judyzoo

Put the credit card charge in dispute, if you can.  Otherwise, wait, and wait, and wait.  Our river cruise was cancelled by American Queen Voyages in December 2022 (without proper notice to us).  We had paid in full in August.  Despite our many calls and letters and emails, we did not receive a refund until February 2023 -- three months after the cancellation!  They held our full payment for six months and provided no compensation; and also provided no reason for the cancellation.  

I'm not surprised that you were happy with your Gate 1 cruise. I've traveled several times with them, although never on a river cruise, and was always very satisfied.

Sounds good; thanks for your replies!

Do the cabin attendants on river cruises usually perform twice daily service as they do on ocean cruises?

Just put together a recap video of our great cruise!

 

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Wonderful; thanks for sharing!

No they're saying its $20 lobster (or steak) any night, including elegant night. You can order as much as you want at $20 an order. I remember it used to being free but I don't think that's the case anymore

Oh dear; I liked my free-lobster-on-elegant-night translation better. But I'm sure I won't lose any sleep over this, nor will I starve.

It always amazes me when people ask which side. On an ocean cruise, you are usually at sea and cannot see much. On a riverboat, for best view, you must see both sides. Go outside or in a lounge with big windows. On a riverboat I only use my cabin to sleep and shower. I am up on deck if available or in a viewing areas. I do pay attention to where my cabin is located. I try to avoid cabins close to the lounges or gangway.

I understand that both sides will be visible from the sun deck or some similar location. I was just trying to find out which side would provide better views from our balcony, while we're sailing, when we're not in a location from which both sides can be seen.

Thanks for all your opinions. Looking forward to the different experience of river cruising.

Yes, it's the standard. They still have lobster on Elegant Night on the longer cruises but not the short ones. You can buy steak or lobster any night in the dining room for $20. Here's a link to the Carnival website about it: https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/steakhouse-selections

Okay; now I think I understand. You can spend $20 for lobster when it's not a regular offering, but on elegant night on longer cruises they will still serve lobster without an additional charge. And am I right that you can still have as much lobster as you want on elegant night?

I've found that Select does not include gratuities (as expected), but will operate on a sign and sail basis at least on our sailing.

The lobster was available at added cost ($20) and was excellent.

Is this now standard? An additional $20 charge for lobster in the MDR?

I see that you have taken many ocean cruises and I am guessing this will be your first river cruise. First of all, you will really enjoy yourself. I know that there is often a preferred side for an ocean cruise but not so much for a river cruise. While you didn't mention the cruise line, they all use small ships so it is easy to go to the lounge or sun deck to view the sights. We spent very little time in our cabin preferring to socialize in the lounge. It had floor to ceiling windows and lots of comfortable seating. We sailed in Nov. so the sun deck was not as well used as during warmer months. As Shmoo here said, there are sights to view on both sides since the Danube isn't that wide.

You're right -- this will be my first river cruise, after many ocean cruises. I'd like to be able to see some sights from our cabin when we don't opt for the sun deck, but perhaps it won't matter which side we're on.

We will be cruising on the Danube from Passau to Constanta. I understand that we won't be doing a lot of sailing during the daytime, but would still like to know which side of the ship will have better views, particularly going through Romania.

What do think about traveling with Gate1 on land tours. They certainly have some pretty good rates, though sometimes their hotels seem to be a bit away from the center of things. Have your trips with them gone well?

I have traveled with Gate 1 on land tours, and their hotels were very nice and well located.

Thank you all for your input. It does sound a bit different from ocean cruising (which works very well and smoothly). I think I'll need to ask some more questions of my agent about this particular cruise.

I'll be on the Select Explorer, and I'm sure that there will be charges not covered by the fare.

Does everything get charged to an onboard account in river cruising, as it does in ocean cruising? What about tips -- charged to the account, or paid in cash? My first river cruise is approaching, and it's going to be a new experience after all of my ocean cruises. So, any help will be appreciated.

We were on the June 6 Southbound Sun sailing, in 8253 (aft balcony). Did not experience any sewage smells in the cabin or on the balcony, or in the theater or any dining venues. Just an occasional brief smell while walking around, which was nothing worse than I've noticed on some other ships. Maybe we were lucky.

Mostly this is just a bump for the other posters who are leaving on Sun cruises in the near future, but also to remind anybody with a recent or upcoming Sun itinerary - any intelligence on the upcoming refurbishment would be greatly appreciated!

There are at least two threads on here about the dry dock and refurbishing. I don't know how to link to them, but one has a title something like "Is the Sun Being Refurbished" and the other is something like "Why Did the Sun Not Leave San Francisco." You should be able to find them in a quick search. She is currently in dry dock briefly in SF, apparently for some minor work on engines and public rooms.

It's much, much worse than average. Maybe older passengers don't care but younger ones have no patience for this. Celebrity will have to improve or those of us who are accustomed to doing everything online as efficiently as possible (not to mention we like having a paper trail) will not be loyal, and they'll feel it when their current market ages out.

Older passengers DO care.

It was the 1st week of July. 3rd to 10th

Thanks; that's not far from the time that we'll be cruising, so perhaps we'll also experience warm weather -- or perhaps not. Apparently one never knows!

We cruised in July last year. and had above average temps. Ketchikan was 80 and Skagway was in the 70's. There were definitely people in shorts and capris on our cruise. Also Seattle was 90 at sail away. The jacket I took I only wore once. We also had dry weather. You really need a mixed bag of clothes for Alaska, you just never know.

What part of July were you there?

I always pack a warm throw for Alaska. The problem with using the bedding is that it rains a lot in Alaska and the balconies are frequently wet. That could put quite a damper on bedtime. :D

Interesting idea. I have too many throws. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to take one with me, then leave it on the ship after the cruise. Something to keep me warm on the balcony, one less throw to store at home, and more room for purchases in my suitcase.

The website had dates and refurb information for other ships, and it appeared accurate for those that have been completed in 2015 and 2016. Perhaps the refurb is more than just engine maintenance. I am on the May 8th cruise, and will update post cruise.

Looking forward to a report on the refurb after your cruise. We'll be sailing on the Sun shortly after you and are curious about what to expect.

it is $15 and if over, you pay the difference.

Time to get a new TA!

Most definitely! This is the agent that I ended up with as part of a promotion. Never again!

$11 was the old limit and if over that you had to pay for the whole drink.

 

Current limit (since some time last year) is $15 and if over that, you only pay for the difference.

 

https://www.ncl.com/terms/ultimate-beverage-package

Thanks; that sounds fine to me!