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This has happened to us as well. Book flights thru Celebrity in CDN and when go to reserve seats its in USD. I just went ahead and paid in USD. Probably not the best way to go but didn't think there was a way around it. I don't want to book flights direct with Air Canada as it doesn't offer the same protection and ability to hold off on paying and take advantage of price drops.

We live in the Ottawa area and if we can't get direct flights from Ottawa we fly from Montreal. We take the train to Montreal and there is a shuttle from the Via rail station to the airport - only 5 mins away. That way we don't have the hassle of parking. Figure what we spend on train tickets is less than what it would cost to park at the airport. We either take a cab or get a ride to the train station in Ottawa. Is that an option for you?

True enough...Azamara is vague in the use of the term "slight upcharge". I would be happy to pay to upgrade to the Ultimate package for say $10 per person per day. Or alternatively pay the "slight upcharge" per drink if its only a couple of dollars/drink.

Yes will definitely want single malt. So since its not covered on the Premium package, can we upgrade to the Ultimate for a reasonable cost? Still not sure how this works re the "slight upcharge". Any one have experience with this?

We were fortunate enough to be on a cruise with Stryker. What an entertainer!! Wish HAL would bring him back.

Hi all, we are thinking of booking our first Azamara cruise. We have sailed several times with Celebrity and a few with HAL so are familiar with cruising in general. This thread has been very helpful in answering many of my questions 🙂 I do have a few additional questions: - the cruise we are thinking of booking is not until Aug 2025. Does Azamara have any sort of price drop protection up until final payment? We've managed to take advantage of several price drops in the past with Celebrity so we always book far in advance knowing that we can take advantage if there is a sale and prices drop. (both with the cruise fare and airfare) - the cruise we are looking at comes with a Premium Beverage Package. DH is a big fan of single malt scotch which doesn't seem to be available on this package. The website says "the value of a complimentary drink is taken into consideration in pricing higher end brands so you pay just a slight upcharge". Can someone explain how this works? Wondering whether pay as you go makes more sense then upgrading to the Ultimate Package (how do we upgrade?) - are all of the pools outdoors? Any solarium style pools or indoor pools? We love having an indoor or solarium type pool as an option. Thanks in advance...Really appreciate the help!!

We have done this cruise twice - early and late in season. First time was end of April 2019 from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal on Zaandam. Was a lovely cruise in spite of chilly temperatures here in Canada. There was flooding that year so cruise had to end in Quebec City (we got an extra day thre) as the St. Lawrence was too high for the ship to get under the bridge to Montreal We were bussed to Montreal. Second was on Nieuw Stantendam in early Sept 2022 from Quebec City to Boston and included 3 ports in Newfoundland. Due to bad weather (remnants of a hurricane) we only made it to 1 of the 3 ports and replacement ports were added. Due to high swells tendering in Bar Harbour was very difficult and was paused during the worst of it. Weather was definitely warmer on this cruise but too early for fall colours. Weather is very unpredictable nowadays and neither cruise went totally as scheduled. We appreciated that HAL was quick to rearrange and offer alternative ports which we enjoyed. In spite of the hiccups we enjoyed both cruises very much and wouldn't hesitate to do it again at either time of the year.

We have sailed 10 times on Celebrity on all classes of ship. HAL we have sailed 4 times, including the Nieuw Statendam a little over a year ago. We have 2 upcoming cruises booked with Celebrity and 1 with HAL. There is lots to like about both lines and not much that we don't like. Some things we prefer on HAL, others on Celebrity but nothing that is a game changer. Now that we are retired and cruise more regularly, we have started to alternate a bit more between the 2 lines based on itinerary and cost. If you do the same line too often you notice that production shows don't change that often and neither do the menus. Enjoy your cruise!

We use both approaches but always do all our own research. Typically we email our TA to finalize a booking. Occassionally we do our own booking (typically happens when we book onboard) and then have it assigned to our TA. We have once done as you mentioned in order to snag a cabin booked ourselves and then transfer, as we didn't want to risk it becoming unavailable. We always deal with the same TA at the American agency we use. I've never not been able to reach him via email. He always responds even if he is away from office. Because of this I make sure to indicate whether an issue needs immediate attention or can wait as I know he is so good to deal with everything even when he is out of office. Go Sens Go!! What a game last night, woo hoo!! Did you see the news that Jacques Martin has been hired by the Sens as an advisor?

Good to know! Are you assigned an actual person to manage your booking, or do you deal with a call centre? Are you able to contact them with questions via email or just by phone? I do like the personalized service I receive from my TA and if it that is available through the big box store definitely food for thought. I do wish it was OBC vs a shop card though....

We had a chocolate surprise on our recent Nordam sailing. Many trays being circulated with a variety of chocolates as well as mini cupcakes. I really enjoyed it!

We use a US based TA. No problem to price in CDN $ and he always give us some OBC. Its not as much as I could get with our big box store membership - which doesn't actually give OBC it gives you a gift card to use in their store after your cruise. For a few cruises pre-Covid our TA was able to match what the big box store would give us, then it got more difficult for him to do that. However he was invaluable during Covid dealing with our many cancellations and changes so we have stuck with him and no longer even compare with the big box store.

For those who missed out keep checking! Booked upgrade yesterday for 9.69 CDN Regular price 20.54 (although a few weeks ago was around $26) This morning was up to 13.69 Now back down to 9.65 Not sure what is going on lol but take advantage if you can!!

I am a dessert person and have tried and loved many of them! The only one I didn't care for is their cheesecake. I find it very bland.

Thanks for the heads up! I just upgraded us for 9.59 CDN per person per day for 2 upcoming cruises. Regular price states it is 20.54. I am sure it was around $26.00 a few weeks ago. Great to see prices dropping 🙂 Normally we just stick with the classic package and pay the difference for more expensive drinks.

We like to stay in Plantation which is only about 15 min cab ride away from FLL. Cheaper than staying right in FLL and lots of stores and restos in walking distance. Even with cab fare still works out cheaper. Some hotels in Plantation offer airport and cruise port shuttles.

We will be flying to Tampa for a cruise early in 2024. Will be our first cruise out of Tampa and is with Celebrity. Ottawa is our home airport and when I booked the cruise there were 2 direct AC flights/week from Ottawa-Tampa. Our plan was to stay a few days before and after the cruise so this worked well and allowed us to have direct flights both ways....until AC dropped this down to only one weekly flight 😞 We rearranged our plans and are now flying down on a direct flight the week before the cruise and spending a full week in the area. We fly back right after the cruise ends - no direct flight. Tampa - Newark - Ottawa is our return with a 4 hour layover in Newark. I booked our flights directly with Celebrity. Price has dropped 4 times since we booked. Each time I've called and the lower price has been honoured. Final payment isn't due yet so I still check reguarly for price drops. Fingers crossed AC doesn't make any further changes to our flights...I know that is always a risk. Good luck and hope you find the flights you want at a reasonable price.

I feel for you. We are on Connie in Feb 2024 out of Tampa for a 9 night cruise. I am hoping this won't change. We definitely prefer cruises longer than 7 days. Here is an article on the changes that may provide additional info. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/08/celebrity-big-caribbean-program-for-winter-2024-25/

We've done 2 similar cruises and don't remember any dead spots. We did have the ships wifi plan as well as our own cellphone coverage which we relied on while in port. We did need to use our cellphone to make phone calls and always did this while in port with one exception...see below. Be very careful not to make phone calls using your cell in Canadian waters when you are not in port. We made that mistake on a cruise a few years ago. Made a phone call from the ship while saling on the St Lawrence towards Quebec City. First time I've ever made a phone call from a cruise ship and I learned the hard way It was not covered by roaming...it was Cellular at Sea which is very expensive. FWIW we typically try to say more unplugged while cruising, however in this case there was a fair amount of flooding happening at home while we were cruising and we needed to be in touch with family. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks...I wondered if that was the case but was hoping there was still something similar.

Hi all, I have tried to download a brochure for 2 upcoming cruises in 2024 and just get an error message saying: No voyages were found for that ship and date; please verify that this information has been entered correctly and try again. Both cruises have lots of excursions available through cruise planner so that's not the issue. Its so much easier to view them all at once with the brochure, rather than flipping back and forth. Does anyone else have this issue? Wondering if the brochure has been discontinued or if there is another way to do this. Thanks!

We are also in the Ottawa area. We prefer direct flights and if we can't get them from Ottawa we look to see if any direct flights from Montreal. If there are then we take the train to Montreal and get a direct flight from there. I find that less stressful and more relaxing than having to change planes. Have you looked at booking flights through the cruiseline? If price goes down before final payment you can refare at the lower price. We do this as soon as flights open for booking and keep checking for price drops. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

Thanks all. I was hoping there was a way to price it out yourself so you could compare the price with CO in the cheapest cabin in the category (and get the upgrade) vs the price without CO for the highest category. I will be sure to ask my TA to price out both next time I book. Edit: I see this on the linked document which is helpful $25/person/day on cruises up to 13 days $15/person/day on cruises 13+ days

I've only just recently learned about Club Orange. I did a mock booking for a cruise I have booked for later this year and didn't see an option for Club Orange. Is this only offered on certain cruises? How do you go about adding it to a booking or getting a quote on it? Thanks!

Here are the details of the excursion we did. As mentioned, we chose to take the bus back vs staying on and having to take the cable car. We found our time in Oia was very rushed...half an hour at most. The winery was lovely. Hope this helps! Enjoy your cruise 🙂 Island Of Santorini And Village Of Oia Overview Immerse yourself in the stunning beauty of Santorini’s volcanic landscape, visiting the charming town of Oia and a local winery. Begin your journey with a scenic drive to the top of the caldera. See the active volcanic islet in Santorini Bay and learn about the geological upheavals that have shaped the island. Arrive at the beautiful village of Oia perched atop a craggy cliff, with incredible views of the deep blue sea and surrounding islands. Explore the village’s narrow, winding cobblestone streets, that form a maze through the town’s iconic Cycladic architecture. Browse local shops, cafés, art galleries, and visit the town’s domed churches. Then, you’ll travel to a local winery where you’ll taste Santorini mezes and sample local wines. Visit the bodega where the wine is aged. Finally, journey to the village of Fira. Explore the cliff-top village’s narrow streets, and ride a cable car back to the ship. SO01