Blasnif

Did you have to pay for room service breakfast? I think they charge now

I know for a fact that HAL does not have any charge for room service. My wife was sick three days last year onboard. I am not sure about RCL.

If you are traveling with kids (Age 6-17) Carnival is the way to go. A lot of activities geared toward younger people. If you are older, and kids tend to annoy you, RCL, HAL or NCL are a better choice. HAL has more formal nights too - which are not our cup of tea - and tend to be just a bit pricier. Not a lot - just a bit.

hi,

We’re VERY new to cruising. A fantasy trip, as I am soooo tired of flying, is Vancouver or Seattle to Australia. Apparently Repositioning cruises are the way to go. Does anyone have any experience? We would be grateful. Not sure where to start! Thank you.

My wife and I cruise a lot. The only cruises that we've felt compelled to repeat were Alaska (3 time) and Transatlantic (5 times) If you want constant action, Transatlantic is NOT the way to go. There are a lot of sea days, that are filled with walking the decks, attending classes and shows, etc. Save any purchases onboard ship for the last day, when things will generally be marked down 50-80%

This will apply to ANY SHIP AND ANY LINE. If you are far forward or aft, you will feel more movement of the ship since the ends move further than the center as the ship rocks. The same (but not as much) with the port and starbord sides of the ship. The least motion will be center ship. You also do not want to get the room directly below the dining rooms, show rooms, theater or casino, as there may be noise going into the night. We generally get interior cabins or a lower deck cabin with a porthole, because we spend about 14 hours on the decks of the ship, and only come back to our cabin to change clothes or sleep. Spend your money on tours rather than a room that will stay empty most of the time. The one time we had a large window, we went to bed watching the moon through the window. We fell asleep and awoke to find that the ship had docked. People were walking by and there we were visible to everyone who happened to glance into the window. Yikes.

We are cruising to Barcelona, staying two months and then flying back. Since most Repositioning cruises are sending ships toward peak demand, most ships are going the same way at the same time. The only way to do so cost-effectively would be to take the last cruise of the season TO Barcelona, and then the first cruise of the next season FROM Barcelona about four months later. Vacation time might be a problem.

Most ships will have a happy hour in the bar. We usually get 2 for 1 drinks, and then that is it. We've never had a problem. If you get sloberingly drunk, then yes - you will get a hangover.

We had booked a very long and expensive cruise and took out travel insurance. Just before the cruise, my wife's sister had a heart-attack and watershed stroke. Killed the vacation - sister-in-law is still around. Anyway, it took some doing, but we recovered every single penny of our "non-refundable" but insured trip. Since we now know how fragile life can be - we usually get travel insurance.

We mix it up. We frequently dine in the buffet, but also have had seats at a table for eight that just follow one after the other into the dining room. A few times we have had table companions that we REALLY liked (not just found tolerable) and have had one as a friend for about 20 years. Variety is the spice of life. It is good to ease out of your comfort zone every once in awhile.

Short answer: Unless the ship specifically directs you to take your passport, keep it in the safe. Longer answer: We've taken multiple cruises on Royal Caribbean and that "dam" HA line. A bit less than half the time they collect our passports. This makes us nervous, but it has never been a problem. We carry our license cause it is a "clue" that we are Americans, and it never gets lost. IF you do get pick-pocketed, you still have your passport back on the ship to regain access to the United States. It may take a bit longer, but you will be able to get back on the ship. You can reapply for your DL when you get back Stateside. The only place we needed more than our ship card to get back on board was New England and Canada. They frequently asked for BOTH our license and our ship card. The ship will always tell you what you need to take. Trust them... they've done this before.

Nine Days, but that is counting two days in Galveston. We always like to arrive a day or two early allowing for unforeseen events.