beppy

I was on the Nevasa in either 1971 or 1972 and then was on the Uganda the year after.

 

We left Southampton on the Nevasa and went to Gibraltar, Malta, Istanbul, Varna (Bulgaria), Athens and finished in Venice. We went through some brutal weather near the Bay of Biscay that kept me in bed for almost 3 days. Great trip except for the sea sicknesses.

 

The next year on the Uganda we were supposed to start in Venice but due to a snow storm we were re-routed to Dubrovnik. We then did a few ports in Greece before hitting Naples, Rome and finishing in Florence. Absolutely had a great time.

 

I still have my Nevasa and Uganda badges that we were either given or I bought. Can't remember. Met a lovely girl named Dorothy from Barnet. Cute as they come.

I was on that same Uganda cruise with you. I remember missing Venice because of some storm or fog or something and we boarded in Dubrovnik. I remember sneak drinking lots of Oozo in Greece, great dances - actually first French kiss with a cute girl from England somewhere. I think we went to Mycenae, Athens, Delphi, Santorini - boy those donkeys smelled - Rome but it rained all day, Florence I think. Go LPCI! Maybe got my love of cruising there, now on our 35th cruise.

Hi Portmaster,

Unlike many on CC, luckily we speak French fluently and will have Euro with us. We do love the beach, do love rum and want to see the Balata Gardens. We will be in FDF on a Tuesday in January. How would you put your day together? By 2PM my DW is usually all sunned out.

Just came back from a Scenic cruise on the Jasper. Absolutely first class in every way. Had a junior suite, with gorgeous walk in shower for 2 with back jets, rainshower to due for. Very comfortable bed a d the balcony sunlounge is so private and with solid glass a wonderful view. Butler amazing. Better than any of our over 30 ocean cruises. Totally all inclusive. Best seafood luncheon ever. Very good excirsions included and a spectacular evening out in Vienna. I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Pricey? when you add in all the extras; tipping, drinking whatever you wish whenever and quality excursions, electric bicycles, specialty restaurant included, we still found Scenic had the perfect product for us. Class without being snobby or opulent. It is becoming so popular that booking is now a year in advance. On the Danube, pick an odd number cabin. On the Rhine, get an even number. Cheers!

I have to have at least a Balcony or we won't cruise....too claustrophobic to sleep in a dark tomb.....

We have sailed almost 25 times and have had everything from an inside to Aqua Spa suite and Concierge and much prefer the inside for many reasons. First of all it allows us to travel up to 4 times a year. We don't restrict ourselves to just cruises. We both sleep far better in an inside - darker, quieter and yes we get seasick easily too. The inside is better for all of those reasons. We spend very little time in our cabin, never have room service and aren't TV watchers. On our TA last year on the Eclipse we had an aqua spa balcony and were not able to sit out once since it was too rough and we would get soaked. My favourite ones are not on Deck 2 though as you can get some noise down there. Also stay away from under the kitchen, casino or nightclubs. The best IMHO are 2 decks under the pool, away from service areas and elevators which you see on any deck plan. Go for one that has cabins above and below. It certainly is not the case for us that once you have had a balcony, you'll never go back. Rubbish! In fact, it was the opposite. Hope you have a great time.

We really have yet to find a cruise line in our price range that gets it right in every department. But Celebrity comes the closest. As ballroom dancers too, we loved HAL for that but just couldn't get past the smoking policy - thought it wouldn't bother us but it did. Princess was great too but the quality of the food didn't come close to Celebrity and we didn't find the layout of the ship easy to navigate for some odd reason - and it was Crown princess - almost brand new at the time. We've just come to accept that we don't go on cruises with the main reason to go ballroom dancing. You will find the latin on Celebrity is OK but little space for Quickstep, no tango music, maybe 1 or 2 Foxtrots, and 1 or 2 waltzes. The latin even depends on the crowd - one cruise there were many Puerto Ricans on board and salsa was very popular - band played mainly that. Once, it seemed West Coast Swing was the overriding dance. The band does tend to play more of what the crowd is up dancing to. Maybe the issue is that so few people know how to dance anymore, we've all sunken to the shuffle around stuff. Be careful, my wife did injure herself her ankle in the Rendez-Vous lounge on that floor and hope they will change the floor when they Solticize the Millenium. Do make sure you go to the ballroom classes X offers - while not really meant for any dancers with skill, they are fun.

I am sure you won't believe this, but one of the reasons we stick with Celebrity is their awesome martinis. Our favourite is the martini bar on the Century. They are expensive, but covered in the premium package. The only other cruise line that comes close to making a decent martini is Carnival. HAL can't make a good drink and although we love their ships, that is a downer. This sounds like one of those snobby posts - and and we're very relaxed folks - just appreciate a great drink. Try the Martini Delight! It is also amazing how the martini bar people seem to bond on all our cruises and we have a great time. My goal next cruise - have one of each of the 30 martinis! Luckily we are on a b2b.

Hi JG51,

My daughter is coming on this cruise with us and this is her first cruise where she can drink. She only drinks Daquiris. She is seriously considering the classic beverage package. Do you know if Daiquiris are under $8? She claims that with the non-alcoholic choices and with wine at dinner it is well worth her $ but only if the daquiris are covered (she's a scientific research specialist) . Since she is still at University, the $ matters. I told her you would be the one to ask. Thanks.

Thanks - looks like all 8 of us will get the premium package now.

that's my read on it...no taxes regardless of how/where you purchase. We purchsed pre cruise on line and paid only the 15% gratuity.

So, if I can this all straight... :confused:First of all thanks so much for the great list of what's what. That was a huge job. It made me decide to buy the premium package because then my martinis are covered. Does this mean that for a 7 day cruise, if the premium package runs at about $350, then for each drink I order, I will see a 15% gratuity on my stateroom account even after the $350 is paid? Sorry I'm so dense, it must be all the martinis that have eventually caught up to me.

Thanks,