giggleshanks

On 1/6/2022 at 3:23 PM, semibeater said:

If you would be so kind which block of cabins on deck 7 are you in? Do you have a veranda? Port or starboard? You said forward. I am curious as I am on the next connie departure on that deck right now.

I just got off the Connie. About 15 or so Starboard, forward balcony cabins on deck 7 are blocked off with the fire doors closed for any possible quarantine. Guests are not able to even enter that hallway. 

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Try going to https://boards.cruisecritic.com/followed

 

It is a list to all of your subscribed threads.   You can control notifications from there.   I'm getting notifications.

Wow! Thanks.... I was able to go back and unfollow threads from as far back as 2010! All others say "notifications once a day".

Just not many people out there since they disabled the phone app.

Seems to get a little better each day.............. But I'm no longer receiving notifications. 😞

The port of Busan had a free shuttle from the port into Busan dropping us off in front of the Busan International Film Festival. The trip takes approximately 15 minutes and was handled efficiently.

 

We found an ATM that would accept our credit card and got some local currency. We found a tourist office which were very helpful in finding out about the Hop on Hop Off Bus. All the signs said that it did not operate on Monday's but she let us know that it was operating because our ship was in port.

 

We purchased tickets for 13,000 Yun (approx. $13) on the bus and set off on our 2 1/2 hour comprehensive trip around Busan. The temperatures were a perfect 75 degrees and not a cloud to be found.

Thanks soooo much for all your info and the amazing photos. I can't wait to see what you've posted each day. So glad you've got nice weather. Looking forward to our trip on the Millennium in Japan next April.

6:00 PM

 

Still in port of Kochi. Just advised that Hiroshima Port was just closed due to Typhoon Kong. The are working on alternatives and will advise when a decision is made.

 

 

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Wow, this Japan portion of your cruise sure has been an adventure! How’s the mood onboard?

Thank you for following along. It is always nice to know their is someone out there besides my family following along.

 

I'm sure you would love Japan. It is so different than much of Asia that we have visited. One thing that has impressed us and other guests is the friendliness of the Japanese and the cleanliness. It is hard to believe but I think it is cleaner than Singapore.

Thanks for sharing your experience on the Japanese Explorer! We are booked on the same itinerary next April.

hopeless....don't fret. We have been on two cruises recently where the previous cruise had norovirus and they delayed boarding so they could do a more thorough cleaning. Neither of our cruises had noro. They are, unfortunately, used to this and it's routine. For the first few days, you will be served in the buffet vs taking your own with a serving spoon...but then you will find you can serve yourself. There won't be nuts/nibblies on the bars or tables...but you can ask for them. Finally, as they always should, they will insist that you use hand sanitizer before entering the restaurants/food areas...and you'll see more staff wiping down stair/hall rails and similar.

 

Just use common sense (and yes, hope that others do as well)...wash your hands every time you return to your cabin, etc.

Thank You! That's encouraging

Yes, three elegant nights ....but elegant is stretching it. Been very casual all the time. And...seriously probably too much TMI... but bring extra underwear... it's so hot and humid that you'll go through two sets in a day. ... seriously. That's the kind of packing hints I would appreciate :evilsmile::evilsmile:

Wow! Thanks for the heads up! I’m expecting the heat and the humidity, didn’t plan for 3 dressy evenings. Hopefully the A/C onboard is adjusted to be comfortable indoors. :cool:

Really?

Is it a private post---as I don't see anything about this on the public posts on FB...the last major outbreak post is dated 2015

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The CDC web site shows no illness out break since 2015

http://www.cruisemapper.com/accidents/Celebrity-Infinity-658

We were notified that boarding will not start until 1:00. I called the port to see if we could drop off luggage earlier. They told me the pilot pickup is scheduled for 11, and Infinity would get to the pier at noon. We’ll see what happens.

The good news is: There is not a herd of people to disembark today!

I am very anxious to know how your cruise goes. I too am boarding in Ft Lauderdale on May 2 when you disembark. I hope you’ll have a chance to report in while you’re sailing.

As someone who has been looking forward to the April 17th sailing for over a year; please extend my thanks to your son in law for his efforts.

Please do report in DreadPirateRobert, as to what you discover during your awesome cruise. We board in Ft Lauderdale on May 2!

My son in law was flown from Madrid to Miami to board Infinity the day before it sailed to the Panama dry dock. Once his work was complete he left the ship just prior to it leaving the dry dock. He was then flown from Panama to Miami, to catch his home flight back to Madrid. A very slick operation.

Thank You Esprit! I just knew they had time to plan to get the people they needed in place in order to get things done. Did he give you any idea as to what all was accomplished while he was onboard?

I wonder what the crew members who serve the passengers do while in dry dock. I feel bad that they went 2 weeks without their gratuity income.

Essentially, it sounds like they did the dry dock because they had to...and had nothing planned or staged for it since they only had about a month to plan....which, unfortunately, is understandable. The infinity really needs some major updates...you can't clean bathroom mirrors that are losing their silver backing, bathroom floors that are buckling, doors that are askew/partially off their hinges, balcony doors that are almost too hard to open and so on. I'm just off the infinity's last cruise before dry dock and had a nice cruise...I'd sail the ship again if it had the itinerary I wanted...but it really needs more than just a cleaning. OTOH, as a stockholder, Celebrity was paying everyone on the ship during dry dock, so they might as well clean (or paint?).

They were in dry dock for 5 days and lost 2 weeks of income. I bet they used every minute of that time to do everything they could. Panama is a full service ship yard, so I bet they could ship in whoever and whatever they needed with a month’s notice. If Amazon can get orders to us in 2 days, imagine what a shipping line can do with fleet of ships. I will wonder if they will tell us about it.

Interesting. Thanks for that update.

I checked the Marine Traffic web site when I got home for work and she was headed south east (away from the locks!!)

When I checked it again just now, she's passed though the locks and in the Pacific headed for San Diego!! Yipee!

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-79.9/centery:7.2/zoom:10

Well if the propulsion problems haven't been sorted you can rest assured the upgraded sound system in the theatre will be excellent.

Find this itinerary in Celebrity Spain site

Wow.... we were on the preceding cruise and there was salt/pepper shakers on our tables in WJ with Grinders in MDR? So they made this change during your cruise or after we departed?

That did it..... ow I'm going to have to have breakfast for dinner this evening. Loving your photos and especially the copies of the daily activities.

Hello Giggleshanks

 

I see you will be staying in cabin 3056 on Serenade which will also be my cabin when I'm on the Serenade year.

 

Can you post a picture and let me know how the cabin location is and how accessible it is to elevators., etc.

I will try to remember to post a pic. Better yet, it wouldn't hurt to email me while I'm onboard and remind me ;-) ... giggleshanks@yahoo.com. Sailing Dec. 23-Jan 2.

Thanks and Bon Voyage

 

Collette

Marilyn

Thanks so much for sharing all this. My friends and I will be enjoying the same ship and itinerary beginning Dec. 23 through Christmas and the New Year's celebration.

Seeing your photos and reading your posts have me excited about my upcoming cruise.

We enjoyed a 5 hour Photography Tour our first afternoon in Bermuda. "Picture Perfect Tours" http://www.pictureperfecttours.net/tours/

My cousin and I spent an awesome afternoon with Aderonke. We are a couple of rookies who love to take pictures, but always have our camera settings on Automatic. Aderonke was so patient with us, showing us how to use our different cameras in Manual mode and take beautiful images. She took us to the most interesting spots to shoot, down the back roads and into pretty little lanes and out of the way places that a tourist would never know about. She told us all about Bermuda's history and culture too. What an incredible guide she is! This tour was the highlight of our stay in Bermuda!

Can anyone who's been on the dawn arriving on a sun at 11:00 let me know what they did and did the have time to visit any beaches with the shorten bus and ferry schedule? Thanks!

The reason everything in Bermuda seems so "Over Priced" is because it all has to be shipped in from someplace else.... mainly the US. They pay huge import taxes on every little thing they stock in their store. Enjoy the scenery and the friendly locals. Ride the buses and ferries, take lots of pictures..... Bermuda is lovely.

... BECAUSE I DIDN'T!!:rolleyes:

 

We docked at King's Wharf on Explorer OTS in May 2013. Day and a half in port. Part of our not having a good time was definitely the weather (not Bermuda's fault!). It rained off and on, temps in the 50's & 60's.

 

The good: we did a long tour of Bermuda which included dinner at the oldest continuing operating restaurant (even though it had closed once for several yrs) in Bermuda. The tour was informative and enjoyable (the tour leader was great). That was nice, but only works for people who are there for more than a few hours.

 

The bad: We felt the shops were way overpriced (Yes, its a tourist place, but still seemed excessive). We also took the ferry, went to the one main jewelry store where the sales clerks basically ignored us (unlike most Caribbean ports where they cater to you). Restaurants were overpriced compared to most ports. Our dinner was included in the excursion fare; met a couple who had a burger, fries, one beer each at a famous local pub and said they paid $80.

 

We'll be docking at King's Wharf in June, only there for half a day. Our plan right now is to probably hit Horseshoe Beach, but I'm open to suggestions:

 

So tell me why I should love Bermuda, and what I should do on my half day there....

If so, check out "Picture Perfect Tours" http://www.pictureperfecttours.net/tours/

My cousin and I spent an awesome afternoon with Aderonke. We are a couple of rookies who love to take pictures, but always have our camera settings on Automatic. Aderonke was so patient with us, showing us how to use our different cameras in Manual mode and take beautiful images. She took us to the most interesting spots to shoot, down the back roads and into pretty little lanes and out of the way places that a tourist would never know about. She told us all about Bermuda's history and culture too. What an incredible guide she is! This tour was the highlight of our stay in Bermuda!