hayley_bopp

35 minutes ago, suzic said:

Thanks Love Cruising, next cruise is on Oasis in the Mediterranean in July. Attempting ton convince the other half to do Symphony in November.... dying to try it!!

Hi Suzi,

I'm from Coventry, England. We've done 2 Med cruises on RC (Navigator and Independence), a Scandinavian on Criwn Princess, got a Med booked for this summer on P&O Azura and just booked our first Caribbean cruise for Christmas on Allure so I'll be interested to hear about your experience on Oasis

On 4/18/2019 at 4:04 PM, SweetPea said:

What will we be missing out on?! Not that we are “do it all” peeps. But we like to know we can, if we want to. Most of the time we don’t want to, but what if we do? (This makes sense in my head.)

This is my husband's reasoning for:

a) wanting to book bigger shops rather than smaller - then he just lies by the pool and naps on sea days

b) refusing to book a cabin without a balcony - then only ever poking his head out onto the balcony as were enter a port

c) wanting to book RC over other cruise lines that don't have the enormity of foods on offer for breakfast that the WJ does - then he eats the same 'full English' every morning of the cruise

Thanks for the blog, I'm looking forward to following along with you

Hi Dee and welcome to the boards

1) On embarkation day, when your room is ready, you'll meet your cabin attendant and can ask them to empty the fridge. 

2) There's the kid's club 'Adventure Ocean ', pool, kids' pool, sports court, rock climbing wall, games arcade (for an extra charge) and there'll be things in tbe cruise compass aimed at kids so should be plenty for them to do. 

3) I haven't been on Radiance so can't help you there. I personally use an app called 'Ship Mate' to familiarise myself with the layout of tube ship and venues. There are also reviews on there (though take with a pinch of salt as with all online reviews)  

5 hours ago, DRLPP said:

On more than one occasion we were late to our scheduled 6:00 dining time. We talked to head waiter at entrance to MDR for later 8:00 and he accommodated us both times at a table, once at a table that  was empty and another time at a table that had other people seated.  Never hurts to ask, at worst you will get a "sorry".

On our cruise on Independence last year we tried traditional dining for the first time and had the late seating. We were at a table for 6 but there was only ever us and 1 other couple (the same couple) at dinner each night. We never saw tbe 'third' couple. In such a case,it would be conceivable that they could have put a couple who'd missed early seating with us so I suppose it never hurts to ask I'd you've missed your early dining slot. 

I'd say you can definitely get the quiet you're looking for on an RC cruise and although I've never been on Brilliance, the fact that she's an older,  smaller ship would, I  think, mean it's s quieter cruise (something I actually aspire to). Having read others' live blogs, I'd love to sail on Brilliance one day. 

3 hours ago, Traveler said:

 drink real espresso while standing (as Italian do) and eat excellent Pizza.  

If you drink it whilst standing, it will cost you about €1. If you sit down, the price will at least double.

Also, as you have to pay about €1 to use a 'public' toilet in Italy, you're as well to go to a bar, order a standing coffee and then use their facilities

14 hours ago, rjac said:

How many shoes do you need on a cruise? 

I've been known to cruise with 12 pairs ?

Just now, hayley_bopp said:

I love a toilet inside a closet - that way someone can use the toilet while someone else is in the shower!

By 'someone' I mean me or my husband. Or possibly my mum or sister or a girlfriend. Not just any old random cruiser

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Beautiful suite.  I love it. The only thing I didn't care for was the toilet closet.  I don't know why anyone wants to put a toilet in a closet but they do it all the time !!

Really lovely.

I love a toilet inside a closet - that way someone can use the toilet while someone else is in the shower!

Livorno - just an industrial port and residential area. 

Lisbon - ship docks right next to the start of the old town and I can be enjoying a very good €2 large glass of vino verde within 10 minutes of getting off the ship. Also lots of fantastic places to see, eat at and shopping shopping all within walking distance. 

Barcelona is a close second but you need (really) to get the shuttle bus from the ship to the edge of town. 

1 hour ago, Zacharius said:

 

To be clear, you absolutely do not need to be checked in at 12:55. I'm not aware of too many airlines or airports that require three hours of check in (it exists, but it's rare, and unlikely at BCN). OP doesn't state the airline or route, and that would help if there's any question as to when they should check in, but there is also a chance that the check-in counter may not even be open three hours in advance, especially if their first flight isn't longhaul or "international" (by that I mean leaving Schengen).

From previous live blog, I know OP is based in USA. Recommendation from Barcelona airport is to be checked in for non-Schengen flights at least 3hrs before boarding. 

https://www.aeropuertobarcelona-elprat.com/ingl/check-in.html 

I'd say do the trip. You'd need to be checked in for your flight at 12:55 so getting dropped at the airport at 12:15 will be perfect

18 hours ago, AGSLC5 said:

Yea she unfortunately moves to Europe for the summer.. I can't see that changing for a Long time. Celebrity seems to always put their newest ships in Europe for the summer.. 

All the better for me! #cruisegoals

Thanks for sharing your cruise on this fantastic ship. 

Oh well. Will just have to book another cruise 

1 hour ago, Woody said:

It was only offered in the UK it just includes the deluxe beverage package so all drinks up to I think $12 are included, so that means speciality coffees (not Starbucks), freshly squeezed orange juice, soda, cocktails, beers, wine and spirits are included and if over the $12 I think you just pay the difference. Which ship are you sailing on 

What he said ^^

On my upcoming Allure cruise, I will hit platinum  I think on day 2 or 3 - I currently have 28 points.

My question is, will the Top Tier event be after this? And if so, will I get an invite or will I need to wait until my next cruise ie where I'll be platinum from the start of the cruise?

TIA

I'm SOOOO excited!

After a rather lengthy hiatus from these boards (which I didn't think anyone would notice but the eagle-eyed @JLMoran did!) I'm back and looking forward to not one but TWO cruises  

Having 2 cruises booked has been a dream since I joined these boards and fell in love with cruising in 2016 and saw just how many cruises some of you take. Also, having 2 cruises in the space of one year was another RC blog-inspired #cruisegoal of mine! (I'm blaming you @Matt and @twangster !).

We have a 2 week Med cruise booked for August on P&O's Azura and have just this morning booked Allure for Christmas with a pre- & post-cruise stay in Miami's South Beach where we'll be staying for NYE!

I'm a little sad that our summer cruise won't be on RC but I'm looking forward to experiencing a British brand and I'm soooo excited to try an Oasis class ship. When I first cruised on Navigator in 2016,  I loved the look of the Oasis class from people's posts on here but didn't think I'd ever get on one.  Now I'm going to be!

We'll also be introducing 2 of our friends to cruising on Allure. Although I've tried to explain, I don't think they've got any idea how big she is. I can't wait to see their faces when they see her for the first time!

On both cruises we've got an ocean view balcony (large balcony on Azura; Deck 10 on Allure) and I'll be Live-ish blogging and periscoping from both. 

Now, just 108 days to wait until the first cruise...

10 hours ago, twangster said:

No lobster on Europe based sailings.

Have done 2x 14 night European cruises. No free lobster in MDR but available for an upcharge. 

Did get free lobster tail at the tutti salad bar in the MDR one day though. Only saw it once and the server (who was also my assistant waiter for dinner) made a big thing of it so think it was probably just a one-off. 

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I bring my own gear and snorkel on my own.  

I was going to ask if this was an option

We went with a guaranteed balcony on Independence last year. We ended up in a connecting cabin which allowed lots of noise bleed next from the noisy family  in the next cabin which kept us awake every night for the first week until we spoke to them about it. Wouldn't risk it again. 

4 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Haley!! You're back! Where've you been? Felt like you did your last cruise and then vanished. 

Mega post-cruise depression with no future cruise booked meant I couldn't face the boards

But by the end of today I should have not one but TWO cruises booked!

Thanks for your live blog. I'm going to book a cruise on Allure tomorrow and it's been great to read about your experience

On 4/17/2019 at 10:04 PM, melski94 said:

If you have long or thick hair, you should bring your own.  

Unless you're bringing a UK hairdryer - the difference in voltage means the one in the room will actually be more powerful. 

Similar for 'straighteners' as us Brits call them - UK ones don't get hot enough to work very well. I've invested in a pair from the US for travel purposes. The difference it makes to my getting-ready-for-dinner stress levels is well worth the expense IMHO

When is everything scheduled to be finished?

We are (hopefully!) going to Cococay for the first time in December and just wondering what will be available to us.