JJK2008

I agree with the other posts. The only thing I would add is that the age demographic between RCCL and Celebrity is VERY wide. You state you're in your mid-40's. That said, the demographic on Celebrity average age will be much higher - mid to late 60's plus. As a result, we found Celebrity to be much more sedate. The music in the evening was very mellow. Violins, low-key piano, etc. By 10:00 the ship seemed deserted. Now that said, Celebrity provided an excellent cruise, no complaints. RCCL on the other hand will have a more diverse age population and will be livelier overall. They both offer excellent cruises. Just depends on the activity you're looking for, excursions, etc. I'm one of those that believes there's almost no such thing as a bad cruise. Whichever you choose safe travels and enjoy.

I think I understand the status match, my question is when you do a match does MSC also award a certain number of points as your starting point? For example, if three people are Emerald, Diamond and Diamond Plus respectively on RCCL, they each would be status matched to Gold on MSC. Would MSC then award each of these the same points or do the points vary on what level you used to status match? Would a Diamond Plus status match get more points than an Emerald status match even though they both would be status matched to Gold? Tried to find this answer, but no luck. Thanks, in advance for the help.

It serves no purpose!!!!!!!!

Long travel, but it will be worth it, I'm sure. Looking at your signature you have Adventure of the Seas listed for the Caribbean and Celebrity for the Caribbean. What are the plans??? We just did Adventure over Christmas, our 2nd time on that ship. We just booked another cruise for 2024, that makes 4 booked. Two in April, one in August and the fourth at the end of December over New Years. I think that about maxes us out for the year, but who knows. I love all the plans you guys have, it's Awesome!!!! Hope to read updates of the trip. Enjoy.

Well done on the review. Thanks.

Good job....Very Impressive....It would have taken me a week.....😔

Safe Travels.....enjoy.

Great pics.....Thanks.....looks Awesome!!!!!

We're similarly situated as you. Recently travelled to Australia and New Zealand for 8 weeks in October/November. Put all of our meds in baggies and labeled them. No opioids. Given we were travelling for so long, we had LOTS of pills. Had these in our backpack carry-ons which was opened a few times with pills in plain view. Always declared what we had to inspectors. Never had an issue. We did also carry hard copies of each prescription but since never asked, we never showed them to anyone.

The pharmacy can print you out a copy of your meds. I know CVS does it. They did it for us.

Lyle you're going to really enjoy Phillip Island and the penguin parade. Nancy and I did it last November. In keeping with what others have said, the stands are right on the beach with the wind coming in right off the water - YES, it was cold. We went to a thrift store on the main street, I think it was a Vinnies, and bought blankets to bring. The stands are just benches so a cushion, like a blanket to sit on is a suggestion. Plus, one to wrap around you is not a bad idea. There are different ticket options. We bought the penguin plus tickets on-line well in advance. A little more money but you can sit right up close. Almost close enough to touch the penguins as they waddle by. The regular tickets have you in a grandstand that you can see the penguin march, but you are not right up close and personal. The picture below is an overview of the viewing area (Yes, that is a Wallaby) in the foreground). You can see two boardwalks leading to the beach the one going to the left leads to the general viewing area. The one that branches to the rights leads to the penguin plus ticket area. The seating is semi-circular and is partially hidden by the brush in the picture. You'll see in the picture it is a fair distance from the general seating. When the penguins come in from the sea, they will parade to the left as they come onshore and head to their nest which are in the hills that you see in the picture. So, literally are right in front of you, within 10-15 feet. In the general seating area, yes, you'll see them coming in from the sea, but they are a distance away. Hope the picture and explanation make sense. When we did it, they opened the gates at about 5:00. We got there very early and were already lined up before the gates opened. Nancy and I were first in line, as such we made our way down to the beach/viewing area and were able to sit front row. It is a little bit of a walk to the beach and the night we went it was very crowded. I'm guessing it is crowded most of the time. They do have a "schedule" of when the penguins will arrive. For us it was about 8:15 that night. So, yes, we sat for 3 hours waiting....it was worth every second. Pictures are allowed only up until a certain time when the spotters see the penguins starting to come onshore. From that point on, they announce no photos. Hope this info helpful. John

Very Clever. I admit, I missed it. Good Job!!!!🙃

So, you had a TERRIBLE cruise.....Got it......can't wait to have the same "terrible" experience. Good post👍.

We're aware of this practice. To each their own, but we stopped using TA years ago and have no regrets. We learned (the HARD way) years ago that any booking you make with a cruise line through a TA, the TA is the customer of the cruise line NOT you. You are a customer of the TA. So, if ANYTHING arises with the cruise that needs addressing, you must go through the TA (3rd party) to resolve. The cruise line will not even talk to you, since you are NOT their customer. Now, I'm certain that there are some very good, reputable TA out there. However, we prefer to just control the whole process ourselves. It takes a bit more work to do it yourself, but so much easier to just call the cruise line directly and resolve issues if the arise. But whatever works for you.

We did the Days Inn which has the park & cruise package along with shuttle (Cocoa Beach Shuttle). Would NOT recommend it. The hotel is in really bad disrepair and the shuttle service was the worst. Didn't NOT show up on pick-up day, we ended up taking Uber to the port, along with about 12 others also waiting. Arrived 2 hours late after the cruise. So many ships in port on our return that we could NOT get Uber or Taxi. Had to wait the 2 hours. Would NEVER recommend or use Days Inn or Cocoa Beach Shuttle again.

Priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We stayed at the Atlantis. It worked for us because it had on-site parking. It's centrally located and fit our need. No complaints.

Lyle you had them on the ropes. Could have quietly cancelled that reservation and left it posted and booked an alternative.😉

Save yourself a LOT of aggravation.....just get a passport!!!

We've also been Loyal to Royal but agree that things have changed with the company, and these are NOT positive changes. Sometimes when companies get so big, they disconnect. Perhaps this is what is happening with RCCL.

12 cruises booked - I LOVE it!!! You guys are really doing it right. GOOD FOR YOU.

YUK!!!! Stay Safe.....spring is just around the corner.....almost.

Gratuities are included in the fare to PREVENT exactly what you are trying to do. Tipping is an American custom that is NOT generally practiced or accepted across the globe. Sadly, far too many Americans feel the need to tip even when they shouldn't because they know "it's the right thing to do" at least in their mind. Depending upon where your cruise is going/coming, your gesture may not be seen as appreciation but rather insulting. Let your conscious be your guide.

Found SimCorner to be a good choice. Worked for us in Europe and again in Asia. They also offer Esim if your phone is compatible.

Just booked cocoa beach shuttle for a Christmas cruise for a roundtrip. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!! We had a party of 6 going from the Days Inn to Port Canaveral. There were also at least 12 other people at the Days Inn also booked with them. The Days Inn offers a stay and cruise package. For an additional $25 per person, Days Inn contracts with cocoa beach shuttle for transportation. The supposed pick-up time was 11:30 - NO SHOW. Numerous calls went unanswered. The Days Inn desk had no information on the shuttle. YES, Days Inn is a 3rd party contracting with the shuttle, but Days Inn is taking the money so Days Inn should be more involved. At 12:30 some others waiting called Uber and left, still no cocoa beach shuttle. Further calls got a response that one of their vans had a breakdown. That's like saying my dog ate my homework. They claim to have over 4o vans operating. At 1:15 we called Uber and left. Have no idea if cocoa beach shuttle ever arrived. On the return trip there were 6 ships in port. Needless to say, it was VERY busy. No cocoa beach shuttle waiting upon our return. Once again there were a number of people also waiting for cocoa beach shuttle. Some going to the airport and some like us going to a hotel. Numerous calls got voicemail. Tried to get an Uber or other transportation, no luck. The port was so busy, nothing was available. 2 hours after our scheduled pickup time the cocoa beach shuttle arrived. No apology, no explication, NOTHING. We were lucky in that the shuttle that arrived was for us. Others waiting had to continue to wait for "their" shuttle. Would NEVER use cocoa beach shuttle again.