Lisa63

I don't know the real answer either... but in my experience, my TA has watched out for price decreases. One time, not only did she get us the lower price for the cruise, but she told me that our insurance premium decreased along with the cruise cost. I suppose then, that the real answer depends upon the TA, as well as the cruise line.

Congratulations!!! Now, don't wear them out looking them over, as I usually do, lol.

There are two that bug me, and both are for cars. In one, the car is being driven underwater while the kids in the back ooh and aah over the pretty fish they see outside the windows. The car then comes ashore, with the caption "not intended for underwater use." The other shows a man leaving his house in a business suit, he kisses his wife goodbye, and walks off a cliff, parachute opens, and he walks to his car. Yeah, how realistic is that...

My experience has been what Dan described above. They even seated the three of us together on the plane, unlike other airlines that seemed to randomly select individual seats. Congratulations on the super fare!

Welcome aboard, Dean! It's great to see you posting. And thank you all for your kind words. This is proof of what a great board this is -- we all value each other's opinions.

Dan, immigration was done in the terminal after our cruise. For us, it was a 45-minute wait, standing on concrete with all of our carry-ons. I much prefer when it is done on the ship. I'll have to check on the extra procedures for non-US citizens.

DH mentioned that he'd like to take a fishing excursion on our upcoming cruise. The only ones offered are in St. Maarten (which works out well as I plan on shopping in Marigot). I'm looking for feedback/advice on the following: Deep Sea Fishing Expedition BUBBA Bottom Fishing & Coastal Cruise Both are offered through Celebrity, yet I suspect that other lines use them, as well. Thanks in advance!

We've sailed on 10 lines in a 15-year period. Those still in business: NCL (7 times) Royal Caribbean (2) Carnival (1) Celebrity (1) Cunard (1) Holland America (1) Princess (1) Plus, several no longer in business: Dolphin / Majesty (3) Premier (2) Regal (1) Our upcoming cruises will be #2 on Celebrity and #8 on NCL. We've enjoyed them all.

I didn't vote as we've been on only one of the ships listed. However, if the food on Celebrity Horizon is anything like that on our Celebrity Zenith cruise nine years ago, it would have certainly received a top score.

This was a tough one. Believe it or not, this traditional dining fan voted for NCL. Freestyle was not all that bad, and we enjoyed the pasta cafe, which had no surcharge. NCL also had numerous stations set up around the ship , such as an Indian soup bar, sushi bar, and BBQ. My favorite, though, was Cunard, where we had the same table for all meals but could show up within a two-hour window for each meal. Sadly, this is not offered on QM2 except for the Grill classes, but QE2 offered this arrangement in four of its five dining rooms.

I sort of cheated a bit here. I voted for Imperial Majesty based upon my prior experience with the same ship when she sailed for Regal Cruises. Food was superb in both flavor and presentation. The atmosphere of the dining room was also lovely.

Dan, our embarkation on Diamond Princess in San Pedro earlier this year was similar to what you described for Boston and Port Everglades. Hopefully, things haven't changed, so that it goes as smoothly for you. (ETA: Disembarkation was another matter, but that was due to immigration at the port.)

NCL for us. We've found that many crew members stay with the line for years. Service was so exceptional on our last cruise that we booked it again for next year. IMO, Cunard was superb im most respects, but that's why you're paying top dollar. As far as the mainstream lines, we've never gone wrong with NCL.

I narrowed it down to Royal Caribbean and Carnival, and gave the slight edge to Royal Caribbean solely for decor. Our inside cabins on Royal Caribbean were spacious and comfortable and had more storage space than our family of three needed. I also loved having the sofabed on both Royal Caribbean and Carnival, even though we weren't in a top category. Our cabin on HAL was also nice, yet there aren't many good locations for a standard outside cabin on the S-class ships.

I voted Royal Caribbean as they were my son's favorite on both of our Royal Caribbean cruises. Years later, he still refers to his "Friends on 10" (meaning, the kids room on deck 10).

Absolutely Princess. It was the smoothest embarkation of all our cruises, and we weren't past passenger or suite guests.

cruisinmama, I'm crossing my fingers for you, hoping all will work out. As you can prove you've paid the cruise line, I'm optimistic. Still, I know how rough the wait can be.

My grandparents do come from Warsaw. :grin: I'm off to vote now...

Bon voyage, speedbump! Hope you enjoy Splendour of the Seas as much as we did.

Bon voyage, mimi!

Congratulations on the docs! It's a great feeling to finally have them in hand. Enjoy your short countdown. :smiley:

Welcome back. I love what your nephew said. :smiley:

So long as the film is below 1000 ASA, it shouldn't be a problem to use the conveyor belts. Most film is 100, 200, or 400, so you should be OK. As others said, just don't put it into checked luggage.

Great link, thanks. It's still a shame to see so many "unknowns." My thoughts and prayers continue for those affected by these storms.

Welcome aboard, Dave56! :smiley: