kapitch

Not cruise related, but we recently (2 weeks ago) flew home on AA connecting in Charlotte, NC. While waiting at our gate, a passenger approached the gate agent to ask a question with a dog on it's leash, the dog lifted it's leg and relieved itself at the base of the counter. We were horrified, notified the agent of what was going on, who said they would clean it later, which never happened while we waited. Shortly thereafter, a toddler came along and crept dangerously close to the mess. Be reminded that there may be more imbedded in the carpet of your cabin than you expect.

Those that live in the Upper Peninsula are known as Yoopers, but those of us that live below the bridge (Mackinac) are known as Trolls. 😀

On our recent Rotterdam cruise, our cabin steward was happy to remove the contents of the mini bar, but when we asked for it to be restocked with our beverages of choice, he told us we had to contact Beverage Services, he could not do it. I assume that means the beverages were to be purchased from the bar on our own.

When on the Rotterdam this past October, the "conditioner" dispenser in the shower was labeled "lotion" and it felt, and smelled like the lotion by the sink. Typically, we have been happy with the Elemis products, but since the questionable conditioner, I will bring mine from home.

No issue using a bottle from my wine package in the Rolling Stone Rock Room this past October, in fact, the server in the bar asked if I wanted to keep a bottle there, which I did.

Despite giving specific instructions on the form, one of my shirts was returned ruined. Metallic lettering on the front of the brand new t-shirt completely disappeared. This was the second trip to the laundry, the first being okay. Guest Services has refunded me the price of the t-shirt (purchased onboard) but the fact remains that instructions can be missed and the results cannot be reversed. We will not be sending any more items with specific needs to the laundry.

We too are on this cruise, and one addition I would like to make is the bands of both the Rolling Stone Rock Room and BB Kings are fantastic. The singers are very talented and love to entertain, and the musicians are very skilled. I make a point to catch both bands each evening, even skipping the shows on the Mainstage.

We upgraded once to a Neptune from what I thought was a verandah, but in fact was a Vista Suite, thus we received the double points. It's easy to mistake a verandah for a Vista Suite since they are basically the same.

Our flight from Ft. Lauderdale is 10:30am, and we have no worries about making it. We will disembark as soon as clearance is given and take our own luggage, but the airport is so close to the cruise terminal, and if we miss the flight, there are several more throughout the day.

For a completely different scenario...we booked 2 cruises during the $1 Deposit promotion. Received the AARP OBC for the October, 2025 cruise, but not for the June, 2024 cruise. Go figure!!!

Has anyone had luck with getting the AARP OBC added to a cruise booked more than a year ago? The agent I spoke to indicated the OBC could not be added to our cruise since we booked in November of 2021.

Thanks Ruth!

Please clarify, if we purchase a beverage card, no 50% discount would be applied to my coffee drinks as 4 star Mariners?

I purchased a HAL insulated coffee cup years ago and take it with me every cruise and the Explorations Cafe staff have not had a problem filling it with my coffee order. I even used it on Celebrity, who had no issues filling it, despite it being from HAL.

We recently sailed the Noordam from San Diego to Sydney, Australia, then embarked on the Celebrity Eclipse to sail around NZ. To us, there is no comparison, Celebrity is a line we are not likely to cruise again. The atrium was quite elaborate, but that is not important to us. The lack of a wrap around promenade deck, self-serving of buffet items, much fewer buffet choices, lack of seating in the buffet area, specialty coffees were pre-made and lukewarm at best, all contributed to a lackluster experience with X. We found dining in the MDR no better than HAL, some entertainment was better than HAL, but there were singers and comedians who were not very good. We did enjoy the Martini Bar, but their beverage package did not include the same drinks we enjoyed on the Noordam with the HIA, pricing was much higher on X. Music was always way too loud in the bars to enjoy conversation with other cruisers. Several occasions, we asked them to lower the volume, and they did. In their version of the Crows Nest, Trivia contests were always being held, starting early in the morning, so no peaceful seating found there. Several sofas in this area were occupied by passengers sleeping. And last but not least...no mats in the elevators to remind us of the day 😀

Unfortunately, our experience won't make anyone feel better. We tested positive on May 1, 2022, submitted reimbursement paperwork on May 3, finally received an email of approval on July 11, but did not receive a check until after we departed on our next cruise early October. So, the moral to the story is to plan on, not 6 to 8 weeks, but 6 to 8 months to actually receive a check. Not sure about excursion refunds or FCC.

Although I have not seen a float of this size or nature, I have seen plenty of styrofoam or inflatable noodles used in the ship pools. In fact, we are on the Noordam now, and noticed a swimmer in the covered pool using a foam noodle. If you are considerate of other swimmers, and use a smaller device, it seems to be no problem, at least as far as I have witnessed.

There were Lincoln Center Stage performers on our Panama Canal cruise last October on the NA.

When we ask that our good clothing be "air dried", it does not come back wet on hangers, but completely dry a day later than usual as more drying time is needed.

I even ask that our good clothes be air dried, and they have always returned in great shape. Any shrinkage must be a result of overeating😃

Thanks everyone, it seems the pre-board rate is a nice discount from onboard rates.

We thought smoking wasn't allowed on balconies also, but smelled smoke when we were outside on our balcony. When we asked staff about this, we were told that smoking was allowed on quarantine cabin balconies, which were near to us. Disappointing to smell smoke when we thought it was a non-smoking environment.

Thanks for the info. If I understand it correctly, we would pay $329.99 for 31 day package and $10.64 for the next 3 days, totaling $361.91 (or close to it). Pre-board price quoted in our booking indicates $319, so we would be saving around $45, but likely would not need to purchase it for day of disembarkation making the savings even less.

Where did you find the Internet pricing Cruise Suzy? I'm interested in Premium package for 34 day cruise so I can compare pre-board pricing with on-board pricing. Thanks in advance! Kathy

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