Travelling2Some

We have only sailed Celebrity once before but apparently have some status due to past cruises on Royal. I was going to pre-purchase a bag of laundry on the website but noticed that "Selects" are entitles to a discounted price on that. My question(s) are: How much is the discounted price, and, if I go ahead and pay for a bag of laundry now will the discounted amount be charged automatically? Thanks in advance for any info.

We booked late and the pickings were slim so I took Cabin 13169 on the Viva. Does anyone know what the white space is directly across the hall from this cabin? I am a bit concerned that it might be a crew staircase since it lines up with white space on other decks. Now that we're past final payment I'm wondering if more cabins have opened up and I should call our PCP about alternatives. Availability still looks tight on the website. TIA.

Agree. We just got off the Mardi Gras today and it was the second elegant night.

We are taking the same cruise in May. One of the things I liked about it is that the ports are very doable on your own. I don't see much need for guided tours on this itinerary. Check out a few guidebooks and decide what interests you. I would agree with the information posted already. There is also good information in the Rick Steve's travel forums as well as whatsinportdotcom.

The Oasis Class ships used to be our favorite. We, too, loved the Central Park balconies for the same reasons. However, the last time we were on Oasis the lovely Central Park atmosphere was absolutely shattered because they had moved the pool band onto the "bridge" the overlooks this area. Lousy music played very loud all day long! Now we would be reluctant to book what used to be our favorite cabins. We actually found the whole ship overly loud. (I think many entertainers believe that volume equals excitement.) Also, agree that these ships absolutely do not feel crowded.

The "trick" in Santorini is to book a ship sponsored excursion so you are able to get off early and be tendered over to Oia rather than have to deal with the cable car line. Once you get to Oia you can just tell the guide you are going off on your own if you prefer. Enjoy Oia and then take the public bus back to the main town of Fira (where the cable car is) whenever you are ready. One of our best travel memories is the dinner we had at sunset at a table perched right on the edge of the caldera overlooking the sea and our ship. We have been to all these ports a couple of times. Sounds like you have already done some research (since you knew about the ruins in Malta). Figure out what interests you most and ask more questions.

Here is the website for the private guide we used in Malta: https://www.maltatourguide.com/ We arranged this with two other couples on our Roll Call and she was excellent - both informative and fun. We toured the Hagar Quim Temple (probably the ruins you are interested in?), the M'dina and the Co-Cathedral. All are "don't miss" sites. Also don't miss the sail in/sail out for Valletta as it one of the most beautiful in the world.

Wow! I would definitely cancel too. Thank goodness it is before final payment and hoping you did not buy the airfare yet. They did a real "hatchet job" on our Panama Canal itinerary last winter but we were after final payment. Our last 3 cruises with NCL had iffy itinerary changes and it has definitely put me off the brand. We did book the Viva but we've also booked with several other lines whereas we used to look at NCL first. Now I also check the port schedules before making final payment to at least see if they really intend to call there!

Back when I was young and glamorous, I enjoyed dressing up. I'd pack matching shoes and jewelry for every outfit and bring two formal gowns. We could only take short cruises back then because of work and children so any vacation time we managed to get was very special. Times (and airline baggage fees) have changed. Now we are retired, the kids are grownups and we take month-long trips that usually "sandwich" a cruise between two land trips. No way are we dragging very limited use clothing through train stations in Europe and Asia. Color coordinated and carry-on only are now our watchwords.

Forgot to say . . . I think most people will tell you that any 4 day cruise on an inexpensive line is likely to be a "booze cruise" and may not be representative of the norm. If you take a longer cruise (especially something more than a week) not during spring break or school vacation you would likely find a very different clientele.

We were on the Sunshine out of Charleston a couple of years ago. We had to be there anyway and noticed it was sailing the day after the event we were in town for so it was a "what the heck" thing. Least favorite ship due to annoying layout and crowded feel but we still had a good time and got what we paid for, so no issues. We were on the Legend and Triumph years ago (when they were fairly new) and will be on the Mardi Gras the week after next. Have heard very good things about this class of ship being quite an upgrade from the older Carnival ships so we wanted to try it and are looking forward to it. Itinerary is no big deal. I'm not a beach lover but my husband is and we just like to take a break from the NYC winter in February. I think the Mardi Gras might turn out to be a bit too loud and "party hardy" but I'm open minded.

Apparently, I am quite the philanderer. I'm happy to sail on pretty much any ship that is going to places I want to go. We currently have one each booked on Celebrity, Carnival, Royal and NCL. Also looking at Princess for Japan and Alaska but will add land trips to those two. Got to step up the retirement recovery that was short circuited by the shut down.

Ahhh, the ever elusive "free lunch" strikes again.

We were on the Bliss last winter and were supposed to have an overnight in Panama City. We never docked and the only explanation came from a part-time resident of Panama who is very knowledgeable and posts on CC. The reason was (might still be?) that the dock and terminal there have been under construction for, literally, years. Not possible that NCL did not know this well in advance. By way of contrast, here's the way Captain Kate does things at Celebrity: Consideration is always good form, even when not required. Especially when it comes to your customers.

Not sure why you would think that? I said we were happy with the cruise. We liked Maui the best and would like to spend more time there than cruising allows next time though.

We stayed at Luna Simone. Small rooms but very clean, attractively decorated and well organized, lovely breakfast and a good price. What really made it stand out is that the No. 24 bus stop is directly in front of the door and that bus cuts right through the heart of London, taking you to pretty much any place you would want to go. Wonderful to be dropped off at your doorstep after a long day on your feet. It is a short walk to Westminster, the Tate, river cruises and the Churchill War Rooms. We also booked it for it's close proximity to Victoria Coach Station as we were planning to travel on to Bath for a few days before going down to Southampton to board our ship.

We did this in Rome between two different cruise lines. It was not a real problem, but we did have to insist to the port bus driver that we did not want to leave the cruise port. He wanted everyone to get off at the port gates and had difficulty understanding that we just wanted to go to a different pier. Our next ship was 5 hours late getting into port. That would have resulted in our missing the second cruise had it been reversed. I'm sure that is rare though and trip insurance would have covered it as a missed connection. We are doing something similar in a few months but leaving an overnight in a port hotel between the two ships just in case.

Food being a high priority was, of course, the other possibility. When planning our wedding my husband and I used to joke that we could not save any money because one of us was from a "foodie" culture and the other was from a culture that will eat anything but are VERY particular about what they will drink. You should, of course, spend on what you enjoy. With only 7 posts here and a screen name indicating that you are still figuring cruising out, I wanted to make sure you understood what is included in your cruise fare.

Going by your screen name, I am just hoping that you do realize that there is no need to ever eat at a specialty restaurant unless you want to. The main dining room or the buffet are always included in your cruise fare. We once met a young couple on their first cruise (honeymoon) who told us they were eating only in the buffet in order to save money. They believed that the main dining room was an extra charge.

Sounds a lot like Disney these days. Pay so much and then get so little. Somebody recently told me that they were "forced" to pay admission to the water park at Coco Cay or they would not be allowed off the ship. They must have misunderstood but it was a shame since they had a bunch of kids and didn't want them to be disappointed. I felt bad to tell them we have never paid and it was not mandatory.

NCL - the real home of the whopper.

A Agree. 60's music is still popular because it was genuinely classic. I always find it kind of sweet to see musicians playing the very nostalgic "Summer of '69" when it is clear not one of them was born yet. You know what they say though -- If you can remember the '60s you weren't there, ha ha.

No, I was not thinking of the covid restrictions, so thank you for that response. Reading the policy I bought (yea, I have a legal background so read them, lol) deliberately traveling to any area the US government advised you not to travel to would not be covered. We were taken by surprise at the port substitution, so no chance to switch insurance companies at that point, lol. Also, it would be an open question if I "decided" to visit that port against State Department advice, since I had no choice. I didn't get off the boat anyway since Acapulco did not interest to me. Have to wonder what would have happened if I had a medical issue while docked in the harbor though? Insurance companies are always looking for any reason to deny a claim.

Got to say that I am surprised by the discussion of pancakes. Assuming homemade, they would be about the cheapest of all foods. My dad grew up in the depression and he would not eat a pancake because that was all they could afford when he was a kid. Long story but we were in an impoverished country once and we had one egg and wanted to stretch it to feed several people. The solution was to make pancakes. I do like pancakes a lot but would never pay restaurant prices for them since they are so simple and I make much better ones at home.

Glad to hear that. They were the only mass market cruise line still stopping there. The crazy thing is that they substituted Acapulco for Costa Rica and told it was "out of concern for our safety". They really think the passengers are idiots.