Carol4158

If you have two weeks to spend in Europe then do a 7-8 day cruise to see a selection of places but start and finish it in places you would like to stay for longer. A starting or ending point in Rome, Venice or Barcelona could occupy two or three days whereas for some ports one day would be entirely sufficient.  

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Frankly, I would probably never fly to Europe for less than a two week cruise or land tour.

 

We have done just about every cruise that can be done from Europe.

For a first time visit, I would go with Italy and do a 10 cruise minimum.  The Venice to Rome cruise is great.

 

Other options are the Greek Islands including Athens and/or Istanbul.

We had a great Black Sea cruise, but not sure they are available any more.

Western Med including Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Monaco and port for Florence.

British Isles cruises are great.

Baltic Sea cruises that include St. Petersburg, Russia.

Norway cruises that go up to the North Cape.  Amazing scenery.

Hi. I’m looking at a ‘lift and shift’ at the moment. My dilemma is I am currently booked in an ocean view ( no balcony ) and I’d much prefer to be in a balcony for a future cruise. The lift and shift says same category. Does anyone have any experience of trying to pay for an upgraded cabin using lift and shift? 

Thanks so much for your very prompt replies. I’ll put your advice into action next time!

That’s really useful to know. Thank-you.
From what you have said it would appear we had a less than interested waiter as he had to be reminded to bring the vegetarian menu to the table almost every night and he stood back and watched while we tried to mix and match soups and salads from the starter menu when there wasn’t a suitable main course. My feelings now are that he could have made this suggestion to us but chose not to.

Would you suggest that I speak to the head waiter on the first night for future cruises? 

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

It sounds like you only saw what was on the menu what you thought might be the only offerings and that is not the 'usual'  for X.

 

Being a vegan and never really enjoying many of the 'uninspired' pre-selected items, I let the Chef decide what they wish to prepare what is NOT on menu. 90%+ of the time I have been greatly satisfied with the presentation and creativity.

 

Risotto, lasagna, pasta made from vegetables, stuffed squash are a few of the dishes which were not on the menu yet prepared for me.

 

They are only limited by the types of ingredients aboard and your imagination for the asking.

 

The only reason one of the many 'specific' dietary requests will not be made is due to their not speaking up and requesting something different and provide an idea as to what works good for you or the eater, especially in the MDR.

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

I’m recently back from a Reflection cruise - albeit out of Lisbon. I didn’t see a single DJ but people were dressed more smartly on Evening Chic nights. In our area of the dining room men wore jackets and ties. Ladies wore dresses or trousers with nice tops. I didn’t notice any designer jeans any night! It was all very relaxed and enjoyable. 

Thanks for that. After cruising for 20 years I’ve witnessed a decline in food quality and a reduction in the levels of service due to waiters having too many tables and less support. I have happy but distant memories of desserts cooked at the table side, sommeliers and wonderful filet mignon without having to go to a speciality restaurant. 

At least on this cruise all the menus will be new to me and that in itself is something to look forward to. 😀

13 hours ago, Ma Bell said:

It's only one indication that someone may use to give them an idea of what to expect. We all have different experiences and tastes so the same can be said for anything that is subjective.

 

I'm more likely to value the opinion of someone I know because I would have a good idea about their taste level. That being said,  reading reviews and seeing photos can certainly be somewhat helpful to others. If not, they may as well shut down all these kinds of websites or one can always just pass them by.

 

Here is a link to a frequent Celebrity cruiser. He always provides wonderful photos of the various dining venues a well as a lot more valuable information. Thanks to Mike Preisman,

http://www.thepreismans.com/cruise_reviews.html

Thank you so much for that link. I’ll enjoy looking at it. 

8 hours ago, mom says said:

In what fashion was I criticizing your query? I simply asked a question about your question. 

 

However, this is an open forum. If you are averse to any perceived criticism, directed towards yourself or anyone else. I suggest you try to be a little less sensitive.

Well then, thank you for finding the time to ask a question about my question.

In response I’ll say I enjoy finding out as much as I can about my travels before I leave - that includes looking at  information and pictures of the ship and the ports, reading reviews and advice, planning how I’ll spend my days and generally building a sense of anticipation. If I sail on RCCL or NCL I know almost exactly what to expect. I don’t know with Celebrity as it’s my first time...and I’m really looking forward to it. 

Yes, the pictures don’t define the taste, the serving temperature, the quality of service or the level of enjoyment. Just as the cabin photos I’ve seen don’t tell me about the quality of the mattress and bedding or the theatre photos about the professionalism of the performers. But, I enjoy the anticipation of all aspects of a cruise. I hope that helps you to understand the reason behind my initial request. 

Any further photos will be gratefully appreciated....regardless of quality. 

56 minutes ago, mom says said:

I'm curious- how does a photo (of possibly dubious quality) tell you whether or not a given dish tastes as it should? I've seen plenty of examples over the years of things that look good and taste awful ( and vice versa).

Hi

I’m not really concerned about the quality of the photograph. If anyone does respond  I’ll be grateful that they’ve read my post and taken the time to satisfy my curiosity.

I fully agree you can’t define taste from a photograph, and I’d never expect that to be the case.

To be honest I’m more than a little saddened that a polite request from me should be so open to criticism from someone I’ve never met. If you wanted to know something and I could help you then I would - but I certainly wouldn’t state my concerns about your question. 

To those who have replied already - thank you for your time and consideration. 

Thanks- I’ll give that a try

Thanks for trying to help. I know it’s not that. I’ve just tried again and it’s still locked.

There is a thread on the first page about this.

 

It is titled "On Board Credit" which helps find it. (hint)

Thank you. You are so thoughtful and helpful to respond in such a positive way. How could I possibly be so stupid. Have a nice day!

Thanks for all the replies. We got the UBP when we booked so no need to spend it on our drinks. Is it safe to leave the UDP until we are on board? I've been told they only sell a limited amount if these? If so I suppose I could use the credit for that.

Hi. Can anyone tell me if my on board credit can be used for the daily service charges? Just wondering if there is any advantage to paying it upfront and,as we have the UBP, I'm just wondering how else to spend my credit?

Hi. I am completely new to NCL so apologies if this has been covered before.

Can anyone tell me if my on board credit can be used to pay gratuities? Just wondering whether to pay up front or not.

Thanks.

Have you prepaid your gratuities? Could it be used for that?

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/whats-on-board/entertainment

This might help...looks as if there will be a few changes.

Are places limited on the Posh deck so I will always be guaranteed a sunbed?

Not much if you have a small, badly designed room. We usually get a suite and spend lots of time in it.

We don't cruise to spend time in the room. I could stay at home and do that!

We are travelling with friends who don't have diamond status. It is unlikely that we will have three dinks each before 8.30 so can we use the vouchers to buy drinks for our friends? Has anyone else tried this?

Thanks everyone. We go in three weeks and as this is our first ship without a diamond lounge I was just wondering what the event would be like.

:)

Hi. Can anyone who has sailed recently on Navigator in Europe tell me where the Diamond Event is held? What was available?

Thanks.

I have one on my bum! It gets bigger every time they launch a new ship .... can't work out why. Wish they would go back to smaller ships.