lisiamc

We were recently in 6017, directly above the middle of the Cabaret Lounge on Onward, and it was fine. Yes, we heard the entertainers rehearsing every evening, but it wasn’t during unsociable hours - it usually started at about 6pm. We went to bed after the later show had finished every evening, so other than the hour of rehearsals, there was very little noise when we were in our cabin. In fact, the rehearsals were our superpower - we had a sneak preview of the shows and knew which ones we shouldn’t miss! Very handy. 😁

We have done 24 Azamara cruises, and six Viking Ocean cruises. We like both lines, but there are some things on Azamara that make a big difference for us. There is more trivia on Azamara (although Azamara seem to be testing the idea of no morning trivia on port days 😢) There are more late nights and overnights in port on Azamara than on Viking. There are also now more different, destination-focused activities on Azamara - the new Destination Immersion evenings (buffet and entertainment on deck, strongly focusing on the country/port) in addition to the on-shore Azamazing Evenings that we had on Onward in August were a big hit with us. Edited to add: Viking have very nice showers and bathrooms, no question. (I am very appreciative of the heated floors!) On the other hand, I never spend more than 10 minutes/day in the shower, and we have managed just fine in Azamara showers and bathrooms since 2007.

I might be able to supply a new candidate for that title. Have you ever tried Egyptian white wine? Some of the reds we had were actually pretty drinkable, but we had two whites last year that stand out in my memory for all the wrong reasons!

I know you’re also a Viking enthusiast, and we were on Neptune for New Year’s Eve this year. It was a very good party, beside the pool. No one went for a swim, appropriately dressed or otherwise, but there was lots of good music, and many sociable people.

I had some friends receive an email that was somewhat similar. They run a B&B, and were asked if they could accommodate a fairly large group of people, provide meals, etc. Something about the wording just sounded a bit… off. They responded asking for more information. They were then told that because this was being organised by a hospitality group, the B&B bill would be paid in advance with a bank draft. It would be for a set amount, more than twice what the actual bill would be, and the B&B could refund the extra to the organisers. Since this was obviously a scam, they didn’t take it any further. I don’t think the “organisers” actually had a group looking for a place to stay. The approach to you could be something along the same lines.

I don’t know your age group, but Virgin ships seem very popular with those who enjoy all the bells and whistles. They’re quite a bit smaller than RCCL mega-ships, but I hear very good things about the food and the entertainment. They started out looking for a very young crowd, but seem very popular with late-40s, 50s, and young-outlook 60s.

In your shoes, I’d be tempted to book a b2b with one of the cruise lines who do a horseshoe-shaped itinerary for a few trips in the winter. Viking did a few Panama Canal cruises with Mars this winter, I think. Trip One: From Florida, through the canal, up to California. Trip Two: From California, through the canal and up to Florida. I think that would be fun - about two weeks each leg. I’d love a month on the ship!

You’ve had some great suggestions. If you start from the most recent end of that really long thread about restaurants and work backwards, it won’t take you even two minutes to get a load of recommendations for Rome. I think you’re safe to choose whichever restaurants sound good to the foodie adults - I’m not sure I’ve ever been in a restaurant in Italy for lunch or dinner that didn’t have at least a few kids in it, happily chowing down. They won’t all serve pizza, especially at lunchtime, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t serve pasta of some sort.

If I had to take a guess, more people own cell phones/smartphones these days than own conventional or digital cameras.

That’s cute! I often buy a cheap supermarket shopping bag as a souvenir when we travel. My two current favourites are one from Albertson’s in Idaho, and one from New Zealand. They weigh very little, and fold nicely flat. Easy to get home, and handy to use on a cruise!

I would say don’t bring a lovely, new, expensive bathing suit on a cruise, or if you do, only use it for sunbathing. I’ve heard so many stories about the chemicals/salt water really giving a bathing suit a beating. (I don’t know first-hand. I can swim, and I will swim to avoid drowning, but I don’t enjoy it. And I’m really not keen on the “human soup” effect of loads of people sharing small pools and hot tubs!) Bring an old but still presentable suit if you can. That way you won’t mind so much if all the colour leaches out of it!

We are late to bed, so we’re quite likely to be some of the ones having a nightcap up there! I also hear that when Mr Motivator is on board, his class starts at 9.30. Perfect for us.

I was booted out of a cocktail party on a Celebrity ship because my sandals with high heels and jewelled straps were dubbed flip-flops because they had a strap that went between my toes. I wasn’t terribly happy, but I did accept that if they wanted to enforce the rules (no flip-flops) there were going to be some interesting judgement calls. It did make me laugh that I could have worn my wellies and been allowed in because they were not flip-flops. You can trust that I would have worn them, if only they had been with me! 😀 That may be one of the many reasons we no longer sail with Celebrity, but it isn’t one of the important ones.

Vanishingly unlikely. No cruise line is going to send crew, passengers, or ships into harms’s way.

I think our cruise (17 March) Adriatic at Easter, seems fairly full, although I don’t know that for sure. Today, we were allocated our cabin, on Deck A, under the Britannia Lounge. We’re in a nice location, IMO.