Betsynh

They’ve invited me to preorder twice for items off the menu. Tonight was Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp with rice and tomorrow I ordered Eggplant Parm. Will see how that goes! The toaster attendant was out again this morning for GF toast or bagel. I asked the pre-order food guy for any kind of chocolate dessert last night and he brought a decent dark chocolate/mocha cake tonight. The other option was bananas foster — I’m not a fan of bananas.

Monday — Edinburgh We had to report for a 7:15am excursion today, so went to breakfast just after 6:30am and had trouble finding a spot to sit in the Garden Cafe! We asked to share a 4-top with someone almost done — a little awkward but we were crunched for time. The tender over went smoothly and we were on the bus arriving at our “House and Castle” excursion just before 9am. I’ve never seen Outlander, but apparently this is the setting for many of the characters’ homes. Very interesting how the front and back facades are different eras and several spots on the grounds can be utilized. Staff were lovely and they have a small cafe with a variety of tasty treats. The “meander” around the Royal Mile was not the case — we had approximately 40 minutes to find a place to have lunch and walk up the hill to the castle entrance. No meandering to be had. Our guide was full of interesting tidbits and then we were on our own for a bit. We waited in the queue to see the Crown Jewels of Scotland in the “Kings House”. Didn’t have time for more than 5 minutes in the Gift Shop before we needed to head to the bus. Commiserating over dinner, we both gave the excursion a 7 or 8 out of 10. We didn’t feel like we got any real flavor of Edinburgh although we enjoyed what we did do. Be prepared for huge crowds everywhere, but the weather was perfect so we were grateful. Arriving back at the tender at 4pm was a shock. The lines were massively long and it didn’t seem that enough tenders had been deployed. Again it was gorgeously sunny and warm (60’s), so no complaints arriving back at the ship at 5pm. We departed Edinburgh late as a result. The 7pm show was Multi-Instrumentalist Adam Barry. He was pretty fun and energetic. Got the crowd on it’s feet for the last number. People in Edinburgh said we might be able to see the Northern Lights tonight, so we’re hunkered down in the Thermal Suite relaxation room waiting for the sun to set (it’s already after 9pm). BTW, to the person that asked about chairs on the promenade, there’s a stack of lounge chairs strapped down out there, but none were being used — it’s simply too cold and windy to enjoy outside time at this point.

It was great to meet so many people from Cruise Critic at the M&M. If you haven’t signed up, definitely do so! Spent a quiet afternoon reading and relaxing. Eighteen knot winds outside, so mostly everyone was hunkered down indoors. Not a lot of square feet per passenger. We are experienced finding nooks and crannies to hide in when ships get crowded, and it was a little more difficult on the Star. Since we got the Thermal Suite pass, we used one of the relaxation rooms and stayed cozy and warm inside with bright sunshine after the sheltered area of Spice H2O got a little cool for us. We hit the Versailles dining room tonight with no lines or waiting for a 5:30pm meal. I hadn’t preordered anything gluten-free so picked off the menu. They’re adapting one of the main courses to make it GF tomorrow since I pre-ordered ahead. I guess that’s the purpose— you can pick MORE than just what’s offered with the little wheat symbol on the menu. Yum! Found a good spot to play cribbage in the Library, but was surprised at the limited hours it’s staffed and the fact that the book cases were locked when it’s not staffed. I much prefer ship libraries where you can “Take one leave one” much less formal and perhaps more cruiser friendly. There was lots of entertainment around the ship. We opted to skip the magician and enjoyed the string quartet in Gatsby’s, then headed to the Atrium for music with Angel, and a few songs by the pianist. He’s not a traditional piano bar guy — more stylized so it’s not a singalong, but he had a good voice. Crashed early since we’re meeting for a 7:15am excursion. Since we’ve got 12 days, didn’t feel the need to stay up late dancing… Note that they serve Starbucks in the atrium. I didn’t check out the menu or pricing yet, but it’s very convenient.

I’ll take a look — the wind was upwards of 18 knots today so most everyone was inside.

Sorry, they didn’t.

I didn’t realize that I was a nervous traveler until I had to figure out how to get from Heathrow to our hotel in Portsmouth. Although the ship’s embarkation point shifted from Portsmouth to Southampton, we opted to keep our reservation at the Holiday Inn Express Gunwharf Quay and we’re so glad we did! I’d downloaded the National Express Bus schedule ahead of time and the signage was pretty easy to navigate. There was a little kiosk with an attendant selling tickets and answering questions as we were leaving the main airport. We walked along an extensive tunnel following the “yellow signs” to Central Bus Station and there’s a giant digital schedule with bus numbers and waiting directions. Ours were the giant white buses out the left exit rather than the red ones on the right. I thought we’d have to take a train from T2 to T3, but it was a walk — not horrible dragging our luggage along. I researched in advance to get off at “The Hard” bus stop for Gunwharf Quay and it was a short walk to the Quay entrance and we eventually found the hotel entrance. It was the perfect location to spend our day-and-a-half pre-cruise. We booked the 10:15am Wightlink Ferry the following day to spend the day at the Isle of Wight and connected with Gemma from Ryde Taxi to hire a driver to take us all over. Definitely worth the trip. Be sure to see Queen Victoria’s summer residence Osborne House. A special surprise is that we wound up meeting another CC couple on our starting flight from Boston. We were on the same first flight to Reykjavik, but they were routed through Gatwick so we started our own “Amazing Race” adventure. They took the train from Gatwick and beat us to the hotel by about 90 minutes. We met up for dinner overlooking Portsmouth Harbor. There are tons of restaurants in that area. As we strolled after dinner, we came upon the Spinnaker Tower. Since there was a wedding on the lower levels, they invited us to go to the little bar at the top at no charge. The views were gorgeous. It was especially fun when we could see the Spinnaker in the distance as we sailed out of Southampton. They opted to join us for our Isle of Wight adventure which made it even more fun. Due to potential rail issues, the hotel recommended a taxi to the cruise terminal for 50 pounds. Given the traffic (Saturday AM, 4 ships and a sports festival), it took us close to 90 minutes to get to the port with a 10:30am hotel pick up. Our boarding time was 11:30-12noon, so it all worked out fine. Boarding was reasonably efficient and we were on the ship heading for our muster check-in and lunch shortly after 12:30pm. Cabins were ready close to 3pm, so pack what you need for the afternoon in your carryon. On the Ship I’m writing this the morning of day 2 and we’re still getting used the the layout. Exiting the starboard side of the Garden Cafe in the back, is Spice H2O, a sheltered outdoor spot for a meal or drink with gorgeous views of our wake. We booked an inside cabin on deck 10 forward and splurged on a Thermal Suite pass and multiple excursions. We already used the hot stone loungers and hot tub in the spa this morning. The sauna, steam room and “relaxation room” are separated by gender and the loungers and pools are combined. The main dining room was open for limited breakfast hours, but we opted for the Garden Cafe so we could use the spa before it got crowded. I was pleasantly surprised that one section (#5) portside/aft had a dedicated gluten-free bread section with options and a friendly attendant. Had a custom omelet with my GF bagel. We joined our new friends for dinner at Cagney’s last night so I haven’t checked in with anyone about official GF dining yet. The meal was amazing and we’re all worried that we’ve set the bar high on delicious dining by eating there night one. I love a good comedian and not easily offended, and I’d give last night’s a mid-range score. Great singing voice, 25 years in the business… but we’re not likely to attend another one of his shows. Can’t really explain why not. The Bliss dance floor was hopping after a game show and the staff was hosting line dances for most of the songs so we watched (we like to flail freestyle!). Crashed before they shifted over to the 10:30-ish DJ, so not sure how the rest of the night played out. Slept like a baby in our cozy cabin. Heading off to the Meet & Mingle one of our CC group arranged in a few minutes. More to follow!

Just got off the 3-day Wish 4/5-4/8/24 and my first trip to Castaway Cay. I’ve been to many other cruise line’s private islands and thought this ranked up there with some of the nicest. Short wait for tram ride, plenty of shade and chairs at the family beach and the lunch was surprisingly good (and allergy friendly). Plentiful soft drinks and soft serve ice cream, too!

It appears that you’ve already sailed but for anyone else, we just were in 11511. We loved it for multiple reasons! As an inside cabin, we paid inside prices since it was a short trip and we were only there to sleep. We were on the same deck as the food concessions, ice cream and pools. We were off the beaten path so had zero noise of crying kids or little ones running down the hall. We had a direct elevator ride up after the 8:30 show to put my 3-year-old grandson to bed. I agree with earlier poster that recommended checking what’s above and below your stateroom prior to booking. Happy travels!

One staff member we were chatting with seemed surprised we didn’t get pirate bandanas in the cabin… is that a thing? We weren’t in any special cabin or rewards program. We passed the boutique and it looked adorable! All slots were filled well before we traveled. I’ll be better prepared next time.

I just got off the Wish yesterday with my almost 4-year-old grandson. It was amazing (but pricey). Did my own review, but concur with everything you said. Our shows were phenomenal - Little Mermaid and Aladdin. My daughter can’t wait for the next one. We’ve sailed frequently, as well, but never before on Disney.

I’m currently flying home after a magical 3-night cruise on the Disney Wish with my daughter (32) and grandson (almost 4 years old). Although this was our first Disney ship, I’ve been on more than two dozen others across Royal, Celebrity, Norwegian and Princess, so consider myself a pretty experienced cruiser. Enjoying the experience through the eyes of a preschooler made every second worth it, but I can’t imagine traveling on a Disney ship without little ones, although I have friends that do! Hubby was asking what we thought about the piano bar, lounge entertainment, and the like, but we actually never had a chance to check those out! Instead, we had plentiful opportunities to meet all kinds of Disney characters where they’ll take your professional photo, but you’re also invited to take your own pics and videos. Characters were also signing autograph books, so come prepared! Lines typically formed 10-15 minutes before the stated start time, but we never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes for our turn (i.e., there were no screaming children waiting). There were three evening shows offered for early diners at 8:30pm and late diners at 6:00pm. The first night was a cute character show featuring Captain Minnie and Goofy. Our little guy loved it. The second and third nights we were treated to amazing productions of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Both were exceptional in terms of talent, costumes and sets and special effects. There were giant “booster seats” available so every child could see easily. The shows were just over an hour, so no one struggled with their attention span. A popcorn booth “Preludes” was just outside of the starboard side entrance, so we indulged each night. Lines started forming at 7:50pm as the doors opened at 8, so plan accordingly. I think there was a refill deal if you bought a plastic popcorn bucket, but we went with the paper cup all three nights. We picked an inside cabin on deck 11 forward (11511), which was actually an amazing place to be since it’s the same deck as most of the pools, the buffet and the small food concessions with pizza, BBQ and drink machines. Soda and juices were free and at help-yourself stations. They also had plenty of soft serve ice cream (and even had gluten free cones)! The Toy Story splash pad was a huge hit on deck 12 (behind the movie screen), and we loved being right above the theater to go straight to bed after the later show. The dining was interesting. We had the same table number and wait staff for all three nights, but WE rotated themed dining rooms, each with a unique menu. My grandson could get pasta with butter (his favorite) in all locations and they were very accommodating of my need for gluten-free food. The Frozen dining room had a cool show in the center stage with great singing, a violinist and a couple of scenes with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf. Our second night was the 1923 dining room celebrating the life of Walt Disney and then the Marvel dining room which featured some fun space adventures and a special appearance by Spider-Man. Hubby was so disappointed he missed that. We were matched with another family at a table of 8, and they were not a good fit — super awkward, so we were relocated to a private table with the same waiters. So grateful! Somehow we missed the memo that night two was Pirate Night. Families were decked out head to toe in pirate garb — probably 80% of all passengers— so I felt bad my grandson was ill prepared. There wasn’t really any pirate garb in the gift shop. Oh well! Two things I didn’t like that I think Disney could do better: 1) We had an old fashioned muster drill where everyone needed to check in and line up in rows along the outside deck as if we were getting on a life boat (no life jackets needed but huge hassle and took a long time). On other lines, we watch a video and report to a specific lounge to get our card scanned and see a short demo about putting on life jacket. Our correct location wasn’t easily marked, so we were asking every attendant we saw to help us find “E”. Not a great way to start our mini vacation. 2) My other feedback involves the lack of organization around checking in for our one port excursion. We booked Blue Lagoon Island in Nassau which we knew is gorgeous, but we didn’t get to the beach for almost two hours from the time were were supposed to check in. We lined up at 9:25-ish for a 9:45am check-in and waited in a long line down a crowded hallway, and then needed to report to an additional room to get our Donald Duck sticker to show which part of Blue Lagoon we signed up for (there’s also a dolphin swim and more options). That took about 45 minutes. Then we went through security outside and the Blue Lagoon staff took over. We waited in another line and got a wrist band and pink dot with tickets for lunch/beverages. Then someone else came by and we signed a waiver. After another half hour or so, we walked to the waiting ferry. Once onboard, we needed to report our name/cabin to someone to track which seat we were sitting in on the ferry (in case we capsized??). No idea! All in all, we thought we were signing up for a 9:45 beach trip and arrived around 11:30am. Once there, we were able to find some shady chairs way down the beach and had a lovely time. The earliest ferry (for hotel/resort guests) departed around 1pm, so the crowds started thinning and we got front row shady chairs. We needed to report to the ferry at 2:45 for 3pm departure. That process was smoother. Be prepared to walk a distance as the return ferry dropped us within the port section, but at the start of all the shops, etc., so it was a hike for this hot and tired family. Castaway Cay was beautiful. My daughter decided to walk to the beach, but grandson and I waited a short while for the tram. It dropped us at Scuttle’s Cove and lo and behold, we saw Minnie and stopped for a photo and then saw Pluto! Short line and barely any waiting. It was awesome! The beach was beautiful, clean and plenty of shaded chairs. Overall the trip was magical and I bought three adorable photos of my grandson with Minnie, Mickey and Goofy for just over $20 each. The rest I’ll use the photos and videos I took from my phone. No comment on the children’s program. We went to the open house and signed him up, but he didn’t want to be anywhere “where grownups had to leave”. Kids looked like they were having a blast, but I was happy to have the time enjoying his company since they live in a neighboring state. I would definitely go on a Disney ship again — but only with grandkids at this point in our lives. When hubby and I travel, we typically stay up late dancing, enjoying a piano bar, and attending shows. They seemed to have some later night entertainment, but we were fried from the busy days and needed to supervise the little guy so didn’t venture out past 10:00pm. After my daughter sent so many fun pics to her husband, he’s gone from anti-Disney to “sign me up”! Everyone was so friendly and helpful overall, I was impressed. Happy cruising!

You are all hilarious! I’m a one-star reader, too. I love writing live reviews onboard of helpful tips. I’ve never done a formal review but no one would read it since I’d give them all 5’s! I’ve never met a cruise I didn’t like although they all have different features and quirks. Happy sailing!

We are on this same itinerary! Starting to get excited. There are no NCL excursions offered in Ulvik. Is it an easy place to poke around or should we arrange something locally?

Khm, just posted my comment but forgot to quote you… see above?! Betsy

If you’re on the Odyssey I did a LIVE review of our trip with lots of detail. I believe we checked in at 8:00am for an 8:30 departure time. Between the drive to that part of the island and a 15-minute stop at the gallery, we arrived at the beach just before 10am and had 3 hours to enjoy. There was an area roped off for us to use and several chairs under palm trees—many of us had shade. If you sit near the front of the bus you might get first dibs. The excursion offered a free soda and shower token for 30-second shower. The line was long so didn’t use that. Food options were simple but okay. Cheeseburger & fries were listed as $19 but that’s in Antillean currency so they were $11 US. if you Google Cas Abao Beach you’ll see there’s a waterfront spa to book massages. Their early bird special starts at 10am. I didn’t book ahead since I didn’t know when we’d arrive. The people that did book 10am were 25 mins late so we got 20 minute back/neck massages in the little hut. A slice of heaven if you like that stuff. Bring water shoes! There are a bit of shells and/or coral getting into the water. Wish I’d thought to bring mine. Enjoy! We would definitely go back there (and we are picky beach people and prefer shade).

Just got home yesterday and went to the beach in both places. In Aruba we took a cab $15 each way to the less crowded end of Eagle Beach by Coco Loco. We rented chairs and they have umbrellas, restrooms and a small restaurant/bar. The water was gorgeous and not overly crowded. In Curaçao we did a tour to Cas Abao beach and scenic drive which was an adorable art gallery for 15 minutes and then breathtaking beach. Highly recommend. In the past I’ve read about jeeps breaking down during 4x4 tours and people missing the ship so I’ve never tried that. With the heat, I’d consider beaching it.

We had bag tag #6 and disembarked at 7:41. It’s 8:27am now and we’re already at our gate at FLL. I was worried about an 11:15am flight. No problem! Have a wonderful time if you’re sailing soon! My feedback is a reflection of my age and personality rather than anything about the ship. She’s a beauty and the staff were great. Safe travels!

A few more fun things to report: we summon an elevator to head to dinner and there was a piano and singer serenading us on the way to deck 4. Hilarious! We also had fun collecting towel animals and adding accessories for Samson our steward. Took pics of the menagerie. My work friend booked this ship starting tomorrow so I left her a little treasure hunt. Will know soon if she finds what I left! 🥰😂

The theater was pretty full by 7:40 for 8pm shows this past week on Odyssey. If you want good seats, go early and relax a bit.

We’re disembarking Odyssey tomorrow and our flight is 11:15am. They won’t do luggage valet for anyone with a flight before 11.30am but they did give us #6 luggage tags for approximately 7:45am departure.

After lunch we wandered around to explore the areas we hadn’t yet experienced. Watched some Dodgeball competition in the SeaPlex and saw the bumper cars parked alongside. We caught the tail end of the Sexiest Man Onboard. Posting video to give you a sense of the crowd. There’s also a teen social area and grabbed a pic of today’s daily schedule. IMG_9611.mov

Booked a delicious lunch at Chops for our last day at $29.99 vs dinner at $64.99. Fabulous meal overall and ended with the gluten-free warm chocolate lava cake. I remembered a pic today!

Forgot to mention the 11:45pm virtual fireworks last night in Two70. Very cool! IMG_9602.mov

It’s just after 6:30am on our last sea day and we woke up early to try to get a decent spot in the Solarium... lo and behold, all of the “basket chairs” have already been claimed. Plan ahead (or sleep up there) if you want one of those for the day. The towel station doesn’t open until 7am, so these folks hoarded towels from yesterday in order to start reserving chairs. In fairness to the basket folks, they are actually using the chairs so they qualify as early birds rather than chair hogs... As you can probably tell, I love to analyze everything, and was processing our vacation with hubby. We’ve had a fantastic time, but I probably wouldn’t book the Odyssey again... will explain. We sailed Anthem in 2018 and I’ve maintained that it was my favorite RCCL ship so I was really excited and looking forward to four sea days to enjoy all the ship has to offer. Being older now though (we’re 56/63) once onboard, we weren’t enthralled with the idea of Flowriding again, doing iFly again, etc. So here we sit on a ship with amazing amenities that we’re not using... that also leads to a younger demographic so the pools have been packed the whole time, as well as the dance floor for late night music. We’re not casino people. On the Anthem, our cabin was near the back of the ship so we spent most time between the Flowrider, the Two70 lounge and cafe, and MDR, and ventured forward for shows. this trip, our cabin was in the front of the ship and we had a completely different experience using the Crown Lounge (Diamond now), Solarium and Bistro, Royal Theater, Schooner Bar, etc. We found ourselves trying to hide from the crowds — and we found some great quiet spaces — but dodging the crowds on the dance floor and avoiding the pools became commonplace. In addition, we really enjoy having early dinner and then catching a production show prior to heading out dancing for the night. Given the high end tech in Two70, there were only two shows that were production cast (very talented performers). The rest of the Royal Theater shows had single acts — comedian, magician, singer/entertainer, a 4- piece rock band... I guess we’re old school — yikes! We enjoyed all of the performances (didn’t catch the magician), but would’ve liked more Royal Theater cast show vs. The Book which we didn’t understand. Again the talent was amazing... The staff on board have been great, Bogdan the Crown Lounge concierge has been awesome, the pub singer off the charts talented and the orchestra was really good, too. So we literally have NOTHING to complain about... I’m thinking we’ve aged out of active, fun ships — we’re busy people back home and want to relax on our cruises. Older, smaller ships seem to attract older folks that aren’t always in the pool or on the dance floor so maybe there’s more room for us. Lol... Will share final thoughts as the day continues. Thanks for sharing our journey!

I’m a big chicken so I’ve only done it when we’re docked!