WatchHill

We like Mezzaluna, located between Hyatt and Outback. Though we rarely get beyond the bar's happy hour. We do enjoy Kelly's - nostalgic Boston seafood place. Darcy

Even though we're both Elite+, I'm very cautious about using the comp laundry bag perk. The majority of our clothing tags say cool/cold water wash. So it's DH's underwear & sox, his dockers, and maybe something of mine that's a bit large or in the "no shrink" cat. I can easily hand wash/rinse a few light weight things in the bathroom sink and let dry. I do miss access to laundry machines like Princess offers though Azamara is even better as they provide HE laundry cubes and dryer sheets. Vacation and doing laundry shouldn't be said in the same sentense, but on longer cruises, it's a necessary evil. Suggestion - take a picture of the items you put into the bag. It helps in case something doesn't come back. Darcy

Legal Seafood Harborside locaated at 270 Northern Ave, with views of the harbor.

Sea pass will scan for elevator access at $2. Plus gratuity with each use. Using the stairs and avoiding cookie fee will result in my dropping a dress size on our upcoming transatlantic. Time to go back to Princess for my daily warm cookies 24/7 at the Atrium cafe, free too!

At age 70, you are no longer required to do jury duty in MA. You may still receive a summons, but just enter "age" as a reason to NOT serve and include the required documentation to support this. I just checked the Federal summons form, and age 70 is also an excuse from serving. Darcy

I don't have any cruise line credit cards, but do have airline cards - still need to get to the ship. Our jet Blue card gets us from BOS to FLL, and recently BOS to LHR, by moving the miles to True Blue. Delta is another card that has been good for us. Best perks are free luggage, priority onto the plane. No foreign transaction fees, too. Darcy

Postponing jury duty varies by state. In MA, one can postpone for up to a year without documentation. Simply respond per directions on the summons, selecting a month in the future. I did that knowing that the one year delay would put me at the age cut-off for required state jury duty. Then I get notice of Federal Grand Jury - totally different process, but aged out on that, too. Darcy

During our 3 days pre cruise in Lisbon, we made extensive use of the Tuk-Tuks which are readily available and far more fun than taxi. Although we initially took a cab from our Hotel, the Corinthia, to the Monastery for an pleasant tour, it was a very easy walk across the street [undergournd to avoid the trams], to see the Discovery Monument and later walk along the waterfront to the Tower of Belem. From there, we got on one of the Tuk-Tuks that were lined up along the curb, and followed the waterfront toward the Alfama where we continued to explore the old city - and it was quite an uphill hike, but worth it. Out Tuck-Tuk driver too pictures of us [group of 4] and narrated sites along the route. Darcy

We love the Elite breakfast option. So much nicer to have a light breakfast, served to us in a quiet area. We try to avoid the buffet breakfast and crowds, searching for a table and avoiding overloading ourselves to the point of needing multiple laps around the ship to work off the empty calories. The "healthy" spa option foods in the solarium are another consideration. Yes, love the mini bagels and a side of fresh fruit. Darcy

Walk off the ship with your luggage,quick walk-by for passport control [facial recognition with your pp], Ahead of you will be lots of taxis and vans, thus allowing you to leave on your schedule and not wait for other passengers, plus this transfer won't cost as much as the cruise line transfer. Darcy

We are on the same TA, booked without all the add ons, and quite comfortable with our decision. On deck 6, mid ship, and have $475 OBC. We are Elite, so we'll utilize that evening drink benefit in the Sky Lounge and respective bars. We'll pick up a few bottles of wine on our way to Southampton which we'll have in our room.to enjoy on the verandah. Neither of us drink to the level of needing a package, in fact the two drinks I may order in the Sky Lounge are far more than I drink normally. Age, wisdom and medication control the alcohol intake. We each get a free bag of laundry, though I plan to rinse/wash small items in the cabin sink. Wish Celebrity were like Princess or Azamara with passenger laundry/ironing rooms. Based on past experience, we only need one wifi connection, which can be pre-ordered at reduced rates. Gratuities can be charged against the OBC and if we exceed the OBC, so be it - the 11-night cruise is far less costly than the air BOS to LHR. We are flying Virgin on the 18th, car service to hotel not far from Waterloo Rail. DH wants to do London Eye, I prefer the Aquarium. On the 20th, we'll head to Waterloo for 9:am train to Hampton Court. There, our niece will be meeting us and store luggage in her car. After the Palace tour, we'll head to Southbourne for two nights. On Sunday morning, we'll go to Southampton via the Forest, stopping for cream tea. Crossing via the Azores is interesting because most fall storms originate off the coast of Africa. Upon arrival in FL, we'll head to the Hyatt for one night, thus avoiding the need for a connecting flight home late in the day. On the 3rd, we can catch the early non-stop flight to BOS. Darcy

We are doing a transatlantic in the fall, and the last port is Nassau which holds no interest for us. Been there many times; we plan to head to the Solarium to enjoy a bit of solitude, chat with crew and not spend time sesarching for unused lounge chairs. The best island is often the one you are floating on in the harbor! Darcy

Thank you for the recommendation. This will be the only service we'll need as friends [more like family] are driving from Southbourne to collect us at the hotel and then we do Hampton Court before we return with them to their home for a few days. They will drive us, via Lyndhurst for cream tea, to Southampton to meet the ship. Darcy

We are arriving at LHR T-3, mid morning in October and have reservations at a hotel near Waterloo Rail. Having done the LHR Express/rail/coach/tube many times, we decided with age comes a bit more wisdom. We could manage luggage with a bit of grumbling, but plan to reserve a car service meeting us at the airport for a trip to the hotel. We'll no doubt be tired from the overnight flight and are getting to the age where convenience prevails. On prior trips to London, we stay near Paddington, thus it's a easy two block walk, with luggage, to the hotel. Our quotes are between 92-100 GBP. Darcy

Rules of the road outside of your home state or country present a challenge. Roads in European cities grew from narrow cart paths hundreds of years ago. I've driven "left" in the UK, needing to adjust my brain a bit and pay attention to other vehicles passing me on the motorways. Narrow roads in Wales are another story. We were in Portugal this past spring, including a day in Sintra, without incident. Roundabouts are commonplace in some parts of the USA, thus giving you experience and confidence in navigating the loop. Now you can really experience PTSD if you've ever navigated the Magic Roundabout in Swidon. Darcy

There's only one terminal in Lisbon. Seems there are more planes than open gates. When we took TAP from BOS to LIS, we landed somewhere way out on the tarmac and had to bus to the terminal. Then on our return via Rome, we did get a gate in Lisbon. But our return to BOS required another very long bus ride to meet our plane. Due to heavy flight traffic, we had a 1.5 hour delay before taking off. Even though we flew Execuitive class, not impressed with TAP. Darcy

Having access to a passenger laundry room is a great convenience. At least with Princess, I can do items with the appropriate water temp and use an iron to touch up the wrinkles. Recently, we were on Azamara, and their ships offer FREE laundry including detergent pods! How I wish Celebrity would offer something similar. Those prices are absurd! When my "send out laundry" cost exceeds the bar bill, something is wrong! Darcy

Earlier this year we spent a few days pre-cruise in Lisbon and wished we had a few more time to explore the area. We arrived in Lisbon from BOS, at about 4:30 am, a bit punchy, and got a cab to our hotel, the Corinthia. Thankfully, we were able to check into our rooms that early, had breakfast then decided to take on the city. We got a taxi to the Jeronimos Monastery - nice self directed tour, about 20 minute wait to enter. Vasco De Gama is buried there. From there we walked by the huge water fountain for a few pictures and crossed the undergorund walk way to the Discovery Monument. We considered walking to the tower of Belem, but decided to hail a tuk-tuk to the historic district instead. Walking the hills, pace yourself. Another tuk-tuk to a large plaza where we wandered through a few shops [finding public rest rooms are always a challenge in parts of Europe] and returned to our hotel which was near the national zoo and a museum and close to many restaurants. That evening we had dinner nearby and early sleep. The following day we [4 mature adults, and another couple] were picked up by our private guide at 7:45 for a day trip to Sintra. We were one of the first to enter Pena Palace and glad we were as a labor action was initiated shortly after we did our tour. Two members of our small group went with our driver/guide for another side tour while we explored the quaint village below the Palace. Interesting shops, DH loved the sardine store. We had a nice light lunch and met up with our driver guide for a trip to the western most point in continental Europe, Calores, and later a stop in Cascals where we got a gelato and walked to the seaside. Finally returned to the hotel about 5:30, and hit the hotel lounge and relaxed before we went for dinner. Most restaurants do not open until 6: or 7: pm, so plan accordingly. We found a Brazilian steak house nearby, fun experience. The followiing day we transferred to our ship, but wished we had another day to explore more sites. We've been to Barcelona a few times. On this trip we walked Las Ramblas to the plaza d Gaudi, being mindful of our belongings. That evening we headed to Saint Sadurni d'Anoia, an historic winery/vineyard and saw a flamenco show. The following morning, we walked the port area and thoroughly enjoyed the Museu Mariim d Barcelona. So much to see and never enough time to fit it all in, but each travel experience adds to our memories. Darcy

In March, for the Pursuit, we dropped luggage about 1: PM and were directed to security and check in on the second level. We were given our cabin cards, ID's checked, security photos done, etc. Then assigned to about 2: to go onto the ship. We checked out the duty free shops, and enjoyed snacks/coffee/tea/water while we waited. Really not much time to explore Lisbon as we sailed at 5: and used the time to make a la carte dinner reservations and unpack luggage, also toss in a load of laundry because we arrived 3 days pre-cruise. Darcy

Pre-cruise, we spend a few days in Ft Lauderdale area and DH insists we go to Sawgrass so he can buy warm weather clothes to fill his near-empty cruise attire suit case. Of course, I can find a few items, too. On our last trip, my sister came with us and was amazed by the shops and size of Sawgrass. It was pre-Christmas, and nicely decorated. Oh, we do rent a car for the convenience. Darcy

The resort did not take reservations. Maybe check their web site or email in case policy has changed. At the port we walked to the street edge where many taxis were lined up. For our return, the resort called a taxi. It took about 20 minutes to arrive Darcy

We were on the Pursuit in March of this year. Hair dryer was OK, not as powerful/hot as I use at home, but tolerable. I have very fine hair, but lots of it. Darcy

Bonaire isn't known for its sandy beaches, [quite rocky in places] rather the beautiful reef fish, swimming in the clear, clean waters. We primarily used the pool and lazy river, though DH did take to the shore and saw quite a few fish and he free floated along with the current. The resort's beach-side sandy areas are very clean, with ample lounges, shaded huts, and easy access to rest rooms and food/beverages.

Pre check is for the USA, expedited lane through security. We also have Global Entry which is a BIG plus upon return to the USA. Walking off the plane to the digital entry kiosks, facial recognition and scan passport, print an awful picture of each of us and then hand the pix to an immigrtion officer and onto baggage claim. I turned around and looked at the long, long lines of passerngers waiting to enter and recall being in a similar line years ago. Based on prior flights outisde of the USA, any expedited security seems to be associated with flying premium - that's what we got when going through secondary screening in Lisbon, though I could see that all the security lanes were well organized and there was a digital sign indication the wait time - all of 2 minutes! Putting redress or Global numbers into TAP was a challenge. Our TA said when she tried to put in her husband's the "save" kept spinning. Somehow on our return flight confirmation, I was able to enter DH's Global number, but it refused to take mine - and in the end, it didn't matter. One fun thing at LIS airport is the Sardine Store! Seriously, DH was drawn into the shop and HAD to purchase an assortment of canned sardines. Darcy