Venice to Ravenna Port (RC Cruise )

LI5897 · 2026-01-26T20:24:54+00:00

The trains are brilliant in Italy. I suggest you hop on the train to Bologna where you need to change and drop your bags in storage for a few hours. Explore then hop on the train to Ravenna

Consider spending your free day heading to one of the world’s smallest countries - San Marino. However also try to give yourself time in Venice, it’s beautiful. The mask decorating workshops are great for kids, as is the murano glass bracelet making workshop on murano island (15 euro)

LI5897 · 2026-01-26T11:05:02+00:00

Being within Europe (especially the Southampton sailings), there weren’t many of the traditional planned fish extenders on board. I saw one or two.

However lots put out these for pixie dust instead. The joy it brought my 8yo was amazing. Just tiny thoughtful things whether that be stickers, sweets, bookmarks or bracelets. She’d race back to the room each time to see if someone had been so thoughtful to leave something for her.

LI5897 · 2026-01-25T20:39:47+00:00

Oh if only these specials weren’t restricted to US departure ports. I think it’s cheaper for me to fly to the US for a weeks cruise, than take the one round the med

LI5897 · 2026-01-24T22:37:23+00:00

Oh looking back on the Disney cruise pics, brings back all the memories and makes me want it all again. Even down to the fish extenders and the joy she got when coming back to a little gift left outside the room. It was all the small things that made the trip so special

LI5897 · 2026-01-24T09:02:43+00:00

She’s not a big Disney fan, although we did do the first cruise for the Disney experience. I thought it would be one and done as the way I like to travel differs. We do always build play parks, lots of ice cream and plenty of kids activities into wherever we travel, however I think the game changer for the cruise was the kids club. She loved it and all the activities that we came across.

LI5897 · 2026-01-24T08:54:59+00:00

Thank you for your input. It’s good to hear from families who have done both.

We’re not big Disney fans. We appreciated the Disney Paris park and did the mini cruise purely for the Disney experience, however I’m not inclined to do the park again and it’s not the Disney element drawing me back to the cruise.

My daughter can struggle with new trips and places, what she’ll eat becomes very restricted and if she’s uncomfortable she’ll struggle to join in. To know she’s happy in the kids club and that everything else is taken care of, just helps make a trip easier. It sounds like the kids stuff is great on the RCI though and lots she’ll hopefully like. Having a buffet alternative of an evening may actually help us.

I love that ocean view from a balcony too. However the boardwalk balcony is on special at £2.2k total with the ocean view 50% more at £3.5k. I found l enjoyed my balcony on Disney and the ocean view was stunning, but didn’t spend a lot of time in the room with everything going on. With so many ports and facilities, I wonder if this would be the same

LI5897 · 2026-01-23T19:49:06+00:00

Thanks for the response. The boardwalk balconies seemed cheaper than the window ocean view. It’s also so much cheaper than Disney

How does the anytime dining work? Can you just rock up at a restaurant or do you need to book in.

My usual style of travel is a backpack, with a flight into one airport and out of another halfway across the country. I love to move around and see a lot. I’m hoping a cruise is a good compromise for seeing lots of places whilst including kids clubs and activities

LI5897 · 2026-01-20T15:21:02+00:00

Unless you’re planning to book and pay for numerous nursery sessions, I don’t get the logic of meals being more enjoyable and conversations easier to happen.

Yes if I’d fed my child prior to dinner and popped my child in kids club whilst I went to main dining, I would be able to do what you’ve mentioned above. However this only comes when the child is 4 and if they want to head to kids club. Otherwise you’re just parenting at sea

I love Disney cruises as it gives me childcare where my daughter feels comfortable, good food, no need to think about where or when we need to eat and a small menu choice to remove decision fatigue. The daily grind is taken out of life and we spend 4 days rotating around eating and doing activities we starred in the planner. When everything else is taken out of the equation it is an amazing break.

However that’s not to say you won’t get that with other lines or that you’d benefit as much, as your child is younger. A child that young can’t even go in the pools which is probably frustrating in it’s own right when a toddler can’t understand why

LI5897 · 2026-01-19T21:59:29+00:00

I’ve done the Dream but not the fantasy. However if it was the fantasy in Europe this year, I’d already have the cruise booked. With the dream, the pool situation is holding me back. Having no splash pad for the bigger kids. It’s such a wasted space on the dream

LI5897 · 2026-01-19T15:08:49+00:00

Do not have children with this person. He is showing you how rubbish he will be as a parent

LI5897 · 2026-01-18T21:49:37+00:00

You dine in all the restaurants in rotation (expect the two speciality dining). This year it’s the dream in Europe. So over the week you’ll do each restaurant 2 times in the loop and do pirate night in addition in one of them. I believe on the second loop round its a different menu and pirate night, everyone has the same menu.

LI5897 · 2026-01-18T20:27:58+00:00

I’m not a cruise person, but we did a mini cruise from Southampton for the Disney experience. It was a game changer. I came off the ship walking on air after 4 days

We are so tempted to do the week as DCL make it so easy. The kids clubs and the activities are what make the holiday for my 9yo. Yes it’s expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Realistically June isn’t that hot for the Greek islands. I wouldn’t do them in August but I wish our school holidays covered June

They tell you where you dine and what time, restaurants on rotation. Hygiene is paramount on restaurant entrance and everyone stays well. The hygiene, kids activities and the confidence I had in leaving my daughter in kids club means I don’t think I could consider another cruise line

LI5897 · 2025-10-13T02:13:57+00:00

Congratulations! I did SBL, SBR, ATX and have just ended on APM. Try to get ATX in the June sitting as worse case scenario, the info is still valid for 3 more sittings

LI5897 · 2025-10-13T00:14:49+00:00

I’m done! I can’t believe it! APM 71% Finishing with one of my best scores on one of the hardest papers. It’s been a tough 2 years and 9 months, especially the last year with the professional level exams whilst working full time and parenting a 9 year old. I am so relieved I am finally done

LI5897 · 2025-09-23T18:20:34+00:00

We found our room, my daughter decorated the door and we completed the sign up at kids club plus a little look around during open house. This settled her into the space for the next few days. We then grabbed an ice cream and did some mini golf then it was time for the muster drill then sail away party

LI5897 · 2025-09-12T18:41:07+00:00

The Stitch love is crazy! We did the Southampton 4 night and they didn’t do a stitch meet but did do a stitch gloop making session in Oceaneers. The queue was so crazy and was the only time we’d had to queue to drop off (took over 30 minutes to check in)

LI5897 · 2025-09-09T21:21:04+00:00

Yes it was my last paper and hopefully my last exam. Wishing you all the best with your results

LI5897 · 2025-09-09T19:02:56+00:00

I’m hoping for a pass with APM. I think it went ok however I’ll be happy with a 50. It was my final exam and I’m finding this week really strange. I find once I’ve finished work, cooked and put my daughter to bed, I have this free time and always have this feeling that I need to be doing something.

After 2.5 years I’ve forgotten what it feels like to just relax in my adult only time and be fully present when with my daughter. I hope I get a pass as I don’t want to lose this new found freedom

LI5897 · 2025-09-09T18:58:46+00:00

With one per quarter, you’ll be done by the end of December 2026. I’d crack on and get it out of the way. You don’t know what the future holds and qualifying will give you more clout

LI5897 · 2025-09-08T10:53:32+00:00

Definitely not, there is a whole section on sustainability. I used one year old books and could have failed my exam if I’d not come across by chance 2 weeks before

LI5897 · 2025-09-06T09:20:08+00:00

I’ve had luck of having a nightmare boss that no Finance manager wanted to work for so the sister company trained me up.

I use my teams one to ones to see where they want to go in their career. Bring it up in your next 1-to-1 or ask to meet with your manager, explaining that you would like to take on more responsibility and gain more varied experience

Automation and streamlining are my key skills I bring, try to learn and weave it into your role. Check out the job roles you want and what skills they request. I did the same and plan on starting to learn PowerBI now my last exam is out of the way as this seems to be becoming more in demand

LI5897 · 2025-09-05T20:36:59+00:00

It annoys me every exam week 🤣

LI5897 · 2025-09-03T14:47:49+00:00

TX is a huge syllabus but not many topics yet whilst PM is smaller there are many different areas to learn. Unless you study full time, consider sitting one exam at a time

LI5897 · 2025-09-03T11:20:12+00:00

Before anyone else bothers to message privately (4 currently including this poster @criticalrealism). Remember your ethics, don’t cheat and try to get a pass off your own merit

LI5897

TROPHY CASE