Shimsdan

Just caught up to your review. Thank you for taking to time to do this!  Question - who is the current captain?  Just curious.

Thank you all for your responses!!!

On 1/5/2024 at 3:25 PM, BlueSkiesTX said:

We just returned from a cruise to the Canary Islands on the Celebrity Infinity. I wanted to recommend a tour given by Angela Tejera, owner of Lanzarote Experience Tours. We booked our tour through ToursByLocals. I did not know ahead of time that Angela owned the company. Her adult children are also tour guides for the company. We booked a private family tour similar to the group tour offered by the cruise ship. I had little to no expectations for this tour as I was not overly excited to visit Timanfaya Park or visit volcanoes in general. Timanfaya was incredible, however. I am pretty sure it's the closest I will ever come to stepping on what felt like another planet. I can see why movies are filmed here. Angela was able to navigate us through the hordes of tourists at the park. She told us stories of how she came here as a child and her mother cooked over the heat steaming up from the holes in the ground. The park rangers all knew her and seemed to like her. She gave us plenty of space on the tour (which I love) and time to get a quick coffee/snack in the cafe at the park as a family. We rode camels on the outskirts of the park. The camel drivers from Morocco were quite a hoot, guiding the camel caravan along by the sound of their voice. 

 

We went to another lookout point over the sea and were able to take some great photos and admire the beautiful natural landscape of Lanzarote. Since it was Christmas Eve, Angela told us about the traditions in Lanzarote and took us to a spot to show us the miniature villages that are created. In each of these minatures, a nativity is added. Each neighborhood does this tradition, recreating their own neighborhood with a nativity inside. We spotted them twice more on tour stops along the way. 

 

Our final stop was the winery. We were able to sample Canarian wine and see the unique way grapes are grown in this region. It was amazing to both see and hear how resourceful these people are! Angela knows the region well as her family has been here for generations. She was happy to answer questions along the way. She had a nice, clean and comfortable van.

 

Our private tour was $510 USD for a 5 hour tour for our party of 5. She was waiting for us 30 minutes ahead of time at the port. (We are always early). We were dropped off on time at the cruise port.

 

Here are the exact details from the Tours by Locals page. It was customizable though. We just chose to go the basic route. I think it's a great "Taste of Lanzarote" itinerary for first time visitors.

 

Pick up at the cruise terminal in Arrecife
Stop 1 - Los Hevideros
Stop 2 - El Golfo volcano
Stop 3 - Timanfaya National Park
Stop 4 - Camel park
Stop 5 - La Geria, the wine district
Return to the cruise ship

 

I wanted to review this tour as I could not find much on CC for this island. If we ever go back, I would not hesitate to contact Angela for recommendations on other parts of the island. She does not know I am writing this review. Happy travel planning! 

 

 

Great information!  Question for you (hope it doesn't sound silly) - was the $510 the price per person or for the whole group?  I only found where it was $500pp.  Just wanted to confirm.  Thanks!

Hello!  I will be cruising with three friends out of Southampton June 2024.  We plan to spend a few days in London pre-cruise.  My friends are arriving in LHR 6 hours after me, so I will be journeying to our hotel on my own.  I'd rather take a car service for safety reasons and realize I will be paying more than public transportation. I even tried to find a tour that offered LHR pickup, with maybe a 1/2 day London tour before drop off at the hotel, but was unsuccessful.  Any recommendations, either for a half-day tour with pickup/dropoff, or just transport from LHR to London?  

TIA!!!

Happy Birthday!!!  🥂🍰 I just caught up to this great review.  The CS is awesome on the S-class, very comfy.  Enjoy everything!  And thank you for taking the time to do this report.

Laura

Hi Charla!  I'm so happy you're cruising again and taking us along.  I hope you and Red have a wonderful trip.  I think the upper suites on the M class are very different from the S class.  Sort of like when condos built in the 70's are more substantial than the ones built in the 80's!  😄  Thank you for taking the time for this report. I hope we can sail together again, when I don't have the family obligations I did on the Equinox last June.  Cheers!!! 🥂

Hi Charla!  So excited to see a new report from you.  I really haven't been on the boards since the June cruise, we were both on, and I can't believe how much I missed CC!  Let me also say how much I loved the AC Live episode with the Below Deck captains, I watch all of the Below Deck series and love all of the captains!  On your recommendation, I bought Captain Lee's book and I think you should demand a commission for that.  I especially loved when Captain Kate showed up to do one of the questions to the captains.  And recognizing that the captains were all in Eden, on a ship I haven't been on yet (although I was on Edge a few years ago) made me giddy for reasons only a true Celebrity lover can appreciate.  I'll be on Beyond in November, so your report will be invaluable to me.  Bon Voyage, smooth sailing and enjoy!!!

Laura

Loving your review and your pictures!!!  Thank you for taking the time to bring us along with you.  Sue Denning rocks (and maneuvers on those high heels so well!).

Looking forward to following along with you!  Safe travels.

Happy Birthday Charla!  I hope you continue to have a fabulous day and a year ahead full of fun, laughter and many cruises!

Laura

Hi Lunastella!  I wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to bring us all along with you on your trip.  Your report was fantastic!  And the pictures really put us right there with you.  Wonderful.  I’m scheduled for the Beyond in November 2023, so I will definitely keep many of your insights in mind as I start my planning.  Good luck with your cottage renovations.  What wonderful views, definitely worth the work.  Along with the other advice, also figure that whatever you think it will cost, add about 25-30%!!!  

Woo hoo!  Another GenX report!  Hi Charla - wishing you a very Happy Birthday and Happy Cruising!  My brother and SIL (who you met at sailaway on Equinox last month) were married on RC's Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne 16 years ago and then 25 family and friends opted to take the cruise to Bermuda.  It was wonderful (and a little weird to run into friends and family unexpectedly either in Bermuda or on the ship!).  I hope you enjoy Bermuda as much as we did.  Plus with the sea days, you'll have plenty of opportunity to enjoy everything the ship has to offer (wine tastings, anyone?).  I'm so excited to travel along with you.  Wishing you safe travels and lots of fun! 

Laura

2 hours ago, cavaaller said:

We just witnessed a small whirl-wind

Wow - that is incredible!  A water spout, I believe, although someone can correct me.  Great photos.  I am loving your review and pictures.  I agree that Tallinn is beautiful - one of my very favorite ports.  And so easy to do on your own.  Thank you for taking the time to take us along on your journey!

Laura

I am very sorry that your entire family got ill.  Fortunately it did not occur during the cruise itself!  I just returned a little over a week ago from an 8-day cruise on Equinox and the six family members who went (including my Mom - 83 years old, down to my youngest niece age 11) were fortunate that we did not contract any virus on the trip and to date we are all still well.  And we were 6 people sharing two cabins.  I understand feeling very strongly about not cruising anymore now, but perhaps in time you may find some or all of you wanting to go back to it.  Hope you all have a speedy recovery.

On 7/1/2022 at 5:10 PM, groryjm said:

my fingers are crossed 🤞 that we get to go. In these interesting times of Covid testing and flight uncertainties no cruise is certain until one is on board glass in hand

 

I completely understand!  With a family of 6 traveling to use up my FCC from a cancelled Galapagos/Machu Picchu cruise, I was on pins and needles for months.  We sailed June 18 on Equinox and I'm happy to report we all were on board and had a fantastic time!  I've converted my two teenage nieces to cruising!!!  😄

Hello!  I just got off the Equinox a week ago.  I purchased the unlimited digital and print package for 6 family members traveling in two cabins.  Whenever we saw a ship photographer, we took advantage - either on the pier, or during Evening Chic, or just randomly by a staircase.  The photographers were wonderful - by the end of the cruise, they even knew my cabin number (does this mean I was a pain?  I LOVE photos).  We have a printed copy of each port's photo on the pier, some of them more than one if we left the ship more than once (so I could re-purchase a broken souvenir for my niece in Nassau!) and larger group family photos inside the ship at various venues and with different backgrounds that they provided.  It is well-worth the price!  Enjoy!  

Hi Charla!  It was great meeting up with you at sail away!  It's been hectic getting back into the grind since our return on Sunday, and dealing with various family members coming and going home, but I am finally caught up on your report. I love the sail away picture, and being a part of one of your trip reports makes me feel like a "Celebrity"!  😄 Thank you so much for all the work you do to make your cruises come alive for those not sailing, and for those lucky enough to be on the same cruise with you, who get to relive it all over again!  

Cruise hack tip from my niece, who is a huge waffle fan, but lamented the lack of chocolate chips on board:  she collected the pillow chocolates each night, and cut them up for her waffles the next morning.  Instant chocolate "chips"!!!  She preferred those to the chocolate sprinkles they have.

I'm looking forward to following along on your Summit Bermuda trip coming up.  Fun fact: my brother was married on Royal's Explorer of the Seas to Bermuda out of Bayonne, NJ 16 years ago.  25 friends and family decided to take the cruise.  THAT was definitely a different cruising experience!!!  

Hope you are getting quality time with Gen Z and hubby.

Laura

Loving your report thus far!  I am going through serious cruise withdrawal, having just gotten off the Equinox on Sunday (family cruise to use up FCC's), and your report will not only fill that void, but thank you for your humor as well.  Most enjoyable.  

Regarding Bayonne - as a former New Yorker (now Connecticutite (?)), I've sailed out of Bayonne several times.  The first was for my brother's wedding cruise on Explorer of the Seas 16 years ago 😮going to....Bermuda!!!!   As bad as the port is now, it was MUCH worse back then, if you can believe that!

Looking forward to traveling along with you!

Enjoy your sailing!!!  We just returned from the Equinox yesterday.  Just curious - who is the captain on Infinity now?

3 hours ago, GenerationX said:

Good morning from STL!  Well the good news is (thus far anyway) my flight hasn’t  been canceled.  The bad news is we are on a 4 hour weather delay due to nasty thunderstorms rolling though St. Louis!  
 

I’m trying not to stress about it and making myself comfortable in the Admirals Club lounge with a bagel and beverages to take care of a few work projects.

 

On the plus side, this should allow me to get a good chunk of my pre-cruise workload done, so when I get to my hotel in FLL I’ll be able to nap a bit and just relax.

 

BTW, if you’re ever in STL and have Admirals Club privileges, the ladies who work in this lounge are fantastic! Super friendly, knowledgeable, candid with the information that they have and willing to go the extra mile to help out passengers in need of rebooking, hotel vouchers, etc. Even though it’s a relatively small lounge, I’ve rarely found it crowded (but disclaimer: I tend to fly early mornings).

 

Hopefully the storms will move through as scheduled and I’ll be wheels up in a few hours.

 

 

Safe travels!  We received 6 negative covid tests yesterday, so one major stress relieved! Can't wait to start this new adventure.

Hi Jamie,

Thanks so much for your review!  I just found out that two of my friends were on your cruise - Douglas and Bill.  If you met them, I am sure you would remember them - Douglas can be hilarious!  

Yea!  Was just showing my Mom around the cruise critic site and saw your trip report.  I am especially excited for it, as my family (Mom, Brother and SIL and two nieces, 11 and 13) and I will be on the ship with you!  I will definitely look for you at sailaway.  I'm pretty sure I can get my SIL to join me for a cocktail to start our trip!  Looking forward to my first cruise since January 2020.

Hello all!  I have learned so much information from all of you over the years, I am hoping someone can answer a question for me regarding the upcharge for a guest to dine in Luminae.  We will have two cabins, 4 of us in a Celebrity Suite and 2 in a Concierge Class.  The reservations are linked.  My mom and 11 year old niece are in the CC, but we would like to have dinner together in Luminae whenever we are not doing specialty dining on our 7 day Equinox cruise next month.  I have a lot of OBC remaining after booking excursions for all of us.  How much is the upcharge for my Mom and niece to dine in Luminae for lunch and/or dinner (if the charge is different)?  TIA!

This thread is awesome!  I'm laughing out loud...thank you Blazerboy for keeping this going!

6 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Wrong thread, but yes, it is Butchart Gardens. This is my 2005 photo from a similar viewpoint.

 

Actually, it's post 279 on page 12 of this thread.