markeb

Don't know that I'd heard of the hotel either, but agree it's a good location. Midtown East has always had a nice feel to me. MTA has a weekly cap (something at least reasonably new) using their OMNY tap and go system. Most contactless credit cards and Apple Pay/Google Pay work fine, and you're capped at $34 for a 7 day period. That really makes most passes redundant for visitors. And from that location, as stated, you'll walk more than ride. You didn't say how long you're in the city, but I'd generally expect to take the subway to the Financial District, SOHO or the Village. Also if you decide to go to the Met. You'll walk to most Midtown sites.

Is it a large portion of their customer base? I don't know. I'm not an iOS app developer so I don't know if they chose to use an API that was native to iOS 17 and not present in iOS 16 or lower. I don't know if they did that for convenience or cost or both. Or did they just not do the version testing to validate the software. Again, the actual developers probably don't know anyone with an iPhone that won't run iOS 17. (And their statement of work clearly didn't require compatibility below iOS 17.) I did a random look at a number of other apps, including banking and credit card apps, and many of them support iOS as low as 13 (surprisingly). So it certainly seems likely Celebrity could support earlier versions of iOS if they chose to. What I am confident of is they actually KNOW how many users of their apps are running an iOS version lower than 17 and how many have an iPhone that won't support iOS 17. At least at the RCG level, since they're probably using the same app developer for RCI as Celebrity. And if that data said it was really a large portion of their customers, they'd have made the app downward compatible. The RCI population may raise the iPhone and iOS versions. Or they are truly criminally stupid. And you don't need the latest iPhone. Just newer than 8.

The App Store still say 17 or higher.

Didn't say I'd buy one. Certainly not at that price...

Seriously? That's the going rate, and typically more, for cocktails in most hotels, resorts, and metropolitan areas. Including Seattle and Bellevue. $20-25 isn't unusual in Manhattan. It's all a matter of your frame of reference, but living near DC, Philadelphia, and NYC and traveling to other metropolitan area, $17 isn't going to cause me to blink. I'm not having three of them, but it's not out of the ordinary. I think a Bud Light is $17 at Nationals Park (MLB)!

To piggy back off princeton123211's post, if you're wanting to stay in "Baltimore" with things to do, there aren't shuttles. If you want a shuttle, you'll need to check around the airport area, but may need to Uber to the actual port. There will be much more to do in the harbor area. Today that's mostly Harbor East to Fell's Point. Along with the hotels they mentioned, a slightly off the beaten track location is the Hotel Monaco. It was the old B&O Headquarters and is a Kimpton property now under IHG. Nice, slightly quirky rooms. Really nice onsite restaurant and bar. If you're arriving in town late and just want to crash, there are some full service hotels around the BWI/Elkridge area that will have restaurants. Again, you may be on your own to get to the cruise port. The O'Donnell location mentioned above is one of the most polarizing hotels on the East Coast. People from outside the DMV area seem to love it. No one (maybe an exaggeration, but not much) who lives anywhere in the DMV or have ever traveled to that part of Baltimore would stay there. I met relatives there years ago. Would never go back. I understand the bus stop and travel plaza aren't there anymore, but that's my memory, and it's not a good one. There's a perfectly good Marriott and Westin (and others) near the airport.

How are you traveling to Southampton? The County Hall area mentioned above would be very convenient if you're taking the train. Along with the Premier Inn, there's a Marriott (probably beyond your desired limit), and the Park Plaza. You'll probably need to join their loyalty group (Radisson, now apparently) for the best rates, but the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is a very nice hotel, just across Westminster Bridge from the houses of Parliament, and very close to HOHO and Thames River cruise stops. It looks to be available right at your limit, with breakfast and a flexible rate. That would be another option I'd seriously consider. There are a couple of other locations in that area; I've only stayed at the Westminster Bridge location. https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-plaza-westminster-bridge-london The simplest non-walking tour is probably one of the Hop On buses. Use it for an overview, not for transportation. I know they stop along the Embankment, and again you may be able to combine a ticket with a river cruise to the Tower or all the way to Greenwich. We'll see if one of our London residents has a better idea for a non-walking tour. They probably exist, but they may be pricey (to say the least). London, to me, is a Tube and walk place.

You can probably get a USB battery charger for the Sony batteries if you want to. I have an a6500 and the batteries are notorious for running down, so I travel with several batteries. But if you don't have that issue, you'll just have to rotate plugs. And carry two adapters if you need to charge everything at the same time. One tip in the UK: The outlets are switched. At the outlet. There will be a little switch on the outlet and you have to flip that switch to get power. It "may" be on when you first plug in, but that's not the desired position. We're doing 3 days in Denali and two days in Seward pre-cruise to take the train. Spending our debarkation day in Vancouver.

May 31st. Early season so hoping for the best on weather. What kind of tablets, phones, and cameras? If they use any of the standard connectors (Lightning, USB C, micro USB, etc.) they're really easy to charge off of a hub; you just need cables if you don't already have them. The charging hubs are all multi-voltage. I have a USB C battery charger that will charge 2 camera batteries for my Sony at the same time, and can also plug into the hub. That cuts down on space, and all I need to do is grab the right plug adapter for where I'm traveling. All of that can be found on Amazon and they're not that expensive. That's assuming you don't already have everything I'm talking about! Not an electrician or electrical engineer, but I'm not sure a US surge protector can safely be used on a UK circuit even if you step it down with a converter. And I don't think using the surge protector after stepping the current down is a great idea. As I say, I've never used one and have never had issues.

I've never used a surge protector in 30 years of travel to Europe, including the UK. What kind of electronics? Do they charge by USB? Can they charge by USB even if they have an adapter? What's the voltage of your adapter(s)? In almost all circumstances (US purchased Braun Oral B toothbrushes being one notorious exception) your charging adapter is 110V - 240V 50/60hz. If so, the most you'll need is a plug adapter, Type A/B (US) to Type G (UK). That's a different plug than the standard European continental Type C/F adapter. Honestly, I wouldn't take anything that actually required a voltage converter. If your devices will charge by USB, then take a USB charging hub and some cables.

Pretty sure Jim actually doesn't drink. From past posts Iain sounds like more of a white wine drinker. Long way of saying I doubt it, but will wait until Jim comes back and answers...

They'd be with the menus, but usually in a separate tab for wines. If you're not seeing anything, change to a current sailing.

Too many hotels to choose from. If I'm reading correctly, you're looking for one night? How many people and rooms? What's your budget? What time do you arrive in LGA? Are there things you want to do or see before the cruise? Are you simply looking for a place to eat, or a really nice meal? Most nicer hotels will be in Manhattan. Lower Manhattan can be more affordable than Midtown and there are ways to get to Brooklyn by ferry if you so desire. Midtown is generally more expensive, but there's more to do if you're arriving earlier in the day. There are hotels in Brooklyn as well, of course. If you're arriving late and just want a place to stay, those are good options. Beyond that, depends on budget and preferences.

Decoy is showing up for Summit next month in Luminae, at $17. Not that it represents some great buy or great wine, but it is available in the app. But it's a pretty pathetic by the glass list for Luminae! I'd probably pay the upcharge for the Kiona Merlot under protest, but there's no way on earth (or anywhere else) that I'd pay $2.40 more for Conundrum! Unfortunately, I've not found on my more recent sailings any real ability of the server to suggest a wine. It's more of a "do you want a cab or a merlot?" discussion, if they have a merlot available. With rare exceptions, they're just not that skilled at wine pairings. Admittedly, it's a 7-14 day menu so it would be harder to match on the fly, but I'd think they'd work up pairings ahead of time. And agree on Decoy... (Now if they had Duckhorn, it would be a different story.) I'll wish you luck on the research. A number of folks have talked about Regent and their all included model. It took some work, but I tracked down one of their wine lists (here on Cruise Critic, I believe) and while all (that I looked at anyway) their by the glass offerings were included, they were still pretty pedestrian wines. The French restaurant onboard did have an interesting selection of French wines that I'd probably try. I'm reluctantly accepting that the drink package is a better deal for cocktails, maybe rum, and some whiskies. So far the martinis are included, although I'm more of a whisky cocktail person. The wines are not great, and many aren't even that good. The best benefit to the package if you want a nice glass of wine with dinner is probably the bottle discount. That just makes it more difficult to have a different glass of wine with your courses or for my wife and I to have a different wine based on what we're ordering. The "other reds and whites" that were once a key feature of the Luminae wine list aren't in the app anymore. And if they're onboard the servers (I largely refuse to call them sommeliers) rarely offer them unless you really ask.

The last time we cruised in a sky suite, in November, we had large bottles of I believe Evian in the cabin that were replenished by the butler/cabin steward at no charge. Those were on the counter and not chilled (which we actually preferred). The mini-bar is not (officially) included in a sky suite or celebrity suite. Your butler/retreat host "may" offer to replenish it. If they don't, your best bet is probably to ask them to empty the fridge so you can put your own drinks in.

FYI, you can accomplish the same thing by saving your passes to your phone's wallet. Without internet, it's a static copy just like a paper copy. (As an aside, if you buy an event ticket through most ticket services (Ticketmaster, for instance), they will tell you screen shots and printouts of the ticket in your app aren't accepted. But the ticket in your phone's wallet is. The only event tickets I've had in hard copy for years are the ones I've bought directly at the box office (usually theater tickets in NYC) or specialty tickets (floor seats, pit for some shows, etc.) with restricted distribution to reduce resale and scalping. And since they're all thermal printed and fade out, they're not even good souvenirs anymore.)

A lot of people pay for experiences. That's what we're doing by cruising, isn't it? You cook it steak places were pretty popular a few years back. Haven't looked for one in years. It wasn't about the steak; it was the experience. Cook your own steak, paint and wine shops, cupcake decorating, and art classes have nothing to do with the product or not knowing how to cook a steak or frost a cupcake. It's the experience. The cupcake experience on RCL's Freedom and Oasis class ships was always booked solid. People sign up for the mixology classes on Celebrity. And wine tastings. The glass blowing is a lot of fun. It's all the same. People are buying an experience and maybe they learn a little in the process. That's actually a recurring theme in most marketing to Millenials in particular; they buy experiences over products. No issue if you don't get it. Just means you're not the target market. But they're successful enough that there is a target market.

Thanks! I was looking at a trip planner, either TFL or Google Maps, and it was giving a much longer travel estimate than that. Maybe time of day, or it was planning a long slow walk to and from the Tube. Don't recall exactly, but I'm thinking it was over a half hour total travel time, and the Abbey's posted hours are an early closing time.

The App Store still says iOS 17 or higher. Curious if anyone on 16 got it to install.

Assuming everyone has a unique logon, and not everyone has an iPhone, WhatsApp should be fine. If everyone has an iPhone, just use iMessage. In either case if you have alerts on you’ll receive an alert.

Boulud is the Executive Chef. He designed the menu. It’s prepared by the chefs onboard. Which is mostly true of any restaurant.

Did you look in the app? That’s your best source. Per the app, for my Summit sailing next month, Whispering Angel is $17. There’s a Le Bel Olivier, also French, at $10. There may be others.

Where? Generally open all night if docked. I've never done it at a tender port, but pretty sure they run at a reduced frequency all night.

Marriott, United Airlines, Target, REI... Every app in the iOS store that allows in app purchases has had this almost from the beginning of iOS. If that's all the wallet is, then there's no good reason for it to require iOS 7! App development on the cheap? EU requirements? Some other driver of iOS 17? Understand. But every app in the iOS store that allows in app purchases can do this and could do this probably going back to the first version of iOS. I don't expect a cruise company to be a great IT company, but this one should be explained. Or fixed... The major change in their upgrade notes is the wallet. Maybe that's not the driver here. But if there's no real driver...

Do you mean the old Celebrity app? In the other thread people found they could no longer use the previous app. That’s what started that thread. Don’t expect the old app to continue to work fine.