Travelling2Some

Yes it was a different world and we had so much freedom. That famous "generation gap" was very useful;)

We went to a Jefferson Airplane Reunion concert a number of years ago and were chatting with some much younger folks next to us. They remarked, "Well I guess nobody as ever seen Jefferson Airplane before!" When I said that I had they said that it must have been Jefferson Starship. When I said, "no, Airplane, 1968" they were shocked and asked, "How old ARE you? Were you at Woodstock?" Nope, but I was 14 and remember the tickets for Woodstock being on sale. Would have gone had it been known that Woodstock would be WOODSTOCK but I was in enough trouble that week already so I figured I better not aggravate the parental units any further.

As a fellow inside cabin denizen, I agree. We have the beds split when that is the case. Not very romantic but the open space in the middle does make the cabin much more comfortable.

I try things that I "know" I don't like once every couple of years and I've been surprised a time or two. It's usually still a bust but your tastes can change over time and it can be worth experimenting. I have a friend who has never tried a single bite of many common foods. I had to ask her how she can be so sure one of these many things would not turn out to be her favorite food if she never even tries them?

I am really loving your descriptions of the Beyond the Podium offerings and hope they have similar on our cruise. I would like this sort of thing much better than game shows and (oh no!) hairy leg contests. The food porn is great too, lol.

Ahh . . . you are correct that it totally depends on your luggage. We usually cruise in Europe and many of the train stations there make Penn look like a piece of cake, lol. Hence we only bring one carry-on and a backpack which, of course, is no issue on escalators or trains. We are two retired adults so, of course, if you've got kids with you that is not going to work.

First time we ever cruised was because I noticed a brochure at one of the warehouse type stores and I was thinking it would be a good experience for the kids. We wanted to expose them to lots of different things and thought this cruise would just be a one-time thing. We were four to a room (2 connecting inside rooms) on the old NCL Sea and we all had a blast. I guess it helped that we had a lot of experience camping out in one big tent, lol. Anyway the kids (and us) all got hooked on cruising and are have now talked their spouses into it too all these years later. Our newest generation of cruisers can be found in the "splash pad" lol. Interestingly, we have never felt the need to upgrade much (although our kids like to live large). We book OVs and balconies sometimes if the price is right but don't really put much value on them. Half the time we hardly use the balcony for any number of reasons. Last time we had one we had very noisy neighbors, for example. We once miraculously got upgraded to one of the better suites (from an inside!) on a Celebrity ship. Of course it was "better" objectively but not anything we would be willing to pay for even with the "special" dining room and spa inclusions. We usually cruise in Europe and are interested in the ports, not interested in luxury while on a ship. Although I will pay for better hotel rooms/suites on land because we get much more use out of them. (On a ship we are out and about all the time but on land we stay in and relax at night.) I'll also spend on furniture and household things because they are permanent fixtures. We have a lot of antiques, for example. In other words, I'll pay for something I want but it definitely has to be value for money.

Best place to ask this is the Cruise Critic East Coast Departures Board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/317-east-coast-departures/ I live in NY but that means I never stay in hotels here.

"The ole gal is in pretty good shape for her age, just oddly designed with a number of choke points." For a minute, I was not sure if you meant your mom or the ship! But seriously, enjoying your review. We have been on the Constellation previously and will be again in May.

Take the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station in Manhattan and then Uber to Bayonne.

It seems to depend on the ship. I guess some restaurant managers are more rigid than others. I have had no problem sometimes but it is hit or miss. (And there is no way I'm paying for a suite to get a wedge of lettuce and a bowl of soup as someone else suggested. That would be very poor value for money!)

True. That was my point in saying that including the specific ship name and date turns your magnets into attractive souvenirs for thieves. Adding your names/pineapple/home town would kill the buzz for them. This is exactly the reason that many high end hotels have stopped putting their logo on their towels.

In the same vein, we were having dinner in Cucina on the Bliss when the cast of SIX suddenly co-opted the venue for a photo shoot. They were quite loud, laughing and calling back and forth to each other and it was very disruptive to those of us who were hoping for a quiet (even romantic?) dinner. It was a FAS meal or I would have been seriously ticked and complained.

We cruise for mainly for itinerary. Beyond that, what we want from a ship is a relaxing dinner and nightly entertainment when we come back in the evenings. We're not picky about food, service, amenities or age of the ship. Our last 3 NCL cruises have had the kind of itinerary changes that bother people (no reasonable explanation, shortly after final payment, and excuses that were obvious nonsense). I know many here have been luckier but we have experienced more than our fair share of itinerary changes. We prefer NCL but this has made me look more closely at other lines. Comparing ships going out of NYC this coming winter I was surprised that the entertainment on Royal's Odyssey of the Seas seem to be close to pre-pandemic levels and I think we will be booking our winter cruise with them.

Way back in high school I knew somebody who shoplifted from Walmart regularly. I had to ask her why she didn't go to higher end stores instead since, obviously, price was no object. All stealing is wrong of course, but that there is just common sense. My economy compact car is 10 years old and one of the benefits of owning it is that nobody sensible would steal it.

Yes to all your suggestions. In Cagney's I have tried asking for a soup or salad instead of an appetizer and been told they will not substitute. Was told I MUST order an appetizer, main and dessert. (I didn't want the dessert either.) There was a whole thread about this awhile back and the consensus was that it depended on which ship you were on. I would have been very happy with either the French onion soup or the wedge salad but they would not budge on the Bliss. Very strange and rigid behavior since I'm sure my choices cost less than any of the seafood appetizers. We do enjoy Le Bistro but even the smell of lobster is off putting to me. I usually get the filet or duck and my husband would agree with you about the lobster thermidor. I've never gone hungry on a cruise ship for sure but I love pasta a do wish they would stop dumping seafood on so much of it. Agree that adult beverages are far more important!

I'm guessing your particular magnets made attractive souvenirs, unfortunately, since they were ship and date specific. No excuse for theft, of course. I always put a single small magnet on our cabin door simply because I have trouble remembering numbers. I think it has lasted through 20 cruises on all different lines simply because it's small and nondescript. I do sympathize as I have done a lot of semi-professional party decor and some people feel free to walk off with stuff I own and plan to use again at other events.

Well said! What is important to one person might be meaningless to another.

There are a substantial number of people (like me) who do not eat seafood/fish at all, so beef dishes are important to us. We no longer go to Cagney's because, oddly, every single appetizer involves seafood. (Kind of weird in a venue billed as a steakhouse.) What I would really appreciate is if they would STOP putting seafood in so many of the pasta dishes. I've asked if it can be removed but the answer has been no, that is is cooked into the sauce so the dish would still taste fishy.

We have used Italytours.eu several times for shore excursions and were very happy with their service. We only take the ship sponsored excursions if the destination is very far away or sometimes if an "on your own" (transportation only) is offered at a reasonable price. The suggestion to join the Roll Call for your specific sailing is very good advice as people will likely be arranging small group tours.

Quoting myself (I know, weird). Just wanted to add that we have been on the Jade 3 times (if you count once way back when she was the Pride of Hawaii) and especially enjoyed the Great Outdoors and the big Spinnaker Lounge up front. Looking at my post above, I realized that I cheap out on cruise cabins but generally book nicer hotel rooms. Had to think about that for a minute since both are "rentals"! Realized that, on a cruise, we are usually out in the port all day and then spend our evenings having a sit-down dinner, seeing the shows and being out and about enjoying the ship. On land vacations our habit is eat early and then stay in for the evening relaxing. So we get good use out of that "rental".

I would use less coffee and top it off with a shot of Kaluha from the bar 🙂

I look at it the same way, lol. It's just rented space. We usually go with insides but will take an OV or balcony once in awhile if the price difference is reasonable. When I spend $600 to rent a window for a few days I feel like I should be able to take it home with me!

Agree that the food on the Bliss was outstanding, especially the Indian cuisine. The fettuccine Alfredo I had in The Local was actually slightly better than it was in La Cucina.

I don't think you will have a problem in European ports, especially if they are in northern Europe. Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii are VERY strict. You cannot transport unsealed food from one Hawaiian island to another even though it is the same state.