mom says

I thought you could just turn on the TV to the bridge channel to hear announcements. Or is that cruise line specific? Or maybe not simple enough?

This. Put ear plugs at the top of your packing list. Preferably noise canceling ear buds that can also be used for white noise or other soothing sounds you can play from a phone or other device.

Relax. The excursion department knows what they are doing. Your excursion tickets will be in your cabin when you board the ship. They will state the time and meeting place for your excursion. It may be on the ship, and you all disembark together, or it might be in the cruise terminal, in which case just look for the sign with your excursion number on it. 99.9% of the time, ship excursions will be back on time, or the ship will wait for them.

Lol. You ARE new here. Note the avatar photo that chenkp 75 uses? He was a chief engineer on ships for many years, and is one of our most esteemed experts.

The first thing you have to do is ask the Orthopedic surgeon if she is allowed to go in the water. It may not be safe for her to do so. If she gets the go ahead, ask if she could have a waterproof cast put on. Otherwise, if just for showering, or in case of rain, there are plastic covers as mentioned above. When I had my arm in a cast, I just used a trash bag and tape when showering.

This thread will likely be moved to the Celebrity forum. In the mean time: it sounds like you are planning all independant touring, and not going on any ship excursions. There are 2 scenarios. 1. The ship docks and the usual arrival procedures are completed. You can expect the gangplank(s) to be open within 30 minutes or so. Priority may be given to early ship excursions and suite guests; otherwise it's first come first off. Usually you need to be back on board at least 30 minutes before sailaway. Don't cut it too close, because they won't wait if you are not on a ship excursion. 2. The ship anchors and you need to tender ashore. You will be advised in advance of the procedure (where and when) for getting the tender tickets in order to go ashore. Again, early ship excursions and suite guests have priority. Then tenders are boarded according to the number on the ticket. So line up early when they hand out the tender tickets, or it could be a couple of hours before you finally get to board the tender. Depending on the port, it might take the tender 15-30 minutes to reach the dock. Usually the last tender will return to the ship 30 minutes before sailaway. All of this is for port stops. But on your cruise embarkation day you need to be ON BOARD (not just arriving in the terminal) 60-90 minutes before sailaway. And on disembarkation day, the gangway usually opens early only for those who are carrying off their own luggage. All others depart the ship according to the number on their luggage tags, which will have been collected the night before. It could be an hour or more before your number is called. Information about disembarkation procedures will be left in your cabin a day or 2 before the end of the cruise.

There is an entire forum devoted to travel/cruise insurance: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ There is also a forum for world cruises: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/674-world-cruising/

Have a look at cruisetimetables. com. Under the "departs from" section you'll find the UK ports. Click on a port and it will pop up a calendar with all its cruise departures. Pick a day and it will show the ship and its itinerary. https://www.cruisetimetables.com/#depports I've never heard of someone being terrified of tipping someone. What are you afraid of? In any event, all the lines I've sailed on have automatically added the daily gratuities for cabin and dining room staff to our on board account if they weren't already included in the cruise fare. Gratuities are automatically added to your bar bills. You aren't expected to walk around with a pocket full of cash. But should you wish to tip someone over and above the basic gratuities, you are free to do so. Just an fyi- there is a forum devoted to UK cruisers for subjects that are specific to the UK https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/544-uk-cruisers/

In ports or on the ship? Is your ship a US based or European line? The simple answer would be to pay all cash tips, both in ports and on board in Euros. However some will argue that you should pay cash tips on board US based lines in USD.

I think that is the best place to start. Once you have an idea of where you want to go, it may make the selection of cruise line and ship easier.

Agree that you should pursue your questions on the MSC forum. But since you asked... Given that it is MSC, personally I would only accept a Yacht Club suite, and not a regular cabin , for the on board experience. As for the cruise itself, that is a pair of loooooong and expensive flights for such a short cruise. I would suggest adding a longer land visit to the start or end of the cruise to make it more worthwhile. Certainly Abu Dhabi and Dubai are both worth more than a day or two each. Perhaps a short tour of a (relatively) nearby country like Jordan might be in order. And while you can certainly safely DIY the main sites in the 2 cities mentioned, for port days you would want either a ship excursion or a pre arranged private guide.

We've used the same TA for more than 20 years. We don't confine ourselves to a single cruuse line, and his advice and help has never failed us. He even calls us when we return from a trip to get our feedback.

There is no minimum age for use of the main pool, but they must be fully toilet trained. Minors must be supervised or accompanied by their parents to use the hot tubs (and Solarium pool when specifically open for family swims). Diapers or swim diapers are not permitted in any ship pool, no matter what the age of the person wearing them.

I agree. Anyone who has nicked their finger with a kitchen knife knows that even a minor cut will bleed like crazy for a few minutes, and will be sore for a few days. This grievous wound didn't even need a stitch. The OPs DH did NOT develop an infection, sepsis, or get gangrene and have their finger fall off into their salad, so I don't know what was the point of bringing up a situation that didn't occur in this case. In layman's language, it was a boo boo on his finger tip. And one more time: Not all accidents are negligence. No one here, including the OP were present at the time to see how the incident occurred.

Did the page say something like (fine print) starting from $.... Most lines use dynamic pricing that can change very frequently, just like airlines and travel companies.. Different dates have different prices. Different room categories, different deposit types, different package inclusions - all will have different prices.

I'm pretty sure the OBC offer was simply their way of dealing with a nuisance complaint. As was pointed out, the manicurist was a Spa employee, not a ship employee, and therefore your complaint was with the spa, not the cruise line. You, like many others, did not bother to read and understand the T&Cs of both your cruise contract and the release that was signed at the spa before the appointment. $200 OBC for a boo boo on the finger seems generous. Not all accidents are due to negligence. On my last cruise I had an overly enthusiastic masseuse actually bruise a muscle on my back, leaving it sore and discolored for a week. It didn't even occur to me to demand payment for pain and suffering. And no, it doesn't mean I'll never have a massage onboard a ship ever again.

Yes there are, and no you won't. The whole point is to have options. Different strokes yadda yadda.. Some people just want to vegetate while on board. Others prefer to be more active. Some people like to get up at the butt crack of dawn; others are night owls. Some cruises are port intensive, and may even have overnight ports. Others have a LOT more sea days. On a longer cruise, you might appreciate having something more to do than read or stare at the waves.

Use Google images to get photos of the various towns on the AC. Aside from the beach in Positano (pebble, not sand), nothing is flat and level. Everything is either on a slope or with stairs. Usually the latter. This tour is actually a cheat, since your only stop on the AC is Positano. Sorrento and Pompeii are on the Bay if Naples. The description is unclear as to whether you will visit the Pompeii Archeological site (fascinating, but with the roughest, most difficult cobblestones I've ever seen), or just in Pompeii town ( instantly forgettable). I can understand why this would be termed strenuous. Anyone with mobility challenges would have a difficult time.

Well, since Celeberity is the only line that has concierge cabins as a booking category, I think the OP has let that cat out of the bag. OP, are you sure you didn't choose (perhaps by accident) the "Always Included" option when you booked?

The 8 night Eastern itinerary on Reflection looks like a good one if you want a port intensive cruise. The earlier you go, the greater the likelihood of avoiding spring breakers. We like to go after Presidents day in late February, but early March might be OK, too.

We have similar husbands. My suitcase is usually a 25 inch. He brings a 28 inch, and is usually just ounces under the weight limit. He blames it on all the shoes he feels he must have. This is true, but he also packs a lot of unnecessary "just in case" items.

Longest was 29 days. A B2B from Abu Dhabi to Singapore and Singapore to Shanghai. Bookended with 3 nights each at the start and end cities. Next longest was 28 days LA / Tahiti RT. That's about my limit for vacations. After that I want to be home, even if it means cooking my own meals and making my own bed.

Not a Carnival fan either. And your list of choices from Jax are the Elation 5 day Bahamas cruise or.... yeah that's it. PC is now one of the busiest cruise ports. It hosts Disney (its not just for kids or families), RCI, NCL, and now MSC, as well as Carnival. Your destinations include (besides Bahamas) eastern and western Caribbean, and transatlantic (repositioning). Haven't tried MSC yet; but I'd like to see what their suite experience is like. RCI is usually a good product . Personally, I'd make the drive to PC just for the choices available.

You don't need a different outfit every day or every evening. You don't need different shoes for every outfit. Mix and match. No one cares if you've worn the same thing before. You don't need to include a lot of extras "just in case" (aside from bringing a few OTC meds). I pack heavy compared to a lot of the PPs, but manage fine with one checked suitcase and one small carryon for a 28 day cruise. Doing laundry once every week or so is all I need.

Somewhat off topic, but could the OP tell me where Lenovo is? That's a port I'm not familiar with. Could it be the ship docked in Livorno?