Sealegs

The last time we did a balcony GTY we we were assigned an obstructed balcony and, upon hearing the grumbling about the obstruction from my shipmate, I upped my Royal Up bids across the board. I remember thinking at the time that it would be logical for them to assign the GTY's first and then people like me will raise their bid.

I have never had a problem finding enough food to eat in the Windjammer no matter what time I arrive. Usually it is just my wife and I, so we only need to find seats for two which is not usually too difficult. I understand how a larger party going to breakfast might take a little more strategizing.

This happened to me also, all of the bids disappeared at some point before the cruise, I think it was a few days before. I am not sure what it meant, maybe only that the bidding was closed and they were assessing the bids. Who knows. Anyway, I found out the morning of the cruise that none of the bids were accepted.

I waited so that I could purchase an annual policy with effective dates covering one year of travel. So you could wait to have it take effect upon the first 2026 cruise. Before doing so, I did compare purchasing trip-based policies individually, and the annual was better for the travel we had planned.

I have communications currently with two different travel agents, and will compare their prices when I book, and of course compare to the cruise line itself.

We like it too! One of those "where else but on a cruise" moments, like standing in the ice cream cone line eating an ice cream cone.

Great thread, thanks Kat for resurrecting it. We tend to stick with balconies midship or so, and honestly cabin selection for that is safe with not much more than guesswork. I like the idea of an aft cabin but the knowledge level is something else again in order to get one that is not without the problems like overhead ironwork I see in this thread. Definitely something we would like to try though. PS - I feel secondhand pain for all the posters in this thread who were eagerly awaiting their March/April 2020 cruises.

I have been on the Conway Scenic RR, and it's a fun experience. It's a good distance from Portland and the drive over is not that scenic, but the White Mountains are great. Hopefully you will be still be in foliage season. Don't miss stopping in Zeb's across the street from the RR depot.

We went with the Spencer Ambrose tour, no regrets whatsoever. We spoke with Spencer before departing and he told us that he put a lot of money into getting two new twin engines for his boat. There were 12 or 15 of us in the boat and we absolutely screamed up the coast, so we had time to hit the Soufriere mud baths, Sugar Beach and the Pitons, a quick spin around Marigot Bay, and all the sights along the way. We were put into a taxi to get into the mud baths, all arranged through Spencer. We had lunch at Sugar Beach, a beautiful spot. The snorkeling there was excellent. They are super-conscious of the ship departure time, so they were adamant that we get off Sugar Beach by 2:30 PM in order to get back to the boat on time, which we did with time to spare, screaming back down the same coast with the two engines at full throttle. It was a great tour, great tour guides, well worth the money. I believe there are different levels to the tour, so I am pretty sure that you can refine your day to suit what it is you would like to see.

In some insurance contexts, underwriting will consider the policyholder's claim history in costing out the premium. No idea if this applies to travel insurance though.

I don't know your situation, but if it was me I would impose upon my mother in law to stay over so he doesn't have to miss school and we can still make the cruise.

On our recent cruise, the cruise director would have a cruise update time on the room TV, available on repeat. It was actually helpful for useful information, maybe 30 minutes long at most. On that, he mentioned a one day sale at 20% off for specialty restaurants going that day. So maybe keep an eye on that. We didn't bite on that one, but the nexy day, and seeing a lot of empty seats at Giovanni's through most of the cruise, I asked a gentleman in a hallway kisok selling speciality dining times if they could discount a Giovanni's dinner, and he offered me 30% off right away so we did that. I could probably have driven a harder bargain, but we were trying to get to a shore excursion at the time.

We were on the January 12 night Southern Caribbean out of Bayonne and we loved it, loved the ship. The covered Solarium served as the waiting room for the warm weather we were sailing into. Temps were much warmer by the second day and by day 3 it was balmy and the outdoor pools were jumping. We are close enough to drive to Bayonne, and it felt almost surreal to be in the lower latitudes without using an airplane. We were on Symphony prior to this, also out of Bayonne, and the solarium was more exposed, thus negating the effect, imo. Prior to that, it was Anthem, Bayonne again, and that ship has a covered solarium. For us, the covered Solarium makes all the difference in sailing out of Bayonne.

We were at St. John a few days ago. For some of the same reasons you mentioned, we wanted to go to Cinammon Bay but it did not happen. Our taxi driver agreed to take us there, but when everyone else in the taxi got out at Trunk Bay, he told us that getting back might be a problem for us because no taxi would take just the two of us going back; they will only driver six or eight or more. I was frustrated but agreed to it as I did not want to risk missing the all aboard call. Trunk Bay was great, so it was all good in the end. I would advise flexibility.

We are also visiting St. Lucia in early February. I see a "West Coast Catamaran Cruise" now listed with RC. We are already booked with Spencer Ambrose. If anyone has experience with both, do you think we should switch? Thanks! Here is the RC description: St. Lucia's pristine beauty is perhaps best experienced by water - and on this six-hour catamaran sail, you'll gain an up-close view of the sky-piercing Piton peaks. A seasoned captain and dedicated crew welcome you aboard a catamaran equipped with plenty of space to lounge. Feel the trade winds flow across your face while gliding across the bright blue waters that encircle Pigeon Island. The catamaran sails up to the North, views Pigeon Island, then proceeds to Soufriere for snorkeling between the Pitons before heading to the Anse Cochon as a second swimming stop and finally circling through Marigot Bay for viewing before returning to the vessel. Then hop back on the boat, as your captain navigates a route around the base of the Pitons, two twin mountains formed millions of years ago by a volcanic eruption. Look up to see their summits standing tall among the clouds at more than 2,200 feet above sea level. Top off the day with a brief visit to Marigot Bay, a natural harbor to view the most photographed haven. Sail out to a secluded bay where you'll enjoy 45 minutes to splash around the sea before sipping rum punch paired with a buffet spread of island-inspired lunch dishes. This is one aquatic adventure unlike any other in St. Lucia.