Jiminy1955

On 1/25/2024 at 2:31 PM, c-boy said:

it's the game that never ends .....  🤞

Is there anywhere I can find a list of the prizes starting April 1st? I've googled and nothing has come up past March 31, 2024. Our cruise starts on April 5th.

4 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

You’re tapping your BANK card..in EU/UK they are beyond that..they’re using Apple Pay/Samsung pay. No physical card needed.

Guess I will need to set my Apple Pay up.

1 hour ago, sunviking90 said:

Remember also that tipping is not so much the culture in Europe. In restaurants in France, tax and “service” is included in the price posted outside and on the menu. We had wonderful service everywhere and the only time we saw an extra line on the bill for a tip was in a restaurant in Paris that catered to a lot of tourists. 

Good to know thanks,

43 minutes ago, kttraveler said:

I bring along cash for tips but tend to use cards for everything else when traveling. If you have time before you leave you can order the currency you need from your bank.

Great idea! I will definitely order from my bank.  

2 minutes ago, Fortunate 2 travel said:

Interesting, I’m in the US and use tab and go or Apple Pay.  I never seem to have cash.

I was thinking the same thing. I rarely carry cash and use my bank card for everything.

1 hour ago, CruisingGrandmaW said:

@Jiminy1955  When traveling in Europe -- we used a Credit Card that had NO Foreign Transaction Fee.  You'll want to look into that as having a Foreign Transaction fee on each purchase can get pricey.  Also we did use ATMs for acquiring our foreign currency.  While our Bank did have a Foreign Transaction Fee for ATM -- we were able to pull enough currency via one-time ATM transaction.  The exchange rate via ATM was better than using a Currency Exchange facility at airports.

Thank you for that information. I will definitely look into that credit card. I just read about the transaction fees from ATM's and that it's best to use the ones at a bank. 

4 hours ago, taxmantoo said:

Does the U.S accept any European currency?  End of debate.

I didn't know there was a debate 🤔

2 hours ago, KarmaCruisers said:

No but they CRUSH the U.S. on tap-to-pay..paper currency is almost laughed at in EU/UK.

Good to know.

Do any of the European countries accept U.S. Dollars?

13 hours ago, Btimmer said:

We've done multiple trans Atlantic and Pacific cruises.  My biggest recommendation is to not overplan your stops and realize that there is no way you will see everything.  Once we learned that, travel became so much more fun for us.

 

Congrats on your 50th! This cruise is partially to celebrate my wife's birthday on the last day of the cruise.  Later this year we'll celebrate our 55th.

Happy Birthday and 55 years Anniversary!!

Just now, Btimmer said:

That sounds like a great itinerary! The Regal will be a great ship for a crossing.

So happy to hear that! Thank you.  In total we have 14 sea days & 13 ports!! Additionally we are staying 5 days in England and 5 days in Paris. This is for our 50th anniversary!!! 

I must admit I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with planning the land portion of this trip.  I've never been to Europe and my husband was in grade school when he lived in both England and France when his dad was stationed there.

I'm so excited I found this since we will be on our first Princess cruise on the Regal April 5th, 2024. it's also our first Transatlantic cruise, 28 days, from Florida to the UK, Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland and Scotland!!

On 5/21/2023 at 6:05 AM, SoBaycruiser said:

I was in a similar situation but decided to pay through their website since my amount due was correct.  I was concerned though with the state of things.  However went ahead and paid with my credit card and it worked great.  My balance due was 0 and my card was charged once just for the amount submitted.  I have had no issues since except still waiting for my OBC to show up but I have gotten a letter verifying the amount is in their system.

I also paid my balance due in full on May 15th and had the same results as you. OBC sill not there.  We don't cruise until December so I'm not going to worry about it until end of October

On 1/16/2023 at 6:15 AM, Guest TopoChico said:

We were on in November.  The ship is absolutely beautiful.  Marren is WONDERFUL! She really knows her craft and she is delightful to speak with. 
Hopefully, the food situation will improve from the bad press they’re getting. It was stunningly bad on our sailing. 

I’ve heard that about the food recently and have concerns about that since we have enjoyed many meals on Celebrity cruises. In fact the food is one of the reasons we now cruise Celebrity exclusively!

On 1/12/2023 at 3:47 PM, DaKahuna said:

 

 Yes, It is my intention to do a live review of both the Panama Canal and Best of Japan cruises.  Be forewarned, my DW has said that depending on how the Panama Canal cruise goes, she may decided to do a land vacation in Japan vs a cruise.  I really want to do the cruise to see parts of Japan that I've never seen before and eat a lot of my favorite foods that I have not found outside of Japan. 

 

We will be on the Panama Canal with you! Our first time on a Millennium class ship, we’ve been on several Solstice class. Also it’s our first canal cruise! Looking forward to this cruise after it was postponed twice due to Covid!

12 hours ago, Pennstatedj said:

We love sushi on 5 on the Equines. We go there embarkation day and at least one other. They have great kobi sliders and other stuff for those that do not like sushi. On ther ships like Apex they have bistro which is what you were remembering. Both are great to get away for a quiet meal. 

We love Sushi on 5. We also eat there on embarkation day and sometime and additional time. The Equinox is our favorite ship!

3 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

M Class ships are smaller than S Class, M Class have fewer Specialty Restaurants.

 

If you go to X's website you will be able to see more differences there under "Explore Ships" you may have to go back and forth between the classes, but many of the physical differences will be readily apparent...

 

bon voyage

Thank you!

We will be on the Millennium in April, our first M class. We have sailed on S class ships several times. How do the 2 compare?

On 1/1/2023 at 11:26 PM, DallasGuy75219 said:

I'm on Caribbean Princess leaving January 7 for partial Panama Canal cruise.  Current requirement for Colombia is:

"Guests ages 19 and above who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 do not require pre-cruise COVID-19 testing for this voyage.  Due to Colombian requirements, guests ages 19 and above who have not been

fully vaccinated for COVID-19 must produce the results of a negative COVID-19 test at cruise check-in. This may be a PCR test taken within 72 hours of embarkation or a medically observed Antigen test taken within 48 hours of embarkation. Self-tests that are not medically observed are not accepted. Unvaccinated guests ages 18 and younger are not required to test."

That is what I read on Celebrities website just a couple days ago. 

What is the dress code for all dining venues?

GTJ thank you again for sharing! I primarily search on cruise.com.  I have looked at Vacations To Go I just didn’t realize you can filter the search. 

2 hours ago, GTJ said:

I would say that there are really four main categories of Alaska cruises that might be considered. First, and most popular, is the mass market category. Dominated by the Carnival brands (Princess Cruises and Holland America Line), these lines provide regular and consistent service to all of the main ports, and provide what is generally perceived to be the typical Alaska cruise. Review the itineraries to get best combination of ports visited; the specific vessel traveled upon is less important. Generally, there are two choices: (1) a round-trip cruise from Seattle to a selection of Alaska panhandle ports, and (2) a one-way cruise between Vancouver and either Whittier or Seward (both being south of Anchorage). The second category is the small vessel market category. Some of the vessels used in this category are pure luxury, while others are American flag vessels that, as a matter of law, can provide transportation that foreign flag vessels cannot. This includes lines such as Seabourn, American Queen, and American Cruise Lines. All of these vessels generally attempt to serve smaller ports and other places where the mass market vessels cannot go (either because of the vessel size or because of the number of people being transported). Some itineraries travel entirely within Alaska, never venturing into either Seattle or Vancouver. If you're looking to see Alaska, and don't really care about vessel amenities (e.g., spas, shows, on-board shopping), these can be ideal cruises, albeit at a much higher cost than the mass market vessels. Third are the expedition cruises, with all or some of the vessels operated by lines such as Hurtigruten, Ponant, and Silversea in this category. These cruises look to visit more adventuress places, not frequently visited by many cruises lines, places such Nome and the Aleutian Islands. Most itineraries in this category are one-way, a few of which traverse the Northwest Passage, cruising the Arctic Ocean between Alaska and Nunavut, Greenland, Newfoundland or other east coast ports. Finally, there are ferries, most notably the Alaska Marine Highway and BC Ferries. These "cruises" can be tailored individually, on a port-to-port basis, spending as much time as desired in each port (such to ferry schedules). The ferry network stretches from Bellingham, Washington, or Port Hardy, British Columbia, through Prince Rupert and the panhandle of Alaska up to Juneau and Skagway, additional services operate less frequently from Juneau through Whittier, Kodiak, and the Aleutian Islands. Services are disaggregated, with separate charges for passage, staterooms, and meals, allowing one to choose what to purchase. Generally, the services provided by the ferries are basic but comfortable, the real benefit being the ability to plan your own cruise.

Thank you very much for taking the time to post this, it’s a huge help. We really don’t care about Seattle or Vancouver. So can you please elaborate on which cruise lines provide that type of itinerary?

9 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

Small ships aren't for everyone.  Personally, the medium size ships are the ones I like the best for Alaska.  HAL and Celebrity are who we have sailed with.  You want to visit at Glacier Bay or Hubbard.  Leaving or coming into Vancouver, BC will get you true inside passage. 

Look at itineraries first, ship second.  Do consider size and check port times to compare.

Thank you so much this is what I was looking for!

36 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

What also should be considered by a potential Alaskan cruiser is the Alaska oriented onboard program offered.  My experience is with HAL and Princess.  I know and have recommended both with the edge going to Princess.  Other cruise  lines?  No knowledge, but, it is a "question" that, I think, most Alaska cruisers don't consider.  

Thank you! My aunt sails AK exclusively on HAL but a friend liked Princess or Norwegian, I can’t remember which one. 

5 hours ago, nini said:

There are similar threads on this 

I searched for similar threads with no luck. Perhaps I wasn’t entering my search correctly.