Crazy planning mom

We ended up doing a self guided trip of Alaska in 2021. Recommend take a Mica guides tour of Matanuska Glacier. Matanuska Glacier id an hour and a half drive from Anchorage. Also, Denali. In addition to the bus in Denali, my husband and son ziplined nearby. We also loved our Kenai Fjords boat tour out of Seward.

We took a similar cruise on the Jade last year. We stayed at the beautiful AVA Boutique Hotel in Athens which was a short walk from the Acropolis. Link- https://www.avahotel.gr/ For more information on Greece ports visits the Greece forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/463-greece-ports/ In Israel, I highly recommend Guided Tours Israel. We had a wonderful tour with them. Here is the link" - https://www.guidedtoursisrael.com/ For more information on Israel visit the link below and Tripadvisor also. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/19-africa-amp-middle-east/

Our very first cruise 25 years ago was on Celebrity. My parents treated us. The food wowed us. We started a family and then cruised Royal. Carnival and NCL. Now, we are booked on Celebrity again and it seems the product is downgraded. If that's our experience, it's back to Royal/ NCL.

We sailed on the Jade in 2022 on a 7 day bucket list itinerary without kids. We enjoyed it very much but there wasn't a ton of activities. I think I would be bored for 14 days on her.

This is disappointing. We usually are MDR people for dinner but will have to reconsider when we sail in the winter. Yes, although we love cruising we also love travel and cruising isn't the only option

I agree with what you wrote 110 percent. Even if they wont remember this trip, they are being affected by the experiences they are having. Hope OP and his family has a great time.

Have heard good things about Virgin. How did the 2 cruises compare pricewise?

Omg, this is the first I've heard where suites were favored on excursions.

I am only seeing the kids menu on the app.

Well, I booked this ship for a winter Caribbean cruise and hope we enjoy it. It won't be during a school break week. Glad you are at least enjoying Norway.

Beautiful photos. Had you always planned to disembark early or is this because you aren't enjoying? 4-11 seems way too much for family hours. Maybe 4-6 would be reasonable.

When do you think they will go on sale?

My younger neighbor used to sail Celebrity 3x a year. She was always praising it. Well, she is sailing on Virgin this year.

The thing is Celebrity is known for their food. Now, they are downgrading their menu, why sail on them? That is what they are known for. We have our 2nd Celebrity cruise booked for 2024. However, if the food isn't better than Royal , then we will probably go back to Royal or NCL or try Virgin.

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is disappointing. Celebrity has always been known for their dining. We were already planning to have 1 dinner in Buffet, 1 night in a specialty restaurant and 1 dinner in Old San Juan.

How are the menus in the 4 MDR's. I understand they have drastically reduced the menu.

I don't ever sail in a suite but given Royal's great earning report, is this further cost cutting really necessary?

Do you know if the ship was sailing at full capacity? As long as they are selling out, there will be no incentive to approve things.

Excellent report. It seems like you definitely were super organized as far as port exploration. I can also definitely see how bringing the nanny enhanced the trip so the kids could have a day of rest and relaxation while you were off exploring. Then, you met up with them afterward.

I live in the NYC metro area and I mostly use Dial 7 Car Service to and from the airport. I reserve them in advance. They aren't cheapest but are very reliable if you don't want to be herded onto a bus.

Yes, you are correct. I wrote that the hotel was across the street from the airport but what I meant is that is across the street from the terminal.

We used Welcome Pickups to go to the Sofitel.

We stayed at the Sofitel last Fall. It is literally across the street from the airport. It was so easy to make our early morning flight and just walk across the street. It is a very nice hotel.

Yes, some people love them, some people hate them, and some people don't care. I was just wondering given the mixed opinions and the lack of true traditional balconies which are popular, whether they might reduce the number of those on a new ship. I thought I read that the Icon of the seas is planning to have some but only a small number.

It may be too early for June 2024.