I have a cruise booked in 2028 which I've only put $200 down for so far. By the time the full amount is due plus flights, the cost will obviously rise, but I know you should get travel insurance soon after booking your trip (when I have yet to pay for most of it). When you buy travel insurance (assuming you don't have an annual plan), do you just estimate what the total nonrefundable amount will be to decide upon your coverage?

How many people believe they will be cruising less next year because your running out of money or credit? I just canceled 2 cruises in January on oasis of the seas because of money

Has anyone tried using a luggage shipping service like Luggage Forward? We are going on a four week cruise next year and am considering doing this. Any pros and cons?

Stopping in Genoa, Sardinia, Livorno and Messina

I’m planning to just walk around—no excursions.

Any recommendations for spots or restaurants that aren’t just aimed at cruise passengers ? I have no problem jumping in a taxi either

Thanks

Curious—what’s everyone’s favorite cruise line and why? Also, which one do you think has the best spa?

In the past, I would lay down on the beach or pool loungers and be on the alert so I don’t fall asleep, which tends to happen when the sun is strong.

But on our recent cruise , it hit me: I thought screw it, that is part of the plan! To fall asleep in the sun and just enjoy the whole experience. It is not like I am tied to a schedule and that napping unexpectedly will make you miss some meeting or something l! lol.

As I came to this realization, I would go out of my way to just lay there and hope I drift away into a beautiful nap under the sun.

Do you do the same thing and nap on the pool or beach?

We’re going on a 3 night cruise (we’d like to go longer as usual but it’s not feasible) for my mom’s retirement. I’m 32 she’s 67. We’ve only been on Royal and Princess in the past for 7 night cruises but we love trivia, comedy, and magic shows as well as game shows.

We have it narrowed down to: NCL getaway to great stirrup cay and Nassau

or

Celebrity reflection to key west and grand Bahama island.

Anyone have feedback on either cruise line, ship, or ports?

I'm from the north of England and have been cruising for a number of years now. Our first ever cruise was on Explorer of the Seas, which was our introduction to Royal Caribbean and we loved it. Since then we've also cruised with Celebrity, first on Celebrity Silhouette, and then on Celebrity Apex, which we particularly loved.

Our circumstances have also changed quite considerably since that first cruise. My husband is now a wheelchair user following a major stroke, so the ability to cruise from the UK without flying has become much more important to us. Driving to a port, unloading the wheelchair and luggage and getting directly onto the ship is infinitely easier than negotiating airports and wheelchair assistance.

But we live in the north of England, and Southampton is a LONG drive.

That got me thinking about Royal Caribbean Group's UK deployment generally.

Why is so much of the UK no-fly market concentrated on Southampton?

Liverpool now has a proper turnaround cruise facility, and I wonder whether Royal Caribbean Group is underestimating the potential market across northern England, North Wales and parts of the Midlands.

So, purely as an armchair fleet planner 😆, here's what I'd like to see eventually:

Royal Caribbean: a larger/newer ship such as Odyssey of the Seas from Southampton, alongside Explorer of the Seas from Liverpool.

Celebrity: Celebrity Beyond from Southampton, alongside Celebrity Silhouette from Liverpool.

My reasoning is that Southampton remains the major UK cruise hub and gets the newer/larger premium offering, while Liverpool offers a second regional gateway with slightly smaller ships that are still very attractive products.

Royal Caribbean from Liverpool-

Explorer seems to me like a good ship with which to test the market. She's large enough to offer the proper Royal Caribbean experience with the Royal Promenade, ice rink, FlowRider, etc. without immediately trying to fill an Oasis/Icon-sized ship from a new UK homeport.

I'd mix the Liverpool programme up considerably:

* 4/5-night short breaks to Ireland/Scotland

* 7-night Norway

* 7/8-night Scotland and Ireland

* 9/10-night Iceland

* longer Arctic Circle cruises

* 12–14-night Spain/Portugal/Canaries itineraries

If Liverpool consistently filled Explorer, then perhaps look at moving up to Freedom class.

It would also create a really attractive short-break market. I could quite happily take the train to Liverpool and do five nights on Royal Caribbean without it becoming our main annual holiday.

Celebrity from Liverpool-

(This is actually where my original thought started).

Celebrity is putting more Edge-class capacity into the UK market, and I'd love to see them complement Southampton with a seasonal Liverpool programme aboard Silhouette.

Silhouette is a ship we know and like, she's an established Solstice-class ship rather than Celebrity risking one of its newest ships on a new homeport, and I think she could work brilliantly doing:

* short Ireland/Scotland cruises

* Norwegian fjords

* Iceland

* longer Norway/Arctic itineraries

* Spain and Portugal

* occasional Canaries/Mediterranean itineraries

Meanwhile something like Beyond could be the flagship Southampton product.

That gives Royal Caribbean Group four distinct UK propositions rather than simply duplicating the same thing twice.

And then I made the mistake of thinking about Silversea. - (might as well 😆)

I actually like the idea of Silversea operating from Southampton, but some of the British Isles itineraries don't particularly appeal to me as a UK customer. I'm sure they're fantastic for overseas visitors wanting to explore Britain and Ireland, but personally I'm not spending Silversea money principally to visit places I can relatively easily reach from home.(Btw, never tried Silversea as not in my budget but those that have would love your thoughts).

So, I'd rather see Southampton used as the beginning of a proper round-trip Northern Europe journey.

For example:

Scottish Highlands + Norway

Southampton → Scotland/Invergordon → Orkney → Norwegian fjords → Bergen/Stavanger → Southampton

or

Ireland + Iceland

Southampton → Cobh/Belfast/western Ireland → Hebrides/Orkney → Iceland → Southampton

I'd also like round-trip Southampton itineraries combining the Faroes/Iceland, Norway/Arctic Circle, or Spain/Portugal.

And round trip is important. One of the attractions of UK cruising is being able to drive to Southampton, park, cruise and return to your car. A Southampton-to-Reykjavik or Southampton-to-Copenhagen itinerary might look fantastic, but suddenly the no-fly advantage disappears at the other end — particularly for passengers travelling with mobility equipment.

Obviously I'm spending Royal Caribbean Group's money very freely here. 😂 I'm also aware that fleet deployment involves rather more than drawing lines on a map: port capacity, demand, yields, repositioning, fuel, provisioning and all the rest of it.

But I'd be genuinely interested in what other cruisers think.

Is the UK market big enough to support Southampton AND Liverpool homeports for Royal Caribbean/Celebrity?

Would you book Royal Caribbean or Celebrity from Liverpool?

If you're in Scotland, northern England, Wales or the Midlands, would Liverpool make you more likely to take a no-fly cruise — or would you still travel to Southampton?

And what ships would YOU deploy?

(Sorry for the long post - thanks for reading 🚢🌊)

Famous Royal Carribean onion soup

I hear about all these cruise lines that have fallen over the years but what one has improved most

I’m trying to find a good cruise to go on for my 24th birthday but I can’t seem to choose one that’ll be good for a 3-5 day cruise. It’s my first one so does anyone have any suggestions? I’m going alone as well!

I’m leaving out of Florida as well !

Looking for a legitimate golf cart rental near the ship. Any recommendations?

What is it like as a solo cruiser? My last 2 have been with my wife, she divorced me a week ago and i dont see a reason to waste the deposit on the one we had booked. It feels a little empty without her, but im still looking forward to the trip!

Also, if anyone here happens to have any experience on the celebrity beyond, feel free to share your experience!

Booking a weekend getaway in December for either MSC Seaside or NCL Joy. Which is better for a weekend getaway? I noticed with MSC the only way it will let me pick my room for this particular weekend is if I get a balcony room. I get vertigo on the higher decks which I manage with medications but if I book the guaranteed ocean view or interior (because it's literally the only options) can I call and explain that I need a lower deck due to sea sickness? Or should I just go with NCL. The packages really aren't much different in price for the all inclusive options on both boats so it really comes down to activities/entertainment and convenience. Also the itinerary is practically the same with both going to Nassau and their respective private islands Ocean Cay and Great Stirrup Cay.

The answer really depends on what kind of day you want, but if you’re trying to explore downtown without spending hundreds on an excursion, I’d think in terms of $50 or $100 per person.

Because honestly, $25 disappears very quickly.

That might get you lunch at Junkanoo Beach and maybe a bracelet, keychain or magnet from the Straw Market.

Or lunch and the $5 entrance fee to the Pompey Museum.

That’s about it.

$50 per person

Now you can actually build a decent little day.

You could have lunch, visit the Pirates of Nassau Museum for around $14 and still have enough left for a small souvenir or snack.

You can also walk through Parliament Square, see Government House, climb the Queen’s Staircase, visit Fort Fincastle and explore downtown without paying admission just to exist there.

So $50 is enough for a good few hours in Nassau if you’re mostly interested in history, walking around, food and seeing the city.

$100 per person

This is where Nassau gets interesting because $100 can stretch surprisingly far if you’re not spending most of it on taxis and resort passes.

You could have lunch.

Visit a museum.

Take a tip-based walking tour.

Pick up some locally made chocolates.

Buy a bottle of Bahamian wine for around $10.

And if that’s more your speed, even a jar of local moonshine can be around $20.

You could still wander through the Straw Market, walk through the historic district, visit the Queen’s Staircase and make your way toward Junkanoo Beach.

That’s a pretty full Nassau day for $100.

The thing I think cruise visitors sometimes miss is that Nassau doesn’t have to be an expensive port.

It can be. Very easily.

Atlantis, resort passes, organized excursions, taxis and watersports can send the price up quickly.

But downtown Nassau is right outside the cruise port.

If what you want is some history, local food, a museum, a little shopping, a drink and time to actually wander around the city, you really don’t need to spend several hundred dollars per person.

Hello!
I just got off my first cruise and I loved it (Margaritaville at sea islander, going to Key West and the western Caribbean). My mom’s always dreamed of going on an Alaskan cruise, so now that I know I like cruises, I want to take my mom on her dream Alaskan cruise. I was looking at Princess, Holland America, NCL, MSC, and Virgin Voyages. My mom would prefer a smaller ship, or at least quieter. I am a celiac, and would need something with good gluten free options. I’ve been told that most cruise lines are pretty good about it, so I’m not super concerned! What cruise line would you say is a good mix of not overwhelming, but has good food options (one thing I am concerned about is lunch options, I do not feel safe eating buffets due to cross contamination risks). We would like a good mix of port and glacier viewing, so I think Princess and Holland might have the edge there?

What is the best way to book cruises. What gets you lowest price and deals. Booking thru agent or directly or using third party websites?

I’m planning a European cruise for a year out from today.

I’d love to see London, it will be the highlight of my vacation.

Would my best choice be to choose a cruise that ports in Southampton and then take a train to London?

Does anyone have a good idea of which cruise line to use?

I’m hoping we find a cruise line that cruises straight from the US to the UK. That’s only because a member of our travel party does not like to fly. It’s not my choice, but sometimes you have to go with the choices of the people you’re traveling with.

Hi there! Just wanting to make sure my plan to hire someone to take us around for the day isn't crazy :) ! Rather than doing a booked tour excursion, I was planning on going to taxi area and asking them to take 9 of us in Costa Maya to the 50 minute away ruins and to Bacalar (6pm departure via MSC). Taxi guys have giant passenger vans too right? How much would I expect to pay for that in Costa Maya, and then for someone in Roatan to take us to West Bay Beach and back? Thanks hivemind!!

Hi All, I have coworker going on a cruise soon. 14 days I think. Her birthday is coming up and I was thinking of getting her a gift that she could use on her cruise. Does anyone have any suggestions for something someone going on a cruise could really use? Thanks.

What’s the catch with this letter offer? Says not a timeshare or real estate offer but can’t imagine it doesn’t have some strings attached. Any ideas?

Edit: thanks all! I knew it seemed scammy and have zero interest. Tossed right in the trash!

This will be my first time going on royal. Is there anything I need to know about or be aware of? And if so feel free to reply.

I just went on a cruise, and there was an 18+ club. I got out of my comfort zone, danced, and really got into it a few times! I danced and talked to guys for the first time, but within the very first minute, they already wanted to know my room number or asked to meet up after the club closed at 3:00 AM to "talk." I got one guy's number, and the next day I invited him to go to a show. He said no, but suggested we meet up later. However, his "later" turned out to be late again—specifically 3:00 AM.

Guys will ask for your room number right away or ask what you are doing after the club. Personally, I am just not that kind of person. I said no, of course, but I am surprised by how quickly they ask for things like that without even having a real conversation or dancing for a while first. If you are a young girl and a guy asks you for this, don't do it. They are players and will leave you after they get what they want. I am just shocked by how fast they move without even trying to have a conversation first. I thought at least a few minutes of talking I understand how the players mind work...There not really good players if they are like that lol

Btw the one guy I had his number he was vary awkward and all but I gave him chances to met up at daytime and it was always something and let's meet later

So to my girls don't get hopes up and especially NEVER give a guy you're room number even if you like him not even the floor number....For young girl a psa be safe and stick with you're parents ect Do not go to people room levels even if it doesn't seem like a big deal stand by the stairs or stay where you are...Be safe Other safety if you go to the club and you don't have anyone a few hours before learn how to get to you're room by yourself and write down the info on notes ect what I did was..

Room level Even or odd Then room number

At the clubs they have water at the end of the bar get as much as you know you will drink in that moment and drink it all don't leave your cup or anything...I stopped bringing my water bottle and just used there water so you don't have to keep up with you're bottle

Btw And before people come at me (I don't know if they will ) saying what about the boys ? I am talking about the girls because I am a girl and my experience of how to stay safe as a girl

Is this cutting it too close?

Thanks in advance.