DCguys

Thanks so much everyone, I just needed my fears put to rest. Looking forward to Alla in less than two weeks.

We booked a two-day tour with Alla for June 23/24. Someone I know who works in cruise industry just told me it was not a good idea to do a private excursion in Russia due to the Visa issue. She said we wouldn't even be allowed to set foot off the boat onto the dock to meet our Alla guide in the port building. Has anyone done one of these tours very recently? Did you have a problem?

Thank you for such delicious replies and do keep them coming.

I'm an avid baker with a crazy sweet tooth. We've done research on restaurants in our ports, but I'm wondering if some of you could suggest the most authentic bakeries and sweet shops in some of the ports we'll soon experience. The big ones, where we're not on a set tour, are: Bergen, Tallinn, Gdansk, Helsinki, Coppenhagen, Stockholm.

We actually loved the Breakaway!!.It was our first NCL cruise and we were also very concerned about the reviews.

Try to get on board early and purchase a Vibe pass..it made all the difference for us. We also purchased the Dining package which was 119 and we ate in specialty dining rooms every night

We wouldn't hesitate to book again

How much was the vibe pass? Is that for the adults only area?

Thanks to all of you, especially Sheffield, for your responses and please keep them coming.

NCL breakaway meets a lot of our criteria at the moment:

-we have enough Amtrak rewards to get from home (Boston) to NYC for free, but sadly I don't have enough frequent flier miles to get us to FL at the moment

-We're very interested in trying Bermuda (since it overnights in the port and the destination, so we hear, is relaxing and not super tourist tacky. After the winter we are finally starting to come out of, a low key island destination is really appealing, especially one where we can explore on our own and not be tied to excursions.)

- Breakaway is a new ship, which appeals to us. We also think trying a really big ship sounds fun at least once.

- mostly though, NCL is coming in way less expensive than RCCL and X to Bermuda from NJ for June, when we'd really like to travel. The budget for this particular trip isn't huge.

BUT the reviews for NCL are often negative and I do generally trust CC reviewers. We can't afford The Haven section this time or I wouldn't be so hesitant. I'm worried that the lack of the serenity of X's solarium, good MDR food, and nice balconies will be tough to take, and we don't have kids either to enjoy some of the wilder activities. I'm hemming and hawing on spending any amount of money for something I'm worried about. But, perhaps watching the sea go by trumps all else. Clearly I'm torn on this!

We've only cruised celebrity S-class ships and love them, but are considering trying something else soon for price and itinerary options and to see the difference. Has anyone tried RCL or NCL and liked it? We're two adults (36 and 42), active, but also looking for R&R. We're specifically looking at Western Carib and Bermuda itineraries on newer ships.

We're doing Viking Oceans in 2015 so clearly we're eager to experience very different styles of cruising.

Thanks,

My partner and I have signed up for the June 13 2015 Viking Homelands itinerary. This will be our first time in the region and we're excited about a step up from our past Celebrity cruises to a more luxury level experience. The ship looks so great in the renderings - I'm impatient to see photos of the real thing.

Al (and John)

Cambridge MA :)

ECLIPSE (12/4-12/11/10)

Deck - 7 (Sunrise deck)

Cabin # - 7290

Class – 1A

Starboard or Port Side -Starboard

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – Balcony (which we prefer)

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) –

Not connecting.

Extremely quiet despite proximity to aft elevators. Cabins above and below buffer sound and being on the aft side angle of the hump limits wind/weather noise.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – No Obstruction, but lifeboats visible if looking down or aft. Because it's on the aft angle of the hump, you cannot really see forward. The view was still great straight out.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -Extra large, 2.5x the average size. (please note that previous review of this cabin on Solstice lists the balcony size as regular, which is incorrect)

Was wind a problem? No

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem?n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? We had one glitch-one night the divider between our balcony and our forward neighbors came unhinged on its own. We heard some thudding noises as it swung back and forth, but assumed it was the normal creaking of a ship. In the a.m. we realized what had happened and guest relations sent someone to re-bolt it. This could have happened to any cabin, I suppose.

We also had trouble getting the cabin door to close all the way. You had to pull it tight very hard.

Any other comments? The balcony was about 50% of the total cabin size so it dramatically expanded our living space. We could have fit the bed and more out there! One interesting point-the wall on the forward side (left) of the balcony is solid all the way to the ground while the one on the aft side (right) did not continue to the floor-you could have passed something underneath. We think the solid wall helped prevent wind, which we felt none of even though we could hear it was windy and felt it while out on deck.

Our cabin steward was Mario and he was lovely.

We loved this cabin :). Being so close to the elevator and stairs made getting to the main dining room and buffet a breeze. The balcony was wonderful and allowed for much privacy. It was so big that we sat out there when it rained and stayed totally dry.

Thanks so much to both of you. I was starting to think I was crazy!

It's our first cruise and our first time in the Caribbean, spending time on the balcony and watching the world go by is what I'm really looking forward to. Well, that and eating!;)

I've read conflicting info about the cabin we're booked in for our cruise next month and I'm trying to get to the truth.

We booked angled hump cabin 7290 based on the list I'd read before (pasted below), but this link shows the large balcony cabins only on the port side:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=24259746&postcount=14 and the S class cabin thread review says 7290 has a normal-sized balcony.

When my TA called me a couple weeks ago and said X was offering a free cc upgrade, I turned it down (pretty aft cabins on 8 or 10) because I didn't want to give up the giant balcony, but now I'm not sure it's bigger at all :confused:!

"The following list has the largest balconies (the ones near triple sized; the ones on the slant not on this list have the balconies that are near double sized):

Resort Deck: 2105, 2109, 2106, 2110

Penthouse Deck: 1547, 1552, 1601, 1605, 1606, 1610

Sky Deck: 1075, 1044, 1231, 1243, 1247, 1108, 1120, 1124

Panorama Deck: 9155, 9192, 9209, 9215, 9237, 9241, 9266, 9270, 9292, 9296

Vista Deck: 8199, 8162, 8255, 8259, 8281, 8285, 8228, 8232, 8254, 8258

Sunrise Deck: 7159, 7206, 7215, 7219, 7241, 7245, 7260, 7264, 7286, 7290

Continental Deck: 6155, 6156, 6209, 6215, 6237, 6241, 6210, 6214, 6236, 6240"

If it doesn't have the extra large balcony, I'm wondering if we should see if we can move. The TA said it was a limited time offer, but there's been a price drop since then and though it's after final payment (and the booking was made after the May 17 deadline for getting OBC's that equal the difference), does X have to offer to move you to a more $ cabin to compensate?

We were very limited in the dates we can sail and the category we wanted, 2A, was totally sold out.

I am prone to motion sickness and as a first-time cruiser I've done plenty of research about avoiding sea sickness. Yes, I'll take Bonine and ginger daily..., but I also wanted to follow CC advice and stay low and close to the middle of the ship. We got the low deck we wanted with cabins above and below, but this cabin is far closer forward than I wanted (right next to the forward elevators about 1/4 back from the front of the ship). It was the farthest back that was still available.

Will we likely feel lots more motion than if we were further back??? Has anyone stayed in this cabin? The S-class cabin thread rated it well, but I'm still uneasy.

We are going to the E. Caribbean in early December so hopefully that will help with calm seas.

Thanks

Sleep Inn would meet your needs and is a good price.

 

IMO, without a car, do NOT stay by Cypress Creek. It will be at least $35 in cab fare from the airport and more to the port, and there are no grocery stores nearby. There are a few chain restaurants 4-6 blocks away, but no grocery or wine stores, and it is not a pedestrian-friendly area.

Thanks.

I just booked the Sleep Inn. With my AAA # it was only $80. For a one-night stay I figured it wasn't worth the extra money for the Hyatt Place.

I haven't booked our flight yet, but if we do get in on the early side, are there places we could cab to for something to do? Maybe the beach or a main tourist strip? We are not opposed to longer walks either.

We'll be arriving one day early for a Solstice cruise in late October. I've read this entire thread looking for advise on the hotel and here's what I've got it narrowed down to:

Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale Airport North – $109

Sleep Inn Fort Lauderdale International Airport (in Dania) – $89

Extended Stay Deluxe - Fort Lauderdale - Cypress Creek - NW 6th Way- $64.99

Which would you recommend? It's just the two of us with no car. We would like to be able to pick up some wine on Saturday when we arrive and will need to eat at least dinner out, but don't require anything special.

I see that the 1st two have free airport and port shuttles and breakfast (right?), but it seems the Extended Stay doesn't. I wonder if having to use taxis and buy more food would cancel out the savings of staying there.

Also, do you know which part of the port Celebrity Solstice sails out of?

thanks!:)

From what I've read, Solstice & Equinox have the same layout but Equinox does not have the x on the balcony glass. Eclipse has a slightly different layout and the numbers are not identical on the new ship I believe. Which is why it's important to include ship name in your cabin posting!

PS - Are you on 11/28 sailing of Solstice?

No, sorry, 10/31 Solstice :(

If a cabin has a good rating on the Equinox, does that mean it's good on Solstice too???

we just booked Solstice 7177.