CTSandy

I cruise several times a year and sail solo about half the time.  I enjoy my solo cruises as much as I do the cruises where a friend or relative joins me.  I am fine dining solo, but if it makes you uncomfortable, you can ask to be seated at a shared table.  I do carry a book or tablet with me as I like reading if I’m eating at the OceanView.  People on cruises are usually very friendly, so you can be as social as you like.  Best part of being solo is that you make your own schedule and only do events and excursions that appeal to you.

I LOVE your mother’s blue blouse (or dress)❤️

Thank you so much for sharing your adventures and wonderful pictures!  I’m sad that tomorrow there won’t be any chapters to look forward to.  Your comment about mince and tatties made me look up some recipes for it and I’m going to be trying it!  Safe flight home and I look forward to your future travels.

So delighted to go to Cruise Critic today and find that Norwaylady is off on another adventure!  Looking forward to following your cruise with the Queen - have a wonderful holiday!

We missed Icy Strait Point in 2022 because of this issue.

Thank you so much for your posts and pictures, looked forward to reading them each evening.  Have a safe trip home, I’m sure the cats are waiting eagerly for your return.  Looking forward to your next trip with the Queen!

Thanks for sharing the great pictures and your review.  I’ve found Oceanview offers a pretty diverse selection.

So happy to see a live report by NorwayLady!  I did the same b2b on Equinox last year early in March - enjoyed most of the ports.  Hope you will be boarding your flight soon - have a wonderful cruise!

On the same cruise - MDR was crazy almost every evening - worst was lobster night, I felt so sorry for staff, they were running themselves ragged.  They are obviously understaffed.

I’ve cruised both Royal and Celebrity within a month of each other on comped cruises and continue to receive offers from both.

I’m between Boston and Bayonne, so either port works nicely for me.  I usually take advantage of the Bayonne/Bermuda cruise and the New England/Canada cruise from whichever port.  I am doing both this summer on Eclipse and am hoping I like it as much as Summit, so sad that it will not be sailing from Bayonne.

The green things with tails are caper berries - they’re very tasty, and good with the Forest Mushroom Terrine.  Thanks for sharing your pictures and notes, I’m enjoying following along!

If you go to Massport.com they offer parking on Fargo St. for cruises.  I used them for a September 2023 cruise - I don’t remember exact price for parking for my 11 day cruise, but it was around $200 or so.  They have shuttles that run back and forth from the cruise terminal.  It’s surface parking in a fenced lot - when I arrived around 10 AM there was no attendant to tell you where to park, I just pulled up to a car already parked there and put my confirmation on my dashboard.  By the time I pulled my luggage out of the car, several others had parked and one of the shuttles had arrived.  If you feel like dragging your luggage, you can walk to the port - it’s about two blocks.

10 hours ago, miched said:

I would like to know what you do with them when finished.   My parents passed  away a few years back and I inherited about 15  of those things, a family member took one.  The rest I can’t give them away because no one wants one.  They are in great shape as they were used as covers on the bed, hung on a quilt rack, or still in the box.    They were all hand made by  some of the Polish , and Ukrainian women in the area.     I even asked at a dog shelter and they don’t want them. 🤷‍♂️.   I guess at worst I can donate to the SA or  other charity type thrift store  and they will end up being sold as bulk rags.   Asked a pregnancy center but they are limited on what they can accept because of the liability.   The can’t be guaranteed that they are flame proof, non toxic and etc.  I. don’t want to just toss them but I am tired of having them around.  I have the same problem with hand made shawls, and afghans that they had.  
 

The same with doilies.  

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Sad that beautifully crafted things can’t find a home.  Have you tried offering them to homeless shelters?  Just saw on our local news that a church group made very basic quilts and knitted hats and mittens; their pastor was giving them out to homeless on the streets in Hartford.

2 hours ago, udamom said:

 Hi I wanted to ask how were you able to pick up the car right near the dock? When I go to their website it only looks like they rent at the airport

Thanks

just checked their website - if I remember correctly, we just went to the website and selected “contact us” - there’s a box for comments/questions and pretty sure we just noted there that we needed the car at the port in Curaçao.

1 hour ago, udamom said:

 Hi I wanted to ask how were you able to pick up the car right near the dock? When I go to their website it only looks like they rent at the airport

Thanks

When we booked we indicated we were on a cruise and their rep met us right outside the port gate holding a sign with our name.  The car was parked right across the street in the Renaissance Hotel parking lot and that’s where we dropped it off.  I’m going to have to check out their website and see if it’s changed.  I can’t believe they would only offer cars at the airport - cruiseport is a pretty popular pickup place and I know other car rental agencies also offer cars at the port.

If you go to bluechipcluboffers.com, enter your name and your captain’s club #, you can check your offers (if you have any).

My last cruise on Summit (September 2023), I spent a lot of time playing video poker - there was a bank of them as you came into the casino from the martini bar.  There were also several single line machines at the other entrance to the casino.  Apparently, from what I have been reading, Celebrity is replacing them gradually with newer video poker machines.  I am hoping this is the case instead of just gutting the video poker inventory.  I’ve been playing video poker on Celebrity cruises for many years and many of their existing video poker machines had issues like poor monitors, buttons that stuck, etc. so they may be updating.  I have four cruises booked between February and June and if there’s no video poker I won’t be spending my usual time and budget in the casino.

I was on Equinox this March when an Abraham Hicks group was on board - if I remember correctly, around 900 participants.  The only issues  I found were seating in the main dining room - they apparently were all doing traditional dining, so it was difficult to get a table; coffee lines at Cafe al Bacio before their meetings and at breaks were terrible; some of the regular events held in the theater had to be moved to Celebrity Central - if it was a popular event, had to get there early to find a seat.  We did a sunset sail in Aruba, a couple of attendees of the conference were on the sloop - they were very pleasant and social and their only comment  regarding their group, was they wished people would stop saying they were a cult.

Enjoyed your summary - I have never sailed in a suite on Celebrity, but it sounds like a disappointing experience.  I am sailing on Equinox for Easter, too -  April 1 to 11 - hope to see you on board!

A little late with wishes - hope you had the Happiest Birthday🎂🎉🎈

I have enjoyed your report and pictures so much!  I can see why you are asked for your ID so frequently - you are both so young looking (what a great problem to have😊)!  Thank you so much for sharing, hope you have a comfortable and safe journey home.

What a special glimpse into your and Iain’s story - congratulations on your anniversary, you are so fortunate to have found the 100% match!

Excited to read you’re off on another trip.  I really enjoy your live reports - hope you have a great cruise, while I follow along!

Great pictures - thanks for sharing!