shipgeeks

What date in January? All the January dates I see are $360 or $389; you are correct, that does not include port fees and taxes. And mine automatically comes up (on my TA's website) with my best discount, which on those sailings is a teacher discount. Those are also inside prices, but I see $465, $557, and $908 for higher categories. Good luck; we loved Seaside!

When we arrive in Sydney, we're going to take the opportunity to spend a few days there, mainly checking out my old haunts, if they still exist. I left Sydney in 1982, so..... Any thoughts about my wish list would be appreciated. Ferry to Neutral Bay, to go up to Kurraba Road and see the building of my first flat there. Walk across the Bridge to North Sydney. Attend one or more performances in the Opera House, preferably dance, symphony, or opera. I danced one season there, and ushered for several years as a second job. Check out the Strand Arcade, Bodenweiser Dance Studio, and some dance supply shops. Bondi Beach and Bondi Pavilion. Train to Katoomba to visit friends Diane and Arthur, and to do some bush walks. Ferry to Manly. Thank you, all; it's been fun!

OzKiwiJJ, You created a wonderful cruise experience. Thank you so much! As well as enjoying the beautiful scenery, my shipmates, and the ship amenities, I learned a lot more about NZ and Australia. I can't wait to sail with all of you again. Til we meet again....

Here in the US, I see both Armonia and Seaside starting at under $300 for 7 nights. I can't wait to book again!

I'm learning. When we were on the ship, we put them in the mini-bar so they wouldn't be in the sun. They were quite hard to cut. Here at home, I've stored them in the basement pantry. Fairly hard to cut. But a few days ago the weather went from frigid to hot, and suddenly my ship is easy to cut. It's not melty, just perfect at room temp (no AC here).

I might have to dig in to my daily programs next. I re-read my journal; that was really nice. No Med fragrance on ebay. But if I start wearing the new White Night outfit I bought and didn't get to wear, it means I'm getting desperate.

We will be sad to have this wonderful journey come to an end. The ship, the ports, and our fellow passengers have all been outstanding. So nice to have such great photographers aboard, too, to share the many sights. I'm glad we will all have our Gala Dinner together. Tuxedo and Most Fabulous Dress are hanging and ready to don.

You are very welcome! It brightens my day every day.

That's hilarious!

Mingus, I agree with you about the CC functions; outstanding. And when we crossed paths with any of those officers during the week, they treated us warmly again. Good point about the smoking. We, too, were Bella.

Our ideal cruise would be lots of sea days and one overnight at the cruiseline's private island. Second choice would be all sea days, for at least - but preferably more than - seven nights. Even at our first cruise, many years ago, we were both more interested in being on a ship at sea than in visiting any exotic ports. The ship is definitely the attraction for us.

Nice dresses! I especially like the first two, with interesting necklines. I love wearing dresses on cruises. I like the jumpsuit, too. I recently bought a daytime one similar to it, for my April cruise that didn't happen.

We are regular Celebrity cruisers, and were on Princess a number of years ago. Our most recent cruise was on MSC Seaside, and MSC is now our favorite line. I think what we liked most was that it did not feel like any other cruise. Most of our cruises in recent years had become very similar. Our favorite part of cruising is just being on a ship at sea; however, more and more elements had become not all that different from being at home, due to the passenger mix -- not very mixed. On Seaside we were among fewer than 700 American passengers, out of 4400 people. Nobody talked about the Steelers; the music was more varied, and did not include "Margaritaville" or "Sweet Caroline"; the food was more varied (and mostly very good); the show lounge entertainment was more Cirque du Soleil than Rock and Broadway. All of that was a plus for us; for someone else I'm sure it's a negative. We had read complaints about service and other issues before we went. We found the service, and the warmth of the crew, outstanding. In short, it's absolutely worth considering, as long as you do some research about the style of cruising MSC offers, as well as the different "Experiences", etc.

Dream cruises! Well, we are on one right now. And finally seeing Whitsunday from the helicopter was something I've wanted to do for years, after seeing pictures. I lived in Sydney 1969-1982, and did many land trips in the eastern half of the country, as well as a trip to NZ. But seeing all this from a ship has been wonderful. Apart from that, we love being out on the ocean. My trip to Australia in 1969 was on a freighter; 42 days from New York to Sydney, with no ports between Panama and Qld. Fabulous. Since we live in the eastern US, we now occasionally do transatlantic cruises to the Mediterranean. If we could do that as a round trip -- crossing, a week or so in the Med, cross back -- we would do it all the time. Having to fly one way is the deal breaker. But as a dream cruise, we would sail from Baltimore (our closest port) or Fort Lauderdale (so much fun sailing out the channel, with the ship's horn blasting and people in the condos cheering us on). And finally, I'd love to sail among the icebergs of the Antarctic.

Good to know about the diffusers. We were not in Diffuser Experience (but apparently we were in Chocolate Ship Experience), and I didn't buy one. Now that I'm having MSC withdrawal, I want one. I never really noticed the scent in the cabin; I think I just like the idea of it.