cruisequeen4ever

It makes sense anyone will be able to cruise. Vicd1969 said it best.

Excellent news for the industry! I agree that the other cruise lines will follow in suit.

I’d book “Capri On Your Own” through the cruise line if it’s offered. That way, you’ll get to explore on your own, but you’ll be assured you won’t miss the ship. The ferries can run late, and the afternoon ferries tend to be sold out early.

They’re totally different, both adorable, and will be great for cruisewear! Keep ‘em both!

I don’t know how ships could get away with not having appropriate tenders. Emergencies like this can happen.

I think it’s still raging here unfortunately. We had breakfast at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage yesterday and heard tons of coughing as well as some conversation about testing positive. I really really really hope those people were either done quarantining or were talking about others who were not present because the people talking were sitting right in the middle of everyone. I hope it settles down soon, so everyone can enjoy seeing this beautiful state!

I so hope you have a smooth flight to Juneau! I always recommend flying Alaska Airlines for Alaska cruises because they have so many Alaska options. Tracy’s Crab Shack is the place everyone raves about in Juneau. We enjoy the Red Dog Saloon. The Hangar was fine. Happy cruising once you board!

The cruise ship does not matter half as much as it does in other regions. I say stick with what you have because your itinerary looks great and covers the main ports! Typically, carnival will save you some money, and you can use that money to do awesome shore excursions.

I definitely recommend she rent a scooter from Special needs at Sea or Scootaround. I haven’t rented from either of them, but I will be, and I have rented scooters while on vacation due to my own ankle injury. These things take time to heal, and you can’t put a finite date on when you will be healed, so it would be wise for her to have the scooter available for use if she needs it. If she doesn’t need it, at least it’s there. Maybe she’ll need it the whole time, maybe just a few times, but it will be worth its weight in gold. The only warning I can think of is if you have any tender ports, they may not let her bring it onto the tender.

Before it left the US, the Sapphire was beloved by many of us. The Diamond has had modifications for the Asian market. The Sapphire had some of the newer places put in when it was refurbished years ago. I don’t know if they are still doing it post pandemic, but those two ships used to have one specialty dish unique to each dining room you could order. It was never listed on the menu; you had to ask your server about it. I loved the Asian dish especially. There’s a character to the Sapphire that we just love. It’s not really something that can be explained, but if you get a chance to sail on her, hopefully you’ll experience the same feeling.

You really never know, so bring the full array of layers. In general, though, there will likely be some rain, some chilly weather, some sun, and some warmth. The weather changes drastically here. For example, this week, we had one day that poured all morning and was beautiful sunshine in the afternoon! The weather people often get it wrong, too.

Celebrity was sure smart to offer this deal! It’s getting me, who wasn’t impressed with our Celebrity cruise, to try it again, it’s gaining a new sailor in my friend who is normally loyal to a different cruise line, and the savings on the cruise will simulate onboard spending. It’s a win win!

Good to know; thank you!

Why don’t you just apply the GCs to your onboard account at Guest Services? That’s what I’ve always done. I did have a ridiculously long hold time recently for Princess, but I ended up getting the best agents I’ve ever experienced when I’ve called them. I waited 45 min on hold for Celebrity, and others reported hold times of 2 hours for them. I got a call back estimate of 8 hours with American Airlines. It’s very frustrating, but unfortunately it’s everywhere these days. I hope you still go on your cruise and have a fabulous time!

That’s interesting. Mine had the regular cancellation schedule and showed a $500 deposit is due 8/5. I know I don’t owe that, of course.

Can anyone confirm that this cruise is refundable until 48 hours before departure? I think someone mentioned it in one of these threads, and I think the Celebrity BCC rep said it too, but the connection was so bad, that I don’t know for sure. It would be really good to know if it is refundable because the booking confirmation just shows the regular cancellation schedule as if it were a regular booking. Hope everyone gets what they want! I waited on hold for 45 minutes tonight and got it exactly what I wanted. 👌

Loving your trip report; keep it coming! We too experienced bad service at Fortnum and Mason when we went in 2018; I’m still glad to have experienced their tea once, though.

Kudos to you for your positive outlook in the face of stress and pain, and thank you for sharing your awesome celebratory vacation!

I second your salmon chowder and cobbler recommendations! They were deeeeelicious! Glad you had a fun cruisetour!

I’d switch to Princess, since it’s a similar offering.

Brilliance is an upgrade from Enchantment, so you extra scored with your good deal! Happy planning!

Excellent account of your travels as always! Thank you for the Med journey!

That’s sometimes the cost of a world cruise in an Inside stateroom!

If you have kids and they’re used to all the fun features of Royal, I’d try one of Norwegian or Carnival’s newer ships.

It was usually nice and cozy onboard on most of my AK cruises, but then my most recent one in 2019 wasn’t as much. When the doors would be open in port, the Piazza was freezing. I’d bring some Caribbean level clothes for dinner as well as some warmer clothes for it and see what you end up wanting. Also, a sweater is a must to carry with you!