Joanne G.

Enjoy your cruise! Just be aware that a 4-day cruise on Carnival, presumably in the Caribbean, could be a very different experience than a longer Carnival cruise. I have been on many Carnival Caribbean cruises of 7 or 8 or 10 days, and I have never encountered the drunken party crowd that Carnival is known for - accurately or not. Or maybe you want to be part of that party crowd! Nothing wrong with that, and have fun.

I would have liked a bottle of champagne! But I got several assorted cans of beer, which I don't drink. I gave them to the people in the cabin next to me. No mimosas for me, either. But I did get a fruit basket and a drink coupon. I got some coupons for discount spa services, too, but I never used them. I love B2B's. It is a joy to know that you have another cruise to look forward to while most of the ship is packing up to go home. 😁

The OP hasn't come back to let us know what itineraries he or she is looking at. My experience is the opposite of the above. I spent a lot less per day solo in an aft-facing balcony on Carnival in northern Europe last summer than I would have spent as a solo in a standard balcony on my upcoming NCL northern Europe cruise, had my friend not decided to join me. Early last year, I put a deposit on a 2025 NCL itinerary circling Ireland. The cost was so high (and on an older ship, the Dawn) that I booked an ocean view rather than a balcony for the first time in years. When NCL announced their new solo pricing for all categories, the balconies were still much higher than I had paid on Carnival. I switched to one of their solo ocean view cabins to save some money. I went down a deck and accepted a porthole rather than a window. The per day cost for that cabin is almost the same as a Celebrity Mediterranean cruise that I will be doing later this summer in a balcony cabin. Granted, cruise pricing is extremely variable by ship, time of year, and itinerary. I am only reporting my experience, and I find per day comparisons of cruise fares to be useful. The OP needs to compare the particular cruises that interest him or her. The OP should compare cabin and balcony sizes, also, if that is important. My standard balcony cabin on an upcoming Carnival Caribbean cruise on the Magic is bigger than a comparable cabin on the Getaway. If I had to come up with reasons that Carnival has been a better value to me, one factor might be that the ships have less of the amusement park features of the newer NCL (and Royal Caribbean) ships. That doesn't matter to me. Also, the onboard entertainment doesn't have the variety and quality of what I remember on NCL years ago. A lot of the "FUN" that Carnival promotes is activities that feature passenger involvement - pool and deck games, trivia, dance lessons, etc. I will go to production shows occasionally, but I don't cruise for them. And the passenger activities can be fun to watch. Another point for NCL is that, in my experience, their deposits are low and refundable. Carnival's deposits have various restrictions unless you accept a much higher cruise fare in order to have a refundable deposit.

I am also a long-time Carnival cruiser, many with my sister in the Caribbean but 3 solo cruises in Europe. A couple years ago I booked a solo NCL cruise for a specific itinerary in Europe, which is finally upcoming in a couple months. 😃 There was absolutely no solo deal or discount! The cruise fare was much more per day than a comparable cabin on Carnival on a European itinerary. Thankfully a friend was able to join me and share the cruise fare. I would say just compare prices on the ships and cabins and itineraries you are interested in. Consider the value to you of the “Free at Sea” items on NCL, which are not all exactly free. For example, you pre-pay gratuities on the “free” drink and dining packages, which can be significant - but those packages are optional. If you are inclined to take ship-sponsored excursions, NCL’s $50 credit per excursion has real value. Carnival doesn’t have anything comparable to the solo studio cabins and solo lounges as on some NCL ships. Those cabins are interiors, which don’t interest me, so I have never priced them. The solo ocean view and solo balcony cabins that NCL now has made available on all their ships are, as I understand it, standard-sized cabins that they have priced for solos. They may be in less desirable locations, or the ocean view may be a porthole rather than a window, but it is still nice that NCL recognizes that solos like a price break and options besides a studio interior. I have read that onboard, NCL is particularly attentive to solos, with gatherings and events making it easy to meet up with dining companions. I would have checked out those activities had my friend not decided to join me. If you are interested in cruising in Europe, NCL has many more choices of ships and itineraries than Carnival, which has recently had only one (older) ship in Europe. Enjoy your retirement cruises!

No one will refuse currency or throw currency in the trash bin. But some of us believe it is more considerate to tip in the local currency, and we prefer to have some local currency on hand to do so. It saves the recipient the inconvenience of converting foreign currency into local currency - and the cost of doing so, as banks don't do it without taking a cut for themselves.

The procedure can vary based on where the turnaround port is. The information posted above assumes the B2B is done in a U.S. port. I did a B2B last summer in Europe, from the port of Dover. We did not have to disembark. We were given instructions to report to a certain lounge at a certain time to check in and get our new key cards. Our onboard accounts for the first cruise were closed out and a new account was opened. This happened automatically; we did not have to go to the front desk for any purpose If we wanted to disembark to explore the port city, we were given a pass to re-board the ship in a separate line from the passengers embarking for the 2nd cruise. I was in the same cabin for both cruises, so I didn’t have anything to coordinate with my cabin steward. But my understanding was those switching cabins did need to pack up, and the room stewards would assist in transferring luggage.

I spent about 3 hours at Titanic Belfast, counting time on the nearby SS Nomadic, one of Titanic’s tenders. You can board Nomadic and explore its several decks. It’s much bigger than what we modern cruisers think of as a tender, and I found it fascinating to walk in the footsteps of those passengers who were onboard from Cherbourg out to the ship. You move through the museum at your own pace. I read everything and took my time, as I found the exhibits interesting and very well done. It can be seen in less time if you move a little faster than I did. If you are sure you want to go, I would book any time now for a July visit. I’d consider July to be peak tourist season, and with your other activity for the day, you would want a specific time. I will add that I arrived about 30 minutes before my entry time, and I was welcomed in immediately. By the way, I had a very nice lunch at their cafe, so keep that in mind if it suits your plans.

When I called, I was told there is a point as the sail date approaches when they stop offering the FCC. I believe it was at 55 days; after that, requests would be denied. Others may have gotten the FCC within that time frame; maybe it varies by itinerary or some other factor. It never hurts to call and ask, regardless of how close you are to the sail date, but that’s what I was told.

I agree with all who have said that very little currency is needed in Europe, based on several visits over the last couple years. I still get a small quantity of euros or GBP from my local bank in advance. They do not charge me a fee or have a minimum order. For the small quantity I get, I don't care about a few fractions of a % point difference in the exchange rate. The convenience is worth it to me, and I can specify small bills, which are more useful for tipping tour guides than the larger bills that most ATM's dispense. I have been in shops that don't accept cash at all. Not many, but a few. On the other hand, once a card reader in a cab in Belfast didn't recognize my card, so I was glad I had some cash. Cab drivers seem to like cash anyway, so often I use remaining currency for the cab ride to the airport for my flight home. Anything left after that is saved for a future trip. I learned to always have some £1 or £.5 or €1 or €.5 coins on hand for public restrooms. Once I was able to use a card at a restroom in a Paris train station, but other times in Dublin, Galway, Lisbon, and maybe some others I have forgotten, only a coin would work. When I have port stops in Norway, Sweden, or Denmark, I don't bother ordering any of their currency in advance, as I would likely not need it on ship excursions and may not have future visits in which to use it.

If you mean go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, I have read on these boards that people have done it, but it seems challenging to me. You would have to buy a ticket in advance, guessing what would be an appropriate time. Even with a timed ticket, there will still be crowds and lines for security, lines for the elevators. I would be a nervous wreck worrying about being at the top, waiting for the elevator down, watching the time for when I needed to get back to the bus. I agree the Metro is the fastest way to get around Paris. I used it every day last year on a land vacation. But if you have never been to Paris, you would want to know in advance where you will be dropped off for that excursion so that you could research what Metro line or lines to use. A friend and I are on the same cruise. She hasn't been to Paris, but we passed on the long excursion into the city and chose activities closer to the port. But if she had wanted to see Paris, I probably would have recommended one with a river boat cruise or a guided tour of the city or the on-your-own excursion, but we would have admired the Eiffel Tower from the ground, not tried to join the mobs wanting to go to the top. I am sure the bus will drop you off in an area where you could take a pleasant walk, enjoying the parks, the architecture, a cafe, and a view of the Eiffel Tower. I have read reports on these boards from people who were happy they took the long excursion into Paris for whatever they chose to do. If you think this is the only time you'll get to see the city, then the long bus ride can be worth it. A tip - I found Paris easy to get lost in - winding streets going every which way and street names that were hard for me to remember. I depended heavily on GPS my phone. This would be especially critical on a tight time schedule. Depending on how much time you would actually have in the city and where you are dropped off, consider the Batobus sightseeing boat on the river. The full route is about 1 3/4 hours and gives you a good view of many of the main sights and several of the picturesque bridges. Yes, euros are the currency for France, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands. GBP for London and Southhampton. However, on my recent trips to Europe, I have needed very little currency. Maybe for tipping tour guides or buying a bottle of water from a street vendor. But for all other purchases, large and small, a tap-and-go credit card was the preferred way to pay. We will have a small amount of GBP and euros, as we expect to have other trips where we could use them. But we are not planning on getting any local currency for Norway and Denmark, as we would have less use for any that we don't spend. Looking forward to this cruise!

My personal choice when sailing solo, as I did last year for several cruises totaling 30 days, to give the cabin attendant extra cash at the end of the cruise besides the auto-gratuity. My thinking is that the attendant has almost the same amount of work for me alone as he or she would if there were 2 people in the cabin - a bathroom to clean, a floor to vacuum, towels to swap out, trash cans to empty, etc. Yet he or she is getting only half the auto-gratuities compared to cabins with 2 people - at least that’s what’s I assume. Many solo cruisers feel differently. I never felt an additional gratuity was necessary in order to receive good service. Additional gratuities are entirely at your discretion. I’ll never know how Princess or any line allocates tips from solo cabins. But this is what I do and why.

I’m doing a similar itinerary in reverse on the Equinox in September this year. I looked at various itineraries starting or ending in Ravenna, and decided that despite never having been to Venice, Ravenna is far enough away to make getting to it somewhat complicated. And no nonstop flights were available from my home airport (Chicago) to Venice or Bologna. I have also never been to Barcelona, so I choose the Equinox itinerary. After doing some research on Barcelona, I wish I had booked more than 3 nights there pre-cruise. I’ll also be spending a few nights in Rome. I have non-stop flights both ways. I am thrilled with an overnight in Livorno, and I am looking forward to the French and Italian Riviera ports. I visited a couple of those ports on the old Galaxy years ago and have wanted to go back. Celebrity is offering appealing excursions in all the ports. I had no preference on ships besides not the Edge class as I wanted a real balcony. As others have mentioned, I’d make your choice based on which ports are most appealing to you and your travel style. Both itineraries look great. Everyone seems to love Croatia. I hope to get there someday. It’s too early to check flights for June of 2025, or I’d say flight options and costs might also be a factor in your decision, as it was for me.

https://www.go-to-ireland.com/travel-organization/the-dart/ The DART. I used it regularly on a land vacation, including between Dublin and Dun Laoghaire. I had a one-week pass, but individual tickets and day passes can be purchased at all stations. There are several stops within Dublin, so you have options depending on what you want to see.

Based on my experience, I disagree. I booked my Sept Mediterranean cruise over a year ago, and during that year I have seen real sales on excursions. By real sales, I mean the regular price is lowered for a period of time and then reverts back to a higher price. I have saved several hundred dollars by canceling previously purchased excursions and immediately re-booking at the lower price. I grabbed a ridiculously expensive City Stay in Rome when it was 50% off during a flash sale. Just yesterday, I saved a little when the Behind-the-Scenes tour discount went from 10% to 20%; it's back to 10% this morning. Discounts on the bottled water packages has varied between 10% and 20%. Not huge dollar differences, but real sales in my mind. I don't buy alcohol packages, so I can't comment on those sales. And I agree that sales for bookings seem to be ongoing, with tweaks to the various conditions and perks, to the degree that it's hard to determine what is a significant sale.

@Harley167, if you are interested in Celebrity excursions, and depending on when your cruise is, you may be able to catch one of the periodic flash sales. I booked my September 2024 Med cruise over a year ago, in the months after booking there have been several sales on excursions with discounts in the range of 40%-50%. I was easily able to cancel previously booked excursions and re-book at the sale price, saving several hundreds of dollars. The sales come and go quickly and are often around holidays. Celebrity excursions are easily cancelable for any reason, so you could book what interests you now and cancel if you later find a preferable independent option. This thread - and the ports of call boards - have many suggestions and lots of good advice about independent tours. I personally prefer ship excursions, especially in the Med as often the sites I want to see are some distance from the port, and a higher cost is worth it to me for the security. I will also add that on 3 out of my 5 European cruises (not on Celebrity), ports have been missed due to weather or mechanical issues. In each case, refunds for the ship-sponsored excursions were credited to my onboard account with no action needed on my part. People with independent excursions had more issues negotiating refunds. Hopefully you won't have my bad luck, but any ship on any cruise line could miss a port for any number of reasons. One more point - I may be naive, but I like to think that Celebrity (and other cruise lines) vet their tour vendors in a way that would cause them not to contract with a company whose vehicles have bald tires, such as shown in the picture @mahdncposted. I know they will disclaim any liability regarding their own excursions, but it still seems very much in their interest to contract with reputable providers. I'm not trying to convince you to book independent tours, and I understand the reasons others prefer to explore independently. I am just mentioning some issues that you may not have thought about. Have a great cruise, however you decide to enjoy the ports.

I'm traveling solo on my cruise this summer than ends in Rome. I ended up booking a one-night City Stay during a 50% off Black Friday flash sale, like @keysey222. For transportation into Rome, the Vatican tour, the hotel, and transportation to the airport, it was worth it to me. Probably I could have done better (cheaper) on my own, but sometimes, to me, convenience is worth paying a little more. And I figured it saved me some hotel research, as I assumed (hopefully not mistakenly) that Celebrity would use a nice hotel. But I would not have purchased the package without the 50% off. By the time I later decided I wanted a couple more nights in Rome, the sale was over, and the three-night package was way too much for me. So I booked a couple extra nights on my own at the same hotel. (I know I may forfeit the airport transportation if I am not going to the airport with the one-night group. I will ask if I can join the three-night people back to the airport. If not, that's ok). The pre-cruise City Stays in Barcelona for my cruise are ridiculously high, much higher than those in Rome, and even during the flash sale the price was unappealing. So, I passed on any of those.

Thank you, JB, for confirming what I have read elsewhere. I have wanted to see the Cinque Terre for a long time, and I picked a cruise on which I had 3 chances to do so, once from a port stop in Santa Margherita and twice from an overnight port visit to Livorno. But I have since chosen other options due to the reports of massive crowds. There are other picturesque places to see from these cruise ports. Thank you also for the information on Pisa and Lucca. I’m going to make the long trips to Florence and to a couple Tuscan villages from Livorno as I’ve never been to either of those places. But next year I’m booked on a cruise with a friend who has some health issues that might make one of those long trips from Livorno impractical. We will likely choose one of the shorter trips to Pisa and/or Lucca.

A friend and I did the London HOHO on the day we landed, jet lagged, on our first visit to the city. We wanted to get out and see something, but we didn't have a lot of energy after a sleepless night on the plane. We had all afternoon without any specific plan of where we might get off. We didn't care that it was slow and sometimes stuck in traffic; we were enjoying people-watching and the street life of London. But you are right that HOHO buses are a poor choice for actual transportation from point A to point B. That's when their slowness and irregular schedules are a problem. We found the Tube to be fast, efficient, and easy to navigate for getting around to the specific places we wanted to visit after that first day.

Agreed! I had a Belfast guide who brought his guitar and sang a couple traditional songs. And he was good! He also covered the current political issues in an instructional, matter-of-fact manner. Those issues are part of historical and modern Belfast, and I found the information interesting.

I'm thinking it's a good deal because this would be after final payment date, and probably there were some cancellations. Now NCL wants to fill the ship. After looking at the cruise you mentioned, I looked at our May Getaway Northern European cruise, and the current price is considerably less than we paid. ☹️ (We made our final payment in January.) I'd say if the price is right for you, go for it. You might have to be flexible about your cabin choice this close to departure date. I certainly hope there's nothing wrong with the Getaway, as we'll be on it in a couple months. I have been to Oporto, Lisbon, Malaga, and Cadiz on previous cruise stops, and I enjoyed them all. It could be hot in June, as you head farther south. You can Google typical temperatures, if you think that might be a problem. It looks like a great itinerary, with opportunity for pre- and post-cruise time in 2 very different cities, if you are able to extend your vacation. Last September I was on a cruise from Dover to Rome. I had read that the waters in the Atlantic by Portugal and Spain could be rougher than the Mediterranean, so I was prepared with Dramamine. We had calm seas the whole route, and I never needed the medication. But if anyone in your family has any potential issue with motion sickness, it would be good to be prepared. Check your flight costs before committing. Those might not be such a good deal.😲

My recent cruises have been on Carnival. But a friend and I are going on the Anthem of the Seas this summer. @Joebucks, I appreciate your comparison. Carnival for me and my long-time cruise companion (my sister) has proven to be a great value. We tried it after previous cruises on NCL, HAL, Princess, and the Serenade of the Seas, and we've stuck with it almost exclusively since then. As for what might be behind the price differences, which of course vary tremendously among ships and itineraries and special promos, my thoughts are the amusement park features and elaborate entertainment options on Royal - which I have not actually experienced and only read about. Those things are not important to us. Service, condition of the ships, cabin size, and food have all been fine for us. It's my understanding that Carnival doesn't offer much in the way suite perks, so that's probably a factor, too, in different prices for the higher category cabins. Carnival in Europe is a particularly good value compared to the other mainstream lines, though they have had only one ship in Europe recently, so not a lot of choice. My friend and I picked the Anthem for a Norway fjord itinerary because Carnival isn't offering one this year, and it was a good value compared to the other lines going to Norway. I am looking forward to a different experience and making my own comparison. 😀

I guess yes, I have blindly accepted the cruise lines payment and cancelation policies because I want to cruise, and the mainstream lines all require payment in full several months in advance. I don't go to all-inclusives because they don't interest me, even with their more generous cancelation policies. I do not pay in full in advance for hotels, as the price savings for doing so isn't worth it to me. I have to pay in full in advance for flights because all airlines require that, so I guess I blindly accept that, too. Sometimes a refundable air fare is worth it, sometimes not. We all have lots of choices. I do have a problem with Celebrity's and Royal Caribbean's current policies of paying a huge premium in the cruise fare for a refundable deposit. I booked non-refundable on both and accepted the risk, as the itineraries were particularly appealing. For my currently booked Carnival cruise, the rate for refundable deposit is also much higher than non-refundable, but at least the deposit can be transferred or turned into a FCC, net of a fee. I also have cruises booked on NCL and Princess, with fully refundable deposits and no premium on the fare. All things considered, I will probably not look at Royal and Celebrity again, specifically because of their deposit policies. Again, we all have choices. To the OP, there's no substitute for your own research, but I agree your TA should have explained the policies both when you booked and when you called to cancel. My travel agent does that, and I appreciate her efforts, especially when policies have changed post-covid and continue to change. I am glad your TA reimbursed you. Enjoy your Sun Princess cruise.

I get notifications of the flash sales through the app. I purchased a one-time laundry special when it popped up.

Thanks, that makes sense. I got some OBC with my booking, so I figure that could be lost, too, if I made any major changes. Thankfully, my booking with the nonrefundable deposit was made before the March 2023 change, so if I have to cancel, I can request the deposit to be converted to a FCC. My long time (since 1998) travel agent has never mentioned group rates. I can always ask. Or search for a new travel agent. But first, for future cruises, I am going to take a good look at Princess and NCL, which currently have refundable deposits without the associated increased total fare. I like to book far in advance, but things can always happen.

I did book a one-night post-cruise City Stay in Rome during a 50% flash sale for just under $500 for a solo. That was acceptable to me for the transportation into Rome, the Vatican tour, the hotel with breakfast (Hotel Hoxton), and transportation the airport the next day. I wanted more time in Rome and had booked a flight for 3 nights after the cruise, but the price for a 3-night City Stay, even during the sale, was way more than I wanted to pay. Plus, I had my own ideas of what I wanted to do which were different from the activities on the longer City Stay tours. So I booked 2 nights on my own at the same hotel as my one night with the City Stay package. I'll probably forfeit the airport transportation part of my one-night package. Or perhaps Celebrity will let me join the three-night package people for the transportation to the airport; I am going to ask when onboard. But I could not accept the much higher prices, even during the sale, for the pre-cruise Barcelona City Stay packages. I have no idea why the Barcelona City Stays were so much more than the Rome ones. I booked 3 nights at Hotel Jazz on my own, and I booked activities through Viator and Get Your Guide. I will use taxis between the airport and the hotel and the hotel and the port. (I booked Hotel Jazz based on my own research. I don't know what hotel(s) Celebrity uses in Barcelona.) Despite the prices, the app tells me many of these City Stays for my cruise are sold out or have only a few spots left. As @Kteachersaid above, they can offer an enjoyable experience. If you are interested in them, get the Celebrity app if you haven't already, and you will get notifications of the flash sales. I just got a notification of a "leap day" sale today. Items on sale vary by cruise.