Tom and Ingrid

He mentioned they were on board when he was on the Edge, and with the call up to the Silhouette, they opted to head back to Greece while he was on the Silhouette. But, yeah, traveling in "interesting" areas with his family on board is a sign he was feeling like the risks were not unfavorable.

Same here! Maybe we crossed paths 🙂 I have similar and differing thoughts on the cruise, but don't think you are wildly off base on the shared experiences, and can't comment on the other stuff (like Specialty dining or wine which we don't generally do). Hands down, I think the ship was in great shape and the operation of the ship - from embarking/disembarking and port options - was top notch. EVERY time we got on the ship or off the ship, it was a BREEZE. So different from many years ago where embarkation day was "long", and there was lots of queueing for port days (although rarely bad even then). We were literally only delayed to deal with the x-ray machines (emptying pockets, refilling pockets) but otherwise very quick. Port locations for all four Norwegian stops was great - right in or just next to the downtown, and Rotterdam was exceptionally easy to start/end the cruise. Oddly, for us, the worst part of the whole cruise was simply the amount of kids on board. A typical "hot topic" here, and also expected for a peak summer cruise. We generally are never cruising in the summer - latest is usually June and returning in September - so the amount of families with babies up to late teens was very obvious to us on the ship, and it certainly changed many of the on-board experiences that we encountered. One example was the first evening's performer (singer Toni Warne) STOPPING the show to ask a family with a wailing baby to perhaps leave the theater to deal with their child. We had a family behind us with a young child who talked the whole show, and even with the performer's request to the other family, the family behind us kept allowing their kid to loudly ramble throughout the show. Other examples were the little kids - really fun to watch - taking over the "dance floor" for some of the foyer shows, the families or groups of kids occupying all pools and hot tubs most of the day, and the late into the evening kids wandering all decks and the much more frequent cabin door slamming in the wee hours (past midnight) that is much rarer on most cruises. MDR seemed "slammed" no matter which time we were there. Our waitstaff lost the assistant waiter for a few days to sickness, and it only lowered overall service (ie slow to take orders, unfilled water glasses, etc.). Our head waiter was really good, just very busy. I also had the escargot one night, and thought it was "fair" - not great, but tasted okay. Not something that would make me have it again if it was my first time trying it. We skipped many of the shows (rare for us), but often spent too much time at dinner - both talking and with slower service - to make it to many of the non-production shows. We missed the magician and the comedian's (Jim Short) main shows (caught Short's later extra show), but were happy with the production shows. Did one or two other bigger pop-ups like Silent Disco, but skipped things like the Abba sing-a-long. In general, felt the music options were better than some recent cruises, and spent a fair bit of time listening to the main Kuta Beat band and the guitarist Tracy. Good and modern music options also by the DJ. We skipped - on purpose - the Mikey Votano show, which seemed likely to drive me nuts with "classic" covers. We still think the On Broadway production show would benefit from a larger selection of "modern" musical song choices, but overall, still enjoy that show. The biggest shock to us was that the ship did not seem to be anywhere near 100% capacity. Sea days were their usual crazy at lunch, and like I wrote, the MDR seemed stretched, but overall, it did not feel crowded for most of the cruise, and if we avoided the places the kids were monopolizing, it was generally quite nice. Having the SV cabin was a great retreat from any business we did encounter. Likewise, the "average" age seemed way younger than normal (even excluding kids in the number). MANY more 30s folks on board as well as the 40s/50s folks. This could be summer travel related or the destination, but overall, one of the youngest groupings of folks we can recall. Overall, a great cruise, with several places that could be improved, and a few misses that were likely mostly related to timing (height of summer). We'll be back, for sure, but also need to remember to avoid cruising during kid's school breaks.

Yep - we had Captain Matt - who is Greek 😄 - for our July 28-Aug 4th Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Silhouette. I think we were his first sailing for this brief "contract" (one month, I think) as he had finished his stint on the Edge and was asked to take this short gig before having a break and, according to his plans, returning to the Edge again. He was, like most of the X captains we have had, seemingly pretty engaging and entertaining. On the bridge? No idea. In public, a good representative.

Just back from the cruise (Norway Fjords) and the SV we had on deck 7 (Silhouette - 7315) was GREAT! A "medium" size veranda - larger than our neighbors but not the largest on the back. The main/only drawback was soot on the deck/chairs (cabin steward gave us towels for the chairs and to wipe feet on entry), and the associated exhaust fumes that can trail the ship. Having a view directly out the rear of the ship from our bed was ALWAYS lovely. And you could crack the door for the white noise from the ships wake which was a great background soundtrack. With 2 sea days, it was also a great retreat from the busy times on the ship. Two thumbs up with just the soot issue as a downside.

We are on deck 7, so hopefully a pleasant spot. Never done the back of the ship, so not sure what to expect, but it's a cruise, so my hope is it is fantastic as ever. 😃

How do folks find these cabins on the S-class ships? A quick search shows they are not as "private" as normal verandas and I've noticed that in the past when up at the OVC and peering off the back of the ship. But, that deck area is where I always eat breakfast and always enjoy watching the wake of the ship, so it seems like it might be very pleasant despite the lack of overhead privacy and/or shade. Will we be happy? It will be for the Norwegian Fjords sailing, so maybe a nice late evening spot (sunset after 11pm!). Thoughts?

Click the thread titles - "Cruise Itinerary's - Longer/special #3" and the THREAD opens. List of her posts: The thread associated with that post:

Food schmood! Folks really want to know if you can wear shorts to dinner? And a t-shirt? Flip flops? Or a baseball cap! 😱

My thinking too. If you want Oasis-esque, choose the Oasis or its sister ships. Hopefully Celebrity improves around the edges and focuses on its core strengths, and does not change so radically that it alienates what had been its more loyal guests.

Interesting. I haven't seen Alaskan Amber locally. I might have to re-peruse the Total Beverage "A" section!

We're in the same boat 😄 in that we're ready to give VV (and others) a try - especially since we've got no kids in tow and have no interest in having other folks' kids behaving as kids generally do. In the past, Celebrity has done really well with service, food, general vibe, and a nice level of families with kids. Maybe that is changing. Maybe it's not, but kids are not doing the onboard programs as much, or maybe the kids are just less supervised, but if it tips much more in the favor of "families", it may become a much lower option for us - ASSUMING other lines like VV can meet the service, food, and vibe we like. For VV, I think their fleet is too small and their options not super enticing. I see the TAs right now as the only ones jumping out to me, but give them time and they might add enough to their fleet and options that it becomes a line with repeatability. In the meantime, MSC or Princess or Cunard for a TA seem to have an inside track to edge into our cruise plans, which is tough for me to think as someone who is solely a Celebrity cruiser up until now.

Honestly, your "technical" posts are always enlightening to me. Keep them up. They really shed light on situations where there is a lot of conjecture or even misinformation/ignorance from crew when they try to explain a problem to the passenger(s). Thanks!

As Celebrity makes an effort to encourage a slightly younger demographic, it seems like a great time to embrace them with excursions and options that match their expectations. For me, I would heartily welcome the option for easy access to on-board bicycle storage. Very often, we arrive in a port and the only options readily available are some sort of motorized (car, van, bus, taxi, etc.) vehicles. Considering many ports - especially in Europe - are "bike friendly", it would be fantastic to disembark, grab my (or a rental) bike from storage, and head out to explore for the day. I've seen cruises which cater to motorcyclists, and imagine folding bikes are options, but allowing or even encouraging regular cycling would be a huge plus for "active" and "green" cruisers. Separate but related is the consistent "over-rating" of the difficulty of excursions. My wife and I have come to see even the "hardest" Celebrity excursions tend to be "moderate" or even "easy" relative to a youngish and mildly fit person's understanding of the terms. I understand erring on the side of caution as we've been on easy (to us) excursions that were difficult (or impossible) for some folks who self-identified as able to participate, and that really can derail an excursion for the rest of the group. However, if the most strenuous excursions on offer are consistently "moderate" in reality, it really limits the options for the growing percentage of folks on board who are capable of truly "strenuous" options and seek them out.

That would be a serious bummer as I generally spend every morning out there. 😞 I'm used to smoking since my mom smoked when I was a kid, but for the most part, the less smell of cigarettes or cigars, the better.

We're getting our pre-cruise emails daily now, and I was looking at this photo and wondering which ship this might be? My "happy place" is the outside seating area behind Oceanview but I'm not familiar with that upper deck area. Is that an Edge class set up or a different configuration of a Solstice class? We're on the Silhouette for the first time, so maybe the Sillie?

In a round about way, maybe he could have checked with his CC to see if they would sort it out for him. Certainly the father had a medical issue that could/did fall under: You or your traveling companion experience accidental bodily injury, death or sickness that prevents travel An immediate family member of you or your traveling companion dies or experiences accidental bodily injury or sickness that is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or requires care by you or your traveling companion

My AmEx is the same - uses their "Premium Global Assist Hotline" - so that's double coverage 🙂 if. use the Chase and carry the AmEx. I did notice "lost luggage assistance" on their list - where you tell them what you lost, and THEY hound the airline for you. That's actually pretty nice.

Absolutely can make things easier and with more control with additional coverage. I keep harping on the topic mainly because of the original question posed - which was "I didn't get trip insurance, so what can I do", and I think many of us are "covered" by the CCs we have and it would be a mistake not to weigh that as an option for the OP. I also think as we all get older (every darn day), but also depending upon our local & unique healthcare circumstances, separate & distinct travel insurance is an option folks should explore. I'm not against extra insurance, I'm just not "travel insurance or bust" about it either.

For sure. And this was covered in other posts related to the logistics (vs actual medical) costs. Again, depending upon the way folks book and pay for a cruise, it might be covered by the CC policy. As posted above, some cards carry a $100k coverage for this sort of thing and also have a phone number to help coordinate that if needed. So, expensive, YES. Covered already? MAYBE. Emergency evacuation insurance: Up to $100,000 when you pay for at least part of your common carrier travel with the card. Evacuation must be preapproved by the benefit administrator in order to be covered.

So, your primary healthcare insurance company didn't accept/cover any out-of-network costs? My guess is paying for extra travel insurance, you just streamlined the process and got full reimbursement (no deductible to satisfy). Again, that "works" but does have a price. And is a price that is use or lose, unlike you existing health insurance which you have for using anytime all year around. UK rules obviously are different than the US (which is a mess of inconsistency). Peace of mind. I get it. Folks can and should buy it when they want it. And in the UK, I think you may NEED to buy supplemental coverage if on a normal UK insurance policy (or have NO coverage)???

The OP (dependent on the CC they used) seems to have a basis ("my dad just recently got injured"). Using as an example a Chase CC - "accidental bodily injury that prevents travel" is right at the top of this list. Eligible trip cancellation or interruption events You'll only be eligible for reimbursement if certain events cause the cancellation or interruption of your travel arrangements. For example, Chase may provide trip cancellation and interruption coverage for the following circumstances: You or your traveling companion experience accidental bodily injury, death or sickness that prevents travel An immediate family member of you or your traveling companion dies or experiences accidental bodily injury or sickness that is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or requires care by you or your traveling companion Severe weather that would prevent a reasonable and prudent person from beginning or continuing on a trip (the weather must meet specific requirements regarding timing, location and effect on your trip) Named storm warning Change in military orders for you or your spouse A call to jury duty or a court subpoena that you can't postpone or waive Your or your traveling companion's permanent residence is uninhabitable, burglarized or damaged by fire or flood Your or your traveling companion's lodging at your destination becomes uninhabitable Your or your traveling companion's host at your trip's destination dies or is hospitalized A physician or a competent governmental authority having jurisdiction requires you or your traveling companion to quarantine due to health reasons You or your traveling companion miss at least 20% of your trip or the departure of a prepaid cruise or tour due to an organized strike affecting public transportation

What's interesting is the likely diversity of insurance that folks here might have already, and then also, the TYPE of insurance folks might have. For instance, the whole host of LOGISTICAL issues might be completely covered by the way someone booked travel making separate travel insurance to cover that stuff redundant and/or wasteful. The HEALTH bits are also very specific to folks individual existing coverage, and US vs UK vs CA vs XYZ, (& within the US), Medicare vs private vs company provided vs XYZ, make it even more individual and specific. At the end of the day, just like Las Vegas was built on gambling in favor of the house, insurance is built on gambling in favor of the house. If, on one's first vacation out of the US they had set aside $100 for "insurance" in a side savings account, and added, at every vacation since then another $100, can you imagine the size of that account now? Folks can be their own "insurer", and especially where it's a situation of existing coverage, but they still face a process to get out-of-network claims reimbursed and/or deductibles met. But it, as always, comes down to one's personal "peace of mind" where the fear of loss is great enough that someone will choose to pay to lower that fear to a level where they are comfortable. People do that in all areas of life, and people have a near infinite range of comfort zones.

That's a Chase Sapphire Reserve.

One of my cards lists their benefits, and where you see the biggest gap is the "Emergency medical" vs a full travel ins policy. Otherwise, fairly similar and thepointsguy website does a good cost rundown for full policies: Trip delay insurance: Up to $500 per ticket when you're delayed by six-plus hours or overnight. Baggage delay insurance: Up to $100 per day for up to five days when your baggage is delayed by six-plus hours. Trip cancellation/ interruption insurance: Up to $10,000 per person, up to $20,000 per trip Auto rental collision damage waiver: Primary insurance up to $75,000 for theft and collision damage. Emergency medical and dental benefit: Up to $2,500 for emergency medical expenses, subject to a $50 deductible. Up to $75 per day for up to five days for a hotel room after a hospital stay. Emergency evacuation insurance: Up to $100,000 when you pay for at least part of your common carrier travel with the card. Evacuation must be preapproved by the benefit administrator in order to be covered. Lost luggage reimbursement: Up to $3,000 per person, with a $500 cap on jewelry and watches and a $500 cap on cameras and other electronic equipment. Roadside assistance: Up to $50 per service event, up to four times per year. Travel accident insurance: Up to $1 million loss of life common carrier insurance per person. Up to $100,000 loss of life travel accident insurance per person.

Craps was always our "game" when we would go to Vegas - but that was back in the $1 and $2 minimums. Now, even the more old and worn down places seem to be $5 or more (Celebrity casino even more), so we trailed off playing much. When it was $1, $30 lasted a LONG time for us, and often left close to even. Now, say starting at $300 for close to the same play time is less enticing, but if I knew plunking down $1,000 bucks in the casino (even if losing it all) would get me a "free" cruise, I'd do it every time. Love craps, hate losing, but it's not a loss if I got a free cruise in return 🙂