js10

Thanks so much for the detailed response!

Greetings--I am planning on doing a walking tour of Naples on our own from the cruise port.  I plan to walk up Via Toledo hitting some of the recommended highlights and I want to walk back to the port through the Spanish Quarter.  Can someone recommend where to leave Via Toledo and what street(s) to use to see the best of the Spanish Quarter?  Any other recommendations concerning street food, outdoor bars, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!  JS10

Thanks for the replies!  Our port is Chania.

Greetings--On an upcoming Mediterranean cruise we have booked excursions for all ports except for Mykonos and Crete.  I plan to do self-guided walking tours from the cruise ports.  Any can't miss points of interest, views, bars, etc.?  In general, are these ports walkable?

Thanks in advance!

John

Great review Dan--it felt like I was right there with you guys!

Enjoying the review and looking forward to more!!

Greetings--As always, thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.  Taking my first Mediterranean cruise on Princess next year.  Our ports of call include Marseille, Genoa, La Spezia, Rome, Naples, Santorini, Istanbul and Mykonos.  Will definitely take an excursion in Rome and Istanbul but interested in knowing if any of the remaining ports are walkable from the ship to anything of interest.  

Thanks,

js10

Loving your review Dan!  Great pictures and narrative.

Great job Christy!  So much fun reliving the cruise with your report.  As the oldest member of the group I would like to reassure any hesitant "grandfatherly" cruisers that Oasis class ships are wonderful.  Although I was excited when my children started planning this trip I was not sure if I would like a ship as large as Harmony.  I was wrong to be worried.  The ship did not seem crowded to me and the Solarium proved to be an excellent retreat.  Chairs were always available there and the hot tubs were never crowded.  Service was excellent throughout the ship, especially in the main dining room.  Bar service was less hectic than on previous cruises, perhaps due to the obscene price of beverage packages or due to the large number of families which may have reduced heavy drinking.  Either way, I never had a problem finding a nice bar for a pre-dinner martini.  I would probably not pick an Oasis class ship if was just me and my S/O cruising but for a family with children, the wide range of activities make it a perfect choice.  By far my favorite memories of the cruise involved watching the excitement on my grandchildren's faces as they experienced EVERYTHING Harmony had to offer!

Sorry, missed the second question.  Yes, drove back from Florida.  Daughter's family did it in one day, took me three!

Yes, I would guess that twice the size is right on the mark, way more when the beds are made.  I still remember trying to put on my socks in the roomette when the bed was still in place.  There could not have been more than a foot of space between the edge of the bed and the door!  Also the lower bed is set up as a couch during the day with lots of storage space and the ability to lie down while still preserving the open space in the cabin.

Pop here--my wonderful daughter asked me to comment if I had anything to add (from a grandfather perspective?!).  Concerning the Autotrain, I had never taken it until last October when I booked a roomette for a wedding in Orlando.  It was great fun but it was only me in the room.  If you can possibly spring for the increased fare, the bedroom cabin is a much more comfortable choice for two adults.  Larger lower bed and more headroom for the upper bed.  The bathroom/shower is also nice!

What an informative, well written review--and a cute family too!  I am sure CruiseCritic readers will find lots of helpful tips and advice.  (Full disclosure, those "kiddos" are my grandkids!)

We have done a couple of wonderful beach excursions over the years in Antigua and plan this time to take a self-guided walking tour of St. John's and hopefully have lunch and a few beers at a local bar.  Any recommendations for a bar that is informal and out of the way enough so that it is not overwhelmed by cruisers?  Thanks!

Thank you!!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a waiter/table number on Summit in the main dining room?  I have Select Dining on an upcoming cruise out of San Juan and have found that if I show up after 8:15 or so I can usually request a specific waiter or table that is in his or her area.  I enjoy building a relationship with a waiter throughout the week but fixed dining was not available when I booked.  Any suggestions appreciated!

Thanks for the info!

It has been a number of years since I have cruised with Celebrity.  Do they still have a water "pitcher" in the room that is refilled each day?

Pop here!  Thanks to my daughter for taking the time to post this wonderful review of our cruise.  I usually post a detailed review of each of my cruises but I will not do so this time since Christy has offered such a comprehensive report.  I will briefly say that I loved Anthem and especially enjoyed the large shower and modern bathroom.  The studio inside cabin was ridiculously small but was fine for a single traveller and the virtual balcony was a hoot.  Kudos to Royal Caribbean for taking chances with shows that were truly unique.  My only complaints were not having pizza on the same deck as the pool and the somewhat chaotic nature of the MDR due to everyone eating at different times.

Highlight of the cruise--many, many wonderful memories and my daughter's dress on formal night!

The Dublin shuttle was free on Royal's May 13 cruise this year.

At the conclusion of a 12 night British Isles cruise on Royal last month I extended with a four night visit to London. I wanted to share my experiences in order to assist anyone who might be planning a similar itinerary.

Since time was not a problem I decided to try the National Express from Southampton Coach Station on the morning of disembarkation. I booked a 9:50 am ride. I was off the ship by 6:45 or so and arrived at the station way too early. There were people in line although the waiting area in the station was not open yet. My cabbie told me that the grocery store across the street opened at 7:00 and that there was a coffee shop there I could use. It was clean, warm and had free wifi. At 9:00 I headed back to the station and large crowds were already forming what roughly passed for a line. The bus was on time but boarding was chaotic. Even with a reservation I just barely made it on board and a few people behind me did not. There was another bus right behind us however so I assume everyone made it to London more or less on time. There was one brief stop and the uneventful ride was about 2 1/2 hours. Departure was at Victoria Station in the heart of London where I was able to walk to my hotel with a pass by Buckingham Palace and a stroll through St. James Park.

I booked a room at the Z Hotel in the Soho section of London. It was a hoot and not for everyone but I enjoyed the experience. Hotels in the central area of London can easily reach $300 or $400 per night. The Z hotel was $150 prepaid and non refundable. The catch? Take a standard cruise cabin on Royal and cut it in half and that is approximately the size of a single room! It is modern and clean but VERY small. I had a single room since my GF went to Amsterdam post cruise to visit relatives but the website honestly warns that the doubles are small as well. A free wine and cheese reception is offered to hotel guests from 5-8 each night in the cafe. Breakfast is also served there each morning. The best part of this hotel is the location. A couple blocks from Trafalgar Square and the West End, I literally walked everywhere with the exception of taking the Underground to Heathrow at the conclusion of my stay. The area is a little gritty--you will see the occasional homeless person and/or drunk but there are tons of people everywhere day and night so I always felt comfortable.

Since I had not been to London before I hit as many of the top tourist sites as I could in four days. I took a long walk to the Tower of London the first day, saw St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey, took a quick boat ride on the Thames and saw two West End shows after scoring great tixs at TKTS. There are discount ticket booths everywhere but only one TKTS. Also visited the British Museum after not being able to get tixs to the Churchill War Room. I booked The English Bus for a tour of Stonehenge and Bath with an added stop at their famous "secret place." A wonderful tour company with small clean buses and personal service. I was shocked that at the end of the very long day our driver asked us where each of our hotels were located and made multiple drop offs to get us a close to our hotels as possible.

Great restaurants and pubs everywhere. I took the tube to Heathrow and it was cheap and easy but the first few stops are crowded and hauling your luggage can be a hassle.

Great city--great visit.

JS10

After the long tender ticket lines to get into Guernsey many people arrived early to the Symphony dining room to get their shuttle tickets. We arrived around 15 minutes early and made it onto the 4th shuttle bus. The exact time will depend on your arrival to Dublin.

53sunset--There is some difficult walking involved but you have some options. At the Giant's Causeway they have a shuttle that takes you from the Visitor Center to the stones. You are allowed to walk but it is about a 20 minute hike. There were lines for the shuttle when we were there. The stones themselves can be difficult to walk on as they are very irregular and slippery if you get close to the water.

Walking to the rope bridge is the only option that I observed and it is not only a decent distance, it also includes two steep staircases.

The drive along the coast however is truly beautiful and may be worth the trip in and of itself.

I would guess around 6:35 but that was only because we joined the stampede down the stairs! GF had a 9:20 flight out of Southampton airport and made it with plenty of time to spare. Tons of taxis and an orderly process to get one.

Compliments are not necessary but they can be nice.