newtocruiseinblue

Things I like on HAL: - NY pizza and the convenience of ordering through the navigator app - desserts with coffee every night in the MDR - happy hour if we don’t have a drink package - the lectures if offered - the staff is always so nice - the people I meet on board. My husband and I do like to stay to ourselves a bit and reconnect on cruises but I always meet the nicest people. - afternoon tea - bonus meals like lunch and breakfast in the mdr - room service breakfast on port days - bread pudding! - the Grand Dutch Cafe! you will love it!

I was told by my very well-traveled travel agent who has been doing this for over 35 years. I assume bc they look most authentic if you have to show them to someone for some reason while on shore. I also assumed the copies were so you had your document numbers and issue and expiration dates on hand if they were lost or stolen. I’ve just always done it this way. Seems logical to me….i had no idea it was such a debated topic. Cheers!

My takeaway from the Coco cay piece is that Celebrity guests want a PRIVATE ISLAND. I def would prefer the adults only section of coco cay above Nassau. Just my opinion though.

How does msc compare to celebrity? I see you’ve done several celebrity cruises. Thank you and happy cruising!

I was told by my TA to always keep it locked in the hotel safe and walk around d with a color copy. Also leave a color copy at home with a loved one in case if situations like this. The copies can’t get you in a ship but the it may make it easier to get it replaced having the passport id number and issuing dates.

We did the celebrity Ephesus and virgin Mary’s house with lunch in July and we departed before the carpet presentation. We just handed the tour guide a tip (he was very good), said thank you and quickly departed. We tried to be respectful and discreet and it. We walked back to the ship, which was right next to the stores. It was fine. The heat was too much for us that day and we were ready to get back on the ship. Yes, they want you to stay. Yes, high pressure sales are their culture, but it really wasn’t that big of a deal for us to skip it. The tour was amazing and I will remember the day for the rest of my life. I view it as a part of their culture and pass no judgement. I am a visitor and a polite observer. You will enjoy seeing the sites!

Just to add…if you are sailing out of cape liberty - I would recommend coming in early and doing the full tour of Ellis island and the Statue of Liberty. It’s very simple to book. If you do do Ellis island, get the audio tour…it’s great. For the statue, you can climb up to different heights depending on what you were up for. Great day if you can fit it into your schedule.

I’ve done both lines recently. My main differences: HAL - has better itineraries and we usually sail for the itinerary. The passengers tend to skew older and educated. I like the HAL shore excursions a bit better than Celebrity. HAL is less expensive than Celebrity. I’ve always received excellent service. Celebrity - has better nightlife. The crowd is a bit younger than HAL. There is just a more “electric feel” onboard. I have more fun onboard Celebrity. I like the solarium and spa cafe on Celebrity. I’ve always received excellent service. You really can’t go wrong with either. If it boils down to itinerary with you, then choose the one with the best itinerary. If you care more about having fun at night onboard, maybe think about celebrity. You’re cruising, just remember to enjoy yourself, let the little things go, and have fun!

Just fyi if you are in south queensferry and decide to do it on your own…there are inexpensive shuttle busses right at the entrance of the dock that are super easy to find and cheap. We went last may

Good point about the length as well

September in the Med You can’t ignore that it is summer break and place the blame of your timing on Celebrity ☺️ I would also guess that January in the Caribbean is a good time besides the US holiday weekend. I know most families are back in school the first week of January. We did the Mediterranean in September and saw maybe a few little ones. Summer is a completely different story. I’ve been to the Mediterranean for the last two summers wishing it was September …but we had time constraints. Best of luck!

Although sometimes I find the people watching interesting at times 😆

Returned yesterday from 5 nights in Athens and 7 night Greece and Turkey on Celebrity. The cruise ship will be your haven. Yes, things are crowded and it is hot. But less hot where you are going. I was in Amsterdam and Scotland in April-May. Uber was amazing in Amsterdam and Athens. Never waited long. In Amsterdam most of the Ubers are Teslas as they are very big into electronic vehicles there. In Athens most of the Ubers are taxi cabs and by using the Uber app we were never ripped off by a taxi cab. I also found it helpful to avoid the crowds by taking shore excursions through the ship as most of these tour guides know how to avoid the crowds and you get transportation directly off the ship. Overall, you will be fine bc you are CRUISING! I found it much harder the five days that we were in Athens before our cruise walking around all day and finding restaurants etc. versus being on the ship. Just remember to ENJOY and you will. None of us are promised tomorrow.

Which cabin did you like better? I see a veranda and an ocean view.

I will ask it

You are right! It's not worth the worry!

The title says it all.....can I make it or no?

https://www.cruisehive.com/cdc-hails-cruise-ships-crew-response-to-gastro-outbreak/103115 CDC Hails Cruise Ship’s Crew Response to Gastro Outbreak

I saw this during my middle of the night perusing and was surprised that this board had not yet gotten wind of it. My first thought was that CCL is streamlining for divestiture. If CCL was going to abandon ship on one of the subsidiaries first, which would it be? Any bets? • Aida, led by president Felix Eichhorn. • Carnival Cruise Line, led by president Christine Duffy. Underneath CCL is Carnival Australia and P&O Australia, which are both led by president Marguerite Fitzgerald, who will report to Duffy. • Carnival UK, which includes P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. The unit will be led by P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow. Cunard president Katie McAlister, who begins in August, will report to Ludlow. • Costa Cruises, led by president Mario Zanetti. • Holland America Line, led by president Gus Antorcha, includes Seabourn Cruises. Natalya Leahy, Seabourn's president, will report to Antorcha. • Princess Cruises, led by president John Padgett. I've felt since the pandemic that the Princess brand has the most negative covid publicity associated with it and wondered if they can get past that. I also know they are putting out new ships and that my TA is in love with their product. I was recently targeted on TikTok with an upbeat, youthful ad for Princess. HAL has an aging demographic and the brand is known for an old-world elegance (the world is sadly losing its old world elegance). But I love HAL. My hope is they are streamlining efficiencies and shedding some expensive execs along the way, but my gut tells me this isn't the end of this story.

I understand your point that the subpar service you experienced leads you to question whether Celebrity is a step up from Royal but my brain has a hard time wrapping around the idea that Royal - with its huge ships, rock climbing walls, go carts, huge crowds and a completely different demographic - can be "the same" as Celebrity. They are just two completely different cruise lines. Many people like Virgin. We are sticking with Celebrity and Holland America for now but would like to try a river cruise in the future. It's pretty simple to look at the cruise lines out there, figure out what you like and try something different. Happy cruising!

Go into it with an open mind and don't get too bogged down with what you read online. While it is good to be informed, form your own opinions about your experience. I had an amazing HAL cruise to Scotland last month and have not had the chance to do a review. Someone else on my cruise wrote an extensive review and while they enjoyed the cruise they were much more critical of the food. I'm glad I had my own experience and didn't stress about every little thing on my cruise. Believe me, things people say online won't matter that much once you are there.

We prefer room service breakfast on port days, especially if we have a shore excursion. We've had breakfast on the balcony on both ship classes. Now we usually just keep the main room service tray inside abd just take our coffee cups on the balcony or cups and plates, but you will find a rhythm that suits your needs. Tip: if you like cream in your coffee, order extra cream...I love room service breakfast!

This thread is giving me life! Thank you for taking us on your journey! I feel like I'm reading a little mini-series, not a cruisecritic live posting! Enjoy! ❤️❤️