kaymoz

The reluctance to use a laundry service vs DIY is not just about cost, but the challenge of clothes being “away” for some time while the ship batch laundry and delivery process unfolds.   When travelling carry-on only and not packing that many clothes to begin with, this can really matter!  I like that I can come back to the ship and change into my ‘dinner dress,’ while putting my day clothes into the wash to have ready to go the next morning if needed.  This is especially reassuring if I’ve only packed one fleece zip top or one pair of jeans, for example.

I just saw the Points Guy did a story on this question -- just two days after I asked.  Are they reading Cruise Critic???!!!!
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruise-ship-laundry/

Thank you all for this feedback -- but so disappointed to hear about HAL has eliminated them all.   I would have liked to make HAL 'my' brand, but the laundry situation is a turn-off. 

Our last voyage with HAL was on the Prinsendam, which totally spoiled me forever!

I know some ships have been converting former self-service "laundrettes" to cabins, so I thought it was time to survey-update this situation.  While many ships offer a laundry service, at varying price points, many of us simply prefer to DIY.  And machine washing sometimes beats the bathroom sink! 

I ended up taking the NIkon and kept the telephoto lens on it.  I bought a soft side case that would fit it with that lens, so it would have protection during the zodiac rides, and that was just fine.  I was really glad I took it since the camera on my iphone went on the fritz on the first day in Quito -- blacking out often, with occasional resuscitation possible but no telephoto function.  It ended up that the phone needed replacing once we were back home.  I took an underwater camera (Olympus TG-6) which also helped to compensate for the cell phone camera failures.  Boy was I glad to have a backup!  And the telephoto was fantastic for wildlife pictures.

For sailing out of Baltimore in Spring 2024, the choices are Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with the former priced significantly higher -- any insight about why this is? 
For example, given the inside cabin category and excluding taxes & port fees,  RC has an 8 day sailing departing March for $599 while Carnival's 7 day sailing departing 10 March is $809.   Both itineraries include 3 days at sea and two full days in the Bahamas (Nassau & another port), while Carnival adds another half day in Freeport and RC adds a day each in Charleston SC and Port Canaveral FL.  The size of the ships are in the same ballpark:  2124 passengers max for Carnival Legend and 2514 for RC Vision of the Seas.

I know there was one woman in our group of 46 who could recite the ingredients, so probably there are others who asked what went into it.  Wish I had!!!

Maybe there is another CC forum to better reach passengers with Celebrity in this area?

Thanks, Jim.  I had googled before I put this out on CC, and I saw the post from Michelle Hartsell, (Materials Engineer turned Cocktail Engineer LOL!), along with numerous yellow bird cocktail references.  And I did think about buying a few limes and some passionfruit juice to just experiment with rum and whatever other compatible liquers I have on hand, as a last resort. 
But I was hoping I would strike a nerve with some other Celebrity Galapagos guest who was familiar with the version I experienced on the ship!

There was a drink I dream of having again...and tho I'm not much of a drinker, this was fun and I'd love to make it for some friends.  It's called the Yellow (or Golden?) Warbler.  We had it on a Celebrity tour in the Galapagos, and of course it is named after a local bird.  The ingredients include passionfruit juice & rum, and maybe amaretto & grenadine, I think,...but there is more to it, and of course such good memories of a fun trip.  Hope someone here knows the recipe! 

IMG_5264 (6).heic

Thanks -- that is what I suspected from the photographs.  Guess I will need to bring my long sleeved rash guard/sunblock shirts.
Here is another logistics question -- for the wet landings followed by hiking, is there a generous amount of time after landing for shucking the water sandals, drying feet, and changing into socks & hiking shoes, etc.....or does the group basically start the hike once everyone is out of the boat?

Here is a question about the Galapagos excursions aboard Xpedition -- are the wetsuits all the shorty type or are there choices for the long sleeve & leg type as well?

OK, I have decided -- I am taking the Nikon!  Thank you for your feedback.

We leave for the Galapagos in a week and a half, and now I'm second guessing my decision to "just" use my iphone for taking pictures on land.  It's an iphone 12 Pro.  My alternative would be a Nikon 3100 kitted with a 18-55 mm lens, with the possibility of a separate 55-300 lens.  I stopped using this camera for travel years ago in favor of simpler ones that seemed less vulnerable while on the move.  But we are going to the Galapagos with Celebrity, who will deliver us to all the locations, so I've been thinking the logistics of this particular trip might work OK for this camera.  But would the pictures really be any better?

How can I find out what the excursions will be when we sail next month on Xpedition in the Galapagos?  We will do the "southern" route, so I know the itinerary for the stops, but I've been over and over the Celebrity website and can't find the excursions!  I read in a trip report posted a while back on CC that there are several, maybe three, each day.  So I GUESS somehow people sign up for them, but I have no idea when or how.  Please help!

I'd like to add another small cruise to this thread, which we did two years ago -- a circumnavigation of Iceland with a company called Iceland Procruises.  This is a seasonal operation, using smallish "ice class" ships (about 150 passengers max), which might be doing Antarctica tours in the opposite season.  Because they are expedition oriented, they have their own flotilla of rubber inflatable boats (RIB)  which they use for a few excursions here and there, as well as for tendering.  There are informative lectures every evening, on Icelandic history, flora & fauna, etc.  This was a fantastic way to see Iceland!  When we found ourselves doing a few ports at the same time as one of the Viking ships, I remember one of my fellow passengers commenting as we passed by the hulking ship while tendering in the RIB:   "those poor people, they don't know what they're missing."   https://www.icelandprocruises.com/

Hello to KKB -- Just wondering how things went with your MSC cruise to Europe back in late April

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The deck plan for Legend (and Breeze & Pride) seems to show about half the cabins  annotated as "Queen Size Bed Only (No Twin Option)."  I am surprised at so many!  Why would they do this? 

However, I did read one comment from a passenger in one of the SP suites who said that despite their cabin showing that notation on the deckplan, the bed was the divisible type.  That also surprised me since in the photos it seems like there isn't enough space to put the beds into a twin configuration.  Please help! 

We'd like to couple a land tour in Japan with a trans-Pacific sailing from the US/Canada, and wonder  if it is better to do that sailing Westwards or heading East?  FWIW, we live on the East Coast but are happy to sail from California, Florida, Hawaii or where-ever.   We aren't interested in the South Pacific for this trip.

OP here -- thank you all for the good feedback.  Our first river cruise was with Viking, from Budapest to Regensburg.  Nothing wrong with it, but we really didn't need such luxurious food and unlimited booze.   Can't said the Eastern Danube with them this fall -- those cruises are sold out already!  

We did our first river cruise last year -- from Budapest to Regensburg -- and we thought next we'd try the Eastern Danube.  Does it matter which cruise operator we use?   How?  The river cruise ships we saw last time all sorta looked alike, but of course there is more to it than the boat!

Good to hear from you, exiledowl.  When you have sailed on Amera, were you aware of many guests who are English-but-not-German speaking?  I know 'many' is a subjective term, but I just wonder how isolated we would feel....not being conversant in German.

On 2/24/2023 at 12:57 AM, USN59-79 said:

Suggest you look at repositioning cruises from Japan to or from Vancouver or Seattle on either Holland America or Princess.  Then add a week or two around Japan to make it a B2B.  We are doing it on the Westerdam this Spring and it will be our sixth repositioning cruise from or to Asia.

Ray

Would you do the week or two around Japan with a guided tour or totally independent?   I expect the DIY approach would be much easier if you have previously lived in Asia, which we have not.

3 hours ago, cementhands said:

 But came home with covid19! 

Crowd-avoidance strategies aren't just a personal experience issue but potentially a health & wellness consideration!

We might be in New York in March, so we are contemplating sailing on NCL Getaway from 10-18 March (to Orlando, Great Stirrup Cay, Bermuda).  Our decision will be a VERY last minute one, assuming everything isn't booked up by the time we have some schedule certainty.  Some categories are already sold out! 

--How can we see which cabins are currently available?  Every time I try to do a booking to check this, I end up on a GTY pathway.

--What is the difference between the categories of Balcony and Club Balcony -- is it just the bigger bathroom, with tub and a second sink?

--What opportunities have we likely missed due to late booking -- such as reservation opportunities that opened 120 days prior or the like?

--What dinner reservation options would we still have, how and when?

--Finally, do you have any advice about last minute booking with NCL? (We've cruised many times before but always on much smaller ships and generally booking a few months ahead.) 

Thank you, everyone, for all the good recommendations.  The cruise we are considering is only three weeks away now, so I'm told that not only is The Haven booked but the Vibe as well.  Evidently those options are snatched up about as soon as they come available!
Some of you mentioned ships being over 100% booked -- how does that happen?  Can a ship legitimately book more passengers than it has (lifeboat?) capacity for?  How can I tell what % booked a NCL ship is?