crazyman3

Rome Cabs worked for us!

We love MC. Our favourite has been on the Connie. We too like the proportions. It's a better shape for pre-dinner live music.

Also, the MC concierge's desk is closer to the action! On the S class, the desk is near the interior entrance door.

Sorry to hear that the 'table in the window' has been removed. 

And if your butler is not doing a great job... speak to him/her... Still no joy? Hotel Manager time!

We've been on many Med cruises. We'd certainly opt for the Infinity itinerary because the ports are more interesting (subjective) with the exception of Barcelona.

Use those saved $ to enjoy pre and post cruise stays.

Weather... well, we've had pretty warm temperatures for our summer cruises... yes, the occasional storm... whereas the weather can be a little more erratic at the start and end of the season.

Another thought: will you ever return for another European cruise?  

29 minutes ago, Literary Lynne said:

Yes, that's the one I was referring to.

Lynne

Thought so! I've just looked at their site and... well, I love history but I don't think I could tolerate such a cruise. Cox & Kings or similar for me, I guess!

I injured (minor) my leg on one cruise and the butler was fantastic! Ice... elevation...  etc. Plus DVDs, chocs, added to in-suite dining. 

Like many, we do under-use our butler. We would never dream of asking someone to pack/unpack for us. Occasionally we'll ask for a restaurant reservation or request some special food. 

My only moan about butlers, is that they don't always pick up that I need a laundry bag with paperwork every day! I explain it to them when we first meet: a bag a day please. 

It still goes wrong! It's my chore, before breakfast, to sort the piles of dirty clothes, complete the paperwork and then wake up my DW with my halo shining. No laundry bag  means no halo and no points. And we all know that points mean prizes e.g. a special vodka or an ice cream.

8 hours ago, George C said:

Totally disagree our service in luminae was perfect and no issues with ice or anything else in our sky suite last year on summit, will be doing both sky and celebrity suite this month on infinity and doubt we will have any negative issues. 

I'm with you on this! We've always had a CS or a Sig.Suite and have always had wonderful service in Luminae.

On 3/3/2019 at 10:29 PM, Jim_Iain said:

In November we had John as a Butler.   One of the best we have had.   He was very quick to pick up on little things we liked and made sure we had them daily.

Think we've had John too. Loves music. Great guy!

4 minutes ago, Literary Lynne said:

Thinking about what Ithikan and Nordski say, I would love a cruise with ancient civilisations as a theme and some inspiring lecturers on board. Would love to visit Olympia, Sparta, Mycenae, Ithica, Troy etc. There is a gap in the market for this type of cruise. I can only find one company that does this and the reviews of the ship are terrible.   

Lynne

 

 

Of course, there is the 'Voyages of Antiquity' company, in the UK. Never tried them. Prices are high and the ships rather old. 

12 hours ago, TravelBugM said:

On our last visit to Venice we did a tour of the Clock Tower (Piazza San Marco).  Very interesting and great views of the Piazza.  We also did the Secret Itineraries tour of the Doges' Palace which was also very interesting.  And for us a highlight of Venice was the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. 

 

In Koper, we took the public bus to Piran - a lovely, well preserved, medieval Venetian port town.  Piran is considered one of the most authentic/most photogenic towns on Adriatic coast.  It's a beautiful setting jutting out into Adriatic. 

 

There is so much to Dubrovnik than the walls.  Don't get me wrong, the walls are awesome in the true sense of the word, but there are so many gorgeous, most often overlooked, details  which are fascinating.  Don't miss Gundulic Square at noon! 

 

We did a private morning tour (Tours by Milo) when in Kotor and visited places and were imparted historic details.  We then wandered Kotor on our own in the afternoon.  We didn't visit, but there's a Cats Museum!

Yes, Piran was good! Loved the wine tasting there but the red was disappointing. Bought a couple of bottles of white... can't recall the grape.

The Peggy Guggenheim collection is fab. The first time I went there photography was banned. Of course, it was impossible to police because people used their phones. Now all photography is fine ----but no flash or tripods.

You mentioned that you had all four perks... okay, so why not upgrade your beverage package to the top level? Perhaps it is already...

I wish we Brits had the same problem: we receive very little OBC. Perhaps the pricing system is different.

Although a slightly different perspective, we were in a room on Deck 14 on the Reflection in 2017. No issues with sound pollution except the very occasional waft of music from bands.

However, I would not wish to be directly under a bar area or pool area because we've suffered from the noise of chair scraping /throwing first thing in the morning. It was on the old Royal Princess. When we booked the Pacific Princess a year later, we went down a deck and everything was fine! 

Murano has been removed from the Connie! That is awful! 

Why (apart from the bottom line, excuse the pun) would they do that? Such a wonderful place to eat!

Ouch!

There's no way I'd want three others with me in a Celebrity Suite.

Not sure of your interests... but if you like ancient history do visit Olympia when you're in Katakolon. 

Dubrovnik can be heaving with people! Enjoy a walk around the top of the walls --- but take water!

Kotor... head up into the mountains in a 4 x 4 if you can.

Koper.... have to think here... ah yes, we enjoyed a wine-tasting! Really enjoyed the grappa too!

We can never get enough of Venice. We've been there many, many times. Have you tried catching the vaporetto to the island of Lido? Not too many tourists, some good places to eat and fun to wander. There is a good beach too for those who like such places. We enjoyed the leisurely trip out to the island and back.

Also, there are interesting 'Hidden Venice' walking tours to be had.

Of course, nothing quite beats just getting lost there!

11 minutes ago, uktog said:

I have commented on end of cruise surveys that the laundry perk should be per person, not per room several times.  I know I am not alone in saying this but it’s something Azamara don’t seem to want to budge on.  I am not sure why it’s per room when all other benefits are per person.  If two people have reached a loyalty level, I really feel two rewards should be given. It seems petty not to, no one has ever explained why it’s done this way.  When you ask on ship, they say it’s a head office decision. 

Agree completely!

I have a serious nut allergy. I discovered it in a Bedouin tent in Syria ----miles from medical help.

Before each cruise, I contact Celebrity in writing to let them know.

Then, before I eat at any restaurant , I let the manager etc. know about my allergy. On the rare occasion I visit the buffet, the main chef usually shows me the foods that are okay and the ones to avoid. Food has been prepared especially for me once in a while.

I eat many meals in Luminae. I am given the menus in advance and am happy to order ahead. My meals are then cooked separately in the kitchen. However, on my last X cruise I was served two little tasters (not on the menu) with nuts on! Obviously I was no happy and spoke with the appropriate people.

The 'difficult' foods are biscuits (cookies) and ice cream. I live in fear of cross-contamination ---- which hit me once in Morocco. 

If I am on a land-based holiday in a country where English is not the first language, I always take a written translation of something about my allergy. Of course, I have my epi-pens to show if need be! 

I have read through the information of the above posters: how awful some of your conditions are. I hope that your adventures go well for all of you.

6 hours ago, lisiamc said:

This is one of the reasons I wonder how well a change to having tips included in the upfront cost of the cruise would work.  Some people, especially Americans,  have an unquenchable urge to tip, and to double-tip if tips are already included.  I’m happy to pay the autotips, but it has to be really incredible service to inspire me to tip extra after that.  

I'm with you on this. The tips are included!

However, if the service is exceptional I will tip my butler and room steward. Also, Michael's Club concierge, maybe the MC bar staff and perhaps a member of the Luminae team.  

Sorry to contradict you but I do recall being 'tendered' into the city even though we were tied up to a pier. I think that this was aboard either a Princess or a P & O ship in the late 90s or early 00s. 

Of course, it is now much easier to walk into the heart of Venice. 

We were aft on Deck 14 and had no issues with noise from above... just the occasional sounds of music.

Enjoy your cruise.

If my memory serves me correctly, cruise lines are not permitted to provide water transport to places in Venice; the City of Venice (port authority?) provide water buses. However, it's been some years since I've been on these because we prefer to walk.

If you visit Oslo, do go to Vigeland Park. The sculptures are amazing! You will need to take photos! Every time I go to Oslo, Vigeland is my priority.

Also, there is the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. We have these in the UK ---- there's one near Chichester and also one near Cardiff. We enjoyed spending several hours on our visit to the Oslo site.

The Holmenkollen Ski Jump tower, museum etc. was interesting the first time I visited: the old wooden tower was still there and the stairs to the top were in a dangerous condition! That's gone now!

On my last visit there was a gleaming new tower. 

Interesting because of the Olympic heritage and if you enjoy skiing the museum has some fascinating information/items.  

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I doubt you will find much there.   It is a very industrial port and is not very passenger friendly to walk around the port.   

 

 

Cruise Critich has a port guide which will provide you with information on Port of Dublin.   You will be docking at Alexandra Pier.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=126

 

This is a pretty good overview of the port 

http://www.beyondships3.com/ireland-dublin-cruise-port.html

Wow! Thank you! The beyondships site is excellent! So much information!

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

The PH is a fantastic space, we have enjoyed a few cruises in there on sister ships.

 

The staff really will go out of their way to look after you and any guests you invite back to your room. I don’t know how many friends and family will be with you but it will really help the staff if you can give your butler as much information as possible about your plans, not just the wedding plans but when you plan to entertain on other days. For example, you may want to arrange a sail away from your suit after boarding (the shore side concierge can liaise with your butler) and then he will arrange snacks and soft drinks. On another evening you may decide to dine in your room with  some of your family, he will happily set that up for you too. Dining for just the two of you on the balcony at night is a not to be missed experience....The butler will sort that too.

 

Re the rest of the ship. You will have access to the suite lounge (Michael’s Club) and the Suite restaurant (Luminae). If some of your guests are in standard rooms they will not be able to acces Michael’s and Luminae only by arrangement and by paying a fee. If you wish to dine with some of your guests in the MDR the butler will sort it for you. Again having a basic plan at the start of the cruise may enable you and your guests to better sort time together and time apart....

 

Finally, whilst you have a premium drinks package and in suite bar set up and presumably drinks included with your wedding package it is nice to have extra wine in the suite for get togethers. Every cabin can bring on board two bottles of wine (including champagne) so I suggest you and all your guests make the most of this. The butler’s pantry has plenty of storage space and chilling and on days when there are lots of you in the suite you will have drinks on hand....It saves you either incurring extra costs by buying wine on board or asking your guests to come to the room with a drink in hand! 

 

Hope you have a fantastic wedding, sincere best wishes...

Excellent advice! Love it!

I've enjoyed the opportunities to taste wines on every X cruise over the years. Wine tastings are rather a hobby of mine both on land and at sea.

The tutored tastings have been fun but a little patronising. Of, say, 8 wines one or two have been interesting.  

Another style of tasting that was 'different' was an untutored session which involved passengers wandering from one bottle to another. Occasionally, I was asked my opinion. The wine was pretty basic. Some food may have helped. Also, I dislike using the same glass for all of the wines being shown. No spittoons.

A vodka tasting was very much a 'Here they are! Let me know if you'd like a top-up!' Some great examples were served.

In Michael's Club, another cruiser and set up our own beer tasting. The staff were fascinated. My friend taught me a lot over 60 minutes or so.

Macallan tasting... mmm... my second favourite whisky... I'll need to force myself to try it on the Silhouette in August. 

So are the tastings fun? Yes!

Will I be enjoying another one on the Viking Raiders Cruise in August? You bet!