chemmo

Two cruises with partial charters both on RC so I don’t know how relevant. One in the Med was a doctors convention. They seemed to all dine in one area of the MDR at breakfast at the same time daily and late seating in the evening. Staff knew when to expect them and were ready and staffed accordingly. During sea days they had various daily events in the theatre (when it normally would have not been used) and on port days they went off on their own excursions. The quietest buffet at breakfast time we have ever seen. Also the quietest sea day poolside experiences ever too. Our cruise was enhanced by their presence! The second experience was in the Mediterranean with a large group of affiliated Mexican families. We were told it was a Quinceanara (hope that is correct) celebration. Family members numbered about 300 from babies to grandparents. The fifteen year old girls (lovely to see them all dressed up) were a bit giddy poolside but less of an issue than their younger siblings who entertained themselves in the lifts, buffet and corridors….The early morning buffet had lots of unaccompanied youngsters, poolside full areas of chairs were ‘reserved’. If you unfortunately sat poolside then group members surrounded you conversations would take place over you. Individually the people were lovely when we chatted with them but quite simply we felt we were invading a private party…

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise! Enjoy every meal, every drink every smell of the sea…I strongly suggest on boarding you head to guest relations to complain about your early boarding and demand to be last off the ship…

We stayed at the Grand Harbour. We were travelling with our adult son at the time so wanted a two room suite with sofa bed/additional bed option in the lounge area. We upgraded to a harbour view suite which had big windows overlooking the bay, access to the concierge lounge with free breakfast and cocktails and snacks in the evening. Whilst the upgrade wasn’t cheap the room was lovely, a genuine suite and we felt we had value for money from the concierge perks. This was pre covid so I don’t know if it operates the same now… Without the upgrade to concierge facilities and a harbour view room the hotel didn’t have masses of facilities if I remember correctly. A big breakfast option but fairly expensive, a small rooftop pool a restaurant that was OK but again expensive. However, very close to lots of nice restaurants and shops and the ferry just a minutes walk away. I do hope someone who has visited since we did can confirm… If you aren’t bothered about extra space, the view and the concierge perks available with an upgrade you could probably find a better room in a hotel with more facilities (indoor pool) cheaper. I don’t think we would have booked this hotel without upgrading…

Ask your family or friends if they can recommend…Social media sites you are a member of could be a good start. Also decide what is important to you, just a few things to consider…These thoughts may help to focus your discussion with family and friends. Do you want a cruise specialist or a general TA? Do you want a named agent or are you happy to deal with whoever answers the phone? Do you want a local TA or are you happy with phone/email contact? Final advice, check if there are any ‘small print’ issues to get extra OBC. We have seen a couple of advert to reality anomalies over the years… Excellent discounts but you needed to purchase their insurance. Excellent OBC but with a room category not a specific cabin, a specific cabin was more.

There are a few email addresses, the Captains Club one often responds fastest in our experience even, as in this case, it isn’t a Captain’s Club issue. Things are looking positive from the above responses. Hope you have a fantastic time!

I would think it is one of those things that can be arranged by prior arrangement. We were on a cruise that had a group of twelve motorcyclists. It was great in the morning to see them all go off down a ramp in the morning. There bikes were kept somewhere in storage. We also saw a tandem regularly leave the ship on a Caribbean cruise once, I think that was a RC cruise. Suggest you email Celebrity and take a copy with written agreement with you on boarding. Definitely not something I would risk taking a verbal response from a Celebrity agent for as most of them probably don’t know the answer and you definitely don’t want an argument at the port! Hope you get a response from someone with personal experience. As a by the way you may need to check your bike is covered in your insurance both for damage/theft and liability in the countries you are planning on visiting. Also there are ports (usually container ones) where you have to be bussed to the port exit so worth checking your itinerary thoroughly. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise.

I have cruised using a wheelchair and/or crutches a few times pre and post surgery. Definitely hit and miss when it comes to ports and available tours. If I am perfectly honest we have tended to book seeing the ship as our ‘destination’ on the occasions my mobility has been compromised. Trips off the ship we have chosen for ease of access. Lisbon can be inaccessible because of tidal levels. Wheelchair and scooter users were not allowed to disembark on one of our cruises until 2pm owing to the ramp angle. This may apply to several ports. We had problems accessing many of the tours on our Fjords cruise as all guests needed to be able to board a standard coach which many wheelchair users can’t do. If your companion can get out of the chair and climb the three/four steps they will store the wheelchair and the first seats on entry are reserved for limited mobility guests. If your wheelchair user can’t do this then all coach tours are pretty well out. At Flam you couldn’t book a wheelchair spot on the train through Celebrity but independently you could privately on line and it was cheaper! Re what I know about your ports… Vigo…The town is fine for a walk around, perhaps you could search a local tapas bar and do a simple walk on your own. Google and plan your route to avoid cobblestones. That is what we did. We did know someone else with limited mobility who did a cooking/dining experience there but do not have the details. Porto…Suggest you look for a private tour to one of the vineyards checking on the accessibility of the site. This isn’t always clear. Make sure you get email confirmation that it is wheelchair accessible transportation and access to the vineyard. Local area around the port, if I remember correctly, had lots of cobblestones. It is years since we cruised from there and mobility wasn’t an issue for me at the time. Bilboa, I seem to remember we researched a private accessible wine tour but it was expensive, we decided not to do it and enjoy a ‘ship day’. I seem to remember it was nearly triple the price of a standard coach tour to the same vineyards. Can’t comment on the other ports as we haven’t visited. Two further comments I would add… Firstly, you can find something you fancy doing close to the ship in each port (museum, art gallery, bars and restaurants) you can get a taste of the region without the hassle of getting in and out of transport. Secondly, consider a scooter as pushing a wheelchair is hard work. Even on the ship my husband struggled to push me on the carpeted areas…. Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

I am making my toast to you both now “Make every second count…”.

Agree. It is insurance which is the issue. This is an area where a hard rule is necessary, discretion can not be applied. If they allowed in a younger toddler and there was an accident then they would not be covered. Equally, even if they were not limited by this I think they would be worried about…

Sincere best wishes your treatment goes well. Grounded at the moment myself…like you I am enjoying some vicarious travel!

Make the most of the additional speciality dining options. We loved dining in The Porch lunchtime on sea days. Loved the Lawn Grill on evenings we had perhaps been on a tour, didn’t want to formally dress but still wanted a decent meal. We booked early so we could pop to the rails as we left the port.

Looking forward to following too. To us, cruising has always been about quality family time. Our son was seven when we first cruised. When he was small, with us both having busy careers, cruising was when we found unlimited time to simply be a family and do family things. Even when we cruised on RC our son would (to our delight) hang out with us a lot of the time. Celebrity soon became the family choice. Our last cruise was just over a year ago our son (now in his thirties) and GF came with us. The focus still on family time and making family memories. Sadly, my husband passed away earlier this year…Our son’s recollections in the service of remembrance were about time spent together and particularly “many evenings spent on the balcony discussing space, time and the antics of Manchester United (our soccer team)”. Charla, I write this with ‘gladness not sadness’…So many people are so busy during their children’s early years and always going to ‘do things’ tomorrow. You have the balance so right! Important as careers are finding time to be a wife and a mum are more important, you clearly know that… Sincere best wishes for an absolutely fantastic cruise. I will be following along and will make our family toast of “Making every second count” as I see the first picture of you both on board!

They will wash and press dress shirts and dry clean and press suits and pants, not an issue. Clearly note you want the shirts washing and pressing. However, if your dress shirts are other than standard fabric you would be happy to put in a mixed wash at home I wouldn’t put them in the usual bag. If you did need one laundering mid cruise I would hand it in a separate bag to the butler explaining it is ‘special care’ and hopefully the butler will pass the instructions on to laundry. I only know this as I spilled red wine over a much loved delicate blouse that I wouldn’t normally send to the laundry. The butler arrived as I was dithering between the sink and risking laundry. I know it didn’t follow the usual route as it was back in my room perfectly clean and pressed only two hours later.…We did send a tip to laundry via the butler as we felt it was ‘service above and beyond’.

There is a site called MiniCabRide which does private transports. It gives quotes and has a live chat function so you could explain your aunt’s physical limitations and ask advice on car type etc. May be worth a browse. I have never used it myself but have friends who did find them reliable.

When cruising from Southampton in June you will get evening views of the South Coast from Tuscan Grill at the rear of the ship. Strongly recommend just for the views first night. Also nice first evening to see the sea! First night we tend to book as the restaurant opens. Partly because we know we will be tired and partly because we want to be sipping our first cocktail as we peruse the menu and slip away from the port…Enjoy our entree as the coast passes by and see day change to night as we enjoy dessert and coffee… I would add in terms of food and service we love Murano but for the first night we find the venue of Tuscan adds a bit of magic… PS. I would ask for a topper for the sofa bed. We have booked the RS many times. The sofa bed is lower than a standard bed but comfortable and a good size. Enjoy your cruise!

Always ordered Courvoisier, never a problem, just surprised they they never add it to the list.

You know, it depends what the kids are like…Whilst for babies and toddlers I would agree simply because of the pool situation our son enjoyed Celebrity more than RC by the time he was the age of the OP’s nephew. I think this is especially true on a port intensive cruise.

Totally agree, re the letter allowing him to go with you should include decisions on emergency medical care. Also make sure he has appropriate insurance. Friends of our took their granddaughter to Tenerife believing she had holiday insurance as she was on her parents annual policy. However, it didn’t cover her when not travelling with her parents (small print). Fortunately it wasn’t a major medical emergency simply a few stitches needed not at major cost. At 16 your grandson is old enough to enjoy the culture and history of the sites being visited on any of the itineraries. When our son was this age we varied the types of activities in different ports…A boat trip in one, historical site in another, city/port tour, beach. Re ships, with no previous cruise experience and a port intensive cruise I would go with the itinerary and price that suits you. Please don’t take this wrong but he may be apprehensive of sharing a cabin with you. Privacy is important for boys of this age. When our son hit 14ish we started booking rooms with some curtain separation. I think on Voyager the JS and GS have a dividing curtain between the bed and sofa bed and in the GS the bathroom is big enough to get dressed in. I suggest you look at the price difference. Unsure on Infinity if any rooms have similar until CS level…This additional privacy isn’t just useful for changing if you or he wants to stay awake later at night on tablets etc there is less likelihood of disturbing each other…I hope this doesn’t sound negative…not intended to be. Final thought, with birthday and Christmas’s before your cruise other relatives may welcome the opportunity of buying him a camera, binoculars or paying for a special excursion or giving € for holiday spends. 16 year olds are usually notoriously hard to buy gifts for!

One of the best tip advice comments I have ever read… We tend to see the autograts as simply part of the cost of the holiday and then the additional tips, as you say, for the staff who have gone above and beyond. I would be very uncomfortable with this too. Only ever experienced similar once out of many, many cruises. It was from one of the bar servers in Michael’s Club…It started mid cruise with comments when we sat down with a drink about how hard it was to make ends meet at home, progressed to the poor rates of pay on the ship and how she relied on tips to supplement her income…We were dithering about what to do as it was making us uncomfortable and ‘invading’ our time in Michael’s as she would come over every evening with more to her story…We thought about mentioning something to the concierge as we felt it was inappropriate but equally we didn’t want to get the girl in trouble. Fortunately for us she was telling her story to a lovely straight talking lady from Texas who responded friendly but firmly saying. “Look we all know how extra tips are needed and appreciated by staff we don’t need telling! You’ll get a much better tip from all these people here if you greet them every evening with a smile and a strong drink rather than a sob story” Needless to say ‘all these people here’ were very grateful the advice had been given and all nodded our agreement. The girl obviously listened as her narrations did back off until the last evening. Yes, we did give the girl a good tip at the end of the cruise…

We did a Celebrity small group island tour in St Lucia. Minibus (12?) probably one of the most uncomfortable journeys we have ever taken. The minibuses are used as coaches are too big for many of the roads on an Island tour. Every seat was used, no leg room. There were several six footers on board who had knees jammed and head’s touching the roof. As most people had a small bag with water, sunscreen etc they were blocking any possible stretching aisle space. Air conditioning not good. We had thought a small group tour would be better as there were less people. However, we didn’t have a proper guide, just the driver, who barked the name of the places we passed and barked out the return to bus time at stops. The trip itinerary itself was actually very good but to be honest we were so uncomfortable we just wanted to get back to the ship. We did feel the tour description was a bit misleading as being sold as a ‘small group’, in our thinking, implied better than a coach tour but in fact we found it simply uncomfortable. We did feed back to the concierge that we felt that a warning of limited head and leg room should be on the description. We did this simply to give feedback. However, we are aware that another full minibus group on the same tour as us went to Shore Excursions and asked for their money back as in addition to the issues we had their minibus had no air conditioning…

The weather can be four seasons in a day. We went the beginning of May. We had blue skies and sunshine every day. It was warm in the sun but chilly in the shade. Not only did we dress in layers we did ask the butler for blankets to put over us when on the balcony. Friends of mine went late August. It was warmer for them but they did have some rain and a lot more cloud. Hit and miss like most of Northern Europe. I can see that floor to ceiling windows could suit some but we did enjoy the breeze and sea air, we enjoyed it a lot…

We used our balcony a lot on our Fjords cruise. You often enter the Fjords very early in the morning. It is great to be able to order coffee in the room and enjoy the views. We did have some good weather too and some afternoons we were able to sit outside and enjoy. Did we use a balcony as much as we would in the Caribbean or Mediterranean? No, but if I was to book another Fjords cruise I would still want a real balcony.

See if The Porch is open. We loved it on our British Isles cruise….Not free but could be worth paying for…

Not been there for about 4/5 years. It had some well paved areas but other areas were less well maintained, gentle slope to more strenuous stepped areas. You need to be alert but for an average fit adult (including older adult) in sensible footwear it is very doable. Only other thing I would suggest to your friend is to either avoid the hottest Summer months or if you can’t schedule your tour for early morning or late afternoon. If your friend is staying in Athens alert her to the sound and light show in the evening, wonderful.

Agree with the strategy of going soon after Luminae opens as, in our experience, it hits hectic at 1ish. We tend to skip breakfast, even if included at our hotel, so just after midday we are hungry. We arrive early at the port, drop off our hand luggage at our room securing valuables in the safe, head to the Retreat for a glass of bubbly then head for lunch. Works perfectly! Re the food. We try to remember we want to enjoy our evening meal and not get too over full…I do love the burger but half is enough then I will usually have a light starter and skip dessert. We often don’t want wine at this time as we can genuinely be thirsty but want to start our holiday in style. We find lots of water plus a signature cocktail works well I seem to remember enjoying a ‘spicy passion’ (could have the name wrong) was rather nice!