shipgeeks

After every cruise, passengers receive a survey asking for ratings and comments on the cruise.

Vision class. And Vision of the Seas was just named RC's Ship of the Year, 2023.

I have to agree. My grandson recently gave me my first Ben & Jerry's, Cherry Garcia, and I thought it was the least appealing ice cream I've ever had. And I do like most cherry-related ice creams.

Based on passenger satisfaction surveys/ratings, Vision has officially been named Ship of the Year.

We are just off Vision. I was pleasantly surprised at how many passengers did dress up. Certainly not all, by any means, but we saw more tuxes and suits than on some other recent cruises. It was nice.

In our experience, it has always been just show up. Time and place will be noted in the cruise compass.

I can now report that being checked in at the terminal, without prior use of the app, was a breeze. We had printed the page with our names and booking # (noted on our booking as "If not using the app, print the following page"), took it to the terminal, and were quickly checked in with an agent there. All we needed at that point were our passports, credit card, and phone number of a contact person. On board, we never had any occasion to wish we had the app for anything.

Besides WJ, we find it very convenient to just drink the water from our cabin tap, with the glasses provided there. Easy way to take our morning meds!

Since we don't use the app, our bookings say "If not using the app, click here to print next page". That is what we do. That page has our names, cruise date, and booking #. It doesn't seem to be a problem. Luggage tags were readily available without using the app, too.

And then, some of us don't care to take photos or videos, or to be in touch with anyone at home. Our cruises are a chance to disconnect, and my journal (hand written) is what gives us the best memories during later years.

We have sailed on Enchantment and Vision several times in the past two years, and have had none of the issues mentioned here. No complaints at all, and three more booked.

When I think of packing for any length trip, I remind myself that if I have even one night away from home, I still need to pack my toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, meds plus maybe some OTC, my glasses, makeup, change of clothes, maybe something extra that's cooler and something warmer....... It puts into perspective that there's not a whole lot of difference between short and long trips, unless the trip is six months or so. Lots of good advice above.

We have always done Halifax on our own, and have never been disappointed. The boardwalk, right at the ship, goes along the waterfront, and leads to eateries, breweries, Maritime Museum, and more. If you care to walk uphill, you can find old cemeteries, botanic gardens, the Citadel. Lots to do, right there.

White House is also sometimes called cherry vanilla, with maraschino cherries throughout.

I agree, there is nothing to be concerned about. OP, when you say Long Term, do you mean more than one consecutive cruise? If so, I believe you will be asked to prepay for the length of time you will need the parking, so they don't think you've abandoned your car. Parking is $15 per night, credit card only (the last time I checked). Every step of the process, when entering the port area, is well directed and marked. You will be asked "cruise or dropping people off?", you will be directed to luggage drop off, then to parking pay kiosk, then to a parking spot. From there, a short walk to the terminal.

Favorites: mint chocolate chip, White House, spumoni Least favorite: vanilla Never ever want to eat: "soft serve"

Thank you; cool picture. We've experienced this several times on Baltimore winter cruises. There might even be a snowman on the deck in a while. And at least one person is sure to board in shorts and Hawaiian shirt.

As long as the flight(s) from NY manage to get there.

Years ago, we were on a cruise on which we intended to spend the first morning in our favorite lounge. When we got there, there was a sign at the door: PRIVATE EVENT. We were not allowed in. When we read further, it said CRUISE CRITIC MEET AND GREET. We were extremely disappointed that some group we had not even heard of had the nerve to take over a nice room, one which had no duplicate. It was closed for the entire morning. Just saying......

Not everyone likes dogs.

I have seen many recommendations for using Trinity Reservations for a hotel search. They list amenities, including restaurants, shuttles to the port, etc., and can make the booking when you find what you want. Baltimore is a great port to sail from!

Attilio David Haines Magic No "tribute" acts

I wouldn't say unwillingness to adapt; I'd say unwillingness to add one more "thing" that would be used three times a year to do a cruise checkin and nothing else. Some of us like the big screen of our laptops, and some of us are old enough that we're trying to not accumulate more clutter in our lives.

OP, if you are D+, you should apply for a status match with MSC. I agree with the above, that you should be familiar with the "experiences". We were fine with Bella (the cheapest) because we prefer set dining, and do not use room service. A number of factors come into each experience. The biggest difference we had between RC and MSC is the passenger makeup. RC cruises from US have mostly Americans; MSC draws many other nationalities. (Maybe Galveston will have a smaller mix than sailing from Florida, though, where Americans can easily be a minority.)

The passenger makeup is the main difference we've experienced. X will have mostly Americans, MSC will probably have a big mix, with Americans possibly a minority. We loved that, but some apparently do not.