Travelling2Some

That's great! Same thing happened to us a few years ago. We were upgraded at the last minute from an inside to an Aqua suite. It was an itinerary that included ports in Israel. I think because they had lots of church groups who likely didn't want to be separated. So I'm guessing they moved some of the "independents" around to accommodate them.

Thanks, everyone. I will give it a go.

We have not sailed Celebrity for a few years and do not remember the specifics. We were in Aqua last time and this time are just in a regular cabin. We have the flexible dining but would like to make some dinner reservations (at all different times, not a single time every night). Is this possible? Will it help to avoid waits or is it unnecessary? We are on the Constellation in Europe in May. Thank you.

Very true. BUT sometimes you are deciding between several options and the choice of entertainment will factor into which ship/line you will book. And if you decided on a particular ship and perhaps even paid more for it as opposed to other choices you considered, you might just be a teeny bit peeved.

Yup, just like when they told us that they were ditching Costa Rica and substituting Alcapulco (Level 4 - do NOT travel per the State Department) "for our safety". They obviously think the passengers are idiots.

We were on a land trip, not a cruise, but we saw cruise ships tied up in this exact place, which is ideally located adjacent to Mallory Square. Really couldn't ask for a better location!

That first day is rough. You keep looking for the buffet and hoping someone will wait on you or at least bring you a drink 😞

Great! Cruise/restaurant food is salty so some of the gain is water. I've had very good results from intermittent fasting combined with Keto. Keto drastically reduces appetite after the first few days, which makes it very easy not to eat. Although I suspect it will not work for emotional eaters because they will eat when they are not hungry. BTW, I was very happy to see how small the portions are on Celebrity. I like to try things but I don't want the calories or the waste if I don't like it.

I have friends that want to know too!

Only had what you are describing happen once maybe 4 years ago and I cannot recall the airline. I thought it was ridiculous and just re-booked a non-stop. We almost always fly Delta. Maybe this is more common on AA.

Based on your remarks, I think you will like NCL. It hits the nice middle ground between stuffy and crazy and steers clear of redneck, lol.

Thank you for a wonderful "sail along". We are on the Constellation in May. I will be thinking of you and torn between all the wonderful treats you generously shared and the warning about the darn 18 lbs. I wonder what will win . . . Nahhh, I already know.

You can book the train online months beforehand and eliminate the worry about it selling out. You can see the Flam train station from where the boat docks (about 2 blocks away). The little station building was jammed with loads of people trying to buy tickets on the day of (which is a lost cause) but they could have easily bought them on the website (norwaysbest.com) in advance. The experience is exactly the same no matter how you got your ticket except for the waffle and $131 is way too much to pay for a waffle. Plenty of waffles on the ship for free.

Yes, even though, in general, Carnival is fine but not "our vibe". We would still be interested in one of their transatlantic or northern European cruises.

Double post, apologies.

Wow, I know NCL seems determined to get rid of their Broadway style shows but this is the first time I have ever seen mention of Beetlejuice being removed from the Viva. Are you sure? Entertainment is very important to us too and NCL is becoming disappointing in that area. We, too, have tried a couple of other lines recently because of this and also because of the frequent itinerary disruptions. Royal seems headed in the right direction, making a serious effort to bring back their quality entertainment. We recently tried the Carnival Mardi Gras. Had a good time and were not sorry at all but not really a good fit for us. (Too much tech and hard to schedule things in advance.) Agree with the rest of your post. Like you, we choose a cruise for itinerary and entertainment. Food and service have always been fine on any line (have not tried MSC). We don't care about the age or size of the ship, and we don't have any use for racetracks, casinos, butlers, spas or even pools. We just want to see the destinations and come back to a relaxing dinner, a decent quality show and wake up in the ports as advertised (barring weather or true emergencies, as we are reasonable people.)

I just saw someone mention in a post on another NCL thread that Beetlejuice has been canceled on future Viva sailings? I very much hope they are mistaken as it is one of the reasons we booked that ship (in spite of the price!). Can anyone say if this is true or not? It is still shown on our June cruise but that doesn't mean much as they are still advertising that Donna Summer is on the Prima.

Some might say that they would not recognize me without a wine glass in my hand. A bit judgy and I might be temped to reply that I wouldn't recognize them without a fork in their hand and a mouth full of cake.

Have never had that happen, but Celebrity is not our usual cruise line so we will see.

One of the first things I do when we get onboard is stop by one of the bars and ask for two wine glasses for the room. Very common request I'm sure since people bring wine on board and would now like to have something to drink it out of. So it follows that the glass of wine you are now carrying to dinner looks exactly like a glass of wine you just bought at one of the bars. It certainly doesn't look unusual in the least.

We used to take an annual camping trip when our kids were growing up and have very fond memories of drawing our cots together to play cards by lantern light on rainy nights. Thanks for bringing that up!

I was told that the FDA insists that preservatives be added and it changes the taste.

You know, when I walked by this in the early morning I wasn't sure if this was some new kind of fancy chair hogging or somebody had a lot of time on their hands. Did not know it was a Carnival thing.

Sorry, double post.