travelbuds

On 8/12/2023 at 4:09 PM, jelayne said:

I take a screen shot of the Xpress page.  But I also print a copy.  I just find it easier to stick  the printed pass in my passport which frees my other hand for handling carry ons.  
....

Curious how you printed the Xpress Pass. I was able to take the screen shot and email it as attachment to my email account, but not able to print it from laptop. Was able to print luggage tags and documents from my Celebrity account, but found no mention of Xpress Pass. Had received an email from Celebrity telling me to print it. Thanks.

5 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

You can probably get a USB battery charger for the Sony batteries if you want to. I have an a6500 and the batteries are notorious for running down, so I travel with several batteries. But if you don't have that issue, you'll just have to rotate plugs. And carry two adapters if you need to charge everything at the same time.

 

One tip in the UK: The outlets are switched. At the outlet. There will be a little switch on the outlet and you have to flip that switch to get power. It "may" be on when you first plug  in, but that's not the desired position.

 

We're doing 3 days in Denali and two days in Seward pre-cruise to take the train. Spending our debarkation day in Vancouver. 

I have an older Sony a77II and start off with 3 fully charged batteries. Did Denali 2 years ago--3 nights with Princess. Clear sky with no clouds for entire time. Great! We have done Kenai Fjords boat tours a couple of times in Seward. Enjoyed the train ride from Denali. Have fun! And thanks again.

16 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

May 31st. Early season so hoping for the best on weather.

 

What kind of tablets, phones, and cameras?

You will be getting off the day we board, June 7th. Going in early for 3 days in Vancouver. Past 2 trips--no rain. We bring layers and top it off with rain jacket. Samsung tablets and phones charge with USB, Sony camera chargers plug directly into wall and travel toothbrushes use regular alkaline batteries. Looks like we just need a plug adapter.

Hope you have a good cruise!

13 minutes ago, markeb said:

I've never used a surge protector in 30 years of travel to Europe, including the UK. 

 

What kind of electronics?

 

If your devices will charge by USB, then take a USB charging hub and some cables.

Thank you.

Just taking iPods, tablets, phones, and cameras. When is your southbound Summit? We are on a northbound in June. Have only done southbounds in past so thought we'd try something different. First time on Celebrity.

My wife and I plan to spend a few days in London (first time there) after our cruise and wondering if we need a surge protecter power converter and adapter to charge our electronics. Will the cruise lines confiscate it at boarding? We have a non-surge power strip for use on the ship. Thank you.

On 4/17/2024 at 7:07 PM, no1racefan1 said:

it's almost certain to sell out early, based on what others have said. I'm sailing next month and that excursion, as well as many others, have been sold out for months. I just looked at excursions today just to see, and there's only a handful with openings.

We have done this excursion 3 times-all booked directly with Taku Lodge. May want to call them @ 907-586-6275.

1 hour ago, DianeCcruiser said:

We’ll be on HAL Zuiderdam in May. We booked a different tour when we booked last September. I don’t think this tour was available when we booked. We booked Bruges on your own February 10th 2024. 
Thank you. We'll just wait it out to see if Celebrity will eventually post this excursion.
 

4 hours ago, DianeCcruiser said:

Do they have taxis available at the shuttle bus parking to take you to the town center of Bruges and back?

If no taxis does the 15- 20 minute walk have benches to rest on. 
We’re looking at the “ Bruges on your own”

Thank you

 

My wife and I won't be doing this until next spring, but curious how far in advance was the "Brugges on your own" posted for your itinerary. At this point, there are only 8 excursions listed for Bruges-nothing for "Bruges on your own". Otherwise, we probably will go with cruise-express.

5 hours ago, BaumD said:

Probably difficult for American to come up with a final excursion list until 60 days before the cruise. ........ Prices can also change. Imagine you see a price for an excursion six month before your cruise and when the 60 day list comes out, the price of the excursion has gone up by $15.

With the cruises we have been on, we've been able to make excursion reservations and pay for them many months in advance, locking in the reservation and price. I guess going with a smaller company doesn't afford that luxury.

7 hours ago, adstz said:

This is a problem to me. I would like to be able to see the excursions and prices so I can make an informed decision at 60 days........... But not knowing what is available or what the price is until the day you need to book it is not a great idea.....

Looks like a problem we'll just have to deal with for now. Maybe post-cruise surveys will help out for future trips. Maybe try trip advisor and Facebook to see if  past cruisers can help out for upcoming trip. May give ACL a call.

6 hours ago, DaveinCharlotte said:

ACL does provide these details, but only after you've booked, and even then not until 60 days before the cruise starts.

Seems strange, but we have only been on ocean cruises before. No river cruises.

11 minutes ago, ericosmith said:

Go Green!  ....... I doubt that you will find any independent excursions other than at the ends of the trip.  ........

Go White!  After a little time on TripAdvisor, it doesn't look like independent excursions will be in the cards. Bought a couple Lewis and Clark expedition books, so I'll have something to do during slow or down times.

3 hours ago, BaumD said:

if you go on the ACL website, find the Columbia River Cruise, click on ITINERARY, then click on DAY BY DAY ITINERARY.  Under each port they is a list of excursions. Click on each one for details. 

Thank you. It would have been nice if ACL had included more details for the excursions such as times and prices for the non-complimentary tours. We like to squeeze in as many activities as we can at each port. We usually do independent excursions. Will also check out trip advisor for things to do. Looking forward to this cruise. Have bought a couple Lewis and Clark expedition books. First time with ACL.

My wife and I are doing this river trip from east to west and starting off a day early with the Hells Canyon boat trip. Looking for a list of shore excursions for the remainder of the week. Do passengers do any excursions independently from the ship, or just stay with ship offerings? Thanks.

On 5/15/2023 at 11:11 PM, John Bull said:

 

3. Taxi. Availability is rather suspect, you're very strongly advised to book.

 

JB 🙂

Do you have a recommendation for taxi service to  pre-book? Thank you.

1 hour ago, el344 said:

 It seemed to be a well established smoothly running system.

Do you recall if the taxis were at cruise terminal as soon as you got off the ship? A queue for both passengers and taxis? Thanks.

9 hours ago, el344 said:

Round trip. Our driver picked us up on time for the return trip.

Where did you get picked up and dropped off? What arrangements did you make to be sure you found your taxi going back to ship?  Did you pay at the return drop off? Thanks.

Hi,

Looking for breakfast recommendations in Southampton close to the city cruise terminal. Thanks.

On 1/25/2024 at 1:28 PM, el344 said:

It was around 110€ for all six of us. Plus a tip.

Was the 110€ for one way or round trip? Any problems getting the taxi back to ship? Thanks.

5 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

But I’m conscious that most users of this forum are from overseas and unfamiliar with London’s public transport......and may come from the US where train travel isn’t the norm that it is in Europe so find the prospect of using a busy commuter train in a strange city daunting.......but for many CC users the HEX might be a better, more relaxing option given it’s often quiet, there’s dedicated luggage space, more chance of getting a seat and plenty of time to get on and off at Paddington. Yes, it’s overpriced and I never use it but I acknowledge it has its uses.

 

 

Thank you, Gumshoe! I'll just get my tickets early to cut off some of the cost.

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

For luggage storage definitely the HEX. There is none on the Elizabeth line.

 

You’ll want to book at least a month in advance to get the £15 fare, and ideally far more. They only sell a limited number of £15 tickets each day, and once they’re gone they’re gone and you have to pay the full fare of £25.

Thank you. We'll book early to get the reduced rate. Will book when we get air tickets. Need the luggage space.

1 minute ago, friscotex said:

The night before we arrived in port the cruise daily sheet that is left in our cabin mentioned the complimentary shuttle to Blankenberge train station.  Yes, you can buy roundtrip tickets from the train station at the kiosk.  We got to the tower when it opened (which I recommend) and there was not a long line to buy tickets, but you could see that there were bigger crowds when we were finished with the tower.  I did not buy any tickets before we left home.

 

**If your cruise does not offer a shuttle to the Blankenberge train station, you can walk from the port station to the tram stop and ride the tram to the bus station. Tickets are needed to ride the tram. Another option is to look at https://cruise-express.be/en/ and buy a ticket with them and they take you directly to Bruges.  For this option you could buy a ticket in advance or buy the day you arrive off the ship.

 

Here is another link you may find helpful:  https://belgium-travel.com/how-to-go-from-zeebrugge-to-bruges-city-center/

 

I hope that helps!

Thank you! You're a big help!

On 9/27/2023 at 2:26 PM, friscotex said:

Here is what we did on our Zeebrugge to Bruges port day (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)

Took cruise shuttle (free/provided by cruise) to Blankenberge.......... Bought tickets from machine to Bruges..........Bought tickets to climb Belfort Tower (recommend). .......

Train back to Blankenberge, then shuttle back to ship.

 

 

Just a few questions if I may. How did you find out about the cruise shuttle to Blankenberge? Listed on the ship's excursion website? Or was it announced onboard when cruising to the port? Could you buy roundtrip tickets, or did you have to buy a ticket at each station? Was there a long line to buy tickets to the Tower? Did you buy tickets online before leaving home? Thank you.

14 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

There’s a reason the HEX is always empty and the Elizabeth line is super popular!

Curious which line has more luggage storage space. Visiting London for a couple days after a cruise before heading back to Heathrow Terminal 3 for an 11AM flight home. Will be staying near the Paddington station.

How far in advance do you suggest getting the reduced HEX fare? Thanks.

On 3/4/2024 at 2:45 AM, sddsddean said:

....your hotel is just up the road from Paddington station, so I would say a better plan to LHR is cab to the station and then Elizabeth line train to LHR (about £13ea). A bit more expensive than the coach, but a lot quicker.........

 

Simon

 

Curious why Elizabeth line picked over Heathrow Express from Paddington to LHR? Thanks.