LuckyStar

That could be. I didn't put a lot of thought into a real solution, it's just my gripe. 🙂

We chose this cruise, frankly, because it was very inexpensive. Cheap is always a good inducer for me. We chose an inside guarantee for this Alaska northbound cruise. We were fine with the inside room, #2015, that we were assigned. A balcony would have been nice but we like going out onto the ship and meeting people. There are plenty of viewing areas on this ship. Being first time Celebrity cruisers, we were unsure of what to expect. This is a small, older ship but it was very nice and kept up. We loved the heated pools in the Solarium area. The weather was mostly always cool, hoodie or even light coat weather, so the Solarium pools were perfect. The pool and hot tubs are salt water. There were lots of activities to keep us busy (trivia, dance lessons, games) so the entertainment team did their job well. The at night entertainment was great, the one night we got to see it. We had no choice but the 6:00 dining time, so we missed the 7:00 show and we're in by 9 to sleep by 10. This is a beef I have with all cruise lines, if you have to dinner at 6:00 in the MDR, why can't shows start at 7:30? Food in MDR was awesome, breakfast in the MDR was good but choices seemed limited. On the other hand, breakfast at the buffet was awesome, lunch and dinner, so so. We aren't big drinkers so the packages aren't worth it for us. We bring small bottles to add to OJ at breakfast, vodka and rum to add to free lemonade, fruit punch, apple juice and some days, free Passion Orange Guava (POG). We didn't drink much and we didn't buy a soda all week. Iced and hot teas are available free. Staff in both areas were superb. The buffet area was also kept very clean with sanitizer offered at the entry ways. Our room was way forward, which we love. No motion until the last night when we had major waves, so forward isn't for anyone who has motion issues. We love the motion, so big score on this room. The inside room seemed smaller but it worked for us because we spend so little time in our room. Despite this room being two floors below the Theater (Floors 4 & 5), we never heard any noise. The ports were very entertaining and all had lots to do. Precruise, we stayed at Quality Hotel Airport South in Richmond. We got a free shuttle from the airport and a shuttle to the port the next morning for $20 PP. I don't know if that was a good price but it sure was convenient, considering we didn't want to try to find the train station, which is much cheaper. The embarkation was iffy with long lines, long wait. I hate that I had a 11 check in but those with 130 were there earlier so they were able to jump the queue. I really don't care but I didn't get to pick my embarkation time, it was assigned, and I showed up just after 11 which was a big mistake. I will happily arrive later and have a shorter wait but with it being our first with Celebrity, we believed the health check HAD to happen at 11 as we were told. I'll know better next time. The disembarkation was the smoothest I have ever experienced and I have sailed four, now five, different cruise lines. We walked off the boat with no long lines. They seem to group very well. And honestly, a lot of people were continuing on with a land tour so that may have lessoned the wait, since those parties are held on board until last. If I have left something out, please feel free to ask. I give this cruise a 5 out of 5 stars.

Same...

Maybe that's why I have enjoyed all my guarantee cabins, they have all been forward and we love the rocking while we sleep.

This is my first Celebrity cruise to Alaska, I cruised NCL 10 years ago. It was fine cruise. Alaska cruises have a different vibe than Caribbean cruises anyway. I don't remember the pool being a big draw, it was a bit cool. We saw lots of jeans and caps and fewer shorts and short sleeves. We are not sailing with our kiddo this time (he's got a grown up job) so I have no info on the kids activities. I've sailed four cruise lines and found them to be basically the same, small variances are expected.

I love the Havana area. I have sailed with inside and patio, which your dog would love, I would think. If I were to choose Havana, i would prefer to be on Deck 5, closest to the pool. If you got an inside and a patio, you would have lots of room for the dog if that configuration would work for you.

I have cruised solo and have always felt safe on ship excursions. You are at least with the group and you will meet people.

ITA. I'm usually happy with my guarantee cabins. It's pretty much a gamble. I booked a guarantee inside and got a deluxe balcony on another cruise.

Whoa! I'm gonna track it so I have exact timing.

As a Carnival fan, I've cruised Holland and you might like that as well. I'm cruising Celebrity in June, so I'll report back.

I love Carnival too. The longer the cruise, the less rowdy the crowd.

I personally love Carnival. It can be a lot rowdier than some other cruise lines. I think that since they have put the Havana area on some ships, it makes for quieter Carnival cruising. It's definitely worth the extra $$ for me. I've become spoiled and have a hard time cruising Carnival without it. But Carnival also has more planned activities than some other cruise lines. Trivia, games, etc. You can literally plan every hour of your day. But you also don't have to.

I did not get this refund, however, I booked a guarantee inside and was bumped up to a deluxe balcony, so I'm good. I'm not going to "rock the boat" by asking for more. 😳

I recently booked two B2B cruises, unfortunately, I had to cancel the second leg. I requested a refund of my deposit. I should have asked if they could apply it to my still booked cruise but I didn't think of it. Anyway, they told me it could take up to 3 billing cycles, which is end of August, to get my refund. I'm ok with that, in theory, I'll just post a calendar entry and watch for it. Has anyone else had refunds take this long?

My sister has done this on another line. She booked and paid for two, said her room mate was a no show. Got a refund on port fees. You are technically paying for two people, so not sure why MSC would have a problem with that.

That's fantastic news. Kudos to your Congress person for expediting for you.

Toured all through Europe using Viator. Not one problem.

I was advised to look at www.shoreexcursions.com for tours, too. Viator.com is a good place as well.

Following as well. We are planning this too. I personally love HOHO excursions. The one in Athens looks awesome too! Our ship does not leave until 10:00pm, our boarding time is noon. Love the ships but approx 9 hours on board before you leave? I like the beach idea too. I need to find out when is the latest time to check in for our cruise.

This is great advice. Yes! We are very excited to head back into London and hit a few more museums that we missed last time. It's such a great city.

Well, I played the credit card points game a few years ago when I wanted to fly to Hawaii from Denver first class. I got a Delta credit card with tons of points to open the card. I was able to stockpile a ton of points to get those first class tickets. I'm sure you need many more miles to fly first class to Australia but I just thought I would share how my diabolical mind works. 🙂

We were connecting to a flight to Brussels from LHR. I assume we got into the correct line. No one told us differently. I just booked my latest flight. I have an 9 hr layover at LHR this time. Plenty of time to get through any silly lines I may need to. LOL

I'm considering a flight in Nov that goes through Heathrow. We weren't expecting the long line through customs, the first time. Barely made our connecting flight. We're better prepared now, so it might be better and I'll be sure to leave more time between flights.

We flew BA in 2015 to Europe. It was awesome. Only downside was layover at Heathrow. Hate that airport. Yes, it's been a while but I've heard similar stories as recently as a few months ago.

I'm sorry that this has happened. Hope you will keep us updated. I think that this could happen with any airline. I honestly love United but I have never had any problems with them. I refused to fly Delta when they screwed something up, until they had a too good to believe fare, then I became very forgiving.