Thejuggler

Never stayed there, but have been inside and the Raddison Royal would get my vote just for the iconic design and 1970s fixtures and fittings.

Details in post #44. Both Captain and CD appear to have replaced those who have been on Apex over the summer.

Late June. Around Britain won't be popular for familes and most UK schools don't finish until early July.

So it appears the Celebrity glitch with E class ship bookings and dining times is still very much alive. 8.30pm seems to be a default, in reality turn up and eat when you like.

If as stated above its an early May cruise to the fjords the weather can have an impact on what you can experience depending on ports visited. Some inland ports are seasonal and don't open until the snow has been cleared from approach roads. Belfast is a great place, but like all ports not somewhere you can fully appreciate in a few hours. Our visit earlier this year was for three nights which was about right, but I'd happily visit again.

Call Celebrity and ask them to swap the ships! Scenic fjords cruising is all about the views. Apex is severely limited in options for viewing the fjords in all their glory.

No issue sitting behind the driver. The driver sits lower than the passenger seats, which are accessed via 2-3 steps up from driver level.

When we booked Apex my biggest potential source of disappointment was the lack of a Crows nest bar, especially as we had two days at sea on the North Atlantic in early autumn. I was right. Not having somewhere on poor weather sea days to have a good view outside is a negative. Rear Eden bar is OK, but seats with a view are limited and being right at the back the see sawing in 6m waves was very noticeable.

Of low rather than no alcohol beer Brooklyn Special Effects is fantastic. Its 0.5% and more a very pale ale rather than a lager. I find the 0.0% lagers can taste soapy. Some of the guys I know who drink Guinness Zero have cottoned on a can isn't quite a pint so they ask for a proper Guinness top up to improve the flavour and get their pint!

Concierge are on a few levels. We chose deck 11 on Apex, just aft of midships and it was ideal.

As soon as we return from any holiday we look at booking the next, even if its just a weekend away in a country pub. We returned from our cruise about a month ago and spent a couple of weeks looking at options for Christmas as we prefer to be on holiday for Christmas Day. Our 4 night break was booked this week. Having something to look forwards to is always worthwhile.

Guinness zero is my go to AF beer. I've asked for it in a few bars recently and they haven't had it. I spoke to a friend who runs a bar and he told me he gets it but supplies are restricted as demand can't currently keep up with supply.

There are lots of cabin sub categories across all those categories listed. The differentiating and refinement of category is done by the purchaser at the next stage of booking, which is when the sub categories are listed.

It may be a survey based on feedback they are picking up on sites such as this and other review sites. If they decided to retrofit infinite verandas to other ships I'd choose one over a balcony.

We didn't walk between major sights. I was pointing out to the OP just how far sights are apart from each other and the fact public transport isn't as well provided for as some other major cities, so without personal transport DIY is time consuming.

It is not so easy to visit a lot of Lisbon sights DIY without access to personal transport or using taxis. Its a very spread out city and walking isn't an option due to the hills and distances. Its why we have visited the city a few times as doing it all in a day simply isn't possible, As an example the Cathedral to Belem tower takes 1.5- 2 hours to walk and public transport to that area isn't brilliant, taking 45-60 minutes and then you need to get back! So whether you go in to sights will depend how many sights you are visiting.

They may not have to share as the suites not only have a sofa bed, but also a bunk in the ceiling (we have had a superior deluxe with the same setup). The sofa beds are the type which unfold, not the type where half the bed is stored under the seat and pulled out like a drawer when needed. There are videos on youtube.

We recently departed on an Apex trip from City terminal and arrived back at Horizon. There was a shuttle bus provided to the City terminal car park as the change was down to the port. However if there isn't a bus option there are plenty of luggage trolleys so walking between the two isn't a problem and will take no more than 10 minutes. If other terminals are involved it is much further.

Any body of water can give rough conditions. However it does have to be extremely rough for ships such as Regal Princess to be thrown around. 4-6m waves are handled by them with no real issues and thise height of waves is what we have encountered in the Atlantic off Scotland and the North Sea on a trip from Norway. We take Stugeron which we find excellent, proven with similar 4-6m waves on a very small ferry between the UK and Guernsey in December.

Late May will be school holidays, but unlikley such a cruise will be popular with families. For me it would be June, Weather is generally good and daylight hours will be very long.

If it is still offered the all day trip from Flamm which goes to Voss is excellent. We waited until we arrived in Gerainger and booked a short local trip as the weather was foul. It went to vIew points amd all we saw was fog!

If you are prepared to wash some items it is quite possible to do a ten day trip with a 40l rucksack.

It is limited, but there are still 3-4 starters, mains and sweets. More than enough to keep you topped up before dinner!

Whilst day to day charges may be increasing it needs to be considered in light of overall cost. We did our first cruise in about 2010, we did our last one a few weeks ago. The cruise fare was about the same, largely due to the increase in the number of ships which are generally now much larger. That increase in cabin capacity has allowed prices to remain very competitive.

Firstly I'm UK based, have visited India numerous times, but not for quite a few years, it is however somewhere we will go back to. India is a destination like no other, it attacks all your senses as soon as you arrive. Its also a place you can take an instant dislike to if you can't quickly accept things often don't work as you would expect and no amount of you wanting things to be different will change a thing! As the earlier poster says airports in particular can be arduous. Don't be surprised if by the end of the process between arriving and leaving you have numerous extra pieces of paper, stamps on the paperwork, security checks, luggage checks and if one stamp is missing you may be sent back to get it. Before that the first issue for many visitors is actually gaining access to visit. It is highly likely you will need to obtain a visa before travelling. This has never been a straightforwards process, the rules change on types of visa, durations, whether re entry is allowed etc etc and whilst I haven't visited for many years, the online system appears to be more clunky than the old apply by post system! You need to allow time to apply and certainly for UK visitors it is costly so visiting India for a very short period just to get to/from airport to ship makes it an expensive visit. I would have more time in India as part of the trip - its a huge country and whilst cities and famous sights are mad crazy, escape those and its a different world. Health concerns cannot be discounted. You may need vaccinations (tetanus, typhoid, cholera) and for longer stays malaria medication may be required. This may have to be taken for an extended period before and after the trip. Food is amazing and varied, but upset stomachs are just par for the course and food poisoning is always a risk. I've also visited Penang and agree its a lovely place, 24 hours isn't long enough. We stayed a week and would go back. The Goa port appears to be near the main airport which is a long way from the main tourist areas and cities so I'm not sure what would be achieved visiting. If you want to visit Goa go for longer as part of the trip.