zestyzorra

2 hours ago, Crew News said:

No smoking in the Nieuw Amsterdam Casino but other ships Casinos may have a small area for smoking.

 

There are two Morimoto menus.  One for the Nieuw Amsterdam and another for the rest of the HAL fleet (pop-up).  I will have both posted soon.

Thank you so much!! Have a great cruise 🛳 😎 

Hello, I was wondering if you could share pictures of the current Morimoto menu? The sample one online seems much smaller than what I've seen on YouTube (missing the ribs and tacos two ways). I saw on your website the menu pictures from February but I was wondering if they are still the same as of the current Alaska season? TIA!

Also, this will be my first ever HAL cruise. Is smoking allowed in the casino?

Thanks!

9 hours ago, msolok said:

 

Yeah, which is what i said. I said he did not start the cruise, he picked it up from New Zealand. The why for this is really not important. It makes it more unclear as to where this has gone wrong, and really means that we need to wait on the investigation into it.

You said it was "murkier," so I was saying the reason as it was told to those of us on the ship by Captain Kostas.

17 minutes ago, msolok said:

 

Another thing that makes the whole thing a bit murkier is that Captain Matt was not even the captain who started the cruise. Captain Matt only took over the ship after his 6 months holiday when the ship reached New Zealand. So he would have been handed a bunch of the cruise information as he came onboard, and he likely wasn't involved in the planning and preparation work for the cruise.

I was on this cruise. Captain Matt was always slated for this sailing but asked Captain Kostas to cover for him for the first few days so Captain Matt could finish a vacation with his family.

2 hours ago, calicakes said:

Thank you.  How was your recovery?  I'm hearing horror stories about people not being able to walk properly.  I'm a very active person and this is absolutely killing me right now. 

Oh don't worry about that at all. I had 2 crappy PA's express concern that I would have trouble walking or running.  Total BS. And I had 2 ORIF surgeries for the same injury and loads of metal plates and screws installed. I told my surgeon what they said and he made sure I only met with him afterward. 

The main thing is you will lose considerable muscle mass in the calf on the injured leg. It was obvious looking at my leg for almost a year. But as long as you do the PT exercises and get active as soon as possible, there's no reason you can't make a full recovery. 

I also learned that having a positive attitude really helped! Control what you can control and let the rest go. 

Just wanted to say I'm so sorry.  I broke the same ankle & bones in 2020 and it was utterly miserable.  It was during the pandemic so no trip to cancel, so I can only imagine having to do that on top of dealing with the injury. Hope you heal quickly!

45 minutes ago, mathed101 said:

Thanks!

 

If I had the Classic Package and wanted to upgrade, is there an option for that or do I just cancel the Classic and purchase the Premium?

 

There is typically an option to upgrade in the cruise planner, but make sure it is a smaller amount (like $6 - $15/day) instead of $60 - $70.  I have accidentally gotten the premium package confused with the premium upgrade.  

5 hours ago, mathed101 said:

Quick question on procedure. If I have purchased the Premium drink package and I see that the price goes down, do I buy the reduced price one before or after I cancel the current package? 

You have to cancel first. It won't let you buy duplicates in the cruise planner. 

12 hours ago, rcrabb1513 said:

 At the very least Celebrity could let the consumer know a reservation for Anytime Dining is not needed 

Isn't that what Anytime Dining means? 

3 hours ago, BytownMatt said:

The process seems to depend on the port where the turnaround is taking place. On my previous back-to-back sailings where the turnaround ports were Rotterdam and Rome/Civitavecchia, the process was very simple and there was no requirement to leave the ship. That wasn't the case on the Edge today in Sydney where everyone was required to disembark, wait for some time before going through Australian immigration and reboarding the ship. We also had to pack everything (no leaving clothes on hangers), probably due to the high number of consecutive cruisers. I suspect it is Australian immigration/border control requirements mainly dictating the process and I won't hazard a guess whether today's process is typical or not (others with more experience may have more insight). As others have indicated, wait for the back-to-back process to be announced by Celebrity and be prepared to be flexible on turnaround day. Enjoy!

Did you have to pack because you switched staterooms or because it was Australian policy?

20 hours ago, BytownMatt said:

So perhaps it can vary (e.g., whether the cruise is staying in Australia or ending in New Zealand) but that's not the case on the current Edge sailing. All guests are required to leave the ship and go ashore in Sydney by 9:30am. Consecutive cruisers can reboard between 10:45am (when Australian Departure Immigration opens) and 3pm with a 5pm departure.

We will be doing the RT from Sydney to NZ and back. Does that affect the timing? 

Honestly, we don't mind going at 9:30am. We have plans from noon to 2pm and can hang out in the Rocks area before, if needed.

Are there a lot of mosquitoes in French Polynesia?

I was also wondering how repetitive trivia and game shows tend to be with B2B cruises, for those who are familiar.  I will be going on a B3B for the first time in March.

So in Australia, can you leave after final call and then come back when general boarding begins?  I was planning to leave the ship around 11am and return around 2pm.  Sail away is at 6pm

I was also wondering the same thing for my upcoming Edge sailing but I ended up purchasing the package anyway.

Does anyone know where you go once onboard an Edge class ship to make reservations for the specialty dining package? 

I am so amazed that most people don't notice the smell. I am bowled over every time I go into the Solarium, no matter the ship. I also can't stand the smell so I usually speed walk through or avoid it all together. 

Hello!  A few of my booked shore excursions have gone on sale for Black Friday, but they are sold out.  (Not sure why they are advertising the lower price when the excursion isn't available, but that's Celebrity for you.)

Has anyone had luck cancelling and rebooking at the lower rate?  I am nervous to do it because I really want to go on these excursions and in some cases, there are no other excursions available in port.  

I've also been on hold for an hour now trying to reprice with an agent.... 

I'd love to know if anyone else was able to cancel and rebook immediately and still get the excursion, just at the lower rate.  How long does it take for the spots you've cancelled to reappear for sale?  Or is this not worth the risk?  

TIA!

Thank you for your review.  I am on the POA in March. If you don't mind a few questions... Did you do any ship excursions in port or tour on your own? Did your sailing include the Napali coast? 

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! We did have a great time. But we also reconfirmed 30 days is pretty much our cruise limit, and after our upcoming flights to and from Japan in July, no more long flights over 10 hours! 😂

I decided to do a B3B on the Edge instead of Princess, same 3rd route as your last leg.  Your experiences helped me decide! And I agree, anything to avoid a long flight! 😅 

Thanks for sharing all of your adventures and answering all of my questions, Ken! Hope you had the best cruise ever!

3 hours ago, phabric said:

Dole - did you purchase any drink?

 

I was thinking on taking Dole tour, I wonder if the tour was worth it?

I'm not sure that Ken got to take the tour, but I have taken it before and the little train that goes around the property is a lot of fun. I'd highly recommend it, along with a Dole whip!

10 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

No problem. If I might add one note. With Celebrity their All Included package (gratuities, Basic internet and Classic Beverage packages) currently runs about $85 pp/day. However, to upgrade the internet service to their Premium package, which you will probably require, will cost you another $12-15 per day depending on your loyalty status and whether you purchase it before the cruise or once you board. The Princess Plus Package OTOH runs $60 pp/day for gratuities, internet and their regular drinks package, and their Internet service is equivalent to Celebrity’s Premium Internet service.

 

Princess’ booking fares are also all with refundable deposits whereas Celebrity really pumps up the price if you want to book a cruise with a refundable deposit with them.

 

I just thought I’d point those two differences out, in case you were interested.

Oh, I am definitely interested!  Thank you!

I did upgrade to Premium internet for our Edge journey the other day, but I'm very happy to hear Princess has comparable internet included.  I'd heard they haven't installed Starlink yet but hopefully that will happen on the Majestic princess before next April.  It sounds like it might be worth checking out both Celebrity and Princess on this upcoming TP adventure I'm planning,  rather than sticking to the Edge the whole way... the prices on Princess are way better, as you pointed out. Not excited about the smoking indoors... was that noticeable when you sailed Princess? 

Ken, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions! I appreciate your insights and of course, your daily updates. Sounds like Starlink should allow me to zoom from sea, so a long TP is in the cards, whooo!

Enjoy Hawaii today 😀

Eddy sounds like an amazing cruise director! I have never done a b2b on the same ship before, but I will be doing the Edge 12 nights around New Zealand and 9 nights in Australia next year.  I was considering the following 2 cruises through to Hawaii and Vancouver but worried that the entertainment and food might become repetitive.  (I found a Princess cruise that does a similar itinerary but I've never sailed on Princess and I'm worried it will feel like a downgrade.... a discussion for another post.)

But Ken, are you feeling like there's enough variety? Is it the magic of Eddy or does Celebrity keep it fresh on long cruises, in general? 

Love the pictures from Bay of Islands, Ken! I will be doing the same excursion next year. Was the forest walk particularly buggy? Repellent needed?