susie Q

Nope.....they offer a discounted rate for most specialty restaurants on the first night. We always book Tuscan for that night..it’s our tradition. The menu is the same as any other night. We just enjoy the peace of dining in a smaller venue that first evening. You might want to check Murano.....it is lovely and perfect for a special occasion. Enjoy!

I was wondering if you have seen Vitamin water as a drink option. On our last cruise, I drank several of these a day. It was a zero calorie drink....I needed the Premium package to get it and found it most readily in the OV Cafe. Thanks in advance if you are able to answer. Enjoying your review! It is honest and balanced! 

Just got off the phone with my travel agent! First time I have EVER been able to take advantage of a price reduction or special promo. We went from 2 to 4 perks for $55, but I also get the $168 credited back from upgrading to Premium for myself. We also now have $700 of onboard credit. ( My travel agent was also running a special!)

I am a very happy camper! 😎

We have been in this cabin on many of the S class ships. We have always loved it!

We don’t mind the walk to the elevators and it is super quiet because no one walks by your room. We hear some chair scraping, but doesn’t bother us in the least. Watching the wake and being able to see a two-sided view is wonderful. There is mostly shade and a little bit of sun during certain times....but mostly shade. We haven’t had soot issues that others have noted. I think you will love it and the extra exercise doesn’t hurt! Happy cruising! 

Oh my goodness.....don’t miss this one! We had a blast! We flew into Sydney a few days early and added onto a couple of tours with people we met on our Roll Call. Great way to see the area and it was very reasonable. I highly recommend the tour company called Your Sydney Tour.....the guide’s name was Scott....he was awesome. We loved the sea days because it was super relaxing and the sunsets were beyond description. Tahaiti was not anything to write home about, but Bora Bora was beautiful.....did Patrick’s tour....fabulous!

Had been to Hawaii many times, but had not been to Pearl Harbor so we stayed one night there to do that. Otherwise Honolulu is not my island of choice.....so busy! We met such wonderful people and have no complaints about food or drink. We were not in a suite....so just the MDR and some specialty dining for us. Enjoyed everything except Silk Harvest....we have better Asian food at home, but that’s just my opinion. Enjoy!

We were on a different cruise line which stayed overnight in Edinburgh. Thus we felt comfortable in booking tickets directly with the Tattoo. It is an amazing time. Bagpipe bands, dancers, other military bands, a motorcycle ROTC, a chorus, and lights and images projected on the castle walls and fireworks. Lots of non stop action. We had beautiful weather but be aware it can get cold and rainy and the show happens no matter what. I'm glad we went..

Liverpool has a good HoHo, a very interesting maritime museum and lots of Beatles. We arranged for a 3 hour private tour to various Beatles sites with another couple. I loved it and my husband who less of a Beatles fan felt the tour was "just right."

I'd say the Tattoo was the cruise highlight but wallowing in all things Beatle for a day was a close second..

Beatles4Ever!

Would you mind sharing the name of the company you used for the Beatles tour? There are so many! I’d love to go with one that comes recommended by a fellow cruiser! Thanks!

You are good if you purchased at the time of booking. We had to cancel a cruise just weeks before sailing due to my mom’s cancer diagnosis, she was told she had an ulcer 2 months prior. There is ALOT of paperwork to be filled out and it took several months to get the refund. They were very nice and informative each time I called. It is always disappointing to cancel a cruise, but comforting to know you are not out a large sum of money.

Thinking about busting the budget to stay at the Waldorf. Is it a good location and worth the splurge? Any ideas of equally nice places to stay? We will be there in August for 2 nights.

Thanks!

I have so enjoyed your blog and the pictures...thanks for taking the time to share your experiences and get others excited about their upcoming ones! I have signed up for a gift exchange next month and would love to hear about what types of things you remember seeing. I am from California and am struggling trying to think of something to take! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

On the Eclipse, the bar tender at the Martini Bar would come up with tha best drinks! I told him what flavors I liked and let him create. One of my favorites was a cucumber martini. He cut cucumbers on a mandolin and lined the entire glass with wafer thin cucumbers! Beautiful and went down so smoothly!

My husband was quarantined for several days a few years ago. He became came sick in Athens and went to the medical office on board. He was given meds and could not leave the cabin. He missed Santorini and even thought he was much better, they would not release him to see Rome. They called several times a day to ensure he had not left the cabin. There were countless folks affected on this cruise. Medical facility was packed, ship smelled like chlorox. Someone tried to leave the ship and the card scanner will emit a loud beep if you have been quarantined.....so no cheating on that. One couple on their honeymoon was so angry, ( he was quarantined) they left the ship and flew home on their dime. This can really be a vacation nightmare. They threatened to quarantine me too even though I never had any symptoms.

( I was an elementary teacher...we never get sick...haha!). We never cruise now without a plethora of meds....even get an antibiotic from our doctor, just in case. It's just one of those things....we now wash hands often, that's for sure!

Hi! We took a two day tour with Alla in St. P, they did a great job. We had a fairly small group and a Mercedes bus for transport. We hit all of the highlights and our guide was a sweet girl who aimed to please. She even took me to a Starbucks to try and find a mug for my collection. It was out of the way, but she was willing to give it a try. I wouldn't hesitate to book with them. You can't wander around and have to be with a group anyway, so this is a win-win!

Have a great time. We went in July on this same cruise and the weather was perfect! No rain, not too hot, and lots of fun pool days!

Okay this is a review I can truly enjoy! Honest, funny, and unbiased.....as in...it is what it is! Reminds me of Nelson DeMille's writing! Please keep sending your observations.....we have a cruise coming in April. I am looking forward to it and am going to do my best to not have too high of expectations and not sweat the small stuff. I do find some of the things I overhear while wIting in line ( especially at Guest Services) to be totally comical. I hope your cruise is relaxing and inspires you to write!

Thanks for the information! We are so excited to have this cruise on the horizon! Looking forward to each and every part of it. My goal is to not sweat the small stuff and look for the positive. No vacation is ever perfect and when you plan 2 years out, I have a tendency to build it up to an extent that it is hard to meet my expectations! So.....with a cool beverage and a smile, I hope to have a fantastic time!

Thanks for the information...the class card sounds like a great idea. Hopefully that will "encourage" me to get to the gym! :)

Would you happen to know which classes ( Yoga, Pilates, spin) incur charges and if so, what is the charge? As I recall from our last cruise , very little was complimentary in the class department. Thanks in advance for any information.

Thanks, Chemmo for the great info. Were you on a cruise in April? I am very curious to know what type of weather we may encounter. Any possibility of sitting by the pool or will it be too chilly? I agree about watching the price of cocktails. I am thinking I will keep my receipts for a few days and see how I am doing. If I am having a bit " too" much fun I can always add the PB package for the remainder of the cruise.

Thanks for all of the input! I guess we will just wait and see....either way looking forward to a great time!

The cruise is on Solstice....Sydney to Honolulu....has been sold out for ages, so I know it will be a full cruise.

Do you think a repositioning cruise might fall into that category of "elite or above" heavy? It seems much more convenient to have choices of where to go for cocktails.

I hear that! Our TA gave us a little OBC....so it sounds like I'd better take that and smile! Thanks for the responses....at least now I don't feel like I missed out on something!

Just wondering....after reading about all the glorious perks everyone seems to be receiving, are some cruises excluded from this? On my upcoming cruise ( Sydney to Honolulu) I was told no perks would be offered at all. Granted I used a TA and had not booked while on board, but wonder why nothing at all was offered. Anyone have insight about that? I was so hoping for a drink package and now have to pay for those cucumber martinis I enjoy!

We're taking the Sydney to Hawaii cruise in April and would love to get advice from those who have done this itinerary. There are so many shore excursions to choose from and it is hard to know which direction to go! We did book a catamaran on Bora Bora and an island tour in Moorea, but that's it so far. Would you mind sharing what is "Not to be missed", what excursions you loved, and what you enjoyed on the long stretch of sea days? We are spending a couple of days before the cruise in Sydney also and would love advice about what to see there. We are from central California and the flight is not one I am looking forward to :\ but sure looking forward to everything else! Thanks in advance for your tips and advice. ( We are in our 60's, pretty active, and still like to have fun!)

We will be taking this cruise in Apil 2016.. Would love any advice for shore excursions ! Thanks!

Thanks so much, I will do that!