danv3

Our waitstaff eagerly accepted Euros on our med cruise in July.  They're over there for the season and I assume want some cash to spend ashore without the need for currency exchange.  

36 minutes ago, JuliaMS said:

 

That's what I was hoping to find out from the recent travelers. According to their web page it picks up there - that's where the map cam from. But, someone said they were not stopping there earlier this year.

They did not appear to be stopping at that location in July.  The only place nearby that I saw the shuttle stopping was the dark blue spot just above the fort in that picture.  That's where I saw people with suitcases walking to and getting onto buses.  

Rules or no, when I sailed on Harmony in April, no one was enforcing--or even checking--boarding times.  You could arrive and join the (quite long) line whenever you wanted.  

47 minutes ago, robmtx said:

Here is a sample letter you might receive, should Royal cancel a cruise you're booked on:

 

We're reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we have to cancel our February 4^th, 2023 Harmony of the Seas sailing, as it has been chartered.

 

We know how much time and effort go into planning your cruise, and we are sorry for the inconvenience. Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we've put together some alternate options that we hope will work for you.

 

Option 1: Re-book one of the following 2023 itineraries:

• 7-Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise onboard Symphony of the Seas sailing to Philipsburg, St. Maarten | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and Perfect Day at CocoCay on January 7^th, January 14^th, January 28^th, or February 4^th
• 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise onboard Symphony of the Seas sailing to Costa Maya, Mexico | Roatan, Honduras | Cozumel, Mexico | and Perfect Day at CocoCay on January 21^st or February 11^th
• 8-Night Southern Caribbean cruise onboard Harmony of the Seassailing to Labadee, Haiti | Oranjestad, Aruba | and Willemstad, Curacao on January 7^th or February 18^th
• 8-Night Eastern Caribbean cruise onboard Harmony of the Seassailing to Labadee, Haiti | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic | and Nassau, Bahamas on January 21^st

What you’ll receive: 

• Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items. 
• If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment 30 days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• To sweeten the offer, you’ll receive a credit to spend onboard per stateroom: 
  • $100 USD for Interior, Ocean View, and Balcony staterooms | $200 USD for Suites 
  • Plus, an additional $50 USD for each third or more guest to spend onboard.
• And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car). 
• We'll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing

• If you prefer to re-book another sailing not included in Option 1, we'll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.
• Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
• If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we'll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 30 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
• We'll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Option 3: If you can't find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we'll be sad to see you go. You’ll receive: 

• A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment, within 30 business days.
• If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, and you request a refund instead, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount, and we'll reinstate your original certificate. 
• If you booked air fare on your own, please contact the service provider directly for their options with them.
• Please note, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation.

It's important to us that you find the best cruise option. Please contact us by May 5^th, 2022 to let us know your decision. If you decide to go with option 3, there's no need to contact us. If we haven't heard from you by May 5^th, 2022, your reservation will be cancelled.

Rolling my eyes at "regrettably."  They don't regret cancelling a cruise one bit when it's been chartered.  

Just used them for our recent trip to/from Rome.  Found them to be very helpful when our bags failed to be delivered at the carrousel at JFK for customs on the way home.  We had a better sense of where they were than the Delta agents (who were nonetheless helpful and did ultimately facilitate getting our bags and getting us to our connection).  

I also enjoyed being able to check on the bags while on every leg of the trip.  I knew when they got on the ship and when they got to my room, for example.  

1 hour ago, smears said:

I think good manners are more important than what someone is wearing.

Good manners includes following a venue's written policies, right?

I don't care much about people wear either, but I do follow the cruise line's published rules, or I find another cruise line with rules I prefer.

37 minutes ago, Cruisegoer said:

So they were wearing shorts at night or wearing shorts in the dining room? Shorts in the dining room sure, it's a no-no but shorts in the evening seems perfectly reasonable.

Sorry, my post was sort of unclear.  What I meant was that a decent number of people (say, 10% maybe) were wearing shorts in the MDR for dinner throughout the cruise (not limited to night one).

I was able to get any non-alcoholic coffee drink (lattes, mochas, americanos) this past week with the classic beverage package. The website is pretty confusing so I asked at the coffee bar to confirm. 

In case this helps anyone in the future: It was possible to walk into the port area by the fort (near McDonald's) and then walk to a stop for the internal shuttle.  We saw a number of people doing this as well as a few who tried to walk to the ship.  While doable, I don't think either is preferable. 

We ended up having our hotel arrange a taxi for embarkation morning.  The only challenge there was that because taxis are busy taking people to and from Rome/FCO on a turnaround day, it was hard to get one to make a short local run (Civi city center to port).  But we got one around 1145 and were on board by 1215.

6 hours ago, MF40 said:

Boarded the Reflection yesterday, everything is great and the staff are fantastic. 

One observation though. I know it was first night and all that but couldn’t get over how many men were wearing shorts in the MDR. 
 

What do people think, is this the way forward on Celebrity or just another standard slipping?

I can say that Reflection did not enforce the dress code in the MDR on the July 4 cruise.  Shorts were not common in the MDR, but you'd certainly see a number of people wearing them every night.  

Personally I don't care all that much, but as a committed rule-follower, I wish cruise lines would either enforce the rules or just change them.  

Walgreens here is only booking appointments three days out now (instead of a week out).

Thanks everyone.  If we go this route, I'm definitely envisioning walking into the port area and then getting on the internal shuttle as opposed to walking all the way to the ship.

Walgreens was our go-to for testing, but it seems like they're ending the drive-up program June 28 (no appointments available there next Saturday, when I need it).  Having to rush to order eMed tests now.

We are staying at a hotel in Civitavecchia the night before our cruise in July.  The hotel is closer to the port than the train station (near the archaeological museum).  What is the best way for us to get to the port for embarkation?  We have no mobility issues, so walking is a possibility.  It seems unnecessary to take a taxi <1km, but it also seems like it might not be that easy to just stroll into a secure facility like a port.  I think I've read here that they're no longer using the Largo Della Pace as the meeting point as they may have pre-COVID.  This map (https://civitavecchia.portmobility.it/sites/default/files/file_uploads/nuova_mappa_sito_09_09_21_1631517703.pdf) and the port website suggest that there's pedestrian entrance near the fort, but I wonder whether that's actually open (especially for embarkation).  Appreciate any guidance you all may have.

19 hours ago, canderson said:

Vaccine efficacy is VERY different between the classic MMR trio and these current COVID products.

Understatement of the year.  LOL.

13 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Some of the flights I've looked at recently also have some really tight connections of  30-45 minutes.  I purposefully chose one with a 2 1/2 hour connection 

All well and good until the airline changes the schedule on you and then there's no realistic availability to reschedule.  Happened to us on our upcoming return from Italy.  From 3 hours at JFK down to 1.5 hours.  Almost no chance we make it through customs and onto the connection.  Airline said "don't worry, it's plenty of time."  Right.

4 hours ago, Deenoob said:

Forgive me , but what has this got to do with the CDC?

 

The Reflection is sailing in European waters and is registered in Malta.

 

So ,surely the CDC don’t have any jurisdiction 

That comment was surely just a crew member ad libbing. The CDC has nothing to do with what X is doing for quarantine on Reflection this summer. 

49 minutes ago, ORV said:

Here's what I do. I don't mess around with cheap luggage. I buy Briggs & Riley. They have a no questions asked Lifetime guarantee for repair or replacement. It doesn't matter how old it is or who damaged it .No need for a receipt.  Built like a tank, I haven't had to take them up on it yet. 

Looked them up.  Whoa.  🤑

Super disappointing if that’s true re: Hagia Sophia. Not really surprising though. 

Wow, Viking went from most conservative (daily testing) to most permissive (not even a boarding test) in the space of a day.  Would love for other cruise lines to follow suit so we can get back to the joy of anticipating a cruise!

On 5/5/2021 at 10:54 AM, euro cruiser said:

The port entrance where you get the free bus to your ship is at Via Prato del Turco 3 so I would start looking as close to there as possible if you're planning to walk from the hotel to the port.

Is this at/near a fire station?  

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.0970547,11.788838,3a,90y,218.8h,115.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2Nfqfa8Hu6-H-4z-Z6Su9A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Does X usually offer coconut ranger cookies like RCI?  Those are awesome.  

Boom goes the dynamite!

Does this apply to cruises still covered under cruise with confidence?  For example, I have a sailing in July booked last year that is covered by cruise with confidence.  If I cancel now, will my resulting FCC have no expiration, or will I have to use it within one year of original sailing date (which I think was the original rule)?

I hope this offering continues if the US isn't going to come to its senses and abandon return testing.  

Actually, X breaking down and offering this is probably a sign that they've heard that the US isn't ending testing this summer as so many had hoped.