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Canuker

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About Me

  • Location
    Toronto
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Cunard
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Hawaii - bar none

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. If you expect to make this journey (about 30 miles or 50 km.) plan very carefully. A 5 mile stretch of the M25, between junctions 10 and 11 is set to close in both directions on five weekends between now and September 2024. The first closure will be from 9pm Friday March 15 to 6am Monday March 18. Other closures are TBD. This notoriously crowded stretch of motorway (highway) is going to get a lot worse, with diversions through rural roads. Best suggestion: avoid this whole area, between Wisley (junction 10) and the intersection with the A3 (junction 11). You have been warned!
  2. Southern Railway, who operates this very handy - and inexpensive - service is making changes. There is good news and bad news. First the bad news. The hourly direct service between Southampton Central station (10 minutes tops by taxi from the ship) and Gatwick Airport, then on to London Victoria station is to cease. This is a shame since, for cruisers with baggage it is a very handy service, with Gatwick station directly under the airport concourse. The good news is that the rail journey is still possible, but with a single, straight forward change, which might even shorten the overall journey time. Take the Brighton train (this service is doubled to 2 per hour). Change to another 30-minute service (Portsmouth Harbour to Victoria) at Havant station, where both services use the same platform (either direction). Expect a wait at Havant of about 18 minutes between trains - time to grab a coffee. From Southampton, Havant is about 40 minutes; Havant to Gatwick is about 70 minutes. another 35 minutes if going on to London Victoria. Both Southampton Central and Gatwick Airport stations have elevators. Service may vary somewhat on Sundays and holidays. Note: there is no straightforward rail service between Southampton and Heathrow. Better to use the direct bus service, which leaves/arrives at the bus terminal near Southampton Central station.
  3. The organizer of our on board slot pull has alerted us to the possibility of suffering (I'm guessing) withholding tax, of 15%, payable to the IRS should we hit the big time. We will be in international waters at the time. To any tax experts out there (I'd prefer facts rather than opinions, please): 1. Does this sound both reasonable and required? 2. Does it apply to participants who are not resident in the USA? 3. Who, on board, assumes custody of the 15% and responsibility to remit it? Thanks, Canuker
  4. The app for our cruise shows the 'officers' soirée' at 8:00 pm in the Grand Foyer. It also shows it finishing at 8:15 pm. There is no second event shown, so the invite covers all passengers. For 15 minutes. to those who have attended similar events recently, does this sound reasonable / typical, please? Or could there be a mistake in the app's wording?
  5. From the OP: Thank you, I'm grateful for all the positive feedback. Canuker
  6. I'm looking at the ship's app and, while I can find theatre house shows listed, there seems to be no mention of a backing band. Do they perform to a recorded backing track or are there live musicians, please?
  7. My first impressions of this app for booked passengers is not too positive. Example: no 'home' button, no 'back button' and a 'refresh' button that doesn't. From what I have found, most of it is for the benefit of X, not for its passengers. It seems to have been thrown together, with little thought for its users. It may be just me; is anyone aware of a tutorial that may help with navigation, please?
  8. Some further thoughts, beb08. Assumptions: 1. You are on the Celebrity Constellation, out of Tampa on 2024-02-22 2. You arrive NOLA 09:30 3. Depart NOLA 22:00 OK, sunrise is at 06:30. It takes about 9 hours to get from the open Gulf to NOLA (the city is a long way from open water), so you will not see any of the Delta area. But, with 3 hours of daylight before you dock, I'd get up at dawn and find a spot on a open deck where you can view both sides of the Mississippi River, as you cruise upstream. A guide book will help too with this fascinating and somewhat unusual segment. I say 'unusual' as most cruise ships arrive NOLA earlier than 09:30 and do not afford a good view of the River. You will see nothing on the return downstream trip as it will be dark... ...Sunset is at 6:00 pm, so you will have a total of 4 hours to witness NOLA by night, as well as your daytime exploration. It's going to be a wonderful day, full of memories. Lastly (opinion), when folk think of NOLA , Bourbon Street springs to mind. The Canal Street end (nearest the ship) is tacky, selling cheap t-shirts, etc. find another street to access the other side of the FQ and, maybe if you like, return via Bourbon St. If you like or are interested in 'early jazz', check out Fritzel's at 733 Bourbon St. The music there is about as 'raw' as it gets.
  9. My advice: forget the excursions. As NOLA first-timers, stroll along the riverside from the ship into the French Quarter. Absorb all it has to offer - the good and the not so good, keep and open mind to new experiences, particularly musical. You're in the birthplace of modern American music. Be sure to cover it all, including the Frenchman's Street area on the far side of the FQ. Stay as late as you can because it will transform as the evening progresses. Soak it up . Enjoy.
  10. Changes at the top of an expansive corporate pyramid usually result in one of two extremes in the short term, as the new broom gets their feet under the desk: 1. Little, if anything. 2. Radical change. The latter is typical of someone moving into the position from outside (think Musk); the former, as in this case is more typical of someone recruited from within who has a history with the business and knows what works and what doesn't. In terms of background, these two are from the same mould - marketing; so like for like. This works for a company like Celebrity / RCG, as long as they don't fail to listen to the accountant over their shoulder. My bottom line: no material changes originating from the corner office - for a year at least.
  11. Well, since you are a bona fide CC member who will be on that sailing, thread or not, you & your good lady wife are vwery welcome to join us at our sailaway party. as we leave Miami: 4:00 pm at the Sunset Bar (deck 15, aft). We'll be wearing Mardi Gras beads. Best, Canuker
  12. Are you on that sailing, padgman1? I ask because we have a fairly active thread covering that cruise here. I mention it, as I don't see your name in the thread, in case it may be of interest. Best, Canuker.
  13. Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.
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