Mangrove Snapper

We were in port with the Marella Explorer 2 in Limon in January, which used to be the Celebrity Century. She still looked beautiful.

Princess does regular 7 night Canada/New England sailing from Brooklyn. They start in late August and go to late October. Last October we did their 7 night Canada/New England cruise on the Emerald Princess. We chose this one for its: Convenience - It was round trip from Brooklyn and we can get a ride to the port. Itinerary - It had 5 port stops We really enjoyed it and we're doing this same cruise again this September, except this year it's on the Enchanted Princess.

It's about a 14 hour tour from Reykjavik. The most recent one we did was in August 2022 through Gray Line and, if I recall correctly, these were the stops: A cafe for a snack/restroom break Skogafass (waterfall) Vik for an extended break Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon The diamond beach Vik for another extended break Seljalandsfoss (waterfall)

The glacier lagoon is amazing, especially if you take the boat ride, as you are able to be very close to the icebergs. The south coast tour will likely also include time at the two waterfalls, Skogafass and Seljalandsfoss, and time in Vik. The south coast has beautiful black sand beaches. Sometimes you can see seals right by the shore.

We were there last year on 10/8. The early morning was chilly due to the wind. We did a sightseeing tour which started with a boat ride and that's where the wind was most noticeable. But it warmed up significantly by lunch and it was great weather for walking around. I'd also recommend layers.

It really depends on weather. Last year we sailed 10/7 and had a similar itinerary (Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor, St. John and Halifax) and in some places the leaves were just starting to change so the cruises after us would have seen better color. It's still a really beautiful cruise, peak foliage or not. We're doing it again this September. I hope you enjoy!

It was very well attended on the recent Journeys cruise we were on. That was our first with Carnival but we were definitely in the minority there.

Any of the ones through Carnival should be safe, as you won't really be alone. There will be other passengers from your ship on them.

You'll be fine.

I would take the T to Salem. It takes about 30 minutes from North Station to Salem. When you get closer to your trip, you can take a look at the schedule https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Newburyport/timetable

You can use your sign & sail card in the indoor gift shops and at the bars but not at the straw market. We were there in January and I used my sign & sail at a gift shop and to buy drinks and paid cash at the straw market. Carnival did have the payment information listed in the Fun Times for HMC so that was helpful to know to bring cash for the straw market.

Really it's just going to be your preference. We did the tour and that does include a guide so, like stated above, if you prefer to have someone giving the historical information at the cemetery, you may wish to do the tour. On the tour you are also taken by the two other cemeteries in which there are graves.

We were in Ocho Rios in January on the Legend. We did a sightseeing tour w/lunch which was booked through the ship. The mini-bus was clean, comfortable and air conditioned and the driver and guide were both great. Others we got to know on our ship rode ATV's and horses, and went to the falls and the beaches. Everyone we spoke with had a good time.

I don't think it's weird at all. Virgin even recognizes that not everyone drinks alcohol and promotes their mocktails - https://www.virginvoyages.com/ahoy/stories/non-alcoholic-drinks-for-sober-cruises I don't see mocktails listed as part of the free beverages under the FAQ's so wouldn't you use your bar tab to pay for them? Not to mention specialty coffees.

Parking at Cape Liberty is fine. We've sailed out of there with Celebrity a bunch of times (most recently in July 2023) and have never had any issues with parking - both in the deck and out in the lot. We like the price for parking better in Baltimore, though. We paid the same to park in Baltimore for a 14 night cruise as we did in Bayonne for a 7 night cruise - $210. Now that's a fair point. We always go early to try to avoid this. I'd rather sit at the port and wait than sit in traffic and wait.

We're childfree by choice so I wouldn't be adverse to this but adults only isn't a need for us. Any people who have annoyed me on cruises have all been adults.

Yes, Edgartown is charming and has lots of historical buildings. It was a major whaling center in the past. There are lots of good places to eat. I've always been to Martha's Vineyard via the ferry from Falmouth to Oaks Bluff and when you get off the ferry, there are taxis and independent tour operators. Edgartown also has taxis and tours. Both have bikes. We've rented bikes in Oaks Bluff and it was an easy ride to Edgartown. Oaks Bluff also has good places to eat and shop and is a lovely town. If you do go on a tour or get a taxi to take you around the island, the cliffs at Aquinnah have a beautiful view. The best quahog chowder I've ever eaten came from a shack up there but that was 30 years ago. There are still shops and eateries there. If you are interested in movies and the movie "Jaws," specifically, it was filmed on Martha's Vineyard. Many of the places are recognizable like the beaches, scenes in Edgartown and Oaks Bluff, and the Chappaquiddick ferry, which is located in Edgartown and can be interesting for reasons other than Jaws.

Yes, I also collect them. The ones I have were all bought onboard so I haven't yet looked anywhere at getting one afterwards.

When you sign on to RCCL’s site you should have an option to manage your reservation and in the reservation there should be an option to go to the cruise planner. It might show up as an option to book excursions and drink packages. All of that is in the cruise planner.

Both Royal and Celebrity do have sales in the cruise planner. Sometimes they are "flash" sales which last a few days and often they are planned around holidays. Sometimes you will get an e-mail advertising the sales. If you buy a drink package and it later goes on sale for a lower price, you can cancel and re-purchase. If you've used OBC for the purchase, it will become available again almost immediately. If not, the refund will go back to your card.

We stayed at the Center Hotel Arnarhvoll in Reykjavik. It was really nice and we loved the location. I would stay there again.

In your profession, I would hope you realize that different things entertain different people and what entertains you is not universal. For example, I've been to the Boston Ballet and NYC Ballet multiple times (live, not on YouTube) and it was beautiful and I appreciated the experiences. And each time I left thinking "are you not entertained?" and the answer unfortunately was "no." Opera I can get into; ballet I can't. When I was younger there was a good deal of thinking "I should like this" then you realize "I don't care for this and I don't need to" and you move on because people like different things. Feel free to think I'm a boor for thinking ballet is a bore. Speaking of provable facts - in real life that pop music and rap and hip hop that you disparage sells well so apparently lots of people aren't dismissive of it. I go to a lot of concerts (live, not on YouTube) and I certainly can't speak for everyone there but I would guess the majority don't care about chords but just like the music. People like different things. Besides, complaining about people's different tastes in music has always felt get off my lawnish to me. I hated hearing "music was better back in my day" when I was a kid so that's something I've never done, especially now that I'm old enough to be a grandmother. People are allowed to like different things. I've always thought Celebrity's shows like "Life," "Chandelier," and "Colors of Life" do have a story in the same sense that Cirque du Soleil shows have a story. Those stories aren't told with dialogue but with the music and sets. Variety shows are random acts, these aren't random. Maybe it's just me but I've always understood the story with Celebrity's shows or Cirque du Soleil when I've seen them (live, not on YouTube). Maybe others don't think there's a story. Like I said, people are different and interpret things differently.

You choose the flights you want. If you're doing it over the phone, you can tell them the exact flights you want (if you already know) or you can work with them to get the flights you want (if they are doing the search). You can also book it yourself through FBC online and do the flight searches yourself. I've done it both ways.

That’s even better! I hope you have a great trip.

It's almost a 2 1/2 hour drive to the Glacier Lagoon from Vik but since you have a car, I don't see why you couldn't plan a route to include it. We enjoyed the boat ride there. We did the Golden Circle and the South Shore (including the Glacier Lagoon) on two separate days on tours, both starting from Reykjavik, as we didn't have a car. So with a car you should be able to plan this route.