shofer

We sailed out of Miami for the first time in Jan. 2022 for our Symphony cruise. After 15 cruises, it was the first time I was actually told by a porter that if I didn't tip, my bag might get lost. I was struck dumb and just pointed to my husband who hadn't heard the veiled threat. He gave the guy two fivers which made the porter very happy. We had done a TransAtlantic out of Southampton and the porters were so polite and patient. I have to say, we never had any issue in Ft. Lauderdale.

Hubby & I got to enjoy my Diamond status on our last cruise in Jan/22. I am not much of a drinker but I do like to gamble and would often get comped for a cocktail while playin blackjack. We never used all the "coupons" on that cruise.

Princess's theater does not fit half the passengers. They have another, smaller venue also with shows at the other end of the ship. So if you want to see the "big" show, you have to get there at least 1/2 hour early. Yes, there is competition for seats. DH had words with one guy over "saving" seats for me and my cousin who were standing right behind them. The odd thing was the very next row was totally empty.

Does the HOHO bus stop at the cruise terminal or do we have to buy an excursion through the cruise line?

We did a TA on Celebrity Solstice in 2018 for our 50th anniversary. It was billed "Boston, Broadway and Bermuda". Started at Southampton and after seeing our daughter in Boston we sailed under the Verrazzano Straits bridge and slowly passed Lady Liberty. It was my first sighting, but DH saw her when he arrived in America as an 8 y/o immigrant from Germany in 1951. There were a large number of crew out on deck as they were allowed a few minutes for the experience.

Those Sunset Verandas are pricey and go quickly, unless you book far in advance.

Have you experienced the porthole balcony? How restricted is the view? We hesitate booking Edge class because of the IV cabins.

We used Romecabs for Rome, Florence and Naples in 2015. Four couples shared the cost. Our itinerary had us in these ports for 12 hours, 8-8. No problem getting back to the ship well ahead of time.

We stayed at the Hyatt in Miami in 2022. Room was nice. Breakfast-forget it. Don't know if it was so limited because of Covid but it was just scrambled eggs, bagels and waffles served up in the lobby. It is very close to the terminal.

We had the same experience on Vision OTS in 2015. My friend was eating sliders almost every evening. The buffet was boring, no good desserts and the food was blah. On the survey, I scored the food a great fat big ZERO. We must not have been alone in this opinion as we sailed Vision again in 2017 and the food was much, much better. The buffet actually had real desserts and not just slices of sheet cake and jello. The MDR menu had better choices and most of the food was pretty tasty.

When we were younger, we never bothered with insurance. But now...In Jan-2021, right before the Covid shutdown, DH, who had been feeling not good since Tuesday and refused to see the doctor, decided on Friday (we always fly in a day early) that maybe he should see someone. Long story short, the doc sent him to the ER and he was admitted for cardiac eval d/t elevated cardiac enzymes. Turned out to be a food borne illness which had seriously dehydrated him. I came down with it (don't kiss a sick husband) and was sick the entire next week. Even if we had made it onboard, we would have been confined to our room the entire trip. Royal was great (we had their insurance) and everything was refunded. Southwest gave us credit for 18 mos in the future. We lost our hotel fee, but $300 was affordable. In 2008, we took our 2 kids and their spouses on a cruise and we purchased insurance for them too. You never know what can happen.

We have done Alaska with Celebrity (cruise only) and Princess (land tour). Still love Celebrity overall but felt we really "saw" Alaska with Glacier Bay and the 3 days pre-cruise land. The best excursion we ever had which we booked by ourselves for a better price is the one with the Deadliest Catch guys. You can buy it through the cruise line but save a few $$ doing it yourself. I think it is in Ketchikan. We also booked a private whale watching tour in Juneau. Celebrity's food/service is still better, in my opinion, but I consider Alaska for the destination is better served by Princess.

After 15 cruises this last one on Symphony in Miami (first time) was the ONLY time I was approached by a baggage handler and informed if I wanted my luggage on the ship I should take care of him. Frankly, I was gob-smacked and didn't know how to reply, just to point to my husband and said talk to him. DH didn't hear this "request" as he was taking the luggage out of the taxi, but when the man approached him, he just peeled off a couple of 5's and thanked him. And yes, our luggage showed up on the ship.

Symphony of the Seas. Covid interfered with our Feb-21 cruise so finally went 1/19/22. Have to say, out of our 16 total cruises, this ship exceeded our expectations in all categories, especially in the entertainment. The Ice show, diving show and theater productions were excellent. I would go on this ship again in a heartbeat.

When I saw the new menus online, my first thought is none of this is new. We did a family cruise (14 couples, including my parents) in 2001 and RCI had "theme" nights back then. The waiters had different vests each night to coordinate with the theme.

If you purchased your flight through Celebrity, they know which is the earliest you can get to. This happened to us when we finished the cruise in Vancouver and we had a 10:30 AM flight to Seattle. We had booked the transfer through the cruise line (Princess). We were the first ones off. Canadian Customs were standing at the end of the ramp and we had to show our passports as we were going to the American only terminal. The bus got us to the terminal before the truck with our luggage, by minutes. Went through security, then used our Global Entry at Customs. (there were only 3 people in line but only one clerk taking care of someone else), arrived at the gate 1/2 hour before boarding. Took a deep breath!

That becomes bread pudding the next day!

And a side of heart artery stents with that.

I had no idea they made smoothies there! Can't wait to score one on our next cruise.

On Embarkation Day, I love a great homemade salad topped with a small minute steak. And some dessert too, bread pudding w/vanilla sauce. LOL.

Bread Pudding with vanilla sauce. I discovered this item on Vision of the Seas in 2017 and have found it on every Royal cruise since then. Made with the day old bread, I like it especially when made with leftover raisin bread.

We had a 6:30 MTD reservation. Sometimes thepeople at "our" table weren't finished so we would come back later. We just started coming @ 7 PM and the maitre'd kept the table for us.

One week later we were on Quantum, all food venues were serving the worst food we have ever had on any cruise, with the exception of Specialties. Wife actually lost two pounds over the 10 nights on Quantum. Wish I had a picture of the carved Turkey being served in the Windjammer, the server was pulling it apart by hand, absolutely gross. However the bar tenders in Vintages were some of the happiest crew on the ship, I had several Negronis every night and my wife fell in love with the Cucumber Elderflower Martinis.

We always pre-pay them so one less thing to worry about and knowing what the total cost is upfront.