JL87

1 minute ago, yogini06 said:

We will be staying in Venice for 4 nights prior to the cruise.  To use the Celebrity shuttle we would have to return to the airport and wait for the bus to fill before leaving for Ravenna.  We have previously used private shuttles in Italy to get from Rome to Civitavecchia.  They are door to door and very comfortable.

Makes perfect sense. I guess it depends on where the private shuttle picks you up. They certainly can't pick you up at your hotel in Venice unless it's a combined boat ride then shuttle ride. I guess that depends on where you are staying though. They could provide shuttle transport with a short walk instead of a boat.

1 hour ago, yogini06 said:

Not bad.  If I can find 6 other people to fill the van, It's the same price per person as the Celebrity Shuttle.

 

What's the advantage of using a private shuttle vs a Celebrity shuttle if the price is the same? Maybe no contact tracing? It's not an excursion where flexibility would be a big advantage. Just curious.

BTW, I had not selected a time yet. Pulled up the app and could select a time starting at 10:30. I chose 11:00 and subsequently received an email confirming the 11:00-11:30 time slot. I know suites have flexibility but I'm not sure if one could actually show up at 10:00 and board the ship.

Just got this today for a 1/8 cruise on Apex in a sky suite.

Yeah it was emails, answered one. More emails and ignored them. Calls and called back. Got through very quickly and updated them as well. Another call a few hours later and informed them we had already discussed this. More emails but no more calls. Cruise is 1/8/2022 and I'm ignoring anything else.

I can't help with the question about what to do with the stockings, but as others have said they probably at least have suspicions. I remember when my son was around that age he posed the question "my friends are talking about Santa being made up and I just want the truth." I responded that was indeed the case and your mom and I did what we enjoyed as kids all in good fun. He took that well as he obviously already knew. Then asked "I assume that goes for the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy?" Confirmed and all went well!

1 hour ago, BennyBrun said:

On the Summit in November they offered to shave black truffle in one of the pasta dish I ordered for an up charge.  I can’t remember what I ordered but I did not take up on their offer because I was so full by the time I had all the appetizers I really didn’t eat much of my entree.

Curious as to which venue. Tuscan Grille?

I really doubt you'll see any type of fresh truffle. As mentioned above maybe preserved summer truffles in a dish. I remember on my last cruise just before COVID there were a couple of dishes listed as having morels. I didn't see those either. 

5 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

We have all the perks - SS non-guarantee. Is it one device each for the two of us or just one for the room? I know we can connect to use the messaging and on-board stuff like bookings, etc., but can she use iMessage while I read he news and listen to Pandora?

One device for each of you.

3 hours ago, markeb said:

Good luck!

 

We should branch out, but we love Ripert so much, and Le Bernadin still has a prix fixe menu in the dining room without having to pay for a tasting menu. It’s not a frequent treat!

We also love Le Bernardin. One of our favorite lunch spots in NYC. Their prix fixe lunch used to be a great value but I haven't been since Covid. 

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

 

 

I Am on the waitlist for NYE at 11 Madison Park... not likely to get in, though.

 

 

 

 

Yes, good luck! I know Daniel Humm has put a lot of effort into this and he is an amazing chef. For an omnivore it's a tough sell for me. I'll wait for more feedback. BTW, he lost his place in London over this very issue. 

9 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Yes. Interesting menu.

 

I suspect they can be more accommodating at Daniel than on the ship. Sauces are probably the biggest issue. I've seen mixed reviews, but 11 Madison Park is now totally vegan. With the ethnic mix in NYC, there have to be some great vegetarian/vegan restaurants! 

I used to go to EMP fairly often years ago but it's been a while. I was very surprised to see them go vegan. I have a friend who's been there twice since the change. The first time he wasn't very impressed but the second time he thought it was great. That was the fall menu. 

1 hour ago, canderson said:

I've often threatened to try to eat my way from Calhoun down to the Battery, but with the number of restaurants involved, it could take years!

True. I lived there for several years back in the 90s and it's always been a great food city. They've also done a good job of developing the area north of Calhoun since then so even more choices.

5 hours ago, canderson said:

Recommend antigen test for Celebrity.  PCR may pick up traces of long dead COVID DNA.  Antigen won't find protein traces for nearly as long post-infection.

This. If you're asymptomatic and 10+ days out from infection you need to get an antigen test. I've known people who have tested positive on PCR long after they've recovered. These people are not infectious and not a danger to anyone. It's simply the science behind how the tests work.

4 minutes ago, markeb said:

I don’t know why I’m bothering. I didn’t say a bone in cut isn’t generally more flavorful than a boneless cut. They are. A filet by definition (Webster, OED, etc.) is boneless. A bone in filet is therefore an oxymoron. Which I find humorous, and a marketing gimmick. Which has nothing to do with the flavor of the cut. 

Should be a bone in tenderloin but I guess that doesn't sound as fancy.

On 11/20/2021 at 3:36 PM, cruisestitch said:

Yes but when I tried to provide that on the link they gave me, it was impossible to put in my date of birth. I could not populate that field so I gave up.

The only way I could put the date of birth in was to use the calendar and scroll back, then click on the date from there. If you hold the cursor down over the arrow on the calendar it scrolls back very rapidly so not as difficult as you might think. Still annoying though. 

I think there are a lot of people that lump medical/evac and trip cancellation/interruption into the same purchase consideration. I view the cancellation/interruption issue as essentially a sunk cost. I paid already and if I lose something, it's not really money. I was prepared to part with that anyway. What I lose is the experience. I would hopefully make that up someday. I also use my credit card to help offset the cost, but if it doesn't pay I'm still down the experience and trip, not really the money in my mind. I'm willing to take that risk. The risk I'm not willing to take is the medical/evac. I always insure for that. I go with GeoBlue at the highest deductible. I'm OK with losing a few hundred but don't want to loose many thousands. 

Get the booster when you're eligible. It will not make you test positive for Covid. More protection is better.

6 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

I saw your profile comment about liking champagne ... 🙂 ... Azamara's parent now owns the brand, which we have enjoyed on Azamara for years as part of their top tier drink package ... An excellent French brand, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte.

 

We're glad to see it will stay no matter how their beverage portfolio changes!

I haven't seen anything on Sycamore buying Nicolas Feuillatte. If you have a link or more info I would like to see it. It is a very good Champagne at a reasonable cost. I hope Azamara continues to carry it in their portfolio. As far as BTG selections, there are no cruise lines that offer the kinds of wines I normally drink. The included wines are almost all mass produced wines that offer lots of availability and consistency. Nothing really wrong with that and it's pretty much by necessity. I'll try and few and find something that I can drink with a meal. If not, then I default to Champagne which I think pairs extremely well with a lot of different foods. I also plan on buying some interesting wines in port and bringing them onboard. I have no problem with the corkage policy. I haven't sailed Azamara yet but have a cruise booked for next year. 

25 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

Did you miss the Filet Mignon on the right? That is even more impressive!

I don't really like Filet Mignon but my wife loves it. I prefer the ribeye for sure. Nice to see good choices.

19 hours ago, FLCruiser97 said:

I have to agree with you JL87. We were on the EQ last month and had a couple glasses of Caymus and I wasn't all that impressed. I do like full bodied reds, cab savs, burgundy. With that said, what is a good full bodied red from the wine list on X.

I'm really not familiar enough with the wines on the BTG list to make a recommendation. Just not the kind of wines I normally drink. I end up trying a few and can usually find a couple I like well enough. My default for pairing with food is Champagne so we drink quite a bit on the ship just as we do at home. Haven't had the new BTG offering so hope it's OK.  

I also have issues with the wine selection on any cruise line, including luxury, unless you're willing to buy a bottle. But I do understand. They have to include mostly mass produced wines for volume and consistency purposes. I'm mostly an old world wine drinker favoring Burgundy first and then a variety of other wines like Bordeaux and some Italian wines. You're simply not going to find a lot of these BTG on any cruise line. At least not the ones I tend to drink. Wines like Caymus are not my thing though I appreciate that a lot of people really like them. Interestingly, I find I tend to gravitate towards the less expensive wines BTG many times. Mostly from southern France, Italy, or Spain. Because they're cheap they tend to have less manipulation through things such as wood which can be expensive.  

1 hour ago, SireDoime said:

Heh eheh 😆🤣 I had to laugh at the person who will actually pay 61K$ for an INSIDE cabin, when they could have an ALL INCLUSIVE LUXURY SUITE on Regent Seven Seas for the SAME price, even for a World Cruise.

 

Oh, well, some folk are just committed to one line.

Although I would take a hard look at luxury lines for a world cruise, it's not apples to apples. This cruise is roughly twice as long as the Regent cruises. Too long for me but it's not a bad deal overall. 

Getting meds shouldn't be a problem if you pay for them vs going through insurance. Most people booking this cruise should be able to get enough. There may be some issues with refrigerated meds that may expire. 

19 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

You assume that Always included is the base rate, and this is what their advertising implies - but for some sailings and some categories this is just not the case.

One could also assume that AI is their base rate and they offer some discounted rates as well. Semantics and really not that important if you're paying attention to the fares you purchase.