PhillyLady

Even with great weather, ports are not guaranteed. Traveling during hurricane season means you have to be flexible and expect changes! At least you are relaxing, dining, and partying on a marvelous cruise ship.

Welcome to this blog! You will find many experienced cruisers, and lots of RC experts. It is wonderful to hear that your husband is making progress, and that his health improvement will now allow you to celebrate a well-deserved honeymoon! A belated congratulations on your marriage. Your cruise is right after the holiday season, so it may just be that RC is trying to deal with all the holiday bookings first. I checked your sailing date, and it looks like there are at least twenty balcony cabins still available. Many people who sail out of Cape Liberty (like I can), just drive there, so they should not be too bothered by these new flight cancellations. I have booked a guarantee in the past, and I was actually quite pleased with my assignment. I did get notified pretty quickly (a few months in advance). I have also done the upgrade bid process, and "won" a nicer cabin that way as well. That notification was closer to the cruise. Are you working with a travel agent? I believe that if you are really unhappy with your guarantee assignment, you may be able to negotiate a substitute cabin. Remember it will be chilly on the way down and back up going from NJ to the Caribbean. Well, hopefully you will mainly be in the cabin only in the evenings, so enjoy your ship and the pretty port visits, and relax and celebrate! Best wishes!! P.S. Make sure to take a few professional cruise photos for your honeymoon scrapbook!

Ha, ha, I like calm and tranquility and sophistication a lot as well, but I just booked a last-minute NYE cruise out of Miami--on Carnival--just for the party!! (And I really do not even drink alcohol--I just love to dance!). A day at the beach, a day at the pool--I will ignore all the thongs and speedos, and relax and forget about work for a bit. I will allow people to scratch as long as it is not contagious! I agree that it can be cruise length, or destination, or home port, or price, or time of year that can all have an impact on the passenger list. Yes, I love Mexico also, and I have even sailed out of CA to Ensenada and Catalina, but we did four nights, not three, and the cruise was mild. But you could switch to Holland America and/or Viking and/or Cunard and find everyone asleep before midnight, and no rowdiness whatsoever...(Yes, I have sailed all of them--not always perpetually ready for that level of sedateness yet in life...). I try to balance "fun' and lively cruises with higher level intense itinerary sightseeing cruises over the years. On to the next cruise!

Consider gold--it's done very, very well the past few years....

Just don't take your parents and in-laws or it becomes a family reunion cruise (I've done enough of those to know where and when I only want to go with dear husband alone), NOT a true honeymoon.

CONGRATS! How very romantic! Welcome to this blog! Please excuse me if I ramble a bit, but I will share many travel ideas with you, as I love romance (and travel, and cruising, of course.) Well, different strokes for different folks. I would never say a Caribbean cruise is just "ordinary"--it depends on the travelers. I like cruising because everything is at your fingertips, the ship is like a floating hotel, there are plenty of fun activities on board, the shows are very good and free, and the food is plentiful and tasty. Also, you only unpack once, and there are dressy occasions for celebrations. I am extremely well traveled (but much older than you, so you have time to catch up!), but when I want to just have fun and relax, I always choose Caribbean cruises. I love all the Western Caribbean Mexican ports, because we always visit Mayan ruins. Puerto Rico has amazing history, Bermuda has gorgeous soft pink sand, and every island is a little bit different, with lots to enjoy. My husband is scuba certified, and he loves to dive down and look at shipwrecks. We are very active, love history and travel, are willing to be adventurous, but certainly enjoy fancy experiences. Having sailed the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, the Baltic Sea, the Greenland Sea, the Black Sea, transatlantic, and having traveled by air and land to many, many other places, sometimes it just depends what is on my bucket list, what am I in the mood for, how much do I want to spend that year, etc. I have been to Europe umpteen times, lived, work and gone to the university there, and traveled all over in rental cars as well as on trains, and when we were very young we even hitchhiked in Europe. For our honeymoon many, many decades ago we spent three weeks in France, driving around and staying in chateaux (castles and palaces). For us, it was "très romantique." Every day we were touring, and every night we had delicious French dining. Yet my dream trip for a big anniversary in a few years will be three weeks in India staying in maharaja palaces, and doing a fly-by of Mt. Everest. We also plan to return to Egypt and take a Nile cruise as soon as the Middle East is a bit more stable. In a year or two we will do a Japan cruise. Here are some questions: How long have you been together, and will your honeymoon be all about togetherness, or is sightseeing also an important factor? What is your travel budget? Flights to Europe can be much, much higher than flights down to Florida. How long can you be gone? One week, or one month? Calculate your costs per day... Will you do some pre and post cruise hotel stays? Highly recommended for Europe! What are your travel dreams and priorities? Is there someplace in Europe BOTH of you have always wanted to visit? Are there special islands in the Caribbean you want to see? Iceland is trending among young people--it is also one of my favorite countries when I need a wild Nature break. This year we cruised there for the first time, although I have visited often, since I was a little girl. Next year we sail around the British Isles, although we have traveled all over the countries already. We have also done a river cruise--a bit sedate for us, but still quite enjoyable. Hawaii is another cruise option--very tropical and also very romantic, yet with a lot to see and do! What kinds of things do you (both) like to do? Cities, beaches, museums, archaeology, water sports, etc.? Are you both in pretty good shape physically, and can you handle a lot of walking? For me, itinerary is always critical in Europe--we like to see ancient sites, and tour cathedrals and museums. But that means early arrivals and long, busy touring days, versus lazy days in the Caribbean at a cruise fancy beach resort. Okay, that is probably more than enough to digest--we did not even touch on all the pros and cons of different size ships, but that can be a factor as well for decision-making! Have fun planning!!

I would say I have more CRUISE experience generally overall than one specific line, and what I say for shorter cruises with ports under watch--don't book the cruise for the itinerary! You are booking mainly just for the cruise experience itself--a fun, getaway escape. Sometimes booking too far in advance for that short type of cruise could be disappointing if you make a lot of plans. Go mainly to relax, party and enjoy. If you book the Caribbean in hurricane season--you can end up in Canada instead of the Bahamas. If you book Iceland in the early Spring, you could end up missing every port due to rough waters. The week-long cruise I booked for next November in the deep Caribbean has already undergone an itinerary change! (The countries now want less cruise ships visiting, and are limiting ships.)I have plenty of time to cancel, or I can just go with the flow and see the new ports--still debating. When I want a guaranteed itinerary, I book with Celebrity before RC. I try to choose a stable (political) area and aim to travel when the weather is best, often high season. Of course, if wars break out or a pandemic develops, everything goes up in the air! Maybe RC does not even know for sure yet where the Freedom will finally go--but at least you will be on the cruise ship somewhere!

I am a career woman, and have often traveled alone for business. Yes, I cruised solo in my younger days for professional reasons (led a group, etc.). DH is a skier, and I allow him to go on solo ski trips in the U.S. frequently (boarding our dogs all the time really can add up, and some of the ski areas have mediocre resort hotels in the middle of nowhere). After decades together, we are comfortable allowing each of us this flexibility, trust, and opportunity. Before the cruise, you can inquire about having a dining table for one, but why not sit at a bigger group table while on the cruise? We often do so, and meet nice people all the time. At one point in my life before marriage I lived in Spain, went to school and worked there. I have also traveled there professionally (alone). I am 100% comfortable being on my own (but I do speak Spanish fluently). In Spain, the main meal is in the afternoon (1:00 PM-3:00 PM or so). There is never an issue going to a restaurant and eating alone. In the evenings, restaurants do not usually open until 7:00 PM. You can get a full meal or a lighter meal. "Tapas" are like early evening appetizers--a fun way to snack, try different small plates of foods, and if with friends, talk and relax. Some bars specialize in only certain types of tapas, and others have a great variety. I like olives, potato pancakes, cheeses and hams, and so forth. Seafood is extremely popular. Yes, you stand or sit at the bar to eat them, and can order a glass of wine. The tables are usually reserved for the full meal diners. If you eat enough tapas you will fill up, and have no need for dinner! I would not fret about your plans--life is too short to not have adventures! The only challenge is that your wife might get a bit jealous while she is working, so make sure to let her plan a fabulous summer vacation as well! Have a fantastic time!

Where is the photo proof?!

There is a reason I try to avoid hurricane season when I want to cruise to Bermuda and the Caribbean! My bikinis would just not work in Halifax! And if I want sea days and rough water, I can just sail the transatlantic in Winter instead.

No one really knows why these itineraries are changing--some issues may be beyond RC's control. Ports are changing a lot these days--governments are limiting ship arrival numbers, wars are breaking out in places, locals are protesting, piers get damaged, ships require repairs, ships get privately chartered by groups or the wealthy, diseases occur, volcanos erupt, and the list goes on. (Many of these things have happened to me.) No, they are not going to pay for you to stay in SJ for the cost of your cruise--you just have to negotiate and reconfigure all of your arrangements as they offer and advise you the best that you can. Yes, changes may be required. Getting annoyed or angry is almost a waste of time so far in advance. I agree that TAs are always a great resource, but they cannot necessarily resolve major itinerary substitutions. Sometimes being too organized backfires--flexibility and patience are often required for travel these days. BTW, I am on a 2026 cruise that has also had major itinerary changes--I will wait a bit before I decide to do, as the final payment date is months away. BTW again, I am on another 2026 cruise heading to the British Isles--hopefully the weather cooperates so we can port in Scotland a few times!

We just sailed Celebrity Eclipse in July to Iceland and Ireland from Amsterdam, and enjoyed our port stops, although the excursion costs were quite high in Iceland. We went horseback riding in Reykjavik, as we have been there several times in the past, although I recommend the Golden Circle tour if it is your first visit. There are a lot of sea days, and the weather can be chilly and/or rainy, so be prepared. The scenery is amazing! Happy advance birthday and retirement to DH and you! I am still trying to decide what to book in 2027, although I have two cruises booked for 2026.... Enjoy all your adventures! First cruise: 1973--Chandris Romanza--bunk beds, no television, no Internet, one dining room for all, dress up for dinner every night. Venice RT, to the Med and the Black Sea (Istanbul, Odessa, Athens, Mykonos, etc.).

Yes, I did the webinar. It was just okay....

We have independently driven up and down and along the Mississippi, the Seine, and the Rhine, but they are well regarded options in both the USA and Europe for river cruises. We also traveled all over Egypt by train and bus a long time ago. I sent my parents on the Mississippi Queen for a river cruise back in 1984, and they took many European river cruises as well. I have been doing ship cruising for more than five decades, and have enjoyed it all over the world, especially the Mediterranean. Husband and I did not jump right into river cruising because we thought it was more for senior travelers. Our first river cruise was actually on the Danube, because we had the opportunity to walk right into Budapest, and spend some meaningful time in Vienna. We also went to quaint and historic Český Krumlov when we were at port in Linz. Well, the river cruises are not quite as enjoyable as ocean cruises in some ways for us, because every day there is a different port with a short walking tour, and the boats have little to nothing to do onboard or in the evenings, and the boats can be explored in less than two hours (we are quite active). Most boats do not have pools. We paid for and took additional excursions, or explored on our own when time allowed. So for a first choice for a week I would definitely recommend central Europe, or for two weeks perhaps Amsterdam to Budapest. On my future river cruise list : Egypt (the Nile) and China (awaiting for more political stability in both areas); the Rhine (Christmas markets); Tulips cruise (although Amsterdam wants to reduce river boats), Elbe cruise, and probably Portugal and France, although I know those two countries well. I guess I will go on the Mississippi when I get closer to 90 and do not want to fly too much (ha ha). I find river cruises an enjoyable way to visit small towns and big cities close up, make some cruise friends, and look at all the activity on the river banks. River cruises will never replace ocean cruises for us, but it would be nice to do one or more of each per year (ha ha), if budgets and time allow! First cruise: 1973--Chandris Romanza--bunk beds, no television, no Internet, one dining room for all, dress up for dinner every night. Venice RT, to the Med and the Black Sea (Istanbul, Odessa, Athens, Mykonos, etc.).

Go and get a new passport ASAP with the proper name Christopher. You can probably expedite this at a passport agency, and then you will have no worries for the next ten years.