basenji56

Some of you who were on this sailing last year may remember Minda Larsen. I have been in contact with Minda and she is available for the 12/27/22 Viking Sea sailing I sent this message to the tellus@vikingcruises.com address. If you are on this years sailing and would like to see Minda perform again, I urge you to write to Viking and ask them to bring her back. My message: "I was a passenger on a Viking Sea cruise last December--West Indies Explorer out of San Juan right after Christmas. It was a wonderful cruise but was made even better because of singer Minda Larsen. Minda filled in with two extra shows when two of the production show performers had to leave the ship due to covid restrictions. She created an entirely new show on the fly. All of her shows were amazing. Anyway, I loved this cruise so much that I rebooked it for December 27, 2020. Viking Sea. I would love if you could rebook Minda on this year's sailing. I reached out to her and she said she is available at that time. Here is her website. Singing Instructor | Minda Larsen Singer, Teacher, Actor Voice Teacher to Broadway Singers (mindalarsen.com) Thank you for your consideration! M

Cabanas on the Edge are in a horrible location. Hopefully, they are in a better location on the Beyond.

Like Allure because of Mamma Mia and aqua show. And lack of water slides on the boardwalk. Hate Cats.

But the dates of the cruise are almost identical? With two days dropped and itinerary changed.

Reading the recent stories about several brawls on Carnival ships has given me a bad impression of that line. But those brawls may be total anomalies. I've never seen a brawl on Celebrity--but Celebrity cruisers may just be wary of breaking a hip.

At least they didn't demand full payment for that 2024 cruise and will now only offer a voucher in reimbursement.

I like both for different reasons. Cruising more on Royal these days because I prefer real verandas. Food is better on Celebrity. More elegant atmosphere. Fewer kids.

Murano without a doubt. Tuscan can be hit or miss, although it has a better location on the ship.

My only real complaint is that I don't like the way they do the "included" shore excursions in the Caribbean. I have found them to be mostly mediocre. I prefer the method used by Oceania where you have a set amount of money to use towards shore excursions. If you want to take an upgraded excursion, you pay the difference. I feel like I am wasting my money by not taking the included excursions and booking the optional excursions, but the timing is such that you usually can't do both.

Yes. If something is bad, I will tell them. Blaming the stateroom attendant for bad internet is just stupid.

Most the Celebrity patrons are too old to fight without breaking a hip.

Unless you are super big partiers, I can assure you that the Celebrity experience is better than Carnival.

Good summary. I prefer the food on Oceania--particularly the four included specialty restaurants on the bigger ships. I am not a fan of the production shows on Celebrity and prefer the smaller shows on Oceania. I liked the included specialty coffees on Oceania since I don't get a drink package. But Oceania verandas are significantly more expensive than Celebrity verandas. You will need to decide if it is worth the extra cost. I sail on and enjoy both lines.

I looked at booking a solo cabin on Vista but was put off by the size of the bed and its placement in the cabin. Looked very claustrophobic. Also, the price was not that much less than booking a regular Veranda.

Just following up. No rules have been reinstated, right?

Generally, Celebrity is more expensive. And, until recently, required you to book by paying extra for "free drinks and free internet."

Good to know about Quantum class. I booked a transatlantic on Odessey for later this month. Had originally booked Apex but cancelled it because I am not of a fan of the infinite verandas (although I love almost everything else about Edge class ships).

Some random musings: Real balconies on Royal. Infinite balconies on Celebrity Edge class. Celebrity has a good variety of ice cream for free in the buffet. I prefer the Royal benefit for Elite/Diamond since you get four drinks you can use all day. Food is generally better on Celebrity. Fewer kids on Celebrity.

I haven’t sailed on VV so can’t say. I have sailed on Oceania and Celebrity and found Oceania food to be superior.

You will love Oceania. Much smaller ships. Only negative is the premium price. Best food at sea.

And staffing is a big problem so even reduced capacity can be a problem if there is not enough staff—but it seems like they are trying for full capacity with reduced staff.

Good question. I have always gotten coffee in porcelain cups, but I bet you could ask for a paper cup. But not sure.