mauimary

We used the tests we bought from Celebrity. It helps to watch a YouTube video so you can see exactly what you need to do. The big hint we saw was to have a pr of scissors handy to open the box and contents.

We did it easily from our cell phone in our hotel room. Just need to be able to prop it up on something. We were a little nervous as just as they were getting ready to read results we got cut off but someone else did come back online. It all worked out. Just have a backup test with you just in case you need it.

Well we were on a Celebrity Beyond Shore excursion apx 3 weeks ago in Italy and when we got on the bus we had to put our names on a seat list and keep our same seats. The tour guide said it was Celebrity protocol. Can’t figure out why else they would do this other than for proximity contact tracing which made us a little nervous.

We brought a couple of blankets down from the Lawn club for our balcony. You really need to bring your own binoculars if you can.

We ate dinner every night about 7p and made it to the 9pm show. We also made reservations for the four different dining rooms and sometimes showed up a little early and we’re seated.

We just got off of the Beyond a couple of weeks ago. A few days before we disembarked it switched over from Luigi to Tim. I don’t recall his last name but he’s a lot of fun.

If you go on the Celebrity website you can pretend to make a dummy booking when selecting staterooms pick one on deck seven. You can see the entire deck plan so you can see your exact location. You may also be able to see it on the app if your cruise has been loaded. You should be able to see the entire ship plan.

We were just on the Solstice in mid June. She is still a very lovely and beautiful ship. Yes there are some worn carpet in places but by no means does it effect this wonderful ship. We were in an Aft Sky Suite and by no means did it look tired. The Staff is wonderful. Now you cannot compare it with the E Class shiny new ships with all their bells and whistles.

We just repriced our no refundable deposit three days ago so yes!

Lunastella… thank you so much for your review. I went back and reread it after we returned back to the US from Barcelona 1.5 weeks ago. I really enjoyed reading it the first time however it meant even more after doing this exact same itinerary on the Beyond. We loved all the ports and like you we did almost every port on our own with the exception of the Cinque Terra. Like you said many times it was hot hot hot. Thought I was going to die there and have never sweated so much in my life! I couldn’t wait to get back to the ship! We absolutely loved the new Beyond and it was special to have Capt Kate as our Captain. Loved it so much we have another cruise next year on this ship with a different itinerary. It would be wonderful to have Capt Kate again but who knows on that one. Thank you for all the wonderful photos and all the time and work you put into this review.

We just did a private tour of the Amalfi Coast with just the two of us with Rome in Limo. We visited Ravello Amalfi and Positano. We were picked up early as we were one of the first off the ship and headed straight to Ravello where we wandered around as many of the shopkeepers were just opening their shops. When we booked this excursion We had originally wanted to visit Sorrento but we’re told we would have to give up one of the other cities which we did not want to do as there is just not the time with all the traffic on the coastal drive. We saw points of interest on this tour we had not seen in our prior trips. We also had the wonderful experience of being able to linger having a fantastic lunch on the hillside overlooking Positano with our beautiful table for two view. It’s experienced like this that you will remember for years to come. You can also customize these excursions with RIL to fit your interests.

We are in the middle of researching Rome hotels for next May. Would you mind sharing the hotel that you found. Thank you in advance.

Scottishclover. I really enjoyed your review. Very practical , entertaining and humorous. We did this almost identical itinerary about ten years ago with the exception of St Petersburg which was interesting but also a port we would not want to go back to. We did this cruise in early June and the weather was perfect. We did not have our college age kids with us but had to chuckle at your description of Tivoli. We only went there as we arrived on a day when everything is closed in Copenhagen and we wanted to do something! But thank goodness Copenhagen was an overnight. Would have loved an extra night in Stockholm like you had and like you made a beeline to the Vasa Museum. After reading your review it makes us want to repeat this Itinerary as there is so much to see and do and like you we are do it yourselfers!!! Thank you for taking the time to do this great review.

Just got off the Beyond 9 days ago and I had no problem getting bottled Arizona ice tea and Diet Coke.

Excited to hear about your cruise. Have a fabulous time. Beyond is a beautiful ship and Capt Kate is a joy to cruise with.

We did it a few weeks ago because we had to. It was very fortunate I found out about the fiasco at the Amsterdam Schipol Airport ahead of time. We would be flying from AMS to Barcelona and it involved 4 hrs of line standing and possibly missing flights. If we would have flown one day later KLM was not letting anyone check luggage. Some of us do it because they want to and others like us were pretty much forced to. It was pretty amazing to find out what we really needed and what we could do without.

Do a Google search on packing for 60 days in a roll a board. We just came back from a European cruise combined with a land trip. The method is doable and it worked for us. It’s all about the way it is packed. Granted you need to have a wardrobe that can be mixed and matched. We were only gone three weeks. For those that are truly interested in making it work take a look and give it a try.

We did it! We just got off of the Beyond this am after a 9 day cruise and a previous 1.5 week land trip. We never have done this before but decided after we found out what it was going to involve trying to check luggage and standing in four hours worth of lines coming from Schipol Airport in Amsterdam to Barcelona. Check in lines for luggage we’re huge and long. After seeing so many huge piles of luggage waiting to find and catch up to owners it really makes one think about these things. Lots of people are missing luggage. We made it work with very careful coordinating of outfits and some very simple dress clothes for the dining room. We did send out laundry and washed a few things by hand. We even ended up with a few things we didn’t wear. DH for the first time did not take a sports coat. Only two prs of shoes for myself. The nice part is we had all our stuff and we had plenty of clothes. It was fast to be able to just walk off and not wait to collect luggage. It can work if you really want it to!!!

Have you considered taking a couple of self (proctored) ones with you that you can buy from Celebrity? They are very easy to use. You can do them with a cell phone. We did them from our hotel room while in Barcelona. Very helpful to watch one of the You-tube videos which are very helpful.

You will not need to stand in the line for checking bags. Only the long security line. You will not be able to skip the long line for security check point. We did not see any wheel chairs in the line so their must be a shorter route through.

This is exactly why we decided to do a land trip and a nine day cruise with hand carry luggage only. A 22 in rollaboard and a backpack. Not fun and we had to minimize but we are in Spain now with our stuff. We found out about these hassles a few days before we left Portland OR. There are literally thousands of bags stacked up in bins there now.

We did not check any luggage. Those checking luggage stood in a different line before they got into the back of the security line. The biggest issue is if you are originating in AMS or are you a transfer. Much easier to transfer. Be sure to allow plenty of time for that process.

We are wondering what to expect for the Security lines at the BCN airport? How long should we plan for those lines. We have carryon luggage. thank you.

We arrived by air yesterday. We flew in from AMS after a 5 day stay there. We are US citizens. We began in the US. We had everything filled out but no one asked for it.

We did not connect. We started in Portland OR five days earlier on Delta and then later continued on to Barcelona on KLM after a stay in AMS. You should not have to start from the beginning.