pixiegirl-loves-travel

I too was hoping to find a blog or two for the world cruises!  I hope someone posts some links.  I'll try to sign up for Find Penguins...  

e-  cdoughtyrae~ awwww!  I love Puddy!  Can't wait to see/read about her adventures around the world!

bob brown and ilsun~ I can't thank you enough for sharing your journey with us through your pictures and narration!  It looks like you're all off to a great start!

Thanks again!

Lisa

Thanks Bob and iIsun for the great pics!  We love seeing all the details- and appreciate you letting us live vicariously through you.  Enjoy the evening!

Lisa

Safe travels and Bon Voyage to all the Insignia World Cruisers!

I'm so excited to find this thread!  Like many others, I dream of a world cruise, but am years away from taking one.  In the meantime, I thrive on reading everybody else's adventures!  I was bummed not to find any Insignia blogs, but then found this- and it might even be better!  Please... as much as is possible... I want ALL the scoop, even minutiae!  I'm loving the pictures and comments of everything from Oceania information, to getting to the hotel, packing, organization processes, ANYTHING!  And bless the hearts of all who are sharing so we can live the dream with you.  Have a blast!

Thanks so much, Steveru621 and lajbec for all of your information and suggestions!

Lisa

My DH and I are taking our first cruise ever on Freedom of the Seas out of Fort Lauderdale end of April. This is also our first time to the state of Florida. I have a few questions I haven't found answers to yet.

1. We recently were upgraded from E3- Deck 6 Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony to D1-Deck 10 Superior Ocean View with Balcony. Does this upgrade really mean anything other than a deck change? Are there any benefits to category D1 vs. E3?

2. We prepaid our gratuities. Are there still some people we should be tipping that aren't included in the prepaid grats?

3. What is the benefit of a pre-paid photo package vs. buying pictures individually on the ship?

4. Our departure time is 5:30 and it says check in is between 12:30-4:30. What would be the best time to arrive to minimize congestion? Should I arrive before 12:30? Or is there no such time to ease check in wait times?

5. Our cruise arrives back in Fort Lauderdale around 5:30AM. Does that mean we have to be ready to leave the ship at 5:30AM?

6. Does anytime dining mean we just show up at the dining-room whenever we want?

7. We're staying at a local hotel pre-cruise. What would be the best way to get to the cruise port?

8. Post cruise we plan to rent a car (probably from the airport?) and visit the keys for a few days. Are there taxis near by? Or should we pre-arrange one?

I feel really dumb asking these questions, but greatly appreciate any answers!

Lisa

Well... after reading all the comments, I think I'm more confused than before! ;-) My DH and I are taking our first cruise in April to celebrate our 30th anniversary (8 day Caribbean on FOTS) and we were wondering about "formal" nights. It doesn't sound like formal is so formal anymore. I originally told my hubby he'd have to rent a tux and I needed a sequined floor length gown. I take it we'd be the odd ones out in such attire? It sounds like even a nice suit and a sparkly/sequined cocktail dress would be in the minority?

Thanks again for sharing! I'm really enjoying travelling vicariously through you. Continued blessings on your journey! :)

I'm really enjoying your posts. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us!

How exciting! I'm greatly looking forward to your posts and pictures so I might live the trip vicariously through you. Bon Voyage from Nebraska!

You should be able to order foreign currency thru your local bank. Depending on where you are, sometimes it can take up to two weeks. Before my daughter and I took our trip to Holland, Russia, England and France, we ordered Euros, British Pounds and Roubles. We did use the foreign ATMs to suppliment our cash supply, but was glad to have some ready cash available in each place. The little bit we had left over at the end of our trip made fun souvenirs for loved ones (and ourselves).

We were lucky, our TA (Travel all Russia) made the process very easy- though it was time consuming. I'm glad it's done!

Tim, I haven't got to play photographer as much as I'd like. I took pictures at my counsin's shower which gave me a chance to play with indoor dim lighting. Overall I was pretty pleased. I need to practice being patient, as the camera does take a few seconds to focus properly. I still need to practice some action shots and play with video and some of the fancy schmancy settings before I go- and then clear my card for optimum space. I did order extra batteries and a charger as well as a 2nd memory card. I should be good for about 8-10,000 pictures- depending on how much video I take.

I'm glad you found a good camera. You've got some very exciting trips to capture! Can't wait to see those pictures! I can't go myself, I'll enjoy living vicariously through you! :D

Ohhhhh Fran! LOL! :D

I'm confident my new camera can handle the low light. It has a museum setting and only has a manual flash- and I've never been a fan of flashes anyway. It adjusts really well in what I've practiced so far anyway. I also have an excellent photo editing program to help the few that might not be up to muster. However, I am a lover of postcards too and that's a great suggestion.

Unlike many people, I don't take "postcard" pictures when I travel. I like to document my trip, the people, unusual details in things that I see and do. Rarely are my pictures without people, except for a few special scenic shots. So I often get postcards to suppliment my own pictures. I'll probably do that at the museums. Since I was often called "Mona Lisa" growing up (who knows why) I intend to take a picture of me with the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, lol. I'll take a picture of Kaylie "holding" the Eiffel Tower. She's usually the Vanna White in my pictures. Those are the type of pictures I take, lol! :eek: But I'll be sure to look-out for the peacock cloak, ha ha! :p

I'll behave (for the most part). I promised my DH I'd stay out of the gulag!

Thanks teb3! I was just curious why you could take pictures everywhere else, but not the Amber room. I don't mind paying the fees for the privilege if they're not too high. I was actually shocked to learn we could take pictures in places like the Hermitage and the Louvre.

Tim, do they say why you can't take pictures in the Amber room?

Tim, your pictures on Flickr are fabulous! My hubby and I had a blast looking at the menu pictures and food presentation pictures. It looks very similar to what the menu is for the ms. Russ (only it's a budget cruise so we get paper plates, lol!)

Just kidding!

Your ship was beautiful, although Tom (DH) said he'd have to wear sunglasses alot with all of that white and the bright contrasting colors, lol. I thought it was gorgeous, but I'm loud and a bit colorful myself. I can't wait to show my daughter the pictures when she gets home. We're both getting very excited as it gets closer.

Did you do much onboard the ship- as far as the classes or presentations or anything like that?

I have some other travel questions, but since they're not related to Russia, I'll PM you thru FB later, ok?

Lisa

I'm looking excitedly at your pictures right now, Tim! Amazing! Thanks for sharing! You have been to so many wonderful places. I aspire to get to many of those myself. Ok~ back to your Russia pics. Just had to voice my excitement, lol! Everybody here thinks we're nuts. You folks are the only ones who understand! ;)

Great review, Tim!

I'd love to see pictures. Is there any way I can friend you on FB to see them?

Lisa

cdeame, I hope one day to be as well travelled as you. K and I will soon be off to a good start!

We'll be glad to share our experiences. I know half the fun so far has been reading about other people's trips, looking at their pictures, reading their opinions on things, etc. I'm in the process of making a website where we can post a daily blog and pictures for my hubby, sons and other family and friends who want to follow along. I'll be sure and post a link in case you and your daughter want to visit. Certainly I can e-mail you afterwards as well if you have any questions.

Since this is our first adventure out of the country, or even travelling together without "the boys", we're trying to approach things with a very open mind- and a lot of humor. We're truly doing this on a budget, so we know some of our accommodations and outings might hold some surprises. We won't allow ourselves NOT to have a great time! Barring any life or health altering disasters, we plan to smile and laugh our way through everything. Everything, except the solemn occasions, such as Anne Frank. K already knows I'll be sobbing my way through there and probably the Corrie Ten Boom house in Haarlem as well. We've already purchased our tickets to the AF House, so we can avoid the lines. I'm re-reading her diary right now.

We're very excited. We plan to do all of the great "touristy" stuff, but also hope to find a few off the beaten path things as well. We plan to go the the Museum of Psychiatry in Haarlem, where each room represents a mental health disorder, such as schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, etc., so you can get a "feel" for what each disorder is like to individuals affected by them. We also talked about going to Leiden, which is where the Pilgrims lived before coming to America on the Mayflower. There is a small museum there devoted to them, including the prison cells where John Smith and some others spent time.

So much to see!

Pixiegirl - when are you going?

Our cruise is July 10th-21st of this year on the ms. Russ.

You asked about the foldaway bed... On our ship (and many of the Russian ships) have tiny little cabins with "cots" (they look smaller than a twin), one of which will fold up "murphy style" into the wall and let the remaining cot act as a sofa. The bathrooms are also unique with the showers consisting of a drain in the floor between the sink and stool, a pull around curtain and a shower that attaches to the sink! The more expensive cruise lines have newer ships with more standard cabin and bathroom set ups. I told my daughter to think of our room as a river floating camper from the 1970's or 1980's. ;) I'm trying to post some pictures for you... Keep in mind, these are from the ship my daughter and I will be on~ very much the budget cruise, but still with some charming spaces. If you can afford nicer accommodations, they are out there. K and I are spending several days in Amsterdam and London as pre and post trip extensions (done on our own). We are doing europe on a shoestring but we're giving our pennies a workout, lol! If you google the ship names of the Viking and Vantage fleets, you can see how their ships compare. I will say that ours is less than 1/2 of those other prices- if money is a factor. If not, enjoy the nicer ship! :) It's nice to have choices. Five to ten years ago, there wasn't one.

cdeame, I think you have much to look forward to no matter who you cruise with. From my research, all of them have pros and cons, it's just a matter of which one has more pros for you. They all follow the same basic itinerary, many have similar ship accommodations. The more expensive cruises appear to have upgraded their ships, so your "digs" will be fancier and might include a balcony. As papa pointed out, with his cruise, they stayed in the city which gave them more of a feel for the city and more time in the city since they weren't commuting for hours each day. His cruiseline included a lot more tours that other companies offer as "options". He took the "Hyatt" version of the Cruise :) Some of the cruises are now using hydrofoils as a way of getting rid of the lengthy commutes each way, each day (as papa said, it can be as much as 2 hours each way). My 20 year old daughter and I are taking the budget cruise "Best Western" version, lol, :p. Our ship is charming, older, and the rooms are basic. Our tours our basic. Everything else is an option. Even with buying options, our cruise is cheaper. We're budget travellers, so it's perfect for us.

My Aunt took her first river cruise on Viking several years ago. She and her husband are well travelled, and they had a great time (this was before all the ships were refurbished). They said there were lots of onboard activities, but they didn't partake in many of them. They were more than content to chat with other cruisers and sightsee on the decks. Viking has some great videos on their website. They would be fun to watch for anybody taking a Russia cruise- no matter the cruiseline. But it would show you some of the options for onboard activities and show you what Viking is like as an option.

My daughter and I know we'll be the young 'uns on our ship. We plan to take part in our onboard activities (standard things: Russian language classes, Russian folk song singalongs, matryoshka doll painting, Russian history, etc) as well as the fun silly stuff (Pirate night, talent show). It all sounds fun and lighthearted and if it's not, we always have our Kindles, lol! As long as we can get our hands on some pop and chocolate, have a private bed and a shower and some nice people to chat with, we're contented cruisers. We're looking forward to meeting new friends and experiencing new cultures and having an overseas adventure. I hope you find the right cruise for you and your daughter!