shipgeeks

Was there an explanation of why the entire restaurant had ATD? That would be a major disappointment for us; we book Bella or Fantastica specifically to have traditional dining times and table.

A balcony cabin will be on a high deck, so that deletes the benefits of being low. Medical centers on ships are always on the lowest deck, and center, for stability reasons.

Does the Pink Bus/HOHO go to any of the places mentioned above? That will be our means of transportation for going beyond the areas where we've usually walked during past visits.

Patience, just in case. Apart from that, none of the "things" mentioned above.

Yikes! Where are their parents? Do they know the kids are out there without them? Have the kids been told they are allowed out there on their own??

A smaller ship such as Armonia sailing from Baltimore year-round, and on longer itineraries, perhaps 9 to 16 night voyages.

The other general consideration/question I had, in reading through this, is whether there are any "rest" days. I know we would not have the stamina to be out in a port for 8 hours or more, day after day, without a break of more than just our overnight sleep. As well as the physical effort, things can begin to blur into a mosaic of cathedrals, streets, markets, museums, ports. You are right that a river cruise might be a better option.

What port? (I don't know of any answer to your question, just wondering what area you have in mind. We have always used hotels, researched through various sites, for pre-cruise stays. Since most of ours have been in Florida, I've used the Florida Departures section of CC for lots of good info.)

We have been cruising for 30 years, on 50 or so cruises. We are 79 and 80. We have never bought travel insurance, and have never regretted that decision. We have regular health insurance. We have funds and credit card limits that would cover a foreign hospital stay that might be required before admittance. We are comfortable with our choice, but it is certainly a personal decision.

And of course there is the option of not buying travel insurance. We are 79 and 80, have done 50+ cruises, have never purchased travel insurance, and have never wished that we did. We are comfortable in knowing we might someday have to pay $$$ for treatment, evacuation, etc., but in the meantime we have been able to keep adding $ to our savings to cover that possibility. It all comes down to personal comfort level.

Absolutely! We would choose OV over a balcony any time, but especially for an AK cruise, where we could appreciate the closer to the water views - sea otters and such - from the cabin, and wide views from upper decks while in transit and in port.

The train is a very short walk away. You can see it from the ship.

All these ports are easy to DIY; no excursions needed. We have done this itinerary a number of times, and always enjoy it. I first researched the ports by looking for the city websites, which gave me lots of good info. Please note, it is Saint John, not St. Johns. There is also a lot of info here on the C/NE board; you can learn a lot by just reading through the posts in which others have asked similar questions.

We have sailed on Enchantment five times, and Vision once, since the lockdown, including the new menus. Although we are not thrilled with a few of the new selections, we've found the service on those two ships to be outstanding, and the MDR food quite acceptable overall. I wrote about my theory in another Foodies post: Decline in food..... To restate my thoughts: I read (mostly here on CC) complaints that "dinner took 45 minutes for three courses; that is way too long!" Apparently many have become so used to drive-through, instant meals that can be gulped down, that any time spent at a real table, perhaps with a short while between courses to digest and maybe even converse with others, is wasted time. Complaints like that might be leading to pre-plating many of the meals so they can be picked up and rushed to the passenger. I don't think that enhances the quality of the meals for the rest of us, quite the contrary.

We've sailed to Saint John at least four times, and have always stayed right there, walking around the city. I plan to do the HOHO bus on one of our two days there this year, for the first time, but there are so many things within walking distance of the ship that I'd never think of renting a car.

I have been on CC for 13 years, reading daily, and I have no idea what "signature" means; not something that has ever come up in my experience. Surely it would have been easy enough, early on, to type "sailing from Boston to Saint John, Halifax, Quebec.....". All possible ports have the potential for different weather and needs. I'm done.

We have been to Halifax a number of times, never with an excursion, and the only $$ we have spent there was for entrance to the Maritime Museum (very worthwhile). IMO, no excursion needed, with many interesting things to see on our own: boardwalk, the Citadel, botanic gardens, Immigration Museum, etc. Not so much to see in Sydney itself.

Still uncertain, before I respond.

When are you going, and what is the itinerary? Are you going only as far as Halifax, or on to Montreal, or.....?

And then there is the joy of finding a fabulous garment, and needing to continue a search for something to go with it. I just bought a pair of slacks in a copper-pink color - unlike anything I've ever owned, but probably the best fitting pants I've ever owned. I know I could wear a black top with them, and I do own a few of those. But what if there is an even better color or pattern out there? What might it be? I intend to find out!

Re small ships of mainstream cruise lines: Baltimore is an example of a port that can only handle Vision class RC ships (the smallest class, just a bit over 2,000 pax), due to the bridge clearances in the Chesapeake. Both RC and Carnival have ships home-ported in Baltimore year-round, and are sold out for every cruise, with many repeat passengers. NCL will also have a small ship in Baltimore for occasional sailings. At a recent Q&A with the Captain on Vision of the Seas (an older, as well as smaller, ship), he said the ship still has many years of service ahead of her, and RC is committed to the Port of Baltimore for the indefinite future. I suspect there will be a continuing market for smaller, mainstream/non-luxury cruises in this area for many years.

So your email should be arriving late July. And ours did come straight to us, not our agent, so it was just a matter of clicking our preference and returning it.

I find the AC on a ship to be cold enough to wear long pants, long sleeves, etc. onboard all evening. Just because it is hot outside doesn't mean it is hot indoors.

Check out Trinity Reservations. I have not used, but have heard good things. They list the hotels and their amenities (parking, shuttle, etc.) and can make bookings.

How close are you to sail date? See post #4 above; we received the same around two weeks before our most recent cruise. If you are still months away, I'd just wait.