DCPIV

That's what we do, but I completely agree that it is much easier to just hand them the paper. I learned that the hard way. Our printer can print 2-sided, so we only have to hand over 1 sheet. The phone never has to leave our pockets.

I'm glad they confirmed that because that was my understanding. It's good to hear that it still is the case. More importantly, congratulations on your new grandchild, and bon voyage! We sailed on Reflection and had a great time!

I got off Reflection a week ago Sunday. That ship is in great shape. The carpet looks a little tired, but I honestly think that carpet would look tired the moment it was put in.

It was added when I bought one back in October 2021. It's been there at least that long. Someone is taking care of that spa. It's like how you pay 18% on a drink whether it's a specialty martini made with flair or a beer out of the cooler.

Thanks for your review! I always enjoy comparing notes on these things. I agree that boarding is kind of weird in Terminal 29. It is an old terminal and not particularly comfortable or attractive. I'm not going to complain about the quick check-in, though! I'd much rather sit and think about how I could have shown up a little later than wait in the old lines to go through a bunch of rigmarole before getting on. As for the casino, I suppose I am part of the reason it was dead. I never went in there, and I couldn't tell you why. In fact, it occurred to be that I never set foot in there until the cruise was nearly over, and that was to walk through deck 4 on the way to the gangway while we were in Cozumel. I hear you about the luggage and wonder what was going on there. Ours came in time for dinner, but it was a good deal later than usual. It seems that everyone's was, too, as I don't recall seeing much of anything going on with luggage until well into the afternoon. I hate that your bag was lost for a while, and "bravo" to your steward for running it down!

RC is not on the same point system as Celebrity and does not share points with either Celebrity or Azamara and never did. Do you mean that you got the reciprocal loyalty level?

I also know of no good reason to buy it beforehand. We bought ours once on board and relaxing with a cocktail at the Pool Bar before it got busy on embarkation day.

The tendering ports actually won't be all that interesting from an engineering point of view. The ship just heads over to it's assigned spot and drops anchor. However, coming into the harbor for some of these spots can be quite beautiful, especially in the early morning.

Thank you for the excellent review! It's good to hear the Millenium is doing so well. She's a great ship, and I wouldn't mind returning. I do have to ask, though . . . Why? 😉

Yes, you can ask for a few special things if you are in a RS. As mentioned, just speak directly with your butler. When you are in a "higher suite" (such as RS), laundry essentially is unlimited. Still, there are a number of things I may send to have pressed but not laundered. For example, I likely do not need to launder a pair of pants that I only wore for a few hours in the evening, but they may need pressing. Laundry still is a bit of a crapshoot on board, no matter what.

That can vary from nation to nation (and even may depend upon where the migrants/refugees are coming from).

We were just on Reflection, and the balcony was quite nice. I don't know of a ship that does not design balconies without considering the passengers' privacy. Let us know if you do, as I believe many of us would rather not sail that way.

That is true when it comes to buying insurance by the trip. Check out annual plans, though. We have one with Travel Insured International that has some very nice base benefits for a very low cost. We can optional benefits on a per trip basis if we wish. We also decided to "splurge" on a Medjet Assist plan as a "belt & suspenders" approach. Again, it's the sort of money I'll never miss should we ever need to call upon them, and we can afford the cost should we never make a claim.

Do you mean check-in? Yes, that is approximately 45 days from the sail date, and you can find the actual date on the app. Be aware that it sometimes does not open until the day after that.

The RCL cruise will not count regardless of what happens with the Celebrity one. RCL and Azamara never had that arrangement.

It doesn't take a couple hours to link reservations. It takes a few minutes, at the most, via the website. Just go to "Manage Reservation" and look for the "Connect Other Reservation" link next to your own reservation number. Bingo.

The "dock" time is the time the time the ship is scheduled to be at its position at the dock. I don't know what you mean by the "docking process," but the big action usually happens only about 10-15 minutes before the arrival time (final approaches with thrusters and what-not) and for a little while after (tying up, putting out the gangway, etc.) It will vary from port to port and even upon how the ship is to face once docked (it sometimes needs to come about slowly). If you want to watch the ship come in, the time you may want to be up and out there varies a bit from port to port. Some are more interesting than others. You can probably ask a bartender or your waiter what some of the good ones are (or ask here, of course). Yes, the all-aboard time will be before the departure time, and it's usually 30 minutes before the departure time. The all-aboard time will be on the app and on the activity schedule you get in your room the night before, as well as on a sign posted at the gangway when you get off the ship. The stated departure time is the time the horn blows and the ship pulls away.

If it says "8 AM to 7 PM," then that's when the ship arrives and when it leaves, not when you can get off and need to get back on. Usually, the ship is cleared to let folks off around 30 minutes after the arrival time, and you usually need to be back on no later than 30 minutes before the departure time (but that might be earlier). For the tour, your ticket will note whether you need to meet on the ship or on the pier. Many tours that leave later than around an hour after arrival often meet on the pier. The only wrinkle in your plan is that they sometimes get all the early tours off the ship before letting everyone else off, so you might have to wait a little longer than you think.

The only time I've received "points" for a cancelled cruise was when the cruise line cancelled it (and it was a different line).

We've done it when we know what we want and could tell the sommellier the night before (or maybe at lunch), but I agree that it's more extravagance than anything else. A bit of fun, though. At home, we just use a Vinturi aerator, and that works mighty well. It's hard to say how the glasses work without going into a good deal of detail, and this thread already has gone very far off the rails. There's plenty of information about it all over the internet. We've also played around at home, and the differences can be dramatic.

That's great if I want to go now, but I don't know if I would bank on that for a sailing around 19 months from now (as OP is asking about).

Yes, they do.

I was going to say the same thing. Decanting a young, bone dry red can do wonders.

I do agree that you likely will not have a problem getting an early slot, you ought to be prepared to be flexible (at least with regard to what nights you dine). Murano is small place. You can call 1-877-RETREAT. As mentioned, though, there's only so much they can do for you if you aren't in a higher suite.

It doesn't exist. See above.