Kellie Poodle

We did traditional dining for years because there was no MTD. Most of the time we've had nice table mates but many times we have had some who made me uncomfortable.

On one 14 day cruise we were stuck at a 4 top with a very nice, but incredibly boring couple. We were dying to change tables, but it would have been so rude to leave them alone, so we stuck it out.

I've been stuck with people who brag on their loyalty status and number of cruises they've taken until I want to push a sourdough roll down their throats. IMO, dinner conversation should NEVER include an announcement of your loyalty status. NEVER!

I was once at a table with a woman who commented on my "boobs" one formal night and on my clothes every night, in a rather crude way. Needless to say she made me very uncomfortable.

We now do MTD and we are so much happier. We get out of the dining room faster, eat on our own schedule and, if we are happy with a service team, we request their table every night.

I agree that you can get lovely, interesting table mates, but it's a crap-shoot and I'm not about to mar my cruise by taking chances.

I'm wondering if they were ever able to get rid of the bad smell around the centrum on the lower decks.

You do all realize that the prices in "duty free" shops are much higher than prices in a wide variety of US retailers (even when sales tax is added). Unless you live in a state that limits sales to govt. stores (which still may be cheaper), "duty free" is a monster ripoff.

At the very least, go online and compare the prices before you make a purchase.

 

 

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Sorry, I have not found that to be the case. I live near the Mexican border and shop at a duty free store in Mexico. I save $20 on a bottle of Grand Marnier.

2.opinions please on mtd vs.the old way of early or late seating?

Here is my opinion on dining. The traditional early and late seatings just don't fit with our cruising style. We like having the freedom to spend a little extra time on an excursion without having to rush back or to rest up for a bit when we come back to the ship.

We have also found that we were not enjoying many of our table mates as we had in the past. Not only that, but people are rude and don't advise the dining captain or their fellow table mates that they will not be coming to dinner, or are late for dinner and the staff has to hold up until everyone is there to take your orders.

For that reason, we started doing My Time Dining. We love the freedom it affords us. If you really like a team, you can ask to be seated at their station. They quickly learn your preferences and you have all the benefits of traditional dining without having to wait for rude people, endure painful table talk and stick to someone else's schedule.

If you befriend another couple with My Time Dining, you can arrange to have dinner together. You can't do that with traditional diners.

You can have a table for two, which are usually close together so you will meet other diners, or ask for a larger table, but you will have to wait until they fill the larger table before you can order. The two-tops are best.

That's my opinion.

Have a wonderful cruise.:D

We bought bubble wrap type bottle containers when they first started the 'no liquid on flights' thing. I believe we paid $3 from Soutwest. We have and still use them today. never had a bottle break to date. Not sure if SW still sells them, but they work great! Good luck.

I have a few of those bottle protectors. I use them to get wine onto the ship when we fly in. They are also good to fly home with.

Marshall's had some recently in their travel goodie area. You can also get them through magellans.com travel gear web site. The magellan.com ones are sturdier.

I'm not good with visualizing square footage numbers. For me the difference is the size of a sofa cushion.

I've stayed in both stateroom configurations and find no difference in comfort.

When I choose between D and E categories, it's usually because of location. Surprisingly, many E cabins are in better locations (for me) than the D cabins.

We love Celebrity but have found that the non-Caribbean, non-US port sailings on RCI are very similar.

The crews on both lines are well-trained and attentive. You won't see as many officers around the ship, but I never understood the cache of that. :)

The food will probably not be as good on Royal, but I believe that they do better buffets and handle the My Time dining a whole lot better than Celebrity handles Select Dining.

For the cruise you have chosen, I don't think you will be disappointed. We are doing a Baltic in 2015 on Brilliance followed by a North Atlantic TA.

If it helps, we recently did an Azamara cruise and I thought Celebrity and Royal Caribbean were better.

A couple of years ago I bught a Ricardo of Beverly Hills brand 28" "suiter". I bought it at Marshall's for about $60. It had 4 wheels and is very, very light weight.

I liked it so much that I bought another and now we each have one. We each have a 21" carry on bag as well and that's more than we need for a two week + trip.

The nice thing about a "suiter" is that the top part is almost like a garment bag (including a clip to secure hangers). I can fold my gowns and fancy tops into it and they come out without wrinkles. DH folds his tuxedo in the top of his.

With the way luggage is handled these days, I can't see spending hundreds of dollars on it. Shop at Marshall's or Burlington.

One caution for the lanyard-wearing ladies: Don't wear your camera around your neck while you are wearing your lanyard. Some cameras (mine) will de-magnify the sea pass card. Happened to me 3 times before I and the guest relations folks realized that it was my camera.

Do those of you who have lost cruise cards also lose credit cards, keys, etc. when you are at home, or it is just a vacation thing?

Though I sometimes misplace my keys at home, I think the misplacement of my sea pass cards is a vacation thing, but I don't need a card to get in and out of my house or to get a drink from my own bar or refrigerator.

i've lost plenty of husbands - i'd rather have a lanyard....

lol! :d

I am 63 and have had bilateral mastectomies. I wear a swimsuit, go flat (no prostheses) and let the mastectomy and chemotherapy port scars show if they peek out under the arms or the strap moves over on my upper chest.

I am, truly, in awe! You make me ashamed that I hide my thighs.

I'm a two-time cancer survivor and have just had my port removed and was worried about how it would look in a gown. Thank you as I will no longer worry.

May you always be healthy and strong. You inspired me.

Thats a good point. I can see how a first time poster would not want to return to this site. Some of these loyalists on the various boards can be very abrasive. If it wasn't for my love of cruising, I probably wouldn't want to be associated either.

 

I really wish, just once, CC would abide by their annual wave season warnings and be a little more aggressive against the keyboard commandos around here.

Just try to say something stronger about being bashed by cheerleaders and your posts will be taken down by the administrators. BTDT

I understand the OP about the "drive by" posters. I've been on these boards for several years and it is not at all rare to see someone post a negative review or complaint and it's post #1. They may respond for a few days, but then disappear.

I'm not so sure that all of them are "drive by". Some may just be intimidated by the attitudes displayed on CC like the extreme negativism of some of the "cheerleaders" who are just plain nasty to anyone who says anything the least bit negative about their preferred line.

It works both ways.

Thanks for the heads up

I ordered the three pack. I hope the colors are nice.

I live in a semi-tropical area so they seem just right for our climate. We also do a month-long RV trip each summer and they look perfect for that. Easy to pack, easy to wash. If they get really messed up, throw them out.

I'm 67 and not overweight, but I'm one who answered the "body issues" question affirmatively.

I have horrible thighs. They could frighten small children. I pack two swimsuits and both have skirts to minimize the thunder thighs.

I don't go in the sun if I can help it. I'm a two-time cancer survivor who spent most of her younger life in the sun and am now paying for it with splotches, thin skin and one or two pre-cancerous lesions having been removed.

I do like to swim in the pool on the ship on a warm sea day or partake of the hot tub. I also enjoy sitting in a shady spot near the pool, so I pack my skirted suits.

I do use plenty of sun screen even to go outside to the store.

I've never worn a lanyard on a cruise. If I am carrying a bag, the card is in there. If not, it's in my husband's pocket.:) I've cruised a few times without my husband and never wished I had a lanyard. I've never lost my card.

Undoubtedly, you are much more "together" than I am. :)

I lost plenty of cards until I got my lanyards.

Why spend the money on insurance? I had paid for a B2B and air fare to the UK. We were a month from sailing and I was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. Came out of the blue. I'm not a smoker nor do I associate with smokers. No one can explain how I got it.

I had over $9,000 invested in this trip. I had to undergo chemotherapy that pretty much trashed me and didn't get out of the hospital until the last day of October.

It took me the better part of a month to get the paperwork together, but I sent it in to my travel insurance company and less than 3 weeks later I had a check that reimbursed me every cent that I was out of pocket. I'm glad I had that insurance.

The cancer is gone and I'm planning the same cruises for the summer of 2015 (G-d willing). I have already insured them.

I won't plan an overseas trip without insurance. Better to pay a few dollars than to lose thousands.

WRONG! only steam room plus two great and different showers.

Okay, so the two ships are not identical. Learned something new.

I know that I did not imagine being in the sauna on Quest.

That's exactly whatSteve at trip insurance store told me to do.

Steve knows his stuff. I got one gal at "insure my trip" who told me it wasn't right. Of course she was wrong. She also told me that if one person in the group has a pre-existing condition, the other parties had to get insured at the same time. Another wrong thing.

I stay away from insure my trip and book my insurance directly with my company of choice. Cost is the same.

Was just checking my two cruises for 2015 on the "purchased and held cruises" page. First time the price was $18,000+, Next check it was $3,000+ (would have loved that and the third time I went to the site it was $33,000+ owed for the two B2B cruises.

Called RCI and my numbers are still good but web site is messed up. If you see a crazy number on this page, it's just a messed up web site, not your real bill.:)

steam is free- no sauna's.

Quest has a steam room and sauna. I would assume Journey would be identical. Both were free and entered through the locker room. Keys can be obtained from the spa desk.

If I book a cruise, and have to cancel (outside the penalty date), I will get a refund on my cruise

 

but

 

What happens to the Choice Air part of that if I have booked my air with Choice Air. When I do a search, I see the fares listed as "non-refundable".

 

Do I loose it completely?

 

Can I change the dates (paying the airlines change fee).

 

Do I still "own" it??

These questions can be best answered by Choice Air. Call them.

As for cancelling, you might consider a "cancel for any reason' travel insurance policy.

We purchased a 2016 Galapagos cruise. The travel agent we transferred to told us we could not purchase a policy that would cover pre existing conditions, because the cruise was too far out.

 

I should have said by the time we would be eligible to purchase, it would be beyond the pre existing waiver time limit.

You need to do your own research. Many companies will let you insure for trips in the future as long as you have put a deposit on them.

We have purchased cruises so far out, it was too early to get a policy and would be well beyond the pre existing waiver.

 

Not sure what covers this issue.

We have pre-existing conditions. We purchase our cruises well in advance of sailing.

The company I use allows me to pay the minimum premium, basically covering the deposits, to insure we are covered within the proper period of time. As we add to the cost, like airfare, we increase the value of the policy to cover our financial outlay. When we make final payment, we pay the balance of the premium that covers our outlay.

This is extremely helpful in situations where you have to cancel the cruise as you don't lose the full amount of your premium.