RobFran

Thanks  for your posting AJ28 and glad you had a good time. 

We we are booked on the Explorer2 in January.

Thanks again and look forward to reading more when you return.

Noticed this posted online : https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20478-marella-explorer-2-exits-drydock-with-new-livery.html

looks fantastic- jealous of all of you cruising on her next month 

Thanks for your response Dave, you make a very good point.

We are going to go ahead and book the cruise - from your vast experience have  you any suggestions as to the best located Junior Suites so thatI can go ahead and reserve 

We are looking to book a Junior Suite on the Explorer 2 for a Caribbean cruise in February next year. 

I note that you can choose your cabin in advance for a fee of £48 rather than be allocated on arrival.  From my experience you can usually choose your cabin at the time of booking and this is included in the price. So this appears to be yet another money making scheme. However if there are some Suites that are Superior because of their position etc or certain Suites to avoid it may well make sense to spend the £48.

The Junior suites are situated on Decks 10 and12 and I would welcome any recommendations as to which suites offer the best value from anyone with previous experience of TUI cruises, passengers who have travelled on its sister ship, or anyone who has travelled on the ship when it was the Celebrity Century or SkySea Golden Era. Or indeed any Suites that do not offer good value.

Thankyou

A big thanks for all your knowledgeable and informed responses.

You have certainly given us some different avenues to explore, especially as regards St Petersburg.

Thankyou once again.

We are looking to book a Baltic Cruise for June / July next year. We have looked at the P & O Website and note there are many excursions we would like to go on in St Petersburg, Copenhagen, Stockholm etc, but our budget is limited to a certain extent and I would be grateful if you could let us know of the potential costs of these excursions.

Thankyou

We are not only new to cruising, but also new to this site and I must say we have been overwhelmed with the comprehensive and informative responses we have received.

A huge thankyou to everyone and hopefully this will be the beginning of a new and exciting holiday experience for us.

We have debated at great length and decided on the freedom choice. I think that this option gives us flexibility on a short trip and will be a good introduction to cruising for us.

Thankyou all once again for your marvellous responses.

We are first time cruisers, looking to book a 7 day cruise to the Norwegian Fjords on the Britannia next year.

We are unsure whether to book Club or Freedom dining. The flexibility of Freedom Dining certainly appeals to us, but not having cruised before would be grateful if someone could supply us with the pros and cons of each.