DomerCruisers

  We have been customers of Spain Day Tours for many years now.  We know they  deliver a great tour at a good price. 

  The tour  provided of Malaga to Granada and a visit to Alhambra did not disappoint. The  van to transport us to Granada was on time, clean and comfortable.Julio was our driver and provided us with  safe driving.   Our guide on the van was Miguel, who provided us with many interesting facts as we traveled. 

  We were turned over to our guide at Alhambra , Daniel, who provided us with much of the history of the Alhambra .  Daniel was very entertaining and provided an interesting commentary. Our tour of the Alhambra was approximated 2 1/2 hours. Daniel set a pace that accommodated everyone's fitness level.

 Julio and Miguel were able to provide us with a short tour of Malaga before returning us to the ship.   We arrived back to the ship in plenty of time for sail away. 

   We highly recommend Spain Day Tours.  They have proved to be a reliable company to provide excellent tours in Spain. 

We just ordered our Abbott BinaxNow home test with eMed Teleheath services through the link that Celebrity provided in the letter regarding convenient testing options.  We were under the impression that the shipping was free.  We were charged $7.98 for expedited shipping .  There was no way to opt out of the  expedited shipping option. We are not sailing until April 22, 2022.  Did anyone else have this same issue with Optum.

Just now, DomerCruisers said:

 

Thank you for that information.  I never knew about that website. What a huge help to checking on your cabin location  in respect to the above public areas. Cruise Critic  members have a wealth of knowledge and are so willing to share. 

Just now, DomerCruisers said:

 

On 3/19/2022 at 9:35 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Yes as well as sometimes when guests are moving loungers around.    Some area are noisier than others so take a look a what's above the cabin your looking at.

 

On cruisedeckplans.com they have a Cabin Checker Tool that will show what's above and below a cabin.

 

Example

How are the beds placed in the cabin of a balcony cabin on this class of  ships?.  I know on the Celebrity ships they alternate bed by bath, next cabin bed by balcony. I prefer the bed by the bath. If they alternate, how can I tell this on the ship diagram?

Many thanks

How can I tell if the bed is located by the balcony or the bath in cabin 6130 on the Celebrity Solstice? 

Many thanks in advance

We got our second set of tags today for our long cancelled Silhouette TA to depart on April 17.  The first set came March 3.  Wether this is done in house or outside vendor, lots of unnecessary costs. As shareholders we are losing value. 

We have recently returned from a Transatlantic on the Celebrity Reflection. We were very pleased with our full day tour with Spain Day Tours in Ibiza Spain . Our guide Shana was excellent. She was very knowledgeable about local geography and history. The tour was at a good pace that accommodated everyone's physical needs. Shana's English was excellent.Shana had a good understanding of the American sense of humor. We enjoyed many laughs as we toured the area.   Our driver, transported us in a very safe manner.  Our free time for lunch in Santa Eularia Des Riu was adequate to allow us to have an enjoyable lunch. Shana gave us some recommendations for restaurants for lunch with reasonable prices.  We were back to the ship at the recommended time.

5 hours ago, NCMom99 said:

So glad this worked for your DomerCruisers and I hope you enjoy your time with Josko as much as we did!  Have a great cruise.

 

I see you're in Wilmington.  We are in Charlotte area and have family in Wilmington.  Stay safe from Hurricane Dorian.

We are watching the weather channel and hoping Dorian stays out to sea. We evacuated for 8 days last year with hurricane Florence. Luckily we had no damage, but some areas did not fare as well. There are people who still have blue tarps on their roofs. Thank you for your concern. Josko has responded quickly to our emails.

On 8/29/2019 at 8:56 AM, DomerCruisers said:

 

Thank you NCMOM99 for your recommendation for a private tour guide in Split.  We have contacted Josko and he replied quickly. We have his Total Split Tour scheduled for our port day of Oct.12, 2019.  He has very positive reviews on Trip Advisor also.  We are looking forward to a great tour. Again many thanks.

On 8/24/2019 at 6:18 PM, NCMom99 said:

In Dubrovnik we just did the walls and town on our own but we did a fabulous walking tour in Split in May with Josko Zovic - one of the best ever!  He offers 3 options, each building on the prior one.  We did the 4 hour Grand History Tour and really enjoyed it.  He limits the tour to 8 people so reach out to him ASAP.  I've copied the tour descriptions that he sent me at the time.  Reach out to him at stcitytour@gmail.com if you are interested.

 

1-CLASSIC SPLIT TOUR (2h, Diocletian's Palace-Roman Times in Split.This tour is basic, focused on exploration of Palace with highlights and stories about Roman Emperor Diocletian who built it and Split in Ancient Times.It is nice overview about the heart of Split-Diocletian's Palace)
PRICE (Cellars ticket 6 EUR/person is INCLUDED):
-30 EUR/person=60 EUR(for 2 pax)

2-TOTAL SPLIT TOUR (3h, Diocletian's Palace & Old Town-Roman Times & Medieval Ages in Split.This tour is extended Classic Tour, we explore Old Town after Palace with stories from Medieval Ages about living in Split.)
PRICE (Cellars ticket 6 EUR/person is INCLUDED):
-45 EUR/person=90 EUR(for 2 pax)

3-GRAND HISTORY TOUR (4h, Roman & Medieval Times in Split
+ Croatia during ex-Yugoslavian Communist Era 1945-1990 & Croatian Homeland War for Independence 1991-1995.This is the most comprehensive and significant tour in Split which includes recent history with my first hand experiences in both of them.I am 43 so I experienced 14 years of living in Communism and I was teenager during the Homeland War...all very interesting).On this tour after exploration of Palace and Old Town we usually sit down at local tavern for drink or lunch together and I share personal stories and some history maps from communistic days with guests for better understanding of recent history.My groups are very small and tours are casual and informal so everybody likes this personal touch of tour when we share drinks or meals together as well.

PRICE (Cellars ticket 6 EUR/person is INCLUDED):
-60 EUR/person=120 EUR(for 2 pax) 

We will be arriving on the Celebrity Constellation in Split on Oct. 12,2019. We usually obtain the local currency via ATM's.  Does anyone know if there are easily accessible ATM's at the port of Split or nearby.  We feel the need to have some "walking around Kuna's " for small purchases like a coffee etc. We prefer not to charge such small purchases.

Thanks for your time in advance.

Lynn & Leo

12 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

You don’t need a tour to walk the walls. It’s very easy to do it yourself (& a lot cheaper I would guess).  https://www.wallsofdubrovnik.com/info-ticket-prices-working-hours/

Thank you for your advice. We have a guide book that will allow us to do an DIY tour of the Walls. The money we save we will spend on a "beverage by the sea".

 Many thanks

We will be in Dubrovnik on Oct.13, 2019 from 9am to 9PM. I see a Viator tour given in English at 3:30 PM for 2 hours, walking the Wall. . Does anyone have any experience with choosing this time for the tour.? I read that the Walls can be very warm, so I am concerned about the 3:30 timing.  The only other time is a 9:30 am tour, but we dock at 9 am and I am concerned we can not make the 9:30 am tour. Checking local weather, Oct temp range is 61-70.  I would appreciate any advice from those who have visited Dubrovnik.

Thank you for your time in advance

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this topic. This was our first encounter with being denied the ability to take a Celebrity tour due to age.  Apparently this is not an unusual occurrence.

  I heard back from the Shorex Excursion team via e-mail today.  Quoting the e-mail " Age restrictions are set by the tour operator and are determined by a number of factors including, but not limited to, the equipment used during the excursion, the exertion level of the tour activities, and the requirements of the operator’s insurance provider. Accordingly, our cruise line cannot override the restrictions put in place by any of our third-party tour vendors."

Of interest to us, this excursion is listed as "moderate" on the shore excursion website. As suggested by many CC members, we will search out a similar tour via a private vendor. We tend not to use Celebrity Tours and prefer smaller private tours anyway. 

  Many thanks for the varied opinions and thoughts.

 I attempted to book a shore excursion on line  for an Oct. 2019 cruise on the Celebrity Constellation.  After completing the information requested and went to the pay now tab, I was denied booking the tour because my husband and I are both over 70.  Slightly over 70.  I was not able to proceed to check out.  I immediately called the Captain's Club to ask how this could be rectified Unfortunately the Captain's Club could not resolve the issue and directed me to send an email to ShoreX to see if this can be resolved.  The Captain's Club customer service person was also surprised and needed to consult with a supervisor.  I am still awaiting resolution.  I am shocked and appalled that Celebrity would put an age limit on their tours. This tour consists of taking a bus, walking in town and notes that there are several steps up to the Fort. We are able bodied and  fit and feel we can make our own decision regarding our ability to do this tour.     This tour indicates no one under 4 and no one over 70. I can completely understand the under 4 restriction.  Has anyone else encountered this age restriction issue?  How did your resolve it.?  

Many thanks to all who provided some information on currency use in Iceland. We plan to share your comments with our Dublin-Iceland Celebrity Eclipse Roll Call for the April 30 2018 cruise.

We are going on a Celebrity Ireland - Iceland Cruise in April 2018. We would like to acquire local currency prior to our landing at Reykjavik. Does any know if Celebrity Guest Relations can issue local currency prior to landing in Iceland? We are on private tours and would like to pay in local currency, but our schedule once landed is tight. We would appreciate any insight.

Thanks to everyone who answered our inquiry. Our last several cruises have been on Celebrity ships. On the Solstice class ships the cabins alternate between bed by balcony and bed by bath. We have a personal preference to have the bed by the bath. Certainly not a deal breaker.

With the generous input of CC members, we can stop searching for that elusive cabin and be satisfied with the one we chose. Bed by balcony with be just fine.

I am just very curious. What difference does the bed placement make? I have never thought to ask! Do not mean any disrespect.

We like the feeling of a more open space when the sofa is next to the balcony sliding door. In our opinion we feel it separates the living area from the sleeping area. Not a deal breaker, just a preference.

We are booked in a D2 for a series of 2016 B2B2B cruises. We have initially selected cabin 9344, however we find out that the bed is near the balcony door. Does anyone know whether other Navigator D2 cabins have the bed by the bath, not by the balcony door?

Many Thanks.

We have not sailed since Celebrity has added new Elite Plus perks. We are wondering how do they handle the "Complimentary tea cappuccino, latte and espresso". We are aware of the Elite Captains Club Breakfast each morning, where we can get complimentary coffee's.

Can we now go to Cafe Bracchio anytime during the day and get the above mentioned coffee's for free? Is there anywhere else on the ship that offers the complimentary coffee's for Elite Plus? Does the benefit extend to coffee in MDR at lunch or dinner?

Input from anyone who has experience with this "latest perk" would be appreciated.

Many thanks to all of you for posting your suggestions for us to find an apartment for two in or around Montepulchiano. We want to share our rental information plus another good booking site that seems to be off the beaten path.

We are renting a 1 bedroom apartment for two weeks at the "House of the Oaks" - La Casa delle Querce near Aquaviva. We dealt directly with the owner on his website - not using any of the typical booking agencies - and were able to negotiate a very good deal and a generous cancellation package. Obviously the time of the year (October) is likely not to be a high traffic season. Trip Advisor, Booking dot com, and Venere all had good to superb reviews.

Our niece, who lived in Bologna, recommended a booking service that many expats and those in the diplomatic corps use. Parker Villas (parkervillas dot com). They have large villas for groups as well as small cottages in Europe. The agent is located near New York and they handle all the details. They personally inspect and "vet" all the properties they represent. I spoke with them on the phone, and they were very helpful.

We chose the La Casa delle Querce based on location and "views" and other intangible attributes. We hope this property will allow us to enjoy "far neinte" (pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness) in Tuscany.

We will report to CC and TA on our stay this fall.

Again, many, many thanks to all who contributed to our quest.

Such response!

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and recommendations. We have been (just like Hank) trying to find an apartment for just 2, and have found that many are configured for a family.

The great thing about CC is that you have offered web sites that we did not know to investigate.

We will keep on hunting for the ideal Tuscan accommodation before our November TA on the Celebrity Silhouette. Once found, we will post our find on this thread.

Again, thanks for your prompt responses.

We are planning on a road trip through Tuscany and Umbria pre TA cruise on Silhouette on Nov. 1,2014. We have never rented an apartment before in Europe. We would like to stay in the Montepulciano area.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Any preferred booking sites?

We see many apartments/B&B on Trip Advisor. Many can be rented thru

booking dot com. Anyone with experience using this booking option?

We also see that many of the Trip Advisor apartments/B&B have their own sites. Is it safer/better to book directly on those sites?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. We are novices at this whole rental thing.