beachtango

We’re cruising on Scarlet Lady for 6 days in December and it’s our first experience with VV.   If we each like to have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner each evening, how large a bar tab should we purchase?  Thanks for helping us decide.

There are lots of sea days on our upcoming Panama Canal holiday cruise.  Will Viking facilitate getting guests together to play bridge? What’s been your experience?

Are we better off with fixed or select if we prefer a table for two?

We are new to Celebrity and are thinking ahead to our holiday cruise.  How are seatings handled at dinner?  Is it possible to get a two-top in the main dining room?  What special menus can we look forward to?  Your advice is appreciated.

We are a small group of bridge players, booked in the Yacht Club on Meraviglia in November.  Is there a card room or card tables in the YC or elsewhere on the ship?    I remember a couple of tables outside the reception desk in Divina's YC, but would like to know about this new ship.  Many thanks.

We'll be booking a Caribbean cruise on the Meraviglia in November 2019 that has some forward-facing YC cabins available on Deck 15. Has anyone sailed in one of these? We'd like to know how windy the balcony might be on sea days. Also, is the balcony larger than those on port or starboard?

Thanks for your assistance.

We will be booking a cruise for next year and wonder if it is possible to receive both the 5% (Voyager Club) and the 10% (Military) discounts?

The agent I spoke to said no but the website Voyager Club info states the 5% booking discount can be combined with other offers.

Anyone been successful in getting both discounts? Please let me know.

There is a "bridge voyage" on the Silver Wind starting November 10, 2017 that we are looking at. I am a bridge beginner and my husband is an intermediate player. Can anyone share some insights on the intensity and level of play on this cruise? If most everyone is an expert, I'm not sure we'd fit in. Thanks for your advice.

We have a deposit on a 15-day cruise in the Yacht Club aboard MSC Meraviglia (4500 passengers) for July 2018. The value looks good, we've always wanted to visit Longyearbyen, and we had a very nice YC experience previously.

Before we fully commit to this, I am concerned about how destinations like Longyearbyen, Stavanger, Tromso, Honnigsvag and Hellesylt/Geiranger will handle the onslaught of so many people at once.

Will local sights be overrun? Apart from ship excursions, will private tours be available? If you've cruised to the fjords on a large ship I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks in advance.

We just placed a deposit on this cabin for a ten-day Caribbean cruise and would appreciate having more information about it. We understand that there are floor-to-ceiling windows, but no balcony, it faces forward and that the room is about 290 sq. ft. However, looking at the deck plan it appears similar to the balcony suites.

Can someone describe the room layout to us and share their experience. There are no Yacht Club cabins available on this sailing and our only other choice would be a balcony cabin. We are traveling with others who are in a balcony stateroom.

Thanks for your assistance.

Amy and Paul

We are booked on Scenic's Gems of Southeast Asia in October and will have to make final payment June 25th and then book our flights at that time.

Due to El Nino, there is a 90-year drought in SE Asia and of course the Mekong has been dramatically effected. If the monsoons come in June, as is usual, water levels should recover.

But meanwhile I am pre-worrying about what to do if the monsoons are late and the delta stays dry. Can any of you help me speculate on how cruise companies may handle low (or no) water for this itinerary? Do I make final payment or cancel?

Just in case the stop in Egypt is possible on your cruise -

We did a Regent post-cruise to Luxor and Cairo in 2012 and had a great time. The food was abundant and fresh with fruits and vegetables better than what we get in Florida. There was wonderful freshly baked pita. A vegetarian would love his/her choices.

Security was tight and we were well looked after. The hotel offered a fair amount to do and we stayed in at night, as our guide suggested. The guide was brilliant and the people friendly. This was midway through the Morsi presidency and there was a fair amount of political tension at the time.

We would definitely return to Egypt if conditions stabilize in the region.

On the older Jewel class ships (Pearl, Jewel, Gem etc.) the Haven lacks its own restaurant and lounge. For suite and Haven guests, breakfast and lunch are served in one of the specialty restaurants. There is a butler and concierge for all suite and Haven guests on those ships. The courtyard pool area and sundeck appear small in size.

(For our August Jewel cruise with grandchildren, we have a non-Haven aft penthouse suite because we felt the more limited Haven amenities on the ship did not offer enough extra value to us.)

On the Breakaway class ships, the Haven offers more space and all meals can be taken in the Haven restaurant. On Getaway, there were spa treatment rooms and a sauna right off the pool. Upstairs, on deck 17, we enjoyed a Haven sundeck that was really lovely: many loungers with pool towels, lots of shade, and an observation area at the bow. It was quiet and uncrowded.

The Getaway concierge did much to ease the big ship environment for us. We were escorted on back elevators for excursions and dis/embarkation. There was a reserved section in the theater. He took care of any changes in excursions and dinner reservations so we never waited in a line. Overall, it was very nice.

We just returned from one week on Norwegian Getaway and it was quite enjoyable. We had a Haven penthouse on deck 16 along with the beverage and specialty dining packages. Our cabin was spacious enough with comfortable bedding, extensive storage and a well-designed bathroom.

The ambience in the Haven, while small, rivaled Regent. The Haven restaurant did a very nice job, although the menu does not vary from day to day. There is great French-press coffee and warm, attentive service. The concierge was always available and very helpful.

We were not impressed with the specialty restaurants and avoided any of the other dining venues. Outside the Haven, many areas of the ship were crowded and dirty. We had prepaid our tips but sensed some ‘lobbying’ from steward and butler as the cruise came to a close.

Their Burn the Floor show was excellent and my husband absolutely loved the ropes course.

The cruise cost half of a comparable one we took on Navigator. We think it’s a good value if you can adjust your expectations.

We stayed in this suite for a 7-day western Caribbean cruise in November 2013. The bed is in the forward part of the room and feels quite separate from the sitting area due to a pillar, a bookcase unit and a draped archway.

There are two TVs. The bathroom is on the far right of the bedroom area and the closet is in the forward corner on the far right.

Yes, you will hear the anchor drop so check how many tender ports are on your itinerary. Also there is a staff walkway outside the window so you will see activity there but this did not happen frequently for us.

Hope this helps you.

Our first river cruise last fall on AMA was great and we’re weighing some all-inclusive possibilities for 2016 with either Tauck or Scenic. Both seem like good choices but we need help narrowing the itinerary options.

For those of you with first-hand experience, please give your thoughts on the pros/cons of doing the Danube versus the Rhine/Moselle.

We’ve read that some Rhine ports are very industrial and that there can be many long bus rides for tours. Is this true for the Danube as well?

Our hope would be for beautiful locations along with shortest possible time on the bus. Can you point us in the right direction?

Many thanks, Amy

I’m a certified open water diver without a dive in the last 12 months. Will I be able to dive on any of the NCL scuba excursions other than Discover Scuba? We’re sailing on NCL Getaway on May 16th.

Thanks for your assistance!

Paul

Hi mushroom - Another suggestion is to try Goodreads.com.

GR generates recommendations based on books you have enjoyed, provides a great way to keep track of your to-read list, and makes it easy to find books in your library or on Amazon, B&N, etc.

And thanks OctoberKat for sharing your reading list - you’ve given me more ideas for mine.