ClairetoCruise

The Canary Island port calls are favorites.

We haven't been to London.

On the 7 night itinerary, only Mykonos is easy but all ports are memorable.

Rome airport is a challenge.

Food is not a major factor for us.

We've cruised Royal Caribbean more in recent years.

It delivers more satisfaction.

Our Celebrity cruises leave us wondering why they get great press.

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Claire

When my mother was 80 the last thing she'd want for her 80th Birthday was dinner with 8 in the evening. Lunch with 8 was more to her liking.

You could ask her how she likes to celebrate.

In MDR and at Chef's Table the time at a table is a consideration.

How is her hearing? Can she enjoy the large group in the MDR?

Does she prefer conversations in a quiet place with a few people at a time.

The ideas here are predominately about dining. I recommend a Specialty Restaurant for flexibility and less commotion.

Good luck.

May the forum be with you.

Best bet is count on dinner then show, or show before dinner, or show with a buffet meal.

Last time I was on Princess it was, but that was a while back now, and in Australia, and after all we invented it regardless of what the Kiwi's try to say. I had it at least once, sometimes more than once, a day always with ice Cream though.

GUT2407,

Same for us. DH will finish most days with ice cream.

We take double helpings anytime Pavlova is available. I'd skip lunch for Pavlova.

Thanks to Aussies and Kiwi's for delicious treats.

Claire

Dave, Thanks for the photos.

You've got me eager to book Princess again.

Royal's C406 looks to have a larger shower and more sink

space. Princess cabins in general are better designs for us

than RCL and Celebrity (inside, ocean view, or balcony).

Claire

Is the afternoon dessert buffet still served on Princess?

The Pavlova (cream & fruits) dessert is our favorite. Is it available on the ships?

Thank you.

Claire

ChesterH,

Keep the positives going.

The FB post is good news for the New Year.

Friends on CC are sending best wishes and prayers.

Has anybody seen silent movies or music videos on MUTS lately?

We like to watch those during days at the pool.

Claire

Gh,

will the drawers come out for a night on the floor?

love your posts. hope you can cut some of the cabin noise.

claire

Usually the locker room in the spa area has a large accessible shower with bench seat.

It galls me that people use accessible cabins just to have more space.

An ex-friend does this regularly by asking the travel agent to keep an eye on those bookings.

The 2012 law posted above is good news. I understand Princess monitoring the disabilities but believe the OP should have access to equipment and the cabin.

Will a plastic deck chair fit in the shower stall?

Claire

Have you checked the River Cruises board here?

Yes, they are mostly European river cruises.

Google search brings up some Hudson River cruises but not what we're

looking for w/port stops at towns along the river. American Cruise Lines has

one. I'm waiting for more information from them. Friends did not like the line above for Puget Sound cruise. I'll look for member reviews.

Thank you.

Claire

Cut a break for all reviewers.

Mention of an obstructed view is warning that it takes research to book.

We encourage friends to check CC forums and member reviews for information in preparing to cruise.

Claire

Captioning for everything - my idea of heaven. Princess does not caption anything themselves. They do pass on a small percentage of TV programs that have been captioned. I complain on every cruise but nothing changes.

 

Here's hoping that others have had better luck on different cruise lines.

My dream is to have captions on movies, in room televisions, all televisions aboard, musters, and lectures. It would be bliss.

The tour guides talk on and on from the same scripts but don't have words to paper for the hearing impaired to get more out of the tours. tsk. tsk.

Thank you for your post Whiterose.

Claire

We want to cruise the Hudson River, 4-14 days aboard a ship to visit the small towns along the river.

Please recommend cruise lines.

Thank you, Claire

Can somebody give me a list of cruise lines or cruise ships that have captions for the hearing impaired.

We have not found a ship that captions shore excursions on television, all tv shows, ship movies, or captions for lecturers.

An amplified headset for the theater does not work for us.

Life boat instructions have not been captioned on the television.

We have had little help from cruise lines regarding cabin accessories.

Does Princess caption the Movies Under the Stars?

Thank you,

Claire

We just recently cruised RCL - Explorer of the Seas in March. It was okay, but could not wait to get back on the Summit in May.

 

We do not like big ships, RCL's newer ships just might be to big for us and we are not interested in sailing Quantum since it has no traditional main dining room and you need to make reservations for dinner every night of your sailing.

 

We have never sailed Princess but have heard many good things about them and would like to try them, but now that we are Elite+ and get free internet, laundry, dry cleaning, etc. it's hard to leave Celebrity.

Captain Club benefits do sway a decision as to value. On larger ships the location of the cabin is a major factor. We get CC benefits and more public spaces on RCL.

Claire

hi to all, just got back from bermuda onboard the summit.

 

 

Summary: To be quite honest the whole family failed to pinpoint that special factor that supposedly puts celebrity above the other mainstream cruise lines.

we are elite and don't see the special factor

 

our cabin class and passenger status (first cruise on celebrity) did not allow for us to see this. As far as ships go, the best one so far for us was liberty of the seas (new ship, better entertainment, varied activities) and for personal service and food we do choose crown princess (we still remember it and smile).

 

agree. .

 

maybe cutbacks and price wars led to the decline of service, and long time between cruises does not allow for a fair comparison, however the summit cruise failed to live up to our expectations created by the hype we read everywhere for celebrity.

 

we wonder if the celebrity fan club has cruised rcl or princess to compare

 

i know that 3 cruises do not make me a critic, but this is only an outline of the latest one, and in short, it was an okay cruise (we expected an exceptional one) but there is nothing that would make us return just for the celebrity brand. Destination and value for money will be the deciding factors.

yes, destination and value for the money are major.

thank you for the review.

Claire

We had a lovely time in Enchanted Evening Lounge each night of the Vision - Bermuda cruise.

Cocktails began about 5 went to about 8pm. There were all sorts of snacks on tables. Drinks were full size, not the mini drinks served to Elites on Celebrity.

Claire

If you want a unique view of the Panama Canal, you might try an Oceanview cabin on Plaza Deck.

It is a unique view but I wouldn't want to limit the sight of going up and down in a lock to that extent.

Claire

Three yrs ago we took the 20 day round trip Ft. Lauderdale to Acapulco and return to Ft Lauderdale on Coral Princess. We had a balcony mid ship and used it for rest during the transit 2x through the canal. (Note: take an umbrella for shade, cover yourself, and drink lots of water.)

The important aspect for us was the balcony faced south going Caribbean to Pacific. This gave us the best view of the approach toward Colon as the sun rose on the sea with many ships waiting their turn through the locks. Then the buildings, locks, and freighters transiting the canal were on open view from our balcony. The north side of the ship had mostly forest, hills, and view of the widening of the canal.

The best views and longest day is the transit from Caribbean to Pacific with the day light fading as we saw the lights of Panama City. Naturally the best views are from the top side of the ship and the promenade. The promenade being most important to us as we got the feel of the water raising and lowering the our ship and the freighters through the canal. Also, the Gatun Lake cruising is beautiful from the south side (left looking toward the front of the ship.)

On the return from Panama City to Colon the scenery does not seem as spectacular as the sunrises on Panama City. It is still a long spectacular day but having done the transit the first time you may find yourself relaxing in the front of the air conditioned buffet area where you'll see more of both sides, the construction in progress, and the Gallaird Cut from a higher point for best visibility.

The round trip is marred only in one aspect, in Colon where you visit the shops and see the same wares you've picked over in many of the ports along the way. The difference in those wares is the up price on everything. May I suggest you take a tour rather than spending time in the new build shops of Colon.

Claire

Good Morning,

We are a family of five with teenagers going on the Oasis. We wanted to go to Atlantis but with the ship only being in dock from 7-2 and the teens never getting up we figured too pricey and not enough time. What beach would you recommend for a couple of hours? Maybe drinks and some food?

We recommend staying aboard the Oasis to relax with pools, drinks and food.

Our recent do it ourselves (DIY) from ship to shops was horrific. Unless we take a tour, it's a never again. Simply not worth it.

Claire

OK, we need some information....

Here is the situation....We have been on 6 Soltice cruises, and are now contemplating an ALLURE cruise

Since we are Elite on Solstice we use the Blu dining room from just about every dinner and like the small venue, is there anything like that on Royal Allure?

What have you found to be the major differences...any better ...worse?

I'd appreciate anything you can tell me.

Two main differences:

RCL is more fun overall

Celebrity has better food

Claire

If I were you I'd pick a Bermuda cruise.

You've been to the Caribbean 6 times and know what to expect.

Bermuda is different in many ways. You'll be glad you took a ship and get to see as much as you can during the port stop. It's a memorable port of call no matter what you see.

Saturday and Sunday the ferry doesn't go from the Naval Dockyard to St. George but you can take Bus 8 from the Dockyard to see the beaches then transfer to another bus for St. Georges. My mind is still a bit muddled from cruise hangover. At the ferry port in Hamilton you can make a quick trip back to the Naval Dockyard or catch a bus at the station just a few blocks away.

May I encourage you to book the Bermuda cruise and not worry about rough seas. From Ft. Lauderdale to Charleston, to Bermuda, to Nassau, and the beach island, the seas were smooth on the Vision June 9-19 cruise.

Book Bermuda -- go for it. You'll be happy to see a different place.

See Post #23 above -- no problems.

Visit Guest Services for motion sickness pills IF the need arises by a flutter.

Claire

I thought this was the worst cruise i have ever taken (this was number 32). Food was fair to awful. Service was subpar especially in the main dining room. Entertainment, with the exception of the unexpected boys which was great, was amateur hour. I too plan to write a review in the next couple of days. I could never recommend this cruise to anyone.

Thanks for your comment on the food.

The Giovanni food was primarily over-cooked reheated, over microwaved (pasta), or from a jar. Canned soup came warm with a thick film on top. DH found his entre inedible. The waiter made no effort to replace rejected foods.

One visit to the main dining room was enough for us after a 35 minute wait for the first plate. We heard the same from other passengers.

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DH enjoyed the lectures. CD Steve kept me entertained in the Centrum.

Early arrival in Charleston not good for the shopkeepers who were negative toward the invasion from the ship.

Lack of tram service to the ferry or into town in Bermuda was hard on me.

Lack of tram or dedicated shuttle into Nassau caused a horrific experience on the local broken down shuttle servicing three ships on an off/on rainy day.

We will never go into Nassau again from that pier.

The cutbacks are evident and expected amenities required a special request, such as ice, toiletries, extra tpaper, tissue, etc.

Claire