beachluver9

Has anyone been to the British Colonial Hilton in Nassau recently?  If so, what are your thoughts on the resort and how was the walk from the pier? I am concerned that the construction in the port area might impose a detour and the walk longer than anticipated. Any comments food/drinks?

We have done the Black Pearl evening trip before and enjoyed it.  It leaves from Palm Beach near the Marriott.  It was very quiet and relaxing.  They don't serve a full meal, but had lots of snacks and yummy grilled cheese sandwiches so we did not leave hungry.

On 9/1/2021 at 11:09 PM, canderson said:

Always, for decades, have traveled with our own bar soap and shampoo.  Not all that much to carry to have a familiar touch in the shower every day.  When I used to travel to Japan, where the towels are often only just larger than a postage stamp, I'd fold up a bath sheet from home as well.  Then again, they didn't much care about luggage weight back then, either.  So we won't be too fussed about anything we find waiting for us in the shower.

 

Sorry to be jumping in on your conversation.  I have been following since we are on the Equinox 11/7.  Your comment reminds me of my DH.  He is a pilot and  spends a lot of nights in hotels.  He actually travels with a large wrench and a shower head (sans water restrictor) in his suitcase.  The first and last thing he does at his hotel is replace the showerhead.  He actually debated about trying it on a cruise once and I put my foot down assuming that everyone on our deck would have meager water pressure.  

On 7/17/2021 at 5:18 PM, Definitas said:

I also got excited when I saw Constellation was enroute to Cadiz. We were very disappointed that the revolution refit didn’t take place and are debating whether to make final payment next month for our November ABC cruise. It is a lift and shift from Nov 20 and has all 4 legacy perks from the now defunct Go Best program so it is a difficult decision. 

I have Infinity booked for Jan, 2023.  When I booked that cruise, Infinity was still scheduled for a revolution refit prior to that cruise.  Since that refit was postponed indefinitely, I called Celebrity and asked if there will be cabin discounts available should she not be revolutionized by then.  The agent said that no firm decision were made at that point but it would be reasonable to assumed that if you booked while the refit was still scheduled and not after the postponement that you would be entitled to some sort of compensation be it a cabin discount (I won't hold my breath for that) or a nice chunk of onboard credit.  Ideally, she will have completed her retrofit by then but if that isn't the case a 10% obc would almost compensate for looking at the ugly gold fake velvet sofa for two weeks.

We are booked to sail on the Infinity in January, 2023 in a CS.  When we put down the deposit, Infinity was still scheduled for refurbishment prior to that cruise.  The cabin furniture needed replacing five years ago and we can only imagine what condition it will be in two years from now.  In a perfect world, they would offer some serious OBC for people who booked a "revolutionized" ship (or whatever they are calling it these days) but will get a dinosaur instead.  Yes...we know that we are dreaming.  That is why I have booked on Viking Octanis for the same time period as a back up.

1 hour ago, Porcupine 52 said:

I got a email from Viking with a survey on what we would like to do for excursions in Antartica.  It was things like how experienced are you in kayaking... snow shoeing... do you want to camp out one night...It kind of made me think that Hey Antartica might Happen!!!!

We got the same survey (one for each of us).  We have already completed them and submitted.

My DH had been to the Arctic Circle in the past and he was asked if he would be willing to complete an additional survey for that region.  Since he was there as part of the USMC and not as a tourist, he did not chose to continue to the next survey as he didn't think his experience would be relevant for people looking for an expedition.

2 hours ago, emileg said:

Viking keeps sending emails asking me to complete the Guest Information Form and asks me to go to My Vikings Journey to update it.  However, whenever I log in to complete the form, I see a notice: "Coming Soon. My Viking Journey is currently unavailable as we put the finishing touches on your voyage."

 

Anyone else having these issues?  Thanks.

I have the same message when trying to log into My Viking Journey, but I am not getting emails.  Probably because our trip isn't scheduled until 01/23!

After watching the video message explaining new procedures that Viking will implement for future cruises, my DH is not happy with sailing with Viking.  Automated temperature checks in the hallways, mandatory daily covid testing, etc sounds pretty aggressive.  I guess we will have to see how it plays out when they are actually sailing again.

We are planning to book an Antarctica expedition cruise for January, 2023.  I have reached out to Viking several times in order to discuss options, specific questions and ultimately to book.  All I get are canned email responses with links to portions of their website which I have already scoured. 

Perhaps they assigned me to a lazy agent?  

Can anyone recommend a specific agent who will actually speak with me and if so an extension#?  I really don't want to commit almost $50k without actually speaking with someone.  

Disney expeditions won't be open for booking until 12 months prior and I am not thrilled about traveling with a bunch of kiddos.  Hurtigruten reviews are atrocious and Linblad just is not exciting.

We have done both a JS and balconies for our family.  Hands down, go with two connecting balcony rooms.   The biggest advantage is the second bathroom.  If you can get one of the family ocean view suites, there is tons of room there along with 1 1/2 - 2 bathrooms and suite perks.  Needless to say, the OV suite is much more expensive than must doing the two balconies.

On 6/14/2020 at 8:58 PM, faith trev said:

What is better, the Infinity or Concierge stateroom? 

The infinity balconies have identical lay outs and sq ft as AQ and Concierge cabins.  Concierge will gain you arguably a better location (very subjective to say the least), better room service menu, bottle of inexpensive (but cold!) sparking wine, canapes (usually less than delicious) and fresh fruit. They also have some sort of fresh flower (s) that varies.  They come with extra captains club points if you are chasing those.  Supposedly the toiletries are a bit better, but we always bring our own.  The binoculars in the cabin are not great, if they are even there.  If the price difference is less than ~ $20 pp per day, we go concierge.

I think it would depend on what class of Celebrity ship that you are looking into.  The SSs on the Edge class are really nice with an open feel. The Millenium class SSs are much smaller than a JS with far less storage.  We have not stayed is a SS on Solstice class so can't give you an answer on that one.

We have stayed in this cabin a few years ago.  The balcony is extra deep and the cabin was not noisy at all.  We did not find the walk to the aft to be excessive since the ship itself is not very big.  Our aft cabin on the Harmony was a different story though 🤪

2 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

The deadline is 5/4/2022 for the new sailing departure.  Technically your 5/5/2021 sailing would be eligible IF there are any eligible sailings which depart 4/7/2022 - 5/4/2022.   Easiest way to see if you qualify is to put your booking info into the tool at https://cancellation.celebritycruises.com/?brand=C&program=liftshift

I have checked using the link that you provided, called my TA and also called Celebrity.  All three methods resulted in a "no".  I was told that only cruises departing prior to 5/4/21 are eligible for lift and shift program. 

The 5/4/2022 date floating out there is the "use by" date for the program. 

If they do in fact extend the eligibility date like many of us hope, the only comparable cruise for us within the 60 day window (30 days prior, 30 days after, plus one year) is an Edge class cruise and we are booked on the Reflection.  I was told that you can downgrade ship class, but cannot upgrade.  Hopefully this will change also.  If not, Princess has a comparable cruise and we might just try them for the first time.  If Celebrity doesn't mind losing us then it might just be time to try out another line.  And yes, I am aware that Princess doesn't even have a lift and shift program.  Just frustrated.

On 1/4/2021 at 11:42 AM, Husky61 said:

I cancelled a 12 day cruise for April 12, 2021, and final payment is due January 9, 2021. Sad that they will let everyone make final payment and then cancel.

We have a cruise scheduled on 5/5/21.  It is one day after the lift and shift deadline, so we aren't even eligible for that!  Our TA is going to try to extend our final payment day to give us a bit more time in hopes that Celebrity will extend the program.  Our fingers are crossed, but not holding our breath

On 1/4/2021 at 9:56 AM, sandancer said:

As soon as everyone has made final payment. 

Unfortunately for us, that seems to be the pattern

On 2/24/2020 at 12:42 PM, gordylad said:

thanks folks the time of year for the vancouver to hawaii sailing is September....the idea would be to stay in hawaii for a few nights before flying to california

 

I read somewhere that the seas can be pretty rough and the weather cool for a couple of days but if anyone can confirm much appreciated

We did this cruise not long ago.  The weather was indeed windy and cold for the first few days, but it was no bother for us.  They have blankets available for those who want to be on deck during the chilly days.  There are so many activities indoors on those days (naturalist discussions, crafts, entertainment, etc) that we were never bored.  We spent a few extra days on Oahu (Kailua on the windward side) before flying home. We very much enjoyed this cruise and it is on our list to do again in the future. 

One recommendation...if you decide to do the hula classes, they are cumulative in their instruction so don't miss the first couple or you will be a bit lost.  Some craft classes (free) were fresh orchid leis which lasted the entire cruise,  bracelets, koa bead necklaces, etc.  The naturalist discussions were awesome and often times SRO.

Best port shopping (and prices) was Lahaina

We did the reverse of your cruise last year Vancouver - Hawaii.  If I remember correctly, the alcoves were available online around 60 days prior.  I can say, however, that the weather was only favorable to use an alcove on the two sea days closest to Hawaii.  Further north than that it was too cold to enjoy.  Most alcove's stood empty the entire cruise.

On 5/19/2019 at 7:56 PM, Huskydo said:

 

Which ship is this offered? We are sailing next May to Alaska visiting Hubbard Glacier but this excursion isn’t showing.

Thanks

We are sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse on 5/17/20 and it is on the excursion option list for us.  Booked it the first day it finally showed up!

2 hours ago, lisa6191 said:

I have no idea why my 5/24 Oasis sailing has prices so much higher than everyone else's! 

 

Thrill cabana - 999

Chill Island, Oasis Lagoon or South Beach cabana - 1299

Coco Beach day pass - 69

Coco Beach cabana - 1199

Over water cabana - 1499

 

Some of those prices are simply ridiculous.

bigger boat = more demand = higher prices

On 9/16/2019 at 6:57 PM, Wayfairers said:

What did you see and do in Lubeck?  We will be in Kiel 7a-5p next May and starting to research options

The ships excursion took us by bus (comfortable and clean) to Lubeck.  We did a walking tour through the historic area and had good lunch at a local restaurant.  Our guide was very informative and her English was very good (she was actually Italian!).  We were very happy that we took a guided tour vs a "diy tour" because we learned a number of interesting facts that weren't in the guidebooks that we had read.

The only negative for us was that we would have liked a bit more free time to wander the shops at the end of the day.

On 8/21/2019 at 8:11 PM, ziggyuk said:

 

I'm a bit shocked by this, a status match should be a one time deal but if you have never matched before the match should last 3 years, no idea why they would remove it just because you sailed with them before.

Also, it is my understanding that if you travel with a black card holder you will get nearly all the perks with the exception of the chocolate ship and spa visit. I thought you could board together, tender together and even join the black party together.

This is very odd.

 

 

Sure was!  What was even more odd was that when I was originally pricing out  the reservation my old MSC log in didn't work nor was my old club number recognized.  I was told that if it is dormant for more than a certain length of time that it would fall off an you would have to start all over again.  Needless to say, this was not a problem since I wanted to use the status match anyway.

I received a email confirmation of my new club number and black status and this is what I booked the reservation under.  I checked with guest services once onboard regarding the tendering and they said that fortunately our cruise would not require tendering since I would not be allowed in the priority tender line because they would have no way to prevent others from joining friends/family who were not entitled.

All in all, it was a great cruise.  Just don't place any value in the status match.  It was all a big gimmick 

Both my DH and I  received our status match (Celebrity Elite) in just two days to MSC Black level.  Many months later and only a couple of weeks before the cruise (after we entered the non-refundable timeframe) I received an email saying that my status had been dropped to the lowest level because I had cruised with MSC once back in 2013 and was no longer eligible for the status match because they had recently changed the rules.   My husband was able to keep his Black status because he was new to MSC.

I called Voyage Club because I was confident that this was simply a mistake.  Surely if MSC was going to change the rules, anyone who had their status match would be able to keep it?  Also, why would they punish a returning passenger in favor of a new passenger?  Voyagers Club said they had to change the rules and apply the new rules retroactively because they had a far greater response than they anticipated.  My DH was able to get first tender access, but I was not.  He was allowed priority check in, but I was not... Voyagers Club told me that they were sorry, but I can eat some of his chocolate ship if he is willing to share it with me and I could try to follow him closely in the tender line and maybe we could stay together!  

Regardless, we loved our cruise on the Poesia and the crew were terrific.  Unfortunately, the arm of MSC which is tasked with maintaining passenger loyalty is what has driven us away.  Well done Voyagers Club!

We booked the anytime dining (we had an Aurea cabin).  We were able to dine when we wanted and had the same table each night.  Yes, you can use your drink package in the dining room.  If you drop by the MDR on your embarkation day you can take an advanced peek at your table size and location.  If you aren't happy, speak to the Maitre D and they will try to change it for you.

No covered pool.  One pool is heated slightly and the other not at all.  They will post the daily pool temp on a sign next to the pool.  Coming from Georgia, we found the pool temp at the end of June to be 60.8 f!  It was so laughable to us that we had to take a pic.  The other pool was 71.  On the upside...the hot tubs were never busy so maybe bring a suit for one of those?

The Poesia was a beautiful ship with an awesome crew.  Enjoy!

We sailed on the Poesia in June in an Aurea cabin.  A couple of months prior to sailing we upgraded to the premium package at a very reasonable price.  When we boarded the ship our upgraded drink package was not shown on our cruise account so we were not able to get an upgraded drink.  I showed the guest relations rep our email confirmation and even the credit card charge for the exact amount.  They said that was all very nice, but if it wasn't on our reservation it didn't exist.

The only way that we could get it resolved was to purchase the next level upgrade (very pricey).  Once someone realized that there was an opportunity to up-sell our package we finally got some attention.  Almost an hour and a half later we finally had a drink in our hand.

Two takeaways for us: 

1)Pay the 15% charge and purchase the upgrade on the ship, that way you know that it will be applied to your account

2)  Don't buy the highest level of drink package until you visit several bars and take a good look at their menu.  The mini-bar in the stateroom is a bad joke and we never actually used it except for a coke here/there.  There is only one bar that had super premium drinks and it had no entertainment until late in the evening (we are before dinner cocktail people)