On 10/21/2021 at 3:08 AM, PTC DAWG said:

Balcony is around 75k all in each.

 

274 days with the drink package..almost like being at home. 🙂

$274/day pretty much AI not too bad. 

If you are going through Glacier Alley make sure your cabin will be on the correct side to view glaciers from your balcony if you have one. Looks like based on your itinerary southbound that will be port side. 

Cruise ship prices for excursions are usually much higher than private excursions. Anxious to  see if ship prices will go up or stay the same. They certainly will have a “captive” audience. 

On 9/21/2020 at 5:35 PM, marieps said:

Thanks for this...

Summary 

Will Taking a Cruise Ever Be Fun Again?

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line are starting to formulate a plan of what cruising will be like in the new normal. It won't be pretty.

There's been a lot of talk about when cruise ships will start sailing again, but not a lot of chatter about what the experience will be like. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continuing to kick the "no-sail" order can down the calendar, it's easy to set aside the conversation. Carnival (NYSE:CCL) (NYSE:CUK), Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings(NASDAQ:NCLH) have canceled all stateside sailings until at least early November.

However, with the Healthy Sail Panel, helmed by Royal Caribbean and and Norwegian Cruise Line, putting out their health and safety recommendations this week, reality is starting to sink in. Cruising isn't going to be as fun and carefree as it used to be for passengers, and it's definitely not going to be as lucrative for the actual cruise line operators.

Image source: Getty Images.

All a-bored

The 65-page report by the industry-helmed panel details dozens of new protocols that will make the cruising experience safe and ideally acceptable to the CDC. Some of the things may seem fairly obvious. Passengers will have to be tested for COVID-19 just before going on a ship -- no greater than five days before they set sail -- and submit the negative result. There will then be an additional health screening at embarkation.

Crew members will have even more hoops to jump through. They also will be required to submit a fresh negative test before boarding the ship, but then they'll have to quarantine on the vessel for seven days and pass another COVID-19 test before beginning their duties. 

Life on the ship will also be a little more inconvenient. Passengers and crew will have to submit to daily temperature checks and be required to wear face coverings for most of the time that they're outside of their cabins. Naturally, there'll be exceptions when eating, drinking, or swimming, but the mask requirement is going to be a deal-breaker for some potential passengers. 

Financially speaking, the measures will take a bite out of the profitability that Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line investors are used to seeing. The panel recommends that the ships have fewer passengers -- and crew members -- on board. The itineraries should also be shorter, with limited shore excursions to keep exposure in check. The cruise lines will also be on the hook for enhanced protocols including improving ventilation and medical capabilities, increased sanitation, and other measures to limit interactions. 

If this doesn't sound like the magical cruises that you may have taken in the past, you're right. If some of these measures seem like a regulatory overreaction, keep in mind that it's the cruise lines themselves proposing these changes as a way to get approval to start sailing again. Cruise ships continue to be the last major travel transportation industrywaiting for the green light, but this could be just the start of a new wave of problems for the cruise lines. 

If you see the rats leaving the ships it is a sign to sell their stock if not sooner. 

Lots of toppings too

Great Martini bar with lots of flair. Other bars are excellent. Great staff. Food is good with many options for specialty restaurants. I think you will enjoy it.

I have used Aldo's Limos twice and have been very satisfied. Aldo and his wife Christina give you personalized service. Pick you up on time and get you back with time to spare. Had a great lunch with spectacular views. Will use them again.

Maui, Napili Bay for beach. Parking is hard on weekends.

Lunch at the Fish Market. Small place in shopping center with freshest fish and good prices. Google it. Or try CJ 's.

Thank you for your review. May I suggest you use more paragraphs to make it easier on my eyes to read?

Your review was most informative.

Thank you.

Besides Watts there are least two other tour operators out of Port Stanley. We booked with Estancia Tours (about 3 weeks before embarkation), had a super day. Father owns the ranch everyone crosses on the way to Volunteer Point, daughter runs the business and recruits drivers & vehicles as needed, mother makes box lunches for the participants... There were 50 vehicles at Volunteer Point the day we were there; I think 15-20 of them were organized through Estancia, 15-20 through Watts, 15-20 through the company Celebrity uses.

 

However you get there, this is likely the best (albeit most arduous) excursion you will ever have.

 

 

Earlier in the trip, do try to book Pira Tours "walk with the penguins." If you have decent weather on these two, then I would skip the third penguin opportunity, the X excursion from Puerto Madryn, Argentina to the Punta Tombo penguin rookery. A long boring bus ride, then a much less intimate chance to observe the penguins. If the weather keeps you away from either of the first two, then this would be worthwhile, but otherwise not so much.

 

Stan

Ditto, Pira Tours in Ushuaia. Only 20 or so patrons allowed on the island at one time. A lot of penguins that aren't shy. People who went to Punta Tombo were disappointed. Long bus ride and few penguins.

Best review I've ever read. Thank you.

Concierge class passengers can eat in the main dining room for lunch on embarkation

Anyone have the Tuscan "new menu"? When did it start?

i read that Crystal is very upscale, very formal (most dress up for dinner) and an older clientele. Any comment. Enjoy your new career.

Can you purchase the dining packages after you board? I want to use my OBC.

Other threads have said:

 

SO5 is not included on the new Specialty Dining Packages. The package where you choose the number of nights.

 

The Ultmate Dining Package has been discontinued in favor of the new package.

 

Anybody confirm this?

I found my answers on another thread. The UDP is gone

SO5 is not ncluded on Specialty Dining Pacakges. Some have gotten offers of discounts or all you care to eat.

I'll miss the UDP, RIP!

Other threads have said:

SO5 is not included on the new Specialty Dining Packages. The package where you choose the number of nights.

The Ultmate Dining Package has been discontinued in favor of the new package.

Anybody confirm this?

I told the head of housekeeping what a great job our assistant steward was doing throughout our cruise and what a nice young man he was. Upon disembarking I saw her and she told me they were promoting him to steward. I was so happy for him and his family.

Yes you can get egg whites or egg beaters

The Ultimate pkg is very limited so you don't know if you will be in time to get one or not. So you buy 2 5 night packeges, book everything, then it is sold out when you board. 50/50 chance. It is $29.00 per day per person x the # 0f days of the cruise.

 

Hope I'm clear with the answer! :D

yes, thanks.

I'm trying to get an answer on the Ultmate Dining Package with no answer so perhaps someone can help here. Not trying to hijack the thread.

Cruise is 10 nights on Equinox. I will attempt to purchase only on board. Is cost still $29pp/day?

Can I make 10 regular Specialty reservations online prior to sailing and then if the UDP is available cancel those reservations and have my credit card credited? Then use my OBC to pay for the UDP?

Hope I'm clear on my question. Thank you in advance.

McDonalds is a good place if available. Ask the crew also.

If I switch over will they credit me back for the prepaid dinners. It's ok if they apply it to the UDP.

I am not in a suite and would like to buy the UDP. I realize it can only be purchased onboard if space is available. Can I make reservations online for each night and pay by my credit card. Then switch over to the UDP onboard?