TMLAalum

@8mma

Thanks. We are still nearly 18 months out, but I will call Martins next spring JIC.

6 hours ago, true45 said:

7123 — would not book again

This was sold as unobstructed.  If it truly was unobstructed I do like the Porthole Vetanda.

Oh great! We have this cabin booked for the Apex. Was there a worker there often? And was the equipment permanent?

I would love to hear opinions of the BEST choices in porthole verandas. The most forward DPVs have the window washing equipment blocking the view, so I thought 7123 would be far enough bag to be safe from obstructions......

Our friends were on that cruise and overall enjoyed it except for difficulty dining early in the MDR, which they solved by finding the OV grill, taking their meal outside and developing a good relationship with the bartender! 

1 hour ago, Cruising Is Bliss said:

You can't buy points, they have to be earned. That's pretty standard in the travel industry. 

But you can buy frequent flier miles aka points! 

On last year's cruise we were 2 Captain's Club points away from Elite Plus. We had just earned 5 points from a PUP video about 2 weeks prior to that cruise, but the rules indicated they would be awarded the 14th of the following month- after we disembarked. I emailed and called pleading for those points to be credited before we cruised, to no avail. We were really hoping to enjoy that Cafe al Bacio benefit!

Sorry for the OPs angst and even more sorry for her injury. Ship happens, even though the ship didn't happen. Imagine if the injury had occurred on the cruise!

Dang! Never got the email and we were traveling when the new PUP activity was released so my perusal of all the Celebrity threads on Cruise Critic was not as diligent as when I am home. Hate missing out on even 1 Captain's Club point.

FWIW, I computed that all my previous PUP efforts resulted in 77 points, without which we would still be 20 short of attaining Plus status. Even our May Summit cruise will not have gotten us there!

Using a HoHo bus is the perfect cure for jet lag! In Reykjavik, we took one loop around the city with our eyes wide shut and were refreshed enough the next time around to actually hop off and on!

Martins Taxis! Scroll down to Cruise Ship Transfers section:

Taxi zeebrugge, taxi brugge, taxi to bruges, havenvervoer (martinstaxi.be)

For convenience sake I've copied the information from the website-

CRUISE SHIP TRANSFERS

From Zeebruges cruise terminal to the center of Bruges and back cost € 110 per vehicle (up to 8 people maximum for the same price).
We bring you to the center ( Market Square). You do not have to walk 30 minutes to get to the center as when you take the train or bus ( you don’t lose time)
You can decide when you want to go back to the cruise ship by making an appointment with your driver.
Day trips to Ghent, Antwerp and Brussels are also possible.

Twice we've been to Zeebrugge and headed into Bruges, and this is the service we used. I booked Martins once since we had 8 in our group and the second time we lucked out by joining a roll call member who'd organized this. 

If you don't have others to share the ride, ask on your roll call. Even if only 2 more sign up, the price is a relative bargain!

33 minutes ago, Irelandlady said:

Thanks for all your help will look at the suggestions. 

We are lookingbat doing 4 day trips and clebraity  are looking for 950 dollers per person  which is too much  for us to afford

It would help if you posted the ports you are interested in on the Cruise Critic forum I linked in my post #6 above. I am sure you will get specific answers as to how to DIY those ports for far less than $950 per person.

@Irelandlady

I head to the Ports of Call forum when looking for options for what to do in ports other than taking a ship's tour. Here is the link to the specific forum that covers your cruise area:

Mediterranean - Eastern & Western - Cruise Critic Community

Lately, roll calls have not been as active as pre-covid. However, another source of tips on what to do in ports would be Celebrity roll calls for the similar itinerary as yours. When we were looking into an Iceland/Greenland itinerary I found a wealth of links to private tours on the roll call for last year's cruise.

Although not cruise focused, Rick Steves' forums are another great resource: Italy - Rick Steves Travel Forum

Happy Planning!

Booking a NRD cruise while aboard only ties up $200 (maybe more for a suite?)

If cruise needs to be cancelled prior to 90 days out that is all that is lost. We will lose $200 for cancelling next year's Edge cruise because plans have changed. Travel insurance premiums for "cancel for any reason" would likely have been well in excess of $200, so we view that NRD as a loss we can absorb.

Re: my post #16.

I clicked on the link embedded into my MoveUp email from Celebrity which answered all the questions I asked in that post! 

Celebrity MoveUp – Upgrade Offer | Celebrity Cruises

2 hours ago, kluv2cruz said:

There’s a thread that’s quite helpful about this. Celebrity MoveUp Offer Tracker - Please Do Not Post Questions Here!

Can you please link this thread? Just received a MoveUp offer for our next cruise. 

This is our only opportunity to place a bid since all our other bookings are with the BigBox. I checked out which cabins have the greatest availability and think bidding on one of those might work at a lower number. But one of the categories available (non-suite) has only 3 open and I'd love to sail in one of those- can I bid on more than one cabin type?

We opted for a tour with Cape Breton Taxi Tours. Simon MacKay customized a tour for the 6 of us sailing together that includes Baddeck, St. Ann's and the Red Island hike (Red Island Hiking Trail - Cape Breton Island (hikecapebreton.ca)

Not enough coffee yet...

CC linked to cruise-

Cruise Critic?

Captain's Club?

It wasn't til the last paragraph of OP's post that the light dawned on me, even if it's not quite dawn here!

I am hoping that the forward facing OV cabins have chairs by the window as I've seen on pix of the Equinox. Our August sailing will be our 6th cruise on the Eclipse starting when she was a newborn in 2010!

YVR EXPRESS | YVR

We have Global Entry. Does signing up for a time slot via YVR Express give us any advantage in getting thru US Customs/Border Control? The website doesn't address passengers who have GE, just suggests using the Mobile Passport app. Our Air Canada flight to PDX departs at 1:30pm and we were planning on getting to the airport @11am.

17 hours ago, doghog said:

Our favorites have been cruising up the Saint Lawrence river to Quebec in late September, early October. Not crowed, warm, not windy, ok a breeze as the ship was moving and drinks flowing. Great weather and scenery.  

Oh, that would be nice too for our upcoming Eclipse cruise, Did you spot any whales?

7 hours ago, Elvis1209 said:

Where are you guys going?  Priscilla and I will be on Eclipse, May 11 to Bermuda.  It would be great to get a second chance to meet you!

 

Elvis

Dang! We are on (the) Eclipse but not until August 28! Does a cruise r/t from Boston call your name?

Final payment yesterday was for the Pacific Coastal on (the) Summit May 4.

Trying to convince Fred to head to his Oh-Year reunion at Kings Point this fall so maybe we'll run into you and Priscilla on Long Island then!

Hoping for an invite this May when we sail out of San Francisco. You can see by my CC photo that we have been on the helipad in the past!

@Lastdance

Sorry to hear about your DH's ski accident. Hope he recovers and is able to return to the slopes if not this winter than next for sure!

Reluctantly, we hung up our skis a few years ago, but our time at Heavenly with our adult son was one of our best trips west.

It's all good! Checked my cc statement and it did close yesterday. Paid my balance to Celebrity and took a screen shot of invoice indicating all paid up. And was able to switch from 6pm dining to Anytime!

3 hours ago, ExArkie said:

Our confirmation shows a date and time (5:00 PM EST) as when final payment is due. 

Yes, that is what is showing on my actual confirmation as opposed to the unclear language of "payment due by" when I check my booking on the website. Thanks.

I wasn't looking for an extension, just a clarification.

I will pay tomorrow online before 5pm EST which is the timeline to remit payment, print out confirmation that I am paid in full, and cough up the $$ on 3/28!

My cc close date is the 3rd of the month. Invoice states final payment is due BY February 4. 

Can I pay tomorrow?

Driving last June to spend a night in Ottawa prior to a longer stay in St. Hippolyte, we drove up 81, then took local NY roads along the St. Lawrence to Ogdensburg where we crossed the border to the 416. We were the only ones at the checkpoint going into Canada! Welcomed warmly! Easy peasy!

A few years back we flew out/into Toronto for an Icelandair flight. Parked our car at a Comfort Inn near the airport, staying there the night of our return on a stay/fly package, so it is a doable option.

However, every border crossing over the Niagara River we've ever made has been less than pleasant- lots of traffic leading to long lines, spendy tolls and unfriendly agents, particularly heading back to the US.

I concur with the suggestion to fly out of YOW vs, YYZ.

Try the coastal path.

We toured the mansions on a land trip:

Home | Newport Mansions

Some of the less opulent mansions may have less crowds than those on the ship tour, and are worth touring.

This website should help you decide if you can DIY:

Newport Rhode Island USA Cruise Port (whatsinport.com)