biker1972

Sounds much like you got a "Sorry for your loss" reply and a "There is nothing that we can do for you" response. But since we know little there is nothing that we can do for you here at CC and we are sorry for you loss.:confused:

Great news! Let us hope that the AQ can finish the season without anymore setbacks. I am booked on the Thanksgiving cruise and from all the wonderful things said here, know that it will be a remarkable trip.

Depending on dates, AQ has been discounting many cruises up to half price. Cabins on Q of M at lowest price point are larger than AQ's. Both have American crews which can create problems in staffing and service. AQ has beer and wine included at dinner. While interesting, shoreline and cities along Mississippi are not like those of Europe. Certainly fewer choices with North American rivers and boats than in Europe.

Another item, if not taking a round trip, is that senior Amtrak fares between Memphis and New Orleans can be found for about $50 pp so it is easy to return to embarkation city if the cruise is from one to the other.

More Ohio River cruises to replace upper Mississippi cruises, but no mention of repairs. Sure not geared to being transparent.

The more I read about the AQSC the more I think that they will have a hard time staying afloat. When their competition will have another boat joining the Queen of the Mississippi next year as well as other boats on the agenda soon after, AQSC will have a hard time getting bookings at half price. The only thing AQSC has going for it is a slick brochure and nicer web site than ACL! They can't operate on smoke and mirrors for very long.

Also make note that some TA's have a cancellation fee in place even if you have not reached final payment date. Sometimes booking through a TA can be financially rewarding , but giving up control of the booking does put you at the mercy of a third person. A good TA is very valuable but a booking agent masquerading as a TA can be a real downer. In this age of the internet it is very hard to find a good TA because booking agents are like weeds: everywhere.

I am booked for 21 Novemeber Memphis to New Orleans. How do they take care of major repairs? Use a facility at some major city along the river and cancel some or all of a week's cruise?

Remember that ports are not guaranteed when you cruise so if the places you want to see in Italy are more important to you than the cruise itself, go with a land based trip.

I don't think SWA is one of the airlines that are involved in Luggage Valet.

Some of the cruisetours include McKinley Princess Lodge as well as Denali. There is no option about these overnights; these are separate lodges some distance apart. Better to be on a tour with 2 nights at Denali and 0 at McKinley.

The same itinerary is followed for On Your Own compared to Denali Explorer cruisetours. Some of the prescheduled activities are not included. You might also find that the Direct to the Wilderness train option is not offered on some of the On Your Own tours. These are not independent tours! Want freedom then set up an independent tour where you decide the itinerary and choose from the many options that Alaska has to offer.

My TA gives me about $300/wk. Had $1700 on a 4 wk cruise and used almost every penny :). Have $850 for next 2 wk cruise and tour.

One thing not mentioned so far is the size of the aft verandas. There is a big difference when comparing afts on the M class ships vs the afts on the S class. Because of the ships design the aft cabin verandas on the M class ships are a world apart from the verandas of other cabins. These verandas are about 3 times the size of a regular veranda with a metal roof, a canvas covering and open sky each covering about 1/3 of the veranda. You can host a small party with a dozen people on an M class aft veranda and not feel crowded. This is one of the reasons why X created CC1 at a higher price point :mad:.

Just be prepared for wind. We had beautiful weather rounding Cape Horn in March but the wind was severe. Had my GoreTex shell over a PolarTec jacket and it worked perfectly, even on rainy days elsewhere.

Go to rclinvestor.com then click on shareholder benefit. All of your questions can be answered there. Since RCL stopped the combining of OBC offers I found that the share holder benefit was of less value than the 150% gain in the value of my shares, so I sold. Now I can book while on board and get same OBC that I got from my shares, transfer to my TA and get OBC and not have to worry about rejection.:)

What happens if someone tries to board a flight to Brazil without a visa? Most likely this will be what happens when boarding a flight to Argentina on December 28 and beyond. Might be a scramble to find a computer and a printer before boarding the flight. At land crossings, might just be turned away. And once July 1 arrives, without the paid fee, the cruise line will be hesitant to allow boarding. While Argentina says that they do not require a visa, this will become a defacto visa. Glad that I still have 8 years on my old receipt.

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the company's obligation was to take you from the embarkation port to the debarkation port. There have been rare occasions when one of those ports was changed and it was covered in the contract. Finding out two days before, that the cruise you booked that was to leave from New Orleans is now starting in Miami is a real shocker but it has happened! In these cases more is done to compenste cruisers.

Cabin is essentially the same as it was with a slightly upgraded bath. Additional perks beyond CC are access to an area of the spa for relaxation and the biggy of Blu as your dining venue! Deck 9 of the M class ships has always had the overhang as a blessing or pain depending on your point of view, even when the cabins were category 1A. Catch some really rainy days on an Alaskan cruise and that overhang makes the veranda usable.

Good list ;). 101 Dalmatians.

Boogs: Just so you know; Greatam is a wonderful lady who owns an operates a company doing a lot of business overseas. She books hundreds of flights for herself and her employees every year. Her information is spot on! Her advice on travel, especially to SA or the Middle East, is sought after by many here at CC!

The passages OBC will not combine with the stock benefit. If you book within the two month window for next year, you qualify for an OBC that will combine with passages. Nothing has been said about combining that OBC with the shareholder benefit. And the limit is one combination so you will not be able to use a shareholder benefit and a passages benefit aanyway.

The real problem comes when the legal language about Choice Air is compared to the fluff of advertising.

From the fine print: "Celebrity uses commercial airlines...The airline tickets acquired by Celebrity are, in most cases, highly restrictive. The airlines providing air transportation may limit the ability to reissue, exchange or make changes to guests' air tickets. All airline tickets purchased via the ChoiceAir website or ChoiceAir Plus agent are the property of the guest(s) and are subject to the terms and conditions of the issuing air carrier.... Many of the airline tickets purchases via ChoiceAir or ChoiceAir Plus require the purchase of a cruise, and must be cancelled if cruise is cancelled...Celebrity Cruises acts as sales agent for the air carriers used...The air transportation is the responsibility of the air carrier used in conjunction with guests' Air/Sea program and is subject to and limited by the "Contract of Carriage" as specified by the air carrier for each ticket issued."

What are you getting when you purchase ChoiceAir tickets? Perhaps it is a diamond but maybe it is a pig in a poke. Know before you go!

For further information go to the cruise-air board. There is a sticky about consolidator tickets that anyone flying on discount tickets should read. Fare codes are an important factor as to what can be done to get you to your destination. In some cases the tickets can't be assigned to another airline so you are at the mercy of that one airline or your credit card.

I got my YF shot last year for a SA cruise and visit to Iguazu. Yes it did cost something like $140 but it is good for 10 years. Now I can go anywhere at anytime and not have to worry about this illness. But thinking about this in another way, I spend $20 EVERY year for a flu shot ($200 for 10 years) and the folks making the serum are only guessing what flu strains will be most prevalent. I can still get the flu but I know that yellow fever won't get me, or the Ecuadorian C and I people.

Also note that your passport is taken and held by the ship. These are checked and stamped by the various countries prior to stopping at their ports. Thus you are denied boarding prior to the cruise even starting if you do not have proper documents; the cruise line does not take a chance of having anyone on board who cannot leave the ship at some port. In fact, little is done to check you as you leave the ship to enter the various cities because it has all been done behind the scenes. Get the Yellow Fever shot or get the waiver. And make sure it is the proper waiver and not just a letter from your doctor! An awesome cruise; enjoy it.