soniam

I am very willing to ask people, nicely, to keep the noise down. I hope our neighbors would do the same thing. Sometimes, you don't know you are being loud, especially if the walls are thin and your ears are plugged up from traveling. Also, sometimes kids are alone in cabins and are noisy, either by themselves or with friends. If you aren't in the cabin, as the parent, you just don't know. This really should only apply to older kids. If you don't know you are being rude, it's hard to correct the situation. Of course, some people don't care and will just be rude. Also, different cultures have different views on what's rude.

That sounds like what we booked. Not spending much time in Oia is disappointing. We have a morning excursion and don't leave until late. If we don't get enough time in Oia, we can see how bad lines are for transportation. There are 5 ships in port that day. Of course, we can use it as an excuse to go back, stay in hotels, and ferry between the islands😃 Thanks

Old thread, I know. I was curious what the excursion was. I am hoping it's the same one we are taking next month. Our seems to do Athenios both ways, but it's hard to always tell from the descriptions. Thanks

We have a Celebrity excursion in July, Island Drive and Village Oia, 4-5 hours. It appears to pick us up and drop us off at Athenios port. However, it does visit Fira last. Anyone familiar with this excursion? If we wanted to visit Oia more on our own afterward, how would we get back to the ship without going to Fira? I know about the transportation between Fira and Oia, ie taxi, shuttles, buses. There are 5 ships in port that day. Thanks

Disney docked their on our June trip. It wouldn't walk it if you have mobility issues. The surface isn't very even, and it's uphill on the way back. It doesn't look far, but you have to walk way around to actually get to the road. The shuttle for us was free. I asked, and the driver said no charge. Maybe Disney pays for it. Watch out for lines. It wasn't bad going, but we went in the afternoon after our morning excursion. On the way back, it was sprinkling and the line was huge. Looked like it would take 2-3 buses to get on. I think we would have waited about as long as it took to walk. So, just be patient and expect a wait. You can actually see it from some of the shops.

When we had a suite and ate in Luminae, the first night, the maitre'd asked if we would be dining at the same time every night. We didn't exactly dine at the same time, but it was pretty close to it. I think it just allowed them to ensure our table/staff each night. They may not ask though.

I have heard it's very close and walkable to town. I looked it up on Google maps to confirm, unless there's another port that I didn't see. The opera house is supposed to be nice. La Rinascente department store has a top-floor terrace food court that has great views and a mozzarella bar. I always find great souvenirs, including snacks, at department stores in Europe. Here are some other things I read about: Palatine Chapel and Norman Palace Palazzo Conte Federico Il Ballaro market Capuchin Crypt

For my July cruise, the app does not show much seafood for the first seating menu. I may substitute the main dish. The app says it's filet, and I am not a huge beef fan. However, it may allow me to have room for something else that day😂 The app may be wrong though.

Love sitting on the balcony, if it's not raining sideways, or at least listening to the rain and sea with the balcony door open. Having a drink with my hubby and maybe reading. We do the same at home, but we get could thunderstorms here.

We don't dive but snorkel. So we have our own snorkels and prescription masks for 3 of us. Luckily, we don't hassle with fins, because we can easily rent those. I haven't bothered yet with getting an underwater housing. Probably won't. It's not really my thing. We have put our masks in checked luggage. Getting them replaced once at home isn't too difficult, but it does kind of ruin any snorkeling for that trip. We usually only go a couple of times and usually on cruises.

My camera equipment, except occasional less used filters and my tripod, are carry-on only. The backpack fits under the seat, and I usually bring a smaller, purse like bag that also fits under the seat. My husband has to have a laptop for work. I should be taking a laptop to backup my photos, but no one is paying me for them. We still check bags. We have had luggage delayed 3 times: Hawaii, Nuremberg, and Punta Arenas, Chile. We have gotten the bags back and only bought some clothing in Hawaii. Best bathing suit, dress, and necklace/bracelet set I have ever had. I like to dress nicely for dinner. I am fine doing laundry myself, but that's not an option on Beyond. I guess I will be sink washing my underwear, unless I buy more before the trip, because I am not sending it to the laundry to be boiled to death and shrunk. I don't get why they can't understand cold wash.

The upcoming Beyond Italy/Turkey/Greece July 17th cruise was moved from Messina to Palermo. Many of the Celebrity med cruises this summer had their ports moved from Messina to elsewhere in Sicily due to "port overcrowding" in Messina. EDIT: Palermo is too far from Messina for a port day trip.

We are F1 fans and attend the race at Circuit of the Americas every year, but we live in Austin. Along with friends, that live in Vegas and are big racing fans too, we have been looking into this since the race was announced. None of the stands are in good spots. The hotel rooms that would have good views are basically unattainable. This offer was also not worth it to us. We all decided it was not worth it. I did forward the email to my husband, so that he would have a good laugh. It definitely comes down to priorities, and this isn't as big a priority as the cost for us.

I know. It's very awkward to deal with the excursions now. Sorry. I think the link worked last year but quit working sometime this year. Could you do it on a phone and do a screen grab? Not ideal but maybe easier.

That link quit working. NorthStarStateCruiser posted a link describing how to do it. I don't think I got it to work, but many others did. I don't know the link though. Sorry. It was posted within the last few months I think.

Well, Disney does not allow refunds at all on concierge/suite deposits. At least Celebrity hasn't gone to that yet.

Seems 48 hours before is the latest notification, because they need to report the manifesto. You could be notified anywhere from a week or 2 before though.

That's true. It's not loose leaf tea. However, it's full leaf tea, which is the same process/leaf size/shape as loose leaf tea. As opposed to most tea bags, which are tea dust.

Tea Forte from Al Bacio is nice. However, if she is British, she probably won't like it. It's full leaf tea in a bag, and most Brits I know are used to regular tea bags. Some do like it though. It's included in drink packages, at least the premium one, possibly both. In the past, they have run out of Early Grey, which is my preference, so I might bring some of my own. I will be bringing some for Italy before/after our cruise. Last cruise, a couple we met got a kettle from their butler, because he liked to have tea before leaving the room and didn't want to wait for the butler to bring it.

That's possible. How close are you to your cruise? Do you know for sure that your bid was rejected? maybe someone made a higher bid. I guess they also offer them in case there are last minute cancellations or someone moves up to a suite/higher suite from a lower level room. We are also being offered this, when the website shows all suites are sold out.

They just reduced the Move-up minimums for my cruise, July 17, Beyond, Italy/Turkey/Greece, by half too. What's weird, is these are for the Retreat, which shows sold out on the website. I know last minute availability can come up, but we are far from last minute (maybe not for med though) and cutting 50% for what's sold out seems strange.

We got this too for July 17, Beyond, Italy/Greece/Turkey. They originally were higher than I wanted, especially since we already have a Celebrity Suite. The half off seems more reasonable, and my husband wants to make a bid. Not sure if this is normal or not, since they didn't have this program last time we sailed Celebrity. Before they had the Move-Up program in 2018, we were offered an upgrade from a Sky Suite on Summit to a Royal Suite for $1000. Jumped at that chance!

A lot of people don't really have consideration for others. They don't even realize that this is rude and a problem. Also, some people may just not understand the instructions, possibly not understanding the language. It sucks for everyone else though. I guess there's always the case that someone wasn't feeling well but didn't know how to contact the tour guide; however, I bet this is kind of rare.

Vodka with club soda and a twist of lime. Some flavored vodkas are zero carb too. I don't know what brand they have on the ships, so you might want to find out in advance. I know most of the flavored Stoli, Grey Goose, Svedka, Smirnoff, and Absolut are carb free. Some of the Deep Eddy and Ketel One flavored are NOT carb free. EDIT: If it's colored, it's probably not carb free.

Good for you! I usually go off keto on vacation, but it is very hard, both coming and going. Glad you took them up on their offer. It probably never hurts to ask at the cruise buffet if they have any protein without the sauce. Many people can't eat the sauces, especially due to allergies.