lettrich

Was just on the Millennium in July for Japan. Although the main areas of the ship were nice, our stateroom had a strange odor - almost like cat urine. It was coming from near the balcony. I believe it was from water damage related to the balcony. The balcony door did stick a few times, so I only felt comfortable out there when my husband was in the room to let me back in. There were other people who also complained of the odor. That being said, I wouldn't let it stop me from going on again if it was an itinerary I was interested in.

Thank you for a wonderful review. I enjoyed reading all that you did at the ports - you managed to see a lot of the sites. I agree - it was a great time. Japan is a beautiful country.

Hello - we will be going to Great Stirrup Kay in July. Are the cabanas worth it? Looking at the “first level” cabanas for our group of 8. Does it include a server dedicated to your cabana to get your drinks? Does the drink package work on the private island? Haven’t been on a Norwegian cruise since 2000. Thanks for your advice!

We ate at Meriken Hatoba. Top rated on TripAdvisor 2023. Very small restaurant. Only room for 13. Made reservations a few months in advance. The shuttle provided by the ship drops you off right in front of Chinatown. Go in to Chinatown and it’s a few blocks in - the street it’s on is on the right. It was hard to find and we had to ask for directions. Two younger locals walked us to the restaurant. It was very excellent.

I agree about the Spa cafe. Oceanview cafe was always very crowded in the am, so difficult to get seats. I much preferred getting avocado toast and fruit at the Spa cafe. Loved the mint that was added - gave it a nice touch. I found the gym to be quite crowded so unfortunately did not work out as often as I should have. I think I remember seeing you and your family at the trivias in the afternoon. If I remember correctly, you were seated right near us on the last day. My husband and I always sat at the bar region. You definitely had quite a day in Kyoto. We stayed in Kobe - went to an animal park earlier in the day and out for Kobe steak at night. On this cruise I really did not utilize the balcony much. I found the door would "stick" so had to keep it open a bit which would fill the cabin with humidity. Looking forward to reading the rest of your review - Laura

Loving your review. We were on this cruise also. It was an amazing trip. I found most of the cultural information was provided by the tour guides on the excursions. You are right - they should have had more enrichment talks about Japan while on the ship. Looking forward to reading the remainder of your review- Laura

So excited to see your post. I always enjoy living vicariously through your travels. Looking forward to reading all about your trip! I'm not much of a poster but always love reading other posts.

I have been there with Royal. I was very disappointed with the snorkeling. Not many fish to see and the clarity was poor. I did go in April and the water was chilly. Maybe my disappointment was weather related, although it was a partially sunny day? Much prefer the snorkeling down in the ABC islands.

I have been on roughly the same amounts of RC and Celebrity cruises. RC cruises tend to be more lively and fun but service/food slightly better on Celebrity. We enjoy both lines and will continue to flip-flop between them. There are more kids on RC but if you are not going on a school break it should be fine. My husband and I went on Celebrity last Easter break and commented how few kids were on the ship. Celebrity also has an older clientele, whereas RC is younger.

Question about Classic package - Does this also include all non-alcoholic drinks - sodas, bottled water, etc? If not, I will definitely upgrade to Premium.

We were on the same cruise. I was nervous with all the complaints on CC before we went. I must say - all of them were unfounded. Had a wonderful cruise - I can be critical and found absolutely nothing to complain about. We were also on Woodwind snorkel tour which was amazing - best snorkeling tour I've ever taken. They even have prescription masks! We caught about half of the shows. Didn't go to the late night comedy ones as we were busy in the casino. Activities staff was excellent and engaging. Ate in Blu most nights and Murano twice. One day we ate at the buffet for dinner and were pleasantly surprised. Went to main dining room for lunch and it was also good.

We did a chefs table on RC. The food was excellent however you are stuck at a table for 3 hours or so with strangers. I enjoy meeting new people but the 3 other people we were seated with were very "braggy" and it got to be annoying. Not sure I will do another chefs table from that point alone. I get very restless sitting at a dining table for more than 2 hours.

Out of curiosity, what did you not like about Woodwind? We will be going on their excursion in 2 weeks.

I stayed in one of the family veranda rooms on the Equinox, during a Mediterranean cruise. At that time, they did not require 5 people to be in the cabin. There were 4 of us in the cabin and the kids stayed in a bunk bed area. The only complaint I had with that area is you hear the anchor go down and it wakes you very early in the morning.As it was a Mediterranean cruise, there were many ports and I was woken early almost every day.