vickiw0318

Thank you!

Is there still a bus from the end of the Las Ramblas that takes you into the cruise port?  Is the fare still about 2 Euros?

Thanks.

Interesting to read of so many testing positive for Covid.  The friend I traveled with is still in quarantine in Rome.   She is now testing negative on "over the counter" antigen tests, but the medical staff at her "Covid Hotel" is refusing to officially test her until seven days from her positive test.  We had separate cabins and hotel rooms.   So far, I have tested negative.

I have gotten to the point that when I have to fly to a port that because of number of bags and weight limits on luggage,  I no longer pack dressier clothes.  I dress nicely on "formal" nights, but I have most assuredly lost some of the sparkle I used to have.

My D+ daughter cruised on the Bliss' first Alaskan cruise and loved it!  She's now on her third Norwegian cruise - this time on the Epic.   She set sail yesterday.  Looking forward to hearing her comments upon her return.  She definitely had concerns about the bathrooms.

We were in a CL on the Allure.  It rained for 4 1/2 days.  Did my late husband care?  Heck, no!  He lay on the reclining chair, ordered food off the TV and watched the basketball playoffs.  There was a cabin attendant on the 17th floor who was as big a sports nut as my husband.  When there wasn't a game on, and Chip could drag himself out of his comfy recliner, he could be found out in that big hallway taking more sports.  That was pre-Coastal Kitchen days.  I might have been able to have forced marched him that far, but I don't think we went to the dining room the whole trip.  

In short, it was his very favorite cruise.

Do your set sail pass on the Royal Caribbean app.  You'll sail right on through.  It was super easy when I boarded the Indy last May.

Thank you.  Our final stop prior to Amsterdam is Le Havre.  We have a sea day between the two.  I did realize that we would not be able to get off at six a.m. - probably closer to 7:00.  I have a long history of being up and off ships as soon as they open the doors.

I think I have read your posts to the effect that there are cabs available outside the terminal.  Taking a cab to the airport is my best bet, right?

Ship arrives at 6:00 a.m. on a Monday, 6/22/20.  Only direct option home leaves at 10:25.  If we walk our bags off the ship and get a cab, can we make this flight?

This Texan has stayed at the Premier Inn twice after an easy walk from the National Express Bus Station.  The first time, I did eat there as well since I didn't know to expect and I was arriving near dark.  The second time, I ate over at the Mall.  It's a great location with another easy walk to where my Royal Caribbean ship docked.

After my first cruise, when Royal cancelled our excursion back to Heathrow via Windsor Castle, we ended up having to take National Express back at a later time.  My daughter and I ended up having breakfast at the Premier Inn and they were nice enough to watch our luggage while we shopped across the street.  Thought that was quite nice of them.

Sometimes, when a situation is so overwhelming - as is this one, I can't think of not making  a donation because it will be just a drop in a bucket.  I have to think that my insignificant amount (as compared to a vast overall need) as making a difference to one person.  If enough of us do that, we fill fill that bucket 

Love the aft balconies.  Love sailing away and watching the islands fade into the distance.   There are a lot of ports to be sure, but I am not as tired after Caribbean ports as I am after European ones.  I am usually back on the ship earlier, cleaned up and ready to enjoy the views.  

I have a corner aft booked on the Enchantment for February of 2021 and I am really looking forward to it.

Oh, my.   This is so subjective.  I have had good cruises on the Allure, but my last one was terrible.  Crew seemed most unhappy to be there, food wasn't good and my daughter and I both felt like we were genuinely in the way.  It left me with no desire to ever set foot on an Oasis class ship again.  It's sad that a bad experience can so easily negate several good ones.

This just brings me to the point that it's not actually the ship itself, but your experience on the ship.  Overall, I find myself liking the smaller ships more these days.  They seem more "at one" with the sea and go to smaller ports.  That is what hooked me on cruising in the first place - waking up in a different place each day and wondering what new things I was going to see.

I have been on three chartered Rock Legends Cruises and on the first, we got Crown and Anchor benefits.  On the second and third, the sponsoring group decided that all the passengers should be created equal, so, no benefits.  We did, however get points for all three sailings.

My  husband had to pry my hands off the balcony rail to get me off the ship when we had one of those cabins years ago.

45 minutes ago, Big_G said:

Probably not a popular opinion on Cruise Critic but I don't think cruise directors get enough credit for what they do behind the scenes. Yeah, some are memorable because of their great personalities but cruise directors manage all the entertainment on the ship and it's no 9 - 5 job. While I don't remember many of their names, I do appreciate how they sometimes directly but always indirectly make my cruise enjoyable.

I was going to add something along these lines.  The CD's stage presence is just one facet of the job.  They are involved in all aspects of the ship's entertainment schedule down to how the entertainers in the various areas are miked.  If you enjoyed the entertainment activities on board, then you had a good cruise director.

Sabor was really good the last time I was on the Liberty.  Looking forward to eating there again when I go back in February.

Watch the drink of the day specials for a lower cost option.

Your husband should be fine on formal nights.  My personal guideline (since the days of limits on luggage on airlines) is to dress respectfully so as not detract from anyone else's formal experience, but not to pack cocktail type outfits that I used to take.

The beds aren't all that high off the ground.  There's no box spring and the mattress isn't as thick as mine here at home.  Perhaps, you could just take the cushions off the couch/sofa and place them on the ground on either side your 4 year old's bed.  

There isn't a play (i.e. Mamma Mia, Cats, etc) on the Enchantment.  There are production shows with the Singers and Dancers, probably a Headliner Showtime, and other miscellaneous acts such as a comedian, magician and other types of variety acts.  As Bob advised, these change from week to week.

If you are at the theater fifteen minutes before showtime, you should easily be able to get a good seat.   By the way, showtimes are not set at 7 and 9 although these are probably the norm.    When in port late, I have seen shows at 9 and 10:30, for example.  Often times as of late and especially on the first night, there is only one show.

I liked it, but then, I like quiet.

Back before the untimely death of the Upgrade Fairy, my daughter and I received an upgrade to the Royal Suite.  We did receive an email from the Concierge offering to escort us to the ship and asking what time we would be arriving.  I cordially declined the escort offer because we didn't want to put a time constraint on our morning in Barcelona.   We didn't want to miss exploring something because we had promised to meet him a a certain time.  He did come by later.   

Happened to me as well with two reservations where changes were made.  Both were before final payment and both were removed after I caught them.  Not good, Royal.

I have stayed both types of cabins.  More privacy for you all in the two bedroom Aqua Suite.  I love the huge wraparound balconies.   You can be front and center and watch the goings on on the boardwalk or in the Aqua Theater, or move chaise around the corner next to the sliding doors from the "master suite" and enjoy quiet communication with the ocean.  

On 7/6/2019 at 8:52 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

Depends on your alcoholic intake 🍺

There's more than one way to do a cabin crawl. 🙂