Twolittleboys

This seems so strange. Surely they MUST know that this will upset customers. I am not a big drinker but if I have a drink package I expect to be able to get a drink unless it is really impossible due to regulations etc. (which it clearly isn't as other cruise lines manage). I can't imagine NCL would willingly do this. Do they need to save money that badly?

I was on a Royal Caribbean cruise a little while ago and in the casino they told me that there is WAY less gambling on European cruises so I am not surprised to hear that. The casino was mostly empty when I passed through.

I am thinking of booking a cruise on Norwegian - this would be my first time on this line. I am still a bit uncertain about whether I should get the Free at Sea promo. In the end it comes down to the internet portion. I don't think 150 minutes will help that much but I believe you save when you upgrade to an unlimited package, right? Also, how much would a specialty restaurant be if I did not have the Free at Sea? And, finally, are tips included for drinks or do you pay them separately? Finally, (not to do with Free at Sea) could someone remind me how dining works on Norwegian ships? Do you make a reservation or just show up? And are there set times or just whenever? Thanks so much!

Thank you so much for the great ideas! Like quite a few of them. I do wish not so many required prebooking. What with flying and taking a train (and the heat) I am just not 100% sure I will be able to make it. The Appian Way is at the top of my list for the next time I am in Rome when it is not quite so hot. Maybe I will just try to find a shady place to enjoy the atmosphere. Or possibly take a break in the afternoon and go out to do something in the evening?

Just booked a last minute cruise and am in a bit of a scramble trying to figure everything out. If things go as planned, I will be in Rome by about 2 pm the day before the cruise and now I am not sure what might be a good afternoon activity. I have been to Rome before and have seen most of the main sights (Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon etc.) and I think it will be very hot. Does anyone know of something that would work well in this situation?

Thanks so much. So I won't have to worry about dinner reservations, which is good. Do they assign one of the MDRs with anytime dining or do you just go to whichever you feel like? If anyone has more info on the thermal spa I would very much appreciate it. I did suspect that the times were just administrative - glad that is the case. Still not sure if it would be worth it though. What exactly do you do there? Just chill out?

Really sorry but I do have a couple more questions about my upcoming trip (Saturday) on Celebrity Edge. Any help would be appreciated. a) I signed up for Anytime dining - not really sure why as I generally prefer traditional (I was in a rush booking). But I think I read that they still don't seat strangers together due to COVID so it wouldn't really matter (I like assigned seating with the same table mates). Is this correct? b) For anytime dining - do I need to make reservations or do I just show up? c) How is the thermal spa? Not interested in any treatments but maybe in the area. d) When I looked into booking most options (1 day, 4 day etc.) were not available, only 7 day. That had a pretty decent price though (less than most others). When I click on it it asks me to reserve a specific time slot though. Is that just some glitch/administrative aspect or is it not really a day pass? Do you have to make reservations? It's my first time on Celebrity so not quite sure yet how everything works...

Thanks so much! Bit nervous as it has been so rushed but looks like I am good to go.

Great! 'And a test taken tomorrow (28) will be fine for Saturday (30), correct?

So I am good as long as the boarding pass shows? Excellent. Just booked today and am boarding on Saturday so there is little time to fix any mistakes etc.

I just booked a last minute cruise on Celebrity Edge and am a bit unsure what to do about the documents. I did the online check in and see my boarding pass online/on the app. However, the "View and Print edocs" is still greyed out. Do I need anything other than the boarding pass?

We live in Europe and have taken various Med cruises when the kids were younger (I think my younger son was six or seven on our first trip). Both kids enjoyed it and it really was no problem. Of course I did gear our activities to things that are fun for kids so it may be somewhat difficult to find a balance between a kid-friendly vacation and a "once in a lifetime" trip. We mostly went with Royal Caribbean and were happy with it. Lots of activities and both boys enjoyed the kids club (though younger son did not want to go on our first trip so it will depend on the child). Personally, if going with a small child, I would probably not go for the most expensive options (for hotels, ship etc.) and plan on maybe going again in a couple of years. I do think that in any case it puts a lot of pressure on a trip to try to make it perfect/complete, even without kids. For example on one of our cruises Athens was cancelled without much warning. I am sure this was a bucket-list item for many and led to a lot of disappointment but there was nothing to be done. As far as what to see, it does depend on personal preferences. Here is what we did and my thoughts on it (Not all the same cruise): Rome - definitely a must see, fun for kids as well, easily done on most cruises. recommend to either start or end your cruise there Florence - kind of a long drive from Livorno. Many of the main attractions aren't geared that well for kids so it may be difficult to see all you want to see there with a child. We did more low key stuff and enjoyed it. Naples - Pompeij is great. Easily done and quite fun for kids. On another trip we went to Capri which also was wonderful. Venice - definitely a great destination but with the recent restrictions for cruise ships more difficult to manage. I would recommend beginning/ending the cruise in Ravenna etc. and then spending a day or two in Venice before/after flying there/back Athens - personally not a great fan but definitely something one should see once I would try to get a good mix of cities/churches/ruins/nature/beach. That way you can avoid the feeling of "oh, some more ruins" or "which church is that again".

The basic price would include tips. For 25 extra per day it includes basic wifi and drinks. If the wifi would be 17 the difference is just 7 so I do agree it is probably worth it for me. Thanks so much for all the info! Still haven't quite made up my mind on whether I will book this cruise but if I do it seems like getting the add ons would be best.

Hm, fresh juice does sound tempting. The difference between cruise (and tips) only and regular drink package and wifi is about $25 a day. Does anyone know how much wifi would be (probably will end of getting this in any case)?

Thanks for the info! I did figure out how to do the loyalty program sign up (it shows Elite status so all good there) and glad to hear it is Coke products. Not sure whether the regular drink package will be worth it. There are some free drinks included during cocktail hour, correct? I am not a huge drinker so pretty sure two cocktails a day is probably more than I would drink and it might be easier to just pay for one if I wanted one (and not have to worry about the $9 limit)?

I am thinking of booking a last minute Med cruise on the Edge at the end of the month but do have a couple of questions as this would be my first cruise with Celebrity: - I believe there is some sort of reciprocal loyalty perk programme with Royal. I just recently made it to Diamond with Royal so would like to take advantage of this. Exactly how do you sign up/qualify for this? - What is the procedure for solo cruisers when it comes to dinner? If I book traditional dining, will I be sat with other diners at a shared table or on my own? - How good/bad is the basic wifi? Sounds like it isn't great. Would it be sufficient for working (does not have to be streaming quality but if e.g. opening emails is difficult it wouldn't be sufficient) - What kind of soft drinks are included with the basic drink package? - How about alcoholic drinks? I think they are included up to $9 but most drinks I saw on uploaded menus seem to cost more. Is it even worth it then? - Are you allowed to bring beverages (especially sodas) on board? Any help would be appreciated!