cruisead

Have you posted this on the Royal Caribbean site also? There are more people there who might have the information.

From our experience, many of those ports are very difficult in a mobility scooter. If any of those ports are tender ports, they will not allow a scooter on a tender. Venice can be done, but in a very limited area only, as most of Venice is connected via bridges that have steps. You can take a vaporetto to the Piazza San Marco, and you can see a lot there, but going to other areas of Venice will be impossible with a scooter.

Many parts of Europe are behind times in accessibility. Fewer curb cut outs, lots of cobblestones and a lot of entrances to sites contain steps to get inside.

Livorno is the industrial port for Florence. You'll have to find a company that will take your scooter into Florence. Once there, you can see a lot of that city with a scooter, but again in places like the cathedral there are steps and there might not be a ramp.

I think Dubrovnik is a tender port, so unless you bring a manual wheelchair and can get onto a tender, you won't be seeing that port.

Naples might also be a tender port, depending on the size of the ship you're on.

If the powers that be at Celebrity had been smart, they would have thought to enclose the MDR by removing the overlook on the M class ships where you can look down on the diners on deck 4 from deck 5. That would have added lots of space for tables on deck 5 and would also allow for more space between tables. There are areas in the MDR where the tables are so close together that you have barely a few inches between tables, not to mention how close the chairs are to each other, back to back. There's no need for that huge open space between deck 4 and deck 5, now that they have this Luminae restaurant and Blu on the M class, inside the MDR.

Costa Maya has nothing for someone in a power wheelchair. I checked on just that for our Holland America cruise that was stopping in that port.

In Alaska, the aft suites are fantastic. We love the aft sky suites, not only for Alaska, but for Panama Canal cruises.

IF something ever happens to a Celebrity passenger who's off the ship on one of these overnight ports, I wonder if they'll stop this overnight business? Regardless of what anyone says, it's a fact that crime on the Caribbean islands have gone up dramatically in the past few years. Yeah, yeah, crime is going up everywhere, but a lot of people tend to be more lax on their own safety when they're on holiday. We don't like this whole change of dumping ports to satisfy a VERY small percentage of Celebrity's clientele who want overnight ports. Save the overnights for Med and Baltic cruises where staying longer is more advantageous for ports like Rome and Florence where the port is a long distance from the city center, or St Petersburg where there is too much to see in a day or two.

I've wondered, why have this perk if they allow everyone and their brother to dine in Luminae as long as they are traveling with a suite guest and are willing to pay the $50 per person charge? I can certainly understand the point of having kids under a certain age join their parents, but once you get all the friends, relatives and whomever all shoved into a not too large dining area, this perk becomes less a perk and nothing more than another specialty restaurant. If a couple is traveling with friends or relatives, they need to choose to either dine in Luminae alone or choose the MDR. But again, with the MDR smaller due to Luminae , it's not fair to guests not in suites to be left out because those who are supposed to be in Luminae are dining in the MDR. Obviously, Celebrity started this whole suite perks thing without thinking about all the consequences.

Sorry, that service is not available for cruises outside North America.

Is there any reason why you're limiting yourself to just those two ships/destinations? I can't recommend NCL, despite their Studio cabins because that line, and having champagne tastes just doesn't mesh. While NCL is budget friendly, as with all things, you get what you pay for. NCL will also be loaded with kids.

Celebrity is a VERY gay friendly cruise line. You might want to check out the Gay and Lesbian Forum here on Cruise Critic. The Summit has a wonderful martini bar and other lounges for music and dancing. The food and service are very good and their alternate specialty restaurants are excellent. Three days in Bermuda are a real plus.

Wifi/internet on any ship is not great. Very slow and expensive. Service can be spotty, also. You can get unlimited internet on Celebrity for $299. But expect modem speed, or maybe just a bit faster. You can find free wifi at places in Bermuda.

Cruise lines are totally cashless on board except for the casino. When you check in, you present a credit card to back your purchases. On the morning you disembark the ship, you can pay your final bill with cash, but it's just easier to keep everything on the credit card.

Embarking on the first day isn't all that bad, especially on a smaller ship like Summit. You find your way to the cruise terminal, give your luggage to the porters, walk into the cruise terminal, go through security screening, and follow the signs to the desk where you present your passport or birth certificate and photo ID, and your credit card. The check in staff will give you your sign and sail card (which is your cabin key and the card you use for all on board purchases), they will take your picture for security purposes and then you'll be directed to the gangway where you'll board the ship. It's nothing too insane.

Have a great cruise.

You're very brave to be doing a first cruise for 24 days with two 9 year olds. We wouldn't have done a cruise that long with our boys (4), as that length of cruise would have driven them up the wall.

HAL is known to be a line that caters to an older clientele. While there will be some families on board, there probably won't be as many as on other lines. But the good thing is that your cruises are very port intensive, therefore you won't be on the ship a whole lot. And to be honest, after taking over 7 Med cruises, I suspect you're going to be very tired at the end of the day, so having lots and lots of entertainment at night might not be a huge deal.

Cell phones on a cruise ship can be a wallet buster. Calls average $2.49 a minute, and I will warn you to not ever use a smartphone for Internet. If you do, you'll incur that per minute charge plus download charges. I remember the first time we cruised with our first smartphone, we were not very smart, and came home to a phone bill of nearly $1000, and none of that charge was for phone calls. We didn't know about airplane mode or turning off data roaming.

Wifi is annoyingly slow and can be expensive. You can buy a package of minutes for Internet, or you can pay by the minute. The per minute charge is around $.65 a minute, with that per minute charge going lower depending on the number of minutes you purchase in a package.

Now a couple of tips. The Med in summer is extremely hot and humid, so always be prepared for that when off the ship by bringing bottled water with you to keep hydrated. You can also stop at local cafes for something to drink. Take breaks from touring, especially with the young ones. Remember there are dress codes for certain places such as churches, synagogues and other religious places. No shorts and no sleeveless.

HAL is considered a traditional cruise line and therefore you'll find that they do have a dress code in the main dining room for dinner. That means slacks and collared shirts for males, and slacks, sundresses and nice tops for the women. Formal nights are at the very least, jacket and tie for men and cocktail dresses or dressy slacks and tops for the women. No shorts or ripped jeans at any evening meal.

Have a great cruise.

We have close to 40 cruises on Celebrity, and the one thing we discovered, mostly within the past 6 or so years, is that Celebrity tries to cover the tastes of a lot of people from different countries. On the S Class ships, they even have an area in the buffet called English Breakfast, where the items are made for the tastes of our UK neighbors, including a version of pork and beans. Heck, did you know that Hawaiians eat more Spam than any other state? Our UK friends love their beans.

Believe me, you will find a lot more than beans and franks. You will find a taco bar, stir fry, Indian curries, carved meats, a sandwich bar, pizza, a pasta station and a big salad bar. Believe me, you won't go hungry.

People don't just call a cruise line and ask for a deal. It's not like buying a car where you go back and forth with the salesman. You just have to watch the website and see if the fare for your cabin goes down. If it's not past final payment date, and the lower price isn't for new bookings only, you can call and get the lower price, or an on board credit.

The Copenhagen airport is HUGE, very busy and lines for security and check in can take a very long time. You must be ON the plane at least 20 minutes before departure. I wouldn't book a flight before noon.

We dine in Murano, and the Murano-like restaurants on the M class ships, about 75% of the evenings, and from our experience, people do dress up more than just smart casual, even on the non-formal nights. You might see one or two men in just a shirt and slacks, but the vast majority dress up in at least a jacket. But it's not like that in the other specialties.

Basic cocktails start at $8. Beer is $5 to $7. A decent wine is $9 to $12 and up. Martinis are $10 to $13. Fancier drinks are $9 to $12. With a drink package you not only get alcohol drinks ( if you purchase the alcohol package), but you also get bottled water, soft drinks, special coffees and teas and fresh squeezed orange juice.

If you do traditional dining, you select early or late seating. If you do Select dining, you can make a reservation to dine at whatever time you wish, starting at 5:30 to 9pm. You choose what dining at the time of booking.

There will be lots of families on board so there will be lots of kids. Celebrity doesn't have the bells and whistles of a Disney or Royal Caribbean ship, but they do keep kids busy.

Unlike Disney, Celebrity does not do fireworks on any of their ships. And since this is an American holiday, if you're in Bermuda on the 4th, they won't have them either. Actually, if you're at sea on the 4th, there's no way to do fireworks on a moving cruise ship.

Not anymore

they sold a lot of stock to buy Crystal Cruises

Yep, and not looking forward to what they are going to do to Crystal.

We met a couple from Canada who were cruising on Superstar Aires while we were on Crystal in Singapore, and they said it was mostly a gambling cruise. They said the food was pretty bad, and smoking was the worst they ever experienced on a cruise ship.

It doesn't matter one bit that you're transgender on any cruise line. Unless you tell people, no one will know, or care. So that opens up a lot of ships.

For trans ocean sailings, your choices are to Hawaii from West Coast ports, or London, Lisbon, Barcelona from East Coast ports. In spring, lots of ships reposition to Europe from the Caribbean, but most of those ships leave from Florida. In the fall, those ships come back to North America from Europe.

I suggest visiting a local travel agent that specialize in cruises. You don't have to book through them, but they will have a complete list of ships, itineraries and travel dates from which you can choose.

It's plain and simple, you're not going on the cruise. Well, let me amend that---she won't be going on the cruise. Not only does the birth certificate prove country of citizenship, it also proves she's your child and you're not trying to kidnap her.

Why did you wait until now to get your documents together? I somewhat suspect a troll here, first post and all.

It's not the cruise line's business to restrict someone who's a gambling addict. It's none of their business. If you're a compulsive gambler, either go on Disney, where there are no casinos, or stay home. But it's not the cruise line's responsibility to babysit any passenger with an addiction of any kind.

Knowing teens like to text, just realize that texting on the ship is not free, and can add up to a lot of money. If you have smart phones, turn off data roaming or put the phone in airplane mode, or come home to a huge phone bill.

If your daughter at any time, wants to leave the ship alone, while you're off doing your own thing in port, she will not be allowed to leave on her own.

I would not allow a 15 year old girl to wander alone on a ship when you're off on tours. You have to realize there are unsavory characters on every ship, even crew members, and the crew will have access to your cabin via their pass key.

The first question you need to answer is, where are you cruising? If it's the Caribbean, you may get asked about the needles, but that's about it. But, if your cruise is outside the Caribbean, there are some countries that are very strict on prescription meds, and if you don't have them in the original bottles, there can be big trouble. For that matter, there are some countries where bringing in any kind of drug is illegal.

On our last two cruises that ended in Rome (Civitivecchia), they didn't start disembarking until after 8. The drive to the Rome airport is at least 60 minutes. Don't know if you've ever flown out of that airport before, but check in and security screenings, along with Italian Customs/Immigration can take an hour, but usually more. Since most airlines require you to be on board at least 20 minutes before an international flight, I don't see how you can make a 10am flight.

Once a ship has reached its legal capacity, they will not allow people to be added to existing reservations, even if you're booked in a cabin/suite that can handle more.

Celebrity doesn't attract as many kids as other lines, and seeing that Dec 13 is when school is still in session, chances are there will be very few, if any, teens on board. If you'd wait one more week, Christmas vacation will be in full swing, and there will be more kids. We've cruised at the time you're considering, and the only kids on board were pre schoolers and younger.