was insane.  There were soldiers everywhere at the airports holding automatic weapons. 

Dominica.  

It's so beautiful that Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2 was filmed there, in part.  It's unspoiled.  And champagne bay is amazing.  

Second runner up would be St. Lucia.

On one side of the pool deck, there is a section with chairs, tables and ashtrays.  There is another area on outside on one of the lower decks (my apologies, can't remember which one but it might be 6) that's sort of like an glass enclosed room on the side of the ship.  If you like company, head up to the pool deck.  If you prefer quiet, head down to the "bus."

Had mine stolen off of the door the last night on a cruise out of Venice.  I should have known it was coming since somebody was moving them around all through the cruise.  I just had to get over it and realize that's always a risk.  I think I found mine on some specialty site but I can't remember where... 

We did the drink package on a Christmas cruise that had a lot of sea days.  Frankly, I didn't get my money's worth because there were days I didn't drink at all.  We are considering buying it again for a transatlantic cruise...but for port intensive cruises, it's just not worth it to us.  I'll only do it again if I can convince myself not to worry about whether or not I'm breaking even.  

2 hours ago, BND said:

Congress voted to give backpay to everyone during the 2013 furlough so why didn't you get paid?  I was furloughed then and we never missed a check as a couple of days after we came back was our next payday and we got paid.  I actually enjoyed my time off.   I am not furloughed now as we are part of the 75% of the Gov that is funded.  DH is a Federal contractor and he is also funded (both our sons too).  My BIL (contractor) and SIL(Gov) on the other hand fall under Dept of Commerce and are both furloughed. While a PITA, BIL is using PTO and will be able to work that back off after reopening and SIL will get backpay because Congress will vote to give it to them if they haven't already.

I think he's referring to the administrative furlough (due to the sequester), which is different than a furlough due to a lapse in appropriations.  Under the administrative furlough, agencies had to absorb the sequester cuts in their existing budgets, which some could do easier than others, so some agencies required fewer furlough days but all were unpaid days.

We learned our lesson on our first cruise years ago.  We were scheduled to fly out on Saturday, the same day as embarkation.  There was an ice storm the Thursday before and the airports were closed all day Friday and Friday night.  Luckily, they had opened back up for Saturday BUT there was a line of about 1000 people when we got to the airport.  Even though we were two hours early, we wouldn't have made it through the line in time.  We were lucky enough to grab a sky cap.  At the gate, though, we were told our flight was delayed since the plane coming in was flying in from an area north of us that was still feeling the effects of the storm.  We made it but with only about an hour to spare.  Now, we fly in several days in advance.  I look it as an opportunity to spent time in the port city and get a head start on our vacation.

I'm very interested, including any stay you have in London. We are booked 2019, same ship, Canary Islands, Portugal and Spain. So please indulge me!

Book it every night if you get the chance. If the on-line reservations appear to be taken, go there as soon as you board the ship and book there. I made the mistake of "giving up" when the time I wanted wasn't available on line and the head waiter there told me that they could have accommodated us if I had visited as soon as I boarded. The one night we ate there, it was fabulous. Take advantage of CK if you can!

Another recommendation for Hotel 1898.

We made an 11:30 flight with no problem.

The HoHo buses in Barcelona will take you around to everything you need to see. If you get a chance, tour the apartment building designed by Gaudi. It's amazing.

In Athens we took a private tour outside of Athens to the Corinth Canal which, frankly, wasn't that great but we got to see the countryside, which was beautiful. And it did take us to the amphitheater in Epidaurus--wow. Still had time to see the Parthenon but it was a long day. Well worth it, though. Check the ports of call board for reputable tour companies.

Thank you for this review! We leave for Venice in October for a B2B on Rhapsody. The first cruise includes Dubrovnik and the second one includes Kotor--and we are booked there with Milo! I'm reading with interest...and taking notes!

There was a terrible ice storm two nights before our first cruise. We were flying from DC to Fort Lauderdale the day of the cruise and, smugly, I thought we'd be fine since the airports were closed the day before our flight but were reopening the day of our flight. Nope. We arrived at the airport to find about 2000 people in line who had spent the night at the airport and were now trying to change their flights. Grabbed a porter, checked in ahead of the restless and angry crowd and proceeded to the gate...where we were told that our flight crew was coming in from Pittsburg, which was now in the throes of the ice storm we'd just weathered. Cancelled. We got lucky and picked up another flight and made it in plenty of time but a lot of people from the Northeast didn't. They met us at the port in San Juan and cheered when the ship pulled in.

That was the one and only time we have flown in the day of a cruise. My preference is now at least 2 days in advance and I look at it as an extension of our vacation.

I read somewhere on the Venice port of call board that land based taxis are rare in Venice so the recommendation is to book one before the cruise. That's what we did. I think we used taxi finder and got a quick quote. We leave in October so I can't tell you if they'll actually be there when we get off the ship but I'm hoping so!

We sailed once out of Galveston and, when we arrived in Houston, it was 85 degrees. By the next morning, it was a high of about 55. There was some weird cold front that extended all the way down through Mexico...so it was cold until we got down to Jamaica. Anything can happen...

When you're flying in for a cruise, it can make sense to do the B2B if you can't find a longer cruise with the itinerary that you want. With that said, my favorite part was at the end of the first cruise...watching all of that luggage pile up in the hall and knowing that you don't have to pack and don't even have to get up early the next morning. It wouldn't be so "easy" if you had to change cabins, though, but I do know that the cabin stewards will assist.

On our B2B, we had the option of leaving the ship or staying on board. It was nice to sit by the pool with almost nobody else there...and they did give us a nice lunch in the main dining room. Our "new" sea passes were given out the afternoon before the departure day so the only thing we had to do was meet up, head off of the ship, and get checked off by customs (and when I say "checked off," I mean they literally just checked us off on a sheet of paper). Those who opted to get off of the ship received a quick pass thingy to get off and to put them at the front of the line to get back on the ship but weren't able to reboard until the ship was fully cleared.

We enjoyed it enough that we are doing it again this October.

We've stayed at Hotel 1898 twice prior to TA cruises and highly recommend it. They also have a lovely rooftop pool/bar and sitting area. Located right on Las Ramblas with a Starbucks on the ground floor.

Loved Hotel 1898 and would stay there again in a heartbeat. It's in a fabulous location and it is absolutely beautiful. The room was small but very well appointed.

Although the medical bill was hefty, it's great that the team managed to get your partner's symptoms under control. That episode would have scared me senseless.

I do not understand why people refuse to follow the smoking rules. I'm a smoker and, sure, I loved being able to smoke on my balcony but it's been banned so up to the upper deck or down to the promenade we go. If we can follow the rules, so can everybody else. It seems like Royal should take a more aggressive stance on this since I'm hearing more and more incidents of people ignoring the rules.

They can't begin boarding the next trip until the previous count is zero. Be considerate of people waiting to start their vacation:):)

This. We've been delayed in our boarding a time or two as the ship searched for people who had not yet gotten off of the ship.

Christmas decorations in the Centrum! And not having to worry about cooking dinner for a crowd Christmas Day. :D

Add us to the list of people who arrive at the departure port at least a day early (if we're flying in--Baltimore is the only one to which we drive). We try to arrive at the cruise terminal between 10:00 and 11:00 simply because we can't wait to be onboard...and then we have a drink at the pool bar.

I also unpack as soon as the rooms are ready. I want it to feel as much like home as possible as quickly as possible.

We always have a balcony cabin but I like to do sailaway above the main pool deck. The vibe is always energetic and it's a great way to "get the party started."

One of the newer things we're doing is the Chef's Table. We've done it on 3 cruises thus far and loved it every time. It's worth the cost!

I never liked them (my husband did and ate both of ours) but it was a nice touch. With them gone, that gives me an excuse to buy a box of Godiva to take on the trip. We each have a piece before bed and they're guaranteed to be tasty!

I have to confess that the Empress is my favorite ship of all time. I'm "into" longer cruises now so I'm hoping they'll eventually change her itineraries a bit. Your video took me back there...thanks! And watching the take off in the plane made me totally ready to go on vacation NOW.