emory2001

This is our first time getting UDP because no way am I missing all the specialty dining on Wonder. What is the most up to date, best plan for making unlimited dining reservations once you board? I had previously heard Izumi is the best place to make them because you can only make Izumi reservations AT Izumi, and you can make all the others there too. Is that still the case? Has anyone figured out anything better than that plan?

Thanks for this. I was just looking at this excursion. Couple of questions: 1. Did you pay for the pay items with cash or credit card? If cash, what currency? 2. So was it a 45 minute walk to the river after the 1 hour bus ride?

Thank you so much for your kind help! this is great!

I'm reading mixed on whether you need cash in Poland. It sounds like "bigger" restaurants "probably" take credit cards, and "smaller" restaurants and kiosks "may" only take cash. Family of 4 spending 1 day in Gdynia, probably just lunch at a pierogi place, snacks/treats, and walking around the town. Should I get equivalent of $50, $100, or $200 USD in Zloty?

I searched first but didn't find what I'm looking for. If we dock at Stadsgarden and take the Slussen-Skeppsholmen-Djurgarden ferry to Djurgarden, how long is that each way on the ferry? How long is it between ferry departures if we miss one? Is that the best/most interesting way to get to Djurgarden from the Stadsgarden port?

I searched here and the Ports of Call forum before asking but didn't find anything. We will be on Poesia in a few weeks, with a stop in Stockholm. Which port is Poesia docking at in Stockholm these days? Is it Stadsgarden? If we take the Slussen-Skeppsholmen-Djurgarden ferry to Djurgarden, how long is that each way on the ferry? How long is it between ferry departures if we miss one? Is that the best/most interesting way to get to Djurgarden from the Stadsgarden port?

For excursions this summer like river tubing, bamboo rafting, waterfalls, I'm looking for (family of 4, all in adult shoe sizes) water shoes that are also comfortable without blistering after walking a good bit, maybe on uneven terrain (but not serious hiking). I'm leaning toward JBU/Jambu, because they look like they fit the bill. But I have no idea how comfortable they are after a few hours, like whether the toe area will eventually rub blisters on the tops of toes. Appreciate any suggestions from personal experience with this brand or others, or ones to avoid.

Official Royal Caribbean excursion, but they contract with local servicers. I think I remember seeing Red Sail Aruba on the boats.

We ended up doing the catamaran sunset cruise in Aruba and it was FANTASTIC! Highly recommend.

We're staying in Denmark a few days after the cruise, visiting friends in Ry and then Copenhagen for a few days. Unfortunately, we have a 6:00 a.m. flight out of the Copenhagen airport. Where would you stay/have you stayed with a super early flight? I'm thinking probably right by the Central train station, like the Radisson, Astoria, or Profilhotel? I'd love to hear what others have done though.

Thank you! I found it and completed the check-in, but I didn't see the health questionnaire. I presume that comes later, except it says everything has to be complete by 20 days before sailing. When does the health questionnaire show up? (we still have plenty of time)

Please forgive my not knowing. I did a search for it before asking and didn't see anything on this. I usually sail Royal Caribbean, but we have a Europe cruise scheduled on MSC Poesia and we're excited to try a new cruise line. 1. How soon before sailing does online check-in usually start? 2. From my search it looks like MSC has designated port arrival times like Royal. Do you get to choose your arrival time, or does MSC assign you one? Thank you for the help.

I searched the forums before asking. Are the rented towels at Nachi Cocom better than the ship towels (Royal Caribbean)? I don't mind paying extra if they are softer, thicker, or bigger.

God another person who just wants to tell you how wrong you are.

And some people love to invalidate people’s lived experiences, after they did experience it for themselves. As a hard core realist, I personally appreciate people’s honest assessments, so I can make informed decisions.

Yeah, I’m open to the possibility that the on ship experience could be different, because I know people can be different on social media, or I wouldn’t have booked the cruise. That’s exactly how my kids are too. They enjoy slides, but they’ll be fine without them on ONE cruise, and they are not big-group social creatures (none of us are).

Completely agree! This is one reason people need to be “allowed” to give their honest experiences.

We’re diamond on Royal and just booked Celebrity Beyond for next year. The ships are beautiful, but I do find in the Celebrity groups people are a bit more pretentious, so we’ll see how the experience actually is. We can more than afford to sail Celebrity, but we are not pretentious. We’re also taking our teens with us, who are very introverted and only ever went to Adventure Ocean a couple of times because they really don’t like big group activities, especially with kids they don’t know (don’t need anyone’s comments on that - that’s who my kids are). They enjoy traditional cruising like mom and dad, but there’s a lot of “don’t bring your kids” in the Celebrity groups. Oh well 🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s true some people enjoy complaining. Others love invalidating people’s lived experiences, which I find far more annoying. The food has always been hit or miss for me. I’ve learned what I like and what to avoid. The main thing I avoid on board is fish, whether it’s in the MDR or even the sushi at Izumi (blandest sushi I’ve ever had, the hibachi is 1000x better). Some of my favorites are escargot, carpaccio, prime rib, everything at Giovanni’s Kitchen, campfire cookie at Playmakers, and the small plates at Bamboo Room. Most improved: Windjammer desserts, which were awful pre-covid but they revamped them for the restart, so they’re all new and pretty good now.