shipgeeks

We had a balcony on our Alaska cruise and used it less than two hours of the whole ten days. The views from the open decks are 1000 times better than any balcony. We would not book a balcony again.

Yes! What a wonderful idea. The water in the Carib and other cruise routes is so clear. It would be better than an excursion on a semisubmersible or glass-bottom boat.

While tied up in port, we have seen turtles in Tortola, an extremely large manta ray in Bridgetown, a 6-foot shark in Cozumel, and numerous other beasties which are usually only seen while snorkeling. To be able to look out while in our cozy cabin would be great. We'd probably never go ashore.

We just saw her, docked at Funchal, Madeira, when we were there on Celebrity Silhouette. Still looks good. Just called "Empress" now. One of our favorite ships, especially the Boleros lounge that had live Latin dance music.

Request a table for four on your cruise reservation.

Take the ship excursion. The wait for a tender could be a long one if you are not on a ship excursion. The tender ride is a long one. The tour is many hours long. Opt for worry-proof.

Ship water is purer than even most bottled water. My only caveat would be that the water from your bathroom tap tends to be warm - just check that it isn't too hot.

It is also a long way to Gatwick; I seem to recall that our bus ride was close to a couple of hours. And as a big international airport, there will be lots of security lines and such.

We walked into La Seyne-sur-Mer instead of going to Toulon, and we enjoyed it so much we went back for the afternoon. We found a waterfront park that shows its history as a shipbuilding center, a drawbridge designed by Gustav Eiffel which is now an observation tower, and a neat, real town. There were outdoor markets the day we were there. We didn't miss Toulon at all, and we would do it again.

Jules, Just for fun you might like to read a little book called "Welcome Aboard! Travel on an Ocean Liner" by Barbara A. Huff. It was published in 1987, so you might have to do some searching for it, and some of the thoughts might be out of date. However, when I first read it, and when I re-read it now, it really heightens my excitement about the whole experience of cruising.

Have a wonderful time!

I second the thrift store suggestion. Ours always have quite an assortment of dressy dresses, and many have only been worn once. It's fun to dress up for formal night. Just don't get stressed about it.

We have used Choice Air twice, for one-way return flights after a TA. They would have cost $4,000 each through the airline; through Choice Air it was a little over $600. We were able to choose the airline we wanted, the times, etc. No hard sell or anything; very convenient as well as a great price break.

It is probably wise to book in advance, to be sure there are seats available with the carrier and times you want.

OP, thank you for your comments. We, too, were on the TA, and have been intending to write about it ever since.

This is Mrs. Shipgeeks writing; Mr. will probably write, as well.

Overall, we were very happy with the cruise.

Our cabin, an Ocean View on Deck 3, was wonderful. Our cabin attendants, Anthony and John, were outstanding.

I eat mainly vegetarian, and I found virtually every dish very tasty and nicely presented. Even though the menu always lists vegetarian items, if you are so inclined, it is worth asking for the vegetarian menu as well. Our MDR servers, Alex and Yazmyn, and Assistant Head Waiter, Anna, did an exemplary job. They had to deal with some very difficult passengers, and did so in a completely professional and caring way, and went out of their way to satisfy their wishes.

In Oceanview Café, the new tea, Fields&Select, was the best tea we've ever had. The coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain, was great the first four days, then became weak.

In Sky Lounge, at the Elite evening cocktail parties, we found all servers to be excellent. In particular, we were impressed with Braulio, Alin, Elif, Luv, and Tamara.

Now, I did have a few disappointments, and they were with a small number of our fellow passengers. Apart from the dining room complainers and demanders (who also ordered extra, custom-made courses, sent items back for replacements, and then moaned that dinner takes too long), I sensed a feeling of greed or entitlement here and there. Some seemed determined to get the greatest number of drinks, coffees, lox, juices and other items that they could possibly ingest.

Then there were the men who walked around the ship and in elevators with no shirts on. Decorum?

The ports were wonderful. We did not take any excursions, choosing to walk and explore each place on our own, having done some pre-cruise research. That was a very good decision. Naples, especially, was outstanding. We were so busy looking and experiencing that we neglected to take pictures.

Overall, an outstanding ship, itinerary, and cruise.

Lorene Yarnell, on Norway. She starred in "The Will Rogers Follies" in the theater, and around the ship she was just the sweetest person ever.

Other favorite: Attilio, a magician. His show was wonderful, and his closing comment, "Do you really want to know?", brought tears and a standing ovation.

We were directly under the casino on Silhouette recently. One of the quietest cabins we've ever had. We never would have known there was a casino within a mile of us.

On our recent Silhouette TA, the tea in the Ocean View was mostly Fields&Selects. It was excellent; organic, never became bitter, just made a very fine cuppa.

Now that we are home, we'd like to buy some. We can't find a website or other source. Can anyone help?

We were on Silhouette TA recently. The DJ and drummer were intended to be in Quasar every night. Apparently someone complained that music in Quasar could be heard in their cabin.... so they were moved to Martini Bar for the rest of the cruise. Not nearly as good a venue for dancing, but better than none at all.

The least movement is, as has been said, the middle of the ship at the middle of the ship. That means an inside cabin. The lowest possible deck is also the most stable -- closest to sick bay, as a guideline.

You said that visuals are the trigger for you. For that reason, I would avoid outside or balcony cabins, as you would be looking at a horizon that might appear to be moving.

Inside cabins are just as comfortable as outside or balcony; on Celebrity they are often even a bit larger. We've never found them to be claustrophobic or airless.

That said, chances are good that your cruise will be smooth and wonderful no matter where your cabin is.

Meridian

Century

Horizon & Zenith

Galaxy and Mercury

Equinox

Silhouette coming up in three days!

M class ships coming up in our future

Another reason to be booked on a later flight: Some airline counters at FCO do not even open until at least 8am. After checking in there, you have a couple more stages to go through before being ready to board. It all takes time.

Not really. We have been married for 42 years and I find no reason whatsoever to attract anyone other than my wife.;)

Uh....if your wife likes you in a tie or bow tie, isn't that reason enough?

Thank you, Biaria, and especially for thinking of other useful phrases!

Biaria, Thank you for all the good information you have given in these posts. We are looking forward to being in Funchal in a few weeks. Am I correct in believing that Portugese is the language? If so, can you give us a few phrases that we would like to be able to use, such as Good Morning, and Thank You?

Thank you!

I agree, it could be cool on deck, mainly because of the speed of the ship. Most likely mild to warm in ports.

I'm not sure if you were asking only re weather, but I'd like to add that transatlantics tend to be dressier in the evenings than the shorter local cruises.

Hmmm. I'm pondering......

Any cabin on a ship at sea is a good cabin.

We prefer oceanview to balcony, and this definitely is an oceanview (and bow view).

On our cruise, the weather was mild to cool. We prefer that for cruising anyway. For Caribbean or other warm weather cruise, the big window might make that part of the cabin too warm. You can close the shade, but then you don't have the view.

It is a long walk to elevators, stairs, and most public spaces. But good for walking off some calories.

I hope this helps, and that you will have a wonderful cruise. (You will.)

I'm sorry, but I don't think we have any photos. Our cabin had a very slanted forward window.