BP99

Hi, We also loved the deer in Nara when we visited a few years ago! However, some chased me when I wasn't giving out the crackers fast enough. An awesome place and an event that I will never forget. We had several repeat Japan cruises booked that were cancelled due to COVID! Unfortunate. Bill

Hi, My wife and I LOVE transatlantic cruses (and transpacific !!). We have done lots of them on both small and large ships. PRO's: 1. Sure beats flying!! And for us Canadians it is usually cheaper than airfare! 2. When you arrive you may? have less jet lag. We have less! 3. The prices can be awesome!! 4. Depending on time of year you can suntan/swim on deck relax, see shows, play games 5. May? have less children on board. This may? be con if you intend to bring yours! 6. Large ships have less motion than small BUT that depends on time of year. We NEVER get sea sick. 7. If you plan things right you can do another cruise once you arrive or even a B2B. We once did a B2B2B2B2B which included a Cunard cruise *final leg" back to NYC. 45 nights and NO expensive hotels in between cruises. GREAT vacation! 8. Usually they add more activities on seaways (eg Guest lectures, movies, dance classes, art classes, Progressive Trivia, Bridge, Majong games,etc) CONS: 1) Occasionally, transatlantic cruise run into bad weather. Usually the ship can change course and avoid these. NEVER a threat to safety BUT some get sick 2. You may get bored. We don't!! Try one, You may? like it!! Bill

Hi, Most of my tips/info are for Japan land trips (before or after a Japanese cruise). However these are more general for a single day excursion (and for other countries): Food: Each city has MANY places to eat. However, not all have English menus. We found that most had pictures that you can point to if the waiter doesn't speak English. Many restaurants are close to empty. DON'T eat there! The busy full ones have the good stuff and are usually cheaper!! Download google translator (free) at home (I use an iPad). Download Japanese at home. You can use your iPad as a camera and it will translate Japanese to English on the screen. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. This was useful for Hotels also. Our AC in the room had many buttons but only in Japanese! So did the toilet!! >20. Test this at home! Self directed walking tour: Download Maps.me (free) and download Japan on your iPad at home. If you get lost maps.me will locate you on the screen map. No internet connection needed. No roaming fees. While you walk the person walks on the screen!! Trains: In Japan the trains run like clockwork. VERY accurate times!! Usually there is a set amount of time (7minutes?) for people to get off and get on. Very organized. Trains are fast and inexpensive. Is your 2nd cruise to Singapore ? Great place to visit! Do you stop in Vietnam? Hoi An (sp?) is a Fun place to visit (ship excursion). Bill

Hi, We have been on a Japan Millennium cruise that is close to what you are planing. IT WAS AWESOME!! It was one of the BEST cruises we have been on (60 cruises and 4 more this year). The ship is small BUT excellent! Shows were good! Excellent food and service. Not really a cruise that I would take young kids. No water slides, bumper cars etc. We also spent an extra week in Japan and had a GREAT time. Some points on Japan: 1) The Japanese are really friendly and many speak English. In many cities there are students (in uniform and clipboards) that want to speak to you in English (part of there home work). The Japanese also cue in line - unlike many other countries. Even for the trains they cue in line!! 2) we found the Hotels in all the major cities (Osaka, Tokyo, Yokohama} are less expensive than comparable hotels in USA/Canada/Europe/Australia. The hotels were spotless and many included a free breakfast (with 2 sections-Japanese food and North American). Some hotels included slippers at the door, pyjamas on the bed! 3) easy to travel from city to city by train. The bullet train was GREAT: 4) LOTS to see in each city! We loved the temples. The city of Nara and the temple in the park were fun. Especially feeding the deer which run around the park and even in the city! I could go on but... Bill

Hi, I agree! We also love having our RCL diamond free drinks at the pool during the hot afternoons!! Also on RCL we love the free capachino (sp) and latte in the diamond club!! Also the diamond club food (all day snacks) and diamond club food during HH is awesome! Unlike the pathetic stuff that is served by a limited number of waiters during Celebrity elite HH. I don't call stale crackers with a bit of stale cheese a treat! We still sail Celebrity due to itinerary reasons NOT for the Elite food benefits!! Bill

Hi, Totally agree. Last minute cruise rates are usually GREAT (except for cabin selection) BUT last minute airfare is usually terrible. Especially if you live in Canada (like us). Last minute cruise booking works well if you live near the cruise port.

Hi, We have cruised on both (Elite on Celebrity). I think the food on both is good and comparable. I think on this website you will ALWAYS find people who complain about food on different cruise lines and ships. My only question for them is: What do you eat at home? The ONLY noticeable cruise food is when we did Holland America. It was better (and service outstanding) BUT was it worth paying the higher fares? NO. We don't only travel on cruise ships to eat. We also seem to find food we enjoy! Also many cruiselines have outstanding shows (ie water shows, theatre, concerts etc) which for us is a BONUS. We cruise to enjoy visiting different places in the world. We actually save money cruising Europe, Australia etc. Hotels prices are CRAZY there lately. They have also increased in USA and Canada! Also, we save money on cruising TA and TP (often cheaper) and flying from Canada is expensive (and also uncomfortable!) Bill

Hi, Yes, I also noticed that lately many TA and TP are less than 14 days. However, We are booked on Odyssey of the seas this April that is 14 days (Ft. Lauderdale to Rome) and Celebrity Edge this fall that is a TP (B2B2B) that one of the legs is 18 nights. So they do exist but rare. Bill

Hi, If you like and book Celebrity cruises often (or Royal) you may consider buying shares in RCL. We bought shares in RCL several decades ago and get OBC on each cruise. The amount varies based on number of days for the cruise. Since we like transatlantic or transpacific (beats flying and jet lag and costs much less) we usually get $250 each cruise. You ONLY buy the stock once but get the benefit over and over each cruise. Since we bought the stock went up 3 fold also. Since we are Elite and Diamond plus the free bonus OBC paid for itself and the some. During covid the stock went down 3 fold (a GREAT time to buy for newbies) and went back after covid. Something to consider if you plan to cruise a lot! Almost always combinable with other OBC. If you stop cursing you can always sell your stock!! Bill

Hi, I agree with your post. I would like to add to your "Absolutely NO canapes". IMO the Celebrity HH canapés are PATHETIC. Try a RCL cruise as a Diamond member The food at HH is AWESOME! Also the drinks are better! Having a dedicated Diamond lounge also helps! Bill

Hi, I totally agree with your evaluation! Also, you forgot to mention that on transatlantic, transpacific and repositioning cruises there are often fewer kids. We also love TA, TP and RP due to flying is not fun for us and and often costs more than the cruise. Also, in your first line you mentioned that you do not like RCL/Celebrity but didn't tell us what is your favourite. For example I Loved Holland America. GREAT food, EXCELLENT service, almost no kids BUT 2-3 times the cost, and a very older clientele (eg. way to many scouters). I have also heard great things about many other lines BUT I'm not willing to pay 3-6 times the price of RCL/Celebrity. It's a bit of a trade off for us. More cruises for less $ or less cruises for more $$$. Also, we mostly pick itinerary that gets to a country we wish to explore for 2 weeks post cruise. Bill

Hi Rick, We are Elite on Celebrity and MOSTLY sail on RCL now (as Diamond plus). We like RCL better now because: 1) Your drink perks on RCL-use at ANYTIME and ANYWHERE- ie. Poolside, theatre, dinner . Loaded on card- no vouchers 2) Dedicated Diamond lounge. And YES the coffee machines WORK GREAT. Love expresso, capachino etc. FOOD during HH is AWESOME (unlike Celebrity HH). Excellent snacks all day also. Dedicated 1-2 attendants/waiters 24/7 to FIX coffee machines. They actually DON'T BREAK!! They run out of milk, coffee, or need to remove grinds etc. because Diamond members LOVE using them!! Attendants fix them ASAP! 3) Entertainment on the larger ships is MUCH better. Ice shows, Water Showa, etc. Also 24/7 Pizza 4) Service and food - same as Celebrity 5) We still sail Celebrity- due to Itinary and time of year We have done Norway and liked it and most of the scenery is GREAT -- BUT the same scenery for all the fiords etc. Many tiny towns in remote areas. A more layed back cruise. We liked the Baltic cruises much more. Did them twice (some different itineraries), Much more to see and do. Action packed. Great cities to see and explore! If you can walk then you can do each city on your own- no excursion need. Ship parks downtown or very near. Trust me on my comments. We are also from Halifax NS! Bill

Hi, Totally agree with you!! Having our 5 free drinks (Diamond plus) ANYWHERE and ANYTIME is a big plus for us. We LOVE having a free slushy drink by the pool on hot sea days. Most types are included (ie yummy mudslides). At first we thought BIG RCL ships would be hectic. However, the ICE shows are outstanding, The water shows are PHENOMENAL. Lots to see, lots to do. We were just on Symphony of the seas. GREAT ship, Great price- What's not to LOVE!! The Diamond club with its tables of hot/cold food was also the same on these larger ships. The service and food was just as good as Celebrity. I you want better service or food go on Holland America (which we have) but........(____). We still go on Celebrity but ONLY because of the itinerary. Prefer RCL but...... Bill

Hi, Love your post. I'm GLAD you actually posted the drink menu. When I mention how PATHETIC the Elite happy hour is many don't believe me. We have been cruising for 35 or so years and early on "Tested" various cruise lines. We liked Princess and Celebrity best (for price and bang for your buck) and decided to become Elite on Celebrity. We liked the "free" drinks during the Elite party BUT the food was terrible. Usually 2 waiters served stale crackers with stale cheese on a small dish. By time they reached us the plate was empty. Sometimes they would have a piece of stale meat on the cracker or a tiny dessert. However, we attended to meet others, chat and get our drinks. At that time, free drinks were ONLY available during the Elite happy hour. About 15-20 years ago we decided to try Royal Carnival using our transferable status "Diamond". WOW!! WOW!! Drinks: almost anything you want. Tables and tables FULL off hot and cold food. Bacon covered scalllops were our FAV. Chicken, meat on a stick, shrimp (cold, hot breaded) chocolate strawberries and on and on. WOW! We now mostly sail on Royal. The food and drinks still continue on till the day. Sometimes we ate so much that we missed diner. Bill