Podie

I pay the $10 per day for my Verizon phone and it's worth every penny. No problems whatsoever.

I was on Scarlet Lady out of Miami in October and someone had a drone up for about 15 minutes as we left port.

My partner and I want to get matching gold bracelets on our cruise. Is Grand Cayman a good place to buy high quality jewelry?

I took the ferry to Caye Caulker and rented a golf cart for the day. Lovely water. Ate and drank. This was my 15th time to Belize (at least), so recommend a private tour if you haven't been there before.

I usually cruise the week after Thanksgiving and they decorate the ship as we sail.

It's very easy for him to trip in smaller spaces because he doesn't have room to sweep the area in front of him with his white cane. Also, he has to have a walk-in shower with no steps as he has trouble negotiating them. It's also safer for him to sit down in the shower, and the HC showers are large enough to do this.

Just curious if anyone has stayed in one? We have 9108 booked for November. My boyfriend is blind and I was just wondering if there's plenty of room for him to maneuver with his cane. Thanks!

I'm supposed to be visiting those 3 ports on Navigator in March, but they weren't allowed to stop last week when something like 4.8% of the crew tested positive for covid that day.

The most recent cruise on Navigator of the Seas was not allowed to let passengers off in Puerto Vallarta because the crew covid percentage was too high, so it's always possible a ship will not be allowed to stop at all.

I took a taxi there and walked back.

I've gone with Vallarta Food Tours and they were great. Did a Segway tour in Mazatlan, saw people eating lobsters at a restaurant in the old city plaza, and returned after the tour to eat there. I think the lobster meal and margarita were about $24.

On 11/11/2021 at 11:14 AM, amcb said:

Thanks!  This is very helpful.

 

If we did decide to do our beach day in Cabo, do you have any recommendations as to the best place to go?

 

In Mazatlan, would you recommend a private tour? Right now the ship's offerings are minimal at best.  We are sailing on Navigator of the Seas and I do realize they have not yet started any of their sailings yet. I am hopeful that there will be more excursions once they get up and running.

 

Thanks again!

🙂 amcb

We did a private Segway tour in Mazatlan and it was great! We preferred the old city for restaurants vs. the "Golden Zone," but both areas have nice, reasonably priced places.

I had one of these on the Edge in March 2020. Yes, you could open the door and go out onto it. It was covered and had porthole type large openings in it and you could feel the wind and sun. I would prefer to be in AC so I have an infinite balcony (which we toured and loved on the Edge) on Apex in 3 weeks.

Yes, I got this too. Expected but very disappointing. I considered cancelling the cruise, but I'm in it for the ship more than the itinerary. I loved Edge.

12 hours ago, Kreative03 said:

Someone was asking about Eden - the space feels the same and absolutely worthless as it does on Edge. The ramp of wasted space and the odd seating with the silly cafe. Dining room and second level still inaccessible from their respective levels but the lift is available. Royal does this concept 10x better on the Quantum class and they should leave it there. 

Ah, it would be a boring world if we were all the same. Eden was my absolutely favorite place on Edge.

15 hours ago, Kreative03 said:

Hi all! We’ve made it aboard and are finally settling in. I don’t do a traditional “live” report so you will get the important things from my perspective and I will take requests best I can.

 

First things first - covid testing is as you walk in. Pre-register online and you get a QR code. If you don’t, they will get you a QR code but it works poorly (for now). The swab wasn’t comfortable but it is an Abbott antigen test. They declined to test my 2 year old despite her being registered and it being said as a requirement - but the other two kids with us were tested (ages 2 and 4). Results took around 18 minutes for me, but our other group of 7 returned a bunch of results sporadically at best. We were told it should be 15-20 minutes. There was a lot of confusion and folks waiting longer than necessary because it required savvy to get their results. (App, website login, or email)

 

After that, getting onboard required a passport check and scan of the xpress pass. Next was security which also reviewed them, and then off to the ship.

 

Went straight to the room and 2 out of 3 bags were there. One was delivered to my sisters room despite being pre-tagged.

Onboard now and eating lunch. Let’s hear those questions.

 

If you are fully vaccinated, do you have to covid test?

2 minutes ago, camella said:

Took your recommendation and booked this hotel!  We need two rooms so I didn't want to pay the extra that the Athens Gate was charging but both look like great hotels.

It has never disappointed me in at least 8 stays.

On 5/16/2021 at 1:04 AM, upwarduk said:

At least 3 Apex sailings would be effected; CelebrityCruises are very slow to announce their intentions.😱

I'm booked on the July 31 Apex and doubt every day that it will even leave Athens.

26 minutes ago, downsmead said:

Sounds like classic X - ask two reps, get two completely different answers!
 

In the past, one person in a cabin could upgrade from Classic to Premium, it did not require both people to. We do this every cruise as my husband likes martinis and drinks spirits straight. I on the other hand am quite happy with the Classic package and pay the extra for the occasional drink not covered. I hope this is not a new thing piggy backing on the AI making all occupants take the upgrade ☹️

My friend and I have done the same thing, as I don't need the premium package. But recently I saw in writing that they would not allow only one in the cabin to upgrade. So - big surprise - they're breaking their own rule lol.

4 hours ago, TexCalCruiser said:

We are on the Apex Sep 25 and I upgraded myself from Classic to Premium for 10.80 per day

 

My wife doesn’t drink alcohol so we kept her at Classic

Interesting. My upgrade was $75 and change and I was told both people in the cabin HAD to upgrade.

Well, I'm booked on the July 31 Apex cruise and I'll make do with whatever they decide. Having been on the Edge in March 2020, I know spending more time on Apex will NOT be a punishment lol.

29 minutes ago, Etta1213 said:

Their experience was horrendous! So unfair. I suppose there is no one to appeal to for refund. Wow!

The requirements are clearly stated in many places. I live on Oahu and every day hear stories about people who were turned away because they did not used one of Hawaii's "trusted partners." I'm sure there is some money exchanging hands between these partners and the state of Hawaii, and that's a shame, but the requirements are very clearly spelled out and all people have to do is look them up.

Yep! I'm on Apex on July 31 out of Athens and I just upgraded to premium. It was $75 for a 7 day cruise.

2 hours ago, bEwAbG said:

 

Completely agree with this sentiment.  We were considering a trip to Hawaii this summer but when faced with the hoops you have to jump through combined with knowing that it won't be a "regular" experience for so many things once you get there, we decided to wait.  One example is just on the flight over, where many airlines are still offering very limited services on the plane.  While I don't plan my trips around airplane food, meals in premium cabins are often still just a sandwich or fruit/cheese tray, and such things become a bigger consideration when you're flying for a full day. Hotels have varying levels of service, too, and I've learned by experience that even if they say something is still available, you may face a different reality.

 

Another example closer to home is here in DC where crowds are pretty sparse but very few things are operating on a normal schedule.  Most of the Smithsonian museums are going to reopen in a few weeks, but they are capacity limited, meaning you will have to plan based on when you can secure a timed entry ticket.  A lot of the buildings one would normally go inside are closed (Washington Monument, Library of Congress, National Archives).  You can now visit Arlington Cemetery again, but there are COVID protocols in place (masks mandated, social distancing required).  The open air monuments are pretty much all open but services around the National Mall have been curtailed.  It's a completely different experience from what anyone would normally have.

I live on Oahu and have traveled to the Big Island and Maui in the last month. Believe me, everything is pretty much back to normal except that masks must be worn indoors. A few places (such as climbing Diamond Head) still require masks.

On 5/1/2021 at 5:40 AM, Lane412000 said:

Steve, are the excursions for Celebrity only viewable after a cruise is booked?  We have been thinking of jumping on the August 14th sailing, but cannot locate the offered excursions and prices.

 

We will probably skip anyway unless Celebrity lifts the ban on self booked private tours, so fingers are crossed.

 

Hey, separate question ---- think CA will allow LSU and UCLA to play in the Rose Bowl in September? Another trip we are wanting to book but awaiting word on the game

When I asked Celebrity if you were required to book their excursions, they said no, it was up to the passenger. Where does it say otherwise?