Sir William

2 hours ago, Liao said:

Leaving a book on the table or a jacket on a chair does not in any way make you a table hog.  You’re only gone for a few minutes, many do this and it is very acceptable.

I agree. I routinely take a book with me everywhere.  The book visibly lets others, including servers, know I’ll be returning.  

On 11/29/2022 at 8:25 PM, SusieAV8R said:

 

Wear what you feel good in.  DH will wear a tux on Chic nights because I want to wear a long gown (and it's fun for me to see the ladies who approach him with comments like "wish my spouse would dress like you"...yup as recent as this past August cruise.  What fun!)

That's us as well.  DW likes to dress up for Chic nights and expects me to do the same.  I get the same comments as well.  

Looked into this just before the pandemic as we were thinking of disembarking in Naples because we wanted to spend a few days in Sorrento and it would save us a day of extra travel.

Bottom line - you need to let Celebrity know in advance that you want to do this due to local customs and immigration laws.  Celebrity will let you know whether you can legally disembark at another port or not.  It didn't appear to be a problem for Italy, but I don't know about Greece.  This also lets the ship know that you will not be returning so they don't spend time and resources trying to locate you.  You will be responsible for taking off your luggage.  

On 1/10/2021 at 10:25 AM, Coral said:

Vienna is a gem and requires several days 🙂 

I lived in southern Austria for a year but haven’t been back since 1978.  Looking forward to visiting Vienna again, one reason we’re spending some pre-cruise time there.

We've done the Rhine both ways on Christmas Market cruises between Amsterdam and Basel.  The main difference I noticed is the time available to spend in various towns changed slightly.  On our southbound voyage, we enjoyed spending the afternoon into the night in Cologne, but on the northbound trip we had a morning into mid-afternoon.  

We are also planning another Christmas Market cruise on the Danube, Vienna to Nuremberg, and selected the Westbound because we want to spend more time in Vienna.  Given the dates we could sail, we wouldn't have time to do that if we ended in Vienna.  

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Thank your DH for his considerate approach to enjoying his music. An earlier poster's statement that her DH would sit on the balcony "listening to his type of music (hard rock)" made me cringe.  

I take a very small speaker that I sometimes use on the balcony but I keep the volume so low that if I get up from my chair I can no longer hear it.  Once DW was sitting next to me and asked why I wasn't listening to any music.  Mission accomplished. However, if the people on either side of us are talking I usually can't hear the speaker any longer so have to resort to earbuds or go inside.

This and my Kindle (or a book) are about the only creature comforts I need, and they go with me on any trip, even if it's just an over-nighter.  

I have a spreadsheet with every day listed and clothes I am wearing for day/ evening. I can wear stuff two or three times in different combinations on different days. I pretty much stick to it and I find I pack less.

I do the same. Usually I come home with perhaps 1 shirt I've not worn at least once, and that's because I bought a new one along the way.

I do the same !! For hubby too

 

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Which is why I prefer spending time on my balcony instead of by the pool.

Will be sailing in less than 2 weeks. Thanks for the photos and your observations and opinions. I’m not a big dessert eater so I won’t have any problem skipping them I just prefer an appetizer/soup and entree as a rule.

... Hmmm ... I could always make a pitcher in the room! All I need is water and ice [emoji6]

 

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Pretty much what I do. I brew up a cup of hot tea, let it steep, then pour it into a 32oz Tervis cup full of ice. I often do this at home when I don't want to brew up a pitcher of ice tea.

I changed my password over the weekend but today it wouldn't take it, or the old one. Requested and made a new password and then logged on successfully. But when I selected "Manage Reservation" I was sent back to the log in page and had to start over. Did this about 3-4 times. Logged off, came back on and tried again...password didn't work. I just gave up for the day as I had more important things to do then get frustrated.

If this only happened very occasionally, I wouldn't mind, but for the last month or two it seems to happen almost every time I try to log on. I've tried several browsers over several devices - nothing is consistent.

I was having the same problem so called Celebrity. They told me the new webpage uses my email address and not the user ID. I told them it would have nice to be informed of that change and they need to indicate that on the log in page. But I got in without any further difficulty.

The day we visited it poured all day long (I lived in Seattle and Oregon, and this was a heavy rain all day). We walked around Creek Street, found a small coffee shop nearby and had some great hot chocolate, walked up to the Totem Heritage Center, then found a small bar that had free wifi. Wife returned to the ship to get her PC so she could do a bit of work, while I visited with some of the locals over beer. Wife says we have to find that bar again when we visit in about 2 weeks!

Back in my Navy days we used 10x50 or 12x50. They gave great magnification (10 or 12 power) but were rather heavy to wear, especially for hours at a time.

When I shopped for binoculars for our first trip to Alaska, I opted for a much lighter 7x50 pair. I found them quite adequate for almost everything I needed them for, including looking along shorelines as we sailed along, but I eventually replaced them with a 7x40 pair as these were much lighter and easier to carry around for extended periods which I've now used on two more trips to Alaska, wildlife trips to Yellowstone and the Rockies, and various cruises. They don't have quite the same field of vision, but I'm willing to make that trade-off for the weight and size.

I also have a pocket sized 6x23 pair. I don't like these for Alaska as the field of vision isn't as wide so it's harder to pick up wildlife, and the magnification isn't as high either. But my wife likes them as they are lightweight and very packable.

I recommend a 7x50 or 7x40, but nothing less for Alaska. As stated above, you need to try them out before buying them, even if you don't buy them in the store. I like to look as far as I can (out a door or window if possible). The right eyepiece should rotate; close your left eye and rotate the eyepiece until you get as clear a picture as possible, then open both eyes and move the center adjustment (could be a screw or a lever) until you can see clearly with both eyes (this adjustment will change based on the distance to whatever you're looking at, but unless you're sharing the binoculars, you shouldn't have to adjust the eyepiece every time). Get a pair with the best quality picture you can afford. When you spot that whale or bear, you'll be glad you did.

Nope. I am in more danger driving on the freeway in my big city than I will be there. I refuse to live my life in fear. Bad things happen every day, everywhere. Live each day to the fullest and no regrets.

...Whatever the warning, it probably wouldn't change my mind. The odds are nothing would happen to me personally. I've been traveling since terrorist threats first started happening in the 1970s.

This is my philosophy as well. Probability of something happening is minimal and if we remain at home out of fear, the bad guys win. Yes, sometimes something happens, but look at all the times and places where nothing happens every day. That said, it doesn't hurt to remain alert and aware of what is going on around you when you travel.

FWIW, I worked terrorism at DOD until I retired so while I'm no longer working the subject, I keep abreast as best I can of what is going on around the world where I might be traveling.

We didn't start seriously cruising until our kids were grown and we like Disney. We like the quality of service, we enjoy the rotational dining (Palo and Remy don't do much for us), and we like the fact that there is no casino. We are also not particularly night owls but we do enjoy the quiet of the lounges in the evenings.

We've never encountered many loud or rowdy kids - just the reverse in fact. But then we do late dining and only go to the adult pool. Disney does a pretty good job of keeping kids out of the adult areas, unlike other cruise lines we've been on.

We prefer the older and smaller classic ships, the Magic and Wonder, to the newer and larger ships.

We also enjoy some of the adult activities such as the wine tastings.

Even with a cruise out of Galveston (just a few hours drive away), we arrive the day before. Years ago a flat tire when driving in the morning of the cruise nearly caused us to miss the ship - made it by 10 minutes!

Too true. I was on a cruise out of Baltimore and a woman from DC missed the ship. It was a 1 1/2 hour drive so she left 2 hours before final boarding. Never did hear her reasoning. Anyways, she got stuck in traffic within sight of the terminal, then watched the ship sail away without her. And, she didn't have travel insurance either.

If you're really worried about your DCL tags coming off, you could use a regular luggage tag that can be read without having to open a flap or cover. On the face of the tag, put in your own tag with basic information:

Disney Magic

M. Mouse

Stateroom 1234

Will help the CM quickly identify where the bag needs to go.

They used to' date=' a long time ago....I WISH they still did this, but it has been many years since there has been an "adults/older kids: rotation.[/quote']

 

Back in April I called to have our rotation adjusted so we could be in Lumiere's on Formal Night for our Med cruise. DCL told me that this might take us out of the "mostly adult" rotation. As it was, the rotation we were in was mostly adults and older kids, though there were some younger kids but not many. One of our servers told us we our seating rotation had the fewest children.

Most people head to the buffet at Cabanas on Deck 11. I prefer the "sit-down" restaurant as it's quieter. The buffet isn't quite as extensive but I've never gone hungry or lacked choices.

Afterwards, if the cabins are still unavailable we explore the ship, mostly to get our bearings and see what may have changed: kids' clubs, spa, lounges/bars, pools, etc.

Some people bring swimsuits in their day-bag and enjoy the pools. The fast-food eateries by the pool will also be open during embarkation.

About 4pm or so, there will be a mandatory safety drill, followed by the sailaway party on Deck 11 (pool deck). Exact times will be provided in the Navigator, which will be provided to you at check-in.

In our experience, we've only been seated with other couples within 5 years of our ages.

Same here. Interestingly enough, the first time was with two Canadian couples, and the second time with two British couples. We had a great time both times.

When we've had our adult children along (early 20s), we've either been seated at our own table, or with another family of adults only.

Disney also tries to make one of the late seatings with mostly adults. Kids will still be present and maybe next to you, but not at the same table.

Thank you... Just received our travel documents for our Feb 23 sailing. I notice they add the gratuities directly to your account.

 

We are getting excited about this cruise!!! Hope the river levels are okay and the oil spill in Vicksburg doesn't hinder stopping here.

On the New Year's Eve cruise we weren't able to dock at Vicksburg due to water contamination (all water had to be boiled) so we docked at Natchez for 2 nights. They bused us to the Vicksburg Battlefield (90 min ride each way) which made for a long day, but OK by me rather than miss the tour (which is the only one I signed up for). There were signs up everywhere in Vicksburg not to drink the water, but the AQ provided lots of bottled water.

When I looked out the window on the morning we were suppose to be in Vicksburg, I wondered where the flood wall with the murals was, then I noticed the buildings and thought "This looks like Natchez", and it was!

Ironically, when we were on the Delta Queen in 2005, we weren't able to dock in Baton Rouge due to a chemical spill so did 2 days in St Francisville.

The AQ went into drydock for 3 weeks after our cruise, so hopefully they were able to address a few things that needed some attention. Worse part for us was that the paddlewheel was broken. They used auxilliary screws to propel us but had a tug lashed to the stern for any emergencies. Took away a bit of the charm of being on a paddlewheeler but since it was too cold to sit outside at the bar, we didn't really miss it too much.

What was the dress code in the evening -- for dinner?

Resort casual. For the Captain's Reception some men wore sports coats and the ladies cocktail dresses.

That might just have been the old DELTA QUEEN working her charm on you! She did that to a lot of others too.

She did indeed, but then we also liked her because it was smaller, more intimate, and of a similar size to the original steamboats. I go with a group of history enthusiasts that like to dress up in Victorian-era attire (long dresses, frock coats, etc) and the DQ brought out adventure to life.

The hop on, hop off buses are great. You get a map of the town which shows you the bus stops and where the attractions are. Also, most of the houses you can tour as well as the museums are all free for AQ passengers. AQ has already paid the admission. There is a tour guide on the bus, giving you the history of the area. This is one aspect of AQ that goes way above and beyond "Normal".

Much appreciated. I thought this might be the case but the AQ website is a little vague on the subject.

We did this itinerary on the Delta Queen and enjoyed it, more than we did the Ohio River on the American Queen a few years ago.