JohnS43

It's been a while since I've flown and I didn't even think about checking in online and getting my boarding passes. Well, I just did that (thanks to your post, which prompted me) and it did have my complete flight. And it gave me boarding passes for both, although the seat assignment for the second leg was different from what I had originally reserved. I guess I'll have to deal with that in Miami, since American doesn't seem to be able to do seat assignments for the other airline (LATAM.)

Well, I'm leaving tomorrow, but now I'm concerned that the airlines might not be treating the two legs I have tomorrow (LAX-MIA, and MIA-EZE) as one trip. Do you think the fact that there are two record locators will mean that I can't check my bags all the way through to the final destination at LAX? I sure hope that isn't the case -- I only have 1.5 hours in Miami, and if I had to retrieve my luggage and go back through security, I would never make it!

Well, miracle of miracles, I got an email today (from "ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES") that contained all of my flight information! All the seat assignments, the meal and baggage information, etc. Maybe I just had to wait until now to get it? I guess I don't understand how this process works and why it took nearly two months for it to show up. (I made the final payment for the cruise + airfare on 9/15.) Oh well ... now the only issue is that weird extra record locator that shows an unpaid ticket.

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I am taking in January a very similar trip to S.America with a stop in Miami.  I used Flights by Celebrity.  Best price and fully refundable and I did not have to pay until final payment.  My flights are also American Airlines.  When I booked, the F by C agent asked about seat selection and booked my choices at the time for all 4 flights.  No problem for my situation.

Did you make your reservations over the phone? I did everything online. The only time I spoke to F by C was when I was trying to straighten this all out (i.e., get something with all of my seat assignments -- which do NOT show on the Celebrity itinerary) and they said they couldn't do anything.

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

 

I believe one of the selling points for the flights from Celebrity is the refundable nature of the booking and the payment delay, have you actually paid Celebrity for these flights yet?

Yes, I paid for the entire cruise, including the flights, several months ago. And the payment is reflected on the other record locators (for both AA and LAN)--just not the weird fourth one that just appeared.

2 hours ago, Xport said:

Flights By Celebrity--previously known as Choice Air--is a subcontracted airline consolidator and not a travel agent...  Generally--and especially on international flights--their fares are lower, and sometimes significantly so, than if you were to have purchased via a travel agent or the airline itself...  For instance, I used Flights By Celebrity  in June 2018 to purchase a one-way business class ticket to travel from London Heathrow to Houston/Houston to Florida in May 2019 following Edge's Transatlantic ...  My price was $1374 [great!]; on the same day, United was offering the identical one--way flight pair for a whopping $5817...

 

You will find a brief explanation of the differences--many relate to service level--between an air consolidator and a travel agent here...

 

https://www.smartertravel.com/airline-consolidators/

 

With respect and without knowing what sort of price advantage you've likely received [I assume nothing and shop air carefully and comparatively well in advance],  I'm personally willing to handle some of the details given the magnitude of my savings...  I've used Air By Celebrity [or predecessor Choice Air] more than a dozen times now--most often on itineraries far more complex than the one outlined above and entailing transfers between US and international carriers--and have always gotten things in order with relative ease...  That said, I've also learned along the way that the practices and terminology used by most US airlines [and those are evolving too] can vary significantly---there is no world-wide standard--from those employed by international carriers ranging from class of service descriptions and associated flight amenities to baggage/carry-on allowances to seat selection ability/timing [some international airlines allow advance seat selection based upon booked class of service, some will allow it only upon check-in regardless of class of service, and others will assign seats--no self selection--at advance time intervals varying by class of service]...

 

Best wishes in achieving resolution....  As American and LAN are both Oneworld affiliates and code share, this really should not be so difficult...  

Thanks very much for your thorough and enlightening response. I appreciate the time you took to provide this information. I had assumed that Flights By Celebrity would operate in a manner similar to an online travel agent (e.g., Orbitz or Travelocity.) Now I understand that basically they're just providing the flights and you're pretty much on your own after that. Now to call LATAM (LAN) for the FIFTH time to figure out how to deal with the duplicate record locator ...

I just got off the phone with American ... apparently I made things worse. Now I have two different record locators that include three of the four flights. And the second one shows that I haven't paid for anything yet! And American said they can't do anything about it because it's a LAN record locator. I cannot believe how much time I've spent/wasted on this. Never again. All I wanted was ONE printable itinerary with everything on it, and this is what I've had to deal with.

16 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Do you have different record locators for each flight, or are any of the flights on the same record locator? (that is the 6 character code).

 

Also for the return flights with the codeshare, make sure your AAdvantage number is in the LAN system which should then allow the final codeshare segment to show up on AA.com.

 

If you don't have an AAdvantage account sign u p for one on AA.com.

Mark -- Thanks for the info. Here's what I have (from Celebrity): Record number 1: "AA|XXXXXX (Carrier)"  Record #2: "AA|XXXXXY". I also have a THIRD record number that the LAN agent gave me over the phone. (Celebrity did not have this one.) The first record number does work on AA.COM. The second one does NOT. (It can't find a record.) The THIRD one does work, but it only shows the non-AA flights--including the codeshare final flight and it DOES show my seat assignment for that one (but not the other two), so at least one problem is resolved.  Once I was able to get into the codeshare part where it showed me the three non-AA flights, it gave me a FOURTH record locator number!

So now I'm totally lost. I was able to enter my AAdvantage number into those segments, and put in my traveler information like I did with the first flight. (I had to re-enter everything--passport, Global Entry, etc., even though it was already there for the first segment.) Anyway, now when I try to look at my flights on AA.com, the first record number brings up the entire itinerary, but the FOURTH number now says "We couldn’t display trip details." So I hope I didn't mess something up. Four record locator numbers seems like three too many. And again -- why isn't Flights By Celebrity handling all of this?

I have an upcoming Celebrity cruise (my first with them) and decided to use Flights By Celebrity to book the air travel. My first flight begins on American Airlines, and then I change to a LAN (South American) airline for the final segment. The return flight begins on LAN, then the second segment is operated by American, but is a LAN codeshare.

I assumed that Flights By Celebrity would act as the travel agent and assist with seat selection, flight details, etc. Apparently they do nothing of the sort -- all they do is give you the flight times and take your payment. The rest is up to you. And it's been very difficult having to deal with different airlines. I was able to do a seat selection for the AA flight and the next two LAN flights on the respective airlines' websites. But neither LAN nor AA allowed me to select a seat on the final segment. I ended up calling LAN and getting a seat assignment over the phone, but well over a week later, it is still not showing on my LAN itinerary. I have called them again and received assurances that the seat is in fact assigned, but they cannot point me to anywhere that I can see and print that information. After calling them a third time, the agent offered to email a full copy of the LAN portion of the itinerary, including the seat assignments, but the email never arrived.

And to add the the problem, apparently there is nowhere I can go to print out a complete itinerary with seat assignments and flight information (other than times/dates/flight numbers.) I've been flying for many years and have never had this problem before. I really wish I'd never used Flights By Celebrity. I could've done this much better using a non-cruise-connected online service or a travel agent. If I ever cruise with them again, I will definitely choose that option.

I did the Panama Canal cruise solo on Princess a couple of years ago over Christmas and New Year's. We spent Christmas Day going through the canal. For me, it was fine, but then I don't mind doing things by myself. There really weren't that many families (at least not with small children), but it was also a 15-day cruise. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding dining companions, or meeting people with whom to do things. And there may be other solos on your trip as well. Bon voyage! (Note: I'm doing another 15-day solo this holiday season - Buenos Aires to Santiago on Celebrity.)

Just booked a solo on Celebrity Eclipse: Buenos Aires to Santiago over the holidays this year (12/21-1/5.) First time solo on Celebrity. Have soloed on Princess and Carnival previously.

We are just back from the Canada/New England cruise and we booked the HOP-ON-HOP-OFF OTT online. The stop is just about a block from where you get off the ship, BUT you should let them know you are going to be there (time and date) as the trolley does not always stop there - it's a sub route. Having said that, it was perfect for us. We got on and did the full route (not getting off) which I think was about 2 hours. We then had a free Harbor Cruise included in our tickets. That was ok (so-so). Then, we got on the sub-route back to the ship (which you get at stop #1) and he even dropped us at the door.

 

The trolley trip offered by the cruise lines is often a tour which is not HOP-ON etc. It cost more so we went right to the source on the internet to book. There were not hundreds of people getting on this option. I think there were 4 of us from our ship.

Thank you so much for your answer! That's just what I needed to know. Based on that information, I went ahead and bought a ticket for the Trolley. One more question-- how do I let them know that I am going to be there? Their website is a little confusing -- it says that they stop where the cruise ships dock on the regular route, but only on days when there are ships in port. So I assumed they'd stop there on the day our ship (a large one) is there.

I had a full suite (one of the aft Vista Suites) all to myself on a 2-week Mediterranean cruise last summer. Aside from the laundry and the mini-bar set-up, my favorite perk was having a FULL room service breakfast (the menu options are much more extensive that the ones for regular staterooms) set up on my (extra wide) balcony every morning. And you CAN have that on the last day, when Sabatini's (or Crown Grill) is not an option. The other perk-- since I was a solo, I earned three Captain's Circle points. I also liked the much larger shower.

Princess almost always has steak and kidney pie on the menu at the British Pub Lunch.

Would Uber or Lyft be the best option (vs. a taxi) to get from Times Square (my hotel) to the Brooklyn Cruise terminal on a Sunday?

My cruise ship is in Boston from 11AM to 8PM on a weekday. It looks like the trolley only runs until 5PM. I've been to Boston before, but it's probably been 20+ years, so I think it would be a good way to get reacquainted. I'm just concerned that it might be a bit of a time crush. And if I wanted to stay in Boston after 5PM, I guess I'd have to Uber/Lyft/taxi back to the ship.

Also, I'm wondering what it's like trying to get on the trolley at the pier if there are hundreds of people disembarking at the same time. I was going to buy direct from OTT (it's cheaper and there's a senior discount) but if the cruise ship(s) have monopolized the trolleys -- I guess I'm not sure how that works. They have designated departure times, so maybe they reserve a certain number of seats? I had a bad experience with the HOHO bus in Barcelona -- the lines to get back on were so bad I only got off one time.

Can anyone share their experience with OTT in Boston and offer some advice?

Their latest TV commercial states they were voted one of the Top 10 cruises (or cruise lines?) by Cruise Critic. Any verification of that? If it's not true, then that's false advertising, verging on fraud.

I posted in another forum about wanting to try an upscale line (as a solo) for the first time. Most people recommended Oceania based on my criteria (#1: Don't like dressing up!) I'll be interested to hear how you like Silverseas as a solo.

Thanks to everyone for the info. I will definitely look at Crystal and Oceania. I must say that I did look at Oceania's website once before, and while they showed offers for reduced single supplements, it was impossible to find out what the actual fares were (and which discounts applied to which cruises.) Is there some reason they make you request a quote instead of just telling you what the fare is?

OK, so I've been on a number of cruises lately-- mostly on Princess, but once on Carnival and once on NCL, and several times on Holland America in the distant past. They've all been OK, but I'm wondering if I might enjoy a more upscale experience on my next voyage. Here's the thing, however-- I'm not terribly "upscale" myself! I hate dressing up (and avoid formal nights as much as possible.) And I'm not a big drinker, so the all-inclusive alcohol is not a selling point for me.

So, here's more about me; I'd appreciate it if some of you who've tried out two or more of the upscale lines would weigh in on whether a particular line would be a good fit for me.

Single retired male, age 64; usually travel alone. I enjoy most of the traditional ship entertainment (shows, trivia, etc.), and sometimes go to the casino. I always go ashore at every port, and try to do excursions as much as possible. As mentioned above, not much of a drinker (never drink beer or wine; only an occasional cocktail) And most of all, like to dress as casually as possible at all times.

I should clarify that one of the reasons I'm thinking of going more upscale is to avoid the relentless selling (artwork, jewelry, etc.) that most ships have.

Any thoughts? Comments? Thank you in advance for your advice.

Not to go too far off topic, but are there any cruise lines (perhaps some of the more upscale ones) that don't feature things that are generally considered either ripoffs or otherwise sleazy? In addition to art, I'm thinking of things like jewelry, questionable spa treatments that purport to offer health benefits, teeth whitening, etc.? Many of the things I see on ships would probably be either illegal or unethical in the U.S., but presumably they are exempt from our laws while at sea.

I think I'd gladly pay more for my cruise if I could avoid a lot of the hucksterism that seems to be rampant on Princess, Carnival, and NCL (the three lines I've traveled on most recently.)

I had an aft Vista Suite on the Emerald Princess last summer. Let me know if you have any specific questions about it.

I was on the reverse of this trip (Ft. Lauderdale to LA) over the holidays on the Island. We had somewhat different ports, however -- no stop in Guatemala, and we had two stops in Mexico (Cabo and Huatulco) which you apparently did not. (Our itinerary was Aruba-Cartagena-Canal-Puntarenas-San Juan del Sur-then the two Mexico stops. 15 days total.)

Anyway, enjoying your daily review, but one small correction: Simone Smith, the cruise director, is from Australia, not Canada. I'm not sure if she has done or will be doing this on your cruise, but on ours she had a panel Q&A session with her staff, and another one where she answered questions herself. And on the last full day of the cruise, she did a live broadcast/taping of "The Wake Show" from the atrium, with audience participation.

Keep the bathroom door ajar, and it will keep the curtain from "clinging"....

I always keep the bathroom door wide open (as I'm by myself) and it didn't do any good.

Thanks for all of your answers so far. I'll definitely look into some of the ships that were mentioned. However, are there any that have both shower doors AND hand-held shower heads?