Curleegirl

Thank you everyone. 

Greetings! One of my goals is to see the Fjords of Norway. I am interested in booking a P&O cruise after watching Emma Cruises an Ben and David on YouTube. A little background about myself, I am a 60 yr old solo traveler that lives in the US and has only taken cruises to the Caribbean. 
The good news is that I am almost ready to book.  I was wondering if booking with a TA from abroad would be more advantageous than booking with one here in the US. I appreciate your feedback!

If you get a single supplement how does it effect your deposit? Do you pay as one person, more than one person, but less than two or or do you pay double? It probably varies from cruise line to cruise line, but some examples would be helpful. Thanks

Paris solo is great fun. There’s an awesome pod cast called Join Us In France and it helped me with my solo trip. If you get lonely you can sign up for tours when you’re there, like tours of historic neighborhoods or gourmet food tours. Many tour companies have skip the line guided tours of the attractions as well.

Eating solo is amazing in Paris because you can sit at a cafe outside and watch the world go by. The Eatwith app has hosted dinners with local residents. Most of the time I’d grab a sandwich from one of the hundreds of bakeries and eat in a park or on a bench along the Seine. Language is not a barrier at all, but learn the basic phrases before you leave. Lonely Planet has a good phrase book.

As for public transportation I used the citymapper app, I will never delete it from my phone as I have used it the US as well and want to go back to Paris. You plug in your starting point and your destination and it gives you many options with maps and directions. Though Paris has great public transportation it is highly walkable. You can literally walk from sight to sight without needing transportation. I did it even after screwing up my knee before I left for Paris. You can pm me if you have questions.

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Oh...you mean these guys?  Back yard critter at my house.  😉 

Yep!

You can purchase a bottle of booze and gift it to yourself pre-cruise. It’s about $50. 

On a good note, they took my friend’s mind off of Florida alligators. 

I was on the May 9 sailing and we made the same stop at Coco Cay the day after leaving Nassau. I kind was kind of

expecting this because someone on Shipmate thought it seemed like a long voyage for just going to the Bahamas (it was just a 4 day cruise). I think it’s a good thing they did that. It’s not like making a dry run to the airport or hospital in a car, a big ship like that costs $$ to do that sort of test. Some people were complaining that it was a sales gimmick.  The island looks like fun.

I just got off HOTS Sunday morning. The key was just a little more than Voom plus streaming when I signed up. I was on a 4 day cruise so the added cost was not exorbitant. Overall, it was worth what I spent. I think if you plan your day well don’t need the key, but if you need flexibility it’s a good investment. 

We used all of the benefits except for the activities. The lunch at Jamie’s was great, the seats for the shows were okay  (we found seats we liked better, but we came early to the shows). I think this is a good insurance policy for port days. If you’re late for the show AND have reservations you can still get a good seat.

I think the key paid for itself with the awesome breakfast and expedited disembarkation. We had a snafu on the way to the airport (not my story to share) if we didn’t have priority disembark we might have missed our flight because the lines to leave were very long. I was cruising w/ a friend who had never been on a cruise before. It made getting her into the groove of things much easier. 

Would I purchase again for more $? Yes, probably instead of the booze package.

I am looking for a beach side restaurant for lunch that is not associated with one of the large resorts and isn’t super expensive. Preferably one on a beach that we can stick our toes in the water (public beach). We’re off of the Harmony of the Seas next Friday. I am looking for a recommendation based on  personal experience. Another website people just gave me lists. Thanks 

4 minutes ago, fsjosh said:

Technically you cannot give one of your drink package drinks to another guest. 

 

However you can buy all the drinks you want. 

Ha! I would imagine that would be the case.

If I have the deluxe booze package can I buy a drink for myself and someone else? Thanks.

Nice review! I am a vegetarian leaning omnivore so I learned a couple of things on past cruises. My friends and I took a galley tour on the Independence and learned about RCCL’s approach to accommodating special diets. For the MDR call RCCL a month before your cruise to arrange vegetarian meals. If you forget you can speak with the maitre’d the first night. On another cruise I had vegetarian Indian food at lunch in the MDR.  Since I enjoyed it so much the staff made sure that I had some Indian food the rest of my cruise.  

Morgan on the very unofficial travel guide on YouTube likes RCCL and is a vegetarian. He shows what he eats on his videos. It’s very helpful.

After watching numerous YouTube reviews I signed up for The Key for my 3 night harmony cruise in May. There will be two of us, I figured it will be even money compared to the cost of Voom package for 2 w/ 2 devices each, earlier check in ($20 ea on Carnival) and lunch for 2 at Jamie’s. The other perks look good, but I figure we won’t take advantage of everything it has to offer. I wouldn’t have tried it if it was a longer cruise or if we were bringing kids. I’ll report back after the trip.

Well there goes my plan for wandering around the ship on all fours. On the bright side, the pooch will make Central Park more authentic.

Thank you everyone. I respect the fact that Farcus ship’s designs have their following. Even though it’s not my preferred aesthetic I never meant to criticize those who appreciate it. It’s no different from comparing itineraries or dining options.

I tried not to rock the boat with my question. 😂 

Toned down. Not like the Imagination or Miracle.

With the exception of the recently built ships, which ship interior public spaces are toned down compared to ships like the Imagination and Miracle? Thanks

6 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

 Are you sailing on May 9? I am on that sailing, but I’m not expecting any rowdiness on the cruise. 

 

 

Yes, I will be on that one too. 

It’s been a long time since I have been on a RCCL cruise. I am so glad the solarium is still a great place to relax. Thanks everyone.

I am going on a 3 night cruise to Nassau. I expect a party atmosphere given people wanting a fun filled long weekend.That’s okay, it’s a big ship. Is the Solarium crazy or does the staff keep an eye on the rowdiness?  We’re going the second week in May. Thanks

I would like to ship my luggage home from Port Canaveral (I have light duffels). Does anyone have a recommendation for a UPS or FEDEX store close to port or near MCO?  We’re leaving Sunday via Uber form the port. I am not asking for packing advice to avoid shipping. Thanks

Does anyone know if the ice show is available on the 3 night cruises? I don’t see it on the app.

I want to take full advantage of the shows and other evening entertainment offered on HOS. My friend likes 90 music and comedy shows. Before I reserve my shows/entertainment are there any recommendations as to what to see first? Can you recommend an evening entertainment itinerary? We don’t plan to do formal night or specialty dining. I’d like one one night in the MDR (my time dining). If we do a shore excursion we’ll be back early. There are no kids with us Day time itinerary:. Day 2 is Nassau, Day 3 is at sea. I didn’t see any shows that had reservations for the first night. I appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks!