Syrreal

On 8/4/2021 at 9:29 AM, graphicguy said:

@NutsAboutGolf…But, I wondered if he’d actually give me the entire cake….. 😉

He probably would have.  My husband only likes plain cheesecake.  He mentioned it to our waiter in the MDR and the next evening there was his cheesecake…. A whole cheesecake.  We brought it back to the room and I honestly don’t think it lasted until the next morning. 🤣

It will depend a lot on how many kids are on the cruise.  Our last family cruise there were only 5 kids using the kids club, so everyone was together with a ton of personalized attention.  

22 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Well now, that explains it.  I was on RCI and also have pix but this one is so much better than mine.  It's been my desktop wallpaper for years. Still my favorite X picture.

It’s my favorite one too 😁

On 2/10/2021 at 6:39 PM, goofysmom99 said:

Constellation going into Flam, May 2014.

I think this was actually our Arctic circle cruise on the Connie heading out of Geiranger in June 2014.  What an amazing cruise!  Someone on a Hal ship took this photo and was kind enough to post it.  
 

Celebrity asks for photos every so often for their promotional materials.  A few years ago someone from there messaged a few cruise critic members and our photos ended up on their brochures along with a quote.  Yes, you do have to give up your rights to the photo and all you get are bragging rights in return. 

We did the North Cape with Celebrity in 2014.  That trip is incredible.  You’ll love it. 
 

You usually have to call for the FV reservations, and they are limited to 5 people.  You probably won’t see one come up online until near or after final payment.  

We did one cruise in mid July and one in late June (for the summer solstice). Both were great and we lucked out with weather, though the late June was slightly drier. Wear layers and enjoy!

a few highlights included the aquarium in Alesund (easy to do on your own and there is a bus that picks up and drops off right at the port), the Viking ship museum in Oslo was also great, and of course the fish market in Bergen. 

My younger kid was 3 and older one was 7. We jumped in with both feet and their first cruise was a 12 nighter.  If they hated it, we were stuck. Lol.  Luckily, they both loved it!
The 3 year old was already potty trained, so he got to stay in the kids club with his brother.  Since there were only about 15 under 16 kids on the whole ship, they pretty much had the entire kids club to themselves most of the time and hated when they couldn’t play there.  They both still talk about their time on the big blue boat (we were on Celebrity) and can’t wait to be back on another one (especially since our cruise this past summer was cancelled). 

Amsterdam is small enough that if you’re towards the center, you’re not far from the cruise port.  I like both the hotel Estherea and the Toren. 

There will be more kids on shorter itineraries (7 days or less).  With that being said, we took our then 7 and 3 year olds on their first cruise for 12 nights around Norway.  There were less than 10 kids on the whole ship (including babies) and only 5 used the kids club at all.  My kids loved the cruise and the kids club.  Great personalized attention and everyone was able to enjoy the trip and didn’t need slides, bumper cars, or wave pools. 

The most memorable and special freebie we ever got was on our 10th anniversary cruise. My husband got sick on one of our cruises.  He caught a cold on the flight over and started feeling sick a couple of days into the cruise (ear and sinus infection).  He was sick for a day or two and we got antibiotics from the ship doctor and he was well on his way to being mended. Our steward was very sweet and made sure he always had fluids and soup and anything else he needed.  We were also surprised with it being arranged that he could have a soak in the fancy deep tub they have at the spa along with eucalyptus salts etc and it was all free of charge.  It was really above and beyond and we really appreciated it.  
 

We’ve also been lucky enough to have dinner with an officer and receive some free wine, but nothing compares to that significant act of kindness that was shown to us. 

Geirager in Norway.  Probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.  
 

and a photo of us on the Constellation that was taken by another cc member on the ship that was behind us, heading out.  

Our last cruise with the kids, there were less than 10 kids under 16 on board and only about 5 of them ever used the kids club including my 2. Sometimes my 2 were the only ones there.  They loved the personalized attention and never once was an activity canceled because there were few children.  I think they may have even been able to do a few more things than they would usually do.  

Even if there aren’t many kids on board, there will be plenty for them to do, especially if they enjoy kids club.  We did a 12 night Arctic Circle cruise when mine were 7 & 3 and there were only 10 kids under 16 on board and my kids had a blast plus a ton of individual attention.  

What if the people had been reading books and also “not socializing” at the martini bar?  Would that have been more appropriate? 
 

Everyone’s vacation is different and people enjoy different things.  

Have lunch at Versailles (on 8th street around 37th ave).  

A few years ago, Celebrity stopped the 12 night itineraries around Norway, including the Arctic Circle cruise.  Are there any plans to bring back those types of more exciting and “different” itineraries? 

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions from CC.  Much appreciated.  

We took my then 3 and 7yr olds to Norway a few years ago (during mid/late June) and they had a blast.  We did not do any of the ship tours with them, but found a lot of things to do with them.  There’s a great aquarium in Alesund and a fun public playground in Stavanger.  They also loved eating at the fish market in Bergen and we ate a lot of school bread from different bakeries.  

Greece would be great too, and much warmer than Norway, but most of the time (except after crossing into the arctic circle) we were generally fine with a hoodie or just long sleeve T-shirt.  

Here’s a pic of the awesome playground (and we were all in T-shirts that day)

Also, the VIP thing will give them a few special field trips. When mine had it, they spent time in the theater backstage, got to go visit the bridge, and one more.  Also, if there is a special event, the fun factory will take them too.  For example, we had a “kiss the fish” party as we crossed into the arctic circle and the kids went with kids club instead of us (we were not as cool to hang out with as the fun factory girls). 

One of the most refreshing non-alc drinks I’ve had which, when compared to something like a virgin piña colada or others of that nature, was an orange soda (orange juice with soda water). 

There is a great aquarium in Alesund.  You can catch a bus right at the port and your fare includes round trip bus transportation (it loops around about every 20 minutes). 

As someone else mentioned, Norway has some great options for kids. In particular, Stavanger has a great maritime themed playground that is walking distance from the port and Alesund has an aquarium a short bus ride away (buses depart and return to port)

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My then 3 year old’s first cruise was a 12 nighter. It was a great time for everyone in the family.

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Don’t discount the “old people” lines. We took the kids on their first cruise at 7 and 3 on celebrity and had a family room (sleeps 5) and the kids had a blast. Their prices tend to be about $200 less than Disney and you can usually get a perk or two included in the fare. I think our cruise to Alaska next year is running about $6200 for the four of us in concierge class and we chose drink packages as our perk. The kids were given non-alc packages as their perk.

I don’t know where you live, but if you can drive to a port you’ll certainly be able to save on airfare that way.

As someone else mentioned, you can also get a credit card that will give you points or miles for whichever line you decide on or for flights. If you are careful to pay the balance in full every month, you don’t even have to worry about it and still be getting the points. Four years or more is a fantastic amount of time to save and it’s great to see someone planning responsibly.

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