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Hi! So glad you had a wonderful experience for your first cruise! We have about 60 cruises under our belt, on several different cruise lines, and, truthfully, we have never had a bad cruise or met a ship that we disliked. Celebrity has a great product, and you would not go wrong sticking with them. Their loyalty program is one of the best. Just be careful if you want a traditional balcony as the newer Celebrity ships have an infinite verandah which is basically inside the cabin with a big window that opens. On the other hand, you might enjoy trying some of the other cruise lines for variety of itineraries, dining, and entertainment. If you enjoy daily lectures and enrichment programs, Crystal is noted for those. If you bring children or grandchildren, Royal Caribbean is a must! The newer ships are amusement parks with propellers! Good luck with whatever you choose!

Thank you everyone for your quick responses and great ideas - with a few chuckles thrown in as well! The “winner” is the poodle “Clo” who suggested I print out and carry the meds page from my physician's online portal (similar to My Chart) that has everything listed. Now I will just use my 7-day pill caddy and refill it each week from my supplies in the ziplock baggies. Safe travels everyone!

In the past, we have always kept our few medications in original containers while traveling to and from cruise ships. Now we are getting older, and we need more stuff! I buy large quantities of certain vitamins and supplements in jumbo containers. If I packed all these bottles, they would take up most of my carryon! Would it be a problem if I carry a 3-week supply of each pill in a labeled ziplock baggie? (I will be flying in and out of Amsterdam and Chile this year.). Thanks for your help!

If you go to the Silversea board on this website and click on the thread started by Twangster called “Live from the Wind in Antarctica”, you can read a wonderful hour-by-hour journal of this man's experience on the Silver Wind. It really gives you an excellent idea what to expect. His photos are magnificent!

I very much enjoyed reading this travelogue and seeing the photos. Twangster: Job well done! I would like to contact a fellow Dolphins fan - Taxatty if you see this, please contact me at variousmail at BellSouth dot net. thank you, Ilene

We are debating the same issue. I use the following logic to justify a drive-by cruise instead of an expedition cruise: if I'm not setting foot on the continent, there is no chance I'm going to slip on the ice and break a hip! LOL! Additionally, there are good opportunities to mingle with the penguins in the Falklands.

If I were you, I would look for a Girona tour that includes Besalu. If there isn’t one, find another couple to share a private day tour to Girona and Besalu. Besalu is a MUST!! If you happen to be Jewish, Besalu is even more important!

We can’t figure this out! We saw a photo online of a Deck 5 verandah cabin showing the entire top of the lifeboat right below the verandah. Of course you have a great view OVER the lifeboat, but these cabins should be less expensive, not more expensive. Any ideas?

Exiting the terminal, we asked 5 different port personnel where we should go to catch the shuttle to another terminal. We received 5 different sets of directions, none of which resulted in a shuttle bus appearing. We were exhausted from dragging our luggage back and forth to the different locations. Finally we asked a police officer who was directing traffic. He told us there is no shuttle and suggested we take a taxi. Best $10 we ever spent!

I wholeheartedly agree with the previous posters! It's a gorgeous ship! The 4 main dining rooms were so elegant that they felt like specialty restaurants. No problems getting a table although there was occasionally a short wait. I was prepared to hate the infinite verandah and ended up loving it. I could close the bifold doors and sit there to read in good light when my husband was sleeping in the dark room. When the bifold doors are open, there is a fabulous floor to ceiling ocean view. The biggest disappointment was the lack of a sports court. On Holland America and RCCL, my husband enjoyed pickleball games every day. For that reason, we will probably not choose Celebrity for future cruises.