CruisinCadie

As I recall, the last time we sailed Royal we had to request a special medical refrigerator. That was on Grandeur and we had one of the smaller balcony cabins. Next summer we will be on Brilliance in a "spacious balcony" cabin. Do they have refrigerators or will we have to request one? DH and I both have meds that need to be refrigerated. Thanks, Kathy

We have a family trip planned for next summer. The only group activity we plan is dinner together every night. They suggested we select either early or late seating rather than anytime dining, so they would be sure of having a large table set for the 9 of us. Of course, this is a smaller group than the OP has coming, but it would still be easier on the dining room staff if they could plan for a specific time every night. Kathy

They were still using the tow boat on the Aug. 16 sailing. During the pilot house tour, someone asked how much it was costing AQV and the pilot said $12,000/day. They sure haven't been making any money on these cruises!

Yes, it was the Hilton at 720 S. Michigan, but I don't know if they use the same hotel all the time. It was a beautiful place and very convenient to parks and museums.

We were on the same sailing. We had been on the Countess, Cincinnati to Memphis, last May, and this cruise was not as good. I'll be writing a review in the next few days. I like the ship and the entertainment was good, but the ports were not as interesting. As for the "uneventful bus ride," we got stuck sitting at the back of the bus due to mobility issues and both of us were fighting car sickness. So it all depends on your perception.

We'll be on the Chicago city tour on Tuesday. Anyone else? Everyone have a safe trip to Chicago. See you soon. Kathy

Congratulations to your mother! Hope we're still cruising at that age. We'll look forward to seeing all of you. We were on the Countess last May and had such a good time we decided to go again. She's a really great ship, very compact and easy to find your way around. Kathy

When our cruise was cancelled due to Hurricane Ida last year, they promised us a full refund. We got our money almost immediately on the flight cancellation, but our TA had to bug them several times before we got the cruise refunded. That was not a total refund, but minus taxes and fees, it came pretty close, so we booked another cruise this past spring. We talked to some people onboard who had a similar experience and others who were told, "Just pick another cruise because we're not giving you your money back." Not sure if they had a TA or not. Kathy

Yes, our TA found out for us. We're on the same cruise. See you there. Kathy

Madison, IN, the Saddletree Factory was fascinating. The downtown shopping district was fun to explore. We also stopped at one of the Civil War mansions, but this was on a Wednesday. It was my understanding that the museums would open especially for the cruise ship passengers if the ship were scheduled to be in port. Since we had a second day there due to high river water, we would have had to pay to visit these places on Thursday. The fountain was more of a get off the bus, take some photos, and get back on the bus when it comes around again. We didn't see the Railroad Museum, but the attached historical society museum was interesting. We just wanted to be back on the ship in time for lunch and couldn't do everything.

We had so much fun on our recent Countess cruise that we are seriously considering another one in August. The brochure we got in the mail Friday lists one from Chicago to St. Louis on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The first night is a stay at a Chicago hotel, then being bussed to Ottawa the next day to board the ship. The website says the hotel stay is in Ottawa, which is 80 miles from Chicago. Does anyone know which is correct? And if we stay in Chicago, what hotel does AQV use? I would think we stay in Chicago, since 80 miles is a heck of an expensive taxi or Uber ride from O'Hare. Thanks, Kathy

We found you get the best reception in the library, the game room, the chart room. Probably Perks too. Isn't the entertainment great? I assume you have Ian, Eva, and Shaun. They were wonderful. Kathy

Have a great trip!

On the Countess, there was a 4-piece ensemble that played in the lounge after the show each night. I didn't see a dance floor. Kathy

I think the HOHO drivers are included in the gratuity. They will be the same throughout your trip as the busses follow the boat. It was recommended that you tip the local guide if you take a premium excursion but no other tips were needed. Kathy

Just got off the Countess last Monday. I had trouble connecting to the internet at first but then a fellow passenger said you get the best signal in the front corners of the boat, like the Library and Game Room. After I connected there, I was able to get internet in my room. As others have said, service was slow at times, but I was able to check my email daily so I didn't have a ton of messages when we got home. If anyone has any other questions, I'll try to answer them for you. The room was larger than I expected and the bathroom was huge. The bed was comfortable. Crew was wonderful, always cheerful and eager to help. Kathy