sparkins_mob

With so many choices in the 4 MDR, I don’t know when I would have time to try the specialty restaurants!

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Great pictures! Out of curiosity, what sort of temperatures are you having?

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The category 1A's all have larger balconies. Some double the size of a regular balcony, some triple the size. They all only have 2 chairs though.

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We get the northern lights in Canada fairly often and I usually see them as green

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According to the descriptions of the suite sizes and balcony sizes the balcony on the Royal Suite and Celebrity Suite are much smaller than on the S or M class ships. Even the Sky Suites have bigger balconies. I wonder if the RS and CS have the infinite veranda.

Based on the diagram on celebrity's website, it looks like the CS may have a regular balcony AND an infinite veranda. If I'm reading it correctly, it looks like the living room area has an infinite veranda and the bedroom area has a regular balcony.

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That's too bad. I wish there were more stairs for passengers. I typically don't need the elevators so I could get around the ship faster if there were more options for stairs.

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I wonder what happens if the window washing equipment goes by an infinite veranda and someone has left the window down? I'm picturing an open window in a car wash right now...

I've had both Crown Royal and Canadian Club on the Silhouette.

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I did a similar itinerary on the Silhouette in 2014 and it was fantastic. We went in May which helped cut down on the crowds (except for the Vatican - out your guide said that day was the busiest she's seen it since the death of Pope John Paul II). The weather was lovely - hot enough to sit out but not uncomfortably hot, and we only had one stormy which happened to fall on a sea day anyway.

In Italy I highly recommend Rome In Limo for tours. We had a few set up through our roll call.

Mykonos I just took the Celebrity transfer to the old pier and wandered the shops. There is also a beach where I put my toes into the Adriatic.

Santorini we took the cable car up and just wandered the shops and took in the scenery.

Malta we took a ship tour of St Johns Co-Cathedral, the palace and Mdina. It was okay but ship tours are not a favourite for us.

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When I was on the Silhouette (a few years ago, mind you) Crown Royal was available under the Premium package. The Classic package offered Canadian Club.

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On the Silhouette, the adjoining door is not inside the cabin but is a little vestibule in the hallway that they extend and open the inner doors. So if you haven't joined the rooms, there's no additional noise than a regular room as it is a full wall between and your neighbours.

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This looks like it's going to be a great review - I love all the pictures. This should help me pass the time while I (not-so-patiently) wait to board the Reflection next year.

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I spend the majority of my time in the Celebrity boards and there have been quite a few negative posts lately about cost cutting measures over there too. It's refreshing to see another perspective and see that Celebrity is still doing something right! I've been looking at doing a Royal cruise but with so many things to do on the ship, I don't know when I would have time to go into port!

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And yet they don't seem to have an issue with me using my husband's card to get him a drink. I know I've taken both our cards to the bar to get us drinks while he was holding our loungers or whatnot. Maybe they didn't have an issue because we both had the drink package and I had both cards?

Norwegian Epic has enclosed balconies.

Seems like a Juliet balcony and seems like a cheat. I like to actually sit outside.

If they had regular balconies and these enclosed balconies it might be a nice change to have instead of an oceanview, but I would be very disappointed if this was the only type of balcony Edge had.

Well done! I love stories like this. :)

There may be some accessible suites that aren't showing as available to the general public, that will be assigned as a guarantee. From what I understand they try to keep some of these in reserve to make sure they can accommodate passengers with mobility issues.

Suggestion, why don't you try saving $50 per month for 3 years. You'll have $1800 and that can buy you a real cruise.

 

Cut back on buying lunch

No more Starbucks

Cut out going to the movies, and rent one instead

No more going out for a drink, have one at home with Hubby

You don't NEED those shoes

Cut back on all groceries and cook at home, no more eating out

Put all birthday/Holiday money in your cruise fund

 

I'm sure you can think of dozens more that fit your life style

You can dream for real and Bon Voyage in 3 years! :)

 

Have a wonderful cruise! ;)

These are all great suggestions and we already do all of these and more for cost savings, but right now any and all savings are going towards paying down debt after some unexpected home repairs. Luxuries like a cruise can wait.

In the meantime I have great fun planning fake cruises. :)

My husband shakes his head at me every time I do. I have the cruising bug but sadly lack the funds to go on one, so from time to time I plan fantasy cruises.

I pick an itinerary I like, I pick out a cabin, pick out flights, decide which nights we would try a specialty restaurant, I even research and decide on shore excursions. Planning a cruise is half the fun so I enjoy it. DH just finds it depressing since we never actually get to take the cruise.

To be clear, I don't actually book anything or contact any of the excursion operators or anything. I don't want to waste anyone's time except my own.

Does any one else do this?

Don't give them ideas or they'll add a fee soon!

I agree with many others and vote for May - we did an Eastern Med cruise in 2014 it was warm (hot in Athens!Q) but not grossly hot. Other people in our sailing remarked on how less crowded everything was - except for the Vatican. We ended up at the Vatican on the busiest day in 3 years according to our tour guide. Also watch out for the occasional strike around the beginning of May as I believe it is Labour Day in Italy.

We lucked out with the weather and only had one rainy day in the entire 15 days we were there.

I'm pricing out a 10 day Eastern Mediterranean cruise for 2017 and it qualifies for the Big/Better/Best offer.

Our inclination would be to take the drink package as the first perk. Of course they offer to upgrade for only $180 and pick two perks.

So assuming we've already chosen the drink package, the options are:

- $150 per person OBC (and pay $180 per person to get it? Who would pick that?) or

- prepaid tips for two (I believe prepaid tips are now $13.50/day x 10 days = $135, so I would pay $180 per person to save $135 per person?) or

- unlimited internet package for 2 (I suppose theoretically this one would be worth it as I understand the unlimited internet package is $199 for 10 days. In reality though, my husband and I would likely only buy one package and share the device)

I'm really not understanding how any of these perks are considered a deal? In almost all cases I could purchase them myself for cheaper.

Does each person in the cabin have to purchase the package or can one person purchase it for the whole cabin?

You could book a room with the triangle/square - 3-4 person room. You can book it with just 2 people.

When I try booking those rooms with only two people it says they are unavailable, but when I try with three they are magically available. Perhaps another website glitch?

I hope the OP booked an even numbered room. If you booked an odd numbered room there is smoking allowed on deck 5 which could drift, depending how close your balcony is to it.