WrittenOnYourHeart

I was not aware there was a way to bypass the bolts... Thanks for the information. I feel less safe but more knowledgeable than before. (wry grin)

There would have to be for simple safety reasons.

Imagine if you were in the cabin alone and had a medical issue (let's say heart attack just as example). You had locked the door and thrown the bolt and are in bed when the trouble starts. You are able to call for medical assistance, but you lose consciousness before help arrives. Because there are a limited number of people who have access to the override "keys" help is able to get to you and save your life. Now imagine if there was no such override "key" - medical's ability to get to you would be significantly hampered as they would have to use other, more time-consuming ways to get into the cabin, possibly costing life-saving minutes.

That said, the number of people who have the ability to do so is very limited.

Do things happen? Of course - any time you are dealing with people, things CAN happen. But do they happen OFTEN? No. I'd rather them have the ability in case of an emergency and live with the knowledge that something amiss COULD happen than them not have a way of access in case of emergency.

Ok, here's your "break." The halls did smell of smoke often during the days that smoking was allowed. I don't know if you're a smoker or not. But smokers just don't have a clue. They think that no one knows they smoke. Well, sure we do. It's obvious. Many smokers (heavy ones) simply reek all the time. It yellows your teeth, stinks up your breath, sticks to your clothes. Ever seen Pigpen in Peanuts comic strip? If you could see smoke, that is what some smokers would look like. No exaggeration. Nothing is more disgusting than getting on an elevator and having some heavy smoker get on and stinking up the elevator to point you have to get off. Now don't misunderstand, I'm not suggesting anyone stop smoking. Heck I'm even a believer in "natural selection." I believe smoking will "die out" on it's own. So I don't say a word about anyone who smokes in the smoking section. But if you get on the elevator and everyone immediately either gets off or heads a far away as they can from you then it might be telling you something.

Honestly, I have a tradition of smoking a cigar on the last formal night of every cruise. But I do it at the smoking area, and my wife makes me shower, scrub my teeth, and hang my clothes in the bathroom over night to air out. And that's from one cigar, and I try to stay upwind of the smoke.

So, whether you want to acknowledge it or not, smoke has no real boundaries on a ship. It seeps under doors in the hall, seeps under doors to connecting rooms, floats onto nearby balconies. Sorry, that's just how physics work.

Amen on how the smell permeates everything. I teach special ed, and I have had children in my classes whose homes are so permeated with smoke you would swear these 6 and 7 year olds are 5 pack a day smokers. When I help them with their coats and backpacks, I have to wash my hands numerous times in order to get rid of the smell. Not to mention these are also the kids who have higher absentee rates due to - big surprise - upper respiratory issues, or worse come to school with horrible colds and infect everyone else.

I was on Radiance to Alaska this summer, and was in an inside cabin so I can't comment on the balcony thing, but... The idea that part of the casino is non-smoking is a joke. Even walking by the doors you pick up part of the stench even when the casino is closed. I don't do casinos, but if I did, I would not be happy with the open arrangement where there is some imaginary line dividing the smoking and non-smoking sections - because the few times I had to cut through (when closed) because I ended up on that side of the ship and didn't feel like turning around to go up or down a level, even the non-smoking side reeked. I don't see why they can't enclose the smoking section of the casino in a nice little box like some airports have done for a smoking room. Oh, wait... because I've even heard some smokers complain about how smelly those rooms are.

Rec'd notice from Delta today...our 11:45a departure out of Barcelona has been changed to 10:45a. This will be on a Saturday off the Carnival Vista. Can we make this flight? And yes we could be first off the ship. TIA

I'm guessing Delta's plans all just got redone as I got notification that my flights for my July 1 cruise (booked on my own - I try to avoid 3rd parties when booking airfare, just my preference) changed - times and numbers.

Going over not a big deal - puts me landing closer to hotel check-in time, so more of a chance to get in the room early.

Coming back for me isn't a big deal as the flight was scheduled at 1:35pm and changed to 1:00pm. BUT it is an example of why I avoided a couple of other airlines that were a smidge less expensive (like within $50 or so before I went with Comfort Plus on Delta) but the time out was either 10:00 (RCCL's earliest recommended) or 10:35. For me, even with the cruiseline recommendation it was cutting it too close anyway - and had the 30 minute switch happened on those flights, I would then be on the phone with the airline trying to get moved to a later flight. (I may be weird, but I would much rather be sitting at the airport reading (or walking around doing laps) for a bit than pushing it to get there. On Sunday I got to Pearson in Toronto much closer to departure time than I almost ever cut it because I had brunch with a friend - so worth it, and I made the flight, but for me it was weird to barely have time to grab a soda and plane snack and sit for a couple of minutes before boarding. I don't see how last-minute dash people do it!)

 

One other thing that people always complain about is the elevators.

 

Of course if you get on at deck 12 and are trying to go to decck 4 it's going to stop a lot. It's an elevator.... IT was shocking to me the number of people that would wait 5 minutes for an elevator.. get on at deck 11 and get off at deck 9.; There are these amazing things called STAIRS lol

 

LOVE this! I used to work in a floor that had 2 floors with an escalator that connected them (ok, super high ceilings, so it WAS a long escalator). (There was also an elevator for those with strollers, in chairs, etc.). More than once the escalator broke down, and people would ask "How do we get to the second floor since the stairs are broken?" Uh, nope. The ESCALATOR is broken, but it does this magical thing when it stops - it turns into STAIRS! :)

I mis-typed... 234 days to Brilliance Med/Venice! :)

243 days to Brilliance Med/Venice!!

I posted menus for my Allure Transatlantic here:

 

https://getawaysfrom21044.wordpress.com/menus/alluremenu/

 

October18-24 were a 7-day cruise, while October 25-November 5 were the 12-day transatlantic. All 7 of the menus from the 7-day Med were repeated on the TA with 5 more thrown in. I think there are a few more so you could probably go up to about 18 days without a repeat.

 

I'm not sure how far down the size ladder this goes but on the Allure the 12 menus were displayed on the digital sign boards in the proper order.

 

Roy

Awesome! Thanks! There are definitely 12 unique menus - I know things could change but that gives me a good overview. I'm starting to play with some meatless meals (not ready to 100% jump into being veggie), so seeing what there is at least for now helps.

Sorry to pull up an old thread, but I'm curious if there is anywhere (besides attempting to find reviews with either hard to see pics or annoying to download PDFs) to find the menus? I realize that things can change, but it would be fun to get some ideas beyond the chilled soups. :)

I found what I think is a great choice through RCI of $554 one way to Barcelona from PHX. There is a layover of almost 4 hours at JFK and then 1 1/2 hour in Madrid. It is for next October. Is it too soon to book?

Flight prices will only increase - especially for a popular destination and around cruises. I'm going in July and booked my airfare about a month ago and the price has already increased and the seat selection has decreased by a lot. (And if the air through Royal is done like I think it is, they have probably been allotted so many seats and when they're gone the price will only go up or simply not be available.)

Cabin? What type? Location? Pros and cons?

240 days to Med/Venice on Brilliance!! (That means 237 days until the last day of the school year!!)

Have you tried going in directly through Cruise Planner on Royal's site when you look at your reservation? That's where I've booked some excursions for my Med/Venice cruise happening 7/1/16. There are already excursions up for each of the ports - and a few got added since I looked the first time.

Internet, specialty restaurants, and special events like Murder Mystery Dinner aren't available yet even going through Cruise Planner.

I'm happy to read the good reviews of APTours as I've booked them for my area port day - mainly because I know I'm weird, but Pompeii has zero interest to me (it honestly creeps me out a bit) and they were the only ones I found who offered something that went to Positano and didn't include Pompeii even without changing an existing itinerary. The reviews I'd seen other places looked good, but having reinforcement helps!

IMO the shuttle service should have said in their email that they could not deliver to that address rather than confirming the delivery.

Then the OP could have chosen a different car service or used a taxi.

It is possible that there was a road closure on that day - it CAN happen where a road has to be closed for some reason, and advance knowledge is not given.

I would like to share a recommendation for Juan at Royal Road Barcelona. We used his service in 2011 when it was under the name of Autos Vilar. We just used him again this past week for pick up from the ship to the hotel and to the airport from the hotel. My cousin also ended up booking them to transport to the train station. They were always prompt, the drivers very pleasant and the vehicles were nice. I will use him again for our next trip to Barcelona.

Any tips on getting their supposedly English-language site (as in when you click the British flag most sites that have that change to the English-language version) to actually display in English? I speak only the most basic Spanish and cannot understand their website as it will not translate.

Rather than using public transportation or a private cab, we booked Shuttle Direct for shared airport transfer from Barcelona airport to our hotel just off Las Ramblas on 9/30/2015. My confirmation clearly stated our destination and I believe I emailed them to reconfirm direct drop-off.

Instead, the driver dropped us off a few blocks away (in the rain), claiming that his vehicle could not go on our street. I spoke with his boss, who yelled at me in Spanish, I yelled back in English, we got nowhere ... so off we went, dragging our 4 suitcases behind us in the rain after an 8-hour flight and waiting 45 more minutes at the airport for our vehicle. Not the best way to start a 2-week vacation.

So far, they are denying any fault, stating that sometimes this happens (it pops up on their website in small print), but I am persisting in getting at least some or all of our money back for this major inconvenience.

Enough detail??

Thank you. Yes, this helps. This would definitely be frustrating - though I am curious what you would have rather had them do since they couldn't go down the street your hotel was on.

Sometimes (not in this case necessarily) what is some people's idea of "horrible" is what others think of as an inconvenience. That's why detail helps with reviews/critiques. (As an example, when I'm reading hotel reviews of places in Europe, if I see complaints that the room was "tiny" or "small" I immediately check to see where the reviewer is from. If they're from the US, I take it with a grain of salt whereas if they're from Europe I'll pay a little closer attention.)

No pros or cons....do it when you're able....and you're done!!!

The big pro is that doing it while you're thinking about it and know you have internet access means it's done. No chance of you forgetting or having internet and/or computer/printer issues at the three-day mark.

For those who plan to travel, do not use Shuttle Direct shared services if you want service directly to your hotel. BAD SERVICE!!!!

This is the second post you've stir this without providing details. Details help everyone in evaluating their options... Please and thanks! :)

If you are only 3 blocks to Plaza Catalyuna, then the AeroBus is the most economical option. Just walk the 3 blocks from there. Safe and flat. What is your destination?

That was my thought. A taxi for three blocks? Really?? Exactly how much luggage do you have that you can't walk three blocks? (Granted, it's nothing for me to walk up to 12 blocks and then a subway and AirTrain ride with my rolling bag, carry-on, and backpack, so...)

I'm booked at the Acta Atrium Palace in the Eixample section of Barcelona. I'd been looking at something on La Rambla, but the guy I've been email with from the tour company I'm using for a couple of tours my full day in Barcelona steered me away from that area because of the noise level and that it can get kind of sketchy at night.

252 days to Brilliance Med/Venice! (Which means 249 days to the last day of school!!)

We ALWAYS cruise in September/October.....there will always be a few kids, because parents "home school" now a day, but very few. It is WONDERFUL....both with weather and kids back in school.....:D

It's not just homeschooling. There are more than a few school systems that are on year-round schooling. Some are such that everyone is on the same schedule while others have the schools divided into "tracks" (possibly A, B, C, and D where three of the four are in at any one time). And then there are parents who will do whatever they want and pull their kids out of school whenever they want. So there will pretty much always be kids unless you stumble upon some kind of "adults only" cruise.

But as others have pointed out, you're in the heart of hurricane season. Just because some years have had no activity doesn't mean there will never be activity. Some seasons are far more active than others.

264 days to Brilliance Med/Venice!!

Thank you :) Ive been sitting here a while trying to find the words to post the same thing without coming off snarky and rude. You did a fine job and I agree with you 100%

Thanks! :) It's always tough to figure out how to say it, because inevitably there will be someone who comes on and says their feelings/experiences are being discounted and/or why should they have to not do something they love.

As I noted above, nothing short of a totally debilitating condition is going to get in the way of a long-anticipated vacation once final payment is made ... and I do understand that to a degree. We consciously take precautions (perhaps to a fault, but so be it), and have been fortunate thus far ... and we've cruised virtually all over the world. Folks get sick in all kinds of venues ... cruise ships, airplanes, even hospitals, so it's simply a matter of preventive maintenance and finger-crossing.

 

Al

Exactly. Whenever I see these "We got sick on our cruise! Anyone else?" posts, I always wonder if they have never gotten sick in their non-vacationing life before. Yes, it sucks to get sick on vacation, but the bottom line is, unless you keep yourself in a completely sealed bubble, you're going to come into contact with germs - and the more people you're around and the closer the quarters are you're sharing with people, the more likely it is that you'll pick up something.

It's part of life. And not to be snarky, but if your immune system is such that it cannot be compromised, a cruise may not be the right kind of vacation for you simply because you ARE in close proximity to so many others with (unless you live only on your balcony - or outside on the decks, but there will be others there) pretty much recirculated air. Ditto flying to get somewhere.