Markanddonna

I've noticed that every person who organizes the Meet and Greet gets invited to dine with the captain. A little motivation there, if you want to handle the roll call.

I think getting on a big ship is safer than going to my local mall. All passengers and staff have to go through security screening/scanning and info on the manifest is checked against government data bases. It appears that terrorists look for the easiest way to do the most harm. Ship security also has the "big guns" around and we aren't privy to specific information.

I would only stay at this table if I REALLY enjoyed the folks who ordered several extra options. If I stayed, I would make sure that the waiter knew he was welcome to bring the dessert menu WITH the main course menu so that I could order and keep my meal moving along.

We were once seated with a very fit younger couple who order extras at each course. This was overwhelming for our team of waiters who were not strong and organized enough to handle the extra requests. We sometimes were the last in the dining room with them shooing us out. It wasn't a good experience.

MaryJaden,

You can't predict the weather but I highly recommend a cruise to visit your daughter in the spring. Here is how you could do it:

Take a TA to Barcelona and hop on a cheap European airline to England/Scotland. Think Norweigan Airlines or something like that.

Take a TA to the Baltic regions and get off in Copenhagen. Fly or take a train to Scotland.

I think the majority of CC people love fall TA's but I have an additional plus for a spring TA. Any "jet lag" is taken care of on your 11-16 day TA across the Atlantic and you are fresh and ready to begin sightseeing when you disembark. You do "lose" 5 hours on a trip to Europe but you get them back eventually. 5 hours loss out of the 336 hours you might be on a spring TA is insignificant to me.

We still need to rattle the cage at Cruise Critic about a TA board!

I would make sure they are the small size boxes as the refrigerators sometimes barely keep things cool let alone cold. There should be no problem.

I personally like the spring TA better. The weather was actually BETTER on the spring TA going on a northerly route to Copenhagen as compared to my fall sailing from Rome in the Mediterranean. Like me have learned, you can't predict the weather. The one thing you CAN predict is that you have more hours of traveling sunlight in the spring.

There are some entertainers who get off at different ports to board different ships. The dancers and "ship bands" stay but many of the other entertainers have a very active schedule living out of a suitcase and hopping around the regions.

I have posted about the need for a board about transatlantics in the past and even contacted the Cruise Critic staff about it. They have lifeless boards like "world cruising" which is just a tiny fragment of the cruising population. Why can't they have TA board?

I chuckled at the one poster who worried about all the postings being about "What kind of weather should I expect on a TA?"

It does not say "guarantee". If it was really a true guarantee, they would surely say so. I have some experience with them and this is what I learned:

I would NOT book them for the front end of my cruise. Long story that I've told on CC before. I did book them for our next transatlantic but it was only for coming back.

I would call insuremytrip and ask that question. If you have a "previous condition" it is already too late. You need to do that 10-15 days after your booking. Different companies may have different rules.

I've traveled on Norwegian and was very satisfied but they do have some extra charges and also be aware that their luggage weight may be lighter. I was surprised at the Copenhagen airport with that issue! A flight to the USA might include a different travel weight. We are going to use them next spring for a BAR to WAW flight.

If you are in the Rccl or Celebrity family of cruising, check out choiceair. I've flown with them but can't say it was great only because it was a huge mess during Superstorm Sandy. We were about the last flight out before they closed the airport and if it wasn't for my work and diligence in getting the first connecting flight switched, we would have missed out on most of our time in Rome.

Just be aware that you might see crew outside your windows! It was a frequent occurrence because there was a walkway just below the window and the crew used it for maintenance projects. Only one very nosey guy was trying to look in. The first time taught us to be fully clothed or to keep our curtains closed.

This can happen on a regular balcony though. The window washers on their little trolley sure surprised us in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean!

I like to keep my phone off so we use a very light weight battery travel clock like in the last post and also set our Kindle alarm. Don't bring a plug in alarm as there is something about the different currents that makes the time slow down.

I've been told there are "ship lanes" and this is most notable when you actually cross the ocean. You would think you would never see another ship but you do. It is logical since these "lanes" are likely the safest, fastest ways to navigate. Also, in case of emergency, another ship is relatively close and you aren't really in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by yourself.

I'd love to see a good explanation from a navigator.

If he is hard core negative, then I would forget it. But, you are never THAT far from medical care on a PC cruise. Would I recommend a Transatlantic? No. Remind him that there are many seniors on the PC cruises because they are longer and there are few children around so it is one of those "more mature" groups. Get the insurance and go if he is showing a positive and upbeat attitude.

My two favorite cruises were on the RCL Mariner for a transatlantic and NCL's Jewel for a Panama Canal. More similar than different.

In recent years, I don't gain any weight and my cruises are usually 14 days+. I learned to NOT eat a farmer's breakfast and I eat a reasonable lunch and dinner. We try to eat at the MDR rather than the buffet and I ALWAYS have my two good desserts a day. I walk a lot and use the fitness centers, stairs when I can, etc. My best fitbit day was 23,000 steps and 41 FLIGHTS of stairs. I drink maybe the equiv of one drink a week. I think the sugary drinks would be a killer to efforts to control weight. And, I am a "senior".

Can you recommend a moderately priced hotel near the port? Also, does anyone have experience flying into the smaller airport in west Tampa? We might be trying Allegiant Air this time. Thanks.

I don't know when you booked but most policies have a 10-15 day pre-existing conditions clause and it seems that you might have problems that need this. Call insuremytrip dot com and ask some questions. Many people on CC book through private insurance and get better coverage and a cheaper rate. I tend to go on cruises that are longer therefore have more seniors and there are quite a few accidents and medical emergencies on a regular basis.

We always look for insurance right after we book and if we cancel and rebook, it is transferable! We did that on one booking for a fall cruise and then just transferred the booking to a spring sailing.. No problem!

Would you give the name of the hotel you stayed at in Barcelona? Thanks.

The wedding planner gave her great advice and I learned from that post. The posters on CC tend to be a bit more mature and experienced in life compared to those planning a wedding so their advice is more practical. People who ask for advice from young friends usually just get affirmations and agreements rather than good advice. Proverbs say "A word spoken in truth is like a kiss on the cheek."

I imagine that my cancellation would happen one month before the cruise and then consider what I can't cancel without penalty. The car rentals and hotels can usually be cancelled so that leaves just the cruise and airfare. I use insuremytrip.

I think this is the perfect place to ask about why your family and friends are not on board with your decision to have an expensive wedding cruise. Some of these posters have probably explained the thinking process of the majority of your invited guests. I have a daughter who lives paycheck to paycheck and she would never foolishly jeopardize her child's future by agreeing to this request. I just sent regrets to a niece whose wedding would have set us back a minimum of $1,500 traveling to a destination that is usually 95-100 degrees. Don't want to travel there and spend any of my travel budget on that. I could probably afford to, but there are lots of other issues in these decisions.

The name "Moran" sounds like "mo-ran". I think you are confusing this with the correct spelling of moron which is the term for simpleton or fool. Moran is actually a rather common name and I imagine anyone who mixes it up with "moron" feels a bit foolish.

Only value is the decks that slide so you can more clearly see what is under/top of your cabin. You can do that without a membership. I would sort of like to see the cabin reviews, but have a feeling we have a much wider base here on cabin reviews.