dpm321

On 4/1/2023 at 8:05 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

I always wondered that because of the way the front metal plate dropped into the water. 
 

You are a wealth of knowledge, thank you 🙂

On our first HAL cruise those landing craft (tenders) were carried on the bow of the Norway.  The only tenders they had.

On 1/21/2023 at 10:57 AM, duquephart said:

Doesn't make sense to me given my view that Europeans in general are fond of bourbon. It's easier to find Blanton's in Budapest than Frankfort.

Actually, generally, Europeans and Nordics are not fond of bourbons..

too sweet.

I was last in port at Barcelona in 2019.  There were several ships disembarking and I waited almost 3 hours in line for a taxi.  Is this the norm or was that a one off event.  I have a train to catch from the main station at noon.  Can Uber get to the pier?  Thank you.

4 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

You are guaranteed to be able to take the included excursion. It may not be at the time when you want to go but you'll get one.  If when your turn comes to book online, it says sold out don't worry, they will add another group. 

Thanks!

We are booking our first Viking Ocean trip based on its unique itinerary.  Another thing that we found attractive was that excursions at each port are included.  As I review the itinerary I see that at each port there are, for example, a half dozen excursions listed; however, only one is labeled "Included."  Does that mean that all the others are an additional charge?  Based on the scheduling reservation lead times by cabin category there are approximately 150 cabins ahead of me in the reserving schedule, which I would guess means my chances of being able to book a single "included" excursion will be close to zero.  Is this the case?  If so I would think that advertising "included excursions" is defective advertising at best.  Thanks.

7 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

have you thougt about pre booking a private transfer?

Not yet, but I will look into it.

The last time I was at Barcelona was September 2019.  On disembarkation we were in line 2 1/2 hours for a taxi.  I’m looking at a 10:30 AM train to Paris.  Has the situation improved?  Any chance I could make it?  Thanks.

On 7/18/2023 at 12:30 PM, alpencoolcruiser said:

I was pretty torn about what to do in Rhodes: Lindos seems to be a great place but this meant a hectic day of travelling all the way to Lindos. The private tours were pretty much booked up. I considered renting a vehicle but in the end we decided to visit the old city and have less stress. This turned out to be a good thing because the medieval city of Rhodes is certainly a must visit. Even as the ship approached the city: one can see the town walls still intact. 

The ship docked at the terminal with no need for a tender, so getting off was a breeze and as usual we were off later than the others. You only had to walk a little distance from the ship to the port exit and then along the way there are the town walls with doors - we crossed the road and went right into the city. Here is a 3-part video of our walkabout in Rhodes. You can decide for yourself if its worth visiting. 

 

 

Thank you for posting this. You convinced me to head for Leidos.  No way do I want to spend my day in a massive shopping mall full of junk.  It's a shame they ruined the old town that way.

3 hours ago, NanaPam00 said:

On deck 14 in front of the thermal suite is a small deck area - i assume they let you out there weather permitting

Thanks.  I see the same thing in front of the gym.  Unfortunately the deck plans don’t provide enough detail to identify access.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Deleted 

On Edge class ships it appears that all (or most) of the weather deck areas forward of the pool are reserved for Retreat guests.  Does anyone know if there are weather decks accessible to non-Retreat guests that have a view over the bow, other than the helipad?  My particular interest is in photographing ships' arrival in unique ports (especially in the med).  Thanks.

38 minutes ago, Twickenham said:

 

According to the port schedule, they will be staying an extra day in Quebec, although they'll be moving berths to make way for the Hamburg at Wharf 22: https://www.portquebec.ca/en/cruises/vessel-schedules/cruise-ships-schedule

Still closer to town than where we were last week (Pier 30).  No shortage of complaints about the walking distance😂.

1 hour ago, Nitemare said:

All true.  I wouldn't want to be in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick the next couple days

When at PEI last week I rented a car and drove u to the park on the north shore.  The damage done to the coast by last year's hurricane was amazing.  Hopefully this one will be much less severe.

I wonder if Summit will stay another day in Quebec or try to ride it out on the St Lawrence?

1 hour ago, suni said:

Interesting.....as Hurricane Lee is hitting New England today! 

 

Actually, Hurricane Lee will be going BY New England Friday and Saturday.  It will not hit us and definitely not today.

On 4/4/2023 at 2:51 PM, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

Thank you all for continuing to answer my question from Sept 2022.  I had forgotten I asked it, but it does inform me as I choose between this cruise and an Alaska one I booked for August.  I still haven't decided, but I have until early May.

Hurricanes that far north are EXTREMELY rare.  Your worst case is likely to be a northeaster which will bring moderate seas for a short period of time.

We hav FCCs that must be used by 30 May and we must cruise by the end of December.  We already have two cruises booked in the fall and do not have time available for another.  I was thinking of booking and canceling to “recycle” the FCCs.  I know this is pretty sleazy, but has anyone tried it?

15 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Did you book it AI or a cruise only fare.

 

How recently did you book?  It can take up to 10 days for the components of AI to be posted and then credited off the booking.  If you booked more than 2 weeks ago call and get the latest copy of your Booking Confirmation.

Two weeks ago.  All the inclusions are posted but the cruise planner shows the gratuity charge, the invoice doe not.

I've always sailed with tips and drinks included, previously from my agent.  Now, Celebrity fares include these.  That said, when I recently booked a Caribbean trip on Beyond there was a $380 charge for gratuities.  Does anyone know what is up with this?  Thanks.

Excellent news…thanks to everyone.

With the new program (including drink package in fare) I only see two options for upgrading.  One is $30 per person per day and includes $200 to use on excursions.  The other is $60per day per person and it also upgrades your wi-if and provides $400 to use on board.  Formerly I could buy an upgrade to my drink package or pay the difference on an ordered drink.  Is paying the difference still an option?

Check out Banks Mansion.  We've stayed there 4 times and it has always been great.

I'd highly recommend Dingle (and the whole peninsula) while on the west coast.  It's a gorgeous town and the scenery on the peninsula is unrivaled anywhere in Ireland. Just drive very carefully.

On 9/5/2019 at 8:11 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Actually GT would be a negative to me.   I am only concerned with the footage available to passengers.   I would not count wave riders, climbing walls, ice scaring rings or whatever else the mega ships have.   Azamara is a nice size and we never had a problem finding a comfortable shady spot to sit.   We paid less for our CC suite on Azamara than we did for our CS on Celebrity.   The CS suite ( transatlantic) did not include perks.      The CC suite included unlimited specialty restaurants and basic wines and basic alcohol such as Pina Coladas, Margaritas, Mojitos etc.   You can pay extra for a beverage package that includes your favorite liquor.   Gratuities are also always included.   We found Azamara to be worth it and it even costs less than a suite on Celebrity.

I apologize in advance if you already know this, but GT is actually a measure of volume, not actual weight.  Its based on how much water is displaced by the ship.  1 GT is equal to 100 cubic feet of space on the ship, so things like climbing walls will not contribute.

On 8/18/2019 at 9:09 AM, excitedofharpenden said:

I'm afraid the thing that really grates me on Celebrity is the clear distinction between service in the areas for those in suites and guests staying in ordinary accommodation. Much fawning if you are in a suite.  Go out of the suite areas and I took my chance with the service, some of which was great and some to be quite honest shocking.  Everyone is treated the same on Azamara, regardless of the cabin you are in. 

 

Phil 

And this has only gotten worse with the new ships (Edge and Apex) as well as the on-going refits.  They have created the "Retreat" which pretty much takes over all upper deck space forward of the pool.  They are also converting a number of previously "regular" veranda cabins into Aqua class.

1 hour ago, blueboro said:

It may help also to have the reservation numbers for all cabins

Thanks.