MsDolly

On 11/10/2023 at 4:35 PM, TTEllis said:

Ouch $70(US) sounds a bit high. 

I don't know anything about the Hyatt on Palm Beach, Eagle Beach I've rented a chair and palapa on several different occasions $20. 

I don't do Palm Beach made that mistake once and I'll never do it again. 

Sorry but could you elaborate on Palm Beach, I saw it as a top rated beach in Aruba so I’m confused.  Thanks

We currently have coverage thru CAA, but my recent experience with them has not been very positive.  We will be looking for another option going forward.

We are Elite with Princess so when we are cruising on them we also take their coverage mostly for the cancellation coverage.

1 hour ago, macmax said:

When did Westjet ever fly to LHR?

They always flew in to LGW to the best of my knowledge .

 

Not true they have been flying into both airports direct from Calgary at least.  August 10th though appears to be their last day landing at LHR.

24 minutes ago, islandwoman said:

Which airline?

Local Canadian airline WestJet 

Airline has just cancelled all flights to London Heathrow after August 10th, we had to change our flight to now arrive at Gatwick.  We have already booked the bus from Heathrow to Southampton so now we are looking at how best to get from Gatwick to Heathrow.  We can see the bus, but are wondering if anyone knows what the cab fare between the airports might be as this would be less stressful.

Thanks

32 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

So if you want a sensibly priced, seamless, & hassle-free drive pre-book a fixed price private transfer with a local operator like 

https://westquaycars.com/ 

or

https://aquacars.co.uk/

 

JB 🙂

Makes total sense.  I will work on pre-booking with one of the local operators.

Is it possible to get off the ship and catch a cab that will take us into a hotel near Gatwick or do we really need to book a car service ahead of time!

We arrive in Heathrow and have booked the National Express bus to Southampton but the return trip by bus is not as economical or quick as the buses all have to go first to Heathrow before Gatwick and the train schedule has us changing trains.  We aren’t feeble but hauling luggage from the terminal to a cab, then onto a bus or train which both have stops then another cab from where the bus/train ends to our hotel and well I am tired just thinking about it.

Can we just get off and find a cab into the hotel near Gatwick?

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

 

 

Dolly - I agree at least 90 minutes from touch-down, but preferably 2 hours.

If you quote your scheduled landing time & latest cruise terminal check-in time we can suggest what time bus to book.

 

Also subject to your landing time, you have the options of ship's transfer bus or a slightly complicated bus+train combo. Both are significantly more expensive than the Nat Express bus  

 

JB 🙂

Our Flight into Terminal 3 is scheduled to land at 12pm.  We are arriving a day ahead of our cruise.  When reviewing the bus schedule it appears there is a bus leaving at 2:30pm which is the one we are hoping to make as the next bus appears to be a couple hours later.  
 

After the long flight from Western Canada (rarely am able to sleep on a flight) the earlier the better seeing as the bus ride is another couple of hours! 

We are arriving to terminal 3 Heathrow from Canada at noon on a Saturday.  We want to take the National Express Bus from there to Southampton and are wondering approximately how much time to leave ourselves from arrival in LHR to departure on the bus.

We have been reading about several other airports out there experiencing terrible delays in disembarking and clearing customs but haven’t heard this about Heathrow.

Any insight on what a sensible amount of time to allow would be appreciated.

20 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Starboard side. 

Well that is too bad, I was looking at a spring TA crossing and the Starboard side is the sunny side ☹️

Looking to book on this ship and was wondering if RC typically designates on side of the ship over the other for those who smoke.

Because the cabins we are looking at are on deck six picking wrong could have us with limited use of our balcony.

Appreciate any insights 

Well I am on the next sailing of the Ruby Princess, not the news I wanted to wake up to!  
 

Don’t mind masking but no chance I can find any KN95 now before flying this morning.

Hopefully the increased numbers on the March 27th sailing won’t be a huge mistake by Princess.  I realized we need to get back to “normal” but it should be a slower process and perhaps not in conjunction with no masks and the return of self serve buffets.

1 hour ago, waiting2retire said:

I suspect that as the Covid restrictions pertaining to travel continue to evolve, if boosters remain a requirement for entry to other countries, Canada will make them available to those who want them. 
 

 

I certainly hope so, we received our booster (3rd shot) in September 2021 and are traveling in October this year!

First time bidding, to bids show as expired and one is pending, this is for a sailing this weekend.  Booked a CP balcony and am pending for an OV balcony, lots available so I am still hopeful 

2 hours ago, MillyBean said:

FWIW, I sent an email to the suite concierge and they responded with "3100" anticipated passengers for the 1/16 sailing. 

Well that is a few more than I was hoping for, but about what I expected with last week’s cancellations.  Booked a dining package so we can avoid the MDR.

Having the same concerns myself, I was booked on this sailing ahead of the cancellations but have read many posts of people jumping onboard it is making me nervous.

I doubt anyone other than Royal Caribbean themselves can answer this question.  Given the troubles on some ships right now you would have hoped they would have held capacity to under 50% but money is money 💰 

Can’t wait for next Sunday.  Hope the numbers on our 6 day cruise are near yours.  May even have to splurge on a dining package!

2 hours ago, TickledBlue said:

That's great news, would prefer to see the entire show but I'd take it.  Onboard the Allure on Sunday, don't mess her up too much 😁

See you then, ready for some sunshine!

40 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

Yes we're expecting to leave at 5:30

Thanks for the live update, we are due to board the Allure next Sunday.

It feels like a leap of faith in these challenging times, but we are tired of staying put especially in the frozen north we live in.

Hope your sailing goes really well!

My email clearly says for cruises through to January 17th

With the increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, our public health guidance continues to evolve and we want to let you know what to expect as we prepare to welcome you onboard.

All our crew members are fully vaccinated, have received booster shots when eligible, and are tested on a weekly basis with high contact front of house service staff tested every three days. All your fellow guests 12 and older are fully vaccinated and tested before boarding. And the small number of children sailing who are 11 and under get a second test at the terminal and are increasingly vaccinated. Typically, your onboard cruise community vaccination rate is in the 95% range.

As a result of Omicron, which we have seen is much more transmissible with much milder symptoms for those fully vaccinated, we have further strengthened onboard health protocols, such as the requirement to wear a mask indoors at all times unless eating or drinking, and temporarily not allowing smoking in the casino.

Even with such a high onboard community vaccination rate and enhanced protocols in place, there is a possibility of positive cases arising during your sailing, just as there is an inherent risk of COVID-19 anywhere people congregate or gather. Our protocols anticipate this possibility and we implement them as needed to protect the health and safety of everyone.

We also work with local governments in all the ports of your itinerary who are informed of the ship's public health status before arrival and together, we decide if we can debark in their country. When we make these decisions, we consider the number of COVID positive cases onboard, and also the number of cases in the destination community along with factors such as the community vaccination status. Should we need to cancel a port of call, we will always do our best to find an alternate destination or work through a resolution for our missed port.

You should also note that some onboard activities, such as ice skating, rock climbing, laser tag, production shows, Adventure Ocean, etc., could be impacted during your sailing, as we adjust ourplans to ensure that the health of both our guests and crew remain our priority.

For our full protocols, please click here. As always, health and safety protocols are subject to change. If you have questions about these protocols, please reference our FAQs for details. For sailings departing through January 17^th, if you prefer not to sail as a result of this information and would like to reschedule your cruise, we are available to assist you.

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

Yes, very disappointing, especially for those whose decision to book with RCI was in part based on the availability of the tests. It's like buying a new car and finding out just before delivery that they no longer include the radio. Or even offer it as an optional ($) extra.

Certainly didn’t book with RCI based on access to testing but I did book my return airfare based on it.  I have no trouble paying for the test, I just need it back on the day we disembark for my 2:30 flight home!

Also I can do without a radio but no doing without a Covid test 😉

With two RC cruises, one in January and another with family in February I am stress to say the least by the testing situation, when I checked the testing site at FLL a 30 minute PCR test was listed for $395/pp YIKES!

Now if the cruise line is not testing at the end of the cruise are they still going to test me when I’m doing a b2b cruise?  I would love to just cancel but my family has a say in this too as they are adults, now to just lay out the facts and hope they feel the same way 😞

It is a sad day, there goes our family vacation for 7.

So my question is this, if a member of the family tests positive how long do they quarantine before testing again to come home.  My son’s family of four will take quite the hit if this happens to them!  Not sure we are up for that risk.

On 12/5/2021 at 3:27 AM, dog said:

NEW —-pre departure Covid tests re instated 48 hours when flying to UK 

 

just saw this on BBC & other UK news websites 

I hope someone posts back on here after flying in before a cruise.  I was hoping to take the required test the day I depart home flying in only a day before sailing.  With the current requirements flying in the day before isn’t possible.  I don’t sail till mid August so fingers crossed 🤞 this will no longer be required.