Edinburghgirl1

On 3/21/2024 at 7:29 AM, first time cruising said:

Hi, leaving on the 14th April on celebrity Edge repositioning cruise to Honolulu. We managed to book two snorkeling tours through the ship at Moorea and Papeete. Unfortunately sold out in Raiatea so will probably try and book a local tour. My question is to those with experience is normally are snorkels, fins and masks provided by the operators the ship use. I have read what to bring and those items are not listed. Don’t really want to cart our gear from Australia as we are doing a road trip in the USA after this cruise. Thanks for any advice.

I just got back from French Polynesia with HAL. We didn’t book any snorkelling tours through the ship. In Raiatea we used Are tours who were excellent. Had a great day at the coral garden then on to a private Motu for a very tasty lunch in the water surrounded by fish and sharks. Snorkelling gear was provided. In Morea we used Captain Tania who also provided snorkelling gear. 

I’m Elite Plus with Celebrity and just came off my first cruise with HAL a 35 night on the Koningsdam. I can categorically say the food was much better than Celebrity. More choice in the MDR, great quality and much better and more food venues throughout the ship which there is no charge for. The entertainment in the Theatre is better on Celebrity however BB Kings Blues club was fantastic and they also have the Rolling Stone Rock Room. I would go with the best itinerary, 

Last September we stayed in the Room Mate Bruno hotel. It’s directly opposite the entrance to the cruise terminal so a 2 minute walk. Good sized rooms, great breakfast and reasonable room rate. 

We have a Sky Suite booked on the Solstice in   Asia for November 2025 and it was only $2863pp for 12 nights! Same cabin in 2024 is $6873pp!

On 12/19/2023 at 11:19 PM, Cruise Junky said:

It’s not completely bleak. I booked a Sky Suite this week, 19 day transpacific for under $10k for 2.  

Yeah we booked a Sky Suite on the Solstice for November 2025 for $5700 for two! It worked out only $120 more than a regular veranda so was a no brainer. 

We’ve visited Vietnam and Thailand many times on land based holidays but have booked this cruise for 2025 as we couldn’t resist  the price. We booked a Sky suite for only £2700 ($3400) per person. A veranda cabin was only $120 less!! 
I agree with all previous comments book your own excursions and try and spend some time in Singapore and Hong Kong, both are fabulous cities  to visit. 

7 hours ago, debfed65 said:

We will be on board the Ascent in a couple of weeks, and the Edge in April.  

 

Has anyone on board noticed what dark rums they are offering on both standard and premium drink package...and more specifically is there any Kraken Rum on the ship?

 

Thanks!  Ron

They had Captain Morgan and Havana Club and I’m pretty sure they had Kraken although it’s my least favourite so I never ordered it, sailor Jerry is my favourite. 

On 6/18/2023 at 4:49 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Curious what that matters.  No Visa is required for the UK and Scotland is part of the UK.

Someone thought she was from the US

On 10/1/2023 at 3:43 PM, chemmo said:

Hi there, 

 

So kind of you to update us…You and your parents have been very much in our thoughts.

 

We arrived in Turkey for a stay in an AI resort yesterday and I have never been so glad to get the passports in the room safe. Until your post I had no idea that passports had a ‘monetary value’ to thieves and, much as we have always kept them fairly secure, like your parents, I would have felt comfortable leaving them in a bag in my hotel room….

 

I am so pleased that Celebrity are going to help out and that your parents are keen to cruise still. 🤞 all goes well for them.

 

 

Absolutely! I will very much be small print checking before our next cruise.
 

I still find it almost impossible to believe that you pay out so much for travel insurance and yet the insurance company has a ‘get out of jail free’ card when someone is the victim of a crime…

I’m the opposite getting my passport into the hotel safe with other valuables has always been my priority since I first started travelling! 

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

If the hotel room had a safe and the passengers didn't use it most UK Travel Insurance will not help as they will claim the passengers "didn't take reasonable care". The small print in most policiesbwill require you to use a safe "when available".

This is a salutary warning to everyone - always use the hotel safe and if there isn't one carry your passports and credit cards with you in "pick pocket" proof wallets/ pockets. The same rules would apply if the docs were stolen on the ship and you had chosen not to use the safe.

I would never book a hotel anywhere that doesn’t have an in room safe to store  cash, passports, watches and jewellery. 

Just boarded the Apex in Rotterdam and there is a lounger on our aft cabin balcony and as far as I can see all the others in the row! 

Now I can’t get in on app or on my laptop

8 hours ago, jelayne said:

We disliked Azamara for a variety of reasons one of which was the lack of restaurants, bars, venues for listening to  music and the evening shows were not very good.  With the exception of White Night and the Azamazing evening ashore we were bored when not in port. 

We love the E class with 4 MDRs, 5-6 different specialty restaurants, state of the art theater and great shows. 
 

After 12 years on smaller ships you may find the larger ship to be to overwhelming.  Then again it may be a great experience, hard to tell as we all like different things
 

 

We sailed Azamara for the first time last November and would be unlikely to sail with them again. We had lots of sea days and felt the ship totally lacked any atmosphere and things to do. Ship was also very tired and in need of general maintenance.

Took mine in February this year with no issues. 

13 minutes ago, QuattroRomeo said:

For 35 days, I would definitely get the pkg. Not only will you save $$ compared to the per item pricing, it is just so convenient. We sent some laundry practically every other day. Doesn't have to be a full bag, so those items you like to wear a lot can be back in your closet in no time! And, it is just so adorable how they carefully fold your socks and underwear and wrap them in tissue paper..! 😄

Are they pressed too or just folded( I don’t mean the socks and underwear lol) 

First time HAL cruiser here and our cruise is 35 nights. We are thinking of buying the unlimited laundry package which states wash dry and fold. Will we also have to buy the unlimited pressing? We have read conflicting information where some folks say their laundry comes back pressed without buying the pressing package and others state it’s only folded and still needs pressed!. Can anyone who’s previously bought the unlimited laundry package please clarify. 

11 hours ago, QuattroRomeo said:

We had the Unlimited Laundry pkg on our 21 day Rotterdam cruise this past Feb/Mar. I asked the cabin attendant for an extra laundry bag, and then would write cold water/air dry on one of the order sheets for that whole bag. Worked great. We sent several bags of laundry and had no problems. We noted the laundry service specifically on the post-cruise survey, because it was so good! 🙂

We are first time HAL cruisers and are thinking of buying the laundry package for our 35 night cruise in February. The website states wash, dry and fold however others have said their clothes come back ironed! Will we have to purchase the separate pressing package too or are the clothes pressed in the unlimited laundry package? 

If cruising in Europe they add VAT ( value addd tax) but if you live out with the EU you can claim it back at the airport. 

10 hours ago, Roz said:

I find it very very peculiar that Rotterdam transit only takes credit cards from Dutch banks.  The Netherlands is part of the eurozone and Rotterdam is an international destination.  When I was in Amsterdam last December I had no problem using American credit cards.  Some places didn't take amex but Mastercard and Visa were accepted everywhere.  As a result of Covid,  many businesses are cashless. 

I think the issue may be like the UK in the Netherlands they use chip and pin system where you will be asked to input your PIN number which is usually a 4 digit code. If you card doesn’t have one you will need to buy from a kiosk or insert cash. 

9 hours ago, spleenstomper said:

As long as I’m not contagious, I would assume I can still go and use the cruise for recovery. Don’t have to cook or clean etc, but stressing as long as I’m not a hazard to others. 

I wouldn’t be going on a ship with compromised lungs where there is a high chance of catching Covid! 

We love Celebrity but are now trying other lines for more interesting itineraries. Celebrity”s  are pretty boring. Got HAL cruise in the Koningsdam booked for February 2024. Hawaii and French Polynesia 35 nights. 

We were on a Costa cruise from Dubai on their new ship the Toscana  in February. We are from the UK. We were certainly in the minority but all announcements were in several languages including English. Every staff member we encountered spoke English. The ship was stunning. The food was good and the entertainment was amazing. I’ve never had such late nights on ANY cruise. We never do ship tours. For the price we paid we thought it was great value for money. Must just depend on the itinerary and where you are sailing from. 

This is only April a lot can change between now and October! 

On 3/23/2023 at 4:56 PM, jelayne said:

We did 1 Azamara cruise and would cruise them again only for a very unique itinerary.

 

#1 was the MDR.  Food was disappointing, a wait of 15-55 minutes to be seated every night, very noisy and never had the same wait staff. 
 

#2 not much to do on sea days or evenings, entertainment mediocre, Living Room never had a crowd most night pre dinner (6-7:30) not more than a dozen people, post dinner maybe 25-30.   
 

#3 included beverages, particularly wine was poor.  We are wine drinkers not wine connoisseurs and we ended up drinking cocktails with dinner.

 

What we like

#1 balcony, while small had a decent table for dining.

 

#2 the Patio

 

3# the crew ( non officers ) were the most knowledgeable we have encountered about the entire ship not just there Department.  Officers, like those on X were outgoing and engaging. 
 

We have determined that the small ships don’t offer enough variety for us.  

We did our first Azamara cruise in November last year and agree with most of your comments. We were on the Quest which was badly showing signs of age. We thought the MDR food was no better than Celebrity but the buffet quality was higher although less choice. The other food offerings around the ship were excellent. We loved the Patio. The service was great but our cruise was only at two thirds capacity. We were in a Club Continent suite which was lovely. We liked the fact the ship had a laundry room. We hated the pool area. Cramped and totally lacking in any kind of holiday atmosphere which was pretty much like the rest of the ship. Little going on during sea days unless you played bridge or wanted to paint. The main bar, the Den, we often thought was closed when we approached as it was deathly quiet. We would only cruise with them again if the itinerary and price were right. 

Got this booked for this year along with cruise before leaving from Rotterdam.