bessinfl

I love seeing the photo of the multicolored triangular candy. They're not chocolates, they're cuberdons, a Belgian candy that originated in Ghent, where we used to live. They're delicious, if you like weird, nose-shaped candy -- like the inside of a jelly bean.

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I have to disagree with the poster above who had bad experiences with Amtrak. I've taken the roundtrip train from Orlando to D.C. and to NY several times. I've never had trouble with delays, although I understand they do exist. I also have never experienced cars rocking back and forth or whistles blowing all night. I sleep very well on the train.

I have always booked a roomette, which does have a private toilet and sink. The showers are down the hall. But I assume that on a 10-hour trip you'll just get regular seats. I'd recommend taking your own food because the snack-bar food is pretty bad, and you can have a pretty njce picnic if you plan ahead. You can take along any food or drink you want.

Trains are wonderfully relaxing, especially for the people who don't have drive! I'd do it in a heartbeat.

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Just an aside: the airport near Orlando where Allegiant flies is in the town of Sanford, FL, not Stanford. You can get some pretty good deals on Allegiant to Sanford (the airport is called Orlando Sanford), and it's only about 20 minutes farther to Port Canaveral than Orlando International is.

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Texas Girl, I am so enjoying your commentary and your photos -- and you haven't even boarded a ship! I think you and I have the same interests (and I'm glad you hade it to Abbey Road). I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip. Thanks for sharing.

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Melbourne Beach and Indialantic are much less crowded tan Cocoa Beach, with some nice restaurants close by. I'd choose one of them.

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See the real Orlando. Come downtown and see Lake Eola (ride the swan boats and see the swans), check out the terrific productions at Mad Cow Theatre, visit Leu Gardens, see the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Museum of Art or the Mennello Museum of American Art (all in Loch Haven Park). Or try Winter Park, with its Scenic Boat Tour, shopping and dining along Park Avenue, and two more wonderful museums, the Cornell Fine Art Museum at Rollins College or the Morse Museum of American Art (and its fabulous Tiffany collection) on Park Avenue. Orlando is way more than theme parks. I wish more travelers could see it!

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I have always had select dining and never had to wait to get in. Just make a reservation beforehand -- either before you sail or on the day of the meal. It works just fine.

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Also remember that there is plenty of good food available without having to go to the extra-charge specialty restaurants. (We almost never do.) The main dining room (often referred to here as the MDR) is excellent, and so is the buffet (the Oceanview Cafe).

In the dining room, you can ask to be seated alone or with other people, so don't be shy if you want to avoid a big table of strangers. If you have what is called select dining, you can eat whenever you want in the main dining room, just by showing up, or make reservations ahead of time for any time you choose. Otherwise, you will be assigned to eat either at 6 or at 8:30 every night. My choice is select, but others prefer the set dining times. It's up to you.

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Dublin, Liverpool and Belfast are all fascinating cities. Liverpool has a beautifully redeveloped port area, with a branch of the Tate Museum and of course many attractions celebrating the Beatles. We went on a wonderful Beatles tour of the city several years ago. The modern cathedral there is beautiful.

Brugge (or the more widely used name, Bruges) is a gorgeous little flashback to the Middle Ages, with beautiful Belgian architecture, canal rides, windmills and more. It's pretty touristy because of the cruise ships (go to its nearby neighbor, Ghent, for a more real-life experience). But it's a perfect little city for a daylong stop.

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Yes.

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I've stayed at the Hampton at Blue Lagoon and found it fine. The odd thing was that when I went to specific hotels' websites, they offered the first week in May on their calendar but then said no rooms were available. I'll wait a couple of weeks and try again.

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Our cruise from Miami is just under a year off, so I think I'm early in looking for a hotel with some kind of cruise parking for May 2018. But I've tried just about every hotel with cruise parking available, and all of them say they have no rooms for the date we need next May.

Our cruise is 10 nights, so we need to be able to park for more than a week. I'd rather not pay for a hotel and then park at the port separately, because of the expense, and I don't want to make the four hour drive to Miami the morning of the cruise departure.

Can anyone explain why all the hotels seem to be booked up almost a year in advance? Or does anyone have any other suggestion for us?

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Sorry -- the Equinox, not the Eclipse.

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We were in an identical cabin on the Eclipse -- myself and my two sisters. I just slept on the sofa without pulling it out. I'm 5'9" and it was perfectly comfortable. It's not in the way of anything.

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We will be on the Equinox doing this same itinerary in exactly one year. Too long! I will be eagerly following along your posts.

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Yes, I think she's referring to a 1A, and those are on several different decks. I have stayed in one of them many times, and they're delightful. The larger balconies are terrific -- partly sunny, partly shady and always roomy. Every one I've stayed in has indeed had a sofa.

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The review you read was somewhere in the Middle East -- Abu Dhabi or Dubai. Not an American-government procedure.

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My sister and I loved that sculpture on the Summit (and I was impressed that it was a real Botero). She wanted to lie down in front of it like that, but we didn't have the nerve. Lots of credit to liverpoollad's wife!

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For what it's worth, we paid $15 (for three people) into the old city and then $15 back to the ship the first day. On the second day, friends who live in Cartagena told us to pay no more than $5. We did, but the guy was not happy. It was a scary ride -- but then all of them were!

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You don't really mean "everyone." You're perfectly welcome not to purchase internet at all. We didn't.

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We spent a lot of time in the bird sanctuary and also saw iguanas, monkeys and a rabbit there (along with at least a dozen peacocks). We also used the wifi there both days and can report that it worked just fine.

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Yes, I was going to comment on the flip flops too! Before our Equinox cruise, which was right after yours, my sisters and I took a commemorative photo of our flip flops. Thanks for your continuing review -- I am loving it (as I loved the Equinox).

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We did it two weeks ago and paid $17 each way for three people, plus a small tip.

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I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures. We leave on nearly the same itinerary on Monday.

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The Path Between the Seas, by David McCullough.

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