Jim_Iain

Without further details it is difficult to understand. Would call back in for classification. While I could be 100% wrong. Is the booking for a Suite. If so the deposit amount has changed and is now 10% of the Fare. You may have booked prior to this change being implemented. Also gratuities for suites was eliminated and as I understand in Australia they include gratuities in the base fare. Just a couple thoughts

Can anyone recommend a Newark Airport Hotel with reliable shuttle service. Looking in price range $160-200 a night. We will be arriving 1AM Last time we stayed at EWR it was a total mess and we waited over an hour for a shuttle, while we saw some chain hotels coming by about every 10-15 minutes. Ones on my short list DoubleTree, Holiday Inn Express, Crown Plaza

I agree with many of the others. SF is a very compact city being 7 Miles X 7 Miles so no need to limit yourself to the Fisherman's Wharf area. Fisherman's wharf is a touristy area and prices of both hotels and food are generally higher than you might find elsewhere. If you are going to be in SF for a day or more before your cruise I would pick a place near public transit or sight you would like to see. Don't limit yourself to the big chains as there are some really incredible boutique Hotel's. Start by determining you price point and then checkout the neighborhoods you might like. Personally I would recommend the area North of Market and avoid the Tenderloin (I wouldn't even walk in that area) which is blocks from Union Square.

We were recently on a Hilo to Vancouver on Celebrity Edge. We were in a suite so were on the first group to depart the ship. We were off the ship by 7:30. We had a 12:20 flight from YVR to SFO. We chose to take the Canada Line (Subway) to the airport and had to walk about 10 minutes to the station. Very easy to use and plenty of space for those with luggage. We arrived at about 8:45 AM but when we went to checkin were told we couldn't checkin Luggage until 9:20 AM at the earliest. While sitting and waiting we noticed that the Celebrity transfer busses started arriving around 9:00 AM Lines through Immigration and U.S. Customs can be lengthy, but I understand you can make an online reservation. If you have Global Entry - you breeze through both Canadian and U.S. formalities with facial recognition. We were in an Airport Lounge by 10:45 ---

It is an easy 10 minute walk. If going to the cruise terminal it is downhill. We did the reverse a couple weeks ago and was uphill but not too steep.

To be honest, I don't think it would have ever have been implemented. If I were able to get Luminae, Retreat etc in a non-suite; what incentive would there be to pay 2x the price for a suite.

You are correct.

It really does make the pictures stand out as separate pictures.

I've never had a problem except for that one time on Apex. Last cruise I had a reservation I had made and paid for but then got Upgraded to a RS. The concierge took care of in in 3-4 minutes.

Good to hear. Seems like the big backlogs of last year have passed. Iain's is still showing as processing. I mailed them the same day but his was received into their system 2 days after mine.

We have had similar on Global Entry. I believe the delay is only for those that required a secondary face to face. If I recall it is pretty easy to update your passport number when you get a new one.

I have rooms 9056 booked on QM2 for a TA crossing. Just noticed it is a connecting room. Curious if this room is noisy and if you can hear TV and talking from the adjoining room?

Unable to to prior to cruise. I usually just have the Retreat Host make the adjustment after boarding. I did have a problem with that on Apex and after asking the Retreat Hosts (all 3) and the Retreat Manager (2x), I wrote the Hotel Director via attention to detail form. It was fixed within an hour. They would just assure me it would be taken care of (after I had already dined). It wasn't a great amount of money but just became the principal.

I was wondering if having Global Entry helps speed it through since we have been so thoroughly vetted.

As we all recall last year Passports were taking an extremely long time to renew. Mine still has a year before expiration but I ran out of pages. Since it will be awhile before my next Celebrity Cruise, we decided to send in our renewals using routine process. 6-8 Weeks We mailed ours in on May 15 and I just got a status update that my Passport had been approved and 2 hours later a Priority Mail tracking number was provided. Less than 2 weeks from receipt. Really incredible when the published processing time is:

Nahhh.. not demanding. Actually we are pretty self sufficient... I specifically usually ask the butler not to leave food and snacks in our room. I'm the type that if something is sitting on the table it somehow ends in my stomach. Usually the butler stops by and tries to get us to use them more. I'm also the type that usually prefers to run to the Barista and get my own coffee in lieu of picking up a phone and "bothering" the butler.

I've never really had a hard time with laundry on CC. My experience as a Zenith on many long cruises is I leave it out at night and have it bag in the next evening. Also on B2B I give it to the butler the last night and they have it back the next day. Recently my butler insisted on sending out all my laundry on the next to last day and had it returned folded for easy packing. I have a tenancy of sending it out about every 2-3 days - splitting Dry Clean and Laundry in different bags.

No --- That is expressly excluded. Fine Print - 3. VS members who receive complimentary Member Level status in VS through the Loyalty Status Match Program are excluded from certain Member Level benefits that are only available to VS members by reaching the published qualification requirements as set forth in the VS Program Rules (“VS Excluded Benefits”). Members cannot combine, add or stack any VS Days or any other qualification requirements to achieve a higher Member Level status. For more information, visit https://www.silversea.com/other-resources/venetian-society.html. In addition to the VS Excluded Benefits, the following benefits are not available to VS members who receive complimentary Member Level status in VS through the Loyalty Status Match Program: i. Sail With Us Referral Offer prior to first Silversea voyage. ii. Complimentary cruises iii. Milestone recognition during the Venetian Society Party

I notice one of the benefits is a 10% on your next booking (going forward). I have our first SS cruise booked in 2025. Is is feasible, this far out to cancel and make a new booking getting the 10% - BTW my status match will be at the 500+ Level (Double Zenith on Celebrity).

It is a great resource. That is where I learned so much about iPhone photography. He starts out slow with how to hold the Phone/Camera and then moves onto composition.

Another feature of iPhone (relatively new). If you open a picture and tap on it you will see a light around the main subject. You can copy and paste - pulling the subject out without the background.

As a double Zenith, I would not be concerned if I were you. Looks like the only benefit is an ungraded bottle of bubbly and Free Laundry. The FAQ says many of the special events 500+ members enjoy are not included for those on Status Match. CAS Excluded Benefits include but are not limited to the following: I. Complimentary Pinnacle Club milestone cruises  II. Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club amenities  III. Single supplement cruise fare reduction  IV. Cheers with an Officer onboard event  V. Milestone recognition (Crystal Block)  VI. Upgraded bathroom amenities  VII. Pinnacle Club milestone kits  VIII. Chef’s Choice amenity 

Ponant uses a similar system. It is especially helpful as often up to 50+% of guests are French. They usually have separate English / French tours but on mixed tours they have one French Guide and one English - It was really wonderful so you didn't have to bundle up in a small circle to hear.

I think that it is about 95% consistent ship to ship but some items may not be in stock. I have seen some things come and go - e.g. electronic cigarettes.

I've had that happen recently on a Sydney cruise - Website had one date and the app a different. For us the latest date the correct date (of course then you had to correct for the date line)