Stephanie

I am sailing on Spectrum out of Shanghai in September. The cruise planner is only showing 5 shore excursions total for the entire 7-day (3 port days) cruise. I'm wondering if it's because it's still 6 months out and Spectrum isn't scheduled to return to Shanghai until this summer? But you'd still think they'd have shore excursions by now...?? I know I can always book 3rd party, but I'm "one of those" who would've missed the ship one time had I not been on a Royal-booked excursion. The ship waited over an hour for us. It also just has me a bit nervous ... will the ship really return to China? Plus, I heard Spectrum is or is headed to dry dock due to engine issues...

It's ultimately a personal decision. I've done both when flying - checked vs. not, and I much prefer checking my bag rather than lugging it through the airport. Especially if your flight is not direct and you're changing terminals on your connecting flight. Running to catch a flight while lugging excess bags is no fun! At the cruise terminal, I'd definitely advise checking everything you won't need prior to dinner. It's generally a couple of hours minimum before you can get into your room, which means the ship is super crowded with everyone lugging around their suitcases.

We were on Anthem for Christmas 2019 and it was wonderful! (Aside from the fact that my husband had covid before we knew what covid was.) As others have said, the ship was beautifully decorated. There was an ugly sweater-themed event one night and the cruise director's staff were all decked out - along with lots of passengers. There were even some passengers dressed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who! There were multiple opportunities to have pictures with Santa, and Santa was there on Christmas morning. I took small decorations to put on our door & in our room - cheapy things that I could throw away at the end of the week, but it made it feel more festive. Definitely lots of large family groups & lots of kids. But, I think a cruise is what you make of it. We expected it to be kid-filled given it was the holidays, so we didn't let it get in the way of our fun. Personally, I think it is the absolute best way to spend Christmas and would do it every year if I could.

Except I've never used a travel agent ...

I got a FedEX package this morning filled with cruise brochures. It looks like a travel agent kit. I have no idea how or why it was sent to me and there was no letter or explanation included. I am not complaining - it has a full guide to all the ships, deck plans & cruises for the 2024-2025 season. I am, however, taking it as a sign that I should be doing more cruising...

I've never used Turo in Juneau, but I've used it many times in other cities. It's exactly what you described - an Airbnb but with cars. In my experience, the host will leave the car parked wherever I've asked (sometimes there are additional fees for this). Some have the option of unlocking the vehicle via an app when I arrive, others just leave the vehicle unlocked with the key hidden in the car. I then return the car to either the same location or a different, pre-arranged location. My only suggestion would just be to read the reviews of your host & inspect the pictures of the vehicle very closely before reserving a vehicle. I've always had good luck and been very pleased so far. And, it's almost always cheaper than a rental car.

I don't have personal experience with this, but it is a goal of mine. On our latest cruise on Navigator, we met a handful of older, single ladies who were all Pinnacle members. One of the ladies - we'll call her Sharon for anonymity - was greeted by name everywhere she went on the ship, so naturally, we couldn't resist asking them a similar question - not how they afford the multiple cruises, but how they became Pinnacle. Sharon said she takes at least 1 cruise every month. Another lady said she was going on 24 cruises this year!! Now, obviously I didn't ask them how they could afford it, but they did say they all live in California. Sharon almost exclusively sails on Navigator and just does the B2B cruises. They also said RC gives them good rates for being single cruisers (vs the other cruise lines). And, of course, at Pinnacle status, there's comps & perks there - like booking an interior room, but still having all the perks of a suite guest.

Our Christmas week cruise out of Bayonne hit stormy weather on the way to Florida. They sailed around the majority of it, and we missed a port day due to it. And, as others have mentioned, Alaska. We went to Alaska in mid-August. Cooler weather, somewhat overcast and bonus - cheaper being later in the season!

In my opinion, a whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/ in Juneau is an absolute MUST. It was by far the highlight of our trip. We rented a private boat and had Captain Liz. It is a bit pricey, but I promise you, it is worth every penny. Captain Liz was phenomenal! So passionate & knowledgeable about the whales - she was taking pictures right along side of us, even though she does these yearround - she literally follows the whales to Hawaii & does Hawaiian whale watching tours in the winter months. The private tour was so much nicer than one booked thru the cruise b/c our group of 6 were the only ones on the boat, which meant we weren't fighting with strangers to get a better view. (We actually saw another tour on the water that had probably 50 people on the boat and that's exactly what they were doing - no thanks!) The highlights from our tour popped up on my Facebook feed just yesterday & I sat and watched & re-watched the videos.

Just wanted to say this is AMAZING!!! Thank you for putting this together.

Just juice, water & coffee during the day. No bottled water.

I had never understood this until our last cruise. The weather in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta was swelteringly hot & humid, so we decided to stay onboard. We were on Navigator - a smaller ship, so definitely not a lot of activities. But, we played putt-putt all alone, and I got a spa treatment (less expensive on port days). The only downside, aside from the casino not being open, was that the only bars that were open before 3:00 pm were the pool bars. But, otherwise it was fantastic - the ship was practically empty. We absolutely loved it! Now, I want to do more cruises for the sake of cruising vs the destination. However, I will pick an Oasis or Quantum class ship if I'm not planning to get off the ship.

Thanks so much! Just read through your blog and it was very enlightening and helpful. My husband's main concern was the food, so seeing the menus and pictures of the food selections helped ease those fears tremendously. The ship looks amazing, too. Can't wait!

After much debate & research, we have booked a 7-night sailing on Spectrum out of Shanghai next September. I'm curious to hear first-hand experience from anyone who has sailed out of Shanghai. It's a "culturally enriching" cruise, so I know that means announcements & such will be in both Mandarin and English. I also know the menus are more geared toward the Asian market. I'm more curious as to the daytime activities and the shows - English? Mandarin? Both? I'd also love to get insight on airlines, hotels, transportation, etc. Any and all advice / experience / opinions are welcome. Thanks!

How are you traveling to the port? If by air, do you have your airport transfers figured out? Be sure to check in online when you get your email. Make sure you have the RC mobile app b/c it will have your daily cruise planner right in the app w/ all the days' activities. Otherwise, it's little things like packing tips (as in definitely purchase the luggage tags linked above). Or knowing the only place to grab food when you board the ship is Windjammer & it will be packed... So many insider tips you learn from this blog - or from just cruising multiple times. Like the others said, just soak it in & enjoy.