sbsmutoni

I feel you on the house sitting situation. We too have a small farm.....dogs, cats, goats, donkeys and chickens.....mostly rescues. And like you, only certain people are qualified to manage the house and the animals, so if their schedule does not work for us, it's very stressful to find alternates!

I've only read your first entry and I already can't wait to read the rest of the review!

Thanks everyone for all the great feedback. As it turned out, our Escape cruise was cancelled. But since we already had all the flights paid for, had Rome planned, etc., we pivoted. We are still flying into Rome for those days, but now we will fly from Rome to Athens, spend a few days in Athens and then join the Jade in Athens for a Greece intensive 7 day cruise. This turned out great because with the money (FCCs) we already had tied up on the Escape, we were able to get everyone into the Haven on the Jade. So, while the Jade doesn't have all the amenities, at least we are all on the same "level" now. We are excited for our trip, and hope everyone here has some happy cruising!!

My understanding is that this is only the case if you do NOT have a package. If you have the package, you are technically not buying a drink in port (because the package is already paid for) as opposed to someone who does not have a package paid for already and wants to buy a single drink. I don't know how accurate that is, but I found the clarification on another series of posts, which were apparently validated by several people on a Greece cruise. I hope it's accurate because we are on a Greek cruise in Sept. and we DO have the prepaid package.

We usually have the best luck doing laundry in whatever city we are in prior to boarding the ship. We will also be in Athens for a few days before boarding, and our plan is to do a local wash and fold. I found several near our hotel using Google (Maps).

So, I just want some OPINIONS (I know everyone will think differently, but I want pros and cons).....my husband and I are taking our son and his partner on their first trip to Europe this summer. We are booked on the Escape out of Rome on a 10-day port intensive itinerary. My husband and I have cruised Europe many times, but as mentioned, it's a first for the boys. Hubby and I selected a Haven Owner's Suite, and put the boys in a Club Suite. Obviously, we will have Haven perks such as early boarding, priority disembarking in ports, Haven restaurant, etc., but they will not. So my question is.....will this be much of an issue on the cruise? I mean, I know we will have to choose for example to either board early without them or wait to board with them, etc.....but have any of your cruised in the Haven with travel partners who are NOT in the Haven, and if so, what was the experience? And for the record, I'm debating about upgrading them to Haven so we'll all have the same perks....I'm not a cheap Momma, I'm paying for their cruise, flying them business class, and paying most of their ancillary expenses, but I'm looking at another several thousand dollars to move them to the Haven. I knew all this going in, and thought I was good with it, but I just keep thinking I wish they were in the Haven. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!