Corfe Mixture

Many thanks for that info. Much appreciated.

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Well, then I just have to ask. DD is disembarking on Sep 30th from the Royal and spending a couple of nights in Barcelona. Other than the typical precautions, any advice that I should send her way? I have to admit, none of us considered or knew about this issue.

TIA

Only advice I would give her is to enjoy herself.

Really can't understand why:

a) any of you are at all worried

and

b) why folks jumped on LondonTower when he expressed incredulity at the scaremongering posted in this thread.

My wife and I are scheduled to depart on the Royal Princess, Oct. 21, 2017, from Barcelona, touring Spain and then cruising to Ft. Lauderdale. The rise in terrorism in Europe including the attack several weeks ago in Barcelona has been some cause for concern. However, most recently the issue of independence for the State of Catalonia may also be a problem.

 

 

 

There is a referendum scheduled in Catalonia, including Barcelona on Oct.1, 2017. The Spanish government has stated that they will not allow the vote to take place, however the local government in Barcelona insists that it will.

 

We do wonder whether this will be a problem for cruise ships going to and from Barcelona.

No it will not be a problem. Don't know what the papers are saying over on your side of the pond, but why do you even think there will be a problem?

The Catalonian Independence movement is committed to achieving its objective by peaceful means.

Only issue will be if the police decide to get violent with those people who turn up to vote in what the Spanish Gov't has declared to be an illegal referendum.

These forces are being brought to stop people from voting not to prevent rioting etc.

Nobody will trouble visitors unless you try to vote.

As others have said this is all 3 weeks before you arrive and any confrontation between the authorities and those wishing to vote will cease as soon as the polls close.

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Mike,

If you are in Key West, I wouldn't mind an update on the situation at the Hyatt Centric.

As I said before I am not at all concerned. I am aware that they are now taking new bookings from 13th October and the bottom line is that I am just curious the situation there, and wondering whether or not they suffered flood damage etc. as this is where we are staying for our visit.

I stress, not worried, just curious about how much I will notice the effects of Irma's visit to the hotel.

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You will be fine Corfe Mixture.

 

 

 

Schools will reopen next Monday, several bars and restaurants have already reopened while the cleanup continues.

 

 

 

Mike:)

Thanks for that information. I am absolutely sure it will be fine and as I said in another thread on itineraries being changed and where folks were talking about cancelling I made it clear that I am coming. Period.

Simply that, because I am coming, I can't help being interested in the progress being made.

Many thanks

CM

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We are booked to stay in Key West (flying down and returning by road) for five days prior to joining our cruise in mid December and so I have been watching the situation and they certainly seem to be working hard on clearing up Mallory Square and Duval Street.

All the reports I am reading suggest that the hotels have escaped serious damage and certainly, whilst the website of both our hotel (Hyatt Centric) and hotels.com both show no current availability, both are showing availability at the hotel from Friday 13th October.

I am aware that this is one week before the authorities say that Key West will be open to visitors, but the article I read did say that they were aiming for 20th October, but that this date might be advanced.

Certainly, barring yet another serious hurricane, I am seeing no reason to believe that Key West will not be back to be close to normal (from a tourists point of view) long before we visit in December.

Also the airport is now fully open and commercial flights resumed on Tuesday (Delta were the first to fly in - from Atlanta), though I am pretty sure that the flight was restricted to returning residents.

Good advice above.

 

What time do you land at MIA? :confused: Arriving late I would choose to stay near MIA and head to PE the next day; arriving earlier I would consider heading to FLL and staying there.

Good point.

My strategy is based on the fact that we invariably land at 16.00 at the very earliest (and probably later) with our body clocks telling us that it is 22.00 or later by the time we get to our hotel, where we arrive with little interest in anything other than surviving for a few hours until it is time to get into a comfortable bed for the night

Not sure whether I would want to hang around at a MIA airport hotel all day if I arrived early in the day and with bags of energy.

Look at the Sheraton Miami Airport hotel and then pick up a one day car rental (there are no one way fees in Florida).

The reason I suggest the Sheraton is because, not only does it have a shuttle from the airport (most hotels have that service), but it is also right across the street from the MIA car rental center and although it is a busy highway, there are traffic lights controlling a pedestrian crossing right outside the hotel.

All this means that you don't have to go back to the airport next morning and then take the rail shuttle to get to the car rental center.

Also you most definitely do not need to take your bags with you when you go to collect the car. The exit ramp from the car rental center comes down directly opposite the hotel and the junction / crossing into the pick up bay of the hotel is controlled by the same lights which allowed you to cross the road as a pedestrian on your way to the rental center.

We do this regularly and we never take the bags to the rental center. Instead, after checking out, one of us stays in the hotel reception area with the bags, whilst the other goes to get the car, which takes about 20 mins in total.

It's a bit awkward getting into the car rental center as it is designed around access from the rail shuttle, but you can get into the ground floor through the fire exits and then use the elevator to get to floor with the desk. Failing that you might have to walk up the vehicle exit ramp, but as you have no bags, even this is not a real problem.

In terms of car rental companies, I would recommend you use either Alamo (drop of in Ellery Drive - right outside Port Everglades and with a shuttle to the port) or Budget (drop off in SE 15th - by the Renaissance from where they operate a free shuttle).

There are other companies, but these are the two I am most familiar with.

Either way, when you get to Fort Lauderdale, drive into the port any time after 9am and drop off your bags (which you will be able to watch being put into a cage) before you return the car. That way you can minimise the amount of bag carrying you have to do and don't have to load your bags on and off the shuttle.

Just remember to take all your documents with you when you leave the port as you may need them to get back into the port when you return.

EDIT:

Other point against going over from MIA to Fort Lauderdale is that whilst most hotels near to Port Everglades do provide a shuttle service to the port, many charge for the service and if there are two of you taxi is often cheaper, and, even if the shuttle is free, demand is often very high and lines can be lengthy.

Much better IMHO to drift over from MIA on the morning of the cruise. One thing is certain is that from a cost point of view, we have ALWAYS found, after allowing for the cost of getting to Fort Lauderdale from MIA and then the cost of shuttle / taxi to Port Everglades makes staying at MIA and renting a car much cheaper option and with considerably less hassle.

We are booked to visit Key West (by land prior to joining our cruise) in mid December and so I have been watching the situation and they certainly seem to be working hard on clearing up Mallory Square and Duval Street.

All reports I am reading suggest that the hotels have escaped serious damage and certainly, whilst the website of both our hotel and hotels.com both show no current availability, both are showing availability at our hotel (Hyatt Centric) from Friday 13th October.

I am aware that this is one week before the authorities say that Key West will be open to visitors, but the article I read did say that they were aiming for 20th October, but that this date might be advanced.

Fascinating discussion for those of us from Northern Europe.

I never even knew that there were 'warm water lobster' and 'cold water lobster' and having done a bit of searching, and having now seen pictures of both types, what I have discovered is that what we call lobster (homard in France) is definitely what you guys call 'cold water lobster'.

What you guys call 'warm water lobster' more closely resemble what we call crayfish though despite the resemblance, 'warm water lobsters' are obviously not the same as crayfish which, over here, are freshwater creatures whereas 'warm water lobsters' are clearly saltwater creatures.

http://www.angelfire.com/sd/otagounidive/crayfish.pdf

So, you live and learn and today I have learned about warm water lobsters, but will I be able to taste the difference, if I don't see the claws?

From my research, I rather suspect that the answer will be yes.

I wonder what support Princess is going to show for the passengers that do decide to cruise to show their support to these islands. Discount maybe? Too much to expect. I know.

Definitely not. IMHO, a discount for passengers would be totally inappropriate.

Far better that they passed any discount they were considering offering passengers over to the appropriate authorities on the island.

A good way of Princess showing support of the islands on behalf of their clients.

If my cruise is affected by the consequences of Irma, and we get offered a discount, then I will pass any discount I receive on to the appropriate authorities myself. To do otherwise would not seem right as I would feel I was profiting from other's misfortune.

Hyatt Place 17th st. convention center charges $7 per night

Many thanks for your suggestion, but it is a hell of a long walk back from there to the Hilton Marina!

Think I prefer iancal's suggestion, of using Budget's parking lot overnight, or failing that I will return the car to Budget in the evening and then take a taxi from the hotel to the port next morning.

Bottom line is that I have decided that I don't really need to make a decision until I arrive.

I will drive over to Budget and if I can park the car in their parking lot overnight - Fine.

If I can't park the car there overnight then, rather than pay the Hilton's extortionate parking charge ($27 + $5 supplement for valet parking), I will simply hand the car back to Budget and take a taxi to the port next morning. - Also Fine.

First rule of cruising: Do not talk about how much you paid for your cabin.

Second rule: If someone brings up the subject of how much everyone paid, you can bet they have brought the subject up with the objective of enhancing their pleasure at the expense of your pleasure. So, if they insist on pursing the subject and you simply cannot avoid the question - Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they got a better deal than you - LIE - if only by implication.

Many years ago, in the days when everyone had traditional dining and on another line (P&O), we had a couple (in a standard balcony cabin) who interrogated everyone on the table about how much they had paid and guess what - they had a better deal than everyone else. When it came to my turn, they had already said how much they had paid, which permitted me the opportunity to say nothing more than 'Oh, I paid a little more than you, but not a lot more' which seemed to satisfy the interrogator's objective.

Later in the cruise, on a formal night, we invited the whole table to our cabin for pre-dinner drinks. You should have seen the look on the man's face when he realised that 'I had paid a little more... but not a lot more' than him for our suite. I was of course lying but I stand by the view that he got what he deserved.

On the same cruise the same man interrogated everyone about their job, and he of course had the best job, until he came to a young couple who calmly answered 'We're in oil' and said nothing more. Later the rest of us, but not the interrogator, learned that they were indeed 'in oil'. They owned a fish and chip shop!

Another response I have heard of, but not used myself when someone brags about getting a free cruise, over dinner, is to simply say 'I guess that means you can afford to buy the wine then?' and watch them squirm as they try to explain why they don't think that this a good idea.

I would highly recommend the newer balconies on the Promenade deck, PR712-719. They have large covered balconies, teak decking, flat screen televisions (mounted at the foot of the bed), slightly larger bathrooms and showers, and the new mattresses. The location is very convenient to everything on the Promenade deck. I would take one of these cabin again in a heartbeat.

FIRST LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR THAT I AM NOT SURE OF MY FACTS, BUT FOLKS MIGHT WANT TO CHECK WITH PRINCESS

I am also not sure of the OP's itinerary which will determine whether or not what follows is at all relevant,

BUT

I seem to recall some discussion after these cabins were added about the balconies of these cabins being declared 'out of bounds' when passing through the locks of the Panama Canal.

Apparently it was for safety reasons related to the proximity, to the balconies, of the cables between the ship and the 'mules'.

To repeat this was all a few of years ago in the season after these staterooms were added, but it is at least worth checking to see if the restriction still exists.

When we stay at either the Hilton Marina or the Renaissance we rent from Budget. Rather than pay $20 or $30 a day for parking we park with the rest of the Budget rental cars. It is across the street from the Ren and a short walk up from the Hilton Marina. We have done this four or five times. No issue.

 

We never bother with a shuttle to port. We take an inexpensive cab ride.

Nice idea. Hadn't thought about doing that.

Given we are probably going to eat at the Boatyard which is within walking distance of the hotel, I was rather leaning towards handing the car back in the evening and taking an 'inexpensive cab ride' to the port.

Certainly will consider keeping the car but using Budget's parking lot overnight as that will allow me to deliver the bags to the port after breakfast and then drift over to the port after lunch.

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You mean when you click on menu up top and then click on news you get all that information

Strange, the link in the original post took me direct to the page.

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We booked some months ago for a December stay and got what, looking at current prices, seems to be a good deal for a Tower Waterfront view with breakfast.

Only thing I need to decide is whether or not to drop off the rental car the night before the cruise (Rental company Budget drop off is walking distance from hotel) and take a taxi next morning or to pay to park at the hotel, deliver the bags to the port next morning and then drop off car and take Budget's free shuttle.

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That's a big change. :eek:

 

Can they dock the larger Princess ships like Regal & Royal?:confused:

Yes they can.

http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/09/15/hurricane-damage-to-other-islands-means-st-croix-getting-more-cruise-ships/

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http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/09/15/hurricane-damage-to-other-islands-means-st-croix-getting-more-cruise-ships/

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Well - I'M NOT CHANGING ANYTHING.

OK our cruise is three months out, (20th December on Caribbean) so hopefully things will be approaching normal in some places, but probably not all and we are still planning to spend 5 days in Key West before the cruise, flying down and driving back north / east.

Despite our cruise being three months away, in addition to sharing everyone's concern for the welfare of those affected by Irma, we have been following events from this side of the pond to assess the extent to which our vacation might be affected. Certainly, I would not be surprised if St Thomas (which, because of the much discussed propulsion problems on CB) was already a replacement for St Martin / Sint Maarten) has to be changed. However, if that is necessary, our view is that is a minor problem compared with those faced by the local population and if it is safe to visit and our visit helps to get the local economy working, then I think we can live with a little inconvenience.

I am also wondering about Princess Cays and St Kitts, though I am not for one minute expecting our visit to St Kitts to be cancelled, just not sure whether we will be able to go over to Nevis.

In terms of our visit to Key West then I will base my decision solely on whether or not the hotel is open. In other words, if it open and welcoming tourists (did Key West ever not welcome tourists?) we are going even if it may be a little more 'rustic' and laid back than usual,

As part of monitoring the situation for our Key Wat visit, we are keeping an eye on hotel booking websites and at the moment they are showing availability from 24th September. So, whilst I do question this date, given all the information we are hearing is that the hotels have sustained minimal structural damage, I am expecting the tourist industry to be functioning, if not exactly back to normal, long before we arrive.

Slight concern about the risk of availability of my pre-booked, and pre-paid one way rental car from EYW (we are flying down and driving back), but that is simply thinking ahead about what might go wrong and is not something which is demanding my attention.

So, to repeat.

1. WE ARE STILL COMING,

2. WE ARE NOT MAKING ANY CHANGES TO OUR PLANS,

AND

3. WE WILL CHEERFULLY ACCEPT WHATEVER CHANGES ARE FORCED ON US BY CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE ANYONE'S CONTROL.

PS. Around 25 years ago I landed in LA for a business meeting two days after an pretty bad earthquake and was surprised at the number of people, all of whom were trying to carry on as normal, were surprised we hadn't cancelled, but we're pleased we hadn't cancelled.

CM

one thing I am glad that suite guest do not get a different card, as we just want to blend in, and enjoy the fact that we can go on a cruise and go in a suite without saying look at me.

 

Cheers Don

Yup, totally agree, although inevitably some people will work it out, it is much better to keep it quiet, though at times this can cause problems with Elites who think they are 'entitled' and twice before we were Elite we were accosted by someone with a black card and told that we were not entitled to be where we were.

The first time was on our first suite experience when I asked a Princess agent at the check in queue what the procedure was and she told us to stand in a certain place until check in started.

I was then approached by a man with an Elite badge on his baseball cap who rather forcibly told me to get to the back of the queue.

When I pointed out that I was only standing where the Princess rep told me to stand and that if that was a problem, I got a diatribe about him being Elite. I stated that I was on holiday and not interested in having an argument with anyone and pointed out the Princess agent he should discuss his problem with.

At this point the person behind him, who was clearly embarrassed by the aggression being shown by this man, and had apparently overhead my initial conversation with the agent, interrupted him and pointed out that I was in a suite and, in his words not mine, I had paid for the right to be given some preferential treatment. Unfortunately this did not cause the man's anger to subside though it did at least quieten him down a little.

Then at dinner on the first night, of the same cruise, we were given a table by a window and the couple sat next to us were most aggressive towards the wait staff because they were Elite and had not been given a window seat (it was dark outside, so what the hell!!). Whatever, during dinner we were 'interrogated' over our status etc. and we learned an awful lot about their importance, including, would you believe, the lady's voting number for the Academy Awards / Oscars, but the only thing they learned about us was that we were not Elite.

Later in the cruise we went to a Suite/Elite event, I can't remember which one, and went over to sit with very nice Canadian couple who we had shared a private tour with and who knew we were in a suite simply because we had made use of priority tendering when going ashore with them for our tour. They were sat next to the couple from dinner who immediately challenged our right to be at the event. Very quickly the Canadian lady explained to the that we were entitled to be there because we were in a suite at which point the 'Acadamy Awards lady' turned to me and very rudely demanded how I could afford to be in a suite.

I simply smiled, said nothing, but decided there and then that:

a) it is better not to reveal that you are in a suite, lest others who feel more entitled resent the fact that suite passengers get benefits, (which is why I was pleased when Princess stopped putting the word Suite on your card)

and

b) when I became Elite, which happened a just couple of cruises later, I would avoid flashing my black card (as I did not wish to be thought of in the same light as the two Elite passengers we met on the first cruise).

So, now we are Elite and suite dwellers, I make a point of not wearing my black card on a lanyard, of only taking it out of my pocket, in company, when it is necessary to use it to charge something to my account, and I MOST DEFINITELY would not wish to have a card which advertised the fact that we are in a suite.

Oh and by the way, we have met some very nice people on our cruises and the two I referred to above are the exception rather than the rule, but I will never forget either of them!!

We typically keep one set up and trade one for coffee cards. Works great. :)

Don't understand this comment unless you are in a suite in which case you are misleading the OP.

Two Elites in the same stateroom get the same mini-bar as one Elite and one non-Elite.

People in a suite get the same mini-bar set up as an Elite.

The only way you get TWO mini-bar set ups (and can exchange one for 2 coffee cards whilst keeping the other) is if you are in a full suite and at least one of you is Elite.

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No, that is not what Princess is saying. The key statement in the post to which you replied is "this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format." The first sentence indicates a luggage tag still must be printed in the new format. No need for the old format.

Yup understood that, but at the time I posted, it was being reported in the opening post that the revised luggage tags, in the new format, were too small to attach to handle of one's bags unless you had a plastic wallet.

That has now been corrected by a later post which says that, whilst the luggage labels are small when viewed on the web page, they actually come out full size when you print them. So, as far as I can see, no longer any problem, if there ever was one..

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OK, here's the story.......this is the way all luggage tags will now be printed out because of the move to Medallion Class sailing. With this new way of identification, there is no need to print out luggage tags in the old format. This was not a well thought out procedure. Medallion Class will not be available on all ships at once. There is a roll out over the next few months, but instead of having both formats available for the passenger to use depending on the ship's ability to be on Medallion or the passenger to have the medallion they opted to forge ahead with this new tag look.

 

 

 

UGH!

Don't understand that response at all. Is Princess saying that on ships with the introduction of Medallion class, there will be no longer be a need for pax's luggage to have a label with their name and cabin number?

That sounds crazy!

Surely they are not going to issue Medallions to attach to our luggage.

Even if they do, how will they get the luggage Medallions to us before we drop off our luggage?

If they are not saying that we will be issued with luggage Medallions, then we will still need to label our luggage and the labels will still need to be an appropriate size.

This answer seems to fall into the category of

a) Interesting question

b) Actually a very good question

BUT

c) Don't know the answer.

Solution:

Think of an answer which sounds sufficiently plausible for me to be able to get this person off the phone.

End call.

Phew I handled that problem well.

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The country that makes it the most difficult and time consuming to obtain a tourist visa is the USA.

Absolutely, It is not just getting a tourist visa, they make difficult and time consuming. They also make it difficult and time consuming to benefit from the Visa Waiver scheme.

As a UK citizen I am required make use of the waiver scheme rather than apply for a Visa and the US DHS proudly reminds us that most applications are approved in a matter of seconds.

BUT

Whereas US citizens visiting the UK merely have to arrive in the UK with a passport, we can only benefit from the Visa Waiver scheme if we apply in advance by visiting the DHS website and pay a fee!

The online application process has six stages and, for example, stage 2 alone, requires us to fill in a minimum 62 pieces of information including full employment history, full bio-details of our parents, and asks us to list our social media memberships including passwords (though it does say this is optional).

Later stages ask for further information, such as our address/ZIP code in the US (how many US citizens visiting the UK know the post code of their intended hotel?)

Finally they ask us to pay.

And remember WE BENEFIT FROM THE VISA WAIVER SCHEME, which is supposed to make things easier, so imagine what it must be like for citizens of countries looked on less favourably than us!

As you say....The country that makes it the most difficult and time consuming to obtain a tourist visa is the USA.

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