lynncarol

what ports are you visiting in Iceland?

True, but if you take the shuttle to the Visitor Center of the Glacier, you can easily see the glacier across the little lake (inlet?) and you can walk to Nugget Falls, which my husband and I enjoyed. At the time we went, they had telescopes set up in the visitor center where you could get a really close-up view of the glacier.

If it is the same one that most people use, no swimming is required. You just stand in waist-deep water holding the food and the rays come to you. When we were there, a parent had (foolishly) brought a young child (maybe 4 or 5). The water, of course, was over her head and her dad had to hold her the entire time. Plus the rays coming up apparently terrified her and the poor little thing cried most of the time.

OMG....he looks just like the dog that sniffed my woven bag and that was years ago. Maybe "Son of original sniffer"?

@kwokpot ---you make a good point. If the persons changing cabins have different status onboard, then you are correct, just get extra keys for the cabins and use your original ones for drinks, charges onboard and etc.

Have only been to Iceland twice: once in early June and then again in September. Both times we had some rather chilly weather. I think you should be Ok with what you are currently bringing but I would suggest thin gloves and hat. Doesn't take up too much room but goes a long way to making a person feel warmer. If you encounter really cold weather you can always buy a hoodie for extra warmth. I don't know if they still do this, but when we were there, Iceland had drop-off boxes where folks could donate extra clothing that they couldn't fit in the suitcase to go home..

I had used my woven bag to transport breakfast rolls while in Australia. When we flew into New Zealand, apparently the bag, although empty, still smelled of rolls. Their dog went crazy and of course, my bag was thoroughly searched. Even though I was completely innocent, it was embarrassing.

My husband and I have done this before with our adult kids. No problem at all if it is in one booking. Just go to Guest Services to switch rooms.

Just was on the Celebrity Equinox this past January. We are elite but were staying in an obstructed balcony room. Still, we discovered a free Celebrity tote bag on our bed.

Our best last-minute cruise was in 2014 on a mega-yacht for a 17 day cruise of the Black Sea through (the now defunct) Vantage Cruises. 2 months before the cruise was to begin, Russia annexed Crimea and apparently many folks cancelled as we received a notice from Vantage extolling a huge price drop. I called Vantage and asked, "Is the reason this price is so low because the Crimea situation resulted in a lot of cancellations?" After a long pause the agent replied, "Well, perhaps, but adventurous cruisers like yourself are currently filling the empty spots". He probably meant 'cheap-skates' but who cared. I made the booking and as airfare was included, no hassles at all. Plus, we ended up being the only passenger vessel in the Black Sea and were welcomed warmly everywhere...even in Sochi Russia.

Been on lots of cruises with both Celebrity and RCCL and have had Elite/Diamond status for years now. When we have taken our grandkids on cruises, we chose RCCL as, mentioned before, there are lots more activities for them. (The two of us just got off a nine day cruise on Celebrity to the ABC islands and there were a total of 4 children aboard...half of them babies). Also, I love RCCL salad buffets during sea days. However, for just my husband and myself, we usually go with Celebrity. We are not big drinkers, and can't even finish 2 of the 3 free drinks apiece offered with our status. It is definitely a more quiet passenger vibe, but we can't stay up late anymore even if we wanted to do so. Never have we been awakened on Celebrity by noisy folks in the hallway at night, but that was not always the case with RCCL. Otherwise, I think both lines provide a good cruise experience.

Thank you. We are not luxury lines cruisers either, nor are we big spenders on land travel. My husband and I decided long ago that if we travel more cheaply, we can travel more often.

I used Viator once, and NEVER again. I booked a tour through what I thought was the vendor, only to find out it went through Viator. 3 days before the event, the vendor emailed me that the tour was only available in Italian. I responded that since I don't speak Italian, please cancel my tour. The vendor said he would. None-the-less, Viator charged my credit card the entire amount and refused to believe that I had cancelled. Unfortunately when I disputed this with my credit card company, I could not find the original vendor's email while Viator sent the cc folks a 17 page response resulting in the credit card company believing them and not me...so I was out the entire amount.

Much thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I have been making careful notes of various comments and suggestions. Cruisemom42---would you mind divulging which line you ultimately chose? Also, for those of you who have cruised Alaska, is the landscape similar to that in Norway? How about the fjords of Milford Sound in New Zealand? Both of these we have done in the past.

Having snorkeled at many of the islands, surprisingly the place we saw the most turtles (and they were the really big kind) was at Honeymoon Beach on Water Island off St. Thomas. In Bonaire, we only saw one small one.

We were in Argentina for a week this past November, on our own. Based on previous advise, we went to a Cambio and exchanged a 50 dollar US bill into pesos, only to find the locals really wanted their tips in dollars. Also, as mentioned previously, when using a US credit card, the amount charged will be lower. However, we learned that it took several days for this to happen. If we checked immediately after a purchase, it still showed an amount reflecting the 'official' exchange rate. So...just be patient. The lower charge will eventually show up on your card.

My husband and I have cruised extensively over the years, but one bucket list remains: The Norwegian Fjords. Been to Oslo several times and not interested in anything that leaves from South Hampton nor a mega-ship which, I suspect, can not access the fjords. Can anyone suggest a line that focuses on the Fjords themselves? Thank you,

Hi David....Your dad sent us the link to this, your latest adventure. Lynn and I have been following your blogs for several years now. You write really well. Despite many cruises, Lynn and I have never done a back-to-back one, so before ending this blog, can you sum up the advantages/disadvantages of such a cruise? Carol

Just off the Equinox. We WERE allowed Elite free drinks at the Craft Social and the Martini Bar. Just not the World Class bar.

We just got off the Equinox two weeks ago. While onboard, the maintenance crew was scraping and repainting the balconies. (Guest services sent each cabin that was to be serviced a notice the night before and indicated if you did NOT want that done you needed to contact them prior to the assigned day. Ours came while we were in bed, and we a very limited time to deny the request

Less than two weeks ago my husband and I booked a snorkel excursion with Seacow out of Bonaire. It involved a 3 hour snorkel along the island of Klein Bonaire and an adjacent beach (can't recall the name). We highly recommend this experience as the corals and sponges off the island were the best we have seen in the Caribbean. Their boat has a max passenger number of 28 (we had 27) and these are divided into 3 groups. Each group had its own guide/leaders and did they do a good job! Ours not only gave us a running commentary on what we were seeing but spent a lot of time treading water with her head above the water, keeping an eye on her group. This was especially important to us, as my husband who will be eighty in April, has very poor vision and in past excursions, our group leaders just swam off, leaving him frantically trying to figure out where they were heading. Even better, very little swimming was involved, as we just floated along with the current, with the boat keeping up deeper in the water. Half-way through, we got back onboard to be served little wraps of chicken or vegetables, some delicious banana bread, fruit etc and drinks which included a rum punch. Then back into the water for the last half of snorkel. We took a cab to and from their marina, but if you were really a fit person, it is possible to walk there. A very enjoyable three hours!

One reason you may not see as much of your cabin attendant is they are REALLY busy.. We just got off the Equinox from a nine day cruise. Our cabin attendant told us she is responsible for 19 cabins and no longer has an assistant to help her. Every time we passed her in the hallway, she was immersed in cleaning something. Still, she managed to be pleasant, competent and all requests were promptly addressed. My husband and I stand in awe of these folks..

Yes, Amsterdam Manor IS the stop after Eagle Beach if you are coming from town. We just took the bus there less than two weeks ago. The bus lets you out at its stop, and you just walk across the street to the beach. Much less crowded than the previous beaches we passed. When you are ready to return to the bus station, the stop is right there on the ocean side of the road. It is even covered so you can't miss it.

It seemed to us that each van had an assigned area for drop-off. Our van dropped everybody onboard off at the same place. The driver assured us that this part of the beach had the 'best bathroom of all'. Not sure about that, as the small building had one room with a toilet for men and the another room for women. it was really clean though and a big enough room that folks could bring in a child or two with them. We only rented an umbrella, which was 10 dollars. I think you could get an umbrella and two chairs for 25. We were told the van/bus would pick us up at the same spot in the parking lot. Either a bus or van came every twenty minutes and honored our return trip pass. However, they stick around in the parking lot for twenty minutes until the next one comes. Some folks on the bus had been waiting for over 15 minutes when we got there and the driver was told 5 minutes later that he had to leave as another was arriving.

I saw a lot of people right down the beach on very similar chairs, so I am assuming you can rent but don't know how much it costs.