Joanne G.

Based on the posts so far, it sounds like we have all found our own personal just right sweet spots. 😁 Happy cruising to all, however many bags you have.

I don't call it overpacking; I call it being prepared. 😄 On a cruise, you can't count on being able to run out and purchase something you need. Depending on the destination, I want to be prepared for a range of temperatures and for rain. In a hot climate, I know I will change clothes frequently. I have encountered uncomfortably cold air conditioning on ships in the hot Caribbean. I want to be prepared for clothing mishaps as @toxicfairy mentioned above. I want options that allow me to make decisions at the time - change clothes for dinner or grab something in the buffet without changing; sandals or sneakers for an excursion; dress up a bit for elegant night or skip it. I have used a ship's laundry, but I would rather avoid it, partly due to the cost but more due to concern over how the items are handled (hot water and hot dryer). On longer cruises, I want a clean nightgown partway through the trip, so I pack 2. I want familiar OTC medications with me, while of course hoping I won't need them. Nowadays I pack covid tests. ☹️ I want my preferred shampoo and conditioner and other toiletries. A couple years ago, when travel was picking up after covid, I wanted to try to travel with a carry on only for a land vacation in Ireland, after seeing pictures of massive pile ups of bags at some European airports. I bought a bigger carry on just for that trip - but soon gave up. I didn't want to be washing clothes in the bathroom sink or spending my vacation time looking for laundry service. I packed a checked bag (never more than one), crossed my fingers that it would arrive at my destination uneventfully, and decided I was never going to be one of those people who can vacation for weeks out of carry-on luggage. More power to them, but it's not me! (I do envy them not having to stand in lines at airports to check bags and not having to wait to retrieve them.)

A friend and I were in Oslo and Copenhagen on a cruise in late April and early May a few years ago. I wore jeans every day. My outerwear was a windbreaker with a light fleece lining. Mornings were chilly, like maybe in the 40’s, but the days were sunny and highs were around low 70’s. We were lucky with the sunny days, but my windbreaker would have provided some protection from rain. I also had a sweatshirt that I could have worn under my windbreaker if it got really chilly, but I never needed to do that. Layers are a good idea, however.

I considered that daytime flight from ORD. But I was concerned that the arrival at about bedtime London time wouldn't feel like bedtime to me. I pictured myself pacing around a hotel room for hours in the middle of a London night. I didn't think of adjusting my body clock in advance. Interesting! I'm glad it worked well for you. We are lucky flying out of ORD that we typically have multiple options to get to Europe, especially to a major destination such as London. The OP is from New York. If that means New York City, he will also have various options. My method is to pick a flight as late in the evening (as close to my bedtime) as possible, in order to improve the odds of getting some sleep. I still typically only doze periodically, sadly. Then upon arrival, I resist the urge to nap and just power through the day. I get outside and do a lot of walking, and I go easy on caffeine and alcohol. I go to bed at close to my normal bedtime local time. The next morning, I am usually rested and ready to go.

That was my recent experience, too. I got all the way to the payment screen for the deposit, and there was no mention in the booking process about the vacation protection. I found that odd, as I assume it is a big money maker for Princess, and they used to make it easy to see the cost and purchase at the time of booking.

1. I have not been on the Legend, but I spent a total of 30 days last summer on 3 cruises the Pride in Europe, which is the same class as the Legend, so I presume it's of comparable age. I had no complaints about the maintenance, though of course the appearance, including the somewhat dated decor, made it clear that it wasn't a brand-new ship. I liked the smaller size - fewer people getting on and off the ship, a buffet area that wasn't a madhouse, and ample outdoor walking and seating areas to enjoy on port days. I didn't care about it not being newer and bigger, as I booked my cruises for the ports, not the ship. 2. This one is very personal. I, also, am a senior citizen, and I had multiple ports, at one point 6 in a row. I am in reasonably good shape, but I had concerns about fatigue. This is what worked for me: I did Carnival excursions in all of the ports, as the ease of planning reduced my stress. I did very little after dinner, skipping shows on the evenings before early shore excursions and going to bed early. (And I was usually so tired that I went to bed early even when I didn't have an excursion the next day LOL.) I booked my excursions well before the cruise, so that if there was a choice of two times, I could pick the later one. (I also saved some money booking early, as the prices went up significantly closer to the cruise.) I'll add that on the Carnival excursions, the meeting time (usually in the theater) was typically 30 minutes before the stated start time for the tour, so factor that into your choices. If your wife loves to sleep in, then perhaps arranging private tours to start at a suitable time would be a better choice for you. I was on different itineraries than yours, so I don't know those ports. You may find that some ports are suitable to explore on your own on foot without any kind of tour at all, or with nothing more than a taxi ride to the city center of the port - or maybe to a beach! I never used that option, but it appeared that taxis were always readily available upon exiting the ship. In making your decisions, pay attention to time changes, especially losing an hour as you enter a new time zone to the east. Carnival adjusted ship time to match the port times on my cruises, so I assume you will encounter that, too. It wasn't fun to set my alarm for an early wake-up call after setting my travel alarm clock an hour ahead. (But on a round trip cruise, it was great to get that time back.) An option to consider if you have an early excursion is a room service breakfast. I never did that, but it may save some time in the morning. Some people find the main dining room less busy than the buffet. But I always ate breakfast at the buffet before my excursions, and I never found it overly crowded. In every case, even when I groaned at the sound of the alarm, I enjoyed my excursions and was glad I had booked them. I had done a lot of research on itineraries in Europe on all the major cruise lines, and Carnival always the best value. If you and your wife consider all the options for enjoying these ports and pick what works best for you, you are much less likely to regret this vacation and instead return home with great memories.

It's a shame that it took so long, but at least you know what's going on now. Thanks for the update. It helps other know what they might expect if they find themselves in the same situation.

I am sure a microwave available to passengers would get as filthy as the communal ones in the office kitchens where I have worked LOL. Probably Celebrity doesn't want the staff to have to clean it multiple times per day. And even though the question comes up once in a while, there doesn't seem to be a huge demand for it. To the OP, I hope one of the other suggestions works for you. Have a great cruise.

I'm sorry, I don't have any information on how Princess handles this. But if it were me and the cabin category was important, I would be checking regularly myself. That's what I did when I was on a wait list for a sold-out Princess excursion. I didn't want to depend on a customer service person or some automated process to let me know. As it turned out, I was notified when the excursion opened up. Perhaps that's an indication that you will be notified in your case. Good luck and have a great cruise.

You made the right decision to book the important ones you want now and the others soon. But I know what you mean about how much $$$$$$ the excursions in Europe add to your vacation cost. I used to tell friends that a cruise was an economical way to visit Europe, when you compare the cruise fare to hotels, meals, entertainment, and transportation between cities on land. That might still be true, but for those of us who prefer ship-sponsored excursions, it's a different calculation for sure. Worth it to me, but still a lot of money! (Yes, I know there are many options besides ship excursions. But I am a lot less likely to navigate public transportation, local cabs, independent tour operators, etc. in an unfamiliar city when my hotel is floating away at the end of the day. I know others feel differently.) Have a great cruise.

We will be spending several days in London before our cruise. If we decide to return to Heathrow for the NCL bus, where exactly would we find it? We've been to Heathrow, and we know it's massive. What do you mean by airport lobby? If we decide on the NCL bus, we don't want to be wandering all over Heathrow with our bags, looking for it LOL!

I stayed at the Lancelot this past September. Breakfast was included. Dinner was €20.

That's certainly true regarding the buses. But whether or not there will be restroom stops is another issue. Some people may get irritated by the stops, but others may be unable to take the tour without stops. It would be helpful for all to know that detail of the itinerary, and someone onboard should have that information.

Yes, definitely guest services should have referred you to the excursion desk or consulted an excursion staff member themselves if the excursion desk was closed. There isn't any excuse for them to give out incorrect information. I only meant that I would go first to the excursion staff as I would expect them to be more knowledgeable than guest services. I like to think they occasionally take the tours in order to know exactly what they are like - but that may be a fantasy.

I would expect consistent information from the staff. It would be a shame if people avoided the tour based on the incorrect information you got. But I probably would have asked the question to the excursion desk staff rather than guest services. I agree that information about bathroom facilities and rest room stops are very important to many passengers. duplicate suggestion - jelayne posted while I was typing!

I missed 4 ports on B2B cruises on the Pride last summer due to mechanical issues. Some years ago, two port days were swapped on an NCL cruise. A friend and I missed the port of Zeebrugge on Princess. Missed ports are always a possibility on a cruise, and dealing with private excursions causes more issues than ship excursions that need to be canceled. To the OP, odds are very good that you will make the port and enjoy your tour. I would try to find a provider that doesn't require final payment until arrival or that will refund if the ship misses the port. If I couldn't find such a provider, and I really wanted the tour, I would book it only if I was comfortable with the loss on the off chance the port is missed. Enjoy your cruise and good luck.

It doesn't sound normal, and it's never happened to me. I have definitely seen sold out excursions still listed for my cruises. It could be a website glitch. Check again in a day or so. I would think that Carnival would notify you if it's been canceled and would have issued a credit to your credit card. Have you checked for a credit on your credit card account? Do you see it in your "Booking and Order Summary"? If it's there, and you just want to re-read the description, you should be able to get the description in the general section on Carnival's home page - Explore/Shore Excursions and then choose the port. It won't have the times for your specific cruise, but the general description should be available for you to review. I hope you find an answer soon.

Thank you to those explaining the upgrade options and process. I haven’t been on NCL for a while, and I do want internet access beyond my “free” minutes. Books and a Kindle don’t allow me to stay in touch with my family or my airline or my post cruise hotel or my credit card company in case of any issues, so that suggestion doesn’t help me. But I do bring a Kindle to read. 😃

Definitely true. Here is the incident I remembered, though I had forgotten that Royal sent a doctor and nurses to the island for the night. What an experience that must have been. Cruise passengers endure unromantic night on island (tampabay.com)

Be aware at the Borghese gallery, no bags or backpacks are allowed and only tiny purses can be carried during your visit. They were very strict with this during my visit this past September. Anything bigger than a tiny purse or very small waist pack had to be checked at the entrance. I didn’t know this in advance and was a bit stressed to hand in my purse (with my passport), but I did keep my phone and my wallet in my pockets. I plan on visiting again post-cruise next year and will be prepared with a tiny purse. I agree with @lynncarol about the value of a guided tour. I hadn’t planned on doing so, but that was the only type of ticket available when I booked. I ended up learning and appreciating much more than had I been on my own.

My former company’s health plan offered up to $200 per year reimbursement for such services as exercise classes, gym memberships, weight loss or smoking cessation programs - and massages. I scratched my head at massages being one of their “healthy living” benefits, but they offered it and people used the benefit. This was a regional southern WI/northern IL health insurance company.

I see this recommendation regularly, but I have never understood how it could prevent the kind of erroneous charges that I read about regularly. If, after disembarkation, someone is charged for a mini-bar item they didn't consume, couldn't that type of error happen if the items remained in the refrigerator during the whole cruise or were put on a shelf and returned to the refrigerator on the last day? Maybe I am missing something, but it seems like whoever is counting/taking inventory could make a mistake in either situation. I'll be on the Equinox next year. Are the minibars locked embarkation day? If so, I think I'll leave it locked in an attempt to minimize erroneous charges.

I sailed on the Pride from Dover to Rome this past September. We moved our clocks ahead for the first port, which was in Spain. Then we moved them back an hour for the next two ports in Portugal. Then ahead again for the remaining ports in Spain and Rome. I prefer it when ship time matches port time - no confusion during activities in port. In July on the Pride, we changed time twice going from Dover to Denmark and Germany and on to Finland. I don't remember changing times zones in the Eastern Caribbean, but it may be because we cruise in the spring during daylight saving time in the U.S., and it's my understanding that the eastern Caribbean islands in the Atlantic time zone (one hour ahead of the U.S. Eastern time zone) do not go on daylight saving time. I'm not sure what happens at other times of the year. I can't remember what Carnival did on the Western Caribbean itinerary we did once, but NCL did change ship time to match port times as we sailed from Florida to Mexico.

Years ago, our bus on a Princess excursion got a flat tire in Antigua. We were delayed due to a detour to get a tire change. We got back to the ship in plenty of time, so no issues. It was an amusing diversion, especially the sight of the service station workers doing their jobs barefoot! At the time, I worked at a truck dealership, and the technicians in the shop had quite a chuckle over this picture.

I remember reading about that. My memory is that it was Royal Caribbean, but whichever cruise line, it sounded very unpleasant, despite how pleasant those private islands are during the day. I believe it was before the private islands had all the cabanas for shelter, and it was cold at night. I am sure it wasn't an easy decision for the captain to make.