shipgeeks

Classic black wool. Classic white shirt, grandfather's cufflinks and studs. Self-tie silk bowtie; black at least once, grey and red pattern one for variety. Bond, James Bond.

We have, and we would do so again. We don't cruise for warm weather; we cruise to be at sea. It's neat being out on deck in any kind of weather.

We've both been on ships that experienced worse storms than what Anthem had, and we know that we would have been fine had we been aboard.

Are you staying in Barcelona, or flying out that day?

A few years ago, we were there several days before May 1. We did a ship's tour around the city, which was excellent. However, vehicle traffic and crowds were overwhelming. Pedestrians were shoulder-to-shoulder. We did not go to Las Ramblas, but reports came back that people who did changed their minds and returned to the ship. Our European tablemates confirmed that the holiday is a big deal all over Europe.

ClaudiaB, Thank you for two of the best suggestions I've read here.

42 day cargo ship voyage, NYC to Sydney. After leaving Panama to cross the Pacific, we did not have another port til we got to Australia, so probably about 30 days. Three good meals a day, no snack bar. No entertainment except for the library and some open decks. We loved every minute.

We had a balcony cabin on our AK cruise, and only used it for one or two hours, one time, during the entire 10 days. Being up on deck was 1000% better! Fabulous all-around views, and sunnier. When we go again, we will book an inside, or possibly (depending on price) oceanview.

Our favorites: Naples, Messina, and Cagliari in Italy; Cartagena in Spain; Seyne Sur Mer in France (the port for Toulon if ship is large). All are very easily walkable from the ship, and all are very interesting without any tours.

Coming up soon for us: Malaga, Cadiz and Alicante. Our research indicates that they are also quite accessible from the ship, and worthwhile.

I agree with a previous poster that the Rick Steves book is a good reference.

What we like about all these places is that they are genuine towns with a history as a port, unlike so many places in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

IMO, the sea days to and from Hawaii were the best part of the cruise. We had Hawaiian culture events -- hula, ukulele, and jewelry classes, etc., which made for a greatly enriched experience when we got there, and an extension of the island experience on the way back.

Our experience was that it did not kick in til the next cruise.

Lindabodrum, I have to ask you a serious question.

Is it possible to resist buying too many of the wonderful things that come in to the charity shop while you are volunteering? Just a brief weekly visit to my local one has produced a big cruise wardrobe for me, over time. Now I might have the opportunity to volunteer there. Do you need willpower of steel? The closet in my guest room already has DH's nine tuxedoes(!) and more gowns and dresses than I can count -- all beautiful.

By the way, your purchases are fabulous, and the prices are fabulous, too.

We had a balcony on our AK cruise, and only used it once during the entire 10 days. It was so much nicer being up on the top deck all the time -- 1000% better views, and sunnier.

I'm guessing that your cruise is one way. I recommend checking ChoiceAir for your flights, as they will be to/from different airports.

Bon voyage!

Is it better to sail out of Cape Liberty,NJ or New York, New York?

Baltimore is a good port for CNE cruises, too.

When we were in Barcelona a few years ago, on the weekend before May Day, it was exceedingly crowded (picture Times Square on New Year's Eve). We did not have any problems, but I imagine that a pickpocket would find it easy going.

We have always used our cruiseline air, and have been very happy with it. The first time, the airline quoted us $4400 each; ChoiceAir (Celebrity) was under $700. Same airline, same seats, same dates. You can do a mock booking to see what times and prices there are, even if you are just guessing at the dates.

Mine too! Long Ralph Lauren cut velvet gown, and a Norma Kamali cocktail dress will be in my suitcase in a few weeks.

We have met Belgians, Germans, and Norwegians among the passengers, as well.

And TAs seem to be dressier in the evenings than shorter cruises.

We will continue to be in tux/long dress or cocktail dress on Chic nights, sport coat/dress on others.

Our two times aboard, Quasar wasn't even used much, if at all. We are booked almost directly under, as well, and are not concerned. Great location in all other respects!

She is June Teruya. I went to her hula classes aboard Century in 2013. She was excellent.

We are sailing in April as well, and will be packing as we have always done: tux/long dress or cocktail dress for Chic nights, and sportcoat/dress for others.

A couple of things that worked for me: I wore my chunkiest shoes (walking boots) on the plane, along with shirt, light sweater, denim jacket, rain jacket. So none of those had to be packed.

I packed my down jacket in a compression bag (like a big ziplock; stuff, sit on to force out the air). I packed my other wool sweaters in another one. I found wool much lighter and less bulky than sweatshirts.

I did take three formals plus dresses for the other evenings. None took up much space, and everything easily fit into one suitcase.

Has anyone mentioned taking sunblock? Hours spent on top deck watching the scenery can take its toll!

We have shared port taxis with people who had no idea of the name of the ship they were heading back to.

Muchas gracias, Campolady, for all your helpful information!

Here's another question for you. When we were in Barcelona and in Pisa several years ago, in late April, both were exceedingly crowded (like the pictures of Times Square on New Year's Eve). I heard that it was because of the May Day holiday a few days later. Are we likely to experience such crowds in late April in Cadiz, Malaga, and Alicante this year?

Beds are fairly low, so not all large cases will fit under. And floor space is tight, so if you were to leave all your luggage sitting around you will probably trip over it a lot. That said, I am a 9-12 pairs of shoes, 6-8 dresses packer myself, and it all fits into one soft suitcase, so maybe you won't need as much luggage as you think.

So hard to choose just one. Meridian. Our cabin attendants on last X cruise were both onboard when she sank. All aboard were rescued.

Regal Empress.

SeaBreeze, OceanBreeze, IslandBreeze, Rembrandt.

Norway.

Caronia.

All wonderful.

Sigh.