SbbquilterUT

Depends - we enjoyed Aqua on Millenium for the room and eating in Blu but the spa on M class ships is not as inviting as S class ships. We do not plan to book again, instead sail a B2B with the cost difference (we do not need the drinks or internet of AI so are happy to book cruise only rate).

What a great gift! We loved Norway and the sails up the fjords are beautiful. As your Mom may be happiest staying in your cabin as she will be most familiar in it, your views from the balcony should be very nice. We did enjoy the Flam Railway trip but be aware that the wheels make quite a loud screech (I found it headache inducing) which might affect your Mom. You are lovely to plan this trip.

We enjoy RCCL when traveling with kids and grandson - very energetic vacation and family time. When we travel alone we more enjoy Celebrity or a European river cruise. And we have found that our enjoyment of a sailing also depends on the length of sail - I prefer more than 10 days so we truly relax and get to fully explore the ship and ports.

We are at the point in life where itinerary and visiting new places are most important to us so travel longer and combine sailing and land. The flight to Europe is long so we look to combine a transatlantic for one of those legs then enjoy Europe (currently less expensive to sail than to fly Business). Have truly enjoyed river cruises as well as large ship though the crowds on larger ships mean much longer disembarkation times which impact port time. Having said that we are sailing from the west coast of the US for the first time this winter for an easy break meant to enjoy the sea and ship.

Just finished 21 days of lovely cruising which we did with a 22" and personal item so we definitely used the laundry. We did a total of 3 bags of laundry during the trip - underclothes, pajamas, tees and shorts, socks and jeans. Marked the bag as "cold water, cool dry" and had no problems with any items. I would not send really nice clothes but everything else worked fine.

Not sure if this holds true for all sailings but even our 12 night only had 2 chic nights.

We travel in carry on bags so can put them through the scanner and then wheel them on board. Then you must keep them with you until your room is available. If you wait until 2 pm to board, the cabins should be ready and you can get right into your room.

On the Apex we only saw the Magic Carpet moved once to use for tendering at E. Dunemore, Ireland. It is a great tender access point.

That is the checklist you fill out within 24 hours of cruise.

Bed by closet and bathroom, sitting area beyond. Makes it feel quite large and the sofa was big enough to stretch out and read on.

We were just in 11181 - Deluxe Interior and very happy with the cabin and location.

We always travel with refillable bottles and find the water on the ship very nice. You can bring your water on board if you want. You can bring 2 bottles of wine on embarkation day to consume in your room, ask your room steward for wine glasses. We are not real drinkers so pay as we go for speciality coffees and an occasional beverage.

We have sailed at that time of year and did not need any more than a light jacket if we wanted to spend time at night outdoors - more windy than cold. For us the sail was very smooth and we wore clothes we would in spring/summer weather - shorts, capris, dresses. As always consider if you are cool inside the ship, that may warrant longer sleeves for some people.

For the Mexican Rivera offer - the fare is $1/pp Cruise Only, then pay taxes and port fees.

This cabanas are along the walkway across from the Magic Carpet, a rather busy route to the Mast Grill and Solarium. I did see folks being served drinks, blankets, etc but usually they were empty. I believe there is a more complete description of what is included in the plan my trip section of the website. Magic Carpet was used as a bar area when weather permitted on our cruise, not sure if you can order food but never saw it set up as a dining venue.

San Juan is so easy to explore on your own. The dock is right in Old Town, exit the port and walk dead ahead toward the fort up on the hill (and if you have a US NPS card, use it for entry). Explore on your own, then continue along the coast, past the beautiful cemetery and on up to the larger fort. Finally wander the colorful streets and follow a local group to a family run eatery.

Cruise dependent - 12 night Iceland and Ireland it was probably retirement age on average. The following cruise 7 night Norway, many families and very international crowd and much younger.

Deck 11 cabins on Constellation were lovely and did not hear anything from the Basketball court or movie. On Millenium in Alaska we were in Aqua under the pool deck but did not hear any noise. Also had the big overhang which I liked as I could stay out if it was misty or raining.

Not on E class ships.

I understand - just off B2B on Apex and they sure are proud of that spa area. But I had a less than stellar experience. Sent a message and a spa robe (skimpy IMO) and told to come to the spa in that as the changing area was not available to use. Then told no use of facilities as part of the treatment cost. Then taken to the relaxation room which was so small I had to stand until someone left. Great therapist but the rest of the experience was what I expect at my local day spa, not a high end spa. The lack of access for Elites has been in place since the launch of E class but I think it stinks.

Just back from B2B - Iceland, Ireland, Norway on Celebrity. Absolutely brilliant countries and each was different. Also, boarding in Amsterdam was amazing - walk from hotel, on board in less than 15". And use some time to visit a new city prior to embarkation.

Yes

Loved our sailing on the Constellation. But the spa is not particularly appealing (we were Aqua so used it nearly daily) - it is interior with no natural light. There is a long heated tile bench but not individual loungers. Not sure if you can wait until you board before deciding. Caveat - I was trying to use the sauna daily for health reasons so did enjoy that.

It is not far, a taxi worked great.

Never saw next to Raw on Five on our sailing in August. I am not sure it would be a great setting with the wind as we sailed. As well it would interfere with the beautiful sunset we watched while eating dinner there.