Host Walt

Several posts have been removed.

 

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Highjacking a thread is against Cruise Critic's policy. If you go to the home page of the Disabled Forum and scroll to the bottom you will see a blue link that say NEW THREAD jut click on that. In the meantim I have sent message to the moderator that this post should be a seperate thread. Hopefully they'll correct it.,

 

The original post, which was posted to another unrelated thread has been pulled out and made the starter post for this thread.

Moved from the Disabled board.

As afirst time cruiser I would recommend you use the ships tours. As you cruise more you'll get comfortable and use private ypirs instead.

I agree with Kamloops, at least for the first few excursions. When you use ship excursions you simply show up and go; no hassle at all. If your ship misses a port where you bought a shorex you will not pay anything nor will you need to deal with the excursion operator to get a refund.

 

 

Once you get some experience you can better determine whether you want to go it alone on later port visits.

Windstar has not published itineraries for 2019 so it looks like your title is wrong. I assume you are talking about the 17 March 2018 sailing of the Star Legend that has this itinerary:

 

 

If this is correct you should join the roll call for this cruise. Click here. Marvels of China and Japanese Islands

Thread closed. Serious thread drift. See initiating post.

Thanks for letting us know.

Shouldn’t this topic of discussion be posted on the HAL boards?

 

This thread was copied from the Celebrity board where it also appears.

Perhaps, but I’m a loyal X cruiser doing a one off HAL cruise and thought I’d mention something I’ve never experienced wit X (although it sounds like others have).

This thread was copied over to the HAL board so it appears both here and on the HAL board with its own replies.

I have heard there is a drink available when you first arrive and it comes in a souvenir glass. I am curious as to the cost of this drink & glass?

All of the, so called, "mass market" cruise lines have sail-away parties with souvenir glasses. The drinks are premium priced and include the souvenir glass in the price. The glass can be refilled with the sail away special or any other drink at the regular drink price throughout the cruise. On our last trip the drink was $15.00 plus gratuity for a rum punch that normally sells for $10.00. But that was one drink on one line about 8 months ago. Prices will vary.

I have a 3 yr old and like you our flight is out of FLL at 5:00 pm. I searched to find something to do to avoid being in the airport all day. I found a day hotel at Hampton Inn in Fort Lauderdale for $70. We are taking a shuttle from the port to the hotel and then will take the hotel shuttle to the airport. Now we will have a place to rest and the little one take a nap before our flight.

I totally agree with this solution. It's a short trip from the ship and to the airport and the opportunity to take a nap and have a bite to eat after the hyper-activity of the disembarkation process. The Hampton Inn is also a great place to be if your flight is running late.

Ditto Strenz.

 

I always pack a bunch of Earl Grey on any trip I take anywhere. It's curious how often I find that Earl Grey is not available on airplanes, airport lounges, and yes, on board cruise ships. Always have found the good Earl on Windstar, but why risk it? I always have a little plastic ziplock baggie filled with Earl Grey just in case.

Dawn Princess is now Pacific Explorer, part of P&O’s Australian fleet.

 

 

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The Dawn Princess in this thread was one iteration earlier than the Dawn Princess that is now with P&O.

Please stay on topic. Here's the initiating post.

 

Hello everyone, i am a new member of the forum and am looking for advice on my current situation below:

 

i had a 20 people family cruise that departed today from San Juan to several Caribbean islands and my wife had document issues; we had to stay behind (me, wife, 5 yr old daughter and a 1 yr old boy). We live in Maryland since 2008 and we started doing check in of our trip about one week ago. I noticed that my wife passport expired just 2 months ago but since she had a valid id and a puerto rico issued birth certificate then we didnt really pursue getting another passport. So we flew to PR one day prior the cruise and we got to the cruise terminal about noon on a Saturday. By the time we where at the counter for document processing, it was about 2pm. There we found out that the PR government issued new birth certificates in 2010 and nothing prior was valid. We didnt know this information and after many discussions with management, we where not able to do anything. We called the PR government and of course they where closed on Saturday and my wife was not able to get another birth certificate. This government is absolutely terrible, they should have an emergency location for them to process these documents.

 

I called Royal Caribbean to explain our situation and they did nothing. I explained to them that no where on their website or policy specifies that Puerto Rico birth certificates need to be from 2010+ or they wont be accepted. My wife's certificate is government issued and meets the RC travel requirements according to their policy. They wont even issue a full refund for the trip because they say that we are responsible to verify travel documentation requirements with the state and not with the ship and yet they do provide guidance on documentation.

 

My entire family was upset since we havent seen them for a year... Pretty much all decent hotels are closed due to Hurricane Maria and we have no where to go... This was supposed to be the perfect family vacation and it has converted to a nightmare for us. My daughter still cries when she thinks about it and says that now she cant play with her cousins and go on the slide and ice skating.

 

Who is at fault here? Did i make a mistake? What can i do now?

Pacific Princess - 28 April 2018 - 17 day Panama Canal Connoisseur (FLL to LA) - This is the last segment of a three month around the world cruise of the Pacific Princess. Celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. Barbara and Walt Tuthill (Host Walt).

Just received word from Celebrity that both my brother and his wife were killed in the accident.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Sam, please accept the sincere condolences from everyone here at Cruise Critic on your terrible loss.

Here's an outline of the Princess plan:

 

 

 

Princess Vacation Protection

 

Protect your vacation investment. You never know when something unexpected may cause you to have to postpone your plans. Fortunately, Princess Vacation Protection can reimburse you for unforeseeable losses stemming from an array of circumstances, and even allows you to cancel your vacation for any reason at all.

 

 

 

 

 

Princess Cancellation Fee Waiver Program

 

Provided by Princess Cruises

 

 

 

Trip cancellation/Trip Interruption protection if you cancel or interrupt your cruise for specified reasons 100% of

Cruise Vacation Cost

Future Cruise Credit if you need to cancel your cruise for Any Reason

100%

Future Cruise Credit

Princess Travel Insurance Program

 

Underwritten by Transamerica Casualty Insurance Company

Reimburses up to:

Trip Delay (pre-Cruise Vacation)$500

Trip Delay (post-Cruise Vacation)$1,500

Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation$50,000

Accident Medical Expense$20,000

Sickness Medical Expense$20,000

Baggage/Personal Effects$3,000

Baggage Delay$500

Worldwide Emergency Assistance Program

 

Services provided by On Call International

24/7

Platinum Upgrades

 

Platinum, Elite and Ruby Captain's Circle Members receive an upgrade to Platinum Protection at Standard price, paid for by Princess Cruises on the member's behalf. Princess Vacation Protection is a recommended optional purchase to your cruise vacation. Without it, you are subject to the Cancellation Refund Schedule above and are not eligible for a refund in the event you must cancel.

I love Hotel Olimpia - have stayed there on three separate trips and each stay has been excellent! Fantastic service, beautiful garden area and very clean.

Looks good. Is there a nearby Vaparetto stop?

As suggested earlier, hydration is essential and Purell, Clorox wipes and Lysol go with us on every cruise. In addition, as we get older we have learned, the hard way, not to try to do everything and to get plenty of rest. Moderation in consumption of adult beverages, especially on shore excursions, also adds to the preventive.

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There's so much to see in Venice and area - I don't think you'll regret spending an extra day or two there. Having said that, we just returned from a trans-Atlantic and spent 2 days pre-cruise at a lovely little hotel in Mestre; the Hotel Al Vivit. It's on a beautiful piazza that is lined with shops, restaurants, bars, etc., and is only a short walk to the train and bus terminal. The hotel was very reasonable (122 Euro/night); it was clean, comfortable and quiet, the breakfast (included) was very substantial, and Giuseppe at the front desk was so accommodating and informative.

 

We took the vaporetto to the island of Murano (famous for glass blowing), then to the island of Burano (you just have to see the beautiful colours of the buildings), and toured the Grand Canal. Then there's the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Square, the Galleria dell Academia (an incredible museum with Da Vinci paintings, etc), the gondolas, and I could go on. Google attractions for Venice and you'll see tons of things to see and do with your 2 boys....

Excellent suggestions. The island of Burano is also known for its lace and even has a small lace museum.

 

One addition is to continue on the Vaporetto to the island of Torcello which will give you an idea of a Venetian island before development.

...For the OP: I've read successful reports from many folks who've done this. As long as you get everything lined up with HAL, it should not be a problem for you. Enjoy!

I did that myself on a Baltic cruise. A major business issue arose that caused me to have to stay home in LA on sailing day from Rotterdam. However I was able to arrange for a flight from LA via London to Oslo, the first port of call. HAL worked with my TA to set up a boarding process in Oslo. My wife and the three couples who were joining us boarded normally in Rotterdam.

 

Our TA was able to arrange everything and it all worked out well.

Also keep in mind that Italy is strike prone. Those trains every few minutes from Florence to Rome may come to a standstill.

 

Roz

This is a very valid concern for not only trains but also other forms of transport in Italy.

 

When sailing out of Venice several years ago a wildcat work slowdown (aka "unscheduled strike") was called on departure day. The cruise line arranged for boats to shuttle its passengers who signed up for pre-cruise sightseeing in Venice. The boats were lined up at a dock right near Piazza San Marco.

 

Unfortunately for us and everyone else the people who were supposed to handle the luggage on those boats decided to go on strike strike. All passengers had to handle their own luggage to the small passenger area because the operators refused to open the luggage compartments. They also refused to help passengers carry their baggage from shoreside to the boats.

 

On another cruise several people including us who booked a day trip with the cruise line from Livorno to Pisa and Florence had no trouble with the portion involving transport to Florence. However it was raining very hard in Florence and there was no provision for any sheltered waiting area for the trips back scheduled to leave at 3:30pm. At 12:00 Noon we had seen all the important stuff and were soaked, so we decided we couldn't take any more rain and wanted to go back to the ship. Our tour guide recommended we take the train back to Livorno. Great idea but it turns out the trains went on strike a few hours earlier with no indication that they would resume operations to Livorno so we had to find an accommodating cafe that would let us hang out until 3:30.

 

It's a fair warning to be prepared for alternatives in the event of unannounced strikes in Europe.

...I will be a mermaid on the sea and let the winds and waves and carefree days TAKE ME AWAY!!!!!

 

I love you all and will talk to you again on the 19th. Take care of each other please ♥ :*

Roz, you and Horton will have a wonderful sailing and will enjoy Hawaii.

This should be posted in the main Celebrity link.

This thread has been moved to the main Celebrity board.