DCPIV

Wow. Kids have become demanding! We sailed on Rhapsody a handful of times with our boys when they were younger. They very much enjoyed Adventure Ocean and, later, the teens club. It's not like it was all that long ago either, as they're only now 18 and (about to turn) 21.

Yes, she's a smaller ship that doesn't have a the whole dadgum theme park on her, but there's plenty good times to be had if she is going where you want to go. That said, go where y'all want to go, and may you have a great vacation. 

21 hours ago, smplybcause said:

I don't know about 11 day, but the pro rating only saves you a lot of the pre-cruise price is high. 

 

For example a 7 day pre-cruise price of 50 is 350 for the week. The on board price is 85 - if you purchase on day 4 that's 340. So you save $10 but have 3 days with no drinks because if you buy one drink the pro-rating cost more. 

 

Now if it doesn't go below 60 that's 420. So you'd save $80 if you buy on day 4. But only if you don't purchase drinks the first 3 days. If you buy the package on board on day 3 you lost money over pre purchasing at 60.

 

At 65 it's $115 savings if you buy day 4 and $30 if you buy day 3. Only if you buy no drinks before then. 

Excellent points. 

The yard guys come every week whether we're here or not. They wouldn't know the difference. We have some great neighbors who are willing to look after anything else we might need (and we are happy to return the favor when they are gone).

If we're gone long enough to put a vacation hold on the mail and paper, that's what we do. Otherwise, our neighbors grab those for us.

We board our dog. There's a great place that's both near our home and inexpensive, and the folks who run it are as nice as can be. He loves the place and gets all excited when we drive up. It's always worth a chuckle when as he's going through the door, he looks back at us with a look like "Come on in! This is great! Let's go play!"

On 10/29/2021 at 1:29 AM, RKHOOKER said:

You shouldn’t have to call up RC & be on hold for an hour just to request your invoice.

I agree that it should could come automatically, but it's only a couple minutes or so on the phone (if you know the secret handshake, of course).

3 hours ago, sunonfire said:

My favorite frozen drink on Carnival is the

BLENDED CARIBBEAN RUM CREAM COCKTAIL
Kahlua, Irish Cream, Chocolate Liqueur and Bacardi Rum

 

That was why I thought an Aspen Frozen might be a close second. I’m definitely going to ask. Otherwise I think I will try a Celebrity mudslide.

 

Never hesitate to ask for something like that. Whether they are willing or able to fulfill your request is up to them. 

Just as a barely related aside, though, you can't get frozen drinks at the Martini Bar. They don't have a blender. I believe the Café does for frappés and other what-nots, so you might be in luck. 

1 hour ago, LJJQ said:

We sailed on the Summit back in September and arrived 30 minutes earlier than assigned time. We asked if it was ok to enter & was told ok. Entering the terminal we were the only passengers and were able to pick agent to assist us! I believe this is the exception since we only had 245 passengers! 
 

Yes, Summit has been sailing with so few passengers that they aren't quite as concerned. They also have that large terminal where folks can wait inside if they are early. 

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

When I got a flat recently I called AAA and they sent someone.  Could I have changed it myself, maybe but I don't want to.

 

So you want to deal directly with Celebrity.  Go right ahead.  Some people say they got an answer in 5 minutes.  Some people say it took an hour or more.  Your choice.  I choose not to spend my whole day on the phone.

 

 

Huh? 

17 minutes ago, zitsky said:

It's like anything else.  Could I fix my own car?  Maybe and I've tried in the past.  But it's not something I want to do now.  Same with planning trips.  I decide where to go and when and do some basic planning.  Then I turn it over to a TA to work out the details.

Alright. Let's go with that analogy. Celebrity implemented an online booking process and encourages us to use it rather than go to a travel agent. If your car manufacturer sold a "fix your car" kit and led you to believe you could use it without needed a mechanic, and you bought the thing.  How would you feel if someone told you "yeah, you really need a mechanic to use that"?

If you want to use a TA, go bananas. That's not the point of the discussion. 

59 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

There are people who can help you figure this all out.  They are called travel agents.

If Celebrity's online booking prices process requires a TA to figure it out, then the problem is all the more severe and defeats the purpose of the website with regard to both Celebrity and its customers. The fact that a TA can help does not excuse Celebrity. 

12 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Ok so let's say not using a TA.  Will X give you *any* kind of documentation before you make a deposit?

As far as I know, the only way to do that is to do a courtesy hold (if you know the secret handshake to do so) and then call to request it. Again, that defeats the purpose. 

29 minutes ago, Tolkmit said:

 

This is not a quote from the Conditional Sail Order. Cruise lines have to follow the CSO, not what the CDC publishes for general use on it's website. It's idiotic, but as they have been the entire pandemic, the people in the CDC who issue orders for the cruise lines update the official rules for cruise lines months behind current events.

7 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

I don't believe the CSO defines vaccinated or fully vaccinated. The post that was quoted did present the CDC definition.

Not only does the CSO not define "fully vaccinated," page 33 of the CSO requires ships operating or intending to operate in US waters to define "fully vaccinated" in the same way that the CDC does. 

3 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

Beware to those that pass by, you too can be pulled in and allured by both!!

Just be sure to enter from the aft entrance and go directly to one of the chairs. Keep that dadgum case out of sight! 😉🤣

I can tell you that, at least with regard to Summit, that the app is not particularly reliable when it comes to the order of the menus (although first day and night should be the same).  However, if you are trying to make specialty reservations, you shouldn't have much trouble doing so on board. 

Summit is fantastic right now. I did a recent live(ish) review on it, and you'll find many other reviews around here that can tell you a lot about it. It should be a great cruise! 

I'm not going to lie to you, though. The wifi can be dicey. Streaming might be impossible at times (even a lot of the time). You might want to look into backup plans if you cannot connect well enough. 

3 minutes ago, canderson said:

Interesting.  Guess the visual validation process isn't FIFO.  Actually, I asked the wrong question to say that. How long ago were you able to upload the card photos?  Our check in started very late.

I don't remember when I could upload the photos, but it was a while ago.  My check-in did not start late.  It's even one of those that started at 90 days and then shut back down until 45 days out.  I don't recall if I uploaded the photos before or after the 45 days.  Either way, it's been a while.

10 minutes ago, canderson said:

When do you sail?  We're down to 9 days and not yet seeing this.  They had the photos a couple of weeks ago to validate.  Again, not going to pursue it further as it is all redundant.

I sail in a couple of weeks.

2 hours ago, cruisemom2 said:

I'm seeing it on sale now in my planner but the only times available are 8:30 and 9:00.  If I select one of those times, can I change it when I make a reservation for a specific restaurant?  And link another couple's booking number to ours so I can make reservations for all four of us?

Yes, that's just for the first night.  You might even be able to change that once you're on board.  As mentioned, head over to a specialty restaurant and see about making that change and setting your reservations for the other nights.

I hear they still are prorating.  To make sure they are and how late you can do so, I'd just ask about it when you board.  Any bartender should be able to tell you.

22 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Unfortunately, while I was checking out videos to see what the chairs were like, I also so lots of delicious looking pastries and now I am hungry. 

A croissant an espresso in one of those yellow chairs was my standard "elevensies" on Summit.  If I had any sweet tooth at all, I may very well have investigated those other pastries.  I'll tell you, though, the croissants are quite wonderful.

It's no glitch.  They do seem to be doing some manner of validation.

I recently got my booster, so I went back to the app to upload photos of the updated card.  Before, you could just upload over and over.  However, this morning, I found this when I went to the vaccination section of the check-in:

If I click on "view vaccination record," I get the photos I uploaded before.

I'm glad you got things worked out, OP.  Do note, though, that you got what you booked, even if you didn't get what you wanted.  As noted, a guarantee might very well get you an upgrade, and that's what you got.  Many would be thrilled.

We sailed on Summit on 7/31, and I went back solo on 10/5.  She's a beautiful ship with an amazing crew.  You'll have a fantastic time!

1) They have better cherries.  I don't recall what they were, but they have them.  Be sure and ask, though, as Heaven only knows what supplies are like these days.  My first choice for an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan (also two of my favorites) is Cellar Masters because of its whiskey selection (including a nice rye for that Manhattan), atmosphere, and music.  My close second choice is Rendezvous Lounge for atmosphere and music.

While I love the Martini Bar and spent a lot of time over there, it's a different sort of atmosphere. More raucous.  They are fantastic guys and a lot of fun!  However, I always associate my Manhattans and Old Fashioneds (and other such drinks) with a different atmosphere--personal thing.  Martini Bar often was before dinner. 

I'll be honest that I didn't spend much time at the Sunset Bar because it is largely devoid of shady spots (also a vampire, here).  When it was shady, I might get out there.  The Pool Bar tended to be fine, though.

You'll find that ALL the bars and bartenders on board are fantastic, no matter where you go.  

2) Answered.  It's nice that all the dining areas are together, so you can order from MDR in either Blu or Luminae.

3) Nice sandals are just fine.  DW and many other ladies wore them to dinner, including on chic nights, and no one batted an eye because they are quite appropriate and stylish.  I agree that the beach/pool shoes aren't appropriate, and they aren't what X were talking about regarding dinner dress.

4) Cash is perfectly fine.  Loads of passengers, including yours truly, tipped in cash.  It's not at all awkward.  I tended to tip "in bulk," so to speak (the occasional $5, $10, or $20, rather than with every drink) to make it a little easier, but no one will mind one little bit if you tip with every drink. 

5) Also being a vampire, completely sympathize with you on this! 

I wouldn't worry about switching. The reason why is that, even though my/our balcony was covered, that only mattered a relatively small part of the time.  If you're on the sunny side of the ship, your balcony will still largely be sunny.  The covers are not all that large, so you're just getting some extra shade at mid-day  If I wanted to be out there when it was sunny, I just put on my SPF 50+ and went out there.  Otherwise, I found a shady spot outside.  I believe Summit's capacity still is on the lower side, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with that.

Enjoy Summit!  I'm terribly jealous!  Say hello to everyone for me!

39 minutes ago, stephanieelena said:

Thank you. I'll check a few flights, but I live in Texas so I just figured it would be cheaper. How do I find New Orleans port forum. I tried the search section but nothing came up. I'll keep trying. 

It looks like the mods have moved the thread to the proper forum. I guess there isn't a NOLA forum. 

I poked around a little and saw that New Orleans port parking is $10/day. That's better than I expected. You might be better off driving after all! 

24 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

There is no national vaccine registry. Provider level and state level yes, but not federal.  Remember most states don't even require any formal ID to get a vaccine.

The I heard wrong. I suppose they called someone else, then. 

CDC has the records and so should the provider who gave the shot(s).

DW was recently on a Carnival cruise. One of her friends had a card that something was wrong with (I don't recall what at the moment). They called CDC and verified that all was proper. 

1 minute ago, dunedinmaiden said:

I've had several shore excursions canceled due to "operational issues"

That pretty much means that the tour operator cancelled.