lahlah57

How many closed loop cruises can a person take before you just want to do something a little different......that requires a passport!!

I can cruise to Hawaii, Mexico(:(), Alaska, east coast and the carribean.

Yippee and after the fun of those places wears off......then what?!

No passports required to those very few limited places. {{yawn}}

True at some point "all" will be required to have one. Why limit yourself to going to the places that don't require you to have one. Get it and it's good for 10 years.

Lord...its like only cruising to places that do not require you to fly to departing ports! Flight anxiety and being cheap is the reason for that one!

Life travel experiences are limitless if you have passports and are willing to fly:rolleyes:

I don't believe it's a "con" just not understanding or researching the term "french balcony". In france, the apartments come with the said french balcony which is not set to the terms we use as a balcony. No you cannot go out on it and if you can it is very narrow with no chairs residing on said balcony. If you look at the diagrams as per every web site has for their ships, you will not see a balcony but large window with a small outline of the grid that is on the window.

The "veranda" has a diagram of the obvious bumpout that the "veranda" rooms have.

French balcony and veranda are the key phrases that you look for as far as cruising rooms are concerned. Learn something new all the time but no "con" is involved here.;)

The price for liquor may be a bit pricier ashore only cause europe is generally pricier.

When we were in china with viking last year the true drinkers were a minority. It is nothing like the larger oceanliners. We moved at such a fast pace every day......you have to feel pretty darn good and have your wits about you to keep yourself going.

We almost purchased the silver spirits package but very glad we did not cause if were to have a drink it would be at dinner(wine or beer) included. Drinking during the day was not even felt after a day of heavy duty sightseeing.

So many tours will include wine or beer tasting that purchasing at that time may be alot more economical.

These river cruisers are more interested in the lands that they will visit not partying on the ship thru the wee hours of the night. Hopefully I have made you aware of what to expect and this will not be a carnival cruise to the carribean.

My friend got back from a carnival cruise and the anytime could be a nightmare because there was a long wait time(hour to hour and a half).

With that I would prefer traditional with the same waiter who remembers my fave drink and my seat is waiting for me. As far as tablemates are concerned they are all interesting...good bad or indifferent. They always left something for my husband and I to talk and laugh about as the evening concluded. Alot of times we didn't feel like dressing for dinner and there were so many other meal venues that we took advantage of them.

Don't mind it once and true......if you don't like it don't eat it!

But the stuff is so pungent that the smell can overwhelm everything else around it.

Give it a room of it's own and then enter and eat to your hearts content but please shut the door behind you!:rolleyes:

.....either way it depends on what I'm doing that day! It may also depend if I can bear being with the same dinner mates every single night. I am one of those who hates being told what time to eat also. There can be so many variables thruout a day and I can never commit to one or the other. The food quality is good at either venue so anytime versus traditional....I can swing!:o Lauri