KEN31VA

Think about renting a van as it is an easy drive. You will see the same sights as the train and be able to stop along the way.

I used my OBCs on the slots and converted the balance on the slot machine back to cash. I believe that there is a $400 transfer limit at any one time. It you want to repeat the process you need to gamble (not lose) at least 50% of the OBCs transferred. The cashier has a card to help explain the process.

The classic beverage package isn't all that is advertised to be - all beverages less than $10. It is now their policy that mineral water is not included in the classic beverage package. In addition, if you care to order it, you are charged the full price and not the difference in price.

While it is easy to see your OBC balance, it is not easy to determine what part is refundable and what is use or lose.

If you really want to save a few bucks here are two options: As someone on the pier to share a cab to the airport, or, take the rental car shuttle to the rental car center and then another shuttle to the airport.

I believe that your proposed option to drive to NY is confusing your problem. (Unless you were considering a rental car, you would complicate your return back to IAD.) I found dozens of options to get from DCA or IAD to JFK and adding to that, there is the option of flying into LGA and taking the shuttle to JFK. My suggestion would be to figure out what you want and get on the phone with Celebrity Air to make it happen. You might also want to consider setting up a conference call between the airline, Celebrity and yourself to work it out.

I was on a cruise where about half of the ship was a Weight Watchers group. The ship prepared for the group with many special low calorie items, especially in the buffet. The problem was that many in the group did not select these items resulting in a shortage of the regular items.

I'm not sure if you are asking about Medicate Advantage or travel insurance. The problem is even within the same company, the policies can vary and it's difficult to get a straight answer. Anyway, I have United Healthare's Medicare Advantage. For travel insurance, I usually use Allianz purchased through American Airlines.

I have been on many cruise lines, including Azamara, and they all have some pluses and minuses. My take on Azamara is that their major plus is their itineraries and their major minus is their cost.

I'm not making myself clear. I've spoken to many Maitre'Ds, although I don't want them to "do anything". What I am trying to find out is which dishes I should avoid due to their salt content.

I also get frustrated trying to figure out what to order whether on a ship or in restaurant. It's not that we are looking for "restricted" sodium dishes, but rather have the need to avoid the high sodium ones. I do not understand why restaurants or ships do not publish the salt content or are willing to explain which items to avoid. Every time I have asked the question I have been told that there are two options - request no salt or take it as is.

A few years ago I had my passport stolen in Costa Rica. It took 3 days over the weekend for the US Embassy to issue a new one for me. Due to the manor that my passport was stolen and the quick arrival of the police, it was suggested that the police were involved with the robbery. When I asked at the embassy why there is such a demand for US passports (there were about 40 of us being processed the same day) especially when it would be of little use at a border crossing, I was told that it was all about the banking laws and laundering money. Apparently they use the passport as identification to open bogus bank accounts to transfer drug money. They banks know that it is a stolen passport but do it to meet the legal banking regulations.

I find it interesting in that almost everyone thinks that they have gotten the best fare - must be human nature. It appears to me that that many industries, especially travel, intentionally keep their costs confusing to make it difficult to compare prices. As far as cruise prices, I have found that there are no short cuts to find a significant difference in the fares. It is my opinion that the cruise line web site is usually the highest - makes no sense to me. To find a "good deal", you need to find a travel agent that is promoting a "group fare", especially for you are looking for a refundable deposit.

Have you tried to find someone who is embarking the ship and would be interested in renting a car to the port from Anchorage? It would be a "win/win".

Why not just have your travel agent do it?

I don't understand why anyone would book directly with Celebrity. This is the kind of issue that a travel agent would resolve for you.

I recently found out that my Medicare Advantage policy covers emergency medical expenses outside the US. Also, GC's comments are right on. With some companies you can purchase a policy for to cover only part of the total trip's cost and still receive the full medical benefit.

I was recently surprised to find out that my Medicare Advantage policy with United does cover emergency medical and evacuation expenses outside the US. In the past I have purchased a policy with minimum cruise cost coverage. Since my concern is for medical expenses, the policy provides 100% medical coverage with very high limits at a very reasonable cost.

The one significant difference that I most appreciated on Azamara was that there was rarely a line for anything. I also liked the smaller ship size, very few kids and, most importantly, the unique itinerary. The major disadvantage, other than price, was the age and upkeep of the ship, especially in the cabins.

I hope that you recognize that it is not unusual for cruise ships to skip Santorini due to weather (it is a tender port) and have a backup plan for your wedding.

Leave a day early! It has been my experience that a call to the airline will help work something out for you.

I can only speak from my experience. About a year ago when I purchased my Azamara cruise, through a travel agent, it was stated that the deposit was fully refundable up to final payment. (Since I didn't cancel, I can't say for sure that would have been the case.) As it happened, I checked the fares about two weeks after final payment and they had been reduced by $3,000 per cabin. My travel agent was able to have Azamara credit me with the difference in OBCs resulting in expensive gifts for all the grandkids.

Yes. Wasn't on the Azamara web site, but was from my TA.

I agree with almost all the comments, although the most obvious one seems to have been missed - cost. I would estimate that one can cruise about 2 days on Celebrity for one day on Azamara.

Our cruise leaves in 6 weeks and the on-line check in just became available. When checking you can pick the time that you for like for embarkation.