The Odd Couple

Thanks for all your replies.  We are staying at H10 Casa Mimosa and the receptionist there quoted Euros 70 plus 10% VAT to organise a taxi and never having been to Barcelona before, thought someone would point me in the right direction for a cheaper option.

Thanks for your reply but with a flight back to the UK, I think I would want a reservation to be on the safe side.

Could anyone recommend a reliable taxi firm for a transfer from our Barcelona hotel to the airport?  The hotel has quoted some silly price to organise this for us.

Thanks as always for your help.

Thanks again to everyone who has replied to this topic.  I would have preferred to do this itinerary around April, but HAL isn't sailing that month.  I think the experience of being in the Far East for the first time will far outweigh the vagaries of the weather - well, that's what I'm hoping for at least!!

Thanks to everyone for their comments.  You can never rely on the weather anywhere in the world these days.  We were on a Caribbean cruise including New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year where it was 4 degrees!   To add insult to injury, the previous Tuesday it had been 17 degrees.  We just weren't prepared for it clothes-wise and I ended up wearing about 6 layers of my Caribbean wardrobe at once!!

16 hours ago, highland cruiser said:

I haven’t looked at your itinerary. Do you have any ports in Vietnam.  Weather for us was great there.  Halong Bay was cooler and we needed jackets on our bay trip.  Rest of Vietnam was perfect weather. 

You will enjoy this cruise a lot. 

 

 

It's Noordam's itinerary on 17 January 2021(!!), so yes, we do have ports in Vietnam.  As it will be winter in UK when we leave, we will definitely have our jackets with us so we'll be prepared.  I don't want to wish the time away, but I'm really looking forward to it.  Thanks for your advice.  

13 hours ago, SeaDog-46 said:

The northern winter is the best time in Singapore as the NE Monsoon should be in full force & the rain cools things down & the locals bring out there sweaters!  

Hong Kong will be coldish & there could be pollution & haze from China

Ah .....  Well, the cruise is booked now, so we'll just have to go with the flow.  Thanks for your advice.

Thank you!  You're making it easier to decide on this cruise.

Thank you so much for a very detailed reply.  This is just the sort of info I was hoping to receive.  It makes it a lot easier to plan if you get feedback from someone who has done the cruise, so thanks ago.

We've been looking at this itinerary, but is this the right time of the year to cruise weather-wise?  I know there's no guarantee of good weather anywhere in the world these days, but would appreciate any advice as to whether it could be too wet for sightseeing.  We're not worried about lower temperatures as long as it could potentially be dry.  Thanks for your help.

We are looking at this cruise and wonder whether it sails at the right time of the year weather-wise.  Apparently, it could be foggy and damp in Singapore, it is the wettest month in Koh Samui and it will only be around 14 degrees in Hong Kong.  I know you can't rely on the weather these days in any part of the world, so would appreciate your advice.  We're not worried so much about it being cool, but whether it could be too wet to sightsee.  Thanks for your help.  

Thanks for your useful advice.

Does Celebrity usually run any excursions after disembarkation at Boston or if not, could anyone recommend a tour operator who might pick up at the port or locally, please?  The flights back to the UK are out of range at the moment, but usually depart around 1915 hours, so don't really fancy hanging about at the airport for hours.

Thanks for your invaluable help.

Which berth number does Connie usually use in Venice, please?  Thanks for your help.

Thanks so much for all that good advice.  I've noticed that on the day we arrive in Barcelona, there will be 4 other cruise ships in port as well.  I will definitely check with our hotel if we can store our luggage in the event we arrive early.

When our cruise ends in Barcelona, we have a hotel booking for a couple of days in the city, which means we will need to arrange a transfer.  Before issuing colour coded luggage tags, does Celebrity send out a form asking what time you wish to disembark?  Roughly how long should we allow to get through security?  I understand it's a good idea to book your transfer in advance, so am hoping to work out some sort of timescale.  Thanks for any help you can give.

Thanks everyone for your very useful advice.

22 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

This is discussed regularly on the East Coast Departures board. First thing we need to know is your dates. Boston has a lot of stuff going on in the fall.

We're currently looking at a cruise out of Boston on 11 September 2020, and thought we would have a couple of nights in a hotel beforehand. 

Could anyone recommend a Boston hotel prior to cruise for say 3 nights for someone who has never visited the city before and would like to see the sights and be near reasonably priced restaurants?  Thanks as always for your help.

Thanks very much for your help. Just the advice I needed.  

We are on Reflection on back-to-back cruises and have checked-in online and printed off our Xpress docs for both sections.  When the ship arrives back in Fort Lauderdale after our first cruise, presumably the ship must be fully cleared for security and we will have to get off.  When on HAL, we were just given In Transit passes and were able to get straight back on again.  So for Celebrity, is this the same or will we need to check in again for the second leg, or will both docs be accepted when we check in first time around.  Many thanks for your advice.  

20 hours ago, oceangoer2 said:

I read it as night light in the bathroom so you're not walking around in the dark...I like that feature also.  Great comparisons, thank you!

We had a nightlight in our cabin and in the bathroom in our Signature suite on HAL.

Thanks very much for your help - much appreciated.

We are taking our first cruise with Celebrity on 18 February.  We are 4-star mariners on HAL, so of course have quite a few perks like free laundry, welcome aboard fizz and nibbles, free wine tasting, complimentary night at the Pinnacle Grill and 50% off speciality coffees etc.  We sometimes get a free drinks package too.  We do love HAL, so will be very interested in trying out Reflection for the first time.

Sorry to be a pain, but if you have the Classic package as a perk, say when you buy a drink for $8.75 for example, does this already include the 18% tax or do you also have to add that to any drink under the $9 mark?   Thanks once again.