cruiserking

MSC gets a lot of mixed reviews. I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean's Anthem. Beautiful ship, terrific service, delicious food and tons of great on board activities including Broadway style production shows. MSC's on board activities are practically non-existent and their production show is pretty lame. Happy Cruising. Jonathan

What ship are you booking to the Bahamas? If it's Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas there is an inside pool plus a beautiful warm solarium with towering plants and cascading pools plus plenty of planned activities to keep you busy till you reach warmer temps. On a standard 7-day Bahamas cruise it will be cool/cold for the first sea day until late in the afternoon of the first sea day when you'll notice a balmy hint in the air. Later that night it will be noticeably warmer. You will 4.5 days of warm weather and 2.5 of cold. I rather enjoy the gradual shift in temperatures from cold to warm it really gives you the feeling of cruising to some faraway place. If you live nearby New York/New Jersey it's so much better to cruise from there instead of needing to deal with the added expense and hassle of flying. Go to the Bahamas and have a great cruise. Jonathan

1970's - Cunard QE2, Franconia - HAL Rotterdam - Italian Line Leonardo Da Vinci 2000's - Cunard Queen Mary 2 - HAL Noordam 2010's - RCCL Explorer, Anthem, Empress - Regal Princess - Celebrity Edge 2020's - RCCL Anthem - Emerald Princess Jonathan

You won't need an excursion for every port stop. Take a look at the excursions the cruise line offers at specific ports and see what interests you, then go to Tripadvisor.com and search for the best vendors that cover the similar attractions. You might start by Googling - Best tour excursions in Cannes, Tripadvisor and use that as a jumping off point. Some ports you can just easily explore on foot. As others have noted avoid all third party services. Book with the best tour companies you find and enjoy your cruise. Jonathan

We live in New York City and sail the Bahamas run every year aboard Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. It's great to sail away from the bleak winter weather and relax in tropical climes. If you live in the tri-state area the convenience of getting to the port is a huge factor. Flying to Florida in November/December is always tricky because you can never be sure if there will be a snow storm that will throw a wrench in the works. I think the Bahamas is the better destination. It will be much cooler in Bermuda during that time period. Nassau gets a bad wrap but, there are some really great things to enjoy there if you do some research. Try a food walking tour, your cruise line might have one or book one yourself they leave right near the cruise port and end steps from the pier. Nassau, Bahamas just unveiled a brand new $300 million cruise pier with a myriad of shops, beautiful grounds, a Junkanoo Museum. Enjoy your cruise whichever one you choose. Jonathan

I've been cruising since I was a boy with my folks on ships like the QE2 and the Leonardo Da Vinci. I just fell in love with the thrill of being on board a ship, the excitement of arriving into a new port, the general feeling of camaraderie amongst our fellow cruisers. Cruising is unlike any other form of travel, because as you sail away from port you leave all of your stresses behind and immerse yourself in this other world of pub trivia, productions shows, shop browsing, swimming, meeting new friends, specialty restaurants and enticing new ports. Happy cruising everybody.

Your best bet is to go to tripadvisor.com and look for the top rated excursion vendors in each of the ports you visit. As others have noted it is always best to book directly with the excursion operator and not a third party. If you book with a third party like Viator they will have not interest in refunding your money in case the ship misses a port or there or some type of issue that arises. Jonathan

Why not consider Princess, Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Holland America's newer ships are much more contemporary and offer many of the popular entertainment venues found on other cruise lines. ]onathan

Have a great cruise on the QM2 Ed! Jonathan

Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas 7-night Mediterranean $857 per person for inside cabin round trip Venice (Ravenna, Italy) port stops in Venice, Italy | Kotor, Montenegro | Corfu, Greece | Piraeus (Athens), Greece | Mykonos, Greece | Argostoli, Kephalonia Explorer is an older ship, recently refurbished beautiful classic, tons to do on board, terrific Greek Isles itinerary with the beautiful fjords of Kotor, Montenegro as well. Celebrity Cruise Line - Edge 7-night Mediterranean Western - $1,249 per person inside cabin Barcelona to Rome with stops in Valencia, Spain | Ibiza, Spain | Portofino, Italy | Ajaccio, Corsica, France | La Spezia (Cinque Terre), Italy | Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy A bit of a splurge but, Edge class ships are truly stunning. Gorgeous interiors, plenty of innovative, delicious specialty restaurants, great lounges, high tech modern ship a real knockout. Jonathan

We prefer a mixture of both. If you're doing a port heavy Mediterranean cruise you'll be exhausted by the end of the cruise. It's nice to have a few sea days in-between to catch your breath. Jonathan

98

12 days till Anthem.

We're big fans of Wonderland and dine here every year aboard Anthem. The food is delicious, the service is excellent. We particularly enjoy Baby Vegetables in the Garden; crushed pumpernickel bread with root vegetables and a delightful dressing. Citrus Seas Shhh; spicy tuna in scooped out limes with lemon flavored crushed ice, the Bird's Nest is a deviled egg type dish served under a dome that when lifted released curls of smoke. For entrees we are partial to the Branzino with crispy bread and tamarind spice emulsion. A flaky, flavorful fish topped with a crunchy thin layer of flat bread, a real winner. For dessert The World is always a showstopper; a chocolate globe that melts before your eyes as the waiter generously pours hot caramel over it. As this rich, gooey goodness dissolves it melds with crispy puffs, peanut butter ganache and ice cream. Wonderland is wonderful, don't miss it. Jonathan

35 days till Anthem

I also highly recommend Princess ships for the beautiful design, top-notch service and excellent food. You can't go wrong with a Princess cruise. Jonathan

The other problem with letting the cruise line book your cabin is they will put you in an undesirable location underneath a restaurant or near a housekeeping area that room stewards are constantly accessing and making noise. It might be worth it to just pay the extra $1000 or choose another sailing that better suits your budget. Jonathan

I would avoid any cabins located underneath the Ocean View Cafe. There is a small buffer area that is carpeted but, unless you are under this specific location you will hear clanging of carts. I recently moved a cabin to an alternate location for this very reason. Jonathan

37 till Anthem.

For our stop in Invergordon we did a marvelous excursion through Princess out to beautiful Dunrobin Castle. The grounds are beautiful, water views in the background plus a lovely tea salon with delicious cakes and snacks to fuel up after your busy jaunt around the castle. The entire trip with the castle stop was about 4 hours. Highly recommended. Jonathan

Anthem - Bahamas 2/19/23 Counting the hours. Jonathan