Aunt Holly Rose

I looked at Ruby's deck plan and it shows Cafe Caribe adjacent to Horizon Court.  I'm not familiar with Cafe Caribe.  Is this new or part of the existing (pre-dry dock) buffet?

I miss being able to take my third cruise with my DH for our 30th anniversary this summer.  Unlike the rest of you, we are not regular cruisers.  We enjoy independent travel and making our own plans and arrangements.  Our first cruise was the Greek Islands back in the '90's.  We didn't cruise again till last summer, when we ended our independent tour of Alaska with a southbound cruise.  In the intervening years, we forgot how relaxing cruising could be!  It's all about the ports for us, but wow, those ocean breezes on the balcony and the great meals and not having to pack and unpack every couple days are big bonuses.  So for our upcoming milestone anniversary, we found the perfect Mediterranean itinerary and thought we were all set to celebrate.  It wasn't meant to be this year.  Everyone's health permitting, maybe it will be in our future. 

We're thinking about booking the Western Mediterranean cruise on Fantasia out of Rome next fall.  I agree that there's very little info on CC and appreciate your thread.  We have lots of questions.

1.  It doesn't look like there's much benefit for us to choosing the Fantastica over Bella package as we really wouldn't use the room service.  Am I missing something?

2.  There is an "All In" promotion now offering the Easy Drinks package and WiFi for an additional $190 per person.  That looks like a great value to me.  Any comments?

3.  We've seen reports that Fantasia is due for refurbishment in 2020.  Do you know anything about that and if so, when it's scheduled (before or after the summer season)?  It looks like a beautiful ship, but there are lots of comments that it's gotten tired and is in need of a facelift.

4.  Did you try the specialty dining rooms at all?  If so, are they worth the a la carte premium pricing?  Or did you find the MDR to be perfectly fine?  There are so many complaints about bland food, small portions, etc. online that my mind is boggled.  I don't like the term "foodies" but we kinda are...

5.  I know any European travel will involve more smoking than many of us US travelers are accustomed to or comfortable with, but how prevalent is it?  I've seen lots of complaints about smoking on adjacent balconies, for example, with no cruise staff intervention available.  Do you think these complaints are exaggerated?  I am very allergic to smoke and don't want to cough, wheeze and sneeze my vacation away.  I know that means no casino for me, but what about other areas?

I know I'll have lots more questions as we get close to booking.  Thanks for reading!