shipgeeks

Correct, 200 in nice round numbers. There is a shorter route to open waters from B'more, but I think the Empress is too tall for that option. The last time I sailed out of B'more, upon leaving the Patapsco and turning south towards the Bay Bridge the ship headed North and transited the C and D Canal reaching international waters from the Delaware Bay. Think that is about 140 miles. That was a real treat!

What ship?

The "chef snack" has been a bag of cookies, and two bottles of water or other beverage (you should be able to choose, on your reservation), in your cabin.

Diamond Club is very nice. Coffee, tea, juice and continental breakfast in the morning. I believe there is also a served breakfast in a separate area of dining room, for Diamond.

OP, I meant to also say that I was surprised you received a possibly negative comment about the same color shirts. I do, however, think that in many cases, negative stuff is just a coverup for insecurity. Probably the two of you looked a lot better than she did. Or maybe she just wanted to make conversation but it didn't come out as intended.

On several occasions I've seen women look at my DH, then say to their husbands, "See how good he looks? I knew you should have brought a tuxedo." (DH, by the way, is not a Men's Fitness model. But the tux gives him a good James Bond edge.)

We've both been complimented by other passengers (she says modestly), and have been thanked by senior staff for dressing up.

No negative comments that I'm aware of.

I never saw any jeans in the dining room on our AK cruise, although they were fairly universal during the day. I also did not see much of the Caribbean/Hawaiian print look. I did see most of the women in either a dress, skirt and top, or long pants and top, more with sleeves than without. Indoor spaces are kept at comfortable temperatures, but the ambience feels different from a beach-type cruise.

I wear my long velvet dress (sleeveless) on cruises any time. My feeling is that in the evening, onboard, we are not so much "in the Caribbean" or "in the Bahamas" as we are On A Ship, a world of its own. A formal night is a chance to dress up as much as you like.

Looking good for James Bond (ie, hubby) is a bonus!

Our experience has been that many passengers book traditional dining in order to avoid pre-paying gratuities, but have no intention of being there, choosing to go to Select instead. People brag about doing this, on roll calls, on a regular basis. It would explain why traditional bookings are filled up far in advance, and it would explain why there are always so many empty seats in traditional dining during the cruise.

And at the end of the cruise, driver should just say "picking up" at the entrance, and he will be directed to the pickup area. No need for ID or documents.

Thanks, everyone. It's going to be all gold, at least on this cruise. All good suggestions, and ideas for future cruises.

Carnival and RC are the two lines that sail from Baltimore. You could call either or both to see what's available.

Passengers doing ship excursions will most likely have priority boarding the tenders, so you might have to wait til they have all been taken ashore before you will be allowed to join a line for tendering.

Try Choice Air, through your Celebrity reservation. Phone call to them is the easiest way to start. They can give you a number of options. There is no pressure to decide at that time; you can consider the different options and then get back.

We have used Choice Air twice, once on USAirways and once on Delta. The fares were excellent. As Miami is an international airport, you might even be able to get a direct flight.

I love my new dress, a dark brown material that seems to have some black woven into it to make it shimmer more. I'm stumped on accessories, though. Gold shoes and jewelry, or black shoes and rhinestone/white gold jewelry? Or if I found brown satin shoes (and bag??), which jewelry?

Life is so complicated sometimes! (But fun.)

How about a train to west coast for a cruise to Hawaii or Mexico?

We are considering a cruise on Grandeur for Sept 2017, which hopefully will be a New England up to Canada cruise RT from Baltimore, with a stop in Boston for 9 days. Has anyone done this cruise and can share their experience of it?

Wonderful cruise. Do it.

We walked (only) at all our CNE ports, after doing some pre-cruise research on the sights. We plan to do that again. Many interesting things are close to the ports.

What are the options for getting to the Brooklyn cruise port from midtown Manhattan, and back, with a large suitcase?

Apart from Cunard, which cruiselines/sailing areas/ships are likely to have a majority of passengers who choose to dress up for dinner and the evening's activities?

There are also New England cruises from Baltimore, on RC. Good port. If you would be flying in, BWI is the nearest airport. If driving, you can park at the port, or drive in the day before, stay at a nearby hotel, and use their shuttle to the port, with free parking at the hotel for the length of the cruise.

Apart from Cunard, which cruiselines/sailing areas/ships are likely to have a majority of passengers who choose to dress up for dinner and the evening activities?

I just looked at the Baltimore cruises for our online travel agent, and there are a number of 6 and 7-night cruises well under $600, some as low as $449, including port charges but not tax. (Sorry that we are not allowed to name TAs here.) Onboard gratuities would be additional, of course.

Many Baltimore cruisers drive there the day before, and stay at a hotel or motel that offers free parking while on the cruise, and shuttles to and from the port. The Baltimore boards would have more ideas on this.

If you learn more about it, please come back and share with us.

I have friends in San Juan yesterday. When they get home, I'll ask if they heard of the survey.

 

Where were you when approached? At the terminal?

We were approached by two college-age kids while sitting on a bench in the park along the waterfront, near the refreshment kiosks and the big fountain (on the way to the cats). The paper we were asked to sign was many pages long.

My best idea when we did our AK cruise was compression bags. I put my puffy down jacket in one, sat on it to push out all the air. Put my sweaters in another, did the same. I got them at the dollar store. Worth every cent. And I was so glad I had a warm jacket; wore it every day.

While in San Juan recently, we were asked to take part in a survey. Apart from age and gender, the only question was "Do you think cruise ships have a (negative) impact on the environment?"

We both answered No. We were then asked to sign our names to a long sheet, to verify that we had taken part in the survey.

Much later it occurred to me that the sheet could have been a petition to ban cruise ships from San Juan, which we had unwittingly signed.

Has anyone else had this experience? Are my concerns justified? Any thoughts?

Target's Lilly Pulitzer collection will be available tomorrow. Very Florida/Bahamas/Caribbean look.