trivia addict

Good idea to check your weather before reserving VIBE. We just got off from a Mexican cruise on the Joy. We had Vibe passes but due to unseasonably cold and windy weather we got very little use from them. Loved the Vibe experience but only used it twice during the week and we sat wrapped in towels, the whole time!

Walked off this morning with the first group. Then walked to the white tent where there was a fast moving taxi line. The walk took about 5-10 minutes. All was very easy and organized. Now sitting at LAX waiting for flight.

Thank you all for your input and to the original author of this thread. Currently we are looking at, and deciding if we should book a Haven experience on the Joy to replace a Celebrity cruise that is becoming way too expensive for what we would be receiving.

Can you tell us how you found the activities on board? We took our first post Covid Celebrity cruise last summer and found that there were very few activities scheduled. The ones offered each day only seemed to be the ones that were selling something. Each day the Dailey posted almost the exact thing as the day before. Truthfully we were bored. We chalked it up to post Covid staffing problems. We have another Celebrity cruise scheduled for June, but due to the high cost that we would be paying and the many bad reviews we are reading, we are thinking of switching to NCL.

Oh dear that is terrible. Not even worth the port taxes, is it? I definitely would stick around the dockyard or even stay on the ship for that length of time. Best bet would probably be the mini golf as mentioned and a walk on the Dockyard beach near it, and a trip to the mall to buy a tee shirt that says I was in Bermuda! Maybe go to the Frog and Onion for a swizzle!

Definitely leave the Dockyard if you are there overnight. Except for a pub, an information booth, and the ferry dock there is very little to do here. There is a mall with tourist items but that can be done in very little time. When we are there, we do book water excursions from The Island Tour Center, but we are there when it is warmer. Not sure if they have excursions this time of the year. Why don’t you look on Trip Advisor for suggestions for tour activities?

I am thinking that the OP meant wire cutter. And I agree with the response. In the decades that I have used my plastic tags attached by their wires, I have never had a tag stolen from a piece of luggage. And truly, what would be the point for someone to do that?

Yes!

I bought a set of these tags many many years ago after standing in line one morning at a hotel desk waiting for a stapler to attach my tags before my departure that day. I have used them over and over throughout the years. They are convenient, sturdy and last forever. If you plan on cruising more than once, they are worth the nominal price. You can get them on Amazon. I have two sets. The narrow one for Celebrity and Royal and the wider ones for NCCL and Holland.

Loved the thermal spa on the Pearl when I was on her about 5 years ago. Actually have not yet found one that I like as much on either Royal or Celebrity.

I would agree. Do not rent the electric cars or scooters in Bermuda. The roads are narrow, hilly and as mentioned congested. We have been to Bermuda many times and almost always witnessed a scooter accident. Last year we had a first hand encounter. One evening at the Sunset Bar, we noticed a woman limping, covered in bruises and with her arm in a sling. We asked if she needed help. She began to tell us of a scooter accident she and her husband had been in the day before. A bus had come around a curve and ran them off the road. The husband had spent the night in a local hospital in emergency surgery to repair his broken arm. That morning he was released and was now under pain killers in their room. Obviously she needed some space and maybe someone to talk to. We helped her carry a plate of food and a drink back to her room. Interestingly, she received no support or advice of any kind when she called the emergency number for the cruise line while she waited at the hospital all night, with no one to give advice on any protocol.

You can absolutely wear jeans in the MDR on your Alaskan cruise. No one will care one way or the other. However, I will say that on my Alaskan cruise last summer, I saw an equal amount of nice slacks and casual tops as I did jeans during the evenings. Maybe because it was Holland and an older crowd? Or maybe people just wanted out of their rain soaked jeans that they wore that day.

Huh? What Jewish holiday is celebrated in January, other than Holocaust Memorial Day, which I don’t think is one for vacations?

psuboater has given you great suggestions of many of our favorite places. ( Full disclosure, she is my daughter!) I would add some places for recreation. The Chihuly Museum of Glass if you are into Art. It is conveniently located next to the Space Needle. The Museum of History and Industry, if you would like a comprehensive overview of the history of the Northwest. And, finally, the salmon ladder at the locks in Ballard. It is on the water next to a beautiful garden like setting. It is a relaxing afternoon where you can watch all kinds of boats travel through the locks, salmon swimming upstream, and you might even see a seal or two.

Definitely pack a GOOD pair of binoculars. You will not regret it. As for the umbrella, Alaska can be very rainy, but you may not want to take up packing space with it. Check with your cruise line to see if they provide umbrellas in the room. Both of our Alaskan cruises on Holland had one in our room closet, but since we packed rain gear, we never used the umbrella. In Seattle, contrary to its reputation, most July and August days are not rainy. And if it rains, it will only be light rain for part of the day. Of course, weather is unpredictable, but know that carrying an umbrella definitely marks you as a tourist!

Woodinville would be the largest concentration of wineries near Seattle, but you would need to rent a car to get there. Also, some of those tasting rooms have closed recently, so check on that. Now, if you are interested in Breweries, then Seattle is the place for you!

All of the suggestions here are good. We are frequent flyers in and out of Seatac. Definitely agree with the warnings about heavy traffic certain times of the day. I like the suggestion to “plan on an hour and be thrilled when it is only 35 minutes”! That is very true. Also agree that depending on your TSA security level, ( Precheck, Global, etc,), and the gate you are assigned, it can make a big difference, on the length of time that you will need to get to your flight. An 11:30 flight at the minimum is good advice.

No way you can “fit in” when there is so much disparity among the crowd. There will be many different clothing options around you. You have to be comfortable with what you are, and be confident with your own choices. If one wants to wear a sports jacket, no one is going to care or judge.

If someone wears shorts to dinner and does not feel out of place, why would DH feel out of place wearing a jacket? More importantly, why do you care? Be yourself and be happy.

There are so many threads on this topic. The best advice I see, and what I give is wear what you are comfortable with. My husband and I always bring cocktail attire for dressy nights, and in the past even did tuxes and long gowns which we do not do now, but enjoy seeing those others that do. My comment recently on one of these topics was that I feel that seeing people dressing for the occasion brings a certain civility to our world, and I was totally flamed on the board, for this opinion. Do I wear a dress when I go to the beach? No. Do I wear a nice outfit when I go to a nice restaurant? Yes. Just the way I was brought up many years ago, I guess.

eroller, your review of the NA pretty much sums up our experience on her on our cruise to Alaska in August. I agree with all of your positives, and while many of your negatives did not bother me, I totally agree with the lack of daytime activities and nighttime entertainment on the ship. And as someone mentioned, BB Kings is much too small considering it is one of the only evening entertainments. Although this is not a complete deal breaker for us, we would much prefer to sail Celebrity when it comes to shipboard entertainment.

I don’t want to seem condescending, but why not call RCC or one of the cruise companies to find this answer? I already have a cruise scheduled for 2024. ( but not to Alaska) Many cruises for 2024 are booking now. Unless….what you are asking is, when would be the best offers for 2024? Then you just have to watch and wait and be flexible. A word of advice. If you are going to Alaska, book the cruise tour that includes Denali, not just the 7 day cruise itself. I have done it both ways and the cruise tour was much more enjoyable and informative.

Taking this is a slightly different direction. I have been to Labadee twice and would not go back. I didn’t like the beach, didn’t like the aggressive vendors and don’t zip line. I would stay on the ship next time next to the pool. As far as safety, no place in todays world can guarantee it, and I actually felt safer at Labadee than in some other ports I have visited.

I have no time to read 14 pages of opinion so if I repeat posts, sorry. 20 plus years ago, we cruised Europe a few times. My husband and son wore tuxes, my daughter and I long gowns. All of us loved the experience, feeling special and extravagant. Today on our cruises my husband wears a sport coat and I wear a cocktail dress. We still love “ dressing up”, and will do whatever we please. It makes our vacation special. I don’t care what others wear, but I do mourn the civility that we have lost.

I usually cruise on another line but the Pearl is a great ship that I like very much. She actually has the best spa facilities that I have yet to encounter. The sauna is beautiful. I also do my own excursions rather than the ones offered on the ship. In Halifax I recommend the Hop on Hop off bus. Also a walk along the boardwalk is nice. if you haven’t been to Boston, the Freedom Trail walk is a great way to experience history. Make sure that you have lobster in Bar Harbor. There is a restaurant next to the port that is good, but there are also others you can research. Also in Bar Harbor take the Acadia National Park tour given by the park. The headquarters are close to the port, and although it only uses a school bus, it will show you what you need to see and the cost is less than the ship.