Lisa63

If you want to visit the ruins at Tulum on the mainland when you are in Cozumel, I highly recommend going with a ship's tour. The distance is far too great, so if anything should happen to delay your return trip, the ship will wait for you if you are on a cruise line excursion. They won't wait for you if you are on your own.

I've seen Queen Mary 2 in person. Three other ships were docked nearby the same day, including Crystal Symphony in the next berth. Talk about extremes! :smiley: I don't know how I'd feel about sailing on such a large ship. A lot depends on how the ship is laid out, in my experience. Number of passengers matters, too. The new Freedom of the Seas can hold close to 4,000 pax (3,700 double occupancy). QM2 holds 2,600. IMO, it's not the size of the ships that's getting too large, but the passenger capacity. It doesn't matter as much with liners, such as QM2, but cruising is a whole other story. I wonder how long it would take to tender 3,700 pax ashore.

We used to cruise every April until my husband started teaching. (Our anniversary is in April, and it was our gift to each other.) By mid-April, spring break is typically over, and school-aged kids are nowhere to be found. The weather in the Caribbean is also very nice during that time -- not too hot and humid, but certainly sunny and hot enough to come home with a tan that makes people jealous. :smiley:

Welcome home! I can't wait to hear your thoughts once you get settled.

First and most importantly, my prayers go out to this young man and his family. Statistically speaking, though, disappearance of passengers is a very rare occurence that the media is blowing out of proportion. Certainly, three missing passengers is three too many, yet still represents a very small percentage (close to 0%, in fact) of total cruisers during this period. That's not to say it should be ignored -- it shouldn't be -- but we all need to exercise caution no matter where we are. Of course, that won't prevent anything from happening, yet it could cut down on the number. I wonder how many people go missing from hotels?

We'll be taking our fourth cruise on Norwegian Majesty this summer. Three of those times are the same itinerary. We also sailed SS SeaBreeze twice. There is often so much to see on board that one trip doesn't suffice! And even though the ships are the same, the people you meet will help make it a different cruise. Staying in a different cabin also makes it seem newer.

French Polynesia? We have two planned. The first is Celebrity Infinity to San Juan, St. Maarten, and Antigua, in February. Six months later, we'll be onboard Norwegian Majesty to Bermuda. Both are 7-night cruises. We are also thinking of taking a weekend cruise from NYC to Halifax on Carnival Victory in July. Stay tuned...

This is my dream cruise. I had the privilege of touring Crystal Symphony earlier this year. To say she is a beautiful ship is an understatement.

Even after 20 cruises, I book with a TA. Mine is marvelous -- she knows ships inside out, she knows my likes and dislikes, and she is a pleasure to work with. She also looks out for us. For instance, when we made final payment on our upcoming cruise, my MIL was still in the hospital, and we weren't sure if we'd end up going. We made our final payment as MIL insisted. Our TA told us that should we have to cancel the cruise, all we would need to do is make one phone call to her, and she'd take care of all the rest, as we would have more important issues on our minds. The key is to find that one great person. It took me a few years after my longtime TA retired, and I have some stories to tell about some we used in the interim who were little more than order-takers. I enjoy the personal service a good TA provides. After all, s/he's the expert. :smiley:

I'm not so sure. I think I'd enjoy experiencing another culture without having to venture too far away from home. That said, I agree that any line would have to have the basics down -- specifically good food and service. It sounds to me as if this might have been a shakedown cruise, especially with so many travel agents on board. Was that the case? Still, I wouldn't find empty gift shops too appealing. The love for shopping knows no borders...

Thanks, Jason. I'll have to look into the Sea of Cortez cruises. That's been on my list for awhile.

Bon voyage!!!! Wishing you a wonderful new year celebration on a fabulous cruise!

Sorry to be so late with my Bon Voyage wishes. I hope the aggravation you experienced pre-cruise fades away quickly as you enjoy your time on the ship with your family!

Bon voyage! I can't wait to hear the details when you return.

Bon voyage!! She's a beautiful ship...enjoy!

Bon voyage!!!!

Bon voyage! Here's a tip on Victory -- if you want some quiet times, there is an outdoor promenade on Deck 3 just off the atrium. Few people know it's there, believe it or not. Shhhhh.....

Enjoy your cruise!!! The first is always special...

I'll fill you in on our experiences on Infinity in about two months. I feelbadly that your friends encountered these problems, but I'm glad they reported them. I hope they mentioned it while onboard, too. We had only one problem with our only Celebrity cruise so far. As we were disembarking, our pre-arranged bus transportation to the airport left without us, even though we disembarked at the designated time. Celebrity was not helpful at all in getting us to the airport, and we were left on our own. A letter to the company after we got home didn't even generate a response. BTW -- this cruise was 10 years ago, so I certainly hope Celebrity isn't slipping...

I'd love to cruise the Norwegian Fjords, up to the North Cape. Perhaps in another few years when our son is old enough to appreciate it.

I book with a TA, who is a real gem. Sometimes I know the ship I want, and sometimes she helps me narrow it down. I generally book air on my own, although she did handle it for us one year. Superbly, too, but I found a great fare one evening for our February cruise so I jumped on it.

Congratulations! This cruise is on my to-do list... someday.

Oh gosh Ann... I realized that right after I submitted the post. Yes, you are indeed lucky you're on the same ship. :smiley: If you pull up your reservation, you may be able to see if the numbers are linked. If they're not, or if you can't tell, and if you have different table numbers once getting onboard, see the maitre d' as soon as you can to get it changed. Don't wait until dinner -- the maitre d' usually sets up a table somewhere on the ship to handle dining changes. Make that your first stop.

Hi lindy. Have you considered the Mexican Riviera? We went during high season earlier this year, and the price was very reasonable compared to the Caribbean. We enjoyed the itinerary, too, particularly Mazatlan. We've been in inside, outside, and balcony cabins and all have their advantages and disadvantages. We went from a balcony cabin (our first) in February to an obstructed view outside cabin in August and really didn't miss the balcony as our cabin was in a super location. Yet when we had the balcony, we used it extensively. I had tea out there every morning, read out there, and napped out there. The interior cabin space was no larger than the other cabins we'd had, and in fact, was a bit smaller than some.

Ann, do you have one booking number or two? If both cabins have the same booking number, you will be assigned the same table. If the cabins have different booking numbers -- which I doubt -- your TA should have cross-referenced them. (That's what we did for February, as we are traveling with cousins, and we have two booking numbers as we booked separately.) Even so, you can always take care of it on the ship if need be.