ChucktownSteve

Those beagles know too!!! While we were disembarking in Baltimore, I went to grab the luggage and the wife stood near the exit. When I reach her, she had been alerted on by the agriculture beagle. Turns out the beagle detected a banana she had in her purse on board the ship from the day before! Fortunately she wasn't handcuffed when I found her. lol

Thank you very much for all that information Steve. That gives me a lot to 'chew' on. I would love to see a plantation home. Maybe that would be the focus of my trip, besides the cruise!!

 

Thank you again!

 

Joyce. :D

Well then if you want to get the full plantation experience you might consider the combination of Middleton Place and the plantation owners in town home on the High Battery. Middleton Foundation also owns the Edmondston-Alston Museum House at 21 East Battery. http://www.edmondstonalston.com/

About 80 or 85% of the furnishings were original family owned and the house is kept period correct. That way you can get the full story from both perspectives. You can also see the effects of the Charleston earthquake of 1886 on the downtown house.

The house tour at Middleton place is actually in a remaining flanking house. The original house in the center and the other flanking house were destroyed during the Civil War I believe. Debris of those structures are still there. But they'll have to give you the accurate story. :D I'm just going from memory.

You can request that the herbal tea not be delivered to your stateroom. We like and drink the herbal teas. Have yet to get sick.

We didn't have to request the herbal tea not be delivered to our Aqua Class cabin in February because we never saw it. Didn't even know it was a perk.

Thanks to everyone for all your helpful hints about a stay in Charleston. I leave on a cruise out of there in November and was deciding whether to stay a couple of days. I think you answered my question about that ;)

I do have a few questions....

1. If I wanted to see a plantation house....is it feasible to take public transportation to it? Would you recommend one over the other?

2. Does Charleston have a HOHO bus or similar general touring company to get an overview of the city?

3. How does one get an Uber taxi? I won't have my cell phone, and I don't know much about them, except for the controversies.

I haven't decided where to stay...but it will either be in the Mt. Pleasant area or the airport area....

Thank you for any help. Joyce :D

I'll answer question 2 first because that's the easiest. No HOHO in Charleston but there is a free CARTA DASH trolley system downtown that has three routes. No tour info but it does get you around downtown.

http://www.ridecarta.com/riding-carta/routesmapsschedules/carta-dash-trolley-map-times

Regarding your plantation question, I'll share my opinions trying to be factual. However there are other valid opinions too. I suggest first you determine which plantation you want to visit for which reason. There are three older plantations up Hwy 61 (Ashley River Road) in West Ashley and one on US 17 in Mt. Pleasant.

I personally prefer Middleton Place because it's the oldest landscaped gardens in America. The have a formal garden and butterfly lake overlooking the Ashley River. They also are said to have the oldest Camellia in the United States brought over from England. The gardens, structures and interpretation are kept true to the period. They also have a house tour and full service restaurant on the property with bar service. ;)https://www.middletonplace.org/

Magnolia Plantation & Gardens is more a botanical garden where they experiment with several cultivars to keep their plants/flowers blooming year round. This is an excellent choice for someone with mobility issues because they have a tram you can buy tickets for that take you around the property. Their plantation house is not original to the property but was moved there when they developed as an attraction. They have a snack bar on property. http://www.magnoliaplantation.com/

Drayton Hall Plantation is a National Trust for Historic Preservation property. Unlike the other plantations, they try to preserve the property from deteriorating instead of restoring it. http://www.draytonhall.org/

Boon Hall Plantation is where they filmed the TV series North & South. They've recreated the working plantation. They have some of Charleston's largest outdoor events like concerts, the annual Lowcountry oyster festival and more. They bill themselves as the most photographed plantation. http://boonehallplantation.com/

If you stay in Mount Pleasant, the obvious plantation to visit is Boone Hall. If you stay in North Charleston, the closest plantations are in West Ashley.

Getting to the West Ashley plantations will be expensive by taxi or Uber since they're in a rural area. I'd suggest considering a motorized tour that will include a plantation. There are a couple that include a package to Magnolia or Boone Hall in 17 person vans. http://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/tours-attractions~204/motorized-tours~1154/

If you want to go to Middleton, I found a private licensed tour guide that does a totally personalized tour in a Lincoln Town Car for up to four people. I don't know anything about her so check to see if she's rated on TripAdvisor. http://www.charlestontoursandeventslc.com/index.html

I'll let others help you with Uber since I haven't bitten that bullet yet. :D

Hope some of this information helps.

Well said. By all objective measures, as a CEO, she's doing great.

Hello? if you judge her by stock price...the original post had the stock price over $100. Today it closed at $76.12. That's great if you bought it at $6 or $18. Price performance for the past 12 months is negative 6%. In the same time period CCL is down only 2.5%.

So not ALL objective measure however what other objective measures are you using? Subjective measures don't count because you can't quantify those. :D

Now... you don't need to find your "own Steve"... you can use "THE Steve"! :D

That's exactly what I thougt too. :D

I'm sorry you had the bad insurance experience. I don't buy travel insurance from my travel agents because they only offer one company. I learned my lesson about buying directly from the insurance company too because there is no one to fight for you on a claim.

Last year I switched to Steve at the tripinsurancestore. He deals with several insurance companies and guided me based upon my specific info. Different trips with different needs were directed to different insurance policies. He only sells insurance. The TA's primary business is selling the trip. I'd like to think that Steve would have mentioned the act of war exclusion.

I referred my sister to him for a trip that she then needed to file a small claim on. He guided her with the claim. So far I've liked his personal service.

Now that you know about that clause, perhaps you could test your next trip ins seller to see if they'd mention it based upon your info. If not, Run!

Good luck in your recovery.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say exactly, but Uber drivers ARE allowed to drop-off and pick-up at CHS, and Uber requires them to have insurance.

Yes Uber drivers are allowed to drop off and pick up just like anyone can however they cannot operate AT the airport which means they can't solicit or stand.

Earlier this year the Aviation Authority proposed an ordinance that called for Uber to pay $3.50 per pickup, which will be passed on to consumers. There is no drop-off fee. Taxi and shuttle drivers pay $200 a month per vehicle to operate at the airport. They also pay an annual fee of $120.

Doesn't Uber also have multiple fare levels depending upon vehicle and time of day volume?

Regarding insurance, what are the limits Uber requires their drivers to have and is it as high as the Aviation Authority mandates of the Taxi/Limos?

As you know you can buy auto insurance that will cover liability at various levels. Do you insure your car for the minimum required state liability or coverage that would more adequately cover your potential liability?

I'm just saying I support the full time, licensed Taxi/Limo drivers as opposed to the part time Uber driver supplementing their income with their personal vehicle which may or may not be properly maintained.

duplicate post

There are many hotels in Mt Pleasant at the foot of the Ravenel bridge. Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn express, Hampton Inn, Hilton garden Inn, Best Western are just a few of them. They are all in the same area pretty much at the foot of the bridge.

And the Quality Inn & Suites Patriots Point at the MP right foot of the bridge. :D

Maybe you would feel more comfortable sailing with Costa and Carnival. :rolleyes:

LIKE button...press here.

And DYKWIA...that's just too funny.

The credit card handling is outlined on your Xpress Pass when you go to print it out. Here is what my Xpress Pass says as it relates to other countries.

For Non-US Issued MasterCard or Visa Cardholders:

If you use a MasterCard or Visa card issued outside of the U.S. which is billed in the following currencies: AUD, CAD, CHF, DKK, EUR, HKD, JPY, MXP, NOK, SEK, GBP, we offer a service where the full amount of your charges are converted, at your election, to the currency of your card by our conversion agent, Global Card Services, Inc., using the exchange rate in effect at the time the amounts are charged to your card.

Please select your preferred currency conversion from the options below:

I choose to pay my onboard changes in the currency of my card. I choose to use your currency conversion program.

This currency conversion transaction is based upon wholesale exchange rates collected from Bloomberg plus 3 percent international currency conversion fee. My choice to have charges billed in the currency of my card is final. I accept that the exchange rate used will be the rate in effect at the time the amounts are charged to my card.

I choose to have my credit card issuer convert my onboard charges to the currency of my card in lieu of participating Celebrity Cruises currency conversion program.

If I opt for my charges to be converted by my credit card issuer, or if my card is not billed in one of the billing currencies listed, my charges will be processed in the onboard currency (USD) and the issuer of my card may charge a service fee for currency conversion.

He much do shuttles generally cost from Charleston airport to the cruise port? We will be returning a car the day of our cruise.

The flat rate from the Airport to the downtown peninsular (which includes the cruise terminal) is $14/pp. The Charleston Airport Association of Taxi & Limo Drivers has a long line of vans all the time at the airport as you exit the baggage claim area and cross to the center island.

They are required to have the appropriate licenses and insurance to be able to operate at the airport as opposed to possibly some Uber drivers which I'm sure a few people will recommend.

http://www.charleston-arrives.com/

Good/Bad/Ugly - cruising out of Charleston in Sept 2016 and would love some tips/advise.

 

We are Platinum' date=' so i don't know if that helps with anything with the long, dreaded lines that i have heard about parking there.[/quote']

 

Parking is controlled by the port not Carnival so your status won't help until you get into the terminal. A tip; worry about things you can change. :D Just think; you'll be on the ship soon. Repeat; you'll be on the ship soon. Start getting into vacation mode.

The Charleston CVB web site is good. You may also want to check out stay123.com I'm using them in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in two upcoming cruises. I believe they have a couple of properties in Charleston too.

Are you driving in or flying? Do you just need a shuttle or a hotel with parking during the cruise & shuttle?

You'll find a wealth of information about hotels from the Charleston Convention & Visitors bureau. http://www.charlestoncvb.com/plan-your-trip/lodging~123/

They also have lots of coupons on their site.

I suggest you take a carriage tour downtown. Considered the two most reputable are Palmetto Carriage and Old South Carriage. Don't take one without using a coupon!

Waterbug has a great suggestion about the fountain at waterfront park on Concord at Vendue Range. If you're eating at Shem Creek as she suggested...I like Water's Edge or Shem Creek Bar & Grill. Here's a link to Trip Advisor's Shem Creek restaurant listings. https://www.tripadvisor.com/RestaurantsNear-g54354-d103516-Shem_Creek_Inn-Mount_Pleasant_South_Carolina.html

Patriots Point has a hotel concierge program where they offer $3 off an adult admission coupon. Ask at your hotel desk or concierge.

Huh. Very interesting. Thanks, ChucktownSteve, for clearing up the shuttle mystery for me.

You're welcome. Hope you have a great cruise and don't forget to enjoy Charleston on either end of the cruise! :D

question - I see posts about Charleston that reference a shuttle. Is the shuttle mandatory? My husband and I are driving and staying overnight and ubering to the port for embarkation. Can the uber driver drop us near the ship so we can walk, or is there some place that we are required to go to get on a shuttle before going to the ship? I don't get it.

The free shuttle is part of the security check in process and is mandatory. The Uber driver will need to drop you off at luggage drop off inside the Union Pier gate. If you walk up to the port area from downtown, you will still be required to wait in a parking lot within eyesight for the shuttles to pick you up to drive you to the terminal a few hundred feet away.

The terminal is within walking distance but they check to see that you have your passport & cruise document before they let you board the shuttle. No terminal walk up is allowed. That check point is similar to the airport tsa check point before you go through security.

 

The original poster said herself that the mishaps were minor. She paid an enormous (in my opinion) up charge to be in a suite. Celebrity provides a list of extra amenities that one can expect when on travels in a suite. The OP didn't receive them, even though she was proactive prior to embarking. She should ask for it to be corrected asap. Why should she wait until the next day?

 

I don't know how many of you travel in suites (I do not, I travel CC or Aqua, because that is what I can afford), but you simply should not throw stones at someone who does and then belittle them for expecting what they were promised.

I agree they were entitled to all of the amenities listed for the suite.

However if the items were so minor to the OP and they had a fantastic butler, why couldn't the butler have addressed the issues instead of going to the Hotel Director to make heads roll? Or were they just trying to impress their first time X cruising companion.

If the OP's original post was done tongue in cheek, I wished they were more clear about it. :)

I may be mistaken, but it was my understanding that charters are far more profitable (aka lucrative) than regular fared cruises. On charters, there are no perks, they don't have to discount and the whole ship is booked. Azamara doesn't have to worry about empty cabins loss of revenue. No free liquor or free gratuities but revenue generating.

What's the downside for Azamara other than a few upset passengers who are offered OBC and an opportunity to switch to a similar cruise?

Wouldn't it depend upon which country your friends are from and whether US visas are required for those countries? You didn't mention their nationality. If they need to have a visa, they can book prior to having the visa but better have it at boarding.

Thank you for a most comprehensive and thoughtful review. You had many excellent observations and points of interest.

We sailed Summit with Kapt. Kate last fall and thought she did a very good job then. We'll be on Summit in a couple of months but she'll be on vacation when we are.

I do have a question though. If you were offered a 30 or 50% discount at the specialty restaurant, would it have been worth it? We've never done one but were expecting to try it on our upcoming Summit cruise.

When we boarded the Constellation in February as an AQ passenger, we were offered a 50% specialty dining reservation the first night. We didn't take advantage of it because we had never been in Blu before. So if they offer it on this embarkation, would you feel it would be worth it to try?

Our cabin will be on Deck 11. Is the movie on deck 11 or on deck 12? Oceanview cafe & sunset bar/oceanview bar are on 10 right?

Got it Steve. I was looking at the 'brown' buildings of the visitor centre (old station?) and not the multi storey car park! Do you know if thats just a place to park 'through the day' or can you stop the night? I imagine its the former.

 

Thanks for the vote nbt...the natural bridge is on our provisional list!

 

Simon

Since you've given up the RV idea, you won't be very comfortable sleeping on the concrete paved parking garage. But at least you won't be restricted to the ground floor only. :D