capecodder2

Thank you, Laurieb. Gives me a better idea if we can do it or not.

Thank you, Laurieb, I will look forward to hearing your thoughts about it. I did find that the train station at Monterosso is near the seaside promenade so that sounded good. I am thinking I will book it and then cancel on board if the LD folks tell me something I get concerned about.

My husband and I (late 70s) really would like to take the ship excursion to Cinque Terre which is boat and bus and listed as strenuous with "extended walking over concrete and cobblestone surfaces". We have been to Portofino before and know the area. Walking itself is not a problem but I am wondering if there are a lot of up and down, steep steps, ramps, etc.. Any thoughts from those of you who have done this excursion? I have read what is on the roll call and ports of call but nothing really addresses the question. I may wait until we board the Quest in October and make the decision then after discussing it with the Land Discoveries people. Any input will be appreciated.

It depends a lot on where you are, what the satellite conditions and locations are, it is amazing how it is transmitted and how it travels from one place to another via satellite. Certainly a lot more difficult than our cable at home. Usually there is an explanation in the daily information, read it and wonder.

If you bring your own detergent, be sure it is bio-degradable and won't harm the ship waste system. There is a reason they provide the detergent and want you to use it.

As several have said, it will be a different experience. It isn't fair to either one to compare - the old apple & orange story. We have been on the Equinox and Eclipse and big as they are, the design flows well and we never felt really crowded except when the stores have a "big sale" and you just want to walk through from point A to B and forgot that. We have sailed O many times and that is probably our favorite line, however, we can't afford to cruise them all the time. Azamara either. Celebrity or Princess, whoever has the itinerary we want gets our business when we need to keep the price down. Enjoy the change.

Luggage tags are always available at the pier, no problem if you don't receive them or don't like the printed ones. You pay thousands of dollars for a cruise and the documents you receive you or your travel agent have to print. Oh, for the days of old with the excitement of receiving them in a nice little leatherette holder and it was so exciting to open and read them all. It is all a lot of work today for the cruiser who paid the money. Just my little rant.

We have used Silver Fleet to both London and to Heathrow from Southampton many times. They are great.

I am with bobocasey, if your destiny calls, it doesn't matter where you are. It never crossed our minds to cancel our European cruise in August. With all the things happening right here in the USA, what are we going to do - just sit at home? No way. Be vigilant wherever you are in the world (home or abroad), keep eyes and ears open, don't put yourself in places you don't belong - that has been true forever not just now. Too many people walk around oblivious to what is going on around them. If you are going to be frightened while on the cruise, stay home, what is $2500 if you are that concerned - just be careful crossing your street.

Good news for sure - love sparkling wine, especially Prosecco. Looking forward to at least one every day on our August 26 cruise. They can keep the rest of the white wine and I hope there are some good red wines, too.

I am fascinated by the need to drink this expensively on a vacation. We just got off the Eclipse 2week Caribbean cruise. We don't drink soda, the "regular" coffee is the same kind we drink at home and 2 cups at breakfast is it for the day, We buy our bottled water on shore at ports at half the cost, we drink the ship desalinated water at meals, sometimes a beer or glass of wine at lunch and 2 glasses of wine at dinner - since we have no cost limits, it is whatever we want. Sometimes we buy a bottle of wine which lasts more than one meal. Occasionally, we might have an after dinner drink - no limits. The most we spent in one day was less than $50 for TWO of us. Beverage packages of any kind are no bargain for us. Just saying.

Flu or norovirus? Both miserable.

Think of it this way - MSC is basically a freight line, that is their main business - their cruise ships just consider people freight on their passenger ships, and that is how they are treated. Freight doesn't talk back, sometimes people do.

Beverage packages aren't economical for everyone. We have added up our cost for drinks and bottles of wine following a cruise and never come anywhere near what the least expensive beverage or wine package would cost. Some cruisers seem to like the "convenience", that would never outweigh the cost for us. Just sayin'

We prefer Select (I know that wasn't the question) because we like to eat around 7PM. It works well for us. We also prefer a table for 2 at dinner (having shared for breakfast and lunch). Who would make a dinner choice to avoid prepaying the gratuities? In the grand scheme of things, it is pittance. Those folks work really hard for what they get.

So enjoyed reading your well-balanced and to-the-point comparison. We love Oceania and have sailed with them 13 times (never found them "unfriendly" or saying no to a request); however, they have pretty much priced themselves out of our budget. We have sailed Celebrity 5 times - S class only - and enjoyed what they offer at an excellent price. We have sailed Azamara once and are booked on the Quest next summer. We are looking forward to sailing with them again. We love the R-class ships. Thanks again.

You just never know how Customs clearance is going to go which is far more important than the docking time when it comes to disembarkation. I wouldn't chance it.

As long as you are flexible on times, you shouldn't have a problem. It is the same menu every day, twice is enough for me in any of them.

We had a small mouse on our Yangtze River cruise 12 yrs ago who visited us at night to eat a carnation that was in a little vase. He didn't bother us, we let him have the carnation.

Kevinzworld is making a lot of assumptions without knowing the product. We love Oceania's 3, soon to be 4, R ships -have sailed 11 times with them. Yes, their 2 new ships are lovely, but lack the charm of the others - also we prefer the size of the smaller ones. French balconies? Those are on river boats. How much balcony do you need? Yes, the bathrooms are small but very efficient, suit me fine. We have only sailed Azamara once and have another booked in 2016 because the itinerary appealed to us, but found it a wonderful experience. We have also enjoyed the Equinox twice, large as it is. The best part is, of course, there is a ship or 2 or 3 out there for everyone. If new ships are your choice, stick to them and leave the others to us. There is plenty to go around.

With the political situation the way it is at present, it is not surprising that the very eastern Med cruises are not selling and/or cruise lines are being wary. I'm sure the top priority is to keep passengers, ship and crew safe.

If you do a search, you will find many threads answering this question. Basically, smaller ships (except for the 2 Princess' R ships), no photographers, no formal nights, smaller casino and entertainment (not the room available on large ships), many food items Princess charges extra for, including the specialty restaurants, are included on Oceania, few kids. They always offer what you have described, it is standard. Will you like it? Depends on what is important to you. If you want the glitz, casinos, show type entertainment, lots of stuff going on, etc., Oceania might not appeal to you.

Sint Maarten for beach (we took a cab to Divi Little Bay Hotel - $5 per person each way) and at the Divi $15 for 2 chairs and an umbrella. Beaches on St. Kitts aren't as nice (volcanic versus coral) and it is a more interesting island for touring. Also very clean. Orient Beach on St. Martin is usually very crowded, has a clothes optional section, I wouldn't go out there if there are more than 2 large ships in port.

Singer Jack Walker

We have been able to roll it over twice without any problem. Sorry you are having a problem. Are you US Citizens - I see Sydney - Sydney what? Perhaps there are different rules for different countries? Just thinking out loud.