lizbeth

Hi -

Esperance boasts "the other Stonehenge". Actually, it's a very interesting site, and a fairly short shuttle bus ride out to it. On the way back to the tender pier, the driver let me off in the small town so I could wander Woolworth and try a Meat sandwich. We did a B2B2B on Celebrity 5 years ago.

Also, look on the Bali board and pre-hire a driver to take you on a tour with 1 other couple. Best way to see the spots you want to go to (temples, wood carving factory, shopping and more mopeds than you can imagine!)

Beaches are nice, but for me, sand is sand is ...

Happy sailing!

I would take the money & run!  Why?? Cruises in Nov/Dec will not be fully booked unless you are cruising in the Thanksgiving or Christmas week. The first 14 days of December is always slow for the cruise industry. And, there is some truth to the rumors of RCL going under.  Take the 100% cash & be made whole.

Hi -

I googled "edible drink straws" and came up with many suggestions. You can also search for edible chocolate straws. Of course, the prices may cause you to reconsider. Or, ask at an upscale bar near you. Hope this helps.

Liz

I enjoy lounging by the pool, meeting others for mahjongg, sipping afternoon tea, playing trivia, walking around decks, and attending the lectures. My husband is content with a cup of coffee and a reading a paperback on our balcony! 

Hope this helps!

-Liz

Qaqortoq is a very tiny town. You'll tender in, walk around, maybe walk to the cemetery (5 minutes) and then take the tender back to the ship. There won't be any tours. There are no buses or vans or taxis.

We took a very similar itinerary on HAL's Maasdam Voyage of the Vikings, leaving from Boston, going to Amsterdam and returning to Boston (32 days.) Celebrity will offer a better experience, and they are taking full advantage of the fact that passengers do not have to book expensive, tiring, international flights. A real plus in my book! If you want a cheaper price, book HAL. (Ummm - I won't).

Oh my goodness -- we have a winner! Thank you, MissBennet, for your comment. After searching for Bircher Muesli, all the recipes sound exactly like what I am looking for!! I'm going to make this tomorrow after a quick run to the store. I'll let you know how it turns out, but the recipes are very similar. I'm sooooo excited to try it!

Many, many thanks!

-Liz

After many cruises on Celebrity and Crystal, I realize my favorite breakfast is something I call "wet meusli." It's similar to cold oats, has many pieces of chopped fruit (apples, banana, grapes) in it and is always available on the breakfast buffet. However, now that I'm home for a while, I miss this breakfast and want to make it for myself. Does anyone know what the recipe is? Note: it is very creamy with the fruit mixed up in it. It is always served cold. Suggestions? Recipes?

Yum ... conch chowder!! But, I prefer the white chowder. Any suggestions for me?

Thanks in advance!

Liz 

We went to Metropol restaurant in San Juan (7 locations). I still remember the cornish game hen - it was amazing!

Hi -

I'm living through an interrupted trip insurance situation right now. Short version: I fell at Vancouver airport to catch shuttle. Landed on my face, breaking my chin, both jaws and 5 front teeth.

Taken to Richmond hospital ER. Had my cut lip stitched. Took 10 hrs. Spouse booked next available flight to DFW. Immediately on landing we drove to dental surgeon. Because of both broken jaws, had my jaws wired shut and a plate installed in my chin. Can only eat clear liquids. Losing too much weight (9 pounds in 1 week).

Had Celebrity Insurance for this Celebrity cruise. Refunds from Celebrity & Choice air have already started!!!

Important: However, looks like our Costco Citibank card would have covered everything because we always charge all travel to our "Costco card" because of the 3% cash back.

Will keep you updated, but be patient. This only occurred a week ago. We are just beginning the re-imbursement and healing. Looks like we will be whole. (Oh, and we are on Medicare).

I'd suggest putting your travel charges on the card that protects YOU best. Read the fine print for your credit cards. It's all on-line.

Hope this is useful.

Liz

Hi -

You might post this question on the "special interest" portion of cruise critic. Try the disabled cruising folder. We are booked on Millennium in September, and have an accessible cabin. My spouse doesn't use a scooter, but extra-wide doorways make it easier for both of us.

We see scooters parked outside many doors because most of the cabins (inside, oceanview and balcony) cannot be navigated on a scooter. You would need to book a "handicap accessible" cabin where some of the furniture has been removed to allow for scooters inside. Also, accessible cabins do not have a step-up into the bathroom nor the shower.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Liz

Hi -

Just left the Infinity on Oct. 7, and there is definitely a library. However, the reading choices were extremely limited (my opinion). Luckily we brought our own paperbacks which we left in the library at the end of our trip for others to enjoy. The "leave a book, take a book" shelf was woefully bare during much of the cruise.

My advice: check out the library as soon as you board. Choices might be better at that time. Or, bring a few paperbacks to read and leave.

Hope this helps.

Liz

Hi -

It definitely requires creativity to string together a B2B2B on Celebrity.

We definitely prefer Celebrity, like the original poster. Here are 2 to consider:

-- a B2B in South America, for example, take the last-of-the-season cruise departing from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso; then stay on the ship for another 14 days, go up the west coast of South America and return to the USA (this is usually marketed as a repositioning cruise).

or

--sail around Australia and New Zealand; this was a 60-day B2B2B2B that we took in Jan-Feb-Mar last year. Quite a few did this same itinerary in 2015.

Also look at Panama canal cruises to consider a cruise before/after that calls at different ports.

I agree with the other posters on this thread ... Celebrity is not going to offer a 105-day around the world journey. You are going to have to string it together yourself.

Start planning now. And good luck to you!:)

Warmly,

Liz

Hi -

Two questions as we plan for our Vancouver overnight:

I've just learned that our hotel, the Residence Inn at 1234 Hornby, has closed their restaurant! Can you recommend a few restaurants nearby? (walking is an issue for my spouse.)

Also, what type of taxi fare and tip should we expect from the airport to the hotel? And from the hotel to the pier? Is a credit card OK?

Thanks in advance for your assistance!

Warmly,

Liz

Hi Chris -

Thanks so much for the comparison article. Now we can make up our minds based on what is important to the 2 of us!

Much appreciation!

Liz

Hi -

Since I do not care whether the ship is steam or diesel powered, I'd like to hear from people who have been on both. Or who've been on ACL.

I understand that American Queen has tiny staterooms, minimal storage space and the ships are old. I'm not interested in southern-fried cooking (I live in DFW and everything is fried. I don't eat fried anything.) It looks like ACL has very roomy cabins and premium cuisine.

We are leaning heavily toward ACL, but I'd like to hear from others who are a little more un-biased than Calliope.

Anyone else, please?

Thanks for any additional information!

Liz

Asking for assistance from San Diego friends: Should we take the Hornblower cruise or the Flagship cruise? We'd like the 2-hour tour, but can't decide. Which boat is cleaner, calmer, and less crowded?

We will be in San Diego on Mon. Oct. 3 on Celebrity Infinity, if that helps.

Thanks in advance!

Liz

Hi

On our last cruise, we often played mahjong at the tables in the Aqua Spa café. However, we packed up our set during the lunch time to free tables for the people wishing to eat there (we often ate there, too.) So, we played our game from 9:30 to noon and 1:30 to 4:00. The game room was always full of bridge players, and this was really the only choice we had.

Hope this helps you understand.

Warmly,

Liz

Hi -

We took Qantas in January for our Solstice cruise. It's the new 2-story Airbus 380 and it was quite nice.

Qantas offers a non-stop fight from Dallas=Ft Worth to Sydney, if you are interested in that. Qantas is part of the one-world partnership with American Airlines, so if you have freq. flyer points, you might look into how many you'd need to get to Sydney.

Also, we signed up for Qantas' frequent flyer program, and one of their first emails was an alert to a sale (which they have frequently).

Hope this is useful to you.

Liz

Hi -

Here are the 3 that I have bookmarked; don't know if they are still "alive".

Hope this helps.

cruisestateroom dot com

deckplangenius dot com

cruiseadvice dot org

Good luck! :)

Liz

Dear Celebrity -

Yes, please bring back the a cappella groups! We've loved hearing 3 different singer groups on our last 3 cruises. Lemon Squeezy was the absolute best!;)

Liz

Hi -

It costs a lot to fly from the U.S. to Sydney, Australia.

Qantas flies non-stop from Dallas, TX to Sydney; RT air was about $1,795 per person in economy; business class was $7,500 pp RT; the flight is about 17 hours 1-way.

Note: we leave DFW on Thursday & arrive on Saturday in Sydney (int'l date line crossing)

You will need to determine your comfort level (price-wise) and seat-wise.

Try a few airline websites to see the fare differences.

Good luck! We leave in 8 days!

Warmly,

Liz

Hi -

It appears that the very large ships (Solstice is quite large) may have to anchor & tender us to shore.

Although this is a fairly long & slow process, Celebrity always offers a shuttle into the port city. Note: there may be a charge.

Looks like the independent tour companies will be happy to pick you up & take you on a tour of sights. We plan to look into excursions from Cairns (or Y. Knob) within the next few days.

Hope this helps.

Liz

Hi -

Just got off the Constellation and I "purchased" a wine card to used in Cellar Masters. I charged $10 and was given a special card to use with the wine machines in Cellar Masters. Because I am a very light drinker, I was able to "taste" 4 different wines with this card and only have 3-cents left on it when I finished cruising.

I'm not very knowledgeable about wines and just wanted a mini-taste. The small tastes were $2 to $3; the 1/3 full and 2/3 full were about $5 and $8 respectively. You have the option to add more money to your card or to "charge" a larger amount. Of course, if you do charge an amount and you don't use your card, Celebrity has your money & does not refund it. Cellar Masters was deserted every time I was there, but I was there only 4 times around 5:15 pm.

Hope this is helpful to you.

Liz

Hi -

We will be in Port Stanley on Celebrity Infinity (the ship's penguin tour is sold out, too) and we have also researched penguin tours. Here are some sites that may help you -- you'll have to click thru' to find the tours.

We booked with Ian Doherty for March 2, 2007, but we won't be home until Mar. 26, so I can't tell you how we will like it.

So, try these:

www.discoveryfalklands.com

www.falklandtravel.com

www.penguintravel-falklands.com

www.visitorfalklands.com (Ian Doherty)

Hope these help get you started researching penguin tours.

Note: I am not a travel agent. I am not a tour guide.

Liz;)