rodan
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Posts posted by rodan
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6 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:
I believe more people take the time to write a negative review than a positive one regardless of cruise line. When people complain about small cabins and lack of entertainment they obviously didn’t do their homework and picked the wrong ship/cruise line. It’s like choosing RCCL and complaining there are too many kids on board.
We booked our first Oceania cruise for next year on the Vista and are going in with a positive attitude. We already know what to expect from a smaller ship as we did a Viking Ocean cruise last year. It would be difficult to go back to a mega ship after that.
We sailed on the Vista for 16 days in Nov of 2023. Loved the ship and everything about it. You will have a fantastic time!
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Does anyone know where and if they shuttle you in Cartagena, Colombia?
thanks,
Rodan
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Until the US allows its citizens to return from overseas without needing a test or if tested and positive allows you to come home within a few days instead of the present 10 days minimum then no cruising for us outside of US ports. We are in our 70s and decided to take the financial hit 2 days before we were to fly to Europe to do a week of land then 17 days on the Riviera. We would have been tested 4 different times minimum and if one of those was positive and not on the ship we would be at the mercy of a hotel for 10 days or more. It gets very complicated and not worth the hell you will go thru if stuck in Europe or any foreign country.
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A lot of ships drs.leave a lot to be desired however many years ago I had a bad attack of my Crohn’s disease before the Holland America ship was to begin the cruise out of Civitavecchia, Italy. My attack was a severe blood episode and I knew I would have to leave the ship for hospital care. The ship’s Doctor was a seasoned American MD who told us about a wonderful private hospital in Rome and arranged a pickup at the port by an ambulance which would make the 60 minute journey to Rome. We did not want to be taken to the local hospital in Civitavecchia. We were charged a small amount for the ships service which was covered by our travel and personal insurance. The private hospital was great but spending 5 days there instead of a 3 week vacation was not.
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We will be boarding the Riviera in Tarragona in May. Does anyone have a suggestion where to get tested on a Saturday without going back to Barcelona?
Thanks
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On 4/2/2022 at 9:33 PM, cruisemom42 said:
At Capri I think there is little risk. The ships use the same ferries/hydrofoils as regular passengers -- they do not lay on any special transport. So if the ferry is unable to run for any reason (e.g., weather), then everyone is stranded on Capri whether on a ship excursion or not.
Please note that it is possible that a ferry or hydrofoil can be full and no tickets available if you decide to purchase them shortly before leaving capri. This has happened to passengers although rare. I would recommend purchasing a return ticket asap to be safe.
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Funny we ended up doing the same thing for $25 each rdtrip. We will be here again next Dec. and will just relax or go to a nearby beach
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On 2/23/2022 at 3:06 PM, XuGator said:
Lol I am making things difficult? I am trying to explore other options and make things easier for everyone. I have gone to Celebrity's website and have reviewed their guidelines and that is what I quoted in my initial post. That the test must be proctored by a medical professional. Why should I spend hundreds on emed tests when I have free ones sitting around and so does every other person who requested them from the govt. The issue is just finding your own proctor (as outlined by Celebrity) and having them oversee and document the result. Its looking to provide others with alternatives but feel free to keep shelling out hundreds for your emed tests and backup emed tests.
PS - Tests at walgreens and cvs are free and covered by most insurances.
Tests are not free at Walmart or Walgreens nor cvs. You could lie on the questionare
On 2/23/2022 at 3:06 PM, XuGator said:Lol I am making things difficult? I am trying to explore other options and make things easier for everyone. I have gone to Celebrity's website and have reviewed their guidelines and that is what I quoted in my initial post. That the test must be proctored by a medical professional. Why should I spend hundreds on emed tests when I have free ones sitting around and so does every other person who requested them from the govt. The issue is just finding your own proctor (as outlined by Celebrity) and having them oversee and document the result. Its looking to provide others with alternatives but feel free to keep shelling out hundreds for your emed tests and backup emed tests.
PS - Tests at walgreens and cvs are free and covered by most insurances.
They are not free unless you lie while filling out the questionnaire. Also if you are cruising from Florida you will not be able to get an appointment if it is made even 2 weeks before sailing date in the Ft. Lauderdale or Miami areas ( 25 mile radius.). They are being overwhelmed by cruisers and groups that are signing up. This is not December when fewer ships and far fewer people were in need of a test.
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On 9/6/2021 at 1:29 PM, EatonDoolittle said:
You get a round trip ticket.
The shuttles go back and forth all day, you just grab one in C'sted when you are ready to come back.
This is not a third world country.
You will not be left somewhere remote to fend for yourself.
the shuttles that run when cruise ships are in what is the cost of a rd trip from Frederickstad to Christianstad?
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Sorry to disagree but Oceania is not AI and that is a good thing. Internet is included and sometimes gratuities. Dining in all their specialty restaurants are included but you are only guaranteed one visit each unless an opening is available. Drinks except alcohol are included which is fine by us. All in all they are our favorite line thus pushing Celebrity to number 2 or worse although we are Elite plus. I am not a fan of their AI and will sail with them maybe once a year if I can find a cruise and price that is exceptionally appealing and that will be their loss as we are heavy cruisers and will no longer push Celebrity to friends or acquaintances
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33 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:
Bo,
My observation was based on the accretion of pricing by X over what the line was asking for the same/similar cruise before AI. Not concerned by having "everything included." Our favorite cruise line is Azamara and we book "Club Continent Suites." The line is not only all inclusive for libations, service and other things, but also for specialty dining in the "CC" category. Just booked an Oceania suite for a TA in late Fall 2022, a line where everything is also all included.
The issue with X is their effort to obscure or "cloud" their price increases as "AI." Unsettling, at the least. All lines have lost huge Dinars during the pandemic. X appears to want to make one believe that you are getting a great deal for little while in fact X is "over charging" you for what you could have purchased before the pandemic sidelined cruising. This is a typical US company practice. Sell the hype and hope people buy. Problem is that post-pandemic this may not work. Lipstick on a pig never works for long.
That said, we have booked a mid-2022 Reflection suite (being marketed as a "Retreat") for a Med cruise. Hits the ports we want to visit and Reflection is a good ship. It's about overall perceived value, not hype and really not about calculators. To me it's more about a company, cruise line in this instance, being forthright with prospective customers. If they can't be trusted to do that what else can't they be trusted to roved us as potential customers?
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Is there a shuttle for Taormina?
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Celebrity has gone downhill as have many of the cruise lines when it comes to food and service in particular. Many of the recent changes are to appeal to a young demographic but they are missing the most crucial points:
Young people and that includes even those under 45 do not have the luxury of taking a cruise that is longer than 10 days either due to time constraints or money
The majority of cruisers that are on the young side mostly cruise in the Caribbean.
Older cruisers (those 50 and above) are not their parents generation. They are more affluent and more fit and lastly are expected to have longer and healthier lifespans. They will cruise for many years many well into their 80s.
Older cruisers will prefer longer and more exotic cruises with more overnights outside of the Caribbean.
The simple solution is to treat the length of cruises differently as they will attract a different age profile. Cruises of a length of 10 days or more especially outside of the Caribbean should cater to an older crowd and those shorter obviously to a younger crowd.
A monolithic approach on all ships will not work when it comes to young vs. older passengers.
It is time for Celebrity to think outside the box and approach the problem from a perspective that weighs cruise length and geographic location.
Just my thoughts,
Rodan
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I have stock in Carnival Corp. I've gotten OBC on Princess. How do I get credit with Celebrity. I'm on a 14 day cruise so how much credit will I get? How soon prior to the cruise can I apply? I going on October 2nd.
Tom:)
You must send in a copy of your brokerage statement showing you owned the shares before the departure date. The credit for a 14 day cruise will be $250. Also for all of you who are wondering how the shareholder credit works the following is the policy.:
You cannot combine shareholder credit with any offers that come directly from Celebrity. Ex. free gratiuties,onboard credit or drink package
You can combine them with any onboard credit that was purchased by your travel agent and given to you. You should first verify from your agent that the onboard credits from them are indeed combinable. Hope this helps everyone.
Rodan
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Celebrity has informed me that any OBC issued by Celebrity is not available in the casino. They will charge it to your account and your OBC credit will not be used. This has been true for over a year. ONly OBC issued by your TA or perhaps your RCCL card and shareholder credit can be used in the casino. So according to them it is not as straight forward as some people may think.
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I am on the 1/24/16 cruise on the Eclipse. We lost Grenada for an overnight in Curacao. That was fine with us since we have not been there since 1993 and Grenada as recently as 2013 however I agree that it can be a bummer to sign up for a specific cruise and then to see one of the ports changed but one port on a 14 day cruise unless it is something special is no big deal especially in the Caribbean. I think that overnights in Europe though are an advantage. Just my thoughts.
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I was wondering with all the high humidity and heat when is the best time to cruise SE Asia-especially Singapore,Bangkok, and Vietnam?
Thanks,
Rodan
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I read that stations and trams have onboard coin-operated ticket machines (usually no conductors) for buying one-way tickets. Is that not true? I don't want to buy the Myki card for one afternoon. Thanks.
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We will be in Ibiza in August on the Insignia-do they provide a shuttle and if so where to in the port? Also what about Valencia?
Thanks,
Rodan
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Having sailed on Celebrity for the last 12 years and cruised on her 15 times I have seen Celebrity go down hill as far as service and the ambience of a classy cruise. Its sad because both of those things cost very little to rectify. Okay perhaps service would cost a bit more on the bottom line but attitude by the staff and the drowning out of conversations by music that can be deafening at times can be easily rectified. Also the loss of places like Michaels Club for all to enjoy has taken something away from the atmosphere of a supposed classy cruise.
I like the larger cabins on the S class ships but the atrium and lobby around it (reception area)have become truly Carnivalized (no offense Carnival) in every sense of the word. For those not familiar with Carnival's reputation at least in the past-it is a party ship with music and action everywhere on the ship that originally catered to a much younger crowd (20's ) and was considered a Vegas type experience as opposed to Celebrity's class act that was considered refined and a true ocean going experience. If this is the direction that Celebrity wishes to take then it is truly no different than her competitors in the mass market and does not convey a luxury experience or product. Its kind of sad but there are still other choices out there that have not abandoned there roots as much as X.
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Just a more recent update-I sailed on the Reflection on Jan.11-18 and the music being piped in near the Atrium was ear splitting as was the music surrounding Martinis. I sailed on the Summit in Jan. of 2013 -fine. I sailed on the Silhouette in June of 2012 fine and 10 cruises on Celebrity before that-fine. So this is definitely a new trend. I am sailing on the Infinity in South America this March 16 and will be interested in the music situation (M class not anything like S class with volume of noise). Also I am sailing on the Solstice in Australia in Jan. of 2015 and hope that by then Celebrity will do something about the noise level.
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The ships are doing the best they can and it is unfair to even compare a military ship with a civilian one for all the reasons given here. Its true that there are selfish or should I say inconsiderate people who do not care if they wash their hands,or cough on to their food but most people do care and that is why the outbreaks are not as bad as they could be. I have cruised nearly 30 years and I would say that in the first 10 years of cruising you never heard of a Noro outbreak but that changed as cruising became more affordable due to the larger ships that meant more people coming from everywhere and of every age. Think about it 20-30 years ago there were no children or should I say hardly any children sailing on a cruise ship. In addition I feel one of the major culprits was the self service buffets for breakfast and lunch and dinner. In the 80's and even early 90's most people ate all 3 meals in the dining room-they did not get a chance to interact with the food as they do today in the buffet style dining rooms found on all ships. Noro is an unfortunate by-product of the success of the cruising industry but I believe as time goes by it will become less of an issue and the unfortunate outbreaks will soon become yesterday's news. Noro is is not a pleasant experience but believe me getting seasick is a far worse experience and that has been going on since the first boat got out into the ocean waters.
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A sampling of opinion from these boards is quite enough for a statistical survey.The people on cruise critic cross every income and age strata and it is true that those who post the most usually cruise the most on that particular line. Take presidential polls and do you realize that they are statistically correct within 5 percentage points and yet such a poll sampling is very often as low as 1000 respondents on a poll that affects every voter in the country? Celebrity is aware of the influence of these boards as does every president of every cruise company that is posted on these boards and hopefully they will do the right thing. Bad publicity on these boards is one thing no cruise line wants and publicizing that the volume of the music is too loud will have an effect. Now its up to Celebrity to decide what course they want to take. Hopefully it is wise one.
Rodan
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Who said people are stupid? I certainly never said that; I've only said that some prefer louder music than others, just as some prefer different genres of music.
I obviously enjoy the music at a louder volume than you do. What you consider overly loud music, doesn't mean that everyone feels that way. We all have different tastes - I guess Celebrity should do a fleetwide survey and see if the loudness and types of music are a problem or not.
Sorry NLH Arizona but you are in the minority and a tiny one at that. A cruise is not a place where people expect to have their eardrums blown out or at the very least not being able to carry on a normal conversation without screaming. If you were unhappy with the noise levels of Celebrity cruises from the past before this new insane policy was adapted then perhaps cruising is the wrong venue for you. Think of the word cruising-it implies relaxation and a slower pace to life's anxieties and problems. Loud music no matter what the music does not go along with the ambience that is expected of a cruise and I feel that most people would agree.
Help with Small Ship Apprehension.
in Oceania Cruises
Posted
The small ships are a more personal experience in that you will see many of the same people several times on a voyage unlike even Celebrity with the Millenium Class ships which are their smallest. You will feel like you are on a ship but in a good way unless you yearn for the ships that feel more like a mall.