rebeccalouiseagain

To answer your questions- you probably won't sit on your balcony if your cruise is in April in Europe- but the view from the sliding doors will be much better than in an oceanview. I guess it depends what you want to do with the money. Would you rather use the extra money for excursions and onboard activities than on the balcony and the view. I'd say that being lower on the ship would be more desirable because the seas will be rougher on this itinerary than a Med. cruise. So I go with an outside on a lower deck.

I love Sabitini's (fee) and Alfredo's (no surcharge) on Princess.

I'd skip Berlin since you are sailing into Hamburg- which has been voted as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

I would arrange (must do ahead of time and get a confirmation from the cruise line) to disembark in LeHavre instead of Southampton and enjoy a few days in Paris post cruise. That's what we did. It was fantastic. The train station is a short taxi ride from the ships and there are frequent trains to Paris from LeHavre (you don't need to book in advance). It was so easy. We were told we could disembark anytime we wanted. So we had breakfast, went swimming, took showers, had lunch and rolled on out.

I've sailed on Caribbean Princess and you'll enjoy the ship. It's very pretty. On deck 17 (aft) there is a hot tub that no one finds right away. It's a great place for sailaways. High up and you are warm and toasty.

Cohb is a nice sail-in. We stayed in Cohb instead of going to Cork and I enjoyed the quaint little town. I was up and walking the deck that morning. Guernsey is a lovely place. There is a fort within walking distance to the ship and you can take the public bus the whole way around the island in under 2 hours.

Just remember you can not flush the wipes in the ship toilet. My son did bring flushable wipes and it resulted in a flooded toilet. So don't try it.

We toured the Enclave the first day too and would have been interested in trying it out- but they don't sell daily passes. On our March 2016 cruise I touched the tile beds and they were cool to the touch and the tour guide said they aren't heated. I thought that was odd.

My friend and I decided against passes because we both felt we might use the Enclave once but wouldn't be interested in using it for a whole week. Especially when it was nice and sunny outside.

I'm not sure what the difference in cost would have been on my stateroom. I had originally booked an inside stateroom and as the departure drew near I noticed that prices had dropped and now outside staterooms were the price that I paid for an inside. I called my travel agent and Holland upgraded me to an outside at no additional charge. So I actually paid for an inside but got an outside. So I really can't complain about the financial part of the trip.

The situation was I spent the first 4 nights in the outside cabin 381. On the 5th night I had to move to the inside (521). The 6th night I slept in 381 but that pesky exhaust crept in again and I slept fitfully- went out on the promenade deck at 1 am to get some air- returned to the cabin and the smell was apparent but not as bad as on night 5- so I powered through until 6AM (and went to the buffet). I decided not to chance these fumes and asked what the best available cabin was. They only had insides- so I asked for one midship and got 617- which was very nice, spacious and most importantly- fume free. Also the air temperature in the room was perfect. So night 7 was great. On night 8- I got a phone call that there was now an outside available, but I had already moved all my stuff and to me it wasn't worth moving again since there was only that night and one more left. After I got off the phone from the front desk- I thought "I wonder who died?" because they had told me the day before that there were no outsides available. I was pleasant about the whole ordeal in large part because of Rachel at the front desk. She had a very sunny and pleasant manner and we laughed about my situation. I was like joking that I'd rather live and have an inside than die in an outside. So they probably didn't view me as an irate passenger or something- but I would have appreciated some kind of compensation (chocolates, wine, or a gift certificate). Little things mean a lot- but I will say Rachel was a doll.

BTW- I felt bad for all these stateroom attendants. I tipped all four of them (from cabin 318 an cabin 617) a little extra like I always do.

My older son never tried the kids club- had no interest. My younger one practically lived there. It's their vacation too. They may really enjoy being in the youth program for a few hours every day. Expose them to it. It's a lot of fun.

The worst part of the trip (for me) would be the long drive to and from the ship. After that- I imagine it will feel like paradise. The kids will enjoy all the excitement of the ship. I know my two kids traveled well and loved new places to explore. Norwegian will have tons of families onboard- so you will fit in and don't have to worry about the occasional outburst. All vacations are harder on the parents than the kids. The small confines of the inside stateroom would get to me- to be honest. Kids sleep a lot and there will be no place for you to retreat to. For instance- reading or watching tv may keep the little ones awake. You may want to get a balcony cabin or see if you can get two connecting staterooms. Would be really worth it to me. There will be fewer school age kids on an October cruise to Bermuda - meaning that there may still be plenty of connecting staterooms available. Talk to the travel agent.

I would probably do D726. I enjoyed this location (we were in D614). It was easy to pop down the stairs to the Promenade Deck 7- where many activities take place. I liked walking around the promenade deck in the early AM. I ended up eating many meals in the Atrium on Decks 7 (sushi), 6 (Alfredos) and 5 (International Cafe) instead of the buffet.

I've been to Alaska 8 times. 4 times on Princess and twice on Celebrity (the other two on Norwegian). By far my most favorite itinerary was Star Princess Vancouver- Whittier. Was fantastic. This itinerary included Glacier Bay and the even more spectacular College Fjords. I felt like I died and went to heaven and this was my 8th cruise to Alaska.

I really think you can't beat Princess in Alaska. Most of the ships have indoor pools and lots of hot tubs- which are a great place to take in the Glaciers. I also love the Movies Under the Stars. Nothing like watching a big screen movie in the land of the midnight sun. Was fantastic.

Blue Grotto- You will not see many small children in this touristy trap.

Keep in mind that you spend approximately 2 hours worth of your day to go to the Blue Grotto. You get on a bus or boat to got there- switch to a smaller boat and then wait your turn in line (could be up to an hour sitting in a row boat with small children while you wait your turn). Then you all lay flat so as not to hit your heads on the cave entrance. Once inside you are in a small area with lots of other rowboats for about less than 10 minutes going in a circle and leaving again while being hassled for tips. Is it worth the money and time? That's up to you. We did this when I was 15 and I was disappointed. Very anti-climactic.

http://www.capri.com/en/s/la-grotta-azzurra

Hi Mike- when we went to Taormina my son was 12, but I've taken him to Europe since he was 4 and I go where I want to go and he always did fine in ruins, castles and forts. As long as he could run around and touch things he was content. So go where you want to go- take pictures and you'll treasure these memories. I have pictures of him playing with another child in Pompeii, walking along the wall in Dubrovnik, visiting the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, climbing the hexagon shaped stones at the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, and exploring parks in Madrid and swimming in the reflecting pool in Paris by the Eiffel Tower. Kids age 4 and 5 get excited by every aspect of travel. My son skipped through the airport anxiously awaiting our flight to Europe. Don't dumb it down for kids- go where you want to go. They aren't going to remember much at age 4 and 5. My son only remembers me being pickpocketed in Barcelona ( from when he was 4) because I cried so hard. He vividly remembers Taormina (wanted to live there) and Orvieto in Italy from the most recent trip in 2013.

Capri with the ship excursion sounds good to me (for peace of mind). It's a lovely place. Skip the Blue Grotto though (over-hyped).

I've been to Taormina and it was my son's favorite place on our Western Med trip. The Greek/ Roman amphitheater is something to behold with a view of Mt. Etna from the stands.

I haven't been to Malta so can't comment.

In Mykonos there are hotels that will rent you a room for the day and use of the beach. You might want to check out the ports of call thread on here for suggestions. I made the foolish mistake of walking into town from where the ship docks. There is no shoulder in places and I had to dodge traffic. Definitely grab a taxi or some form of transportation from the dock.

We have cruised both lines and like them for different reasons. I've personally had more fun on Norwegian than Royal. There seems to be more to do. Both youth programs are fun.

First and foremost- pick the itinerary that most appeals to you. The roundtrip Seattle tends to be the easiest. Domestic flights to Seattle are usually cheaper than ones to Vancouver and/ or Anchorage.

All the lines hit Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Try to pick a cruise that goes to Glacier Bay and/ or College Fjords (my personal favorite). Tracy's Arm was not that impressive. Haven't done Hubbard Glacier, so can't comment there.

Thankfully three year old clothing doesn't take up much space. I'd say make sure the evening shoes are comfortable and fit (broken in). By day the kids will probably wear flip flops or tennis shoes (bring both).

Definitely bring a sweater to go over the sundress- It's often cold in the public areas due to the A/C.

A hoodie for walking outside on the open decks at night or if it's cold.

two swimsuits- coverup

pajamas

underwear

shorts and tops

long pants and tops (no shorts are allowed in the dining room at night)

a couple cute dresses (sundresses are fine in the Caribbean).

A hairdryer- the ones on the ship tend to be crappy.

My own 15 year old isn't into the organized activities anymore. The teens tend to just go in the evening and there are some events that are well-attended in the evening.

I am not expert, but I have cruised now many times (more than 30 times) and this is the first time I've experienced exhaust fumes in the cabin at all. I mentioned this issue to some engineers who I happened to be sailing with and they said that exhaust fumes should not get in through the air conditioning system regardless of wind conditions and did not buy this argument. Since this problem was not widespread and seemed the worst in my particular cabin- I think that there was something else involved. The problem got worse over time. I kept getting just a whiff of exhaust here and there and then it got really bad and when I'd walk by the cabin after I'd vacated it- the smell was really bad in the hall outside my door (so was a persistent problem) Something broken or a leak or maybe a filter that wasn't replaced. I haven't written to the cruise line. My takeaway from this is that the Veendam is an old ship and I probably wouldn't travel on a ship of this age in the future. Not just because of this issue- but other issues reported by other cruise critic passengers.

The ship was extremely cold for many of the passengers- many, many complaints about the cabins that I was overhearing while standing in line at the front desk. Problems that were reported but not being addressed. The ship was very cold the entire trip. Seemed like they couldn't turn off the air conditioning and it was definitely not needed on this itinerary- where temperatures never topped 58 degrees. My outside cabin was quite cold, but the inside was just right.

Again- I had fun on this cruise, but I do have concerns about this issue and am here to advise people that they may want to avoid- 381.

Both of the insides on Deck 5 were fine. No problems. The cabin that was affected was 381 on Deck 6, but I was told other people had to be moved on Deck 6 as well. This is the aft part of the Starboard side on Deck 6. I really hoped they have fixed the problem.

My son enjoyed Celebrity's "Fun Factory" more than any of the others.

It didn't spoil my trip. It was still a good trip, but if it had been a full ship- I guess I would have been sleeping in the library instead.

Very little food is ever brought into the youth program. Sometimes they may offer fruit (free). What you may have heard about is that there are dinners and lunches for the kids. There is a fee for this if they decide to go to these meals. The fee isn't for the food. It's a fee for youth staff that takes them to these meals. Meals are normally in the buffet.

Just returned yesterday from the Veendam.

The ship had recently been in drydock, but it's still the same decor as always- with perhaps some new carpeting. Nothing really different.

The linens and beds are very comfortable and the cabins are well-equipped. I was in three staterooms on this journey...

The passengers were very old on this particular sailing. I would say the average age was 75. Very few people of my generation ( I turned 51 on the trip), but I had a good time meeting lots of nice people.

The cruise line couldn't control the weather- but it was cold (mostly sunny) the whole cruise- except in Gaspe. Spring had not sprung yet in Bar Harbor or Canada. No greenery yet.

My favorite port was Saguenay. The people there were so friendly and the journey up and down the Fjord was worth the entire trip. Thankfully we had clear skies and the scenery was very much like Alaska to me.

Now for the bad news.... Despite having come out of drydock in April- there was a horrible issue with the ship- that effected me personally. I was in cabin 381 (an outside connecting cabin on deck 6). There was no noise from the adjacent cabin, which did have passengers in it. That was good. There was lots of noise from the kitchen (overhead) but that was bearable. What wasn't bearable was the exhaust fumes that wafted into the room for the first few days and then took over the room. At midnight on my birthday (May 3)- the fumes were very bad and I called the front desk. The girl from the desk agreed that the fumes were very strong and moved me to an inside cabin (521 deck 5 forward) for the night. I hoped that the situation would be resolved, but it never was and I asked to be moved permanently to another cabin. Only insides were available. So I was moved to 617 (deck 5 midship). The exhaust issue was not fixed over the next few days. It was still noticeable when I walked by my old stateroom. This is engine exhaust and not from the kitchen. They knew about this problem before I boarded the ship- I came to discover. Sad that this was not taken care of in drydock and is a potentially dangerous problem.

Despite being moved to another cabin, I had a good time on the ship. The inside staterooms don't have baths but are deeper than my outside cabin on Deck 6. There were six drawers (in the inside cabin) in the dresser instead of three (in the outside cabin). The tv is far from the bed though- and I couldn't read subtitles from the bed- but that's a minor complaint.

I thought the food was just ok. Nothing to write home about, but I didn't eat in the Pinnacle Grill. Best meals (3) I had were at Canaletto.

The crew and passengers made this trip very pleasant. I didn't complain about being moved to a different cabin, but I am surprised that they didn't do anything to apologize for this inconvenience. I know that when my parents sailed on Holland and had a problem with their running water (it was brown for 24 hours) - they sent them a gift certificate for the Pinnacle Grill. Considering that I had to be moved to an inside cabin (twice)- I would have thought they'd send a bottle of wine or something, but they didn't.

I loved Star Princess and did this itinerary last year

Any comments on our reservations? Would we have been better off port side? We're on Aloha - Should we have picked a lower deck? Trying to learn for the next time before the first time Our reservations were made by a travel agent used by the family for years. Starboard side is going to best on the Northbound itinerary

Any things we should definitely take advantage of on board as 2 60ish cruisers? Best bar? Best viewing area for College Fjords? Glacier Park? Recommendations for the best time for anytime dining? Best place for lunch?

The open deck is the best place to view College Fjords and Glacier Bay (I liked sitting on the promenade deck). There is a hot tub at the back of the ship on Deck 16 that is great to sit in and view the Glaciers. The Skywalker's nightclub (Deck 17 aft) is also good for taking in the scenery.

Any thing we should definitely NOT do on board as 2 60ish cruisers?

Fwiw - we're probably over prepared for Alaska. We have rain jackets/pants, binoculars, cameras, and lots of clothing layers.

Any comments on whether this voyage is typically smooth or can we expect rocking? Our cruise was very calm. The ships move slowly through Alaska because of the marine life. We didn't have a single rough day on that sailing.

Thanks much.

We are bringing our regular stroller since we don't have to fly and my folks are next to us in a two bedroom suite so we have plenty of storage if needed. This way she will be comfortable in her regular stroller.

 

I saw one of those chairs today but thought to myself that she might just tip the table if it wasn't secure so I was actually doubting if it was a reasonable purchase. LOL. Guess I was wrong. Love the pictures. Maybe we should get it.

As you can see my six month old was a chunky monkey. He probably weighed about 18 pounds at that point. So no worries that it will tip. We used it absolutely everywhere. He liked being in it. It's comfortable and he was right in there with all of us.

The last time I sailed Infinity it was great. So I'm sorry to hear these reports. I like the layout of the Millenium Class ships and have sailed all four of them. I love Bistro on Five which has a ten dollar surcharge and serves delicious crepes, sandwiches and desserts. The buffet is very good IMO. They frequently have sushi and at the back of the buffet (by the aft door to the deck) there is a station that makes steaks every night and a baked potato bar.

The Cafe Al Bacio on Deck 5 is very similar to the International Cafe. They offer donuts and pastries in the morning and sandwiches during the day and desserts in the evening (free). The coffee is not free.

I have been to Qsine which I thought was whimsical and fun, but it isn't gourmet.

I haven't tried the Tuscan Grille yet.

I do like the indoor solarium on Millenium class with the Spa Cuisine. They serve breakfast and lunch there with low calorie options.

I think variety is the spice of life- I wouldn't hesitate to sail the Infinity. It's a lovely ship.

You will be off the ship by 9:30 in most instances.

You can't predict what the seas will be like. I think your friends will have the final say- so I wouldn't talk them into it and have egg on your face or shoes.