Homeport5

Thank you John Bull and Gumshoe! Both of you have been so extremely helpful. MUCH appreciated.

In reading the website it looked like you could purchase an additional bag allowance for 10 pounds if necessary.

Oh thank you! The neighborhood names are confusing...as with any city! We are near the Marriott London Kensington.

Thank you for all of your posts!! Trying to figure out how to get from Kensington area to Southampton on outbound. Then from Southampton to Gatwick on the return. No tight time frames as we are flying in early and flying out a day later. Looking to be lazy and not rushed as this is our first time and recognize we are uneducated on transportation/area. When you say train from Waterloo....is that "Southern"? Is it best to book direct with "southern"? Is one option (train vs national express) more comfortable for a larger man...6'4". Our past experiences generally speaking that some busses are really cramped (no knee space).

I cannot wait to read your comparison between Haven and Oceania. Thank you for taking the time to share with the class. Wishing you and your crew a fantastic cruise.

Careful with the laundry bags. I've done this on NCL about 4 times and the laundry comes back smelling like an old man who used too much aftershave. It's like they forget to use soap. I keep trying it thinking they will improve their approach but no luck. Did it on Celebrity and it was WONDERFUL as everything was pressed. I mean everything. NCL gets a thumbs down on laundry. Way too stinky.

Thank you for sharing! I'm excited for all of you. Enjoy!

You are wonderful for starting this!! Thank you. Please don't leave us just yet...what happened with your friend and he Oceania cruise? Can you update the story?

Just got off of Escape. Enigma and Terra were part of the Macallan tasting “experience” but were not available at any of the bars. Quest was available.

So happy to hear this! We love every cruise no matter what but really like the ability to meet new fellow travelers!

Love that NCL is expanding the bar stool quantity/space and sees the need for everyone to have a seat at the table/bar!! One of the things we loved about the Celebrity Reflection Suite class - huge bar with lots of stools. Then tried Celebrity Millennium and they had a small suite bar area...bummer. The Reflection had a fantastic atmosphere and I still remember how much fun we had meeting other folks on this cruise. I think we met most of them because the bar tender encouraged folks to use the bar stools. I tend to be shy and retreat to my little corner table but the conversation at the bar, and the bartender's welcoming worked. We kept returning to that bar as we had so much fun meting folks. I hope NCL can expand the bar space and number of stools moving forward. The other thing that Celebrity did well - self serve drinks out of a wall of refrigerators. I could grab a beer or a cider or coke or anything bottled all day long. Loved that feature in their "suite" club. Wish NCL would consider.

Couldn't agree more! We have had great times on all ships (so far) no matter the cabin. We try to take advantage of the special circumstance/opportunity each ship offers. The perks always seem to differ from ship to ship. Cannot wait to try the smaller/older ships once our teenagers are not with us. Due to their cruising experience, our teenagers are total "foodies" and love to just read a book on deck so...maybe we should consider the smaller/slower ships like Oceania now! We are kind of on a quest to try them all.

Thank you for your opinions! We have not tried MSC and are thinking they might be our next try on the suite offerings.

Checking in - how did the Haven compare to the MSC Yacht Club? Wish there were more comparison's available. Celebrity Royal Suite vs Haven etc.