KKB

I don't feel that way at all. I really think that perception comes from the set dinner times that RCCL have traditionally have (tho they now also have Any Time Dining as a choice).

Did Carnival to Hawaii (2 wks) in January & LOVED it (even tho we were told we would hate it after sailing most other mainstream lines). Bartenders said the key to Carnival is longer cruises to avoid the booze cruisers. Trying them again in S.Pacific/NZ in Feb, so we shall see. And your HAL opinion is why we have not tried them--I hear that over & over. Guess I shoulda listened regarding MSC when I heard reports of rude passengers over & over...I try to look for patterns in those reviews...but, hey, got to see Ireland, UK & Norway for damn cheap.

DH uses my old iPad so I guess it is still linked to my Libby account (via our public library). Probably could log out & log him in, lol. I always have a number of books on my Kindle account so it's not a huge deal. I have Hoopla but rarely find much there. GOOD tip about the books not being "returned"--my iPad is only turned off airplane mode on a trip when I need to connect to Wifi at a hotel or such.

That was similar to our experience on NCL in Dec but did not encounter that on the Equinox in Nov or the Beyond in April. Sorry things didn't go so great.

Yeah, a lot of sea day to get across the biggest ocean to be sure!

Such a bummer! Yeah missed ports hurt more on bigger trips like this

Im a Libby fan too! But the holds can be a headache. Plus DH & I r on same account (different devices), so he gets dibs on books when we travel together

Loving following your TR! We did ABC on Equinox & LOVED it. Had a WONDERFUL Maitre d' & serving staff at dinner. Waiter was very solemn & professional all week (everyone else was quite animated--but then again, so were we)...when I mentioned I love 80s music he lit up like the 4th of July! He has a band with his children & invited me to visit them & sing with their band...it was wonderful to see him open up as well. I just put that new Emily Henry book on my "To Read" list! Love Emily Henry. (PS if you don't subscribe to BookBub, you should--you note your genre preferences & it sends you ebook deals daily. I have downloaded a free offering almost daily...plus a few .99-2.99 bargains!) ENJOY your cruise--you deserve it after the completion of your degrees & the move!

I never pass judgement on a line for one sailing. Perhaps it's that ship. Perhaps it was just that sailing. (I do find a poor CD can affect my whole cruise) I find Celebrity a small step above RCCL in service & food. Haven't sailed RCCL since 2018 but will be on Quantum in Sept. Have sailed Celebrity 5x post-COVID--all Eclass plus Equinox, all in Caribbean. EVERY one of those sailings was OUTSTANDING. Food, service--plus I find Eclass to be a step above Celebrity's other ship classes. Interesting, I don't generally find Celebrity to be more expensive than RCCL when we factor in AI. In fact, we were offered a free Bermuda cruise on RCCL (casino offer)...once we added in tips, wifi & drinks it was NO CHEAPER than to book it on Celebrity!

We did CT on Miracle in Jan. A decent red & a pinot grigio--not chardonnay as I expected (and was thrilled!) Unlimited refills It was a fantastic experience. My advice--PACE 26 different bites of food--and some were several bites big. About a third of the way in I was already full. I recommend a BITE (or 2...) of each thing. They served an amazing popover roll covered in thinly shredded Parm...ate the whole damn thing. Maybe take that thing back to your room for breakfast the next day!!

Princess was our 1st cruise 20 years ago...fell in love with cruising. Have sailed all the mainstream lines except Holland & a fan of them all. Had not cruised Princess for 10 years--got an offer last summer & now. have done 4 since then! I tried MSC for the 1st time in Feb. in the Caribbean. Holy crap, hot mess & YES--THE RUDEST PASSENGERS I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED. Total disregard for common courtesy. I got off thinking, don't love it, don't hate it. Can't totally put my finger on it...but... I had them booked in May in Europe. It was already paid & a heck of a deal. I figured no way things would be the same. AGAIN RUDEST PASSENGERS EVER--numerous times saw people PUSH young children out of the way (and there were NOT many children on that cruise, so if it occurred more than once, by different people...wow, no words). I, too, found a random $80 charge on my bill. No one could determine what it was for & it took me THREE visits to GS to get it removed. SO few activities on sea days/evenings (dance lessons were offered several times a day...) Evenings--shows, sit & drink while listening to music and casino were the only options. Nope, will NEVER do MSC again--you get what you pay for I guess. (it didn't seem possible that I would have the rude passenger issue in Europe with a totally different demographic than Caribbean. But reviews were correct--there seems to be a bizarre MSC culture that attracts/cultivates the attitude) I suspect you will have a lovely time on the Sun Princess. We did the Discovery last Sept & it was lovely!

One of the best things of our Princess AK cruise was the naturalist (heard RCCL doesn't do this? Sailing Quantum to AK in Sept so I can do a true comparison then) Also--different salmon EVERY night. It was fresh, they had different varieties & interesting preparation. I was in HEAVEN.

We are fans of larger, newer ships in general, on all the lines we sail. But sailed a 15 year old ship with 2K passengers in January (not NCL) & had a wonderful time! As long as the ship is in good shape (as they typically are) & there are lots of fun things to do, we are pretty happy!

If you see this...did you do a TR of this trip? We are doing it next April!

Thanks, all. I booked Crown Royal Darling Harbor for 2 nights solo before my cruise in Feb. DH & I are there in April too; I booked the Intercontinental Sydney for those nights as I got a terrific rate--is the location as good?

Thanks for your review! I just booked the Splendor next Feb--8 days to New Caldonia & 12 days to NZ. First trip to the area--the cruise prices were too good to pass up & even my flight was cheap--DH & I each got a one way to Sydney in April for a Transpacific & it was the same price as this RT flight to Sydney in Feb!

When in Sept--I sail the Quantum in Sept as well. GREAT opening bids! Did you get an email?

Our 1st cruise was 20 years ago on Princess (we were late 30s) & it made us fall in love with cruising. We have taken the kids on DCL, RCCL, Princess & Celebrity. They loved them all. Princess does AK really well--we did Discovery last Sept. AK cruises are more relaxed & chill, and so is Princess. But our kids never really cared much about the bells & whistles that RCCL/NCL have (water slides, wave machines, race cars, etc). They have just as much fun playing trivia, game shows or just card/board games with the family. They enjoyed kids/teen clubs on all lines. So it's really about what their purpose is & what their kids like.

Spending a few days before the cruise. I see Circular Quay & Darling Harbor (I see they are in fairly close proximity) ...is one area a better choice than the other? Or is there another better option? (I truly have just begun researching so I cannot even say WHAT I want to do...1st time to Sydney. Like to be close to bars, restaurants, things to do & see)

We love to try the local drink & food wherever we go. Any suggestions in either of these 2 cities? Thanks!

OK...we are in Hamburg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Oslo & Rotterdam. We have long days in ports (8-12 hrs) & either short excursions planned or none at all. We love to wander a city & try local fare & local drinks. Is there anywhere in the above cities that anyone could recommend? Thanks!

Is this close to the port? We have 14 hours in port...should we focus on Copenhagen or is it worth it to try to venture over the bridge & spend a bit of time in Sweden?

THANK YOU for this notice--I had one I thought I'd try to sell. Instead I just applied it to our Nov. sailing. (did it right on the website) YES!

Oh, sorry--I searched that title before posting with no results--weird!

https://crew-center.com/ncl-close-seven-production-shows-brace-yourselves-innovative-replacements?fbclid=IwAR1wPqEoEjiy92m2WBYWBnMXhxkZvq-0btNt0s_PGF8qhlJQa2oY1aWUFPE So frustrating... I know they are trying to sell it as an exciting change... But it sure feels like more cost cutting measures. I hope I'm proven wrong on that one.