pamurchu

This was a very inspiring and inspirational post. You and your husband are indeed living life to the fullest. I needed daily blood tests while cruising in Europe on the Breeze last summer, and found the Special Needs Department to be extremely cooperative. But the amount of time, effort, and information you put into your post deserves accolades! :D Thanks again!

We always buy the travel insurance. We too were healthy, in our mid thirties, and off on a two week "drive as you please trip around Ireland." We left a healthy, (or so we thought), set of parents home. We were gone three days, called home (which was a rare thing for us, but somehow I had a feeling), and were told that my father had died suddenly, and my mother was a basket case and would not make any decisions until we arrived back home. We did make it home within 48 hours, and thank goodness we did get reimbursed for most of our shortened trip. Now that we are older, we never travel without it--just gives us peace of mind...paid off for us again last summer when US Airways could not get us to Barcelona in time to board the Magic for our cruise. We met up with the ship at its next stop two days later (Livorno) and the insurance covered all of the incidentals that we incurred with the delay, extra travel, and two nights in a hotel, missed days on the ship, meals, cab and train fare, etc.

Everyone must make the decision whether it is worth the extra $$ or not, what you are willing to lose and how much you are willing to risk. But our opinion is that it is definitely worth it.

"Looks like they always put him on the new ships because I had him on the Splendor when the ship debuted in the USA." (from Topo Gigio)

Yep, we first met him on the Magic last summer in the Mediterranean.

(Love your sign-in name...:D)

Yes, Ken Byrnes is the "Irish Frank Sinatra!" Very entertaining.

Thanks so much! :D

Ken is in the Blush Dining Room

We were in the Blush dining room for late seating. One annoying thing we noticed - the lighting is orange, and they would really crank it up during some of the songs and other announcements. It was a bit jarring - made you feel like you were under a heat lamp (without the heat). I won't say too much about the service in the dining areas as it is a brand new ship, but they had not found their stride just yet when we sailed. Very... slow.

 

Otherwise, it's a beautiful ship and definitely worth checking out.

Was Ken Byrnes the maitre'd in the Blush Dining Room? :confused: Thanks!

Which dining room is the singing maitre d' Ken Byrnes assigned to? :confused: Sapphire or Blush (Aft)?

Thank you for all of your good information! :D

"If they could find your nightgown they would fold it into a flower shape and that always kind of creeped me out so I would hide mine."

That gave me my morning chuckle. Thanks!

FIRST of all, I cannot even begin to compete with these great photos that have been posted here.

That being said, I took a picture of the Isle of Capri last August from the Carnival Magic. I love the fact that there are birds in the foreground. Hope to get a few more this summer from the Breeze!