Essiesmom

So you missed Dawes Glacier and sped to Juneau. How much time did that give you in Juneau? There is a glacier outside of Juneau : Mendenhall Glacier. By taking the bus there and hiking, you can get closer than the ship would have to Dawes. Or did you do whale watching instead…. You have to weigh your priorities. EM

Will this be your first cruise ever, or first cruise after surgery? There are posters time to time who have cruised after bariatric surgery, with varying success. Once you have figured out how Cruise Critic works, and how to use the search function, you might try asking on the Carnival board here, and on the Disabled Cruising board here. Seem such questions are not as frequent as they were when such surgery first became popular. With such a small capacity you will be eating frequently and there will be many places on the ship to get food. You can bring protein supplements onboard as long as they are in cans. EM

What is his developmental age, and how does he handle strange situations, and crowds? I don’t think food will be an issue, just let the staff know the first night. I would choose a short cruise first, on the smallest ship available. Have you cruised before? Plus size people manage in the less than roomy showers, but even a small shower stool takes up most of the space in the shower (I tried one on Princess). If you haven’t cruised before, I suggest you try one and observe things with an eye to how your uncle would handle it. It sounds as though you would be in the role of caregiver, which can be a 24/7 job…. EM

At the top of the page for this forum there are a host of pinned topics. Read through them. EM

Age limits are dictated by the excursion provider and their insurance, not Celebrity. EM

We were t much for dessert other than ice cream. But often there are more starters that we want, as well as salads…that we have been known to order something from the starters as dessert. EM

I’m not gluten free, but I do notice notations on the menus. A few years ago, and I can’t remember what line I was on but probably Carnival or Celebrity…I noticed a breaded item on the menu that was listed as gluten free. I asked the waitress about it, and she said that several years back they had decided everything breaded would be done with gluten free breadcrumbs. I found it quite interesting. EM

I believe that was added for the Asian market. EM

You need to ask this on the board here for your cruise line, and/or on the Italy board. Under ports of call. EM

You go to the roll call forums, choose Celebrity, then Apex, look for a thread with your dates, and join by making a reply on the thread. EM

That depends on the port. And group A01 still boards after suite guests. EM

One caution: if not booking Aurea or Yacht Club on Divina, do not book any cabin labeled ‘junior’. They are very small. Fine if you are sailing solo, but couples might find them cramped. EM

And a reminder, if you secure your account with a credit card, be sure it has no foreign transaction fee, as the account goes through a bank in France. EM

I would be asking on the Ports of Call board for Norway, as I am sure there are a lot of locals coping with the weather. EM

It’s shorthand for my username. EM

And possibly because the Aussies continually complain they get sent the oldest ships, so they sent the second oldest instead. EM

Oops, still looking for International Cafe…I think it may be the Lobby Bar on Plaza Deck. EM

Yes, there was a Golden Princess from 1993-1996. She started life in 1973 as Royal Viking Star and ended life a Boudicca for Fred Olsen. The Golden I refer to was built in 2001 and now sails for P&O-Australia as Pacific Adventure. EM

But the Grand is/was older then Golden. EM

I’m afraid I won’t be much help, either. I like Singapore, been there twice. I would probably do the Malaysia itinerary because I haven’t been to any of those ports other than Singapore. But the Indonesia itinerary is also interesting, as the only places I have been to are Bali and Jakarta airport. EM

I see you have not come back to this thread nor posted on the EastCoast Departures board…although you may have visited there and done some reading. As to getting to your hotel, a taxi, Uber or Lyft. As to getting to the cruise terminal at Cape Liberty the next day, the East Coast board can connect you with car services, or you can use Uber, etc. Nothing will be cheap as there will be bridge or tunnel fees. The most expensive would probably be a taxi, because they would have to charge you double, as they would be crossing from NY into NJ, and therefore would not be legally able to pick up a fare for the return trip. As to storing luggage on, return, I am not aware of any place to do that, it you might ask at the hotel if you could store luggage for a few hours on return…for a fee, perhaps. EM

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I think folks here can tell you what model scooter is usually rented by the preferred companies. I believe it is a pretty common model. I suggest you go to one or more medical supply stores that sell or rent scooters. See if they have that model, and ask if you can try it out in the store. Scooters are like bikes…you can mount from either side. If one side bothers your hip, try the other. As for identifying your scooter from the others, take something along that is colorful that you can tie or fasten to the tiller. EM

Spend a little time on the board here for your cruise line, and you will see it discussed. EM

It would help for us to know what type of travel you have enjoyed previously, and your destinations. Also, are you open to flying to the cruise departure port, or do you prefer to sail from the UK. If you are considering Marella, you might also look at Fred Olsen. Also, how do you feel about cruises with children? Ships can be fuller during school holidays. You might also add Cunard into the mix. And type of cabin. At the time of year you are considering, it might be a bit chilly to get much use out of the balcony many people consider a necessity. For a taster cruise, just to get an idea of what cruising is about, an inside or OV cabin might suffice. I see you are also not considering P&O, perhaps wisely as they cater more to families. You might drop in on the UK Cruisers board here, a bit further down the main boards page, to see what members think of the UK based cruise lines. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but I am strictly US based, where everyone goes to the Caribbean to escape winter. EM