schmoopie17

That colorful sidewalk reminds me of playing Candy Land with the grandkids.

If you have a balcony cabin, does your outside wall rattle and creak loudly? That was the case with many of us on the Prima. Hopefully that bug has been ironed out on the Viva. Otherwise, based on the pictures, it looks almost identical to the Prima. Enjoy the new ship smell.

There is a restaurant in Sister Bay, Wisconsin (Al Johnson's) where they have grass on the roof...and goats grazing up there. And you don't even have to go on a cruise to see them...although a cruise is much more fun than driving.

@YVRteacher You have a future in travel photography. Those pictures are stunning. I particularly like the one with the sky and the tree reflected in the water...and the one with the little red shed by the side of the water. Those could win an award if submitted in a contest. Mrs. Schmoopie has had several of our travel pictures enlarged and put on canvas. Those would be good candidates.

We didn't have a flight or a tour, but we were one of the first off the Prima due to self-debarkation. Not sure what a flight or tour has to do with anything...unless I'm missing something...which wouldn't be the first time. We left our cabin, walked down to the deck to get off...the whole thing took less than ten minutes (if that).

Blind...or blond? Just keeping the theme going...

The last time we scheduled NCL BOGO Air from O'Hare, it was American. Since O'Hare is a hub for both American and United, it is reasonable to assume that any airport that is a hub for a major airline, that airline will probably be chosen. Having said that...YMMV.

The same thing has happened, and will continue to happen, in every other setting mentioned above. Cruises are no different.

"I get allergic smelling hay." Never understood that...how does someone "get" allergic? You're either allergic, or you're not. Maybe Mr. Haney or Arnold Ziffel has the answer...

I always remember my dad using the term "false economy" when referring to a lower price vs. convenience. Sure, taking a train, dragging your bags around, then waiting for a bus or taking a taxi...only to take yet another shuttle bus at the port may be cheaper, but the hassle isn't worth it (at least not to an old guy like me). And when you factor in jet lag, it's a no-brainer. Truly a false economy. Give me a private transfer any day.

Many coffee snobs will say "shat" describes the coffee on NCL...

The NCL transfer is $75 per person, one way...$150 per couple. If you have two or more people, you're much better off booking transfers with a company like Rome Cabs. The price for two is 160 euro...80 p/p...but you have a private vehicle with no waiting for a big bus to fill up. If you have four people, it's 190 euro...or about 50 euro per person...an even better deal. We have used them in the past and will be using them again in September. We wouldn't go any other way. https://www.romecabs.com/transferservice/civitavecchia/

Considering the culinary skills of the Star's "chefs", when they saw an order for grilled cheese, I'm surprised they didn't just throw a square of American cheese on the grill...which still probably would have been preferable to the mess they served you the first time.

You're correct...(just making you feel good.) 😀 It is indeed rare to see anyone use the words "you're correct" on CC. Usually, all I see are words like, "You're crazy"...or..."You don't know what you're talking about". Oh wait, those are typical responses to me. As they say on CC..."YMMV".

Looks like California had an earthquake...and Florida blew away in a hurricane.

Can't believe nobody has suggested doing a Normandy tour in Le Havre. As a Veteran, that's a bucket list destination for me.

We have the same situation in September where we board in Civiwhatchamacallit, with others boarding four days earlier in Barcelona. We're anticipating chaos, but what do we know. It's our first time on a cruise with this type of situation. Our question is, being Platinum, will the Barcelona boarders have the Latitudes events...Wines Around the World, Behind the Scenes tour, etc., before we even get on? Or will they schedule those events on the overlapping days, once everyone is boarded. Even so, those spots may be snatched up by people boarding in Barcelona before we get a chance to sign up.

A point is on the end of a pencil. A percentage has nothing to do with pencils, unless you calculate amounts using one. Glad I could help...

Someone pulled the thread...and the whole thing unraveled. My mom always taught me not to pull a thread...I guess mom knew best (despite what the TV show said).

Our one and only jewelry purchase on a cruise was at a highly rated and reputable jewelry store in St. Thomas. We decided to upgrade Mrs. Schmoopie's wedding set. This was in 2011, and to this day the set looks fantastic and shimmers beautifully. We had it appraised when we got back from the cruise and it actually appraised for more than we paid for it. The store was recommended by fellow cruisers and they were right. I remember walking in and the guy in the store said, "Would you like a free beer?" Two hours later we walked out with a new piece of jewelry. That was the most expensive "free beer" I've ever had. We're going back to St. Thomas on a December cruise and Mrs. Schmoopie is already looking to upgrade her upgrade while we're there. I'm sure they'll offer me another "free beer".

Many of the inside venues on the Prima are smaller than other ships. I would think they would be overly crowded on sea days. Depending on which month you will be cruising would make a difference, as well, since the outside spaces could be limited or unavailable...making for even more crowding.

I would think buying jewelry on board is about the same as buying art from the Art Shows. No, thanks.

Does a red nose count? Oh, wait...not vegetarian. In any case, Santa is probably not happy...

For the life of me, given exorbitant baggage fees and limited weights on bags, I don't understand why people would take up valuable luggage space (and weight) by packing evening gowns, suits, etc. Even putting them in garment bags is an extra hassle to drag around. Besides, I had to dress up for the majority of my working years. Now that I'm retired, it's not happening. No, thanks.

Two is the max...either on the front end or back end. The additional perk for the deviation is a $25 credit.