onthewater51

Ditto this... In 2018 we did the Greek Isles...Thoroughly enjoyed the Delos tour. I'm not a history buff like my wife (Delos was her idea), but something about that place has stuck with me even today. Just a fascinating place and history.

It depends on your expectations and wants/needs. We have sailed on Grandeur since she was new in 1996 more times than I can count at the moment. My wife and I love the smaller ships. We are late 60s but still fit and active, and we don't enjoy the indoor facing design and mall atmosphere of larger class ships, and we don't make use of their features. We love the intimacy of Vision and Radiance class ships. The ability to always feel and see you are at sea with outdoor views and natural light everywhere is why we cruise, not for rock walls and water slides. When we bring our adult children and grandkids that's a diff story. We book a ship that caters to them, such as the Oasis class. But as I said in the beginning, know your expectations. These are older ships, 25-30 years old so don't expect the newest of anything 🙂, maybe see a little rust here and there or worn carpet, but that doesn't mean it's a bad ship. We consistently find the staff and crew are much friendlier and happier on the smaller ships. Whichever you choose, have a wonderful and safe trip. Bob

You know, I have long thought that RCI hires some of the best ship architects, designers, builders and so on. So, how can their IT dept be so consistently and even comically poor. Where do they recruit from, who does the hiring etc? It is almost as if they just don’t care about that aspect of their business.

Good to hear this...thank you. After I booked it my wife started watching Celebrity travel vids on YouTube and she said lets find one for 2025 :)....I said no problem 🙂

Sorry, ours is 11 nights...must be diff from yours

Hey BeccoBoo....Looks like we will be on that cruise with you. We just booked Ascent for Jan 12, 2026 . It will be our first with Celebrity, and while it's still owned by RCI group, it was a very reasonable price for a new ship. After almost 30 years we've started looking at other lines as well, though I doubt RCI cares. We probably don't fall in their preferred demographic anymore. My wife and I are both late 60's, don't drink or gamble and spend almost nothing on board. We just like being at sea and spending our time together even after 41 years .

I seldom read these types of live posts because I have the attention span of a gnat, according to my wonderful wife 🙂. But I do like your writing style, I’m following I also completely agree with you about Miami port. I hate sailing from there. Traffic and terminal access via ride shares , etc is horrible Safe travels, have fun and looking forward to your post Bob

“Major emotional damage “…..oh brother

I agree prices are high, but what is really surprising me is the difficulty finding decent cabins, regardless of the price. We've been looking at different trips and have searched out as far as possible. Cruises are filling up so fast and despite the prices, people are booking. I can't really blame any business charging high prices when demand exceeds supply.

Hard to believe, but I believe you. They must have gotten them for free. OR, the cynical side of me thinks they want you to purchase their overpriced movies 😀

If you have an IPhone with sufficient storage download what interests you and get one of these adaptors. It connects to a USB port on the TV, which every TV has these days: Apple Lightning Digital A/V Adapter White MD826ZM/A - Best Buy We use it all the time in our RV. Works weather you have internet or not. If you have an Android you'll need to get the appropriate adaptor and not the one above Bob

Fantastic info....thank you so much

Ok thank you. It’s an ocean cruise with RCI and the itinerary just says Amsterdam Looks like advance tickets are around 63eu per person So is a noon train safely workable? We spent 3 weeks in Ireland in May this year. Loved it so much we’re go to visit Scotland before this cruise. We’ll fly from Scotland to Amsterdam, visit Bruges post cruise, and then fly home from Brussels. Which again may be a train ride

Hi All We have a cruise that begins and ends in Amsterdam Jun 2024. According to the itinerary we arrive at 0600. After the cruise we thought we'd take the train to Bruges. Can we get our tickets when we arrive at the train station or should we get them in advance. If we should get tickets now, what would be a safe departure time? I've read a few things and don't see a big advantage to buying ahead of time, and buying at the terminal means we don't have to worry about missing our train. Any thoughts are appreciated. Bob

I am right there with you. My wife and I have one booked next year but we aren't booking anything else unless prices come down a bit to something reasonable. My feeling is this, just because we can afford something doesn't equate to a willingness to pay for it. This morning I looked at a 2024 Caribbean cruise on GOS. It was over 3K per person for a balcony. Thats close to 7K a couple after taxes and fees. We love GOS and have sailed her many times going back to '96 when she was new, but I won't pay that for a ship that old. We have an RV and have been campers for many years. We now plan longer trips. As much as we love cruising, there's a lot to see and do out in this world that doesn't involve cruising and is far more affordable. We just returned from 25 days touring Tuscany and Ireland on our own for not much more that that GOS cruise. Nope...won't be cruising for now at least