schmoopie17

The paparazzi are more vicious and aggressive than the mamarazzi.

I have an itch to get back to Europe. We're going in September. Proof that I can itch without mosquitoes. And if they're there, what's a little extra itching?

Cannes is in France. Marie Antoinette is French. Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake." Enough said...

You took the words right out of my mouth. (Sorry for the saliva). We have had ports dropped after final payment with ZERO compensation. While I feel your disappointment, at least you got something. More than most people get.

I honestly cannot remember the last time we had dinner in the buffet. We've always had great food and service in the MDR and Specialty Restaurants. For us, the buffet is an occasional quick stop for chocolate croissants and coffee at breakfast...or a couple slices of pizza at lunch to take to the pool...or a take-away cone of tasteless ice milk. Other than that, the buffet is an afterthought.

You won't be sorry. The Escape is a great ship...been on her once and going on her again in September. Good luck whatever you decide.

Absolutely correct. The average NFL game probably has at least 85% of the attendees living in that city and/or state. The Super Bowl is a whole different animal. The vast majority of attendees will be coming from somewhere else, disrupting transportation, restaurants and most other services. The morning of the game should be a zoo. If the port is nearby to the stadium, as you say, I wouldn't touch that cruise with a 20-foot pole. Especially with the need to fly in no later then the day before and the cost of hotels and flights. Unless you're locked into that date for your cruise, I'd look elsewhere.

All those darn smokers at Spice H20 up to no good again...

I might have said she keeps re-HASHing the same subject.

Sounds like one of the magicians on NCL made it disappear and then re-appear. Oh wait, none of the magicians are "that" good...

If I ever consumed that much gelato and granita, brain freeze would be a thing. Of course, many on CC have accused me of having a frozen brain.

In looking at the Joy for an upcoming trip, I notice that some of their balcony cabins are labeled as "PrivaSea" on more than one website. In researching "PrivaSea" I see several such cabins on the Gem (and possibly other older ships). The balcony is actually like an enclosed area...almost like a Cove balcony on Carnival, and much different than the open space of a "regular" balcony. On the Joy, all of the "PrivaSea" cabins are on the corners where the ship bends, just out, or whatever. All of those cabins are depicted as angled. An example is cabin 11806. I assume that's why they're called "PrivaSea", due to the neighbors having a more difficult time looking into your balcony. But we've had angled balconies before on the Escape, and I don't see where those cabins are called "PrivaSea". I just want to make sure we wouldn't be getting an enclosed balcony if we end up picking one of the Joy's angled "PrivaSea" balconies.

Matador and Grass Clippings are my two favorites.

I agree that Free at Sea is a misnomer. It's not Free...and half the time you're not even at Sea. How about "Not Really Free and sometimes you're Docked"? Nah, doesn't flow off the tongue. But, it's still better than paying by the drink (especially if you're like us and one of the main perks of cruising is the drink package.) Trust me, we get more than our money's worth.

@Sugar Magnolia What did you do in Messina? We'll be there in a couple of months and there seems to be nothing to do there except look up at the mechanical clock. I've seen clocks before...even mechanical ones. I grew up with a cuckoo clock, after all. We're probably going to end up in Taormina, along with 95% of our fellow Escapites...

Speaking of which, it looks like the Escape is sitting in a parking lot. Maybe it's just me. It usually is.

Don't ask me why, but reading this reminded me of the old kids' rhyme: Milk. milk. lemonade. Around the corner...(if you know the rest, you can fill in the rest).

And, similarly...if you get a drink you like, you can also get another one. And another one. And...

Only if you're a Veteran of any age (like me)...and now recently teachers of any age (unlike me).

@clydeozzy Sorry for hijacking your thread. We now return you to your regularly scheduled trip report.

That "roast beef" on the Reuben looks beyond nauseating. Where's the vomit emoji when I need it?

I was serious...and don't call me Shirley. Oh wait, you didn't. Actually, your answer was helpful. Although having to wait five days...plus another day or two to get clean stuff back...could be an issue. And since we're both Platinum, we may have a hard time doing laundry twice in 10 days.

I asked this on another thread, but will probably get less views/responses. I've never really paid attention to the laundry on the ship, since we usually bring over-stuffed suitcases and have never needed laundry. However, on our upcoming 10-day cruise we will be doing carry-ons only, following three days in Rome...so laundry will be an issue. Is it typical to have to wait until the fifth day to send laundry out? By the way, this will be our first Platinum cruise, if that makes a difference, since the laundry will be free. I figure if anyone would know, @BirdTravelswould.

So...I've never really paid attention to the laundry on the ship, since we usually bring over-stuffed suitcases and have never needed laundry. However, on our upcoming 10-day cruise we will be doing carry-ons only, following three days in Rome...so laundry will be an issue. Is it typical to have to wait until the fifth day to send laundry out? By the way, this will be our first Platinum cruise, if that makes a difference, since the laundry will be free. Perhaps @cruiseny4life or @UKstagescould weigh in...since they commented earlier on this thread.

Thanks for asking. It now (miraculously) shows a zero balance...and it even has the added bonus of saying "Payment Complete". You must be psychic...😁 Our long national nightmare has come to an end.