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https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-summit/deck-plan     Please help clarify.  Summit Deck 7:  An example of comparing two Prime Verandas: #7117 and #7145.  When looking at the deck plan, #7117 seems to have a smaller balcony than #7145, but a larger stateroom.  Vice versa - #7145 seems to have a larger balcony but a smaller stateroom than #7117.  Would you think this is accurate?  Or would you assume #7117 and #7145 have the exact same size stateroom and balcony.  Thank you.  

On the last day of my Sept cruise we arrive in Southampton at 5:00 am.  Would a 9:15 am flight from Southampton airport be doable???  Do you recall what time they started letting passengers off Star? 

Thank you!

Re: tender: What if you have an NCL shore excursion that starts at 8:00am in a tender port?  Are there special provisions made for this situation (vs. the pick up your number the night before) ?? 

Thank you - that helped immensely.  And referencing post #67 explained everything!

Excellent review and wonderful photos.  We have booked this cruise (with slight differences) for Sept 2023.  Could you please explain "tender numbers"?  How do they determine the order in which you depart on the tender?  Thank you.

Hi everyone.  I'm looking into booking my first river cruise.  One of the cruises I favor is on Avalon Panorama (first sailed in 2011). I know that the Panorama will have the same layout and features as Avalon's newer ships....But is there any way to know how often they do soft updates - for instance new mattresses, carpet, paint refresh, things like that.  Thank you.  And if anyone has recently sailed on the Panorama I would appreciate your feedback.  

What time did you eat dinner most nights?  Just curious, since you always seemed to make the 6:30 pm show.  Thank you.

Does Cellar Masters offer any snacks?  Do you think we would be allowed to bring in our own cheese and crackers?

Thank you everyone.

Does anyone know the cancellation policy for a spa treatment?  I  could not find the info on the website.  And a related question: The shore excursion cancellation policy stated 24 hours before the tour start time - I assume that is correct?  Thank you. 

Hi - new to Viking Ocean. Considering a 7 day Mediterranean East cruise (from Venice) on Neptune.  Re: port or starboard stateroom:  have you found Viking Ocean ships TYPICALLY dock port side or does it vary ?  (On my Royal Caribbean cruises - it was always mixed, but it was mostly port side).   Thank you.

Thanks for all the replies.  I reserved a deck10  SV.

UPDATE:  I watched the video again - maybe the door I saw was NOT the connecting door - I think it was the actual door to the stateroom.....I apologize.....I am new to Celebrity.

But still would want opinions if I should take a connecting stateroom (concerned about neighbor noise) or take Deck 7 and risk noise from Eden.  Thank you.

On youtube, I found this video for 7309 (Edge - which would be the same as Apex).  It shows a connecting door inside the stateroom.

Please help me decide on the available Apex SV's.

7310, 7313, 7315.  8319.  10276.  11270, 11271.  The deal breaker for me is "noise".  Concerned about Eden noise for the Deck 7 staterooms.  The other available staterooms on decks 8,10, and 11 are all "connecting" staterooms - which I have never had - since I fear less insulation/more noise with connecting staterooms.  What do you think is the way to go: Deck 7 with the risk of Eden noise or the other decks with the risk of connecting stateroom noise.  Thank you so much. 

Thanks for all the replies to my post - you guys never disappoint me.  IF I do sail MSC, I promise to report back and let you know what I thought.  A special shout-out to Tapi - loved seeing the photos - you got an amazing deal !

Hi everyone.  I have been on 5 RCI cruises and 2 NCL cruises.  I am interested in booking a 7 night cruise from Venice, Italy to Greece/Croatia in May 2020 for 3 people.  I immediately started my research by looking at RCI.  The RCI (Rhapsody) price for 3 people in a balcony stateroom is $6,000.  This is more than I wanted to spend, so I started looking at other lines.  I can get a very similar itinerary with MSC (Magnifica) for 3 people in a balcony stateroom for $3,000.  I was shocked that RCI was double the price of MSC !  I've read many reviews on MSC and think I have a handle on the most significant differences between Royal and MSC.  Leaning towards trying MSC and saving $3,000 !  Welcoming any opinions, especially if you have sailed both lines.    

I have been to Bermuda on NCL Gem, NCL Breakaway and RC Anthem. Both Gem and Breakaway left from NYC. Anthem left from NJ.  I LOVE Bermuda - so I favor the NCL cruises with an extra day in port.  I would not do Gem - the ship is smaller and older and I think your teens would like the newer Escape or Anthem.  Historically, I have found the NCL 7 night Bermuda to be very close in price to the RC 5 night Bermuda.  I vote for NCL Escape.  Another plus is the sail-away out of NYC is much better than the sail-away from NJ. My son lives in NYC and we are there all the time - however, the NCL sailing out of port down the Hudson and past the Statue of Liberty is amazing and inspiring and gets to me every time !       

Last night, by phone, I tried to book a specific interior stateroom for 2 people (the stateroom had an occupancy of 3 max). This is on Serenade for August 2018. I wanted my 2 adult children across the hall from the balcony room I booked for me and my husband. The Royal rep would not allow me to book just 2 people in an interior room that can hold 3. I had to move my kids a few doors down to a stateroom that was max 2. So, not a big deal - but raised questions:

1. Does it depend on who answers the phone as to whether they will book 2 in a room with a 3/4 occupancy ?

(I could swear I was allowed to do this before)

2. If you book 3 in 3/4 room and then cancel 1 person (leaving 2 in the 3/4 room), will they move the 2 people to another cabin that is max 2 ? (This is what the rep told me they might do).

3. A related scenario: IF I had been allowed to book 2 in a 3/4 room and at some point decided to add a 3rd person - the risks there would be: the 3rd person could potentially pay a much higher price than my original booking and/or the 3rd person would not even be allowed to be added based on total ship/life boat occupancy. Is this correct ?

Thank you.

Hi Everyone, I am getting ready to book a balcony stateroom on Serenade of the Seas for the Scandinavia and Russia Cruise. The ports are: Copenhagen, Stockholm, St. Petersburg,Tallinn and Helsinki. I am interested in maximizing the best views. Any thoughts on whether port or starboard balcony would be better ? Thank you.

Hello and thank you for the great information ! Do you happen to know (once onboard) where to sign up for the Puzzle Break Room ?

Five of our seven cruises have been on Royal Caribbean. The other two were with Norwegian from NYC to Bermuda. I could always get a balcony stateroom on Norwegian (7 nights) at the same price as a balcony stateroom on Royal (5 nights). To me, the choice was simple and I went with Norwegian. That said, we are going on our third cruise to Bermuda this June and it will be on Anthem for the 5 night cruise. I just want to sail Anthem so badly that I am willing to go 2 less nights. I did book an early June cruise instead of our usual July/August. I saved $1500 for 4 people by taking an earlier date. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bermuda, so I would vote the 7 night cruise over the 5 night cruise unless like me, you have a strong desire to sail Anthem. We liked Norwegian very much and had no issues - we just prefer Royal slightly more.

Thank you Fran and Dav ! Awesome information that I truly appreciate.

Hi Fran,

Thank you SO much for your informative reply. I do have some specific questions for you:

1. Overall, I am leaning towards Emerald over Viking. HOWEVER, the Viking Aquavit Terrace for Dinner option appeals to me. Did you eat there for a dinner ? I am thinking it might be a nice option instead of the 2 hour main dining room every night.

2. My husband and I are active and 58 years old. Was there a noticeable age difference in passengers on Viking vs. Emerald ?

3. Did both Viking and Emerald have coffee and snacks available all day ?

4. Did both Viking and Emerald allow you to have a bottle of wine on board to enjoy in public areas (not at the dinner table) ?

5. I understand the Sun Deck might be closed a lot due to low bridges. Did you find a difference in Viking vs. Emerald as to how often they closed the upper deck ?

6. This would be our first River Cruise. We have taken many ocean cruises and are well aware of the differences. My husband says "he is not ready to river cruise yet". He feels he will miss the big ship experience. I told him the river cruise priority is the ports. Curious, if you have done ocean cruises as well and if you have any input. (not looking for a comparison, just wondering if you loved one type way more than the other).

Thank you ! (hope you don't mind, I might think of other questions)

MaryJane