HelenREMfan

Alas Perry replied to my comment on his FB page that he would be going home on a break for our Eclipse sailing on 7th June..... I am disappointed as he has been on our last 2 cruises. He will be missed.( I will however get away with the fact that I have not as yet replaced the kitchen work surfaces)

Alas he isn't on the 7th June sailing on the Eclipse to the Baltic. I am disappointed. I think he is taking a break when he leaves the Eclipse on the 7th

I have just returned from a lovely cruise on the Eclipse. I had previously seen Perry perform one night on the Constellation last year and enjoyed the show. I am a rock fan..... see the CC nick! One would not categorise me as a "Perry groupie"! However what does one notice about this performer? Well I saw someone working at entertaining a full small venue on the ship. I agree that he shines in the more intimate venue of a club but he also did a good theatre show too! I went to more shows on this last 14 day cruise - previously we went to only one on the Constellation as really they are not usually our "thing" I enjoyed the sEclipse shows for what they were and as the performers were working hard to entertain me I do not see the point in being hypercritical. At the end of the day if a form of entertainment isn't going to suit then don't go to the show - go to one of the other kinds of evening activity!

From what I have seen the evening with Perry provides a good laugh, the opportunity to smile at oneself (and others) I am quite sure Celebrity would not be employing him - figure it out.... why would they employ someone just for one theatre show and evening performances in what is a very small venue if it didn't pay off massively for them? Of course it pays off as he entertains As for the rather snide comments about whether the comedy is "modern" I would have said some comedy is timeless - I can watch the 60s film "It's a mad mad world" over and over and still laugh out loud!

Finally I would comment about what others have said, I saw Perry about the ship and he always spoke to people - he actually came up to me and spoke and remembered my name ! He was "on duty" even when trying to have some lunch. In my book that is being a professional - he and the cruise director Sue seem to have the old fashioned belief that they are not the "celebrity" kind of celebrity on "Celebrity" but are there to see that their customer base have a good time. That is pretty good going in my book.

We did the wine Immersion cruise last year. I have been to Normandy extensively in the past but my American husband had never been to WW2 sites so I elected to take the Celebrity tour. On another cruise we were on an "official" trip and there were horrendous holdups leaving Florence which meant that we got back to the ship hours late! The word was another couple on an independent trip did not make it out of Florence and had to do a hotel overnight stay (I imagine they were probably as soaked as well were as there had been a torrential downpour and thunderstorm which flooded roads and underpasses there ) and then get themselves to the port for Rome to rejoin the sip the next day. Ouch!

The tour was good, our guide informative and efficient. There was enough time at the US cemetery. I did the Caen peace museum trip and not the Bayeux tapestry (I had previously taken a trip of schoolchildren to see it!) The tapestry is....long and interesting.... and can recommend it.

If I were to do Normandy again I would probably hire a car and drive from Le Havre to Honfleur - a lovely little town. I personally have no problem with driving in France and it all adds to the experience (but then I do speak French, I would probably not be as confident in say Portugal where I don't speak the language!)

I am probably now one of the people one might find irritating on a coach, as I have osteo arthritis and my knees are a pain! I try to sit on the coach til everyone else has got off so I don't hold them up before getting off. As a stress-head traveller and ex organiser of school trips and parties - I could no more be late back to a meet time than sprint 100m with Mr Bolt! Irritating people on a coach trip are a risk one takes but I would try very hard to overlook them so as not to waste a precious minute.

Hope you have wonderful excursions whichever method you get to try.