2theship

We've only had one experience with a 55+ discount but it was a significant amount. It only applied to one category of cabin but it was what we had already booked. There was no problem applying the reduction to our reservation.

While the vouchers were for use during the 5-7 pm time period, I saw many people go to the bar and order a drink plus a can of beer or soda and request that the bartender not open the can. People were quite open about the fact that they were taking the cans back to their cabin to drink later. We almost always picked up a glass of wine to have with dinner on our way to the dining room. One night we were sitting at the bar and a gentleman came over with two drink vouchers. He asked if we wanted them because he wasn't going to be using them. We told him we had our own and I don't know if he found a taker or not.

So, there are some rules but the bartenders are way too busy to enforce them. I think they also make some pretty good tips during the happy hour. The voucher system seems to be so widely used at this point that the Celebrity number crunchers must think they're not being hurt by it.

What did you think of the wine?

Frankly, the experience turned me on chardonnay. I used to drink it all the time. Now, not so much. The red was okay - I'm no conniseur when it comes to wine.

The munchies are generally a "plate o' fried stuff" - you won't miss them. The great thing about the vouchers is that you can stop at a bar on your way to dinner and pick up a glass of wine to take to the dining room with you.

I have osteoarthritis in my knees and long walks can be very painful. My answer to the problem is a pair of walking poles. You can find them at most sporting goods stores and even Target. They look like ski poles but have rubber tips on the bottom. Because you can adjust the length of them, you can walk upright using a normal stride far more than you can with a cane or walker. They also telescope up and down to be ready to use or out of the way as needed. The first port where I used them was Old San Juan and they were wonderful!

Pretty basic. Have you had a cold, or the flu, or gastrointestinal illness in the past week. Have witnessed them asking if a pax was pregnant, but that's not on the form.

Oooh - I hope she was. I mean I know that there are some guidelines as to how late in your pregnancy you can cruise but being asked if you're pregnant and you aren't, that would be a bummer.

As to the original question, the form really just wants to know if you've been throwing up in the last 24 hours.

i am planning a cruise for early next year. i am over 55 and wondering what ship is the best one. also wondering if its safe nowdays for a woman to travel alone?

We have met many women traveling alone on cruises and they all seem to think that it's a very safe way to travel alone. The "best" ship depends on the itinerary you are considering but you might start looking at Celebrity and Princess. Whatever you decide, after you have booked, go to the "Roll Call" section here on Cruise Critic and look for your specific cruise. You will be able to meet fellow cruisers ahead of time and join activities both onboard and in port. Suddenly, you won't be traveling alone!

I tell my family that in case of an emergency they should do two things. First, send me an email that details the issues. Then, call me using the ship number or my cell phone number. I assume that they will probably not be able to reach me on the phone but the message will alert me to a problem. Then, I can check my email, get the specifics and call back.

OK, so now I know that I need to try Gel/Shellac nails BUT the closest Nails Indc to us is over 70 miles aways across country and, as our next cruise is at the end of December, I am not going to be able to guarantee getting their if the winter is bad. So, my next plan is to get my hails done in Fort Lauderdale in the three days we are there pre-cruise.

 

Sue

There are lots of salons offering gel manicures. Try googling the words "gel manicure" along with your zip code and you can probably find someone close to you.

I have to echo the cuticle oil tip. My manicurist said that using it daily is the best way to make your gel nails last. I'm only on my second gel manicure and I just love them. The price isn't that much more than a regular manicure but it lasts so long it's amazing.

Deck - 12 -

Cabin # 1540- Class – Aqua

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Bed near?(balcony or bath) –balcony

Quiet Cabin With comments on problems. Note if connecting. Very quiet. While below spa, the area above is the shop where they sell spa products so it wasn't open extremely early in the morning or late at night. Also a reasonable distance from the elevator so no noise from there

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Good view of the bridge but not so much as to block other things

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal

Was wind a problem? No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? NA

Any specific problems with this cabin? NO

Any other comments? Since we were Aqua Class, we enjoyed the easy walk to the spiral staircase to get to the Persian Gardens.

Last fall we shared a taxi to Rouen with two other couples. I think it was about 30 Euros per person. Our driver spoke a little English and stayed with us for the entire day. There are some interesting sights in Rouen (it was where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake) and some remnants of WWII.

We spent a little more than we would have on the train but we were on our own schedule so it was an easy day.

The staff at the Tourist Info center spoke excellent English and gave us all of the information we needed. The buses are not very frequent so if you're going to Honfleur, be prepared to spend a few hours. However, it is a lovely town with shops worth visiting and restaurants worth enjoying a leisurely lunch in. Honfleur has a wonderful TI center of its own a few steps from the bus stop.

There is a small leap of faith involved in going to Honfleur by bus. You have to trust that you will be able to make yourself understood when you're inquiring about the bus times and costs. We found that there were some other couples from the ship who often set out on their own in certain ports. Once we saw them standing in line for the bus, we knew we were okay.

We were on Princess and their shuttle into port was (I think) $5.00 each way. But, as I posted earlier, we wasted that money because we learned that we needed to take a taxi directly to the bus station - the shuttle drop was in the opposite direction.

The bus from LeHavre to Honfleur was very easy - we did it last summer. There is a tourist information center right at the dock and they gave us the bus schedule and directions to the bus station. We took a cab to the station but since it was Sunday, the ticket office was closed. So, we waited for the bus along with some other folks from the ship and bought our tickets from the driver. I think it was about a 30 minute ride and we had about four or five hours to wander about Honfleur before our return. The bus drops you about half a block from the Honfleur tourist office where you can pick up map and information on the city. The town is charming - very old world French.

Our only mistake in the process was that earlier we had purchased tickets for the shuttle from the dock into LeHavre. Since the bus station is nowhere downtown, we wasted that money.

Soda card is good only for whatever is stocked in the soda guns, basically coke, diet coke, seltzer and sprite. No diet sprite and no ginger ale, since not in the guns.

Gingerale is in the soda guns and is therefore included on the soda card. I drank plenty of it last month on the Grand.