Palms2Pines2Sea

Gosh, it is SO dependent on the itinerary and the time of year.

We are recently off the Nieuw Statendam, and we found it very crowded and very noisy. But in all fairness, this was a 7-night Caribbean cruise in February with lots and lots of northerners who are escaping the cold and are ready to party. Peace and quiet did not seem to be part of their vacation plans.

On lengthier voyages, we've found the overall vibe to be a good deal more mellow, even when the ship was full.

Best to take it all with a grain of salt, along with the knowledge that cruising continues to grow - rapidly - in popularity. Perhaps the days of "less crowded" are behind us....i.e. that ship has sailed!

Our very first HAL was a 9 night Transatlantic on the Prinsendam, in May 2007. We were young(ish), still working, and could only afford an inside guarantee. But we wanted to try HAL, and this opportunity was too good to pass up.

After embarkation, we went to the dining room to get a feel for our assigned table. We had the good fortune to meet the DR manager (Sander Vogtlander) who dedicated himself to orienting these two newbies to the HAL experience. We were very very well looked after, and were even invited to the Captain's Table on the first formal night. I was quite glad that I had packed a tux. I'm sorry that I don't recall the captain's name, but he was a kind and handsome man (British if I recall correctly) who I am sure that many of you remember fondly.

We were onboard with many seasoned HAL veterans, but consider ourselves most fortunate to have been welcomed to our first HAL ship with such enthusiasm. And of couse the Prinsendam, aged as she was, made us feel lucky to be on a ship, and not a floating hotel. 

We loved it all, and are looking forward to joining the Nieuw Statendam this summer. But we will always miss the Prinsendam.

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On 3/1/2023 at 10:12 AM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We have done both ways

Before Covid by Final Payment Date there is usually only a handful cabins would be left for both directions 

This year we are book on the Reflection April 13 night TA and the constellation November TA

Using Sea Scanner , with about 65 day until sailing the Reflection is only 50% book,

With 10 months to go the Constellation is 77% book 

The price per day is just about the same , on the Constellation , Suites are gone ,  there 2 AQU, and 12 concierge cabins left 

On the Reflection everything is left 

I wonder why the big difference in booking pattern 🤔

We are on the Reflection with you.

The huge discrepancy in occupancy, and the reason that the Reflection is undersold compared to the other April crossings, is because Celebrity did not show the Reflection April 23 Transatlantic on its website for most of 2022! And if you happened to check the websites of other big travel agents, they didn’t show it either. By the time it showed up, most passengers had already made their plans based on what was showing as available.

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The Onward is in very very fine shape, especially for her age. We enjoyed the recent Transatlantic tremendously.

Some random photos from our crossing.

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Hello Monica,

First let me say that everyone has a different tolerance for airport arrivals.

That being said, If you are in the first walk-off group, and comfortable handling any and all of your luggage by yourself, then you will be absolutely fine with your 10:40 flight unless the ship is delayed in arriving or in clearance. In fact you will get to the airport quite quickly at that early hour.

BCN is usually MUCH less busy in December than in the height of summer season.

Does anyone have a copy of the current wine list (bottles and prices) that they could add here?

Many thanks for your help.

And the gentle climb that Jim mentions does indeed discourage a few from venturing onto the track for their strolls.

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Is this still a thing? We're Elite Plus w/Celebrity, looking at trying Azamara.

I called their customer service #, and spoke to a woman who "didn't know".

Hmmmm......

8 hours ago, LifeonMars said:

I would suggest Booking The Regenerative Clinic at West Quay and doing the £35 in Clinic LFT Test.  The day before sailing.

https://www.theregenerativeclinic.co.uk/southampton-covid-19-rapid-antigen-test-appointment-booking/

 

Or you could use  a Lloyds Pharmacy and book a test for £29.99

https://lloydspharmacy.com/pages/covid-19-lateral-flow-test

 

Boots also do them for £30

https://www.boots.com/services/covid-19-testing/covid-19-lateral-flow-testing

Thanks VERY much for your thoughtful and informed reply. This is very helpful.

Greetings to Host Hattie and all you lovely Cunarders,

We have read the latest testing requirements from Cunard and find ourselves a bit confused, but that seems to be the norm these days.

We are traveling on the May 29 Southampton to NY QM2. American, 100% vaxxed and boosted. Is it possible to be tested at the pier/terminal at Southampton? The Cunard info just released states that for Southampton departures, the test does NOT need to be medically supervised. Where in Southampton might we find such a test (i.e. one that doesn’t cost £79 at the Regenerative Clinic!)? Many thanks for your thoughts. We will be in Southampton and vicinity for a full day prior to departure if that helps.

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Beginning February 1, all those entering Spain will need to show proof of acceptable vaccination. The full course of vaccination must be completed. In addition, your full course of vaccination must have been completed within 270 days of your arrival in Spain. If your vaccination took place more than 270 days before your arrival in Spain, then you must receive a booster shot that is within the 270 day window.

Perhaps there is a slim chance that there will be some savings if and when “Wave Season” kicks in…usually January 1.

The keywords in the above sentiment are:

Perhaps

Slim

If

(and)

Usually.

Davie, thank you so very much for this excellent overview of Seville.

I think one reason prices are remaining high is a direct result of the many FCCs that are currently in the hands of those anxious to cruise again.

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5 hours ago, JOHN474 said:

Guess this means, all cruises will now be cancelled. If you can not travel to the port, or home from the port, how can you have cruises?

Such a ridiculously irresponsible headline and post.😒

We are not playing any games.

We already had one cruise cancelled (Millennium Transpacific) and are currently booked on the Infinity Transatlantic, April 25.

I couldn't care less about trying to "maximize" what I'm going to "get" from Celebrity. This is a company that has given me a tremendous product for many years, to say nothing of wonderful friendships and a fantastic feeling of being very well cared for.

If you need to cancel for your own peace of mind, just do it. Really, just make it happen. You will sleep better, I promise.

RCL is waiting for the EXACT same thing that we all are waiting for: a tipping point in COVID-19. If you were running the company, you can be absolutely assured that you would be holding on to that hope too, however precarious it might be. And that is why the stoppage was set at 30 days. Is it unrealistic today to think that something could shift dramatically in that time? Your answer might be perhaps, or probably, or no way. But it is imperative that this industry hold on to some hope.

RCL/Celebrity has made all of us a generous and unprecedented offer to cancel if that's what we need to do. If you love cruising, and you love Celebrity, then please look at the big picture. Thanks.

Have a great flight Jim. 
It is a GORGEOUS day here in south Florida.....relax and enjoy!

Have any recent Celebrity cruisers noticed any operational changes in dining, bar, activity, or entertainment venues that seem to be in keeping with increased COVID-19 protocols?

Hand luggage

I don’t believe you can, but by all means give customer service a call.

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New itineraries are now showing on Celebrity website.

Pacific NW (5 nights) and Alaska (11 nights) have been added.

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Thank you so very much for sharing your impressions of a cruise that was very very "far from normal". I have always said that the true test of any person, or any group of people, is how they respond to adverse or difficult conditions. Clearly the Millennium crew and leadership deserves high scores!

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A recent Transatlantic we had booked did indeed include four perks.

A price reduction before final payment, including ZERO perks, saved us $740 US per person.

At that savings, we chose the lower price.

Others might think that the drink package is a high-value perk. We do not, hence it was an easy decision.

But I think that there are many offers out there, and it’s important to know the value to you of each different perk.

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6 hours ago, zitsky said:

I have seen wine lists published here and I have a copy of one of them.  So I'm not asking for one.  I just thought I'd share what Celebrity told me when I reached out asking for an updated wine list.  They said they didn't have one available due to the number of wines they carry.  Um, ok.  This was to the CelebrityOneTouch@celebrity.com email address. (Customer Service)

 

The list I have is labeled "MDR wine list" but I suppose it can't be very different at the other restaurants.  I would be interested to know if there is a specific wine list for Blu.

 

They said:

 

2124474641_MDRWineList.pdf 32.84 MB · 30 downloads

Thank you very much for including this link. First time I have seen the list for the Edge and it is impressive. A few treasures and a very few good deals, but there are a couple! 

It is worth stating here that this is NOT a fleet-wide representation, and it is likely that the MDR list on most Celebrity ships will be much shorter.

It is my understanding that you can easily clear US Customs while carrying CBD oil.