J18ktleo

There's a FB page where you can sell them.  They are usually at a 30% or so discount but at least you get something for them.

I want to thank EVERYONE for this thread!

I have a group of 14 going on Reflection in Sept, all are in S1's and S2's and many of us haven't ventured above Aqua/Concierge so we're very excited!

I think, if my group, all goes to Michael's for pre-dinner it'll change the atmosphere in there, for sure!

Just off the Milennium, no snacks at bars or anywhere for pre dinner, just at the Oceanview, which was sad.

Question: re: Luminae, since we are such a big group will we have trouble dining at the same time?  I wrote dining reservations to see if we can reserve a time for all of us but not sure that's an option?

Plus so glad to hear Luminae is great, one of my friends/group loves Luminae and said they want every nite in there, no other specialty is needed!

Any recommendations is appreciated!😃

Hi!

We are looking to book a tour that leaves from Palm Beach at 9am and our ship docks at 8am.

The tour company (Octopus Aruba) says the ships time is one hour earlier than the port time, it's been 2 years since I've sailed and don't recall if

the ship stays on their own time or changes for the islands.

Anyone have any input?

Also, used Octopus Aruba two years ago for snorkel tour and it was AWESOME!!!!!  Had a group of 10 and the service was perfect!

21 hours ago, chromered7 said:

I would have thought that you could negotiate a good deal for a party of 14? There are always private companies at each port , it just needs an organised member of your group to do some investigation. Happy cruising.

Yes, as I've said, I have been doing this for years.

HOWEVER, I am concerned about doing all the research, negotiations and planning to then find out we have to do ship sponsored tours!

33 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

You simply ask the tour operator.  Most require a credit card to hold space, especially if a group.  The important question is if the trip is refundable and those terms.   You can check out the operator's ratings on Viator, Trip Advisor, Expedia or other sites.

Thank you.

I've been booking tours for years and years privately and am very familiar with procedures and cancellation policies, especially since I usually have a group going with me.

I thought you were talking about 'cruise line' tours that don't require deposit...that would be the best!!!

32 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

On my previous Iceland roll call several of us signed up for tours together that did not require advance deposits.  I would also check into that.  

Was there a way to tell which one's don't require payment up front?

Wondering what the general thought might be?

We are a group of 14 on Reflection Sept 26 and wondering if we should start looking into private tours or should plan on having to do ships tours throughout?

Have spent so much time planning already when we were cancelled in 2021, not looking forward to having that happen again.

What's your thoughts?

On 1/24/2022 at 2:10 PM, q45lover said:

We were on the Dec 18 Wind Surf cruise that ended early for covid. One thing to take into consideration is that your dining room table record is one of the few ways they can hit you with documented close contact exposure.  There were a few passengers that tested negative but had been sitting at a dining room table next to passengers that tested positive.  Those documented close proximity passengers were then forced to have to quarantine for additional testing even though they had tested negative in the required daily covid test.  

And this is why we cancelled.  Group of 12 were to sail Jan 29 on Star Legend, if one is compromised the whole group gets hit.  We couldn't take that chance.

Sadly, this cruise was booked Jan 2020 for 2021, moved to 22...we are all so disappointed!

On 11/16/2021 at 4:12 PM, cruiseej said:

@Hlitner @WNcruiser Thanks to both of you. That does look like fun.

 

We're staying in a hotel on Great Bay (near the cruise ship dock), but I assume getting taxis to Rhino and back shouldn't be too hard. We might try it in the morning before we board the ship, if the timing works for us.

 

And if they aren't fully booked for cruise ship tours. I just looked found there are SIX ships in Philipsburg the day we depart, including the massive Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas (3,634 passengers), Holland America Nieuw Statendam (2,666),  Oceania Sirena (684), Star Legend aka former Seabourn Legend (212), and Star Flyer (170), in addition to the Odyssey.  Ugh.

Hi, hoping for some answers!

We are on the Star Legend in late Jan out of St. Maarten (it's now around 300 passengers!) and will be flying into the island, staying for two nights then boarding the ship. 

I looked at Rhino tours as we did something like that a couple of years ago on the other side of the island and it was awesome however they didn't respond to my email about booking for 12 persons and thinking it might be safer to just stay at our resort instead of wandering around.

Question...we have booked a ship sponsored tour in Bequira and St Georges, Grenada and all the info I read is pertaining to flying in and requiring negative tests. 

Since we're on a ships sponsored tour will the same requirements be in place?

Would not be happy to have to get 2 PCR tests on the ship since it looks like the islands are requiring PCR instead of Antigen tests?

Any info is appreciated...

wow, thank you for all the intuitive reading, I really appreciate it!

As one of those who says 'I'll wait a couple of years' before I get the vaccine, not even knowing which one will be the one that's good for most and for me, and understanding it might be the end of my world travel I am continually entertained by conversations talking about 'listening to the experts'.

Who are the experts?

Who designated them better experts over others?

How many contradictory statements/writings/rulings should be made before they are no longer considered an expert?

What we were told in the spring, when this supposedly started, has changed week by week by week with new information and new guidelines.

And the places with mask MANDATES are still seeing incremental rises in their infection rates so, is that truly a remedy?

First they said 'put on a mask and don't touch it', then they said wear it only outdoors, then indoors too then while you're eating (which means you touch it and touch it and touch it).

They said dining inside is dangerous but outside is ok now it's not.

The constant back and forth of information is mind blowing.

And the continual back and forth of data and 'new information' is as well.

2 almost fully EUA approved Vaccines and a couple more on the way.  Has anyone heard/read anything about what the differences are? Which one's work for whom?  I know that every single drug introduced has challenges interacting with peoples health and other drugs they might be taking, from everything I'm reading about these vaccines they're all good for everyone?  Although now the Pfizer vaccine isn't good for those with bad asthma issues...

Anyways, there's so many angles to this difficult and tragic situation.

I wonder if we can ever feel that we're getting some degree of 'real' information? 🤔

We are booked on the Flora, Galapagos 3.0 since we were originally on the Xpedition June 2019, cancelled due to government issues, moved to July 2020, Covid now July 2021, praying!!!

I remember reading some articles about doing the Galapagos from a hotel at one location and much of the issue was the tremendous loss of time traveling to and from each island.  We are lucky as we've just been transferring the $$$ we paid for Xpedition forward from year to year but for this trip of a lifetime I think doing it the right way is so important. 

We did Africa a couple years ago thru AMA, LOTS of money!  But it was so beautifully coordinated (and I'm truly a DIY person and organizer for everyone else too!), every little detail taken care of, all we had to do was fly in and out of South Africa...definitely made a huge difference!

If we do ever get the chance to go it truly might be Once in a Lifetime!

I had a client/friend booked on Windspirit Feb 2021 and when I got notification of cancelation the rep told me no benefits will be transferred, when they rebook it'll be as a new booking. 😰
Feel so bad, this client has had  4 cruises canceled on them!

ok, trying to get some updated info.

We're going in Sept and, of course, the day in Santorini has 4 ships!  I am leading a group of, maybe, 20 adults.

We're in port from 7-7 so if we get off early the boats to OIA won't be running, correct?

So, we can 1) get off early and plan on doing the cable cars up or 2) wait a bit and then the boats to Oia will be

running?

Also was planning to get a private group tour to do the beaches and wine tasting...last time I was there we did it

ourselves with the donkeys (was hysterical!) and public bus to Oia but with a group of this size I think a tour

would be better.

Any advice???

I have looked far and wide and just need clarification...is Qsine still operating on the Connie?

I see the only Specialty Resturants on the Connie are Tuscan Grille, Qsine and Sushi on Five...was hoping

Le Grand Bistro might have appeared?

Thank you!

how do you find it?   We're on Edge in Europe next year...would love any discount!

Hey, Marilyn,,,thank you for your continued addiction to the Edge!

Here's my two cents!

I did one of the pre-season but were in a Panoramic oceanview which is basically the IV without a balcony,..problem with those is that they all overlook the tenders so view wasn't great.

Had a large group on in Jan, everyone had IV's.  I really like the cabin but not the shade, which I think they didn't plan out well.

For those of us who like to peek out during the nite or in the am when our companion still sleeps there's no way unless you raise

the shade all the way up...In Jan we just left it all open and had the extra 'real estate' for our room. 😉

Many of us did book the Edge for next year in Europe but we all took sunset verandahs (we have all of deck 10!)...the new people that booked to go with us did take IV's...said they were ok with the shade challenge.

My other 'complaint' is that there's no real area to gather in the atrium except the Martini Bar.  I had a large group that wanted to meet each nite for drinks before dinner and the last nite, the atrium was filled with people who had been sitting there allllllll day (because weather wasn't good enough to go outside) with ipads and cards and no drinks...we had to go to Eden to find seats.  On the other ships there's many more areas to sit and enjoy a drink, on Edge it's pretty much Martini bar or Eden.

I am a TA and also sail quite a bit. 

We did the Milennium in 2014 and selected the foreward most oceanivew on deck 6 for it's large size (first time sailing with my travel buddy).

The second nite around 1am the thumping started, I called Pursers desk, they sent security to investigate and it quieted down.  Half hour later it started again...I called, they checked, it quieted down, 30 minutes later......

After two nites of this found out we were above the crew disco 🤔

I pitched a fit and they moved us the next morning...thankfully a balcony cabin had opened up.

I do alot of research when selecting cabins for myself and clients...this info isn't really available so you have to do as much 'due diligence' as you can and hope for the best.  My friends just got off another ship where we selected what we thought was a 'safe' location, turned out it under buffet where there was no carpeting so chair scraping noise was heard alot!

17 hours ago, Crew News said:

If another passenger happens to bring a bottle your favorite wine  aboard and decides not to drink it, you could most certainly offer the bottles owner your recycling assistance.

Great idea...I can hold up a sign...'Can I reliever you of your extra bottle of wine?'

On 6/6/2019 at 5:37 PM, oakridger said:

To clarify:

It's one bottle free per person 21+ in the cabin.  When I travel solo I only get one bottle without corkage charges.                       

One person=one bottle     3 people=3bottles

 

~Nancy

Maybe I can find another person to help carry on another bottle???? 🤣

Quick question, we just booked last minute and not clear on policy re: bringing wine/champagne onboard.

We can bring 2 bottles/cabin with no charge and after that $18/bottle fee?

If we buy any of the wine packages, do they keep track if we don't finish the bottle for use the next night? (as they do on

a couple of other lines) 🍷

Prefer to avoid the total drink package using nightly Happy Hours and behaving cost wise!!!  😉

Thank you!

I just booked 6 cabins onboard, last year we were the same 6 pairs (annual girls cruise!) and one had room 220.  They were awakened every single morning when the gangway was set up...they said it was very very noisy and so this year we all tried to stay away from that area.

Windsurf should probably do a disclaimer for those cabins...just not right to have all that clanging every day

I had a group last year and we had a fantastic catamaran snorkeling tour with Elegance!  I actually collected from everyone in advance (paypal) then paid when we got there...it was a wonderful day!

Thank you all for your input.

Getting ready to book our annual girls cruise, we did Windsurf Jan 2018 and those who were in 221 said they were woken every morning with crew getting ready to disembark...it was very noise and reading reviews on this thread about cabins underneath this on one, both sides, leads me to believe we need to stay forward in the B catagory???

Thanks so much, vtcruising!

I do want to add ( and I've mentioned this in my cruise review ) that it would've been much better if the blinds would close from side to side, as we are restricted in what we see in the morning because we have to raise the blinds the whole way.

I lifted them up about a foot when I went to bed, however since our bed was near the window, when I got up at nite if I touched the blinds they 'jiggled' and weren't tight as they are all the way down.

I will definitely miss not being able to get up in the am or during the night and 'peek out' to see where we are and scenery, if any.  This is the one area I think could've been better designed!

Date of Cruise:             Dec 6, 2018                                                                                                                                    

Ship:                          Edge                                                                                                                           

Cabin #:                     6228                                                                                                                                     

Deck #:                       6                                                                                                                        

Cabin Category:        Panoramic Oceanview                                                                                                                                                    

Cabin Location:           Mid ship                                                                                                                                     

Bed Position:               near window                                                                                                                                    

Balcony Type:             N/a                                                                                                                                     

Balcony/Window Size:          N/a                                                                                                                                        

Balcony/Window View/Obstruction:       overlooks tender right below window                                                                                                       

Balcony Overhang?:                                                                                                                                                      

Magic Carpet Issues?:                                                                                                                                                   

Noise Issues?:                 can hear those in adjoining cabin thru connecting door                                                                                                                                 

Wind Issues?:                                                                                                                                                  

Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?:       on left side of cabin near entrance

Suite Details:                                                                                                                                                    

Advantages/Problems/Comments:                                                                                                                           

                                                                                  yes                                                                            

Would You Book It Again?:

Photos or Photo Links: