SbbquilterUT

We travel very light (by choice) and pay to have laundry cleaned on board the ship. Limit shoes - for Alaska we take waterproof sneakers and another pair of shoes for dinner and around the ship. Then our plan is layers so that in cooler spots we can be warm but remove layers if the day is nice. Hiking pants out of rain repellent fabric work great and can easily be rinsed and hung to dry in the cabin. Our outer layer is rain coat with a fleece jacket underneath if needed. DH does bring a pair of hiking shorts and quick dry shirts for day wear, a couple polos, a couple long sleeve cotton shirts and a sport coat (wears on the plane) for dinner. I use compression bags for the fleece, gloves, hat. We pack in one 24" check bag, one 22" carry on and a personal bag each. For us (again our choice as I hate wrangling luggage) this has worked for warm weather as well as Iceland, Norway and Alaska. We plan to send out laundry every 4 to 5 days as well as hand wash some that can be worn again without a machine wash.

Personally the southern cruise on Eclipse would be my choice as these are my favorite islands. If there is a lot of availability you might wait but we had to accept a guaranty 12 months out for an atypical sailing.

Sailed out of Cape Liberty last year, end of April. I wore capris and skirts on board, needed my hiking pants on deck and a sweater. We had smooth sailing. First port was Po at Delgado where it was very warm and humid. Then France for 3 days and I again wore hiking pants and a long sleeve shirt at the beach at Utah Beach, Normandy. Train to Paris - hiking pants, tee and raincoat in case.

We enjoy smaller group tours or exploring on our own, unless the tour is going fairly far from the port where I am a bit more cautious. I look over ideas at online sites then work with the local company directly.

We have sailed her and would suggest you at least look at a Deluxe Interior for the additional cabin space. It was a very nice cabin and the sofa bed was away from the bed a bit and would feel a bit less cramped.

There are Chic nights and the dress seems to range from casual to sparkly dresses, Alaska feels a bit less formal than Caribbean sailings.

I do enjoy watching videos from a variety of sources (they range from very good to poor). I have always enjoyed B&D videos and they rarely film with people around. More annoying would be the folks who walk around busy decks or film from the hot tub. It would be very difficult to separate the casual folks filming for private reasons and those doing it for a job. Also I find it not nice to see folks post pictures on Facebook that do not blur out faces of other passengers.

We sailed New York to London last May - no issues with high seas nor cold weather. I wore hiking pants (my go to travel pants) or capris until we hit Ponta Delgado. Long sleeve shirt and sweater was the most I needed (always have a raincoat outer layer in the suitcase but I do not recall ever wearing it until we were in Europe). Windy on deck but we still walked outside often.

Be outside and enjoy sail away - it was our third sail but this past August we had a clear day and saw Mt. Rainer and Mt. Baker for the first time. While sailing we spent our time in open public areas or on deck.

If you are choosing to stay onboard at turn around you can be first in line to reserve dinners at one of the speciality restaurants.

So true - I use it to get the website of the actual operators for current information.

Thanks - I am glad you posted this. For those looking at the bus to the bus terminal - you would still need a taxi to the port. When we went to Sky Lagoon we needed a ride to the bus terminal, then a bus ride to the spa.

I wring them well in a towel and then clip them on a hanger, using a magnetic hook, hang near the AC vent and they are usually dry by morning.

We have found that if we head to restaurant area about 18:45 the folks who ate early to see the 19:00 show are leaving and we rarely waited more than a couple minutes. You can order food from any of the four cuisine menus as they share a kitchen.

If you are looking to whale watch in Ponta Delgado there were boats at the dock to buy tickets for, even listing the whales that had been spotted that week. We found it easy to walk around, particularly the large public gardens. Then found a grocery store with cafe and had amazing custard tarts.

The southern Caribbean islands are my favorite - Bonaire had a fabulous day of snorkling with the Woodwind sailing excursion (they were an easy walk from the pier when we last went).

Check out Rome to Rio for options - we have found this handy in many cities.

A couple things we really enjoy - you can drop off your carry on luggage in your cabin on boarding (we travel carry on only so get to deposit our bags and lock up valuables) freeing us up to explore the ship. The solarium pool area is my favorite place to read, knit, and relax. So far our favorite cruise line but we are trying a couple more this year. Enjoy

I would suggest you try a couple's massage at home before investing in an overpriced spa - my husband hated his massage (for me I get an 80" deep tissue every 3 weeks).

My passport has my maiden name shoved on the end of my first and it has never been noted. Not to say it cannot happen but it has been that way for many years and it does not match my license but it has always been accepted.

You can wait until embarkation and tour the spa. We were in Aqua and used it for a time each day, rarely were there more than 4 people in there. Very dark but quiet if you are seeking that.

Spent years traveling weekly for work and decided early on to use bar shampoo, conditioner, bar facial soap - easy to pack in my carry on and I know my hair likes it.

My DS has T1 and DH T2, but this has not changed our travel. The biggest thing is getting through those first weeks of testing and understanding what food does to you. DS does get a sharps container and sometimes we can get a medical refrigerator for insulin and shelf chocolate milk he uses to treat low blood sugars. DH is taking oral medication so does not need anything. They are both able to choose wisely from the menu and in the buffet. We are also very busy so the extra steps help.

I have been able to send our 24" through the scanner with ease.

Personally I like the southern Caribbean route with Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba. Also look to avoid spring break and long school holidays to reduce crowding and lots of kids. We enjoy Celebrity and have sailed the Constellation (lovely trip) but the trade off is do you want slides and mini golf which you will not find on Celebrity.