williebegoode

On our last two cruises we've had balconies. Looking over the balcony on our most recent cruise (Agean—Med on HA), my wife and I saw sea turtles from our balcony...as well as a lot of birds. Our next cruise, we're taking a Viking River cruise on the Danube and elected to get a room without a balcony for two reasons: 1) the balconies are minuscule and 2) the top deck has great views on both sides of the river. Our booked room has a big plate glass window; so we won't miss anything. A few years ago in a lower deck cabin with an unobstructed window (but no balcony ) from Montreal to Boston, the seabirds, including puffins, liked to fly at our level and we got to see them up close, and we'd go up to the very top deck in the lounge to see everything we wanted. For ocean cruises, I prefer balconies but can do fine without them. My wife, on the other hand, loves them; so we usually get a balcony.

I am a watch addict (only for mechanical watches), and I am happy to hear that I will not be tempted to buy the watches described as for sale on ships. However, I will bring my formal watches since I rarely dress up (...as for dinner on board...) and it provides an opportunity to do so. If I find a really inexpensive quartz watch with a picture of the ship, I will probably buy it for a gift for an unfavored relative.;)

I'm surprised to find a quote from Big Al that suggests meeting new people with whom one has nothing in common is not one's "idea of a vacation." To me, it's the opposite. At work, all I meet every day are "people like me with whom I have everything in common." A vacation is an opportunity to meet new people, get new ideas, learn of wholly different lives, experiences and viewpoints.

On our last cruise we met wonderful people from all over the world; none of whom were like us. Very few, as a matter of fact, were from the United States, even though we did meet some delightful people from the US.

It's not that we don't enjoy meeting people like us, but a vacation is an opportunity to broaden our horizons, and we book tables with open seats so that we can do just that. That's am integral part of the vacation. No one likes to be stuck with blowhards who're going to tell you how to vote, which religion is best or bore you with tales of (pick one or more) how smart or rich she/he is, their kids/grandkids [we have 5 of both; so be prepared for mutually-assured destruction], their golf game, favorite football team or how to invest on a sure thing in the stock market. You don't have to leave Podunk to get the same old people, stories and interests like that.

We meet wonderful people who are not like us, and we hope to meet more.

Since I am that fool who is separated from his money...on cruises and watches...I probably should get a CVS watch too!

Thought I'd add that just in case anyone confused a luxury cruise with getting a luxury watch.

Accurate time is kept these days by your cell phone. A $100,000 Vacheron Constantine will not keep better time than your Android or iPhone. Your Patek Philippe (except for certain exceptions) runs with mechanical (wind up) or automatic (winds up because of your body movement), but your $25 Swatch with a quartz movement probably keeps as accurate time. What would a ship-board jewelry clerk know about a $20,000 Audemars Piguet? Probably not a lot and would not have any flexibility on the price tag, and certainly not be a source of service.

If you want a luxury watch that's not quartz, you can go online to find the locations of the brand's boutiques. For example, Jaeger leCoultre makes wonderful luxury watches, and on our upcoming trip I found boutiques in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, Riga, St. Petersburg, and Helsinki. That would be a safe bet, and I would not get a knock-off luxury watch in one of those same cities outside of the brand's boutiques.

If on our cruise, they have watches with a picture of our ship (...or a fetching mermaid...) I might get it for 20 bucks for no other purpose than a souvenir; not expecting it to last longer than the life of its battery. However, I do not believe that Luxury Cruises have true Luxury Watches. Those are best purchased from a trusted jeweler or a branded boutique.

Thanks again Big Al,

The room sounds roomy, but I did not know the size of the balcony (40 sqft). Where is that information found? Is it part of the cabin description?

This upcoming cruise to the Baltic next summer is only our second cruise. We were in a cabin with an unobstructed ocean view with Holland-America, and while the view was adequate, we spent most of our time in different parts of the ship (Maasdam) where we had great views. Our cabin was just above the waterline, and our view was ok, but our deck (5) was the lowest they had for passengers (below were crew quarters), and I think that a higher deck with a bigger view would be nice. So, I took Big Al's advice and booked a balcony cabin on deck 8 of the Marina-Oceania Lines.--(Of course for the added price I had to put off my appendix transplant operation...)

Any cabin advice would be most welcomed and if anyone has traveled to the Baltic (Copenhagen->St. Petersburg) or sailed on the Marina, I'd like to hear.