Blondilu

At one time I had a cheap floral suitcase. Couldn't image anyone would have one like it. But, I once watched a woman pick it up off the carousel and walk off with it. She wanted to argue with me when I stopped her until I showed her my luggage tag. And then we found her bag which was identical. Lesson learned. No matter the case I now use the brightest luggage strap and tags I can find. I like the idea of the painted designs. I might try that.

I have a power "cube". Mine is shaped like a donut. With 3 of us in a room it was maybe not essential but very, very helpful. I also have a luggage scale which is kind of essential if you tend to overpack. And those little plastic luggage that perfectly fit the cruise luggage tags you get from their website. I love those. I always have a small first-aid kit in my travel bag. And I have a lanyard or two. I like having that key card or medallion where I can't lose it. As for the packing and organization stuff I have a few things that I use. The over the door thing would work if you have kids but otherwise I think it's a bit much. The thing is anything I have can be used on any trip, not just cruise. But it has to be small and lightweight. I certainly don't want to carry extra weight just to have a bunch of extraneous stuff. I love lists like this, though. No one says you have to take all of it. Read through it and choose what works for you and ignore the rest.

Thanks for all the info. Can't wait for the rest of the report, I bet you had a blast.

This!

I bought this bag for $45 I think. Well, mine has 2 pockets in the front. I have literally carried this on every trip I've been on since. Perfect size for weekends or as a carry-on. It has little wheels so I can put the bag on the floor and just drag it with me in lines. The bottom unzips and expands to nearly the size of a full-size suticase, perfect for when you buy too much stuff on your trip. If it ever breaks I would go on a cruise (LOL) just buy another one, that's how much I love. it.

I've done this itinerary twice and we only had a problem one day. Well, one night actually. It was really windy enroute to Dublin. We skipped the port cuz the captain thought it was too windy to dock safely. Of course weather is so variable who knows what it would be like on your cruise. If I were her I would at least bring the patches.

You're very welcome. I am really enjoying your posts. I did this trip in 2015 and again in 2019. I loved just about everything about it and hope to go again at some point.

All stops on this itinerary are in the United Kingdom except for Cobh and Dublin which are in the Republic of Ireland. So, they take your passports so the custom people for Ireland can scan and stamp them. This happened both times I took this cruise. They will give them back after Cobh. The same thing happened when we went from the United States up into Canada.

There's a lot of good info above. Another option I didn't see mentioned (my bad if I missed it) is a website developed by a guy who has cruised a lot and has put all the information he has gathered into that website. I'm not sure if it's OK to mention websites either. I thought the rules only applied to tour companies and travel agencies, but since I don't know rather then give the actual name my suggestion is for you to Google "cruise port guides". His site should be the first one to come up. Good luck in your planning.

I haven't sailed since the start up and have only ever sailed Princess so I don't know if my opinions apply. I like the whole experience of cruising. Princess, in general, fits my style. I find the atmosphere to be easy going and relaxed. Love the itineraries. The food works for me. The entertainment has always been good. I have especially enjoyed the string groups and pianists that play around the ship. One violinist comes to mind. He played so beautifully it made my heart ache. And the staff have always been top notch IMO. I don't care for the bigger ships and will probably just ignore the Medallion thing. Seems unnecessary and needlessly complicated. Technology is not why I cruise. Having not sailed another line, familiarity comes into play in the way I feel. One cruise we spent 4 days pre-cruise touring London. The city was great, but we had chosen a hotel (for the location) that was less than what we were hoping. We won't be staying there again. Anyway, when we finally got onboard we went immediately to our cabin. Opened the door and there was this huge Ahhhhhh moment. Felt just like coming home. And that's how Princess feels to me; getting to travel the world from the comfort of my home. From what I've been reading lately that may have changed. Or maybe they're just not up to speed yet after the shut down. That's my hope anyway.

I've always thought the mattresses were too hard so am looking forward to a softer sleep. Having said that, I agree you should ask the room steward. They always try to make it better. I have received eggcrate mattress toppers and once a sheet to replace those hideous duvets. Man, I hate those things. Funny thing about the sheet. I guess he couldn't find an extra one. Maybe too many people had requested one. But he did his best and improvised by using a duvet cover as a sheet. Worked pretty good.

I know one person who hates Princess in part because of the food. But, in my opinion anyway, this person is something of a food snob. Loves those elevated food experiences with the required wine pairings. I'm a little simpler than that. And on 10 cruises I have never gone away from any of the food venues hungry. While not all of it will qualify as 5 star, most of it is good to very good to sometimes amazing. The MDR, the buffet, the International Cafe all have enough options to make anyone happy. My favorites are the Crown Grill and the hamburger place by the pool. When we sailed on the Royal we ate at Alfredo's and that was very good. Sabatini's was good. I've never gotten a bad meal in MDR. I don't like the pizza you get outside the Lido. And someone needs to teach Princess how to do chips and salsa. LOL.

I was daydreaming the other day and started reading the Royal Caribbean World cruise roll call. I'm pretty sure I read a few posters who were bringing their children. Or maybe it was the Royal Caribbean general forum. Either way why don't you head over there and ask this question. I do hope you get to go, sounds fabulous! Here is the link to the Roll Call: