SbbquilterUT

Personally the Edge class, while beautiful, would not be my choice specifically for lack of outdoor access space. On every other Alaska sail we have been able to spend a lot of time out on the upper decks to enjoy the experience - there is no access to the forward third of the top deck as it is Retreat. We found this in our Iceland and Norway sailings and would not repeat those itineraries on that class of ship. I would look at Holland America and Princess for their itineraries that include Glacier Bay National Park.

Thanks - I do not want to change to local time so turning it off works for me. I keep manual watch on ship time to reduce a chance for any confusion in my brain 😎

I would look online for an independent vendor offering a pickup at the cruise port and then tour where you are most interested.

Love to travel - learned to wear an inexpensive traditional watch so that it can be adjusted easily. Do not rely on your cell phone for an accurate time if you set it to automatic time update.

Love to cruise the first week in December - ship was decorated and prices were great. January is very nice, particularly Southern Caribbean. One holiday timeframe cruise made us realize not for us - high prices, loads of children, large family groups that took over public spaces preventing us from enjoying being out around the ship.

We luckily do not get sea sick though DH has on deep sea fishing boats which does not translate to ships. For my sweet DIL who were really concerned we advised do not drink right away and spend time out in the fresh air where you can watch the horizon to reset the brain. Worked great for one and the other did drink and nap in the cabin and did not do as well. Please be careful and try medications at home - be aware of the combination with alcohol (see folks with a patch behind their ear slamming them down at the bar, please don't).

Ours opened at midnight Seattle/Vancouver time - be aware that sometimes it is good to select an 11:30 time to allow the crush of people wanting to be on board at 10:30 to clear. And depending on which port the experience can be quick or confusing.

Folks above have said it well - keeping hats and coats out so they were easy to grab particularly on northern trips where they might be damp. Also hanging rinsed items where they can dry easily which is not my shower. Have a need to have a tidy cabin so these help me with that.

We are booked on the Celebrity Edge in April 2026 for a 12 night sailing of New Zealand - really looking forward to it.

I travel in carry on luggage only so do not bring most anything on the long packing lists you may see. Love my magnet/hooks for keeping the cabin tidy - holds caps, coats, bags on the wall or from the ceiling for air drying hand laundry. Dirty laundry goes into one of the bags under the bed so no need for separate laundry bag. Enjoy your trip.

We only book a cruise line excursion if it is some distance from the ship where transportation is a concern, otherwise we explore on our own or with a local guide. We book those as soon as we see them knowing we can cancel and get a refund if things change.

As there are four dining venues it would be easiest to look at a current sailing.

My experience on the Apex was interesting - therapist great but lack of access to the changing room or any spa areas at that price point was disappointing. The relaxation room is so small that when I arrived I had to stand up as there was no seating available.

Love Barcelona - would want at least 3 days to explore. We stayed at the Cotton House hotel and would again. Easy for us to walk everywhere we wanted to go and even metro station was close. We really enjoyed our walking Tapas Tour of the Gothic Quarter - very interesting and kept us up and moving until 10 pm that night which helped adjust to time change. Everyone we interacted with spoke English. Used credit card almost everywhere but we did get some Euros at a bank ATM to use for tour guides. Did a Runner Bean Free tour (tipped the guide at the end equivalent of what we had seen paid tours charge but many people just walked away). This familiarized us to where we wanted to spend more time. Made our plans ourselves but it was not our first trip to Europe. Look hard at travel time from port to visitor area as that will impact what you can see.

We saw it lowered for use as tender loading - easiest tender ever.

We have sailed TA each direction - love to use it paired with a cruise in Europe. For our sailing on the Anthem in April 2023 the clock was moved forward at noon so it did not really seem to impact how we felt - not sure how anyone could have jet lag at an hour a day. On west bound they added the hour in the middle of the night, harder for me because I was waking up earlier each morning. We do love an interior for those sailings as we sleep like babies after we have exerted ourselves on those sea days.

Looking for ideas of where to stay - arriving Friday afternoon at LHR from Reykjavik and plan to travel by train from the airport, thinking of staying near Fenchurch Street station. Of course, Friday night in August so the hotel prices are pretty high. Any suggestions for a different station along the line with hotel, nice area to walk out and enjoy the London evening? Or hotel recommendations at Fenchurch Street station. Finally, which train do we take the next morning to get to Tilbury?

We sailed her three times this year and enjoyed them all. We are low key folks happy to sail in a balcony or an interior, dependent on the pricing. We are Elite and the evening drinks are plenty for us. Our cabin has been tidy and clean as expected though not the most modern decor. Staff was excellent, food okay to very good (the updated menus should help with that). Would happily sail her again.

Agree that the title was not clear - EWR was just a point of reference in my mind since I thought we were staying in that area. We are sailing from Bayonne to Iceland. Then heading to London to board a return cruise porting at Manhattan. At this point we likely will stay in Jamaica that night we arrive. Then travel by train the next morning (Sunday) - we have traveled to Bayonne from the Penn Station area in the past so that part will be fine during the day. So really EWR has no part of the conversation since you all have helped me better understand local travel (have not used JFK for anything but transit in the past). I will be back to look at plans for Manhattan - have barely scratched the surface of options on previous trips . Thanks for the help.

Thanks - this gives us lots to consider. We travel with carry on bags and can manage them easily as long as there are not lots of steps.

As I dislike plastic bottles we travel with refillable - ship water was very nice and readily available in the cabin and at the coffee station. Also you can bring any soda you like onboard with you. I was able to find local grocery stores in our embarkation (and other) ports to buy soda if wanted. Happy to have booked our next river cruise but it is a long way out.

Add to silly pricing for the cruise - flights are nearly the same price as the cruise if flying in from the West coast.

Thanks - unfortunately using a Companion ticket and JFK was all we could choose. I know the ground travel will be pricey so looking for ease of using the train.

Thanks for the info. We are flying into JFK and sailing from Bayonne the next day - just assumed we could train to Newark Penn Station to get to our hotel in Elizabeth. On our return to the Manhattan cruise terminal we will stay one night before flying home from JFK. All this planning is for August and just trying to decide transport and hotels.

We used Uber and he even stopped at a liquor store close to the port so I could pick up wine.