cruzgryphon

In my experience and in talking with others it tends to vary by ship. Some ships you have to swipe the card to get a towel and they do keep track of returned towels. Other ships they don't when you're on the pool deck, but will when you get off the gangway in port and take a towel then. On the same ship (two different itineraries) they did it both ways (swipe and not swipe, charge and not charge). My rule of thumb is if your swiped to get a towel, then return a towel.

I can't speak to MSC but here are some considerations for Costa:

1) Majority of passengers don't speak English - when I sailed with Costa out of app. 2000 passengers there were about 200 of us that spoke English. It didn't bother me too much as I speak passable French and German but I know it did bother a lot of the other English speaking passengers. Also get used to hearing very long announcements - all announcements were in 7 different languages and English was quite often near the end.

2) One of our stops was Corfu that I had previously visited on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I found the Costa cruises to be a little more intimate and you got a better feel for the local people.

3) There is a little bit more of a bent towards (naturally) Italian dishes - so if you don't like pasta - probably best not to take it.

4) Traditional Dinner times: Traditional dinner times are a lot later than Royal Caribbean/ other North American cruise lines. I took early dinner seating which was at 7:30pm (late seating was something like 9pm or 9:30pm)

Compared to the Royal Caribbean cruises that I've done in Europe, I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean in Europe.

If I remember correctly he'll switch to Alaska time.

Unfortunately that sounds right. Likely they took the cheapest flight back to the UK, meaning the latest time. One thing you can do is ask if there is an earlier flight, without increasing how much you pay. Also you can ask for any post cruise excursions with airport drop-off (depending on where you're cruising from). These typically will end up dropping you off at the airport around 1pm or 2pm - so it lessens the amount of time you have to wait at the airport. Lastly instead of taking Royal Caribbean to the airport, you could look into renting a car and doing some more sightseeing on your own (again depending on where you're cruising from).

If you're not from the US then the likely cause of the price swings is the FX rates (although they have been staying pretty steady on the Canadian dollar lately). Also periodically they run specials of up to 30% of excursions. How frequently are you checking? If you're checking every two or three months then it's probably one of the reasons I've indicated. If you're checking more frequently then perhaps someone else will have more insights.

Thanks so much for the tip Slidergirl! I was able to use my Marriott points for the Seattle Westin next month.

Nice choice. I've stayed at the Seattle Westin pre-cruise before and loved it. Great location - easy to walk to the main sites. Well kept hotel. Good choice!!

we did the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter 3 weeks ago and were THOROUGHLY impressed with the staff, the facility and everything else. We did the afternoon encounter, and wished we had known we could have gone early and spent the rest of the day. It was THE highlight of our trip!!!

Second the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter - you get good value for your money.

About the deposit - as long as you cancel before final payment is due you'll get your deposit back.

I spoke with RC today to make a reservation. I asked her not to apply the single supplement so I could watch pricing. She then told mw the Single Supplement, if not applied at today's rate, will be based on the prevailing rate when I have it applied. I was not aware of this and asked if this was a new policy. She replied the new policy has been in effect for about a month.

 

Has anyone else heard of this or was aware of this? I realize I can keep track of prices by just writing down what the non-single supplement price is today.

 

I guess this is another example of changes that happen and we aren't informed by RC, but by CC members.

Based on your description - I thought that particular policy has been in place for a while now. At least it has been when I've booked solo cruises. To me when making a reservation all I'm really on the hook for is the deposit which doesn't change whether single supplement is in play or not. If prices drop before final payment, then I just get my TA to get me the lower price. Just my two cents.

Sometimes Royal Caribbean blocks groups of cabins (usually in better locations) that they don't allow TAs to access. Sometimes TAs buy blocks of cabins and will only sell those cabins.

Definitely agree with the advice from the other poster. Pay the deposit now for the cruise and then if the price goes down between now and final payment you can get have the price reduced on your booking - so best of both worlds.

Temperatures anywhere from 14 degress Celsius up to mid 20's Celsius (sorry don't know the Fahrenheit equivalents). It will be colder when you're closer to glaciers. With that in mind pack with a view to wearing clothes in layers. Expect rainy weather and be happy when there isn't any. Check out the Alaska sub Forum in the Port of Calls forum for additional advice on packing and reputable private tour operators (a lot more economical and better experience than ship's excursions).

Also a lot of the tour companies have a discount if you're a member of Cruise Critic - so make sure you mention that to them.

Some photos of Cannon Beach and Seaside here. This was on a road trip, not a cruise excursion.

 

Astoria on a coastal cruise in 2015 here. More photos again on our road trip in 2016

Thanks very much!! The pictures look great!!

Check out the Northern Europe ports of call forum - there are a few threads with recommendations for private tour companies. They are all pretty good and have similar offerings. I think it comes down to what you want to see and how much time you want to spend at each site.

I went with SPB last summer because their itinerary matched up with the sights that I wanted to see.

Since you're not dealing with a travel agent, I would just get next cruise to cancel the bookings that you have when you make the new bookings. They'll do that no problem and saves you time later.

gobe dot com

Thanks :)

For excursions check out the Ports of Call forum and find your ports there. Lots of good suggestions on things to do and private tour operators

Can anyone post the link to GoBe to checkout their offerings (if that's allowed)? TIA

Also if the price drops after you've booked your next cruise onboard, you can still get the lower price and keep your next cruise perks.

It basically comes down to whatever the man is comfortable with out in public in the evening. About the only enforced rule in the evenings is no shorts and no flip flops (and obviously you can't go shirt less). Outside from that I've seen men wearing khakis or jeans or dockers or formal pants.

As others have alluded to one of the key benefits/biggest differences with Emerald of Diamond is access to the Diamond Lounge. In the evenings it will be open from 4:30pm/5pm to 8pm/8:30pm depending on when traditional early and late dining start. You get unlimited drinks there. You'll also get vouchers for 3 free drinks each night that can be used at any bar while the Diamond Lounge is open. The vouchers are good for that day only and don't carry forward.

The timing could vary a little depending on when Diamond lounge is open. The Diamond Lounge will typically mirror the Main Dining Room dinner times for traditional seating. For example if late seating starts at 8:30pm, then the Diamond Lounge will also be open until 8:30pm. You can use your vouchers in the bars during the time that the Diamond Lounge is open.

Don't be surprised not to see the date and time not posted on the website. The last 3 or 4 that I've been to - I got the email confirming that the meet and mingle had met the minimum number of people, but the date and location wasn't put on the website. Found out the location when I got onboard ship.

If you're sailing from Venice and you have a cabin with a porthole or a balcony, get one on the port side. You'll see a lot of the highlights of Venice as you sail out (you can go up on deck and see, but it gets really crowded on the port side so that's why I prefer my balcony on sail away).

If you're going to Rhodes or Santorini - I loved the cafes there and was able to get a nice coffee and some baklava at a reasonable price. In Santorini find a café that looks out over the water (the town is at the top of a huge cliff).

I've sailed to this region in September and it can still get quite hot - they don't have the sort of temperature let down that we get here in North America in September.

Most of all - enjoy - you'll have an amazing time!!

Also ignore the cruise line nonsense about visas and them implying that if you go with one of their cruises you won't have to look after visas. The private tour companies also handle all the visa requirements and provide you with the docs you need to go through Russian Immigration/Customs.