travelpeon

"I booked 11 months prior, due to all cabins except Ocean view $7,000 single" and you also mention this is your 6th Solstice cruise.  I also cruise solo sometimes and Celebrity hasn't really been offering bargains on solo supplements for far-out bookings over the last year or two.  Sometimes they do offer a reduced solo supplement for their Tuesday deals for close in bookings which they're putting on sale as TLFG mentioned.  It is also rare to get a substantial ( more than $100) discount for my Celebrity status.  Sometimes onboard booking or repeat cruiser offer is there but a good travel agent and savvy searching can usually beat $100 off.

Being flexible about the cruise line, route, and sailing will help bring the price down and a big internet cruise agency actually publishes a list of solo supplements and solo cruise fairs to help make the searching easier.  Most mass market cruise lines charge for a double when putting a solo in a double occupancy cabin.  Celebrity's policy isn't deviating from the standard around their price range.  The next step up in "premium" and luxury cruise lines do offer reduced solo supplements.  If you are willing to spend $7,000 for one week solo then perhaps look there for higher end service and food quality.

Alternatively, you might want to look at Royal's Anthem class ships because they have a few solo interior and balcony cabins for a reduced rate.  https://www.*****.com/2016/11/03/guide-royal-caribbeans-single-and-studio-staterooms  Celebrity loyalty status reciprocates on RCCL so you may get a few perks, too.  NCL also offers studio cabins for solo travelers at a slightly reduced rate.

If you are driven mostly by price then do not blindly follow a cruise line to gain status benefits, especially if they can be otherwise purchased at a reasonable premium.  This is the same game for airfare these days.  If you try to chase building status and don't have flexibility, you will almost always* lose on price.  

6 hours ago, Daniec said:

Also these same passengers were given 2 bottles of wine and $250 voucher each for constantly complaining to Customer Service. This made me sooo mad

This might be a matter of perspective.  If I was consistently finding fault in things, had a neighbor who invaded my air space with their noise, and was repeatedly queueing to speak with Guest Services, I'm not sure I'd consider it a good value at $3,050 ($3,400 - $250 and max $100 for two bottles of wine).  Part of it may be attitude as these might be the type of people who seek to find fault in everything. The other, not being able to get a good night's rest due to noise can drive tempers high and moods very angry.  Ask yourself if you'd want to be them at any cost.  Some people will say yes, for $4,000 less, they'd get great satisfaction from that experience, go home and tell all their friends about the "bargain".  I've met such cruisers.  I personally wouldn't enjoy the experience or outlook and my memory of the cruise would be negative.

*Celebrity Select to MLife Gold to Hyatt Explorist can save some money for potential upgrades and 2 pm late checkout.  Some may find sufficient value in Elite Happy hour 5-7 pm and have high tolerance, large bladder, and happy with the limited drink menu.  I'm not sure what the most expensive-for-Celebrity drink on the HH menu might be, but am guessing under $8 retail or $2 wholesale.  If you can drink ~$60 retail of alcoholic drinks in two hours every day (Carnival's drink package is probably cheapest at $51 + 18% grat) minus embarkation day, then er, sure, chase that status.  That's at least 7 normal sized drinks or probably 11+ of the mini cups I've seen offered in the Sky Lounge.  

Some people are now thinking, wait, what about that $$$ internet!  Celebrity's Xcelerate stream package is kind of expensive compared to their mass market competitors https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=45  elite 30% off $200 for a 7 day cruise or a perk at $140 premium.  Princess MedallionNet $10 * 7 days = $70.  RCCL's can vary by sailing but still usually below $140 for a week.

14 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Yep, its my clothes I'm worried about, and of course I'm the one who always spills something on myself!

 

We are experimenting with packing light on our next 2 cruises - I predict mission creep and ultimately utter failure.

 

We pretty much only fly Delta and we have one bag each free, so, outside of flying somewhere that we have to schlep our luggage a lot, we have little incentive to pack light. We are working toward some long trips after I retire, and for those trips light luggage will be important, so I'm slowly developing a cruise/travel wardrobe. I'm looking for blouses that won't shrink, could fade a little and still be OK and will dry fast.

I suggest taking some things you like but don't cherish from your closet and using a kitchen scale to weigh them.  Yes, a little odd, but you might be surprised at what "travel clothing" weighs.  Watch the shoes, toiletries, and accessories as those can eat a lot of space and weight even after you've declared victory on your clothing.

Cotton tends to take longer to dry than polyester or wool.  A small usb powered fan can help get air moving which helps indoor clothing dry a bit quicker.  I've used that trick for a rainy transatlantic.

Sarah Murdoch (guides for Rick Steves) has some great youtube videos on packing light.  When she means light, she can actually get it to the low cost carrier/EU/AU 7 kilo (15 lbs) mark or 10 lbs if needed.  I travel light but I don't think we like to travel quite that light for cruises without access to self laundry.

Can you let us know how the wifi speeds are when you get towards the Islands?  We're on the same cruise as Muffinz.

5 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Just received this email from Celebrity via my TA. It still leaves a number of important questions unanswered, such as the revised itinerary and how they'll calculate the refund and OBC amounts, but I like what I see. For example, the flight-change reimbursement and the refundable nature of the OBC.

 

Please be advised that due to an extended dry-dock, your 10-Night Hawaii sailing on Celebrity Eclipse departing April 10, 2020, will be shortened to an 8-Night Hawaii sailing now departing April 12, 2020.

Details of compensation and other information are listed below.

 

You may choose to remain on the shortened sailing now departing April 12, 2020.  Celebrity Cruises will provide a refund of two (2) nights of the cruise fare and will also provide an onboard credit in the amount of one (1) full day of cruise fare paid for this sailing. It will be applied directly to your onboard account and may be used for any onboard purchase or service. Any unused portion will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise.

 

If you incur a fee due to the change in your airline reservations, Celebrity Cruises will reimburse up to $150 per person for Domestic and $200 for International Flights. A faxed copy of air change fees accessed must be provided for reimbursement.

 

...

Fair response within 24 hours or so of it initially being reported and the one day OBC is refundable.  Celebrity refunds OBC to method of payment so it goes back on to my credit card.

My checklist for schedule change reimbursement:

1. Get resolutions email contact or website if there is one

2. Get the fax number/website for air change fees

3. Get specifics on when the refund will be processed and how it will be returned.  

4. Confirm the calculation methods and what reimbursements will be covered. Obviously stated flight change fees but what about non-refundable hotel? Will they cover breakfast if it is bundled into hotel package?  Will they also refund 2 days for purchased daily packages like beverage or ultimate dining?

I took a 6 day cruise on NCL Epic after dry dock a few years ago and they shortened the 7 day by a day a couple months in advance.  People were left guessing for days about delayed departure confirmation & reimbursement. By that point, much of the Southampton hotel prices for the extra night had shot up due to those paying attention self protecting.  It was a 1 day refund.

NCL still hadn't sorted out the credits and reimbursements by the time I got off the ship.  It was... not impressive.

That's all to say I think Celebrity's doing a bit better so far than some others have in this situation.  Good luck!

You might find this link comparing the global prices with VAT back useful

https://themacindex.com/lines/ipad?currency=GBP

If you can find a new iPad Mini 64GB with wifi for ~320 GBP at home, I'd go that route and save the hassle.  The iPad does require a bit of setup which requires wifi to login to iCloud and option download installed apps if you have a prior iPad, so you'd also be using up some ship wifi and time you could be spending elsewhere.  Heaven help you if you forgot your iCloud password or have two factor authentication enabled and don't know how to obtain the code while offline, if you only have 1 internet package.  Lastly, consumer protections do differ a bit when you purchase in different countries.  My aunt's US purchased iPad died 11 months in, within 1 year warranty, in Taiwan and they took care of her issue with a replacement unit with 90 day warranty but I do see a bit of warranty difference in the fine print.

Apple is offering a 40 GBP gift card on iPad Mini as their Black Friday promo https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/gifts/shopping-event

Singapore or Dubai might also be an option.  Do check how they do VAT back and that it isn't just at an airport (tricky in SIN if you're sailing out). 

Is it possible to buy a minute specific or 24 hour pass on Island Princess with MedallionNet?  I don't have a relevant status for internet perk (Ruby).

I'm on a southbound sailing and based on reports, access is spotty for scenic cruising days and Skagway.  It'd be nice to not pay for days I can't use or won't as cellular data in port will be sufficient (Verizon or AT&T)

It sounds like the overall surfing experience is frustrating if you can't post to a web forum in a single try.  That said, at 3:11 PM, that's kind of what I'd anticipate for download as the satellite is shared among the ship and lots of people are using the shared satellite connection at that time.  It makes sense to start throttling accounts as logins increase as a preventative measure.  Ping times are going to be high on a ship based satellite system unless they are in port with fiber to the ship (which I've never heard of but would welcome, as there's several undersea cables linking the Caribbean) or shifting the satellite to cellular connections.  Cruise route also matters as satellites don't have uniform coverage and service over the globe.  There was also an outage on Intelsat 29e satellite in early April which may not have been restored.

Sad as it is, it is a decent improvement.  I also find Celebrity internet packages expensive compared to the similar RCCL offerings.  There are certain ships & sailings I keep an eye on primarily for internet connectivity if I'm thinking of taking a vacation when I'll need good internet access with VPN for work.  Anthem class was decent to Bermuda in my experience.  Can't speak for Edge, yet.

My suggestion is to try accessing necessary stuff late at night, early in the morning, and sometimes around dinner during early or late seating.  Most cruisers seem to be able to put down their phones for dinner still (unlike on land).

I also follow some internet connectivity tech news in consumer aviation and it is getting better.  

Oh dear.  Gastro, flu, and chest infection.  Hope people feel better soon. 

Thanks for the head's up.  I'm usually not a germaphobe but do take precautions on cruises as they seem to be floating petri dishes.  US/CA also gets their flu variants predictions and shots based on AU/NZ patterns.  US last flu season seemed to start in early September 2018 among my co-workers.  Is it starting early in AU/NZ this year?

Thanks for the great info.  We're also doing this cruise next year.  

I see some tour prices are quoted in USD.  If I don't have a local currency on me, is there a preferred tourism currency?  If local tours are being quoted in USD (other than American Samoa), are tour guides/taxi's also expecting a tip?  Tipping isn't exactly customary in these areas but prices in USD + luxury tourism destinations leads me to think some US customs like tipping within the tourist sector might be appreciated.

I booked a future cruise while on board Equinox in February. We received two perks and OBC ($200)for the upcoming cruise and paid a reduced deposit ($100 pp). At the time we booked our January 2020 cruise' date=' the website offer was one perk so the second perk was a "freebie". We opted for the refundable fare which was $150 pp higher than the nonrefundable fare.

 

I have booked a future cruise each time we have been on board a Celebrity ship in order to get the extra OBC for the future cruise and extra perk, if offered. The last few times, I kept the reservation with Celebrity and then transferred it to a TA once I returned home and able to research the "extra benefits" I would receive from the TA. Having done my homework the first time, I now know to which TA I will transfer the reservation.

[/quote']

 

Booking a refundable fare is the important bit if you may want to move out the sailing in the future. You can also keep it under one name and add the other person later, but a solo passenger usually doesn't qualify for guarantee cabin rates.

 

My usual TA's latest holiday promotion noted that this year's trend is booking cruises further out (2019/2020) rather than more immediate (Summer 2018). If you're willing to "babysit" a far out refundable fare deposit, you can make it similar to an open reservation which Celebrity did away with a couple years ago and move it to a different sailing when you finalize your vacation plans. This might be interesting if you want to take a popular almost year round cruise closer-in (go where/when the deals are). You can move the booking to sooner rather than later.

 

Celebrity does require transfers from a general Celebrity reservation to a specific TA be within 60 days of initial deposit https://www.celebritycruises.com/company/customer-support/help-and-faqs/pre-cruise/reservation-transfers

I gravitate to threads about packing because I'm doing a 49 day South American cruise in February it will be going from hot to cold to hot. How to pack, what to pack, and how much. Travel size items just won't do.

 

Ramona

Actually, you've got plenty of time to figure out how much personal care product to pack. Buy a set of 1 or 2 oz travel bottles, fill with your favorite shampoo, conditioner, and skincare. You can do the same for cosmetics which can be decanted or come in a travel size. Note which day you start to use each item and which day you ran out. You now know how much product you use over a specific amount of days. I think you'll find that you may use less product that you'd expect. If one 1/2/3 oz bottle of something isn't enough and it is hard to get but you must have, bring two of it. For the items which you must have more than 5-6 oz, think about transitioning to a solid version of that item, picking it up locally, or simply doing without.

Shampoo, conditioner, cleansers - it is less expensive to refill empty travel bottles (you can re-use hotel toiletry bottles) than to buy the prepackaged travel versions. I only buy the travel size if I want specific packaging like smaller skincare items, wipes, sterile, or squeeze tubes of lotion & toothpaste. If you wear contacts, you may be able to bring disposables or pack larger bottle of solution as long as you tell the TSA when screening that it is medically necessary https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/contact-lenses Or pack as many bottles as you need and pick up easier to acquire items locally. Toothpaste flavor may be a bit different but still works, unless you need a specific formulation/flavor.

Solids can go in a different pouch than 3-1-1 with liquids & gels.

You can check the excess if you really do require more liquids than fit in a 3-1-1. Double bag it in ziplock, put in a shoebox or large disposable food container if there's glass, surround with some spare packing materials/clothing, tape shut, place in lightweight duffel bag and gasp, check it! Most people can scale down their toiletries to fit into a 3-1-1 for < 7 weeks but some people are exponentially happier with a little bit more and don't mind waiting at the airport to pick up their bag. You can re-pack it into your carry-on at the airport upon arrival if you need to consolidate bags... Just be sure to leave enough room.

As for the hot to cold to hot, bring layers and pack a compressible puffy coat. My favorite would be down and Uniqlo.com offers up a few versions of packable down coats in the fall, as does 32Degrees sold at Costco. Warm Hat and gloves won't take up too much space. Put them in a space/compression bag if you really need to though I usually just wear my coat on the plane and other fluffy items go on the bottom/under other weightier items so it compresses down, instead of having to pack around a compressed football sized lump.

Actually, the earlier Cut & Paste snippet is for the Chase Sapphire Reserve trip cancellation/interruption insurance, not emergency medical.

Here's the link to the emergency medical

https://www.chase.com/content/chasecom/en/card-benefits/benefit-details/Sapphire_Reserve/sapphire-emergency-medical-dental.html

I want to point out that $2,500 limit isn't a whole lot of medical if you need to be evacuated via air (or land in US) and it doesn't actually state it covers emergency evacuation. It is also a secondary policy. Nor does it cover the spouse/travel partner's hotel or transportation ancillary costs who is presumably accompanying the patient. Most independent travel insurance & annual travel medical insurance will cover some of the above with a higher limit.

Insurance is really in the details. I personally look to "travel insurance" for the out of country medical insurance & emergency evacuation as medical is really the portion which would be a high financial loss if I needed to use it on the average cruise. It is also nice if they can cover a one way business class ticket for the patient to home, but may not be mandatory if you have miles/points/airline status. I can self-insure much of the other trip interruption, lost/stolen luggage, and etc when I'm vacationing through Europe, Caribbean, Alaska, & the like. I would probably look into more comprehensive travel insurance for expensive vacations, "exotic" destinations where hospitals are not near or very poor quality, and "once in a lifetime" trips.

Who’s Covered

 

• Cardholder
  
• Cardholder’s spouse or domestic partner or legally dependent children under 18 years old (25 if enrolled as a full-time student at an accredited institution)
  

Coverage Amount

• $2,500 (subject to a $50 deductible)
  
• $75 per day for hotel convalescence, up to five days (if ordered by the attending physician before returning home)
  

I'm sorry to hear you were pressured into making an unplanned expensive purchase. For what it is worth, you may want to consider limiting big ticket purchases to when you are home and supporting business which benefit your community and/or accountable to some consumer agency. This may also include jewelry and gasp, future cruise bookings onboard if you didn't board with researched plans of a specific future sailing at $XXX price.

I enjoy some window shopping but am happier with souvenirs like a local tea or stop for some ice cream to remember my time there. Many cruise port vacation destinations have chain stores which employ a lot of sales tactics to get you to buy, which may be "worth" $30 for an extra tote bag if you really like it, but ask yourself if you really want to talk to a professional sales person when you've finally gotten where you paid a fair amount of money to get to. "Save" your vacation time, too, not just on your purchases :)

As a sometimes solo traveler who was probably one of the younger non-accompanied passengers on her TA, a few tips for solos:

1. If you're social, let people know at the meet & mingle and sailaway. Be sure to sign up for the pre-cruise "Celebrity Connections" forum and say hello as a solo. Interact, talk about the ports, your hometown (you might encounter someone who lived in that area before). People may recognize you onboard and stop to say hello. If you're not social, don't feel bad at letting people know you're there for R&R and a bit of alone time.

2. A two-top table and open book is a good way to have a visual cue for wanting to dine quietly and you can always put it away if you encounter someone you'd like to talk to. Unless you're only in specialty dining or Luminae, the tables are close enough to converse 3 two-tops across without raising your voice. MDR tables are more closely spaced than most land restaurants. You can even pick up a book as a prop from the Library, as a measure against people who like to have contrary conversations during meal times.

3. Team up with another solo for private excursions if they need a round number. Some independent excursions are pretty interesting and you'll also find people who like to explore destinations a bit differently than the big bus cruise run excursions.

4. Tap the connections thread for a few dining buddies for specialty dining or ask others while onboard if you find someone you'd like to dine with. Qsine works best with at least two, though I'd really say 4-6 people work better when sharing dishes.

The fashion police are not onboard counting how many pairs of shoes you have... Well, there once was a woman who wore some rather revealing cocktail dresses which were definitely not the usual attire for someone her age. Several tables looked forward to her arrival in the MDR every night to see what her outfit would be. No-one actually asked if I had packed one sweater or had multiple sweaters the same color (accidentally packed 3 teal sweaters...). So a few less shoes might be ok next time if you want to skip some of the overweight fees.

The gym is usually very quiet after early dinner. The Persian spa usually calms down around then, too.

Thanks for the detailed feedback on your experience.

 

Could you tell us what day of the week you went to the port and what time you arrived at the 34th St light rail station? Also what day of the week did you disembark?

 

I will be doing this in Jan from midtown Manhattan and will seriously consider doing Uber from the Hyatt or Courtyard in Jersey City if the weather is super cold. I've waited before at 34th St for a cab.

 

We've never recommended using the EWR shuttle for early flights. The one time I arrived in a snowstorm, I had to be pushy with the taxi dispatcher to put me in any cab that would drop off at the light rail or PATH.

Went to the port Thursday June 22 arriving around 10:30 (I think?), left the port Monday June 26 after 8:00 am.

Yes, I would seriously consider a rideshare to the port from a more populated area in bad weather. On the return - possibly even a car service leaving and dropping off at a PATH/Amtrak station. There isn't a lot of shelter at either location.

Notes & Opinions on using light rail to/from Port Liberty: It took about 20 min for a taxi to arrive for pickup at 34th st light rail and at least 30 min wait from the port to 45th st light rail. The public part of the transit was timely and fine but the last/first legs weren't the best.

Upon arrival at 34th st station, I requested an Uber and a driver est. 8 min away accepted the ride. About 10 min of waiting and I see he's suddenly on the fast track towards New York, almost at a major bridge in the opposite direction so I cancelled and requested my cancellation fee back (only a credit). In the meantime, two other passengers have arrived and we've agreed to share our ride. They call two taxi companies and the 2nd one on the list quoted 10 min, the 1st one said 20 min. Well, the accurate estimate was probably 20 min. We waited about that long in the shade of the bus stop and called the 2nd cab company to check on our pickup while they scramble to re-deploy a local cab driver who was almost off shift from around town routes to shuttle us the quick drive to the pier. My portion of the shared fare was $4 and we were treated to plenty of free "character" from the cabbie ;) . Honestly, I might have been able to walk it in 45 min but there are a few spots without sidewalk. In hindsight, I think I would have taken a taxi/rideshare from Exchange Place PATH instead as a decent price/convenience trade off.

I disembarked around 8:40 am which was fairly efficient and crossed the street to the large open parking lot where some friendly transportation people ask if you'd like a taxi or shuttle. No one else was going towards midtown via shuttle so I asked for a ride to light rail. We weren't really given a time frame for pickup and there were perhaps 10 taxi's waiting, trying to cut each others lines. I should have sat in the converted cargo container bus stop in the shade but instead lingered near a parked shuttle's shade in line of sight in hopes that we'd finally leave. A different shuttle van arrives after ~30 min and they arrange for me to be included with the passengers going towards EWR. The driver stopped at the curb next to 45th St light rail station which doesn't really have any parking, blocking the right turn area, so I'm glad I travel light and can still scooch fast. Charge was $5. The shuttle doesn't leave with enough regular frequency for an early EWR/JFK flight.

Thank you sooooo very much for checking on that for me. For the first time in about 5 years I won't have to cart my own tea bags!

Got back last week from the Anthem and saw London Tea Company, Fields and Select, Lipton Orange & Darjeeling, and Numi Roobios, Earl Grey, and Green (in Cafe Promenade) tea bags. No Twinnings or Bigelow. The kinds of tea at each station/restaurant was a little inconsistent. For example, I found Peppermint tea in the spa area and Cafe Promenade but not in the Diamond lounge. Diamond lounge had Lipton, London Decaf, and Fields & Select Earl Grey which weren't in Cafe Promenade.

From a prior conversation with Captain's Club I learned that the website uses a separate database from Captain's Club. The two databases are supposed to sync with each other on a regular schedule, however this has proven problematic. I was really hoping that with the new website Celebrity would correct these underlying architectural issues. No such luck. It seems they simply developed a new front end website sitting on top of the old data architecture. I don't think Celebrity really understands the fundamental problem people had with the old website..... it wasn't so much the user interface - it was the fact that it basically didn't work. It seems Celebrity choose to create a new user interface and ignore the underlying problems that were causing so many people problems.

Indeed, but the person who made that decision is probably still employed. User interface work is visible and costly, backend work is not visible and extremely costly. The people who made the decision and higher ups who failed to fix the problem all get to keep their jobs while customers eventually sail other lines with better self service websites and shareholders see profits decline due to customer loss & rising call center usage.

Or perhaps that is the secret - they want to encourage a FOMO YOLO culture who buys everything they see on board because it is near impossible to plan for anything ahead of time. "Yes! You, too, can buy something on-board! Better get something while you can still get anything because everyone couldn't buy what they wanted ahead of time."

All software industry cynicism aside, I hope they have planned to upgrade the backend and simply pushed out the front end changes sooner to show they're listening and want to improve.

I don't really call the Celebrity add-ons "perks". I think of it as bundles, just like large online travel agencies will bundle airfare + hotel + car rental. Sometimes there's a financial advantage to purchasing as a bundle, sometimes there isn't. Bundles often comes with different terms & conditions (as in drink packages for two included, but only 1 person drinks alcohol & there's no downgrade refunds). Pricing is usually available a la carte/unbundled if you know how to ask.

I also use a large TA who kicks back some commission for mass-market lines as an on-board amenity in the form of refundable OBC, spa treatment, and/or prepaid gratuities. I do call those "perks" since it usually doesn't cost me extra to use as cash pricing on the basic cruise fare usually doesn't differ too much, just the "kickback". Some TAs will cut a check to the customer after the sailing which is their "perk" of booking with them. I can usually use prepaid gratuities and refundable OBC is about as good as cash for me.

What about other ways to spend OBC (assuming non-refundable)? I thought I read Celebrity now allows OBC spend during the planning phase? I'd book a shore excursion, specialty dining, internet package, or drink package, basically things I might already be paying for in cash, before buying anything onboard. Someone also mentioned Guest Relations has a form for additional tipping (instead of giving cash) though I don't recall if tipping from non-refundable OBC would be allowed.

If you are in the market for an Apple product and come from outside the US, then it might be worth checking the prices as UK/EU pricing on Apple products is usually higher than US and USA doesn't have a "tax back" scheme and duty free doesn't usually carry too many electronics. Otherwise, stalking discount websites and checking for online cash back promotions will usually get you a better electronics discount than MSRP and you get to set it up at home where you can check for dead pixels, battery life, and time to browse the features before taking it out for a "once in a lifetime" excursion.

Unused Refundable OBC, usually from a travel agent, is indeed refunded to credit card if you setup your sailing account with a credit card. Usually gets credited within a day or so of disembarkation. That spends same as cash as it comes back close to cash (a balance credit to my credit card). Nothing "free" here.

Is it acceptable to hail rideshare for say, a 1 mile drive in NYC midtown to avoid a 15-20 min walk in hot weather? I know the apps purposely hide this type of information from the driver at time of booking so I'd get picked up, but I'm also not out to reduce driver profit if longer runs are typically the norm and net them more money. Is Lyft or Uber popular enough in NJ that if I wanted to get a rideshare from the Light rail to Port Liberty that I wouldn't need to wait more than 5 min (meaning there are drivers near-by and not driving far for pick up)? Which happens to be more popular in NYC and NJ these days? Or do most people drive for both?

I did happen to see that Uber & Lyft was legalized in NJ May 1,2017 and requires background checks. It also adds some level of insurance for the passenger.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/02/5_things_you_should_know_about_njs_new_uber_and_ly.html

Wow, I like that. I am not so much interested for cruising. But, DW and I are going to the Maldives in November and I have been research what type of adapter to take. Anybody, know what they use? Near as I can tell it's UK style plugs.

Here you go:

https://www.adaptelec.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&products_id=324

Could be UK (which has three pins since there's a safety slot), more common Europlug ungrounded, or India. I haven't been to the Maldives but understand there are a lot of high end resorts there. I think e-mailing them would be best. There are (not safety conscious) ways to rig a UK or India outlet with Europlug slot but an upscale resort probably has appropriate adapters available. If you want to bring your own ungrounded one just in case, the Kikkerland is a duplicate of a well regarded flat adapter that should do the trick

https://www.amazon.com/Kikkerland-UL03-A-Universal-Travel-Adapter/dp/B00210MRGC

Be sure to watch the video or read instructions. It has both the round and square peg to open safety switch while most "universal" adapters just do the square peg (UK style).

I prefer Kikkerland origami type over the all-in-one ungrounded types with push out switches as those are typically heavy and fall out of loose sockets. The Kikkerland also has adjustable width for the round pins which makes it fit in some "off the beaten tourist track" places.

@krisko - You should see me with computer cables. Nerd alert ;)

I'm a bit of an outlet nerd and suggest a grounded schuko 2 in 1 if you're on RCCL/Celebrity a good bit as it provides two outlets in the Schuko socket. It is also nice and snug so if the outlet is a bit loose, the adapter won't fall out.

You'll want to google for "OREI Schuko 2 in 1" or "Wonpro WA-9". They don't have a fuse for surge protection (to be avoided on ship) in these models. Wonpro's a good outlet adapter brand and the top outlet takes non-grounded Europlug or US while the plug on the front takes grounded US and various European plugs. This is great if you are in Europe and the only outlet already has something useful plugged into it.

https://www.amazon.com/European-Countries-Portugal-Netherlands-Protector/dp/B00MNRLVLU

https://www.amazon.com/European-Adapter-Schuko-Germany-France/dp/B004SY5O5K

Thanks! I was going to take the 11:00 am from Hamilton but 12:00 still allows me enough time to pop into the cabin (ship is berthed at Dockyard), drop things off, and perhaps grab a very quick lunch before heading to the village for 2:00 race.