katmu

2 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Likely little later, but keep watching on here for when actual Dates will be

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

There will be a thread like this discussing the next deployment (to cover 2026-2027) - the thread will start in late summer, there's no real info before then.

Thank you both.  I’ll check back late summer.

Am I correct that Mediterranean cruises for 2026 will likely be released in October?

3 hours ago, mnocket said:

Wow.  You are trying to compare two very different cruise experiences.  Both the ships and the itineraries are completely different.  My inkling, given your stated desire...

 

"I really enjoy seeing new destinations, so I do not want a mega ship or a lot of nightlife.  Food should be good but doesn’t need to be gourmet."

 

is that Windstar is a better match. In all honesty, these two cruises are so different that I really don't think it should be a difficult decision for you to make.  You know what you value most. It really shouldn't be hard to determine which option is the best fit for you.

I think it’s the fact that I had I’ve now had 2 cruises that were supposed to stop at Naples for Pompeii that have been canceled.  I’m strongly leaning towards Windstar this year and then an another Mediterranean last next year or earlier in 2026 that would cover Naples, Ephesus and Greece.

34 minutes ago, ldubs said:

I've also read the negative comments about the renovations to Island Princess.  Based on our experience,  I would not hesitate to go Island Princess again.  Island Princess is among the smaller ships in the Princess fleet but still contains all the bells and whistles.  It is a lot larger than Windstar Star Legend.  If you like really small ships, that could be a difference.   Additionally Windstar is considered an upscale line compared to Princess.  Not having been on Windstar I can't really comment. 

 

The Island Princess itinerary is more varied and includes a couple sea days.  The larger ship will provide a variety of options to enjoy sea days.  For the Windstar Itinerary, the two days in Livorno are a nice feature if you want multiple excursions from that port (like Lucca, Florence, Pisa).  And, like you say, you would get to see Barcelona without having to get a hotel there.  The Windstar embark/disembark ports are more convenient travel points, at least for me.  That could make a difference if you are traveling just for the cruise.  

 

To me a big difference between the two is the ship size and what will likely be two different on-board experiences.  I like the larger ship experience for the more varied and vibrant atmosphere.  Many others prefer the small ship experience.   No help I'm afraid. 

My only other cruise on Princess was on the Sky in the Caribbean, and after that cruise I certainly felt that a ship that size was too big for me.  Granted the Island Princess is much smaller, but I’m not sure that the extra activities would be as important to me on a European cruise as that would on an itinerary where I’m mostly looking to relax.

For Livorno, I would likely spend the night overnight in Florence so I can spend more time there.

11 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would not be inclined to fly 8 or 10 hours for a 7 day cruise. Even if Windstar is so much better a cruise line, which it is.

 For either cruise, I would be doing both pre- and post- cruise stays in the embarkation and debarkation cities.  So the 7 night cruise would end up being more like 13-14 days, and the 10 night would end up being probably 16.  I’m not someone that flies in only for the cruise.  That is why they are both one way itineraries.

I am planning to do a Mediterranean cruise this winter, sometime between late November and the end of February as a solo cruiser.  I am limited by my job as to when I can travel so Fall and Spring are out, and I really don’t like the crowds and heat in the summer in the Med.  I’ve traveled to Italy and other parts of Europe in the winter but this will be my first Mediterranean cruise.  I really enjoy seeing new destinations, so I do not want a mega ship or a lot of nightlife.  Food should be good but doesn’t need to be gourmet. 

When I was originally looking, I was deciding between a 10 night on the Island Princess in November from Athens to Rome and an 8 night on Celebrity Infinity from Barcelona to Athens.  I ruled out the Celebrity due to the solo pricing on this particular sailing.  I could have booked a fake 2nd passenger I guess, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that.  So that left me with the Island Princess and I went ahead and made a $99 deposit on an oceanview cabin.  The itinerary is below:

Day 1 Athens (Piraeus), Greece. 7:00pm

Day 2 Mykonos, Greece 8:00am 6:00pm

Day 3 At Sea 

Day 4 Limassol, Cyprus 7:00am 4:00pm

Day 5 Rhodes, Greece 9:00am 6:00pm

Day 5 Ephesus / Kusadasi, Turkey 7:00am 5:00pm

Day 6 Crete (Heraklion), Greece 7:00am 5:00pm

Day 7 Olympia (Katakolon), Greece 9:00am 6:00pm

Day 8 At Sea 

Day 9 Naples / Capri (Sorrento), Italy 7:00am 7:00pm

Day 10 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy 6:00am

So naturally, the travel agency I use sent me their newsletter and of course there is another cruise that I would never have looked at because it’s on Windstar, a line I would have assumed to be out of my price range.  It’s a 7 night from Barcelona to Rome on the Star Legend.  I could do an oceanview cabin for the roughly the same price as my Princess sailing, granted it’s 7 nights instead of 10:

Day 1 BARCELONA

Day 2 BARCELONA 4:00 PM

Day 3 MARSEILLE 9:00 AM 6:00 PM

Day 4 NICE 8:00 AM 10:00 PM

Day 5 GENOA, ITALY 8:00 AM 10:00 PM

Day 6 LIVORNO 8:00 AM

Day 7 LIVORNO 6:00 PM

Day 8 ROME 8:00 AM

If I went with Princess, I would eventually do a Western Mediterranean cruise in a year or two, and if I went with Windstar I would also do an Eastern Mediterranean in a year or two.  Rome is the only place on either itinerary where I have spent significant amounts of time.  I know the many of the negative reviews on Island Princess focus on the extra cabins that were added.  I was looking forward to Athens, Ephesus and Sorrento / Pompeii on the Princess cruise but I also would love to see Barcelona, Nice, Genoa and the overnight stop in Livorno has me excited about the Windstar cruise. 

I spent several months last year looking for a travel backpack that was smaller than the maximum carry-on size.  I ended up going with the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L bag.  I’ve been super happy with it.  It weighs less than 3 lbs, has a laptop sleeve, exterior water bottle pocket, and I really like the organization overall.

https://www.patagonia.com/product/black-hole-mini-mlc-convertible-backpack-30-liters/195699382879.html

We’ve decided on the Rotterdam cruise.  The 2 days in Stockholm ended up being the deciding factor.

Both ships are listed as Stockholm not Nynashamn, as that was one of the first things I was looking for.

I was planning that for either cruise we would spend probably 3 nights in Amsterdam pre-cruise.  The Holland America cruise ends on a Saturday so we would look to fly back either on Sunday or Monday so I would need to decide to do with the extra time.

We have Prussian (Pomeranian) ancestry so exploring the area near Warnemunde is something that interests me.

My adult son and I are looking at 2 Baltic cruises for 2025.  I prefer the Holland America Rotterdam itinerary as it has an overnight in Stockholm, a late night in Tallinn and stops in Oslo.  He prefers the Celebrity Eclipse itinerary as it leaves from Amsterdam instead of Rotterdam, and visits 7 ports in 12 days vs. 8 ports in 14 days.  The itineraries are below.

Holland America Rotterdam

Day 1 Rotterdam 3:00 PM

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Oslo, Norway 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Day 4 Aarhus, Denmark 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Day 5 Warnemunde, Germany 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Day 6 At Sea

Day 7 Tallinn, Estonia 9:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Day 8 Helsinki, Finland 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Day 9 Stockholm, Sweden 8:00 AM -

Day 10 Stockholm, Sweden           - 5:00 PM

Day 11 At Sea

Day 12 Kiel, Germany 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Day 13 Copenhagen, Denmark 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day 14 Rotterdam, Holland 7:00 AM

Celebrity Eclipse

Day 1 Amsterdam 5:00PM

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Warnemunde, Germany 9:00 AM - 11:30 PM

Day 4 At Sea

Day 5 Gdansk (Gdynia), Poland  7:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Day 6 Visby, Sweden 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day 7 Tallinn, Estonia 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Day 8 Helsinki, Finland  7:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Day 9 Stockholm, Sweden 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Day 10 At Sea

Day 11 Copenhagen, Denmark 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Day 12 Amsterdam, Holland 6:00 AM

Thank you.

I can understand that Celebrity is looking at it from a perspective that on average, a cabin with a solo cruiser may have spend less total over the course of a cruise than a cabin with 2 adults but there are other factors.  I tend to book more cruise line excursions when sailing solo than I do when sailing with friends or my family.  I also tend to spend more money at the spa on things like massages or thermal suite passes, as my solo cruises can be time to relax.

For me my biggest issue with Celebrity’s policy is that many solo cruisers don’t always cruise solo.  I sometimes cruise solo, and sometimes cruise with friends or family.  I am generally the planner of the trips with my friends and family, and I can tell you I will not be looking at Celebrity if they are not going to welcome my solo business as well.

38 minutes ago, indigosails said:

 

I agree. The suites on O are +/- $7k pp. I’m afraid he’s going to have to bite the bullet. Thanks for your help.

Have you checked out the mini-suites on Princess.  My friend and I shared one on Sky Princess and found it spacious enough for 2 people.  The website says for the newer ships that category is about 320 square feet.  Sapphire Princess and Coral Princess, smaller ships, also shows 320 sq. feet.

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Good point - but back on topic - Symphony’s 6,000+ passengers compared with Eurodam’s 2,000  means that port crowding should be considered —- in addition to the on-board differences.

 

On our annual three week stay at St. Maarten we have learned to shelter in place on busy cruise days.  I pity the poor cruising yahoos who think they are experiencing Caribbean islands when they travel like that.

This does raise a good point about St. Maarten as I still have an issue there it seems.  On the day the Eurodam docks in St. Maarten, there are 2 additional bigger ships in port that day so there will be over 10,000 people arriving. Any suggestions for a busy day?  Eurodam arrives before the big RC ship so I may get off for a short bit and get back on the ship once things get busy.

The good news is that for the moment anyway, the other ports don’t look to be as crowded.  Even St. Thomas will have only a Crystal ship besides Eurodam on the day currently scheduled.  

I’m waiting for my TA to complete the booking on the Eurodam.  For people who are saying the ports are better on the Eurodam, what is the opinion on St. Maarten? 

I’m most excited about St. Lucia and Antigua.  Half Moon Cay looks more my speed than Perfect Day as well.  I need to do more research on Dominica and St. Kitts.

Hello- I am in my early 50s and will be cruising solo.  I’m looking at Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruises in either late November or early December.  Both of these lines would be new to me, although I am booked on a HAL cruise for next May with my family.  I was looking at these 2 cruises for different reasons.

The Royal cruise is a hosted singles cruise.  I’m not particularly interested in dating but a cruise where I know there will be well-attended events for solos does appeal to me.  I’m not as excited about the big ship, potential for lots of kids on board, and it’s obviously 7 days vs. 11 days.  Price wise, the base fare of the 7 day on Symphony of the Seas is cheaper but once I add gratuities, internet, and the non-alcoholic drinks package, it really only saves about $200.  HAL includes a full drinks package, 1 specialty dining, 2 shore excursions and $300 OBC though as well.  The HAL itinerary appeals to me more, but I know HAL has cut back on some of their music onboard recently so that is a bit of a concern.  I’ve been reading the Midwest thread on the HAL board that’s showing the daily events on the Eurodam currently, and I think there are enough events that interest me to keep me busy.  I do want time to relax on the sea days as well.

I’m hoping to hear from people who have sailed on either of these ships on adults only cruises, or people who can give me experience with both lines.   I have been to Miami and Fort Lauderdale for previous cruises, but all of the ports on both of these cruises would be new to me.

Symphony of the Seas

 Day Port 

 Day 1 Miami, FL 4:00pm

 Day 2 CocoCay, Bahamas 7:00am 5:00pm

 Day 3 At Sea 

 Day 4 San Juan, Puerto Rico 10:30am 6:00pm

 Day 5 St. Maarten 8:00am 6:00pm

 Day 6At Sea 

 Day 7At Sea 

 Day 8 Miami, FL 6:00am

Eurodam

Day Port

Day 1 Fort Lauderdale, FL 3:00pm

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 At Sea

Day 4 St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 9:00am 6:00pm

Day 5 St. Kitts 8:00am 5:00pm

Day 6 Roseau, Dominica 8:00am 5:00pm

Day 7 St. Lucia 7:00am 5:00pm

Day 8 Antigua 8:00am 6:00pm

Day 9 St. Maarten 7:00am 3:00pm

Day 10 At Sea

Day 11 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas 8:00am 3:00pm

Day 12 Fort Lauderdale, FL 7:00am

I’m looking to book a Signature suite for my sons and myself so being able to use the shower at the gym would be a plus.

Sorry if this has been asked before but I searched and I couldn’t find a clear answer.  On the deck plans, it shows that there are bathrooms near the gyms but are there showers there as well?  Or do we need to purchase the spa pass to gain access to the showers?

10 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

But N. Amsterdam is also mentioned.

There wasn’t a lot of detail in that thread as to why Nieuw Amsterdam was recommended.  Hence, why I started a new thread.

7 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Almost the exact same question here:

 

 

I read that thread.  I’ve ruled out the Noordam as it doesn’t have Tamarind and BB King which would be 2 things that would make me lean towards HAL.

I am trying to decide between these 3 ships for a cruise for 2025 for my adult sons and myself for sometime between the very end of May and the end of June.  The southbound itineraries on the 3 ships are very similar as all leave from Whittier, visit Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay NP, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and sail the inside passage before arriving in Vancouver.  I’m leaning towards booking cruise only and planning the land portion of our trip as a DIY but I’m still trying to decide on that.  Between Nieuw Amsterdam, Coral Princess and Sapphire Princess is their a clear favorite?  TIA.

53 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

We had one of these a few years ago with our then 19 year old son. I ended up sleeping on the sofa bed as we thought it a bit “short” for our son. Depending how tall your sons are, this may be a good arrangement for you. It flips out lengthways as a single and I found it very comfortable.

The boys sadly inherited their height from their parents and not from some of the taller relatives in the family.  The taller one is only 5’9” so I think we could make it work.  I’m leaning towards going with the Signature.  Thank you.

I’m looking at a cruise for myself and my 2 sons for next year, and considering going with a signature suite vs. 2 verandah cabins.  The issue is that someone would have to sleep on the sofa bed if we go with the signature suite.  I tried doing a search but the results mainly were talking about the pullout beds in the verandahs.  The extra bed in the signature looks to be a different style. The cruise I’m looking at would be on the Nieuw Amsterdam.  TIA.

Princess two newest ships coming in 2024 and 2025 will be adding some ropes course, climbing wall features.  It will be a smaller area than on Royal ships.  Those 2 ships will be sailing 9 and 10 Med cruises on some dates when kids would be in school. 

Otherwise, I agree with the others that maybe Virgin Voyages or Celebrity would be worth a look.

Hi all-  I too have been doing a bit of cruise planning over the last couple of weeks as I was off work last week having knee surgery.  I have our itinerary finalized so I’m finishing up the hotel bookings, and trying to decide on the last couple of excursions.  The time off was nice as I could revisit my planning to see if I missed anything.  I’m feeling pretty good overall.

I will be packing carry-on only with a carry on travel backpack and underseat bag. My younger son will probably pack carry on only too.  My mom and my older son tend to pack a checked bag so I think we’ll still be ok for space in the SUV I rented.

I’m planning on gifting son #1 a jacket for the trip but otherwise we should be set as our weather here, and past National park trips should have us all set.  I usually pack OTC meds, but will make especially sure for Alaska.  I’m also going to need my refillable ice pack for my knee.  It should be much better by next summer as long as I don’t overdo it with any steep hiking trails.  I have travel sizes of bug wipes I use for our state bird (mosquitoes) that I usually keep for trips up north so I’ll bring those too.

Are you definitely wanting to stay with RC, or are you willing to look at other lines?  For a multi-generational trip with the ages of your group RC could work, but I would also maybe look at Celebrity and Princess.  Both Celebrity and Princess both offer Southern Caribbean itineraries out of FLL.    Most Southern Caribbean itineraries from FLL or Miami are going to have either 3 or 4 sea days if you are doing a 10 day cruise.

I asked my surgeon if the hospital offered a volume discount, you know “buy 6 surgeries and your 7th is free”.  Somehow, he didn’t get my humor.😂.   Seriously though, the surgeon doing my surgery this week is a specialist so I’m hopeful for a good outcome.

Yes the excursions are refundable, so I could book the Oia and Fira excursion and cancel a few weeks before if my knee isn’t up to it.