mom says

What line are you cruising on? As mentioned, none will have them in the cabin, but depending on the line, there are alternatives.

So you don't know anything for sure. Just believing some anonymous posters (where are these posters? Could they be on a social media site?) without any data to back it up. Why do you assume that all "influencers " get paid or are given free cruises, or that all TAs get comped cruises every time? I know for a fact that that simply isnt true. Some do, some times. I know that my TA, who I've used for almost 20 years, deals almost exclusively with cruises and has never gotten a freebie, but has gotten discounts occassionaly. Many dont. And it isn't up to you or anyone else to tell the cruiseline marketing divisions how to allocate their budget dollars. Unless these "influencers" are lying, why is it unfair or unethical? It is up to the individual to use the brains God gave them when reading or watching any review by someone they don't know. I don't use the 2 sites you mentioned, but do follow several cruise vloggers on YouTube. In every case they mention if their cruise was comped, or if there were any special perks received. That appears to rarely happen amongst these vloggers. And none of them are shy about pointing out things that they don't like about any particular cruise. I doubt that would happen if they were being paid in some form by the cruise line. Do you believe everything you see posted on TripAdvisor reviews? Do you believe everything that comes out of a politician's mouth? Do you take as gospel everything you see posted even on CC by someone you haven't come across frequently? Or do you use your own judgement, such as it is?

Perhaps some of the PPs were confusing their preference for modern luxurious cruises, with the OPs stated request for traditional cruises with observed formal nights. And that distinction now falls squarely with Cunard. Many may find it anachronistic, but there you are. As for the old, lavish midnight buffets, those have pretty much disappeared, although most lines will still have some food available for late night snackers.

CT derives most of its income from tourists. It doesn't shut down all day on Sundays during the tourist season. September, even late September, is still high season there. At worst, some places will be closed in the morning.

I doubt that it would be prohibited. Is this travel light the correct UV C type? Are you prepared to take the time required to correctly expose every soft surface in the room for the required duration needed to kill the mites? And take the correct safety precautions to prevent eye and skin damage for the person using the light? And also have a hepa filter vacuum to remove the dead mites and eggs once you've finished the UV treatment?

As someone who has suffered all her life from motion sickness on just about every form of vehicle, I will disagree with the previous 2 posters above. Cabin location on the ship does make a difference. The higher up, and the further forward or aft, the greater the amount of movement. The lowest balconies are generally around deck 6. On a ship with 12-15 (or more) decks, this is proportionally plenty low enough to reduce (but not necessarily eliminate) movement, and can make a big difference in comfort level. Until she can determine for herself how she will react to being on a ship, it's best that she prepares herself in advance for the need for preventative and remedies. The first step is to consult her health care provider for suggestions for both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical methods. Bonine/Less Drowsy Dramamine (generic name Meclizine) is an OTC med often recommended by sea sickness sufferers as a preventative. It is also the med often supplied by the ship for those with motion sickness. Any medication should be tested at home for untoward side effects before being used at sea.

One cabin of course, unless you are suggesting the parents would want to spend the whole cruise sleeping in separate rooms. I think the kids are much too young to even be in a connecting cabin without a parent. Look for ships that have family staterooms, which tend to have more square footage, or a higher level suite if they can afford it. A first cruise with kids- avoid the party boats and 3/4 day booze cruises, but no more than 7/8 nights. Stick with the mainstream lines until they know whether or not they will even like cruising.

The unpleasant truth, that some posters seem unwilling to acknowledge, is that Venice just isn't into you. And by you I mean cruisers as a whole. They will do whatever they need to do to discourage cruisers coming to Venice. They have a horrendous overtourism problem as well as their ecological problems, and cruisers are amongst their least profitable types of visitors. The cruise lines will do the best they can to appease their clientele, but I doubt that the Venetian or Italian governments will go out of their way to encourage them.

Aaaand, you might want to take a breath, because France has requested a delayed start until after the Olympics. So stay tuned. https://www.thelocal.fr/20230310/france-wants-to-delay-new-eu-border-system-until-after-paris-olympics

As shocking as this is, I agree with NBT. Best to get at least one relatively local cruise under your belt before going further afield. A summer New England /Canada cruise would work, but would require a passport. Or, if you want to fly to the west coast a Pacific coastal cruise, or an Alaska cruise out of Seattle could work if you still don't have a passport

Our first cruise, which got DH hooked on cruising, was a 7 N Eastern Caribbean on the QM2. It met all our expectations and more. But it isn't our favorite. That would be the pre pandemic B2B on the Celebrity Connie from Abu Dhabi to Singapore via India and Thailand. Then from Singapire to Shanghai via Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong. Culminating with experiencing Chinese New Year in Shanghai. Why? The itinerary, the ship, and the camaraderie amongst the very large group of B2Bers on the cruise.

Ignore this. There is no date yet for the closure of the A'dam port and is unlikely before a new terminal can be built. Some ships are being shifted to Rotterdam for embarkation/disembarkation; but not for port stops.

Agree. Especially if you want fewer sea days.

What part of the world do you live in? How far are you willing to fly to reach your embarkation port? This summer? Do you have a passport? Without more info it's pointless making suggestions that don't fit within your parameters.

Why do you feel the need to shout? Celebrity is not known as a line that caters to families, although they do provide child activity centres. The OP is apparently concerned with the second UK bank holiday at the end of May. If the cruise is longer than a week, there likely won't be many children on board. But you might see if you could go earlier, between the 2 bank holidays, or on the cruise immediately following the second.

I've never heard of Celebrity chartering aircraft. When did they start that? I thought they bought up seat blocks on various airlines.

And to further muddy the waters, A'dam is about to pull a Venice. They will eventually be closing their port to (most) ocean cruise ships, and diverting them to Rotterdam or similar.

At security screening, give the kettle to the screener (minus the bag). Explain the situation briefly. They will hold it and return it at disembarkation. There is usually a table set up for people to reclaim confiscated items. If you are particular about how your tea tastes, bring your own tea bags. Depending on the ship, the quality of their tea can be pretty bad.

As noted, no pool that is kids only. Toilet trained children (no diapers or swim diapers allowed) are allowed in the main pool only under direct adult supervision. The solarium pool MAY be open for designated family hours at the Captain's discretion (cold weather).

Luckily for you, even though September is still high season, school is back in session when you arrive in London. All these cities will still be crowded, but the weather should still be mild. (low to mid 20s). But don't be surprised if there is a sudden hot spell with temps near 30. With so few days in each place, and crowds still a thing, have your sightseeing pre planned and tickets bought well in advance whenever possible. If not doing the cruise boat excursions, have your independent sightseeing planned with advance purchase where possible.

You seem to be a walking contradiction. You want adventure, but don't want a small ship (which is all you would have on an expedition cruise). You want flow riders and climbing walls but don't want to be around a lot of kids (who are the reason those features were built and who those ships cater to). You want a young demographic and no seniors but don't want a party atmoshere. You want an all inclusive cruise that isn't expensive. In 10 days. Best of luck with that. Maybe try a Med cruise while school is still in session, or Panama Canal partial transit (10 days isn't enough for a full transit). Or an Iceland/Norway cruise. Pacific, Asian, or Australian cruises, while adventurous, would pretty much all require more than 10 days.

If you want that noon flight, you may want to self disembark, meaning you carry off your own luggage as soon as the gangway opens. As noted, you need to arrive at YVR by 0900, and will need to preclear both US immigration and security before going to your gate.

Where in Europe? When in September? For most of the major tourist magnets, September is still high season, so will remain crowded. Its just a matter of degree. September in Paris is the major month for big conferences and trade shows, so it will be packed. The Vatican and Colissem are always crowded year round. Southern Europe will still be hot.

OP, of all the cities you listed, only Barcelona has close proximity to the cruise port. All of the others require a longer bus or train ride to get to. But as previously stated, this should not be a limiting factor on your choice of Mediterranean cruise.Especially since it is STRONGLY recommended that you arrive at least a day (and preferably several days) before embarkation, pick the cruise and embarkation port that is most interesting to you, then work the transfer logistics into your pre cruise stay.

The ETIAS will not be needed for the UK or Ireland. It is for entry into the entire Schengen zone, upon entry at the first Schengen port, so only one application is needed.