smtcan

We just got $200pp for booking an inside cabin directly with Celebrity on the Black Friday deal.

We are Elite+ and were not happy when Celebrity went all inclusive, because we were paying for things we didn’t need. We are moderate drinkers so the happy hour drinks are adequate. We can take a glass of wine into dinner at 7pm, which is our preferred time to eat and we can get lattes any time. The included wifi is enough to send a few emails to keep in touch with family. We always factor in gratuities when costing out a cruise. Now that we can book cruise only we are happy. Sheila

On a cruise before COVID we had an overnight stop in Le Havre with two long days. We rented a car at the port and explored the Normandy Beaches. The ship excursions concentrated on the American sites, but we only spent a short time at Omaha Beach before visiting Juno and Gold, which held more relevance for us. I had done a lot of reading before our trip, so knew exactly where we wanted to go. Without that research we would not have understood the significance of what we saw.

We have driven from Paris to Versailles. It was congested but doable. I live in Toronto where traffic jams are a way of life, so maybe my opinion is affected by that. We spent a month in France a few years ago and apart from Central Paris driving was easy and enjoyable. We visited the Normandy Beaches, Bordeaux and the Cognac region among other places and enjoyed the leisurely pace as opposed to guided tours or short port stops. Sheila

It does seem tough on the staff who depend on tips to suffer because of weather conditions, but I can well understand not wanting to pay tips when service isn’t received.

What an interesting thread. I have just read from the beginning because we have just booked a cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest on Viking for the end of October. We are seasoned Ocean cruisers, with 30+ cruises touching six continents but the only river cruise was on the Yangtze several years ago as part of a China trip. This was with a Chinese company so I doubt if it was typical. They offered wine with dinner, a choice of Great Wall white or Great Wall red, both equally undrinkable! We have also travelled extensively in Europe because we have close family in UK and Germany, so I felt quite confident booking the cruise directly with Viking. We will be in Europe several days pre cruise, so this should avoid the problems with airline delays which seem inevitable right now. I am following the posts on water levels with interest and hoping that the next two months will bring plenty of rain to the areas. Sheila