kathynorth

Yes, it's quite a bit of walking to get through the airport. If you're wife uses any sort of walking aid, like a cane, an attendant will hopefully offer to move the two of you to the local immigration line instead of the very long foreign entry line. At least this is what happened for us when they noticed me on line with a cane.

Yes, the penguins do smell a bit, but it was quite windy during our trip, so not too bad unless you are overly sensitive to smelly animals and like to stand close to them. When we arrived at Volunteer Point one of our fellow cruisers offered me a pair of OR booties to wear, which I initially declined. Not 2 minutes later I was gratefully accepting her offer. The poop was everywhere! We also walked amongst the penguins at El Pedral, but it wasn't so bad there.

We've been to BA twice. We stayed at the BA Hilton in Puerto Madero in Dec 2018, then at the Palladio just south of Recolleta area in Feb 2023. Both of these areas were very nice and close to popular sites. This past trip we took taxis and Ubers all over the city for less than 5 usd/ ride. Set up an Uber account while still at home if you don't already have an account, then log into your account after arriving to your hotel. It takes some time for Uber to verify you as a legitimate user in a new country. Since it's very easy and inexpensive to travel to the various BA neighborhoods make your decision based on what feels most comfortable to you. If we visit BA again, we'll probably stay closer to the Recolleta Cemetery mostly because I liked the old European feel of that neighborhood. Puerto Madero had more of a modern contemporary feel.

We picked up one of those touristy maps from the front desk of our hotel. I did use my iphone during our 3 days of touring in BA, but I was super careful the entire time. My DH laughed at the time, but I was cautious after watching several YouTube reports on how to protect your phone while in BA. Suggestions like keep the phone in your hand that's closest to a building and not on the street side. Put the phone in your purse or pocket if you hear a scooter or motorcycle approaching. Don't leave your phone on the table while you eat. These may seem unnecessary, but we did meet 2 separate couples on our cruise who had iphones stolen from table tops while in BA. One person distracts you so you look away, while another snatches the phone. Very sad.

This is a summary of our DIY when we traveled to Iguazu in Dec 2018. Prices may be a bit different these days, but I'm sure they'll be way less than the Celebrity tour. My advice is to stay for 2 nights. If you do book your own flights through Aerolineas, be sure to book through the Argentina site and not the US site. Prices for the same flights are significantly different.

I'm another Celebrity french onion soup lover! I always order this on my first night, last night and somewhere in the middle. I've found it to be consistent across ships.

Or some PUPs!

Where did you find the sweepstakes rules? I've been trying to figure out if they will post the winners somewhere and if they are posting on a daily basis or will post all 7 winners after the week is over.

50% off the base refundable All Included rate, before any Celebrity discounts are applied.

Yes, that's Captain Kate's cat. The cat was sitting on the bar during yesterday's search.

Thanks for the suggestions. I finally got the towel! I tried the desktop, then my cell, then back to my desktop. During one of my logins most of the people disappeared and I was able to click on the towel. Very strange. Now I'm wondering if clearing the cookies might have worked.

I see the glowing towel, but when I click I keep getting the chat boxes for all those people.

How were you able to click on it? I think all those people standing there found the towel and then just logged off. Now they are in the way. They need to figure out a way to have the avatar to disappear when someone logs off or is inactive for say 5 minutes. This way others can participate.

So now you have me looking for a guy in a blue flannel shirt. Problem is that there are quite of few of them dressed the same way. None of them seem to have a towel!

I just kept hitting refresh and logging back in. I eventually got in and after lots of searching found the champagne glass.

Yes, I kept hitting refresh and was eventually let in.

This may be the case for those who book at the suite level, but the lowest priced cabin on Oceania is way more expensive than the typical veranda, oceanview or inside cabin on Celebrity.

Are you cruising out of Bayonne? I cruised on Summit with my mother who required a wheelchair transport. I notified special needs about embarkation and also rented the scooter for onboard. As we got out of the car a porter noticed how difficult it was for my mom just to get out of the car. He pointed out that there were benches to sit on and that a Celebrity employee would be out shortly. About 5 mins later someone arrived with a wheelchair. We were whisked to a side check in line, then he brought her up the gang plank, then asked if we wanted to stop by the cabin or to the buffet. We chose to go to the cabin to pick up the scooter. As an fyi, she was able to use the scooter while in the Dockyard. We went to Guest Services and borrowed a wheelchair that we used when we took the ferry to St. George’s and Hamilton.

We have lots of favorites, but IMO what's missing from your list is one of the South American itineraries. We've been on 2 cruises to SA and enjoyed both. If you watch pricing you can get a great deal sailing out of Buenos Aires. Be sure to plan extra time for BA if you go there. If money is no object, then consider a Galapagos cruise.

I haven’t received this one, but did receive a 60% BCC in the past. You do need to cost out each sailing then compare it to the current offers to see what makes sense for you. The 60% off is for both passengers, but off the initial refundable deposit Celebrity rate before any promotion is applied. This was a deal when we booked 2 of our long and expensive cruises, but worked out to be more when we attempted to book a shorter Caribbean cruise.

Nice summary! 🤣

Speaking of radar, be very careful with your speed when driving in Iceland. There is radar everywhere. They warn you with signage when a speed is about to change. The penalty for speeding is very high and is charged to the rental agency. The rental agency then charges your credit card with an added fee that is very high. You won't know you were caught speeding until weeks after you arrive home from your trip. Plus with the wide open and often empty roads it's very easy to speed without noticing.

The Celebrity app is free and works off the ship Wi-Fi for free. There is a messaging feature in the app.

Yes, I was referring to Captain's Club matching. We're currently researching a cruise on a RC ship, so I'll need to looking into their status match options. Thanks for the info!

My DH and DD were status matched with me as I’ve taken 2 cruises they didn’t. However, my MIL who has lived with us (same last name) for the past 30 years isn’t status matched. Her first Celebrity cruise was taken after the Captains Club revamped the point system, so we thought status matching wouldn’t apply to her.