3Sisters

@euroguy This is so impressive! I'm going to have to step up my holiday game. I want one of those mini Christmas trees now. I actually cut some mini trees down last year and put them on both of my balconies but the wind kept blowing them over. This year I need to find a better base for those outdoor trees. I also want to add some more lights to them. Thinking about the holidays just gets me so excited! I can't believe Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the corner. Do you enjoy decorating for fall in your home too? Are you a hand-out candy type of neighbor? I always hand out pretzels to do something different. Yes! I enjoyed hot cocoa and apple cider all season long. However, being inside and cozy for the season with the cooler temps had me baking and eating way too many sweets. I didn't realize the snowy weather would do that to me! I agree. The best part about the holidays really ends up being family and great friends. I haven't planned one yet but I bet in the next year or two I will. Some of my family want to book a cabin in the mountains for Christmas next year. The following year would be best for a Christmas cruise! That would be 2025.

@euroguy You should totally try that with Virgin Voyages. The atmosphere would totally suit you and the casinos have to be amazing! The only downside is you will likely have to cruise out of Port Miami, but if the line covers the majority of your cruise fare then paying airfare doesn't hurt as bad. CCL is especially hard to beat, especially at your loyalty level. It's worth it to keep on earning those loyalty points! The ship is MSC World Europa! I wish I could say the flights are cheap, but they are not! I keep looking at prices and it doesn't seem promising. I may end up paying more for the flight than that actual cruise, and that would bother me. I have no problem paying for a week-long cruise, but to pay the same for 24 hours off airfare is just annoying. I guess if I want to see Europe that badly, I will need to suck it up.

@Bears mom The short answer is yes! You should absolutely dress up and get in the Halloween spirit if you want. This article has great tips for cruising over Halloween. https://www.cruisehive.com/12-items-to-take-on-your-halloween-cruise/25981 I would browse this other article for CCL's 2023 Halloween festivities. You may find your itinerary and exact ship in this article if you are cruising on Halloween this year! https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-makes-major-announcement-about-halloween/108671

Royal Caribbean Line used one of its ships to evacuate U.S. nationals out of Israel on October 16. It is such a heroic and admirable way to assist in this awful time of conflict! Rhapsody of the Seas is truly pulling through for the United States. I'm beyond proud of the line.

@FJB They totally have a better life! I can tell you this, their life is better, but the one sitting in the passenger seat of the car is not OK. I'm usually a passenger princess, but I can turn into the passenger witch really fast after making two wrong turns in a row. Let's just say it's harder to have a great sense of direction and watch others make careless directional errors!

@euroguy This 2-foot tree idea has me laughing! I think the idea is so cute and sentimental but that would take a whole suitcase in Christmas decor! Christmas must be your favorite holiday, and I bet your stateroom would be the best decorated on the entire ship. I totally value your urge to be near your mom for that holiday. It holds so much sentiment, and when time is fleeting (as it always is), it's even more impactful that you take the time to spend it with those you love most. I love pine-scented soaps and candles! Those little sticks in the Christmas decor section smell amazing and I even throw them in my car during the month of December! I highly recommend it if you enjoy the pine scent. I totally think I would do a Christmas cruise! I just had my first white Christmas, and I loved it. I'm about to get another one because it was so perfect for my family last year. In the coming years, I would consider a Christmas cruise but probably somewhere near Norway! There are some amazing Christmas market cruises that would make for the perfect holiday. https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/christmas-market-cruises/index.html

@euroguy I genuinely believe you don't need a suite unless it's a super special occasion, you have the extra money to waste, you never leave your stateroom, or you have a fully packed stateroom. To me, a balcony is good enough. I enjoy space when I travel in groups of 3 or more; otherwise, it's unnecessary to spend extra on a suite. If you want an all-day stay in my stateroom experience, ordering tons of room service, then a suite could be worthwhile. The way that I cruise, I barely do anything more than shower and sleep in the stateroom. I would rather spend that extra money on a spa or specialty dining experience.

@FJB I know you love Celebrity Cruises so this is very exciting! What is your itinerary like? Are you visiting any new ports of call? There is a great review on a back-to-back on Celebrity Silhouette. The ship was in Southampton at the time. She surely is a beauty! https://www.cruisehive.com/review-back-to-back-cruise-on-celebrity-silhouette/55077

@Pbm13 It's such a shame! The entire region is suffering so much and it's painful to watch from afar. Jerusalem would have been so amazing! At this point, being so close to your cruise departure, there is really no way to cancel without a penalty! Do you have any news as to where your cruise will reroute instead? My Buenos Aires cruise got canceled due to the pandemic. It was the perfect itinerary for the Panama Canal! We win some and we lose some. The lesson I have learned is, in this day and age, it's really smart to get the extra cruise insurance. Then you can cancel without penalty if the itinerary changes in a way that you aren't pleased with.

@euroguy It sounds like we both share a similar common interest! We like a similar cruising experience. Have you heard of Virgin Voyages? I am really excited to try that but can't bring children along. My friends posted photos of their experience and it looked incredible. I think Virgin Voyages most definitely has another level of class! The line is still in its very beginning stages. This article is an example of that. https://www.cruisehive.com/virgin-cruise-ship-collides-with-dock-at-portmiami/106633 There is always a learning curve involved, but I can't wait to give the line a try. I'm so very excited about Barcelona and visiting family in Madrid. It would be an incredible cruise and certainly unforgettable.

This article has the most recent updates compiled together. I agree that this tragedy is causing so much turmoil and loss in the area. I really hope the end is near. Israel is in a state of despair and now losing out on all of this visitor income. It's just such a shame. https://www.cruisehive.com/which-cruise-lines-have-suspended-operations-in-israel/112874

@euroguy What really attracts me to MSC Cruises is the quality of ships for the price. The prices are just so good and the newer ships are so beautifully designed. I love the food quality and the entertainment is great too. In comparison to CCL and RCL, I find MSC Cruises to attract a more well-rounded crowd with a less party-focused mindset. I'm not really looking for a rowdy cruise crowd anymore. I think The CCL Platinum would match the Gold status level! This ship is really well-designed. It doesn't feel overly crowded and the spaces onboard are endless. I haven't had to fight for a pool lounger on an MSC ship yet. Embarkation and disembarkation went really smoothly for a large ship. The crew definitely has it down to a science. Yes, and MSC Cruises has MSC World America coming to the U.S. with the same elegance! I will be hopefully cruising World Europa end of 2025. It will be embarking out of Barcelona with stops throughout Italy, but I booked the itinerary on a whim while on MSC Seascape actually. I still need to plan out this trip. It's so far out still I have put it on the backburner for now, but it is booked!

@BeachfrontPhoto How were you able to retrieve these photographs? It's just so wild the ship was able to assist in the rescue of 200 migrants! https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-cruise-ship-assists-in-the-rescue-of-hundreds/112662

@Onboard Thanks for this thorough review! That's such a bummer you encountered those issues with your bags. That's actually one of my biggest fears, not having my things with me while I cruise. Celebrity Silhouette is going to have you coming back for more! I think that Celebrity Cruises has really good loyalty perks. The line's loyalty system is much better than all other cruise lines I have encountered actually. You make me want to give the line a shot! How many cruises did you have to take before you made it to the Elite Plus status?

@LukeJ I understand @Cwilpa's perspective but after I just looked into Diamond Princess' 2024 Tokyo itineraries I about sold myself on booking one! The ship really looks pretty nice and the destinations are incredible. Asia took such a long time to get back to cruising after the shutdown. I'm just thankful everything is up and running again. @Cwilpa What were some of the major issues you encountered with the ship other than it being "rusted?"

@euroguy I totally get it! It would likely be starting back at square one if you went with another line. Many cruise lines such as MSC Cruises offer a status match program. Since you have such a great status with CCL, that would transfer over for you! Mardi Gras is huge! There is so much to do and see on it. You are going to have to capitalize on the sea days and explore as much as you can on those days. Unfortunately, I haven't been on Mardi Gras yet, but I have been following the ship for some time. To be honest, I don't think I would want to go on it more than once. It would be a wonderful experience, but I'm more inclined to book on a ship like Carnival Firenze due to the Italian culture and size. I have actually heard great things about Carnival Firenze from others here on the boards. The largest ship I have been on is MSC Seascape, holding 5,877 guests. I loved the ship and will likely be back soon. The next one I have booked is MSC World Europa.

@euroguy That's excellent! You are going earn many points this year and next. I love how active you are while you cruise too. You really soak in all cruising has to offer from epic destinations to adventurous excursions. There is nothing wrong with sticking with what you love. It's like your favorite meal or beverage, if you know what you like, there is no need to mess up a good thing!

@euroguy Resin sounds like a much more durable material! I don't do well with glass tree ornaments. I have broken way too many good ones by taking them off of the tree too abruptly or storing them improperly. Your tree sounds spectacular! Are you a fake tree or a real tree type of person? I have used fake trees in the past but I'm really into picking out fresh trees every December now. Have you taken a Christmas cruise before? If I took a Christmas cruise or spent the holiday away, I probably wouldn't go for a real tree that year.

@LukeJ That's very true! I haven't had any awful experiences with cruising which is why I keep coming back for more. Things like this do happen, and I would be pretty upset with an outcome like the one mentioned above. That may deter me from cruising with the same line in the future. There are plenty of other great cruise lines if one does you wrong. If you are new to cruising and hesitant to have a bad experience, I recommend starting with doing your research beforehand. Try a reliable and highly-ranked ship for your first experience. It won't disappoint! https://www.cruisehive.com/category/cruise-rankings

@euroguy That's the best idea. Give yourself plenty of time to fly just in case there is a flight delay or cancellation. I have been there before, with a canceled flight and no other option but to drive up the East Coast all night to make it back to work in time. You won't have the option to drive due to distance so you don't want to feel rushed in an unexpected circumstance like this. @RoadTravelled That's a great recommendation! Do you know if every cruise line that cruises out of Port Canaveral offers this shuttle service? I would definitely use it. @Alice48 Will you be flying into Barcelona? I have a European cruise booked and was thinking of flying in directly to Barcelona. It will be my first time visiting the area. I have family in Madrid that I plan to visit while there after the cruise itinerary. I hope you share tips and tricks on transit from the airport to the cruise port. Which cruise line will you be cruising with?

@euroguy You have a pretty neat collection going. I see the value of continuing on this track, filling up that hutch. That's such a clever idea! Are these porcelain or glass ornaments? I wouldn't have even thought to do that. That's ingenious. I like that they aren't too large so they can all fit together. It is very aesthetically pleasing. Have you hung them on your Christmas tree before? I bet your collection be worth a pretty penny one day if you ever decided to sell them off. That's a fun idea of hosting a rotating exhibition of items! It's a great way to dust them every now and again too. I would imagine that a very delicate process.

@euroguy Yes I think this is a big step in the right direction! I didn't check out the square footage on these, but these types of staterooms are definitely smaller. I don't blame you for keeping loyal to CCL. I have been meaning to ask you when you book at these CCL discounted rates, are you still earning the full amount of loyalty points? You have been cruising pretty frequently lately, and your points should be adding up to top-tier status in no time! Don't settle for just any cruise. I would hope that another cruise line will offer you similar options, just like CCL, based on your loyalty and cruise history!

@FJB I think it's even beyond curiosity! Anyone in a wheelchair or with a physical disability could be at risk here too. The piers are surrounded by water, and if it's raining there is an ever larger risk of slipping! Let's not forget those who are pretty carefree off of the unlimited beverage package. I wish there was a bit more of a barrier! @Emrys I would do the exact same! When you put 24/7 time and energy into raising a child, you are 100% all in. The outcome could have been much worse. This is just a reminder to play it safe and stay away from those borders.

@Seaawgs That's a significant amount of time! At least I'm not the only one; the same ports over and over get dull pretty quickly. My desire to cruise is definitely high! I agree, I have been looking into Transatlantic sailings for the purpose of just saving on international flights! A back-to-back may be a bit too long with the amount of time we have, but hopefully down the road, as schedules regulate, this will become more attainable!

One of my biggest fears actually happened to an RCL child at a port in Italy on October 3rd. An 8-year-old little boy fell off of the dock in Salerno, Italy right in between the dock and the ship. Thankfully the boy was rescued quickly and uninjured, but this was a scary situation. It's a reminder to stay away from the pier's edges at all times. I sometimes question why some docks don't have a bit of a border. It does seem unsafe.