t_car

Sounds like you are leaning towards Celebrity for a balcony.

Book whichever ship has the best cabin location/price.

Regardless of which city in Europe is your preference, just remember that air travel within Europe is very cheap, if you keep luggage to a minimum, so you can spend a few days in the cities of your choice.

Go for it, and enjoy your retirement.

Unfortunately us Americans thing dinner is eat, eat, eat, pay, leave. You can hardly put your fork down until more food is shoved in your face. We lived overseas for 12 years and learned to love he slower pace and the chance to actually enjoy dinner and company. We can't wait to go in just over 10 weeks.

I know exactly what you mean. I want it now, and keep it coming. I felt sorry for one waiter on one cruise. We were seated in the MDR with two elderly southern ladies (Alabama or Georgia, I think), and they were absolutely berating the poor guy because there was no fried chicken on the lunch menu. Or the one couple at another lunch sitting, that thought service was so bad in the MDR, they left after their entree, skipped dessert (already ordered), because his wife had a spa appointment. They were sitting a total of 25 min.

This is why we usually do not put much emphasis on negative reviews. After all our cruises, we can't honestly say we did not have a good time on any of them. It is what you make of it, and your attitude towards things. We have always looked at any vacation, as an opportunity to try new things, meet different people and cultures.

My wife and I are both Canadians or Italian decent. We totally enjoyed the food variety on our Italy trip a few years ago, and look forward to a more relaxed easygoing cruise, with good food, entertainment.

I have had enough of the hairy chest contests and stand up comedy. I do enjoy karaoke though. :D

I have sailed on both ship and they are somewhat similar.

My preference is the Gem, simply I had a better experience, but more a personal preference.

Space-wise the cabins on Carnival are bigger at 185 sqft, as oppsed to about 160 on the Gem.

Food is very comparable, although the Gem has more choices in specialty restaurant which are very good. And the Blue Lagoon midship is awesome for food 24 hours a day.

If you get a balcony at the same price as an inside, I would opt for the balcony.

You will probably have better information by going to the Carnival board.

I have been on this ship twice, and I believe that the only balcony obstruction is that you can't see down to the sea, because the lifeboats are there, but outward vision is good.

There is something I don't understand.

Are the three couples driving or flying into Orlando?

It sounds like everyone is flying in.

So why not book a hotel in the area that will pick you up at the airport, and then drop you off at the ship the next day?:confused:

Google Hotel Milano. Central to Old San Juan, clean, and nice rooftop view restaurant. Walking distance to most things.

Old Quebec city is very nice to visit. In Halifax, check out the museumof Canadian immigration, very interesting stuff, and it's right at Pier 21, near where the cruise ships dock. A short distance away is the Maritime museum, a cool Titanic exhibit. For a trip back in time to 1863, take a tour of the Alexander Keith brewery. If you feel like a drive, rent a car (bring a GPS), and go to Peggy's Cove, 45 min away.

The rule of thumb is to bring half the clothes you think you need.

For a 7 night cruise, my wife and I bring a carrying each and only one 26" luggage. (Save on baggage fees) Of course a good deal of that space is purses and shoes, hers. :D We still brought back clothes we did not wear.

To reduce weight and clutter, only bring along travel size toiletries that are allowable size for carryons. These get tossed before going home.

This is priced at US$99:

 

 

25 x 35 mm equates to approximately 10 x 14, which is not a typical US photo size. I'm guessing that we would actually receive 8x10 photos, though 11x14 is the nearest typical size in the US. However, does anybody know?

 

Also, do they do the BS about not being able to combine dining room photos with photo shoot photos, or is this any 10 you'd like to choose? Do they need to be selected all at once? If we could get any of our photos in the package that would be a winner, I believe.

 

Any current information about what photo packages are available on Divina? I believe I paid $129 or $139 for a package similar to this on the ship last time. I think there an additional 'free gift' of something else with minimal value, so for $100 this might be a good deal. Just wondering about the details and if there are any 'gotchas' Thanks!

There is something odd about your size measurements. Are you sure about the 25 mm x 35 mm.

These are the little wallets size photos of 1" x 1.5". If this is the case, then all 10 of your photos would likely be of the same one.

No they are not that thin - in fact they are very well insulated. But music if played too loud can travel. In particular if played on your balcony, at which point everyone around you will hear. Another thing to keep in mind is the inside of your stateroom can become very windy if the balcony slider is open - and your stateroom door will slam shut if opened due to the pressure differential.

Don't leave your balcony door open.

You will affect the air conditioning in your cabin and quite a few near you.

Does anybody know if the staff somehow gets a tip with this, or do they get stiffed?

From what I have read on other threads on this forum, the staff don't like it much, because they do get stiffed.

I'm planning to have plenty of $1 bills for tips for bar staff.

Don't know if the OP is a North American. Lists location as Bangkok.

Oops, my mistake. However he still may be interested in knowing the information.

Any ships on your short list are suitable for your cruise and needs.

Look at which itinerary you like best.

Keep in mind the time that each ship spends in port. Sometimes they can be all day into the dinner hour, and sometimes they vary, and can be too short, or not allow for your excursion choices.

Also consider that Costa and MSC cater more to a european clientele, and the cuisine will be more european. Norwegian and Royal Caribbean attract more of a north american clientele, and food is generally what you are used to.

Budget is going to be a HUGE factor for us and is very limited. Would you say that a southern caribbean leaving from San Juan is our most budget friendly option?

 

As much as I would love to do Alaska and have a balcony, that is so far out of the budget it's not even funny. Well I suppose it kinda is a little funny. Maybe we should wait until we can fully enjoy an Alaskan vacation and afford to upgrade to the balcony. Thoughts?

 

So much to think about.

We have done two cruises out of San Juan, both on Carnival. One on the Valor, and the second on the Liberty.

For some unknown reason, Carnival has repositioned the Fascination into San Juan for the Southern Caribbean route. Nice older ship, but very few amenities.

Adventure of the Seas, not not that new, has a lot more to offer.

Someone said airfare to San Juan is expensive. We flew out of Toronto (cheapest at the time) for about $550 CDN per person. This was last October.

Not bad, keep in mind our weak dollar, and you are in the air for over 5 hours.

Where are you located? You may consider just driving to New York for a Bermuda cruise. Much cheaper than airfare.

Overall, both cruises will cost about the same. Caribbean, cheaper cruise, but extra cost of airfare. Bermuda, more expensive cruise, they also have much higher port taxes, but you save on the fact that you could drive to your port.

We have done both, live in southwestern ontario. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I think itvis always a good idea to learn a few of the companies need phrases in the local language you are visiting. Also keep in mind that most europeans, especially those in tourism, speak English.

The most important things to remember is to smile, be polite, never rude.

Please don't think that italians are all rude. There are rude people in all nationalities.

I have two more suggestions for you.

Southern Caribbean Cruise out of San Juan. Royal Caribbean would be my choice now as the Carnival ship offered there now is a much smaller older ship. You will be visiting several ports that you have not been to yet - St Kitts, Barbados, and St Lucia. Loved St Lucia. This is also a relatively easy connecting flights out of Toronto. Actually cheaper than out of Buffalo or Detroit. Make sure you stay in San Juan a few days before or after the cruise. Lots to see and do.

Bermuda on the NCL Breakaway out of New York. Great newer ship, lots to do.

Absolutely loved Bermuda.

Med cruises are very nice too, but not really one where you do a lot of beaches and snorkeling. However, we really enjoyed our med cruise, especially staying in Rome for 5 days before our cruise.

Here is my two cents.

The Greek Islands are beautiful and on many of the ports, the activities and excursions are not kids orientated. Please correct me. When my cousin returned from their Greek Islands / Turkey cruise, he kept referring to "Being ruined from seeing so many ruins."

I would choose a cruise line that has a lot to offer kids when they return to the ship. And for this I would choose Royal Caribbean first.

Being that this is your first cruise, I am sure you will have a great time on any ship.

JMHO

November is near the end of Hurricane season. The weather should be fabulous. If poor weather is predicted when getting close to cruise date, they may decide to do the ports backwards to avoid bad sea conditions.

If you are doing excursions, I would not prepay any of them just in case of schedule changes. You are doing beaches, so no worries.

It will be great! Have a great cruise.

One March break cruise, we went from Burlington Vermont to San Juan. We saved $700 per person over an air Canada flight. That's a lot of cash for a family of four.

Did you mean $700 for all four of you?

$700 per person is unreal. When we took our Liberty cruise from San Juan last year, it was $550 CDN per person from Toronto, and that was cheaper than Buffalo or Detroit. Was Air Canada the cheapest flight from Ottawa?

I know Ottawa has weird connecting flights to anywhere, so Montreal would have been a better choice. Return flights from Montreal to San Juan this March break, even booking it this late, are selling for around $750 per person CDN right now.

Similar timed flights from Burlington are actually more expensive. Add in the extra driving, hotel nights, it increases the cost.

I guess you just have to shop around for the best options available to you at the time.

The furthest we have driven is to Jacksonville, Florida. Combined a 5 day cruise with several stops along the way. Loved Hilton Head in South Carolina.

Don't forget that there are easy ports to drive to within one day - New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Charleston.

Thanks Bret,

I was hoping you would answer this one.

Just wondering if I am able to find this out before boarding.

Can't seem to see this info anywhere.

Any insight appreciated.

With 5 cruise ships in port at the same time, traffic anywhere in Phillipsburg and Maho and Orient beaches is going to be bad.

It is an easy island to drive around, and for a family of five, would also be cost effective. Definitely book ahead for availability.

Hi Tracey,

Thanks for your very comprehensive and genuine review. I am looking forward to a more international cruise experience on the Divina in September.

My wife and I were both born in Italy, although in Canada from a young age. We are looking forward to partake in the many pasta dishes and Gelatos on our cruise. :D:p

Read the review of the Dec 5th sailing that Tracey/Thom posted on this page.

Great review and covers the formal nights and theme nights in more detail.