Essiesmom

Yes, there was a Golden Princess from 1993-1996. She started life in 1973 as Royal Viking Star and ended life a Boudicca for Fred Olsen. The Golden I refer to was built in 2001 and now sails for P&O-Australia as Pacific Adventure. EM

But the Grand is/was older then Golden. EM

I’m afraid I won’t be much help, either. I like Singapore, been there twice. I would probably do the Malaysia itinerary because I haven’t been to any of those ports other than Singapore. But the Indonesia itinerary is also interesting, as the only places I have been to are Bali and Jakarta airport. EM

I see you have not come back to this thread nor posted on the EastCoast Departures board…although you may have visited there and done some reading. As to getting to your hotel, a taxi, Uber or Lyft. As to getting to the cruise terminal at Cape Liberty the next day, the East Coast board can connect you with car services, or you can use Uber, etc. Nothing will be cheap as there will be bridge or tunnel fees. The most expensive would probably be a taxi, because they would have to charge you double, as they would be crossing from NY into NJ, and therefore would not be legally able to pick up a fare for the return trip. As to storing luggage on, return, I am not aware of any place to do that, it you might ask at the hotel if you could store luggage for a few hours on return…for a fee, perhaps. EM

The tenth sticky above covers editing signature

I think folks here can tell you what model scooter is usually rented by the preferred companies. I believe it is a pretty common model. I suggest you go to one or more medical supply stores that sell or rent scooters. See if they have that model, and ask if you can try it out in the store. Scooters are like bikes…you can mount from either side. If one side bothers your hip, try the other. As for identifying your scooter from the others, take something along that is colorful that you can tie or fasten to the tiller. EM

Spend a little time on the board here for your cruise line, and you will see it discussed. EM

It would help for us to know what type of travel you have enjoyed previously, and your destinations. Also, are you open to flying to the cruise departure port, or do you prefer to sail from the UK. If you are considering Marella, you might also look at Fred Olsen. Also, how do you feel about cruises with children? Ships can be fuller during school holidays. You might also add Cunard into the mix. And type of cabin. At the time of year you are considering, it might be a bit chilly to get much use out of the balcony many people consider a necessity. For a taster cruise, just to get an idea of what cruising is about, an inside or OV cabin might suffice. I see you are also not considering P&O, perhaps wisely as they cater more to families. You might drop in on the UK Cruisers board here, a bit further down the main boards page, to see what members think of the UK based cruise lines. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but I am strictly US based, where everyone goes to the Caribbean to escape winter. EM

How about asking on the ports of call board for Bermuda. EM

Pre-Covid it was recommended to do the land portion first as it can be more energetic/hectic, then relax on the cruise portion. But with increasing reports of people testing positive, I would do the cruise first. EM

There is a thread on the HAL board with some good info. EM

All of the dining rooms have the same menu, just different decor. The aft dining room used to be traditional dining. Don’t know how that works now. EM

Carnival still allows smoking in their casinos, as does Princess, although Princess will have non-smoking nights. MSC Armonia had a lovely smoking lounge, but I don’t remember about Divina or Seaside. EM

In December 2019 on Island it was in the main theater. EM

Consider asking on the ports of call board for Alaska. EM

Although on a different line, there is a couple who do the world cruise every year on HAL. Without a world cruise this year, they spent from mid-December until April between Nieuw Amsterdam and Nieuw Statendam. Between two of the cruises, one tested positive. They debarked in FLL, isolated in a hotel for the length of that cruise, then rejoined the ship on the next leg. I also believe HAL paid…. They always do Live From reports, so it’s on the HAL forum. EM

You missed the point entirely. No one is concerned about a different rate. It’s about ‘I have this cruise booked and can’t go, pay me what I paid and go instead’. Now, if the OP was paying for all cabins and not being reimbursed by the other couple it’s irrelevant. EM

There have been multiple threads discussing this on this board and others in the last couple of weeks. Just scroll back a few pages. EM

Changing out everyone in the cabin is essentially reselling the cruise, which is. It allowed. EM

I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember where we boarded QE. But wherever your ‘door’ is, it will feed you into the lobby. I suspect it will be on deck 3, Promenade. When you debark in ports, it will be on deck 1 or lower…. But don’t worry about it, just follow the crowds. EM

Perhaps with a touch of auto corrupt…

Yes, that’s Jan! EM

Definitely the old locks. EM

Rick Steve’s’ Scandinavian and Northern European cruise ports. He will tell you what there is to do/see and how to do it yourself. Also check to ports of call boards here for Northern Europe. EM

Especially when you have a daughter going off to college…. EM