Catchum

Imagine the last cruise you were on, remember what the passengers looked like. Do you want to see them without clothes on? Everyone looks better dressed

We have a booking for July, only with Azamara do I use a travel agent and book the flights and transfers as a package so if anything gets cancelled it is straight forward. The Web site is a nightmare, though my flights are ticketed and I have chosen my seats, according to my cruise planner I have no flights. My TA contacted Azamara who confirmed the flights were in order but couldn't explain why they didn't show up.

Last time flying out of US there were multiple passport checks before boarding, chatting to crew on board apparently a lady had managed to board an international flight without a passport in the previous weeks which resulted in the airline facing all sorts of issues over illegal people smuggling. If you carry someone on your ship/plane or in you car boot who doesn't have the correct paperwork you have questions to answer.

If you are already planning midnight cravings I suggest packing a stash of zip lock bags and snagging a couple of sandwiches from the afternoon buffet to keep in the fridge in your room. Also pack a big bag of peanuts. DH always says not to bring any, then gives me the puppy dog eyes at 10.30pm saying I wish we had peanuts so I pack them regardless. Otherwise budget for room service. Before anyone comes at me for food hygiene breaches, I took my packed lunch to school unrefrigerated carried it round all day and eat it on my way home for years. Microbes are good for me.

You seem to have quite a few short port days so you need to plan accordingly, as someone who never takes ships excursions I would advise one in Athens, we travelled to and from the acropolis on our own by public transport but had a longer day. You will want to see the major sights and a ships tour will do than and get you back for an afternoon departure. Livorno take the train to Florence (most popular) or Pisa (smaller and our preference). Naples go to Pompeii a excursion booked through viator or get my guide would work but again check the times to make sure you arrive back early. If departure is 4pm all aboard is 3.30pm and we want to plan to be at the ship at 2.30pm. If on a private tour. Top tip, and I am not being snarky, it took me a while to learn, Google naples CRUISE PORT. Or where ever. You will get a bunch of information on how to get to the Town, excursions which other ships are in port if there is WiFi at the port terminals etc. Much more use than searching for visit Naples to find info on Florida golf courses.

My point was that I choose to enjoy my experience. If other people don't enjoy their trip for whatever reason that does not invalidate my enjoyment. I'm sorry that the ship running out of a beverage you don't drink spoilt your Mediterranean Cruise.

Have been on multiple cruises where my wine of choice was unavailable after a while. Guinness is good (for you) but other beverages are available. If Guinness is your priority a week in Dublin - it tastes much better there - is a more sensible choice than a Mediterranean Cruise. Also if your Guinness is golden I would definitely be asking for a refund.

When ever someone says "have a good trip" my response is always "if I don't it's my own fault".Having been on a covid cruise in 2020 where all ports were closed and the ship ran out of milk (Baileys in coffee is an acceptable alternative) and one where influenza swept through and mortuary vans lined up with the excursion coaches at ports I still haven't had a bad cruise.

I agree, except on a Cunard cruise the price for just the drinks is between $95 and $55 per person per day. Add the gratuities of $16.50 or $14.50 a day and cost per day for a two week cruise is minimum of $86.50 per day. That is a significant amount more than Princess where you additionally get unlimited wifi with the package no matter what your status. When considering a cruise the total cost of the trip is a huge factor for us, given we have unlimited vacation time and limited income the less we spend per trip the more we can travel.

Well, a Bloody Mary or Bucks fizz together with Irish cream in your coffee make an excellent start to the morning.

The princess plus is not a category, you don't get special privileges like suite guests, you simply don't have to pay for some things on the ship because you have pre purchased them. I might have the cheapest inside cabin or the most expensive suite if my card is marked as plus (yes I know it's a medallion) then when I order a glass of wine, beer, soda or expresso I don't get charged, likewise at the end of the cruise I won't receive a bill for service charges and I can check my email and order room service without any additional cost.

Princess plus is $60 per day per person which includes all tips/gratuities/service charges. Unlimited WiFi for one device, Unlimited sodas, premium teas and coffee. Room service and 15 alcoholic drinks a day (covers most drinks and if you want something not covered then you only pay the difference- so an Irish coffee is covered but an expresso martini will be $3 ish). If you plan on paying your gratuities anyway and drink more than four drinks, alcoholic or nice coffee then basically you get free WiFi room service and one or two other bits and pieces. If like us you enjoy a couple of coffees or decadent hot chocolate in the morning, a beer at lunch, wine with dinner and maybe a nightcap then they are definitely worth it.

I don't like books, I don't enjoy books - I need books. On a cruise I take a kindle a kobo, apps on my phone and a real book. On a trip to the supermarket i just have my phone app. I don't read at the supermarket but I panic if I haven't got access to a book.

I'll keep an eye out for those. There are so many ways to serve shrimp and crab but you rarely see anything interesting done with lobster. I generally just hand mine over to DH who is part Labrador.

We cruised Iceland last year (not Azamara) and simply did self resarched walking tours - has a wonderful time. Everything in Iceland is very expensive including tours. Reykjavik we walked along the coastal path to the city and saw the major sights, concert hall, Hallgrimskirkfa, viking ship sculpture, penis museum. Gurundarfjord get off the ship turn right to see some of the most spectacular scenery I have experienced. Come back to the ship for lunch then turn left for more breathtaking views at Gurundarfoss. DH is from Alaska and is totally over scenery but he was in awe of this place. Akureyi the botanic gardens are beautiful, check out the church and walk along the coast - turn left off the ship. Seydisfjordur is a tiny community, you may want to consider and excursion though we very much enjoyed walking to the waterfall (take a couple of beers with you to reward your efforts) then simply went and had a couple more beers in the local bar.

I would happily pay extra NOT to be served lobster, crab, shrimp, or anything else which still has its clothes on. When I order rabbit I don't expect to deal with the fur so why would I want lobster with the shell?

If you are only doing the cruise then you won't need adaptors, there will be US outlets in your cabin probably not as many as you would like but they will be there. You will want a few euros I suggest getting 50 out of an an atm at the airport and purchasing a couple of bags of candy separately to get some coins. 50 cent coins will ofen be needed for public toilets. You can easily top up your Euros from atms if you need to but most shops take cards. As for tipping many on this board will tell you it is fine to tip in USD anywhere in the world. Yes the guide can take them to an exchange and convert them to euros. However if you were a guide in Orlando and I tipped you in UK Pounds because lots of brits go to Orlando and the £ is a great currency how would you feel? The music will be (showing my age) disco/ pop YMCA is required under maritime law apparently. The best headphones for travelling are the disposable ones you are given on HOHO buses or used to be given on planes. If you loose them it doesn't matter.

When you embark grab a beverage and join the que for cruise next, sign up for the behind the scenes tour, wine tasting and ask about the laundry. On previous trips it seems like the decision on how many bags is made on board, but they will be able to give you a definitive answer.

Our big bags have clothes, and toiletries. Our carry ons have meds, paperwork, valuables and electronics. If my bag got lost I would not be happy but as some of my dresses are 20+ years old (still look fabulous so can't pass them on) it might be an opportunity to retire them. I don't travel with "carefully curated cruise wear." Or vintage clutch bags owned by Russian royalty.

We are on a July Croatia intensive, the Azamazing evening is apparently a performance on board in Split. Despite OBC to burn there is not a single excursion of interest. Everything can either be purchased through Viator for a fraction of the cost (tuk tuk rides and such like) or is a private driver for $100's where you have to determine your own itinerary. Not an issue for us as planning each port is half the fun of the trip, but on recent "budget" cruises there have always been a couple of excursions we have considered.

Charming and Heathrow are not usually used in the same sentence. I suggest the train to Portsmouth and the wonderful historic dockyards, you can easily spend two days there. The charming cities/ towns of Chichester, Winchester and Salisbury are all with reach by train. Heathrow is not a good base for any thing other than catching a flight.

Waistcoat, shirt and skinny jeans also make great day wear. IMHO

No one can guarantee you a sooth sailing. A ship on calm water will be stable ship on rough seas will be ... not so stable. A lower deck midship cabin will be better than a high one forward but we have had a midship cabin on a low deck on a large ship with the waves making the porthole into a washing machine and struggling to stay in bed (not a hardship to cling on to DH) Did you enjoy your Hurtigruten cruise despite the seasickness?

If you use a TA I would make sure they have travelled to Rome and understand the differences in accommodation vs the US. Also watch out for pickpockets not something to fret over but never put valuables in your backpack.

Pisa is awesome not too big a place and definitely go up the tower, the sensation of walking uphill whilst going down is just plain weird. Frequent stops for pizza, gelato and wine will get your whole group through the trip. For pre and post cruise stays Airbnb or booking.com are my go to places for apartments anywhere in the world. Choose ones with no penalty cancellation and keep looking to see if a better one comes up. We love having a kitchen with a fridge (for wine) and a coffee maker neither of which are common in European hotels.