late2cruisin

15 minutes ago, read2learn said:

The Diamond benefit for internet is 24 consecutive hrs. If both parties in cabin are Diamond you get 2 days of free internet. The 4 free drinks is for any bar any time. If you don't each use your 4 vouchers each day you may get bottled water or cans of soda from the bars as well. I did that and kept it in the fridge. 

If we don't use our 4 vouchers??  Ha ha, that's cute! (We're still trying to figure out how we'll manage with only 4! We'll bring on our 2 bottles of wine, of course. I'm assuming there would be a corkage fee if we take the bottle to the MDR, but I'm also assuming they won't care of we walk in with a glass that we poured in our cabin...)

And don't we still get the "welcome amenity" that would include water/soda?

43 minutes ago, Tatka said:

Yes, you will have 4 drinks throughout the day, use of Diamond lounge (coffee), 2 photos, discounts etc.

I just looked at the Diamond benefits page on the website and I didn't see anything about the free photos or internet. Have they changed those benefits? (It used to be one day of internet per cruise)

Thanks to all who replied! I did grab it right away. My previous cabin (E433) is still sitting there waiting for someone (it wasn't a bad obstruction at all, but not as good as 425!)  So now I'm a happy camper....err...cruiser 😁

Has anyone stayed in (or seen) E424 on the Majestic?  Everyone raves about E425 as being the best of the obstructed balcony cabins. Is E424 exactly the same view but on the port side? Is there any difference or disadvantage to that cabin?  I may be able to book that cabin if I act quickly! (And yes, 425 is already taken)

17 minutes ago, wondertwinsmom said:

Awesome! I am even more excited now… If that was even possible!

Just in case you're not excited enough already.... (This was in Glacier Bay on our first Alaska cruise in 2014)  We'll be very lucky if the weather is this clear for us!

We are going to be staying one night pre-cruise at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile in Kowloon. Is there an airport bus that goes close to that hotel or should we just take the Airport Express train and then transfer to the K3 shuttle bus? Also, is there any way to pay for our tickets with a credit/debit card, or do we have to pay in cash?

Thanks!

On 11/17/2019 at 6:34 AM, topkatz said:

Hi all -

I still have an original $400 OBC coupon (Seabourn will still honor the $400 coupon even though the current program is for $250) for those first time guests on Seabourn.

 

You will need to make you final payment for the OBC coupon to be effective. We are sailing at the beginning of January so am looking for someone who will make their final payment before Jan 1, 2020. I've checked with the Seabourn Club folks, and I can scan and eMail the the coupon so the OBC credit should appear quickly.

 

Please eMail me at lecheler at technologist dot com and we can work out the particulars.

 

Thanks in advance,

topkatz

email sent!

Yes, the new cabins on the port side of deck 3 are exactly the same size, and have the same huge window, as the ones on the starboard side.

1 hour ago, Wine-O said:

False.  They are the exact same size.  I walked thru all of them when we got on board to check them out.  🍷

Agree. We've stayed in both (port and starboard) and the size is identical. 

4 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

That's actually a good deal for some one like me who would purchase a drink package on another line for $49 pp. The second perk would be the savings.

Yes, if you would actually purchase a drink package (which I wouldn't), that could be a good deal for you. I seem to remember I once paid $30 extra pp to bundle 2 perks, because after subtracting the gratuities that I would have to pay anyway, the drink package would cost about $15 pp a day, which I felt was worth it.

If you look for an "exciting deals" rate, or a resident rate, or one of the rates that excludes the perks, you'll be able to see the difference between that rate and the inclusive one. On most cruises I've looked at lately, it seems to be around $45 pp per day for 2 perks. Only you can decide if it's worth that to you.

Here's a link to a cabin review I did recently. We were in 3119 (BTW, it is not near the entrance to the Tuscan Grill even though it appears that way on the deck plans. It is in a secluded corridor not far from the elevators.)

Back from Millennium TP- a few random thoughts and photos

You're right, it is a partial Panama Canal transit. If it were a full transit, you would not end the cruise in Florida. Many cruise lines do this partial transit (Holland America does quite a few of them)

8 hours ago, ECCruise said:

I agree that overall, Luminae is better than the MDR on Azamara.  But the menu is very limited (and "you can order from the MDR menu" kind of defeats the purpose of spending big bucks for a suite).  

For us, travel is much, much more than a room and food.  The overall feel of the experience (advantage Azamara), the itinerary (huge advantage Azamara), the interaction with the officers and staff.  Not to mention the Azamazing Evening...I could go on and on.  

When a sky suite on a M class ship, on a boring Caribbean sailing, is running in excess of $1000 per day, there is no way I wouldn't go with a balcony on Azamara, at less money.

And yes, we sailed with Russ on one of his last trips. So sorry to see him go to Crystal.

No way would I ever pay $1000 per day for a sky suite on any ship (or any itinerary). I would book a sky suite when I find a good price, which I occasionally do. We do enjoy Azamara and will book them when we find a good price, in any cabin category. I'm just saying that if I could get a sky suite at the same price as a balcony on Azamara, for the same itinerary, I would have to go with the sky suite.

4 minutes ago, DJLDRUMS said:

Interesting late2cruisin ! Now, when you say have some (passed hot and cold hors d'oeuvres) what do you mean by "some passed" Is this not what they're doing in the Sky Lounge for their elite and Elite + guests right now?

Got to say, Royal did manage to put on a really nice spread for their members.

Yes, Celebrity is doing what they've done for years in the Sky Lounge for Elite Happy Hour. The servers come around occasionally with hors d'oeuvres on a tray. IMHO, they are not terribly good and rather repetitive, so I'm never tempted to ruin my dinner by having them (unlike the spread on Royal or the tapas they serve on Azamara, which do tempt me...)

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

WCB = World Class Bar. I don't believe the Summit has a WCB on her. 

World Class Bar is only on the Solstice Class ships (it replaced the Molecular bar of years ago). There's no WCB on the 4 Millennium Class ships.

11 minutes ago, DJLDRUMS said:

Good point you brought up hcat that leads me to my next question. During the 5-7 free drinks in the Sky Lounge or wherever its held do they bring out a sampling of hot and cold hoer d'oeuvres such as what Royal does ? thanks in advance.

No hors d'oeuvres in the other bars. Sky lounge has some passed hot and cold hors d'oeuvres, but nothing like the nice spread they have on Royal in the Diamond Lounge.

I agree that Azamara is a step up from Celebrity, but I'm surprised at some of the previous comments about a regular veranda on Azamara being better than a Sky Suite on Celebrity. And while I do think that the MDR on Azamara is better than on Celebrity, it's not nearly as good as Luminae (IMHO). Also, the included drinks on Azamara are more limited than the drink packages on Celebrity.

Oh, and I agree that Russ is a great CD, but he is no longer with Azamara...

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Last year on Silhouette, we were able to get a drink in the MDR, by presenting our card, provided it was before 7 pm.

Since they changed the Happy Hour back in February (on all ships), it specifically says the restaurant and World Class Bar are excluded. They might still make an exception on some sailings, but I wouldn't count on it. The did allow us to use it in the buffet (between 5 and 7) a few months ago. We usually ate in the MDR, so we just stopped at Rendez-Vous and got a glass of wine to take in to dinner.

You may be confusing Celebrity with Royal. The happy hour drinks are available from 5 to 7 only (unlike the more extended hours on Royal).  There is still a venue for elites to gather for drinks and appetizers (I forget what it's called on Summit but it's Deck 11 forward, I think.) In addition, you can have your elite drinks at any bar (not in the dining room) from 5 to 7 from the same limited menu. They have removed the three drink limit, so you can have as many as you like when you show your card.

In an earlier post, I think I said that we paid in cash (US dollars) on our Alla tour last summer. I now remember that we paid with our credit card (at the end of the first day). They converted the dollar price that we had been quoted into rubles, which of course was then converted back into dollars by our credit card company (I think we only lost a dollar or two on the conversion). We did use cash to tip at the end of the tour, and they were happy to take dollars, pounds, Euros, or rubles.

2 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

 

 

For payment, you need to either pay by credit card in US Dollars 30 days prior via their website (what everyone in our group did) or in cash, in Russian Rubles, on the first day of the tour...We also gave our guide and driver tips in US Dollars, in cash, at the end of the tour.

We used Alla last summer. We paid cash, in US dollars, at the end of the first day of our 2-day tour.

1 hour ago, Tatka said:

4 years ago we won them playing in shuffleboard tournament on Summit .

They are not plastic and two sided. One side has a place for the card and another has a small pocket with a zipper. Very cool looking.

We got the same ones, I think, by winning at trivia a few months ago on the Millie. I actually like them better than the ones they were selling in the gift shops.

57 minutes ago, BSinPNS said:

To us it depends on the itinerary and number of sea days.  If you go for the OV, suggest cabins 3112-3144 (more forward are better) and 3115-3127 on Connie.  Not sure if these cabins were added during Summit/Millenium revolution.  These cabins were added within the past five or so years and feature very large windows.

Yes, these cabins were added to Millennium and Summit. We were in 3119 and really liked the location and the huge window. Since OV and regular veranda are exactly the same except for the balcony, it comes down to the price difference and how much you think you'll really use the balcony (not as useful on port intensive or cooler weather cruises, IMHO)

My worst table-clearing experience happened not on Azamara, but on Celebrity. We were in a suite, so eating dinner in Luminae. I was savoring my second course (I believe it was chestnut ravioli) and was about halfway through. I turned to converse with the people at the adjacent table, and when I turned back to my food, it was gone! I can't imagine how he snatched it so quickly without my noticing it. When I immediately protested that I was not finished with it, he told me that it was gone (how fast do they dump leftover food?) and  would I like to re-order it. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but I really enjoy that dish so I said yes. I took a while for it to arrive, and probably messed up the timing of my main course, which seemed a little over-cooked. Ever since then, when I turn away from my food for any reason, I tell my husband "Don't let them take this away!"