Truffle

just wondered if we might need water shoes for Castaway Cay or is the bottom smooth and sandy?

Thanks!

Thanks for your replies everyone!

This will be our first DCL Cruise. I have been told that there are cabanas to rent on CC but that they are pricey and almost impossible to get, especially for newcomers to the line. Has anyone rented one and what was your opinion? I’d love to rent one for one of our CC days but it is really discouraging to hear that it will be next to impossible to get one. I would hope that, although it is a perk for repeat customers to be able to book further in advance, they might at least hold a small number so that we newcomers might have SOME chance? Why would they want to make your early experiences discouraging? :(:loudcry:

We are going on our first Disney Cruise in Nov. 2018. We did The Perfectly Princess Tea” at the Grand Floridian when we were at DisneyWorld last August-my Daughter, granddaughter(6 1/2,) my grandson(4 1/2,) and myself. Yes, it was expensive but it was one of the absolute highlights of our nine day trip and we did EVERTYHING on that trip as far as extras! It was very well done. The doll my granddaughter received and the big bear my grandson received were beautiful, as were all the other gifts included. My grandson had a wonderful time! He had an incredible “beast” costume and my granddaughter had a gorgeous Belle Costume. They felt very special! My daughter and I also dressed in nice dresses. It was a lot of fun but also a refined, special experience. The food was very relatable for the children and plentiful. I didn’t particularly care for the food provided for the adults as two of the three tea sandwiches provided included curry chicken salad and egg salad (two of the few things I do not eat!). I ate the third tea sandwich (I think it was cucumber) and one of the sandwiches my granddaughter couldn’t finish on her plate. If I had thought ahead, I’m sure that had I notified them ahead of time, the chef would have provided me with substitutions.

My point is, this was a very special, memorable event for us and the children are STILL talking about it!! The doll and bear are very precious to them and I’m sure that is partially due to the very special memories associated with the event! It was well worth the cost!! Not everything is tangible dollar value!

My husband and I cruise often on some upscale cruise lines. I find DCL prices rather high, although I am assured we will find it worth it. I find it odd that so many who choose to cruise on DCL would be questioning the cost of this event, but I guess different things are important to different people. And of COURSE Disney should make a profit on the things they do, should they not? I am glad they don’t cut corners!

We will be in Sydney for several days prior to our Tahitian Treasures Cruise on celebrity Solstice and plan on attending a performance of Aida on the Harbor Steps. What is the norm for attire at the "outdoor opera?" I know we will probably see all types of attire from shorts to formal and am not asking what we could "get away with wearing" as is so common on dress code threads, but I would like to know if the ladies wear dresses ( cocktail, long, sundresses?) or pants (dressy, "eveningy," jeans?) and if the men wear jeans, sports jackets with nice slacks or suits?

Thanks!

Truffle -

 

Which cruise are you going on? I see you're in Henderson. We used to live there (in Seven Hills) and now are in Summerlin.

 

We doing the Sept 28 Pacific Princess FP cruise.

We are on the 18 night Tahitian Treasures cruise on Celebrity Solstice, departing from Sydney on April 3rd. Getting very excited and counting down the days! :)

We were thinking that we might like to take a cab or water taxi to the Four Seasons Hotel in Bora Bora for lunch. I have no idea if taxis are available where the ship docks or tenders, and if so how far it is to the hotel. Has anyone done this or know how far it is?

We will be in Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea and are no longer interested in snorkeling, although we love catamarans. I have a really bad back so I'm thinking an ATV tour is not right for me. We do love the beach and love dining. I'm also interested in doing a little shopping.

Any suggestions?

We will be sailing on the Solstice "Pearls of the Pacific" cruise in a few weeks and will have a day and a half in Sydney prior to embarkation. I love to celebrate with Peach Bellinis while we are cruising. I have heard that they are on the menu in at least one of the bars but we like to enjoy them in our cabin, so we often bring aboard several cans/cartons of peach nectar and order a bottle of champagne or Asti for our cabin. Since we are departing from Sydney this time we'd like to find a grocery store in town to purchase the peach nectar before we board the ship. I have occasionally had some difficulty finding it in the grocery at home, although not recently and just wondered if an Sydney residents could advise if it is commonly carried in the grocery stores there and if so, could you recommend a grocery that is not too far from the cruise terminal?

Also, any recommendations for a good wine store?

Thanks so much!

No worries, I can't answer for what the kids clubs do but there certainly hasn't been any to do or special menu for Easter on any cruise I have done. I am not sure what a Easter specific menu would be apart from easter eggs and hot cross buns. In any case, we brought our own (a few bags of the smaller eggs) and then shared them around with friends and staff.:D

Ham, Lamb, Prime Rib are all typical items often found on Easter menus in land-based restaurants as well as special garnishes and desserts.

Does anyone know where one might purchase extra insurance for baggage? The dollar amount listed in most travel insurance policies would not begin to cover the value of our belongings and we'd like to purchase additional coverage if it is available.

Thanks!

We always bring a few small cans of peach or apricot nectar with us and if we have time stop at a store and bring a small bag of frozen peaches, with which we make Bellinis! It's festive and delicious. I prefer this type of Bellini over some of the bar recipes with more ingredients.

Hi Don,

Although I know they have not yet implemented the new suite restaurant, I'd be interested to hear what the dining room staff and maitre 'd have to say about it and the possible menu.

Thanks!

Melody

After having posted an answer earlier today, I realized that the OP likes to dress in a certain manner when he cruises. My husband and I have similar opinions, however we don't feel the need to tell others that they "should" or will "need" more or less. Even though he asked the question about how much luggage others cruise with, I find it funny that some posters are telling him what he really "needs" to take. It's almost morphing into a dress code thread. Everyone will decide what type of clothing they want to wear and then pack accordingly, whether they want to travel with nothing but a carry-on or whether they will be using more pieces.

We pack exactly the same as you do, 2lg. Suitcases or rolling garment bags each and a carry-on each. My husband HATES moving luggage around but that's what porters are for! We do enjoy bringing our dressy/formal clothes and having options. And we have laundry done on the ship so we don't come home with too many dirty clothes.

Thank you Texed, that's what I was looking for!

Several weeks ago someone posted a link to the newest info on the upcoming suite benefits from the Celebrity Website or Captains Club magazine. I had opened it on my IPad but inadvertently closed it before I had a chance to show it to my husband. It included all the categories of suites and what the benefits would be. Can anyone out there repost the link please?

Thanks!

We LOVED the Panama Canal transit cruise we did on the Mercury in 2000. The canal experience itself was wonderful, but we also enjoyed the longer length of the cruise (14 night) and the fact that there were quite a few days just cruising.

I must say, however, that while I appreciate the initiative of those who got up early and had staked out a spot at the rail, there was some incredibly rude behavior by many who did. One women several rows back politely asked if she could move up just long enough to snap a photo and then she promised to move back--I thought they might lynch her! It is, after all a long process and I can't imagine why people couldn't take turns.:confused.

Try dillards.com, belk.com, lordandtaylor.com, saks.com (they have good sales). I have found the online sites seem to have more variety than the stores themselves and you can return items easily to the retail stores if there is one in your area and they never give you a problem. Also, check out chicos.com and nordstroms.com (also good sales.) I always find a lot of things at Macy's online.

I don't know when your cruise is scheduled but I'm sure that you will begin to see more fancy tops the closer we get to the holidays. If you live close to an outlet mall you can often find things there as well.

Have fun shopping!

Dress code threads are so hilarious.

I agree. However, I am guilty of lurking these threads--can't look away. I am responding to this one to try to convince the "askers" to stop and the responders to quit being drawn in, unless the question is truly being asked by a first-time cruiser who needs some clarification.

If one is asking this type of question, they are not really interested in following the rules/request/guidelines of the cruise line, choosing, however a type of vacation wherein a variety of clothing would be required but claiming not to like dealing with luggage, not knowing how to pack well enough to include the required clothing within airline weight limits OR being unwilling to pay overweight or extra bag fees, even though not seemingly significant when compared to the cost of a cruise vacation and even though there are so many cruise lines available that do not have formal nights at all. There are bound to be at LEAST several others with comparable itinerary and food/ambiance. Some gentlemen claim they are required to wear a suit and tie to work every day and don't want to do it on vacation, which is entirely understandable, but not when he proceeds to choose a type of vacation or vessel on which this expected for a small amount of overall time during this vacation. Posters of this type of question do not want to be bothered for maybe 5-6 hrs. out of an entire 7 or so day cruise.

For those who respond--why bother? One will never succeed in changing the mind of a person who posts a "what is the least level we can get away with"-type question. The information is out there in many forms that there are other venues in which to dine on formal evenings that don't require formal attire. I'm sure most have already read it but still continue to ask. Cruise lines have tried to appease the "I don't own a tuxedo" and the "can't fit a tuxedo into my luggage/don't want to pack one" arguments by offering tuxedos for rental, but the questioners don't seem interested in this option. If one claims that formal wear or a suit and tie is uncomfortable, perhaps they are not properly fitted. They also don't seem to be interested in dining in an alternate venue. Nothing one can say will change this, so why waste the time? Those on the other side of the argument, for the most part, assume that anyone contradicting their point of view is antiquated, a snob, or completely inflexible. Celebrity has offered several solutions. Many are happy to comply with alternate suggestions, while a few don't seem to appreciate the compromise. As has been stated, the solution lies in enforcement.

This argument will probably never cease in one form or another. No matter how casual the dress guidelines become in the future there are bound to be those who don't want to follow them.

Not sure if I missed it but I don't think the OP specifically stated the cruise was in September. We did a Canada/New England cruise several years ago in October and it was chilly in Rhode Island and cruising the Sequenay River. Some of the other ports were cold. I wore leather pants and a cashmere blazer over a cashmere t-neck one day and wool pants and a leather bomber jacket another day while in Quebec. It actually started snowing as we were leaving port in Quebec--beautiful!! I had gloves and scarves with me when we left the ship most days. This was perhaps the difference in October weather and September or maybe just an exceptional cold spell, but I would closely monitor the weather close to departure day and adjust my packing accordingly. I don't think I wore anything sleeveless while on board. I would also suggest that it depends on the temps one is use to at home. What I consider cold coming from the desert southwest may not feel cold to someone from Minnesota, but I seem to recall that most passengers and also locals were dressed similarly.

It was the best cruise we ever did!

How far is Sydney airport from the Sydney Harbour area? Our flight arrives at 7:20 PM and we are staying at The Four Seasons. We are trying to get a ballpark idea of arrival time at the hotel and trying to determine if we will have any time to go out that evening. Also, does anyone know if baggage handling and customs are fairly quick or move more slowly at the airport? We are arriving on a Wednesday if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Forgive me as I know this must have been answered before but I am not good at search. We are cruising on the April 3rd, 2015 departure from Sydney on the Solstice. We have enjoyed Cellar Masters in the past and I am hearing they may do away with this venue? :( If so, does anyone know when and with what it will be replaced? Will the wine machines be incorporated into another venue?

Thanks!

We are looking for new luggage and need some suggestions. We have a large wardrobe of Briggs and Riley rolling luggage which has been practically bullet-proof (and has a lifetime warranty) however, it was purchased before all of the weight limit ridiculousness and unfortunately weighs a lot empty. :(

We would like to purchase some new, lighter weight yet upscale soft-sided rolling luggage of good quality.

We are not the type who pride ourselves in packing for a world cruise in nothing but a carry-on! In other words--have never been accused of under packing! We enjoy formal nights and tend to dress up for dinner even on casual nights in a dress for me and often a sports jacket for my husband (though he ALWAYS wears pants and a shirt! :D) Sometimes he also brings a suit.

We usually cruise on 10-14 day cruises, sometimes longer. Usually bring 2 large rolling garment bags (sometimes called wardrobe bags--not the fold over suit cover type) and two large Pullmans, and two carry-ons, a large tote purse and a backpack for hubby's laptop, camera and assorted electronic accessories and cords, meds, etc. :o

I know many will think this is ridiculous, but what can I say? :p

Any suggestions for durably constructed lighter weight luggage?

Does anyone know if TravelPro or other brands compare quality-wise with Tumi or Briggs Riley?

Thanks!

I had a Bellini in the Passport Bar on the Solstice in May about five minutes after checking in to begin our cruise. :)

 

 

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Happy to hear this!