Dancer Bob

Those direct flights are on an E195, correct? Does anyone know if Porter's are configured for long haul?

If their behaviour is so OUTRAGEOUS why would you want to travel with them?

Much of that is inaccurate. English is the working language of the hotel staff, all staff are required to speak enough English for their job functions. All safety annoucements are in English, if it's not, it doesn't concern you. What drinks are included depends on the fare/package you pick. Fountain water is free, it's service you pay for. Most posters here agree the cheapest fares are not really good value. I've always found Costa's single supplements to be very competitive. There are many direct flights from Europe to the Caribbean, especially the French islands, which are overseas departments of France. I also had a phone problem on Princess, although I'm not going to spend my cruise looking at a computer, so I didn't try very hard. I will admit it's easier to get to Europe than to Costa's Caribbean ports, so I haven't done a Caribbean cruise since they left the US market. I'm assuming you have a passport and are not looking for closed-loop cruises.

Make sure you're comparing apples to apples on the fares. Costa offers a number of fare levels with different inclusions.

In general, I agree with mapleleafs. But looking at 10.30 PM arrival, desire for convenience, and accepting you don't have much time for sightseeing, I suspect the Aerobus might not be your best option. I would rate "24 hr reception" as more important than "close to Las Ramblas".

Not exactly.I can't prove any of this, but my guess is that because NA phones are so horrendously insecure, having the Costa app might give NSA an entry point to European data, and storing data in the US is the same as giving it to the NSA (not to mention all the commercial "monetisers"). I firmly believe the US is crying so piteously about Huawei because the US has been doing exactly that for years. The easy workaround is to go back to paper-based menus and accounts for North Americans.

I've done the opposite direction, 21 days Dubai-Rome several times. Yes, ages skew very strongly to 60+. But that's chronologial age, not attitude. It may not be as dire as you expect.

Typically, airfare negates any savings on last-minute cruises.

Saying Costa isn't to blame for IT problems is disingenuous. They've made a choice, in spite of knowing for at least a year some of their customers have problems, there's been no workaround. I strongly suspect the real problem is European privacy regulations, that NA phones can't be made compliant, that anything you put on your phone goes straight to NSA.

ETIAS doesn't start til 2024, so if that's what they're talking about and they've already upgraded their system, they're jumping the gun.

I'm appalled at the photo of alleged "dancing". Only one couple looks to be dancing, except it looks like Argentine Tango, which of course is the exact opposite of ballroom dancing. None of the women appear to be wearing decent shoes. I've found that to be a good predictor of whether it's worth bothering trying. If that's their idea of fun, I can get that on American ships for far less money. I'm highly doubtful of dance hosts trying to teach a lesson. If you look at Floataway and especially Compass, the required qualifications are hardly better than able to walk onto the floor without falling down. (Maybe the couples are better.) I'm sure many of the posters on these threads could do a far better job. If that's what to expect from Cunard, I be sticking with Costa. Even though there's trade-offs, at least there's a lot of people who like to dance, not just drunken stumbling. For Sdancer- the animation staff on Costa dance with passengers. They're not very good, but better than nothing.

Keep an open mind. Usually I book about 8 months out, but my next two Trans-Atlantics, I started looking as soon as the flights opened. The prices were comparable to this year. Maybe I was the only one looking and found the only cheap seats, but for the same prices, I was willing to take the chance and book then.

Also note the differences in consumer protection between the Canadian provinces and US states. I have no idea what protctions there are in NH.

I was able to book a non-alcohol package for my Toscana cruise next March, although I don't remember the exact details, so they do exist.

No one can answer this question without knowing your citizenship. In my experience at Aqabba, although the actual office is at the land crossing, the ship is done in bulk for those nationalities eligible for visa-on-arrival.

I would consider planning a 13.30 arrival at CDG to be high risk but planning an 07.00 departure from St Charles (via Gare de Lyon?) to be very high risk. If I were insisting on travelling day of arrival, I would only consider the 10.00 direct to CDG.

No you're not in Paris for 24 hours. Late afternoon arrival, morning departure- more like six hours sightseeing at best, and with bags on your way to the airport. Make sure you check for delays on the RER the evening before.

Going to Aix-en-Provence, you'll likely be on a TER, which is a regional commuter train. More "aggravation" than "experience".

Marseille has a port shuttle to Joliette Metro, but the stop is not near the terminal and there can be very long lines. There has been a Costa paid shuttle to the Vieux Port every time I have been there.

I suggest you ask about a "Bronze Medal" program. It's a substantial, multi-year commitment, but if you decide you like it, it's a concrete goal to aim for. If you reach that level, you're well-qualified as a dance host or just as a social dancer. The actual program varies slightly depending on the organization. (The two US groups I'm familiar with are DVIDA and AIDA.)

Book the cruise transfer to Gare St Charles (the port shuttle is not recommended), or taxi/Uber if you wish. The Gare Routiere is adjacent to the train platforms.

On Diadema, water during meals on the buffet and if I recall correctly, 24 hrs at the dispenser beside the hamburger place. I believe Fortuna had a refit and has recently returned to service, so I don't know what water dispensers there are now. And of course, 24 hrs in your cabin.

I agree, it will be to your benefit to take some lessons on your own. There are a large number of schools in the New York area. In the US, dancing is broken into "Smooth" and "Rhythm". In smooth, foxtrot (sometimes called "social") is the most useful. In rhythm, it will depend on what's popular in your area, but rumba or chacha wouldn't be bad choices.. If you have some spare cash lying around, you might try one of the Stardust Dance weekends in the Catskills near Monticello. A bit overwhelming for a beginner, but they attract a lot of people from New York, and most of the instructors are from New York. You'll see a broad range of dancing, to get an idea what interests you.

I just noticed this thread has had 3k views in one month, and the ballroom article, 1.9k. I wonder if Cunard is listening?

For those of us whose daily fitness routine involves an hour of walking, it's quite useful, especially if there's been a bunch of sea days. I interpret the OP as someone who's not rushing from one tourist trap to another.