aruzinski

I too am a Bloody Mary drinker.  Celebrity uses Sacramento Tomato juice with a Bloody Mary spice mix squirted in.  I find the pool bar guys to make the best. Ask to start with 3 squirts and adjust from there.  I’ve really gotten used to them, though nothing compares to making your own at home.  I like medium spicy!  And as we do in the Midwest, at a glass of beer as a chaser!

We bid $300 and went from a guaranteed balcony (which ended up obstructed) to a Concierge. Well worth it.

Interesting since you have to put your tags on and list your name and address on the tag.  Surprised it got mixed up.  We used it in Ft. Lauderdale and it was awesome.  Best part was we didn’t have to pay for overweight luggage when you use the Valet!

We just got off Reflection when you got on! Say hi to Mark and Rowland at the pool bar from Anna and Dan. The Music in Ensamble at night is wonderful! Urbano runs that bar. Have a wonderful time.  We will be back on her in June!

Actually, some of the bars offer diet tonic that has no carbs. It can be hard to find, but vodka or gin and diet tonic is another choice. They also have Zero vitamin water in orange and lemonade at the pool bar which is a low carb option. Enjoy!

You are very fortunate that they didn’t confiscate your purchases and hit you with a $10,000 fine.

 

If you read the rules and regulations of Customs the exemptions are for a 30 day rolling period and not per cruise. So if you do 2 cruises within 30 days you are technically only allowed to use the exemption one time. If you use part of it on one cruise you can’t use the balance on the other.

 

That is how it was explained to me by a custom officer when I was paying the duty on our watch purchases that I declared a few years ago. I could hear them giving the 3rd degree to another couple in an adjacent room about lying on their declaration. The couple was pleading ignorance and that doesn’t hold up. Don’t know the results but I asked the agent we were dealiing with and he said they will probably wish they didn’t try to lie about it.

 

The discount that I received was on watches that don’t allow any in the states. So with the discount and paying duty it was still cheaper that paying full price along with the state sales tax.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Yes, we were smart enough to declare it. Not worth the hassle to try and hide it. I was glad I had all my receipts!

Celebrity...or the company the use to run their stores...will be an authorized seller of Tag so there is no worry about getting a grey market watch.

 

I have one that I bought not on the ship. While I was on the Reflection a few years ago, I looked at them and the prices are comparable. The benefit is duty free. There will be little discount in the price of the watch.

Be careful when you say something is duty free. We bought a Breitling on board. The largest discount they can give you is 15% by the manufacturer. However, they could offer us credit in the other stores on board as an added discount, so don’t settle. We found out when we got off the ship in Florida, that the stores on board have an agreement to inform customs of anyone who made a major purchase of watch or jewelry of over $900. They never told us and we were pulled out of line getting off ship and told it was a “random check”. We have global entry so we knew that wasn’t it. Had to fill out custom form and pay duty tax because the watch was not made in the USA. We got the 15% off and extra purchases at other shops, but ended up paying the tax. Would have been better if they just told us up front.

If it is clear on the website, I would go to the computer lab and print off a copy and take it to the pursor’s desk and fight for what you paid for. Fortunately we’ve never had a problem, but we always get the premium. Good luck!

Thanks for the info!

We will be cruising the Canary Islands in September. We love the boat yard in Barbados. The cost is only $20 for beach chair, umbrella, a drink and ride back to ship. Great place to have some cocktails, nice beach, and local food. Does anyone know of a place like that on Tenerife or any other other one of the canaries? Looking at possibly lago Martianez. Any help would be welcomed. Thanks

At least once a cruise they will have a free Johnny Walker tasting in the duty free shop. It holds a limited amount and you have to sign up. While they had some of the more interesting blends to try, people are right, you can usually get them cheaper elsewhere. The only thing that would be worth it is if it is one of the hard to find blends like the green. Do some research before you go, or use the internet on board. Have fun!

I agree, there is plenty of coverage. We had that cabin for a Norwegian fjord cruise and the views were spectacular! Our only issue was the cabin next to us was feeding the birds that kept coming until we had to call to have them stop. You won’t regret it!

Wondering how much cover the overhang from the veranda above provides? We’re on deck 8. Looks like we’re in for some wet weather on our ride down to Bermuda next week. Hoping we’ll be able to stay somewhat dry on the veranda.

 

 

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We were able to find currency at a good rate online before we went. We got what equated to about $50 in each currency. Some places do not take credit cards, in fact one restaurant in Germany only took cash. If you have a few left over, you can use them for tips to the crew since they will be back at those ports the next week! Have a great time, it was an awesome cruise.

leaving next month on a Baltic cruise. Wondering about currency...

Do most counties take American dollars? Just charge everything? Planning on only tours thru celebrity Any advice you can give will be most helpful.

:):o

We did the northern Baltic out of Southampton last August. It was fantastic. I agree that the private tours in St. Petersburg is the way to go. There is a great tour company and they are in several of the cities you would be going to. It is called SPB. Had a great tour guide that immersed us in the culture. Must do the canals at night in St. Petersburg. Simply beautiful! And yes, get the balcony!

Hi Everybody. We've done 2 NCL med/ canaries cruises.

We fancy something different this time and have the opportunity for a 14 cruise to Copenhagen, St Petersburg etc.

We've had inside cabins before but thought we'd have a balcony this time.

 

Any general advice/opinions on the line/ship/route would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

The WiFi package is the way to go. You can use WiFi calling on the ship and don’t even have to worry about texting. Check with Either your carrier or the celebrity IT people when you get on board to help you.

Thanks everyone for the replies! Appreciate it.

Jon, great info. Thank you so much for sharing. Will be there in a little over a month on a Saturday so I'm sure all your suggestions will be open.

Kindest regards, Anna

We are staying at the Holiday Inn on Herbert Walker Drivein Southampton pre-cruise. Does anyone know a good local place for a some good dinner and a few pints or ale? Like to experience local places that aren't tourist traps. Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Trikes might be fun in Aruba, but ATVs were a blast. You go over some rough terrain, to the beach, to the top of the island. It was awesome. Best part was going in places where all the jeeps with bouncing tourists could not go! Kini Kini is the company we used. Guides were great!

Just to let you know, valet to the airlines is not available in Vancouver. It is not available in ports outside of the US. In any case, remember you have to be out of the cabins by 8am. Carrying luggage around on crowded ship is not my choice. But enjoy your cruise. Took it last year and was awesome!

Bubble wrap works great. Otherwise you can get travel packages for bottles where you slide it right in and pack it between clothes. It seals so if for some reason it breaks, it doesn't leak. We've never had one break! They are called bottle armor XXL. It even comes with a corkscrew so you can take wine down. And yes cigars can go in your carry on.

Thanks for the feedback. We are booked in Estonia. Can't wait!

Thank you all for the responses. We' d be doing the excursion in Estonian. Seems like a great way to experience northern Europe's flavors. We normally do the chef's table but that menu doesn't seem to change lately.

Has anyone tried the chef's discovery excursion? We were thinking it would be a great way to immerse ourselves in the culture and enjoy a special dinner prepared by the chef. But we also want to spend time in the town of Tallin. Any reviews would be appreciated.