WNCtourist

52 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

  Besides what JM0015 said, Air Traffic Controllers won't be paid but are required to work.  No Federal workers will be paid except for Congresspeople.

Oh the irony.

Thanks @Globaliser for the perspective. I appreciate your response!

I'm not an experienced flyer, and wanted to check on this connection time before booking tickets for a June trip. This involves flying from LHR on Virgin Atlantic (Delta codeshare) to ATL, then connecting to Asheville, NC on Delta (short regional flight).

So I am understanding this correctly:

1. Arrive in ATL in the International Terminal/ Concourse F
2. Clear immigrations and customs inspection
3. Drop off bags (tagged through to AVL) at the baggage recheck desks
4. Pass through TSA
5. Get to appropriate terminal to board AVL flight -- Domestic Terminal/Concourse T at the other end of the airport?

The connection time is 2:35 -- do you think a frazzled traveler can do this? The next flight has a 3:45 layover, which is certainly doable but arrives 2 hours later in AVL.

Thanks for your sharing your insights. 

@Cotswold Eagle Thank you for the suggestion about Cambridge -- I will check on taxi quotes there. The thought of chartering a helicopter is appealing but, alas, out of my price and comfort zone!

Thanks @Globaliser -- unfortunately we aren't up for UK driving so a train and taxi may be our best choice.  Am I correct in thinking the train from London Liverpool Station to Whittlesford Parkway is the right one?

I greatly appreciate feedback on post-cruise plans we are making for June 2024, particularly recommendations on "reasonably priced" hotels to use as a base for 4 days in London. The cruise debarks in Southampton, and we want to head to London for sightseeing, including the V&A, British Museum, IWM London, and also spend a day at IWM Duxford (as if you couldn't guess, one of us is a museum nut and the other a WWII fanatic). 

What's a good location for our hotel based on where we plan to go? How do you recommend we get to Duxford and back in a day -- the info I've seen isn't clear to my uneducated eyes?

For perspective, we are seniors in the US living in an area with no public transportation, who visited London 5 years ago and grew to love the Underground and British trains.   

Thanks for your advice!

I haven't cruised with Princess since 2019, which was the last time I logged into the website with my email and password. Yesterday,  I was able to login and update my email address but I could not change my username. Which is, you guessed it, my old email addy.

Today, neither the old email or the current one allows me to login. Any advice?

I am really dreading dealing with the app assuming I book a cruise!

It also depends on where you are cruising. Norway, for example, is cashless and you use a credit/debit card for purchases.

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I was just able to access the cruise pricing using my desktop computer using Edge if this is the cruise.

 

Yes, Ken this is the cruise. I will try another browser to see what happens. Thanks!

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Well...not to state the obvious, but have you tried different cabins?

There were no cabins selected, but now I wonder if Chrome was the problem.

I am considering the June 14, 2024 "Land of the Midnight Sun and Summer Solstice" cruise but can't get pricing info -- this and several other cruises listed have the following: "Pricing is currently not available for this date or the selected cabin type. Please try a different departure date, cabin type or check back later."

It's been this way for days now. Any idea what's going on with this cruise or is it another example of poor Princess IT?

I'm so excited for your trip reports! Wishing you smooth flights and calm seas...uh, lakes?

Thank you for your review. We're seriously considering this cruise for 2024.

It's fascinating how cruising decisions are so individual! Unlike many responders on this thread, we book balcony cabins and have no elevated status/benefits. We've been on 7 cruises total (3 on X), with the last in 2019 on Princess. Itinerary and cost are the drivers for us. 

We were drawn to X originally because of its non-smoking policy, less "partying" atmosphere, and fewer "attractions" for families while offering reasonable prices. Now considering 2024 and 2025 cruises and are looking hard at HAL and Princess.

Celebrity has left us behind for the following:

1. Emphasis on Edge class (no interest in IV cabins) 

2. X's itineraries aren't interesting compared to other lines

3. X costs more compared to other similar lines

I realize X doesn't care about people like us who have cruised so little...but it also sounds like they don't care about those who have been extremely loyal.

Question on Norway itineraries -- how often does HAL switch ports? I'm interested in the "Best of Norway" 14-day cruise next year but missing Bergen would be a deal breaker. 

It's on the Rotterdam if that's useful information.

Thanks!

I'm not seeing Flam on any Norway itineraries for 2025 -- am I overlooking something?

Thank you for your time providing great photos and thorough review. Looking forward your next cruise!

2 hours ago, Minoushka said:

I really enjoyed the cruise we took down the fjord to Pulpit rock frommStanvanger it was beautiful many islands waterfalls etc 

I get all the fjords mixed up but Eidsfjord was also pretty special ...very very pretty 

the only thing that got to me was grey skies and rain rain rain ...it did get tedious also fog and rain in Nord Kap was a big disappointment ..but we did fjords it was fine knowing no more big cruise ships in fjords 

I felt after Holland changed 3 ports to others no on shore excursions no busses, no taxis no trains nothing to help see what was there ..really missed the boat ... Rey disappointing .Holland must have better offers for visits or work with locals to set something up so our last 3 ports were duds .
also get more busses if demand is bigger ...I missed glacier tour sold out 😩😩😩

Minoushka, have you reviewed your cruise anywhere? If not, could you expand on your itinerary changes and lack of shore excursions? I am planning a bucket list HAL Norwegian fjord cruise and would appreciate your insights. Thank you!

New to HAL but have cruised 5 times -- including Alaska, Hawaii, Bermuda, and Caribbean. We are very interested in the 14-day Best of Norway cruises offered in 2024. As part of our research, would you recommend adding Club Orange or HIA to our booking? Or neither?

More info: we may have 1-2 adult beverages each daily; usually prefer soft drinks or water. So a beverage package may not be important. We prefer a balcony if it's affordable. On a cruise with a lot of port days, we typically go to the buffet for breakfast and dinner -- but maybe we'd use the Club Orange dining room more on Rotterdam? Or maybe not -- in that case, would it be a waste of money for CO? That's the decision process I'm going through so I would appreciate any and all info you might want to provide to help us make this decision.

We are looking forward to our first HAL cruise!! 

Looks like Celebrity doesn't offer this itinerary in 2024 -- wish they did! Looking forward to your reports. Have a great cruise!

Thank you Dr.Dobro for sharing your trip! 

13 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

Smoking is not permitted in the casino. 

And vaping should not be permitted also. 

4 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

28 pages about Celebrity testing vaping in the casino on 2 ships. 🤦‍♂️

Because it's not a "test" to those who booked the 2 ships for a smokefree casino -- it's a reality. Celebrity is making a very significant eight week change without any prior notice to passengers. And people are expressing their disgust.

Excited for your "live" report!

Perhaps this is part of the "testing" Celebrity is doing on Equinox, like the double cheeseburger on the dinner menu? Allowing vaping in the casino removes one of the few positives that set Celebrity apart from other lines.