TMLAalum

Following and enjoying, thanks!

We sailed the Nieuw Statendam immediately after the Edge eastern Caribbean inaugural. Both new ships. While there were several aspects of the Edge we did not care for, there were many more dislikes for us on the NS. The downside of the alternative smoking times in the HAL casino meant that the odor permeated the area at all times. Decor was disjointed on the NS from cabin to the buffet to the Italian specialty restaurant to the point of garishness. The Crow's Nest was enjoyable and the Asian restaurant was excellent. Elevator carpets with the day of the week were a tad condescending. Shows had canned music although the Music Walk offerings were excellent. I felt like we'd stepped back into the 50s on the NS!

My DH is always on my case to close doors quietly. I try my best but somehow even an attempt at a gentle closing backfires. It must be hereditary as my sister and niece are also known for this bad habit! Heads up for those next to us on our February cruise. We are in #6241.

If a visit to Riquewihr or Ribeauville is offered, I would choose that over Colmar any day. Despite Rick Steve's waxing rhapsodic about Colmar, the two villages above are far more charming IMHO.

Not at all sure. Just wondering if any cruise critic member knows one way or the other.

Friends disembarking the Millennium, who we are meeting at YVR, are joining us for 8 days in the Canadian Rockies. So, yes for them being possibly random tested? We are arriving by land over the 1-5 border.

Is random testing conducting on cruisers disembarking in Vancouver?

With paper bags, we would mark them Bag #1 of 2 and Bag #2 of 2.

Queen Elizabeth is mourned deeply.

I do! We ❤️Malaga Damian was our guide for a wonderful walking tour of Malaga that had stops for wine and tapas. We Love Malaga | Unique Tours in Malaga and Southern Spain We booked a private tour with this company for our group of 12 on a port stop there and 5 years later we all still rave about what a fantastic day we had!

For awhile- at least pre-Covid- CC class guests were invited to the helipad for sailing out of various ports. Was I jealous when roll call friends in that cabin class got to experience departing NYC harbor just as the lights of the city came on! IDK if that is still a perk of being in a CC cabin, but one that IMHO is worthwhile!

We were in the cabin above 6048: 7080 last year on the Millennium. No neighbors could easily see into our veranda unless they twisted around the divider to peek. And that can happen from any veranda cabin to another! We loved 7080 especially for Alaska as it is somewhat sheltered from the wind. Unfortunately both those cabins will be "deluxe" next year and not eligible for the one category upgrade for Cap't Club members.

We arrived jet-lagged at FRA with a reservation at the Hilton Garden Inn for the night prior to picking up a rental car the next day. We are only "silver" Hilton Honors members, but when we reached the check-in counter @9 am we asked if it was possible to get into our room then for whatever the upcharge might be. The category we'd reserved wasn't available, but an upgraded room was. Imagine our surprise when the clerk noted our "status" and gave us the keycard to that room at the same rate of our original booking! After a long nap, we took the train into Frankfurt and enjoyed our afternoon sightseeing and dining on weiner schnitzel!

Got a Captains Club email with 5 you tube videos to watch...would see them all if PUPs were awarded!

We did not use our Elite minutes on our most recent cruise never thinking the WiFi from all-included differed from the Elite perk. No wonder I could never log into Cruise Critic!

Is this on Celebrity?

@AstoriaPreppy Thank you so much for your very detailed answer! The two threads from current cruisers had me concerned that we might miss the incredible scenery on this cruise if we didn’t book a veranda. Your description of great viewing spots tells me we’d have far more expansive views than from a small balcony. I am copying your post and saving it in my future cruise file!

@AstoriaPreppy We are hoping to book the Iceland to Boston cruise in 2024 as soon as the itinerary is released! Can you tell me how difficult it was to see the scenery without being in a veranda? Where were the best spots to perch for a good view? Thanks!

Re: the JJCruise utube- The duo asks "What would you do?" ala John Quinones. I would have stood up and began clapping while loudly saying that I applaud the waitstaff and understand they are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Hopefully the majority of diners in Blu would have stood with me! OTOH- Senility, dementia, Alzheimer's often leads to a breakdown of conforming to social norms so I would try to be understanding of his inappropriate diatribe. I wonder how his dinner partner felt.

Try a combination trip! We took our first river cruise in November 2019 from Nuremberg to Budapest. We flew into Frankfurt, rented a car and spent time in the Eifel region of Germany, onward to Metz and Ribeauville in the Alsace region of France followed by 3 nights on the outskirts of Lucerne before returning the rental car in Nuremberg. We had a great time on the Danube cruise, especially since we were joined by 10 friends! After the cruise we took the train from Budapest for 3 nights in Munich. Our next river cruise will be the filling of a land trip sandwich too!

We are taking a risk in booking 6241 with large veranda and bed by bath on the Silhouette. I knew that the smoking area is directly under those on the "jut out" so hoping we are far enough away to avoid noise and odors!

So this test is accepted by Celebrity for cruises that stop or end in Canada? Asking for a friend! Luckily, we are driving to meet them at YVR after their Millennium cruise so no testing for us!

We arrived shortly before 2pm on our Danube cruise that began in Nuremberg. We were welcomed aboard and invited to partake of the buffet lunch in the lounge area. We left our bags in a gathering area. Our cabin was not ready then so, after a bite to eat we walked up and down the pier looking at boats from other river cruise companies. Our Rhine cruise departs from Amsterdam with an all aboard of 5pm the first day. We plan on arriving via Thalys train from Paris in the early afternoon, dropping our bags, and then heading out and about. Our timing worked well for us as we had access to our cabin before the Prague add-on bus arrived. Those guests had a wait to be given their room keys, etc.

Sounds fraudulent to me to say nothing of totally unethical! Think the fraud supercedes the unethical! Despite all the glowing reviews from Viking customers, I've read enough here on Cruise Critic from posters like yourself that have me convinced to never book with them- either river or ocean! I am so sorry that your planned ahead cruise has been sabotaged at the last minute! You deserve a full refund NOW!

XcitingDeals_cel_tues.pdf (rccl.com) I bookmarked this to find last-minute deals, but as you can see it no longer works thanks to covid!