bludevil

On 12/10/2023 at 10:06 PM, Jim_Iain said:

When boarding Edge on 11/25 - anyone with wine in hand luggage were stopped and the agent took the bottle out and checked the label and that it was sealed.    Limit was 1 bottle per person. They were strictly enforcing.   This was in Singapore where of course rules are strictly enforced for everything.

Any other advice about boarding in Singapore? I'm heading there very soon.

I am wondering the same thing. This refundable vs non-refundable deposit thing is confusing. I'm nervous a price reduction might mean a cancellation and rebooking.

I'm also trying to figure out of paying the extra amount for a refundable deposit is worth it since it is more than the deposit amount we would lose. 

I'm annoyed. I was looking at some of these trips and messaged Celebrity to see when the good deals were set to end. They told me they had no end date and that it was based on availability. Now every trip itinerary I try isn't available anymore. I was planning to book something this weekend. 

Is anyone else having any luck?

22 hours ago, RollWave said:

As a Floridian with a son who lives in Texas I want to stick up for both places. BTW - we are fully vaccinated & boosted and wear masks when we deem necessary.  I tend to doubt any state has residents in 100% agreement with any policy/procedure/thought process. It is unfortunate that the Floridians & Texans who you encountered had attitudes & beliefs disagreeable to you.

 

Florida & Texas are very large and diverse states. 

Ditto... says this Floridian. 

19 hours ago, camella said:

Are you on the July 1st sailing?  We are too!  

I am!

I'll be onboard in two weeks!!! Can't wait!

On 1/4/2022 at 11:05 PM, phoenix_dream said:

I am looking at Walgreens in the Tampa area.  I am not seeing a single site that has testing options available for any upcoming dates.  Any advice?  

Try booking exactly a week out and as close to midnight as you can when they load them into the system. The appointments are full otherwise. 

I got the same email from RC and don't understand how they can outright ban anyone with a passport from China, Hong Kong, ir Macau regardless of residence. 

One of my favorite trips. Bring a hat, scarf, and gloves for being on deck when you're going around the horn. It can be chilly.

I'm looking at cabin 9059 on the Mariana and it is right near the elevators.

Can someone please tell me if there is a wall between the elevators and the cabin doors or are the cabin doors right in the elevator area?

I have been in a cabin before where the door opened right into the elevator area and all we heard all night was the ding from the elevator and people saying goodnight and talking about their plans for the next day.

I like the location, but am concerned about this.

Question re internet: Does anyone know if Kdam has switched over to the new tiered pricing level that is unlimited amount of minutes? If so, what was the price on your cruise? We are also going on a 21 day Kdam cruise soon.

When I asked a few weeks ago, they said they just had the per minute packages. I hope they change over soon. I think we're on the same 21 day cruise. :)

I was on the NYE cruise in Dubai last year and was one of the lucky people to get off the ship and see the fireworks very close to the Burj. I heard people could see them from the ship but not really well. I have been on several NYE cruises on Celebrity (and I'll be on one again this year in Australia/NZ) and they're great. The pool deck is usually the place to be. If the weather is nasty, the fun will be inside. This makes for a very hot gathering, but still fun.

I was on the Constellation last year and my friend did the Taj tour with Celebrity and I did it on my own after. It's only about a 3 hour flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi.

Both of us had great experiences. She had great things to say about the tour. I would say I would have been sad to miss Cochin and Goa. New Mangalore wasn't that much of anything. If you can work it out, I'd suggest doing it on your own either before or after the cruise. If that is not possible, don't miss the opportunity to be that close to the Taj Mahal and not go see it.

I was one of those people who saw the fireworks from the nearby hotel balcony and it was amazing! We arrived back at the ship at about 4 or so, but it was totally worth it!

Before I found out about this opportunity, I did some research and found the Four Points Sheraton had a good balcony with a nice view and a festive event package to go along with it. If you can, I highly recommend either staying in a hotel room in Dubai or making arrangements to get to and from the city and back to the ship. As a previous post mentioned, the roads shut down so you can't get in or out.

I went to India on the Constellation last year and if you're American, you will need a multiple entry visa to get into India. The e-visa will not work since you will be arriving via ship and not plane.

A very nice alternative to Cagney's is the small breakfast buffet with egg station they set up inside Moderno restaurant, which is adjacent to the open air aft deck area called the Aloha Lanai. It's not really crowded. I think most people may assume it's for Suites only since the specialties are generally not open for breakfast. You can eat inside, or carry out your plate to the Lanai tables and enjoy there.

 

 

So can anyone eat breakfast in Moderno? Is there a charge?

I sailed on Millennium a few years ago and the ship handled everything for us for Vietnam. I think there was a minimal charge to our shipboard accounts.

Does the tour in Kauai that includes the canyon and luau sell out? I'd like to wait until we are onboard to book so we can use some of our onboard credit, but don't want to risk it not being available.

The offer filled up a few weeks ago and even if it was in your Amex offers (like it was for me) it isn't available now. The moral of this story is if you see one of these great offers and don't know if you're going to use it or not, add it to your card anyway. Once too many people add it to their cards, registrations stop for it. I lost $100 because of this. :(

I flew from Abu Dhabi to Delhi after the cruise for a three day Taj extension and then flew back to the USA from Delhi. I had the extra time and chose to do it that way for several reasons. One is economics. I was already paying for several nights of a cruise and if I went off to the Taj, I would have been essentially paying twice. This way, I also only ended up paying for one additional plane ticket which was Abu Dhabi to Delhi instead of two. The second reason was it also felt less rushed to me. I was able to enjoy all the ports and the sea days... and the Taj. I was happy with my choice to do it this way.

My flight left Abu Dhabi at about 2pm and landed in Delhi at about 7:40 pm local time. We went to our hotel, had some food, and went to sleep ready to start a new adventure the next day with a tour of Delhi. The day after that, we went to Agra and the Taj and stayed the night in Agra. The next day we went to Agra Fort, drove back to an airport hotel in Delhi, and took off on a flight that left at about 3:20 am.

Somewhat out of order, but it does have a Christmas scene.

 

Our guide in Mangalore was a business student at St. Aloysius College and took us to see the famous St. Aloysius Chapel.

 

 

It is noted for it's fabulous ceiling paintings

 

 

 

It had it's own manger scene.

 

 

 

 

Our guide said he would be continuing to work towards getting an MBA and then he was hoping to be able to be a professional guide - as it was one of the highest paying jobs available!!

do you have any other photos of the inside of the church? Our guide told us photos were not allowed, so I stupidly listened!

Our tours with Lijo were great. I think Mangalore was just a waste in general, although the cashew factory was interesting. The Artisan's Village was a big bore.

so cool to re-live the cruise through your pics. I'm stealing your pic of the Oman flag guys for my photo book! I never had my camera ready fast enough!

I just did the same cruise over Christmas and New Year's and it was one of my best trips ever. I ditto everything people have said about booking with Lijo Jose and going into Dubai for New Year's. It was AWESOME!

I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport and it was super convenient. If you want to go into the city, there is a bus that takes you directly to Piazza Roma. A cab to the port the next day is a breeze. I felt it was much better than lugging bags around Venice.