jrmende63

In keeping with the Alcohol and spirits theme, Where would I buy Gin and Tonic, mixers and beer in Southampton? 

I appreciate your answer!

Very anxious to see what Princess has to offer for October 2024 for Arctic crossing and Northern lights cruise. Any ideas when it should be open for booking?

On 9/27/2022 at 3:56 PM, ONECRUISER said:

I'm in USA, never Cruised this line. Anything I should know about Booking from USA and Cruising this line and as an American? Thank you

I am a fellow USA citizen. I booked online by calling the number on the P&O website. This is a number to a  Travel agency. It is the Only one that we as US Citizens are allowed to book though. 

On 9/25/2022 at 4:41 PM, canderson said:

Wish they'd offer a dark chocolate option.

We got dark chocolate  on our Silhouette cruise in April/ May.

On 9/19/2022 at 6:23 AM, Chrisdriving said:

Will they still have her then?, personally i would hope so but worry they will sell the ship by then.

 

 

I hope so! If not then we will be taking a land trip to Alta and Tromsco

I have not sailed on NCL so I can't compare it. But I have been to Alaska twice and Norway once. Norway is Alaska on steroids. Norway is gorgeous. We loved Alaska, but we LOVED Norway.  This looks like a good itinerary. 

I don't think you can go wrong even if you didn't like the ship.

Can't wait for R420 ( October 17, 2024) for our turn on Aurora.

Thanks for the review.

I am very sad to hear of Her Majesty's passing.

On 8/31/2022 at 9:57 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

Thanks!

How much did it cost?

Were there different starlink speeds offered?

Was a different reduced speed non-starlink internet offered?

 Don't know the cost bc it was included in our sailing. No different speeds offered or  non- starlink offered.

11 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Care to be more specific as the press release states a "tremendous amount of positive feedback"?

My feedback was not positive. We were in the forward starboard side on deck 12 of the Freedom of the Seas. When the internet worked, it was great. When it did not work and dropped our connection, it was at an inopportune time and lost the entire presentation I was working on. It was not a one time dropping of the connection. This happened many times over our b2b cruise.

We were on the Freedom of the Seas with the trial run. It kept dropping the connection for us. 

 A few were wearing suits, dinner jackets at dinner on Chic night in May on Silhouette.  Most were just nicely dressed. If you bring them, you won't be out of place. If you don't, you still won't be out of place.

Flam was not allowing ships the other day. I am not sure why, but a captain for Azamara posted he was not allowed to go to Flam. He did make another stop.

I received my refund 7/30/22 from May 7, 2022. I called the engagement center to find that yes, they got my emails but no one initiated the final step for me to be refunded. They apologized and said they would push it through. It came in 4 business days.

On 6/6/2022 at 10:32 PM, Benthayer Gonbak said:

 

i have yet to figure out precisely what the US requires to return if you’ve tested positive.  Do the airlines refuse boarding if you’ve been positive in the last 10-14 days?  Or is a negative test enough?   Who pays for the quarantine if you get off in the UK since they don't require quarantine?  Jim and Iian seemed to struggle, at first, with trying to make sense out of the rules but certainly had room in their plans to make lemonade out of lemons!   
 

i know at one time the rules were also different if you were asymptomatic which is a whole ‘mother can of worms. Even for just returning to work seems to be fluid.  
 

i have little doubt that if I get COVID I will most likely be hospitalized, but I still like to try to understand what the rules might be if by some miracle I don’t end up hospitalized!  
 

So far I’ve not traveled on any public transportation that everyone wasn’t either tested or vaxed, but that will change in September if I cruise from Florida.  
 

 

As of Sunday, it won't matter as the entity that required the negative test one day before my flight, the CDC, has canceled the requirement of a negative test to enter the US. 

As for who paid for my hotel stay.....I did with Celebrity reimbursing me. But my hotel had a quarantine package. It was nice for them to have the package.

On 6/3/2022 at 4:01 AM, the penguins said:

Just a few points to clarify the interesting discussion on this thread.

We were on the Fjords Cruise (7 to 14 May) and the subsequent 12 night  Baltics cruise.

Fjords - passengers 2400, no attempt to social distance, very few masks and Covid cases amongst passengers reached just over 1%. No actual numbers announced. No testing for B2B passengers.

Baltics - passengers just over 1000 (more crew than passengers), no attempt to social distance, very few masks. By day 9 Covid cases amongst passengers had reached over 3% (the highest number announced was 37 passengers but after that nothing) Compolsary mask wearing in the theatre was introduced first followed by "strongly recommended" in all other indoor venues except when seated and or eating/drinking. Nothing was done to enforce the latter.

I believe if passengers were routinely tested at 7 days (as the crew are) Covid cases would way exceed the figures currently being announced.

Quarentining - the use of this phrase when referring to the UK is totally misleading. There are no requirements to quarantine in the UK - you are recommended to self isolate but are under no obligation to do so.

Disembarkation in Southampton - if you board a cruise in Southampton and disembark from the same cruise there are no Passport checks. This applies to all cruises not just Celebrity.

First off...I am a US citizen. I was required to quarantine per my country's rules. Since I wanted to go home, I did what I was required. Secondly, Why would I spread that horrid virus to others by going out into the public?? 

Just now, Jim_Iain said:

 

I had received a letter from them on the ship that they would cover up to $250 day for housing and $100 pp for food.    I chose a REALLY NICE AirBnB for about $265 a night and had to submit actual receipts for meals.

I just called room service  or ordered through an app.and they sent what I wanted to my room. There were maybe2-3 receipts  but they were just order print outs.

17 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Sorry to hear.  That is exactly what I did and they said they would pay for 5 days.   I haven't seen it yet but they asked me for a Credit Card to have it sent to.    From previous refunds from Celebrity they usually batch them and they go out on Thursday evening and are usually broken down into many small transactions.   Not sure what they will do with a full cruise.

 

At the same time I cancelled a cruise I booked in error and the deposit came back in this weeks batch as i received it on Friday.

 

I have no idea how we were infected but I think it may have been one of our two butlers, 2 room attendants or sommelier that tested positive.    We didn't do any Celebrity Tours and were pretty well distanced and wore masks all the time.  Oh well.... Things happen.  

 

I'm also sorry we didn't get to see the Norwegian Fjords -   I saw some wonderful pictures. 

Thanks for the quick answer. With mine, The food was included in the hotel "Quarantine package" 139 pounds for lodging and food for one person. I just sent the letter the hotel gave me that stated food was included.

@Jim_Iain I tested Positive when I was testing to come home to the US ( This was the same day I came off the Silhouette from the Norwegian Fjords cruise.) I sent my husband home as he tested negative. I was in self quarantine for 10 days at Sheraton Heathrow. I called Celebrity and the lady gave me an email to send the required docs to. I have done this and as they told you she said they would pay for 5 days. Does this sound like what you had to do? 

Hubby tested positive the day after he got back to the US. We were coughed on by a lovely American couple that were back to back on our cruise. Not covering their mouths ,  no masks and Obviously sick. 5 days later ....yep...I test positive.

I am sorry you did not get to do this Fjords with us. They were gorgeous.

17 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I haven't been on the roll call for awhile.   Any talk about the passenger load.   I still don't have a number for this cruise but defiantly feel the difference in passenger load.  Also the demographics have changed.

 

Age -  TA 80% 60+       This cruise about 80%  less than 60

Ta -  80% US   This Cruise at least 80% British

 

 

I know that all the rooms are sold out except Insides and Ocean views. And they moved folks with a deck6  room out of their cabin. I expect to have mostly British onboard.

We will see everyone on the 30th. Can't wait to be onboard.

OP thanks for posting this thread. I just checked the dates on all 4 of my packs that are packed for Europe. 2 of the 4 were expired. I just ordered 2 more for our trip.

1 hour ago, Laurab23 said:

My cruise is May 13. When will I be able to choose my boarding time?

 

Laura

My cruise is 4/30 and March19 is when we can choose. So I am guessing about 6 weeks or so before your cruise.

We have decided to not go on the Baltic cruise. We have instead, booked a Norway cruise.