katmu

What are your thoughts on 1 stop on Alaska vs. a nonstop on Delta? Getting ready to book our flights for 2024 in a few days.

Do you possibly have some all black tennis shoes / trainers? If they are fairly plain, i don’t think anyone will be looking at your shoes. I have a mobility issue and am limited with footwear myself, as are many others. Go and enjoy your cruise.

For my trip in February, I will have one non-Delta flight on KLM. It will actually be my first time flying business including the flight from AMS to BCN on KLM. KLM has the following for allowances on their website for business which are a bit more generous than for economy. I should be well under that. In Business Class, you’re always allowed to bring: 2 items of hand baggage, each with a maximum size of 55 x 35 x 25 cm including handles and wheels; 1 accessory (such as a small handbag or laptop bag) with a maximum size of 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Your hand baggage can have a combined weight of up to 18 kg. I do sometimes fly economy airlines in Europe like easyjet, but in those cases I prepay to check my second bag.

My next Princess cruise in February will be my first in Europe. I’m planning to pack carry-on only. I’m trying to understand if cruises in Europe do tend to be a bit dressier than those based out of the US. I’m thinking of wearing wool trousers, a silk blouse and jacket for formal night. Would that be dressy enough?

My Princess cruise that is ending in Rome in February is showing a debark tour that would drop you off at Fiumcino. The tour is St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum, only you don’t actually tour the Collosseum: Disembarkation day offers a wonderful opportunity to explore Rome on a guided walking tour, highlighting key sights. A scenic 90-minute motorcoach drive from the port of Civitavecchia includes such exciting landmarks as Castel S. Angelo, Circus Maximus, Arch of Constantine and the Colosseum. A stroll brings you to spectacular St. Peter's Basilica, regarded as one of the holiest and the greatest of all churches of Christendom. Michelangelo's famous "Pieta" masterpiece is located inside. Following your tour of the Basilica, enjoy free time to shop for souvenirs at St. Peter's Square. The tour concludes at Ostiense Train Station or conveniently at Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO) for flights departing after 5:00 p.m. This one is showing $179.95 for adults. There is one other debark tour available for $229.95 focused on the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s only that tour would drop you at Ostiense train station and not at FCO at the end. Disembarkation day offers a wonderful opportunity to explore Rome on a guided walking tour, highlighting key cultural and historical sights. Your tour's first stop is the spectacular Vatican Museum, a complex that houses one of the most impressive and varied collections of art in the world. Visit the famed Sistine Chapel, home to the masterpieces of the great artist Michelangelo. Step outside into the fresh air and stroll through St. Peter's Square, a striking plaza that frames the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica. Located on the site where St. Peter was martyred and buried, the basilica holds 60,000 people and is regarded as one of the holiest and the greatest of all churches of Christendom. Enjoy the majesty of the Basilica from outside, as your Guide provides a thorough explanation. The tour concludes at the Ostiense Train Station.

I can certainly understand the OP wanting to take a large bag even if that is not how I personally pack myself. Part of the fun of cruising has always been the special dinners onboard in addition to the excursions, so cruises are definitely different than packing for a land based vacation. The one thing the OP might want to keep in mind currently if flying to a cruise would be to also have a carry on with some essentials including at least a change of clothes in the event the larger bag is delayed.

I can appreciate the colors, for more extroverted people. I am generally the sort of person when picking out clothes that would ask “Does that come in navy?”. Black is the backup choice as everything seems to come in black.

Well, I was partially successful yesterday. REI did not have the Patagonia in stock but the time I made it there after taking my car in for service, and then stopping by Luggage World and TJ Max but they did have the Cotopaxi. I liked the size but the colors are a bit too loud for me. I do see that online it comes in an all black version. I’ve ordered the top three contenders for the backpack to try out at home. I’ll report back if I go with the eBags, Cotopaxi or Patagonia. For the smaller roller bag, I ended up liking this one instead of the spinners. I tried probably 10 different spinners from TravelPro, Briggs & Riley, Samonsite, and a couple of other brand I’m not remembering. The store had an area where the carpet transitioned to tile with a lip and the rollers didn’t seem to handle that well, so I can’t imagine them doing well in Europe. https://travelpro.com/collections/platinum®-elite-soft-side-collection/products/platinum®-elite-regional-carry-on-rollaboard®

There’s a TJ Max and Marshalls near Luggage World so I’m planning to stop there on my outing tomorrow. Burlington and and the mall will probably have to wait until Sunday. I have time until my first trip so I want to look at my options.

Assuming that your flight arrives before 10pm and your want to take the train into Tokyo, I would look into staying near Tokyo station as that would be the most convenient location for getting to Yokohama then for your cruise as well. The monorail will take you from Haneda to Tokyo station without having to transfer.

Thank you for the great suggestions. The ebags Motherlode jr, Patagonia MLC 30 liter and Cotopaxi are all about the size I’m looking for. I’m going to try to get to REI and Luggage World tomorrow and take a look at a few. I know they won’t have the ebags but hopefully I can look at a few others. I might also look at a smaller roller bag like the Samsonite or a couple of the Travelpro ones that are 19” or under. I know TravelPro also still makes ones with 2 wheels but I want to try them both to see what I prefer.

I think my biggest complaint with the backpack is the shape. It’s sloped at the top so I feel that I’m losing a fair amount of space. I do use packing cubes so those help a bit with the structure. If the underseat bag had wheels, I would carry a smaller travel backpack for my other bag as I don’t really want two bags with wheels. I would like the option of being able to attach the two bags together somehow. Overall, I am working on packing even lighter than I have in the past. I know I don’t want a hard shell precisely because I often take the aisle seat, and the aisle seats are more likely to have some sort of obstruction under the seat.

I need a new underseat, or personal item bag. I generally fly on Delta. My next cruise in February will be out of Barcelona and ending in Rome where I will have a few days on both ends of the cruise in hotels. I have another cruise booked to Alaska next summer. I will be taking another carry-on size suitcase for both of these trips. I have been using my work backpack but I would like something a bit more structured that could hold at least a day or two’s worth of clothes.

I think at least for my kids their appreciation of classical music began in middle school as they both attended a fine arts magnet school. Students were required to learn an instrument but also to performances by our local orchestra and other professional artists. I do agree that in general the audience for classical music tends to skew a little older. I think as with travel, classical music is something that with more exposure many younger people gain new experiences and appreciation. It sometimes starts small with one artist or piece of music.

If you want to stay with a 29” and stay with a name brand, you might start with a line like the TravelPro Max Lite 5 softside. It comes in a 29” spinner that should still be fairly light for that size at around 8.5lbs. That line also has several other roller bags, totes, and hard side bags available if you want other pieces. It might also be good to go to a luggage store at check out some newer pieces to see what you like and don’t like. This bag should run around $200.

In my letter to HAL, I specifically indicated that on our multi-generational cruise to Alaska next year all three generations that will be traveling enjoy classical music. I am GenX and my kids are Millenials.

I have written to HAL’s guest relations email asking that they bring back classical music. I would encourage other classical music lovers to do the same.

What size was your old set? 25”? 29”? Some people can pack enough for a 10 day cruise and 2 day pre-cruise in a carry-one while others would need a 29” checked bag and a carry-on for the same trip. Do you prefer hard or soft sided luggage? The questions are meant to better understand your requirements so people can make better recommendations for you.

I would agree with this advice. I find Tips for Travellers to be the most impartial of the YouTube channels. He has sailed nearly every major line and hosts a weekly Q&A session where he answers viewers questions as well.

Are you looking on the Princess website under the Drop & Go listings? Near the top of the screen, there should be an option to Select Princess Plus that will give you the drinks package, Wi-Fi, etc.

OP- It’s likely expensive if you are flying from Savannah instead of Atlanta. Are you able to fly from Atlanta for this trip, as it would give you a lot more options at likely better prices.

I can see the coffeemakers being one of those things where they eventually need to add them to all of the cabins, or wouldn’t there be an uproar?

I have this same issue with my right knee due to an accident as my right knee only bends around 90 degrees max. I don’t use the cruise lines air for this reason, although I also generally fly Delta as I can use miles to upgrade if needed. Unless it’s a short flight, I would book at least a comfort+ seat, if not premium select or first class for the extra legroom and I book my seat myself. Even if I could save a bit booking through the airlines, I might be risking starting my trip with my leg being aggravated. That’s not worth the savings to me.

That is good to know. I did book a 10 day Mediterranean cruise for 2024 already. I did find a Classical Music focused itinerary on AmaWaterways that looks pretty interesting, so I’m hoping they continue to offer it for 2025.

Is the White and Gold theme and “Love Boat” party for US based sailings only? I’m already struggling a little with packing for formal night for a Med cruise in February so to try to dress for 2 additional theme nights would be a real challenge. I might try to incorporate elements of each theme somehow if I can be creative.