KKB

That would be great--tho it appears it means we would fly 2 days prior Yeah, this is more like what we assume. Civitavecchia looks like the wise landing spot for the night. (refundable, of course)

Overall I agree...tho I did see a man turned away wearing shorts on formal night on Divina in Feb.

Thanks for both of your thoughts--that was my original plan. I'm a history buff so it seemed the better fit.

I had originally planned to walk the city & see sites recommended by Visit a City (including Titanic exhibit) & do a Black Cab political tour. Now someone on my cruise has offered a spot on a tour by Belfastcausewaytours.com--seems to be more Game of Thrones locales (never seen it), castle, the Causeways, a few other natural spots & possibly a distillery. Obviously these are 2 different days, with very different sites. Can anyone share their experiences in Belfast? Thanks!

Everything I'm finding has stairs...could be an issue. Have found some nice places. If they are our only options, will have to manage. Thanks

DD & I are flying from Dallas to Rome in August. We paid for a 2 day deviation. Flying to Europe in May & Oct as well & both those flights are overnights--wondering if this one will likely be as well. How far in advance will we get our flights? Trying to book hotel...rather assuming we fly out 2 days prior but actually arrive 1 day prior to embarkation. If so, I'm assuming getting into Rome isn't practical due to timing (and jet lag). Can anyone share their experiences regarding flight times assigned, particularly to Rome? (I realize no one can guarantee our flight times; just curious what others have experienced. Don't worry; I will ONLY book a refundable hotel)

Why would that be? I have been able to get them on Edge, Apex & Equinox in the last 18 mos. Celebrity bed are HARD.

This seems to be hit & miss. Our 1st sky suite ever is Sunday & we got the email. Unfortunately it is far from complete & had no box to type in extra requests.

That makes sense--perhaps I just make a list for myself so I don't forget details!

I'm not interested in an exhaustive list, but there are some simple things that would enhance our cruise. I'm thinking a short letter expressing appreciation & our short list. That way I don't forget anything & butler will not have to take the time to write down our requests.

NCL & MSC have modified AI options--include drinks & wifi (plus a specialty dining on NCL). Not tips. This is one of the reasons we continue to go back to Celebrity & Princess (besides the fact that we find service & food to be a tick up on those lines). We were offered a free cruise on RCCL via UrComped & once we added drink package, tips & wifi, it was no less than Celebrity/Princess when were we had to "pay" for the room!

I heard SEVERAL people RAVE about Sabatini's last week (and also how FULL they were). Wish I had tried it!

I have seen on NCL boards how some people write a letter for the butler regarding special requests. We are trying Retreat for the first time on the Beyond Sunday. We got a good price but it is a splurge for us. We are pretty low maintenance travelers regarding our steward--we ask for little (egg crate mattress topper is about it!) But there are certainly things I would love to have provided if that is an option! Curious--have you done a letter, a list or just verbally share your requests. Thanks!

E-class ships are our FAVORITE of any line! Have done Edge 2x & Apex since restart, heading to Beyond next week. Have yet to have a perfect vacation ever, but E-class came damn close.

It was OK on Discovery...I liked the topping choices. I find the poolside pizza on other ships hit & miss...either really good or not so much. Comes out undercooked way too often.

I’m ALL about seafood when cruising! And MSC pizza has ruined all other pizza for me…

Enjoying your review--I got off the Ruby Sunday. Embarkation--yep 15 min from drop off to on the ship at 11AM. AMAZING! I agree that is the ONLY way to watch basketball! I ordered the same items for pub lunch! We have done 10 Princess cruises since 2002 & did our 1st Carnival (Miracle to Hawaii) in January. We were as pleased with Carnival food in all venues as Princess. I always liked Princess burger but Guys were a small step up to us.

@JamieLogical I will be very curious of your opinion of MSC. I'm still undecided...I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. Some issues seem to have been situational. Trying a different MSC ship in Europe May so I will withhold full judgement until after that trip!

OK...I saw your post about solo deals (so this is WAY off topic of this post) but the thread was locked. Check out cruiseplum.com (not a TA)--good source for solo deals.

We are scheduled to arrive in Southampton at 6AM. what is the EARLIEST flight out of LHR that you would book?

We are looking at a cruise with a great price we would like to book, but we aren't 100% sure we will go. To do a refundable deposit is $1K more--that's insane! The deposit is only $500. (makes more sense to simply lose the $500 than pay $1K more to recoup $500...) Is a NR deposit transferrable if we change to another cruise? My understanding is we would pay $100pp change fee. Do I have this right?

I suspect the boys will like the extra activity offerings on Encore more than Ascent. But the 14 YO not being allowed in the Haven pool really devalues being in Haven to me. That being said, our YA children have sailed RCCL, Princess & Celebrity as teens & YAs & said every cruise was great.

Confused--fantastic show...albeit it's been around awhile. So has Million Dollar Quartet on NCL... Both incredibly popular still.

I look at it this way--I don't think about areas of the ship that are off limits to me, including crew areas. The rest of the ship is my oyster...

TO YOU. MOST people prefer a balcony--many prefer higher. Balconies are typically larger rooms than interiors, and the balcony space is additional to that. As a long time cruiser myself...the most desirable cabin is the one that has the best value (not necessarily the cheapest). Lately we book interior & do an upgrade bid to balcony. Was only $350 more total on our 10 day Equinox cruise in Nov. Now upgrade bids are no guarantee, so we are fine with an interior if we do not get the upgrade.