jaspersmommy

Here is Sushi on 5...

We'll be on her in 10 days and can't wait to see all the upgrades!

 

A couple of questions; have you been up to the new Rooftop Terrace where they show moves? Have you heard of anyone complaining of the noise from the movies? Have you been to BO5 now that it is sushi?

 

Enjoy your cruise - we'll be watching for your review!

The rooftop terrace is beautiful! It's quite lovely up there. I haven't spoken to anyone directly inderneath. When we were up there it wasn't very loud, so hard to believe it would be bothersome to any.

We need pictures!!!! :D

 

I'll be on board her in 10 days!!

I forgot to mention in my original post... the new Xcelerate internet is absolutely horrible on this cruise. It's down more than it's up and horribly slow most of the time it is working. Posting pics may be impossible while we're onboard. Sorry. Will post some when the cruise is over.

Did they switch the floors for the MDR like they did on the Summit. Is Traditional now upstairs and Select downstairs.

Sorry, I haven't eaten at the MDR. Seems as though someone else was kind enough to answer though.

Thanks for the reassurance. Looking forward to your review and, if possible, pics? :-) We will be northbound on Millennium on 6/10. Did Tuscan Grille have any menu items that are throwbacks to the old specialty restaurants?

It's been a while since I'd eaten in the Olympic, so don't really recall the menu. However, I think it's safe to say the menu is all normal Tuscan Grille items. I couldn't have been happier with the food and service. Unfortunately, it's been two-thirds empty each time we ate there.

Interestingly, all suite guests were given a free dinner in a specialty restaurant on this sailing.

We are currently on Millie on an Alaska Northbound, with the ship just having gotten out of dry dock. Before we left I saw lots of posts from people with upcoming cruises who were anxious to see how the ship looked. I'm very happy to say she looks great. It was six years since we'd been on her, and I think she looks even better now than she did then. There is nothing I'm aware of that was closed or not completed during the dry dock. Carpeting in many public areas are new, lots of fresh paint, etc.

We've dined in Tuscan Grille twice and it's been outstanding... what a pleasant surprise. Luminae has been mostly good (although we had to send a really tough steak back). Blu has been great too. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. Those of you booked for upcoming Millie sailings can rest assured you'll be happy with the condition of the ship. I'll do a detailed review when we get home, but just wanted to let folks know they can rest easy... all is well. I'll hate for this cruise to end! :)

I am currently on the Millennium - first cruise after dry dock and the installation of Xcelerate. It's abysmal. It's been down more than it's been up and when it's up, it's painfully slow. I got unlimited internet as one of my perks. If I had paid extra for it, I'd be going ballistic. However, having said that, I guess I did pay for it, it was just buried in the fare. In any event, it's horrible!

Just a heads up that she sailed out of dry dock this afternoon.

...and picking me up on Thursday to sail to Alaska! I can't wait!!!! I haven't been on Millie for 6 years.

I have to wonder, of those that oppose "differentiated" service for higher-paying customers, how many of you have higher Captain's Club status? Do you refuse the CC perks you've earned as a result of spending more money with X than a first-time guest? :eek:

Fascinating article. I have been wondering why the cruise lines are increasingly differentiating services offered to high end passengers and services to the rest (such as myself, by the way.) As one who grew up in the shadow of Palm Beach, I knew full well the wealthy always had a lot more privileges than those with lesser financial endowments. Somehow, though, cruiseships seem like a very small confined area in which to be constantly bumping up against such stark differences for the duration of a week or two of cruising.

 

I started cruising before those differences became so obvious. it has just become much clearer in the last five or six years as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity give over more and more ship space to the so called "One Percenters."

 

I do sometimes ask why these folks don't choose to cruise on completely separate ships, exclusively for the wealthy. That would be even more exclusive than NCL's hidden Haven. Crystal comes closest to mind, but the Caribbean and Southern Europe are full of fabulous yachts that can be chartered with absolute privacy and exclusivity. The article does say, however, that Celebrity, Royal and NCL have no difficulty selling out their finest suites, so there is no easy answer to my question.

Why shouldn't the cruise industry provide different levels of services and amenities depending on the amount you're prepared to pay? Airlines, railroads, hotels, etc. all do it. I don't think that the "differentiated" services are just for the wealthy. I can assure you that I'm not wealthy, yet I will only sail in a suite and I love the extras that X offers to suite passengers.

Because I want higher-end accommodations and more amenities, I don't cruise multiple times each year, or even once a year for that matter. I take land vacations in between at a much more reasonable cost. I save hard for my cruises. I would not go to a luxury line unless I found an unusually low price. Suites on X have been more cost-effective than balcony cabins on luxury lines every time I've looked into an itinerary that interests me.

I haven't sailed in a PH suite, but I have no issue whatsoever with those pax getting more perks than me. They certainly pay for it.

Dungeness crab season in SE Alaska is around June 15 - August 15, and the fall season is around Oct. 1 to end of November. Not sure of the exact dates for 2016. Regardless if fresh or frozen, I love the food at Tracy's Crab Shack. Full of flavor.

 

From our trip in July 2014: https://twocruisingsisters.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/juneau-eats/

We'll be in Icy Strait Point the third week of May. Early - yes, but the price was right. :D We were looking forward to having crab again at The Office, we've enjoyed it so much in the past. Now I see that's before Dungeness crab is in season! Does anyone know if they serve any crab that early in the year... even if it's frozen?

How far is the lodge from the pier? If you sign up only for the crab feast, does the cost include transportation? There isn't a lot of detail on the website.

Thanks!

Try Carderos. They have oysters and it has a great location on the waterfront too. Beats sitting in a hotel.

We've used Kenai Fjords tours before and loved them. I wouldn't hesitate to use either.

The only thing they should do is sink her. She is so old and shapeless there is nothing they can to to put her in a decent state. I'm amazed they are investing more good money after bad. We felt second class in a rusty old pool and deck, dirty old stairs etc etc.

Oh please... I realize this stuff is somewhat subjective but try to be a little realistic.

Add me to the list of people who think the OP's demands were just silly. Why does he feel as though he has the right to be privy to the details of the investigation? Once the OP reported the issue, it became X's responsibility. There is no reason why X must report back to the OP seeking his approval of their actions.

The OP does not know the details of any investigation that may have ensued. Why would he assume that this meant X took no action? Perhaps they decided not to release any information to him since he was difficult and they wanted to minimize his continued involvement in the process.

My reaction after reading the original post? Sorry, but all I saw in my mind's eye was an unreasonable customer looking for a reason to complain. If the OP is convinced that he was wronged by X, then by all means he should boycott the line in future. However, methinks he will find fault wherever he goes.

Thank you everyone. I thought I could likely lock in the cheaper price, but I don't want to give up my current S1. We're on a northbound Alaska itinerary on Millennium and I got a really plum cabin assignment.

I'll give X a call and see if I can get the better rate. If I don't get anywhere I'll stick with my current assignment.

I appreciate all the quick responses. Thank you.

I have an odd situation I haven't encountered before and need an answer from the experts.

Tomorrow is final payment date on a cruise we have booked. We booked a W Guarantee, and have since been assigned an S1. As of this morning, the price of a W Guarantee on our sailing has dropped.

Since I booked a W Guarantee and we have not yet reached final payment date, can I get the lower price for this category? Or, since I have now been assigned an S1 suite, am I out of luck for the lower W Guarantee pricing?

Thank you.

Thank you Aurora for taking the time to post. That is great news. I would be so disappointed to miss the puffins! Much appreciated.

Thank you to everyone that responded, I really appreciate it. Hopefully, there will be some puffins for us to see. The weather has been mild, so maybe they will be back a little earlier than usual. They really are fun to watch... such unusual little birds.

I'm really hoping that someone out there might have an idea when the puffins normally return to the Kenai Fjords from their annual migration.

We will be in Seward on May 20 and 21 and we want to do a Kenai Fjords catamaran tour. We took one about 5 years ago and loved it, and the puffins were a real highlight for us. I don't want to book the tour unless the puffins are back.

If anyone has any idea when the puffins are usually back, I'd really appreciate it if you could let me knowl. Thanks!

Thanks all. I tried calling X anyway and tried 3 different people. No luck changing to S1. I was well aware that I could end up with anything when I booked it. There was only one accessible suite left but still several S1s when I booked the guarantee, so I thought there may be a chance I'd get an S1. I don't really care too much that it's accessible and yes, the extra space will be welcome. The bigger issue for me is that the accessible suites are on the port side, and I wanted starboard as it's a one-way Alaska cruise. I was hoping for the starboard view, not necessarily the S1 itself.

Oh well, I'm still fine with the accessible suite. I got the 4 Go Best perks plus the Extra deal for an additional $300 OBC, and it cost less money than the X cruise I booked two years ago for the same route on approximately the same date with NO perks. Everybody wins. :D

I've booked W class (suite guarantee) for an upcoming cruise. I have now been assigned an accessible Sky Suite. Normally, once your stateroom has been assigned, X will allow you to switch to another stateroom within the same category (although a couple of recent posters stated that they weren't allowed to do so...)

I'd like to change my stateroom if possible. Can anyone tell me if I should be allowed to change to a regular S1 now that my stateroom has been assigned, or is a regular S1 considered a different category of stateroom from an accessable Sky Suite? There are still several regular S1's available.

Thanks!

Hi from a :confused: slightly crazy cruise planner.

Here's the deal:

8 of us (4 couples) going on a Med cruise out of Civitavecchia next September. Having 3 days in Rome first and would like an apartment with 4 bedrooms, and 4 bathrooms.

I've looked at one on homeaway near Piazza Navona that looks fine but seems to have a Russian owner, and has no reviews.

Have read some worrying things on tripadvisor about certain apartment sites, (homeaway, rentalinrome, VRBO) Also read about scams where you send a deposit, then get told the apartment has been flooded and no refunds)

Beginning to wonder if just getting a hotel may be more reliable.

 

........................................help ..........................................

I think you will find many rentals are listed on each of these sites, so there isn't always an advantage to using one over the other. I wouldn't worry about using VRBO so long as you are smart about it. There were some problems reported a while back (the ones I saw were about 4 or 5 years ago). Some owners' email accounts were hacked and the hackers responded to rental enquiries, accepted deposits and ran. Since then, VRBO has tightened up. I use it quite frequently and have never had any problems.

With VRBO, I only rent places with several reviews and some of them must be recent. I check with the owner on how old the photos are. I'm picky about how much deposit is charged... you should compare a few listings and you'll quickly figure out what's reasonable. I've been researching Rome and Venice rentals myself recently and have been surprised by how many Italian rentals don't ask for a deposit up front - just a credit card guarantee.

Once I decide I want to rent a specific unit, I always call the owner using the telephone number shown on the VRBO listing. I won't use a number provided in the owner's emailed response just in case the owner's email account has been hacked (although I think there is far less chance of that happening now).

You'll find that many of the VRBO listings are from reputable management companies. You can google the management company to check reviews.

For our upcoming Rome stay, there are two couples going, and we even had challenges finding two suitable units in the same building. We ended up booking in the Vatican area since it is quieter. It's close to Metro and bus stops and only minutes away from the city centre.

Are you averse to renting individual units in the same building? If not, try Rome Aurelia Apartments. I want to be clear that I haven't stayed there so am not recommending it. However, the online ratings are excellent and there are lots of them. If you are having difficulties finding individual units for each of you, something like this may be a potential solution.

As good as it sounds (and I would personally do that tour), "Vatican Happy Hour" just seems wrong... LOL.:D