eldercruser

These comments confirm why we cancelled our August Scottish Intensive cruise this week and have no interest in booking the 2021 cruise, or any other Azamara cruise, for that matter.

4 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Yes, we have two August cruises and final payment is due in less than three weeks.  Time to speak up, Azamara.

Let me add my voice to the chorus.  120 days prior for final payment in this situation makes no sense and ,quite frankly, is ludicrous.  we also have an august cruise and will cancel in early April.  If the time for final payment is reduced to 60 or 90 days we will continue to hang on.  However, I think we all admit there will be no substantive travel to Europe this summer.

Just back from dinner on the Eclipse. Had the sirloin steak from the special Edge menu. Basically, inedible. Grisly and tough. I try to see the bright side of things, but this sure didn't live up to the hype.

We had the big Edge dining video shown last night before the regular show. Looks pretty cool, but it may be hard to live up to expectations.

Happy to report that we have been on board since Sunday and everyone appears to be doing fine. The ship does not seem to be taking any special precautions from the normal ones.

As the popularity of the drink packages go up and more people get them, The service will go down. Its just general business sense. I think the break even point is 5 drinks? Celebrity knows this. Why would they add more people to the payroll just so they can give out more drinks? They want you to drink less. more time waiting= less drinks served. simple.

Royal Caribbean (which includes Celebrity) just reported record profits for the past quarter. One of the comments regarding the good quarter was that expenses had been "well controlled".

Right now all 4 perks are included with any suite booking.

For those of you that are going to the Santa Barbara Beach Resort soon, will you please post when you return about your experience? Thanks! Enjoy! :)

We went to Santa Barbara two years ago, The resort provided transport, lunch and drinks. All in all, a great day and we have booked again for February. We had loungers on the beach with shade or sun. booked through Resort for a Day.

Just booked the specialty dining offer for 3 nights - easy-peasy.

This morning's update does show Cat island and Eleuthera to be north of the worst part of the storm with forecast winds in the high 60's. Not great , but certainly better than it could be.

It looks to me that the current direction of Irma will take the storm right over HMC and Cat Island (where most of the HMC employees live). I have seen little discussion about the consequences for the Bahamas, except that 15 to 20 feet storm surges are expected as well as the devastating winds.

HMC has always managed to survive and rebuild after past storms. This may be one too many. Hope I am wrong.

Thanks so much for the wonderful report and all the time and effort you put into it.

We will be on the Jan 25 cruise and the anticipation level has gone way up after reading through the thread.

Well done!

Hello all

I will be traveling with my mother who barely drinks any alcohol, neither of us cares for snorkeling, so I'm not sure if the day passes to this place at north of $200 is a good deal for us. I'm also reading that you only get 5 hours there which might be plenty, but makes the price feel extra steep. Are there other hotels that offer more affordable options? Are there good public beach options? All I need really is a nice beach, with umbrellas and lounge chairs and lunch options nearby. Doesn't have to be a super luxury resort. Please advise! Thanks!!

Checkout Play Porto Mari and Cas Abo beaches. Both are public, but have entry fees that may or may not include a lounger rental. Both have snack bars where you can get drinks and sandwiches.

You will need to hire a cab at the pier to get to the beaches and set up a return time with the driver. The beaches are nice but you may need water shoes if you want to go wading.

Use the search function to find out more specifics, but this should get you started. The tourist info office or tent at the pier can also help. Figure around $50 for two with transport and entry fees.

One warning - if you are in Curacao on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday) the beaches tend to be much more crowded with the local population.

About time! We had booked away from HAL because of the balcony smoke the last couple of years. We crossed our fingers and booked a Zuiderdam cruise for late January since Celebrity's prices were a little over the top.

I noticed a ton of balcony cabins still available a few days ago even though the cost was considerably less than a comp Celebrity accomodation. My guess is that economics ruled the day in the end.

We're doing a Sunfarer as well this year. Our roll-call is quiet and though I asked my question on the proper boards no answers to help. :(

 

In Aruba We thought we might grab a taxi to do a private tour for a couple of hours. We know we need to negotiate a price before we get in the cab ... but ... has anyone else done this in Aruba? Successful? Money isn't really an issue because DH has some moblity issues and this is the only way we can really do Aruba - a cab tour or a private tour. :confused:

One thing for sure in Aruba: when you leave the ship there will be a ton of tour operators waiting to offer you a tour. If you don't like the first offer, Im quite sure you will be able to find one that is compatible.

Hey Don - Have you dined in Luminae? We booked our very first suite for October 25 on the Equinox TA. Wondering how you found it?

Emile,

We were on the Eclipse in February and enjoyed the Luminae then. Frankly, it was better than excellent, just superb. We wound up having the same waiter for most meals and he couldn't do enough for us. The rest of the staff was just as good. If we didn't see something on the menu that excited us (rarely) out came the MDR menu and we mixed and matched something good.

Your old friend who almost went with you on the Millenium in 2013 before switched dates.

Jerry

Just wanted to report that we were at Santa Barbara a few days ago. Service and food was great. Plenty of beach and pool loungers, but finding two with shade was challenging, but not impossible. Transportation was excellent. About a 35 minute trip each way.

Sailing through the Florida Straits (first day or two) is usually the roughest if you are going to have heavy sea.

Also, if the ship is actually in the Atlantic rather than the Caribbean, seas can be much higher. If you are really curious go to weather.com and see where the low pressure areas are. The heavy seas will be there too.

Sounds like your cruise is off to a good start.

Looking at the future weather forecasts for southern Caribbean, warm and windy seem to be the prevailing theme for next couple of weeks.

Enjoy!

Do you remember if they had snorkeling equipment available either included or for a fee?

 

Thanks!

Their ad talks about snorkeling off their beach. It also says water sports are not included in the day fee. No specific info there, but it does imply snorkeling gear may be available for a fee.

Unable to print our baggage tags from the website - kept getting various "unable" messages. First phone call to Celebrity - on hold for 20 minutes or more -gave up. Called next day - quick answer - agent could see I had tried to get to my booking and had not been able to. She ordered the tags and they arrived a week later.

Now ready to roll!

The check-in and security lines can be horrendous at MIA for AA gates, especially on weekends. Everything would have to work perfectly to make it (self-disembarkation, customs clearance, cab, baggage check, security).

Help,

I am really struggling with what to do in St. Lucia. Our excursion $$$ is all spent, and we are looking for a nice easy day of strolling, shopping and beaching, preferably walking distance from port. Short/Cheap cab ride is OK too. It is myself, DW, and 2 DS(ages 12&9). Don't really want to stay on the ship all day.

Thanks for your help.

To answer your question there are no beaches nearby, but walking through the town might be a good experience for your boys to see the everyday functioning of the local businesses.

Most certainly because you pay your balance at the hotel front desk upon arrival. The hotel is a high end luxury resort with plenty of guests and amenities. As an aside, a couple in our group wanted to pay with Amex Cheques and they would not accept those.

 

And for those that we asking about the WiFi it is free in what they call the main hall, which is a beautiful open area lobby. We were able to catch it some at the pool but it would fade in and out there. However, it was really strong in the main hall.

Thanks for the info. Most helpful.

A big vote for Hobart. We stopped there on an Auckland- Sydney cruise several years ago. That day is still one of the most memorable one of the trip.

We got off the ship and used a local tour to the penal colony and visited downtown Hobart. Totally unique.

Re the day pass at the hotel, it says on the resortforaday.com website that you will be collected 45 minutes after ship docks and returned back to the ship after 5 hours. Can anyone who has been there confirm this? Thanks Gill

I see you are in the UK so calling their(Resort for a Day) 800 number might be expensive. However, you can message them right from the home page. I did talk with one of their agents who seemed quite knowledgeable and helpful.

Jerry