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The newer ships may have more speciality restaurants and we have enjoyed the 4 dining room concept on E class ships. We have had fine to excellent food on each of our cruises with Celebrity.

We usually stay in interior cabins and ask for the beds to be separated so there is more room in between beds. Makes the cabin feel much bigger.

Lots of things can occur but I can say we have walked off at Pier 91 (using a US passport so we just walked through facial recognition lines), walked to taxi line, were at the airport in 45" to comfortably make flights at 10:20 and then at 10:15. As always issues can crop up but we have been okay on our last three cruises from Pier 91.

We have always had UK agents on board to clear us prior to arrival. Bigger issue has been the taxi line was awful when 4 ships arrived the same morning.

You have paid any expected tips with these charged prior to cruising - no need to tip anyone else unless you feel like you got exceptional service. For many people they like having paid for everything before they set sail so no surprises.

We love sailing to Europe as we arrive relaxed and time adjusted - makes our days there so much more enjoyable. For us we have been able to book a cabin which comes out very similar in price to flying over so a no brained for us. Love visiting Barcelona as well.

Not sure if you are interested, we are trying out Oceania this August. Looking at total package cost plus will evaluate value of cruise once we are back. We are looking at smaller ship and interesting itineraries. Still have Celebrity booked as we have enjoyed each of our cruises with them. Recently completed a winter getaway on RCCL where we got what we paid for and had a good time. One thing that does influence our decisions is that we do not pay for Suites, drink or WiFi packages which makes my budget easy to look at and evaluate what we are buying.

We are sailing a TA NYC-Iceland. Then flying to UK to board next cruise making this an overnight stay between cruises. I am more in favor of leaving LHR and heading toward the Fenchurch Street area for the night - any other suggestions.

Thanks. Sometimes things look easy on paper but reality is different.

We are arriving at LHR from Reykjavik at 16:00 and departing next day from Tilbury port at 18:00. DH would like to travel to Windsor and stay the night. Get early entry tickets to the Castle the next morning. Spend about 3 hours at Windsor then take the train into town, followed by train from Fenchurch Street to Grays. Is this remotely possible? We will be traveling with a carry on bag and backpack each. Thanks

We took the train from the Cobh pier to town - easy, buy ticket right at the pier. Then did a walking audio tour at our own pace - an excellent day. Belfast we did a Black cab tour from the pier, finished with a walk around town.

We did a B2B on Apex - 12 night was typical passenger mix, then the 7 night had plenty of families/kids on board. This was based out of Amsterdam and August so that may have had an impact as well. Certainly for us, we could not sail more than 7 days until we were retired. Now I am always on the look out for interesting itineraries that are longer than 12 days.

We have taken ours to play during port stops and had to store them in our cabin. At that time there was not another option.

Absolutely bring a smaller water bottle as well as an insulated mug with lid for coffee.

We tried each dining room then settled on one we liked best. You can order food off any of the 4 menus so you really can eat wherever you like. We would walk down around 6:45 when those folks heading to the 7 pm show were leaving, never waited more than 5" to be seated.

Check the website for current rules about how many bottles of wine you can bring on board on embarkation day. There is also information on other beverages (her soda water). Also if you have a beverage package she can pick it up at any bar.

We used them in both Akureyri and Reykjavik - timely with very good guides. Easy to book online and pay when you get there.

We used Saga Travel for two all day tours that we really enjoyed, not sure if they do longer tours.

You are right - can invalidate your passport if you need to send it off for a visa for some countries. Same with taking great care of the condition of your passport, as damage can invalidate that as well.

Just my thought - after flying full time for my last job I much prefer two roller skate type wheels set in to the bag a bit more. Frequent sight was the frustrated traveler when their 4 wheel did not have all of them when retrieved from the luggage carousel. Also I find 2 wheels easier to manage on sidewalks, cobbled streets or long carpeted hallways.

We are sailing on the Edge from Sydney to Hawaii with stops in French Polynesia - it is part of the repositioning for the Alaska season. Rebooked cancelled cruise from 2021.

I hang the shirts while we shower and then cover them with a dry cleaner plastic bag - works great (though not as crisp as freshly ironed) and doesn't cost me anything. Most of our clothes are knit or easy care fabric to eliminate ironing.

So sad to hear you felt that way. We were on the same sailing and had a great time. We have only been greeted by officers on the ship on Celebrity and Viking so did not even expect. I wrote a review yesterday and it perhaps shows a different point of view as we booked another next year as our easy winter getaway. Food is not what it was years ago but in life that does not matter that much to me - I knew what to expect and got it. I did feel bad for folks who were not prepared for cool weather the first and final day of sailing.

Always do - we do not head to the buffet, instead find a spot on the promenade. (Outdoor deck) or pool area where we are out of the way. We also do not rush onboard instead look for noon or so arrival time as there is almost no line. Once rooms are cleared we head in, unpack quickly and start our vacation exploring the ship or making dining reservations.

Love the thought of a family trip but would consider if your Mom is up to the long flight to Europe as it can be pretty tiring. Agree with the suggestion you consider a week trip closer to home to make sure you enjoy it. Europe is fabulous but often the footing and inclines can make walking difficult for folks with mobility challenges.