Joanne G.

Thank you! That's "the other side of the story" that my business law professor explained to us in class. At the time, McDonald's coffee was kept at a temperature that was hotter than the norm for restaurants. She had blistering burns on her inner thighs, and I don't think any of us expect that from a cup of coffee.

Our observation after our first few Carnival cruises, mostly on Conquest class ships, was that without the amusement park features of Royal Caribbean or the newer NCL ships, the Carnival cruise director and his or her staff made a particular effort to get people involved in FUN activities - dance lessons, pool games, passenger talent show, and so forth. I remember one cruise director saying, "We want you to do something you've never done at home." While other cruise lines may have similar activities, we were struck by the strong focus on passenger involvement on our Carnival cruises. (Our previous cruises had been on HAL and older NCL ships.) One of the funniest things we ever watched on a cruise was on Carnival - an impromptu competition between a team of men and a team of women to choreograph a water ballet around and in the pool. 🤣

A few weeks ago a 2025 cruise around Ireland that I had booked disappeared as an option to book but then reappeared a few days later, much to my relief. Now this one - a friend and I are booked on the May 13 2024 Getaway northern Europe itinerary, which seems to have disappeared, along with everything else for a few months. And OMG just yesterday, we booked our air. We like to plan early. 😨 This doesn't look good, though the cruise still shows up in my account.

I recently returned from an 8-day vacation in Paris, my first visit, and I was solo. The day I landed, I decided to walk from my hotel to the Orsay museum, and I ended up feeling overwhelmed by the crowds, the traffic, and the streets angling every which way, which caused me to go off in the wrong direction a couple of times. Google maps had said it was a 24 minute walk, but it took me twice as long. Google must time it with local speedwalkers in the middle of the night when there is no traffic. I would not recommend an on-your-own excursion to Paris for your first visit, especially since you haven't been able to find out where you would be dropped off. As for visiting the Eiffel Tower, you would need to buy a timed ticket in advance, and they sell out quickly on the day they become available. It is a memorable experience, but it would be difficult to know what time to pick. Even with a timed ticket, security lines can be long. Waits for the elevator coming down are unpredictable. Personally, I would be a nervous wreck doing this on a cruise stop from Le Havre. However, there is a recent post on the ports of call board by a woman whose family did it last year, and she called it a glorious experience. As of the time of my visit in late May/early June this year, the major museums required or recommended timed tickets. It would be hard to know what time would best work with the timing and drop off point of the excursion. Even with a timed ticket, allow for security lines, especially at the Louvre. I used public transportation during my visit, but I had time to learn it. I didn't use taxis, but I did pass taxi stands occasionally, often with a small group waiting, so who knows how long you might wait to get one. It didn't appear that taxis could be hailed from the street as in New York, but I could be wrong. A taxi can be easier than figuring out the Metro on a first visit, but with the traffic, walking may almost be faster. If you heart is set on seeing Paris, the river boat cruise sounds like a good idea if it is available. If it is full and you go ahead with the on-your-own excursion, I will suggest the Batobus. It's a hop-on hop-off unnarrated boat ride. The full route takes about 90 minutes, lets you see the Eiffel Tower, some of the famous bridges and other sights along the river, costs 20 euros, and can be picked up in various locations. Check their website for which locations sell tickets; most do, but not all. I also did the HOHO bus, but it can be crowded to the point where you are not able to get on when you want and have to wait for the next bus. The Batobus always had lots of room, but of course I can't predict the situation on the day you might be there.

On my 3 upcoming European Carnival cruises this summer, excursion prices went up considerably, like 22-28%, between when I booked most of mine about 8 months out and when I decided on the last couple about 3 months out. And one that I wanted was sold out. 😟 I do not recall any Black Friday sales, but occasionally I have seen a discount of 10% if booked at the same time as an internet package. I have no idea what might happen with excursions on the OP’s particular cruise. But for me going forward, I will book early. I did cancel a couple when something more appealing became available, and the refund was processed within a few days.

Thank you! I do plan on going into the city after touring Britannia in the morning. I appreciate the directions.

Is the royal yacht walkable from the Newhaven tender port? Google maps says it is, but I don’t always trust them. Sometimes the distance isn’t great, but roads are not suitable for pedestrians. Thanks.

My sister and brother-in-law boarded yesterday and said it was pier 88.

Carnival announced its 2024 European itineraries just a few months ago, in March, I believe. That's much later than the other major cruise lines. I was interested in a Norway fjords itinerary, but eventually gave up waiting and booked Royal Caribbean. I have no idea if they will be as late this year, but I suggest being patient or looking at other lines if you like to plan early.

Thank you, both. I got to wondering because I recently returned to Chicago from Paris, and the announcement on the plane before landing was that everyone had to go through passport control/immigration/customs at this entry into the U.S. and retrieve their bags. Those continuing on from Chicago then had to recheck their bags. I thought that sounded like a pain that I would like to avoid if possible, but I had no idea of the regulations and procedures in other countries. Any of those layover options from Copenhagen seem manageable. I appreciate the information.

A friend and I are on a cruise next year that ends in Copenhagen. The return flights on our preferred airline have layovers at LHR. Will we have to retrieve baggage and go through passport control before re-checking bags and continuing on to Chicago? If so, it's hard to estimate what's a reasonable length of time for a layover. Would a flight from Copenhagen to Chicago with a layover in another EU country be simpler by eliminating passport controls during the layover? Another airline has layover options in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, and some others. The only airline flying nonstop from Copenhagen Chicago is SAS, but they don't have a non-stop to Heathrow, which we need as our cruise departs from Southhampton. Thanks for any insight. I am not familiar with procedures between airports in Europe. I hate layovers, but if there is no other choice, I prefer a layover on the way home rather than on the way to my vacation, and I would like to be able avoid passport lines until I return to the U.S., if that's possible.

I periodically check my reservations and cruise planners for my upcoming Pride July cruises in Europe to make sure everything in order. This morning, I saw in one port where I had booked morning and afternoon excursions, Carnival had me on the two excursions departing at the same time in the morning. I checked the current descriptions of the two excursions, and the afternoon time I had chosen for one of them was no longer an option. Carnival took the liberty of putting me on that excursion with a morning time, without regard to the fact that I had already booked a different excursion for the morning. I have no record of any notification of the change. I had to cancel one of them. I then checked my other booked excursions for my B2B cruises, and almost all of them are now at different start times from my original bookings, anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours difference. These time changes are mostly insignificant, but they may affect independent plans I might have had, even if that just meant exploring a port on my own before or after an excursion. I get that the changes may be out of Carnival's hands and dictated by the tour companies, but I feel a notification would be a courtesy. And there is no excuse for putting me on two excursions at the same time in the same port. At least I noticed it now and could cancel with a refund to my credit card. So, I advise everyone who has booked Carnival excursions to periodically check their cruise planner if they aren't already doing so!

Boomer here. I learned in 1968, not from my parents. In a dorm at UW-Madison. From other boomers. Sometimes no other words will do! But I have always been careful when and where to let loose, which is not in general conversation with others around. Maybe that is the generational difference. Since all generations and types take cruises, I have to be prepared for behavior I might not like. Rather than expecting Carnival to take on the nearly impossible tasks of policing everyone's behavior and language that might bother me, I would ignore them or remove myself from them.

That's great you can do it on the website, assuming a refundable deposit, of course. I had to call to cancel a Princess and a Royal Caribbean cruise, with a fair amount of time waiting on hold and then give a reason why I was canceling.

Good suggestion. Another idea, if you have a post-cruise stay, is to use remaining currency towards the hotel bill. Or - the best idea - plan more European cruises so you can use the currency on subsequent vacations. 😁

For my upcoming Carnival cruises, excursions that have shown as sold out have later shown availability, due to, I presume, cancellations or another bus being added. People need to keep checking, or they need to book and pay as early as I do. Like Eli_6, I don't book anything that I don't expect to go on, but I will cancel and book a newly available and more appealing option without feeling guilty that I kept someone else from taking the first one. Princess does it better by having an official waiting list for excursions, and they'll notify you if spots open up. NCL does it much worse by no longer showing other options in a given port that conflict with a booked excursion. Celebrity does it best of all by letting you see actual excursions for a particular cruise before making the decision to book that cruise. Now I know Carnival's way, at least in Europe - book early to avoid later BIG price increases, but keep checking as new ones may appear later. And book with a credit card!

You make an excellent point about the particular issue with European itineraries, where, for my 3 European cruises this year, Carnival's release of excursions has been slow and piecemeal. Glad to hear you finally got your refund, and thank you for sharing your experience with the gift cards. I canceled one Carnival excursion paid by credit card and got a prompt refund. If I ever have gift cards, I will remember your experience.

I don't currently have the Chase offer, but I when I had it a few months ago, I was able to use it for the internet package. Sweet deal!

Carnival was the last of the major lines to release 2024 itineraries, which they did just a couple months ago. I don't think any of us know when 2025 will be open for booking, but I wouldn't expect it to be soon.

I booked a similar itinerary with NCL for 2025. I vacationed in Dublin and Galway last year and left wanting to see more of Ireland. But driving a rental car on the left side of the road is absolutely out of the question for me. Bus tours are unappealing as I'd rather have the convenience of unpacking only once on a cruise. Tender ports limit your time in a city, but on the other hand, most of the transportation between cities on a cruise is while you sleep, as opposed to daytime hours being used for road trips between cities. With NCL's low and refundable deposits, I jumped on this cruise, and my only complaint was that it is pretty pricy. Supply and demand, I imagine, as this is an uncommon itinerary.

My intent is to follow all the guidelines for the vaccine and boosters, and I have had a total of 5. The last one was Sept of 2022. Did I miss a recommendation for another booster? Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sorry it happened to you and your son, but I appreciate knowing how it was handled on the ship.

Thank you all for the information. I spent so much time searching itineraries that I didn't give a thought to the layout of the cabin. I figured all balconies along that deck in that category would be the same. It was only after I started reading the Celebrity board (after not having been on Celebrity in years) that I learned they may not all be the same. And I missed the great resource of that cabin information compilation. Live and learn! I haven't decided if I'll ask my travel agent to change it. Thanks again.

Thanks. I probably would have picked the bed by the bathroom, in order to sit by the balcony door to enjoy the view. But I'm not sure it worth the trouble to switch. And I expect to be sitting outside on the balcony. Are there reasons others prefer the bed by the balcony door?

Thanks for the quick response. Mine has neither a square nor a triangle, so apparently that means bed by the balcony door. That's OK, and I am solo, so it wouldn't make sense for me to take a cabin for 3 or 4.

Do the layouts Deck 8 balcony cabins on the Equinox alternate between bed by the balcony door and bed by the bathroom? And if so, is there a way to determine which my cabin 8268 is? I didn't think of this when booking, and I am not sure it matters a lot to me, but after reading discussions regarding other ships, now I am curious.