Hobbitmomma

My husband and I are planning a bucket list trip in about two years.  We are looking at either the 10 Day Anthem of the Seas cruise out of Singapore to Vietnam and Thailand, or the 10 Day Ovation cruise out of Sydney to several ports in New Zealand. (Big LOTR fans and would definitely want to see the movie sites.) I know these dates aren’t yet out for ‘26, but we are just trying to figure things out before we book.  Any experiences with these itineraries, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated.  We have never been to that part of the world before.  Thank you.

I have two quick questions about boarding.  My husband and I have been planning this vacation for two years.  We have actually been traveling for two weeks now. And we have either lost or never brought our luggage tags for the ship.  Will we be able to get them at the port?  Also, we are considering wearing bathing suits for boarding, so that we can hang out by the pool after our Chops lunch, while we wait for our room to be ready.  Is that acceptable?  I mean, would we look really bad in beachwear having Chops lunch in the main dining room?  And can you even hang by the pool while waiting for your room?  This is only our third cruise, and it has been so long since our last one, (Oasis with kids) that I just don’t remember what we did.  Thanks in advance for your help.

We just booked the 7 night Greece/Croatia cruise leaving from Ravenna, Italy for 2022 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I have about a million questions as we are not very experienced cruisers and have never been to Italy, Croatia or Greece.  (We were on the Disney Wonder years ago with our kids and the Oasis, again with our kids. Both in the Caribbean.)  I am sure I will be posting more questions as I explore this itinerary, but right now, my main concern is logistics.  We fly into Venice, but Ravenna, where the port is, is two hours away.  So, would you stay the night in Venice and go to the port the next day?  Or would you go straight to Ravenna after landing, and stay at a hotel there for the night?  (We plan on an extra day or two on the back end in Venice.)  Do you have hotel recommendations in Venice or near the port in Ravenna?  Thanks so much.  I will have more questions about Brilliance of the Seas and the ports in a different post.  

Loving your review. We're on Oasis with same itinerary in a little over a week. Where did you get that camera bag!! I love it. I'm always looking for something new and not as obtrusive as the big cross shoulder bag I have. Thanks!

Thank you for this lovely report Radio. We are thinking about this very itinerary with Freedom in a few years if it's available, and you are certainly selling me on it! Thanks again.