Wiltonian

Stuart, I researched buying a Garmin or TomTom on the internet from the US, but none would ship the item loaded with UK maps to the US. I considered purchasing one in England, but I had no idea where to buy it. I was at Heathrow and scheduled to arrive in Bath this day. Going shopping for such an item would have been difficult.

Shame - had you asked on here, we could have pointed you to a suitable shop en route for Bath.

Stuart

Great report; but why not just buy a £100 sat-nav to use with the originally-booked car?

Stuart

You must phone them to order a wine package.

How quaint! ;-)

Thanks, Stuart/

Hmm. Taking the hint, I tried to book a package for our 1st Oct 2018 cruise. Logging in to the Voyage Personaliser, I could select preferred table size and bed layout. There was an apparently clickable box inviting me to "Enrich your cruise with one of our exceptional wine packages", but clicking on it did nothing. Is there a date relative to cruise date before which you can't do such things, or is it just bad web-site programming? (Tried with two different web browsers).

Stuart

Agree, there are times where booking a Celebrity excursion can make sense. We often consider them for tendering ports too. In Santorini we booked their first tour of the day. Not only did we miss the massive crowds on the island later in the day we then had time in the afternoon back on the ship enjoying looking at the caldera whilst others were queuing in the hot sun or contemplating a walk through donkey muck!

Celebrity continue to trot out that old argument to use their excursion in Santorini, and it's a load of donkey-poo, quite frankly.

We visited in 2014; we booked the fast boat from the harbour round to Oia, avoiding queues for both donkeys and cable car - and avoiding the poo-covered path. Queues for the tender for the 'non-celebrity excursion people' were not excessive, presumably because Celebrity had conned so many people that the only sensible option is theirs. The package included a bus back to Thera. No problem, no queues, no issue.

If we need a "proper" excursion with guide, we always book smaller groups formed from people on the Roll Call, typically 8-12 people.

Stuart

You'll probably save a bit of money by buying at your local low-price clothier (Marks & Spencer in the UK, Men's Warehouse in the US) and you get to keep the tux for next time. Even Jos A Bank (US) will be cheaper than renting if you catch one of their 70% off days (fairly common between now and Christmas).

Or s/h or ex-hire stuff on eBay. Just got ivory tux for £25 and black dress trousers for £15.

Stuart

As I read the schedules, in Fall of 2018 Infinity joins the Caribbean fleet and does not transit the Canal down to SA. (We did that in 2015, sorry to see it go.) Meanwhile, the Eclipse does a TA from Barcelona (with us aboard) down to Buenos Aires. And from there down around the Horn to Valpo or the newer port in Chile. A few yo-yos back and forth mixed with another itinerary or two, then in Spring 2019 from BA around the Chile and on up to San Diego. (We’ll do that b2b, looking forward to it!) The Eclipse then goes on up to Alaska. The Edge takes over, more or less, from the Eclipse in Europe & the Med.

 

So, never say never, but I think the Ft. Lauderdale via the Canal to Chile to BA is gone, and instead the Eclipse will head south from California for the few months voyages in Chile-Argentina-Uruguay-Brazil.)

Stan

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That's my reading of the schedules, too. Really disappointed, as the Florida - Panama - Chile cruise B2B with Chile - BA looked a great way of seeing South America, and hoped to do it after we retire in 2019. Perhaps something similar might come back by then. It's a shame that the Europe -> BA repositioning cruise, which effectively replaces it, is followed by a circular from BA rather than a round the Horn cruise to Chile.

Stuart

There is a break in QE's 2018 schedule between November 14 and November 30, 2018. That appears to me to be when Cunard is probably planning for QE's upcoming 2018 refit to occur.

 

Regards, John

Thanks! After our first Cunard cruise, then.

Thanks for the update. One thing to scratch from the QE 2018 refit schedule then. As some of you may recall, I started a thread a couple months ago to discuss QE's 2018 refit just in case anyone had heard anything about what might be planned for that refit. We now know supplying the staterooms with kettles won't be part of that effort then (not that it really needed to be done during a refit anyway).

 

Regards, John

Do we know when the refit is happening? We're sailing 1st October, and wondering if that's before or after the refit!

You might get more constructive responses here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

Stuart

Best to ask on the correct board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=412

Finally a program I love. Soon I'll be able to get on board, find a deck chair and be able to keep it for the entire day....I will never have to get up (other than bathroom breaks). I can order drinks, food, play blackjack and watch the entertainment without having to get out of the chair....you know, maybe they'll even have audio/video of the excursions so I don't even have to get off the ship and, god forbid, walk. Yes, one of the things I just dislike on today's cruises is that I have to get up and walk to get food and drinks and all that exercise just wastes calories that could be better put to use around my waistline...and all that standing while shopping at the sales...terrible. I want to veg out on the cruise....let the world come to me, so to speak. And the best part, now I won't be accused of being a chair hog because I put a towel on my chair when I go for food/drink. If they would only provide a way to stay in the chair for bathroom activities, I'd be in seventh heaven....

You are sadly lacking in ambition. From 2030, Royal will be re-platforming the whole cruise experience. Going forward, they will engage in a creative partnership with a well known Silicon Valley company to virtualise the whole cruise experience. Why get out of your chair at home? With the latest 370 degree (sic) VR technology, everything will come to you. Imagine you're on board ship. With the fully gimballed Celebrity VR chair, experience the gentle rocking of the ocean; for $50 more, get the software upgrade that lets you experience the rolling of a Hurricane in your own home. Computer controlled tanning and wind machines simulate Caribbean or Mediterranean sun, all controlled by an app on your phone. Finally, Amazon's drones will bring every drink and meal to your chair side. As Royal's CEO boasted, this will be the first cruise line really to bear down on costs, with no cruise ships and no staff, save for the "industry leading" IT team driving this new world of cruise experiences.

Don’t they know that the reason we take a vacation is to get AWAY from our phones and electronic devices??

Absolutely right! And how many phones will get "lost" if we have to have them pool-side?

Stuart

I would love an app to make a select dining reservation, but we don't usually buy wifi on board.

They'll have to provide some wifi, limited to on-board use, not internet, to allow people to use the apps. As for that quite significant minority without smartphones. . . . .

Stuart

Believe me, I couldn’t have missed them. And all of the scooters, walking frames and wheelchairs. Don’t get me wrong. I think it is wonderful that those less able can continue to enjoy a trip like this, but it sure put a totally different "feel" on the ship and not one that I personally enjoy.

I did a Norway cruise a couple of years ago with Celebrity. Loads of scooters and walking aids, many people in late 80s. BUT, boy did they know how to dress properly! None of that "what can I get away with" stuff. The full works with DJs and long gowns. I found it rather moving that, despite all the physical constraints, they were going to put on a show and enjoy themselves.

Stuart

You didn't mention when and where you're sailing. Caribbean itineraries tend to be more casual than other types, unless it's a holiday sailing. That being said, wear what you like. You'll see a wide variety and whatever you choose that fits the relatively wide guidelines will be acceptable, and you will see others dressed similarly.

Absolutely right. Or to put it another way, my experience of Med cruises is that people dress more formally than the impression I get from other posters is the norm on Caribbean cruises. One man in a code-compliant smart collared short-sleeved shirt said he felt out of place alongside suits, jackets, some ties and some DJs. Others, similarly attired, didn't mind, and there's no real reason why they should!

Stuart

Did the Adriatic in October 2016, out of Venice. Great "culture-vulture" cruise, especially with a couple of days in Venice first. Overnights were great, especially Dubrovnik, as we got into the old city on the second day by 8am, before the crowds. As many have said, Canaries/Azores are less "cultural" but still a lot to see. As has been said, beware of shorter cruises to the Canaries, when the sea/port day balance gets a bit off-balance IMHO. Agree avoid Med in August! Dare I say it, but Cunard do a 14 day Canaries cruise from October 1st 2018 - when we booked, it was much cheaper than Celebrity!

"A modest amount of flexibility " will always find people going to the extreme and you will have jeans,trainers and baseball hats !!!

That certainly happened on Celebrity when they went from "formal" to "evening chic"; a few people always want to push the boundaries and test the rules, so now you get Hawaiian shirts on "evening chic" nights, since a "collared shirt" is all that's required.

You are in effect booking a package deal when you book air with your cruise in UK.

This includes transport to and from the ship and also a day hotel if you have a late flight on your return.

Once you get to the airport (MAN in our case) it is Celebrity’s responsibility to get you to the ship.

Hmm. I booked cruise and flights with Celebrity in 2014, and the airport-port transfer was NOT included, so I would suggest clarifying that.

Since then, I've saved £££ by booking my own flights. This year it was cheaper to book our own flights AND factor in a technically unnecessary night in a local hotel pre-cruise than pay Celebrity flight prices.

Stuart

im sure its the mdr we are also thinking of maybe upgrading to aqua class or better

IMHO little point paying much extra for Aqua, for which the main benefit is Blu, if you then use the speciality restaurants more than a couple of times. You pay the same for MDR->speciality as you do for Blu->speciality.

Certainly, don't pay more for Aqua than you would for speciality dining every night.

We love Murano and Tuscan and Lawn Grill, but also generally enjoy meeting strangers with select MDR dining, taking the gamble of sharing a table for 4 or 6. No disasters yet!

So, IMHO, speciality dining is worth it with a discount or as part of a multi-night package. We like to altenatue MDR and speciality, YMMV.

Stuart

We were on Silhouette earlier this month, with Classic package.

I regularly ordered a Diet Coke in the theatre, and got an opened and partially poured can every time.

In Murano, there was no suitable red wine under the limit, but there was no problem them getting the correct Merlot for us which is under the Classic limit. Indeed, one evening, the bottle was already opened, so others must have made the same request.

And now the beer cost limit is the same as for other drinks, more beer on the classic package, despite increases. I mean, $10 for a bottle of Peroni!

In short, not an issue at all. Sorry that the OP didn't have the same experience.

Stuart

You're more likely to get a helpful response by asking on the relevant board - South America:

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=76

Stuart

And there was me thinking someone was complaining about the highly unimpressive production show of the same name, with a clever production method (projecting onto a thin voile curtain) failing to compensate for the most trite lyrics ever heard in a musical. ;-)

I don't know if I'm remembering correctly but I remember reading somewhere that part of the reason for the booking rules in UK has to do with some UK laws. Anyone know? As I said previously we have never cancelled a booking. The new policy will make us change our booking pattern and book close to a sailing instead of 2 years out.

UK law requires that if a company supplying a "complete" holiday - e.g. cruise + flights - goes bust, the customer is recompensed. Companies have to pay into a fund to facilitate this, paying a small amount for every holiday booked. This has been the excuse in the past for UK prices to be higher than US ones, although the difference was far greater than the contribution to the protection scheme. Various other consumer protection laws may have added a marginal cost to UK sales, but there was never any law that stopped Celebrity UK refunding deposits on cancellation!

Stuart

From a UK perspective, it will be interesting to see how this affects future price trends.

It is, of course, impossible to know the scale of people doing multiple bookings (sometimes for simultaneous or overlapping cruises) and then cancelling all but one. I suspect that it might be more common among the committed and savvy people on CC than among the general clientele. Neither do we know the general US cancellation rate caused by a change of mind which currently costs nothing.

But, it seems reasonable to assume that there will be fewer bookings for cruises far out from the cruise date, simply because few are multiple-booking and fewer are doing "I might change my mind" bookings. So that _might_ mean lower prices well before cruise date.

Then, just before final payment date, there will be far fewer last-minute cancellations, so far less of a glut of newly-available cabins to be sold as a matter of urgency, so perhaps far fewer last minute bargain deals.

We shall see!

Stuart