LisaAtlCruiser

Great pictures!  Will be joining you on the Arctic Circle itinerary.  🙂

Interesting.  I just looked and mine is lower on my last cruise.  I don’t drink alcohol so that would not be a factor.  
 

I cruise again in 3 weeks so will check during that cruise as well.

So many are willing to take a risk until of course the risk is realized.  Then all they do is ***** and moan and blame others.  
 

Frankly cruising without a passport is foolish- especially for people in their 70’s!

I just did it on Symphony and will definitely book again!  Get the wine pairing with it.  

On 11/23/2023 at 12:24 PM, cruisin from florida said:

I'm cruising on 12/5. I may wait and book the 8/30/2025 Brilliance TA onboard.... Thoughts?

I just saw that!  My TA was given wrong information and I decided to apply my NextCruise certificate to a different sailing so it wouldn’t expire.  However not upset with him as I am not surprised.  Plus the Greenland cruise is currently more than I want to pay so I am glad I went ahead and booked the Indy crossing.

I will keep an eye on Greenland though in case the price comes into range of what I am willing to pay.

5 minutes ago, cruisin from florida said:

I don't think I'll be using Nextcruise anymore, unless I can either book a specific cruise on the spot, or I'm pretty certain that the booking window is opening shortly. 60 days is not enough time!

I agree.  This is the first time I tried the certificate option and that was only because I knew I wanted this Brilliance sailing and NextCruise seemed confident it would be available within two months.  Now, I don't know who provided my TA the information and if you know Royal, they sometimes provide wrong information.  So it is possible it will be released sooner - but I am going with what my TA stated.  

30 minutes ago, cruisin from florida said:

I'm waiting for that Brilliance TA, too.

My awesome new Travel Agent (first time using him) just found out Royal is not releasing that sailing for booking until April 2024!  I still plan to book that when released but will now be searching for another sailing to use my NextCruise Certificate.

Does anyone have any clue when Brilliance will release the TA leaving Southhampton August 30th and making her way to Boston via Iceland and Greenland?  I saw the itinerary at NextCruise and got one of the certificates to book her as soon as she is released.  The NextCruise certificate only lasts for two months (to keep the benefits) so anxiously awaiting this specific itinerary to be released.  

Also, curious if anyone has any insight into Jewel sailings.

34 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Without mentioning any ports of call it is impossible to estimate the route, which is a significant factor in weather.

 

At that time of year, on a more southerly crossing, most of my crossings have been pleasant. However, I note you are from Florida, so your expectations of pleasant temperatures may vary significantly from mine. Shorts & short sleeved t-shirts on outer decks most days.

Thank you!  We have 3 stops - in Valencia Spain, Seville Spain and then Nassau.  

I think I might be over planning for colder temps and should shift a bit to make sure I include enough clothes for warmer temps.

I know this post is slightly old - but I am doing a crossing from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale Oct 29 - Nov 12.  I know no-one has a crystal ball but for those that have done a crossing in the fall - how was the weather generally.  Not asking about rain, sunshine - but more about temperatures.  Do I need to be more prepared for cold weather or warm weather.  I will bring clothes for both - but if cold how cold.  Like freezing?  Or just cooler?  Any ideas?

I am super excited for this!  I live in Ocala so while getting to Miami port via Brightline will take longer than by car - it will be so much more relaxing!  I feel like Brightline opens up the option to easily cruise from Port Everglades and Miami.

I think my first time using this option, I will take the train down the day before- but once I am comfortable with the process and how long things take - will go down day of.

My answer is YES!  I too live in Florida but I am also very well traveled and have lived in colder climates.  There is just too much beauty to see in the world to limit yourself to tropical temperatures.  Alaska is beautiful!  I have gone on two cruises and two land vacations there.  I also have another cruise booked in August.  I say go for it, just bring the correct clothing.  I have had very warm days in Alaska where I was in short sleeve t-shirts and cooler days.  

Alaska also has great wildlife so it is not just the mountains, glaciers, etc that is beautiful - it is the animals.  You will see whales, eagles, maybe a bear.  My first Alaskan cruise I even saw great white sharks - although I think it is extremely rare to see them.  

Having said that, I know for some weather is the top priority and everything else takes a back seat.  If that is you, maybe Alaska is not for you.  I just hope you will decide to get out of your weather comfort zone and see this absolutely breathtaking part of the USA and world!

10 minutes ago, ISHOULDABENAPIRATE said:

When Allure was completed early they added a "pre maiden voyage". We got a great deal because they had to fill the ship in a short time. 

When I booked the inaugural on Symphony and the ship was ready like a month early - they simply changed the date of the inaugural!  So all of us that paid a premium for booking the first were SOL.  They DID offer us to all be able to move without fees, but like many others my plane ticket and hotel were already booked so I just stayed on the original booking.  It was a lesson learned for me to never book another Inaugural because you never know if it will actually end up being the Inaugural!

I still had a great cruise on Symphony though.

2 minutes ago, twangster said:

It's not uncommon for CAS discounts to not be loaded with new releases.  You can usually call later and try to get it added once they are loaded properly.

 

July is blacked out for DP340 so don't expect that for solos.

 

I am looking at early December or late February and could not get the DP340 to work on either of those.  I will try again tomorrow.  I don't think they block out new ships from using the discount so might call C&A tomorrow.  Although their phone lines might be extremely busy.

23 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Assuming it’s nearly identical to the one on Wonder, it’s very small.

At least it is a start. 

12 hours ago, twangster said:

 

Actual deck plans straight from the source

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/utopia-of-the-seas/deck-plans?country=USA

 

 

Love that they will have a non-smoking casino.  It will be interesting to see how crowded it gets.  Perhaps someday they will swap out the larger for non-smoking and the smaller for smoking.  I guess it depends on how many smokers cruise and gamble.  🙂

It sounds like many don't like the idea of 3 or 4 night sailings.  I personally love the shorter cruises.  I am not the biggest fan of the Clientele it draws but the short cruise itself is ideal.  4 nights is perfect.  I plan to book tomorrow as soon as I can 🙂

4 minutes ago, rch3 said:

Had the same concern. Used the Uber app to reserve in advance.  Locked in a ride leaving 5:30 a.m. from mid town hotel to Alaska RR station for $38.  A little pricy for a couple of miles, but locked in.

Thank you!

58 minutes ago, GTJ said:

The station is on the north side of downtown Anchorage, and just a short walk from many hotels. I don't like having to rely upon taxis (for the very reason you're implying, among others), and I usually plan on walking if practicable. Might that be an option?

Not really.  I booked a hotel at a great price last October.  The prices have nearly doubled since then so not worth moving to a different hotel.  Will just need to find a taxi.  
 

Question for those that have done the early train option from Anchorage to Seward.  How easy/challenging is it to get a taxi from the hotel at 5:30am????  That is my only concern.  While 5:00am is pretty darn early to be getting up - given my body will still be on East Coast (Florida) time, I figure it won't feel so bad.  I could switch to the later train directly with the cruise line - but I would like time in Seward to do some exploring.

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

The volcano 20 miles south of Reykjavik has begun flowing lava again,  according to the news tonight. 

My cruise will be there August 12/13.  Expecting this eruption will impact excursions- but hoping no impact on going to the Port itself.

5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This has no bearing on foreign ports, as the CDC has no jurisdiction there.

 

These requirements were known, in general terms, a year ago, and these instructions still only tell the what is required (the same as the NSO and the CSO), which is what the CDC is competent to promulgate.  The how is still up to the cruise lines, just as it has been since last April, and even when it was stated about 2 months ago what the "phase 2" would require, the cruise lines have not done any pre-planning or negotiating to even the level of a "letter of intent" with the various local and state agencies, which could be quickly completed when the levels of service are defined.  And, even here, the CDC is leaving the exact level of services required (max passengers, hospital space, quarantine space) to the parties in the agreements, the cruise lines and the state and local agencies. So, this shows that the cruise lines are even more negligent in not starting discussions with these agencies, since the CDC is generally opting out of the details.

 

How quickly the cruise lines get these agreements in place will show whether they have been working towards this for a year, or merely sitting on their hands.

Sounds like you work for the CDC 🙂

This is nothing more than a power grab.  The CDC director is political so don't believe a word she says.  They want power and have no intention of giving it up.  I feel so bad for this continued harassment of the cruise lines from the CDC.  I wish we could vote their butts out of power!

Time for the cruise lines to just looks elsewhere.  Hopefully more ships out of more foreign ports that Americans can fly to (without ANY restrictions according to the CDC).  The CDC is freakin idiots.  All they have managed to do is harm the US and benefit other countries.  

BTW, I will be on the first  sailing out of Nassau and now plan to change my August cruise out of the US to join the cruise going out of Bermuda.  

I was pretty bummed when I saw this news.  I was to take my first ever Azamara cruise last December but of course that was canceled.  I did move it to this November though before it was canceled so didn't use FCC.  However, I have paid over $2000 toward it.

If I didn't have such a great room at a good price, I think I would cancel.  But for now I will just wait and see and hope for the best.  I will reevaluate when final payment is due and decide.  I do assume that part of the purchase is that not only does Sycamore get the assets - but they also get the liabilities - which means they would have to return my money to me should I cancel.

12 hours ago, TerryAndDoug said:

We successfully used Lift & Shift for an October 2020 cruise which has not yet been cancelled.  We also had purchased refundable air through ChoiceAir.  The air was cancelled without any difficulty.  Given all of the refund issues others have had, I was shocked that the refund for air was posted to our credit card within about a week.   

Thank you!  I emailed Azamara to see what cruises are available for lift and shift for me since the Africa cruises in 2021 are 3 days longer.  If they have anything that looks good - I will do it.  Otherwise I think I may just cancel.  

This whole thing makes me so very sad for the cruise lines.  I cannot even imagine the stress the CEOs are under.  My heart just breaks for them every day and all the people whose livelihoods are impacted.