joeinsb

Thanks all.

Just read the FAQ on Explora website and read that the Euro is the currency used on the ship. True? I'm heading from LA to Miami and can't believe that the dollar isn't accepted on board. Guess I won't have to spend any money on gratuities.

We bought just such an iPad on Apex for $299, using our on-board credit. Since my wife already has a Samsung Galaxy pad and I have an iPhone 12 Pro we weren't too concerned about which version iPad we were buying. Turns out it's a 7th generation dating to 2019 and has wi-fi with 32 GB storage which get's filled up really fast if you download movies. Of course you can sign up for iCloud and store stuff there (I'm not sure about movies), or delete the films after watching. Photos, which I like to save, do not use much memory. Annoyingly, the iPad's Operating System chews up almost have of those 32 GB.

This econo iPad is kind of an oddball, having a screen size that's between most of the popular sizes. We read that at one time Apple was providing iPads to schools, so maybe this pad was part of that experiment. 

Bottom line: It works for us. And at $299 worth of "free money," how bad could it be?

joe

Great photos and a wonderful review, Roller person, but why did you give away the secret to getting good interior pix?  🙂 I was particularly interested in seeing what Apex was like in these COVID times, as we are B to B in early February and are of a certain age (not young). Suffice to say, it was a relief to read that Apex, like so many other ships, is sailing at one third or one half capacity. Honestly, it's not the cruise that worries us, it's getting from LA to Ft. Lauderdale, Ubering, overnighting, eating ashore, etc. that gave us pause. In fact, we cancelled our original Apex booking and switched to a Pacific Coastal cruise on Eclipse so we could sail out of LA (we live 25 minutes from the port). Unfortunately, Celebrity cancelled our cruise and seemingly took that ship out of service, so we rebooked our original Apex cruise and took a financial hit because the fare had gone up since our old booking, some months ago. 

Not to steal this thread, in December we sailed on Viking Orion and thought we were on a ghost ship, what with 270 pax out of a possible 930. Talk about social distancing. And great service. As another poster said, as occupancy goes, we'll never see times like this again. 

Just to be clear about my speculation that Hawaii may have waffled on this issue, I have no inside information on exactly what Hawaii's policy is regarding cruise ships. I am just assuming that Viking and all of the other cruise lines that booked Hawaii cruises this year must have had some reason to believe at the time they offered the cruises that they would be allowed to dock in Hawaii, and now it appears that they cannot.

I agree the planes-versus-ships issue does not make a lot of sense, especially with a cruise line like Viking that is testing passengers every day. Hawaii-bound airplane passengers have to be vaccinated or tested within 72 hours before they arrive. Viking can easily meet those requirements. Other ships like the recently canceled Carnival Miracle Hawaii cruise perhaps could not have met the requirements since I believe they are allowing unvaccinated children onboard, and maybe Carnival's passengers would have been tested only before they boarded the ship in Los Angeles five days before arriving in Hawaii. That might have been a concern for Hawaii, but again I am just guessing about such things. As a previous poster said, I am just playing Sgt. Peppers backwards looking for clues while I await a response from Viking. I hope we hear something soon.

I just called Viking and was told MVJ is locked out simply because of a technical website problem, and the IT staff is working on it. That certainly is a new excuse. The rep had no answer when I asked why the two 2021 Hawaii trips have disappeared from the Viking website nor any comments when I told her about what we had all learned about what the Hawaii government is saying about 2021 cruises and what the Orion crew is currently saying about going to Mexico instead of Hawaii. I do hope that with these recent developments on the Viking website that we are getting closer to an answer from the cruise line.

While I am unhappy about not being able to get a straight answer from Viking, I do suspect that in recent months, Hawaii has changed its position on cruise ships returning to the islands, and that has put the cruise lines in a bad situation. I love Hawaii, and I know with their limited medical facilities, they have some unique COVID concerns, but they are a state that has been known to waffle on some issues. Here's hoping we can all get some clarity soon.

I, for one, would be happy to stick with the cruise and do the Mexican Riviera itinerary. The original itinerary for the 16-day cruise was all sea days anyway except for four daytime Hawaii stops and a visit to Ensenada, which basically would be a packing day for us. We were simply looking forward to getting out of the house after two years. We hope the cruise happens regardless of where it is going. 

I just read that Carnival and Princess have canceled their 2021 Hawaii cruises because, in their words, Hawaii won't be ready to handle passenger cruise traffic until 2022. We are booked on one of the December cruises to the islands, so we are concerned about this news. I talked to Viking and was told the company is still working with the Hawaii authorities, and if anything changes about our cruise, we will be notified by e-mail. I was curious if anyone has any further information on this subject.

My wife is curious about what the Viking guest tracking devices look like. Are they a pin you wear, a bracelet, a pendant? How big are they and what color are they?She is, no doubt, planning her wardrobe accordingly. Just joking, but she would like to know more about the tracking device. On a more serious note, I have a question about the pre-cruise COVID test requirement. I know that the requirements may vary for each cruise, but according to the recent e-mail we received from Viking regarding our December Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale, we are required to get a PCR test within 72 hours of our first flight to Florida from our home country (in our case the U.S.), not 72 hours before the actual cruise departs, as most of the Cruise Critic posters have been saying about their e-mails. Since we will be flying on a Thursday, a day ahead of the cruise,  which begins on a Friday, we assume that we should get our test on Monday to comply with the 72 hours prior to the flight requirement, not on Tuesday, which would be three days before the cruise departs.  It appears the crucial date is the flight date, not the cruise departure date unless no flight is involved for the lucky people who live near the port. Is that correct?

Thanks so much for the info. It's very helpful. We, too, plan to tip where it's appropriate, but if we can save some of the transportation costs, that will make up some of the difference in the cost. The ship we are considering is Splendor, which is the ship we would have been on, but it was canceled the day before we were to leave. That's why we are looking forward to finally sailing on that beautiful ship.

With our FCC in hand from a cruise Regent had to cancel, we are looking at our first transatlantic cruise in fall 2021 and are considering a concierge suite, but they are considerably more expensive than the superior suite we normally book. We are trying to compare the costs if we booked a superior suite and our own hotel room, but I haven't been able to find out any information on a couple of issues. If we book a concierge suite and use the Regent air package, will Regent pick us up at the Barcelona airport and take us to their designated hotel, or will we be responsible for getting our own transportation from  the airport to the hotel.

I gather that with a concierge suiite, Regent will take us from the hotel to the ship and from the ship to the airport. Is that true? When Regent says porterage is included with the hotel, does that mean they will cover all porter tips when we check in and out of the hotel? I know there are other advantages to a concierge suite, such as early dining and shore excursion reservations, but those benefits don't really concern me. We have never had a problem getting what we want in those areas with our superior suite.

Any thoughts that longtime Regent passengers have on the wisdom of booking a concierge suite would be greatly appreciated.

Regarding the question about whether a doctor would be willing to sign such a form, two physicians have told me they would be unwilling to sign blanket "medically fit to travel" forms even if their patients are healthy because there are too many unknowns. I also think there are too many liability issues for doctors in such cases. One doctor said he was shocked that the Celebrity form specifically rules out people with conditions such as diabetes, cancer and HIV since many people who are being treated for those conditions travel all the time. I can understand taking drastic steps during this health crisis, but once it abates, I would hope this rule is dropped because I think seniors will have a very difficult time finding any doctor to sign such a form.

I know it's hard to think about cruising right now, but I am facing a balance due date soon for a Regent cruise in the fall. We were scheduled to be on Splendor right now, but that cruise was canceled the day before we were to leave, so we would really like to take the next cruise if the health crisis has abated by then. My concern is the proposal from the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) to require all passengers 70 and older to submit a health form signed by their doctors declaring them to be "medically-fit-to-travel.'' I believe Norwegian, Celebrity and Princess went ahead and adopted such a rule earlier this month and printed actual forms that passengers needed to complete.

When we were getting ready for our since-canceled cruise, Regent at that time was not requiring us to submit a physician's form, but one of the Cruise Critic posters on the Regent site said her travel agent told her that Regent would be imposing such a for all 70 and older passengers on future cruises. I have talked to my own doctor and a friend who is a doctor, and both of them said that they would never sign such a blanket "medically-fit-to-travel'' forms because there are too many unknowns in making such a definitive statement. My doctor friend said he didn't think I could ever find a physician willing to face the potential liability issues that could be involved with signing such a form. My own doctor said he would write a letter outlining the general results of my annual wellness physical, but he would not sign the form.

In researching the various cruise line web sites this morning, Celebrity indicates they will at least for the time being keep the medical form requirement for passengers 70 and older once cruising resumes, but I could no longer find any reference to the physician form on the Norwegian and Princess sites, and there is still no form mentioned on the Regent site. They all say that they will be adopting more in-depth health questionnaires that all passengers will have to complete at the dock, and I am all for that plan. I just don't think it is fair to single out seniors when many of them are in better shape than younger passengers and require them to get a form signed by their doctor. As I recall Norwegian's form, which I can no longer find, was more of a general overall health statement, but the passenger's physical had to be completed within a week before the Norwegian cruise, which really seems impractical. I think Celebrity's "medically-fit-to-travel'' form, which is still on the company's web site, is particularly unfair. It flatly rules out passengers who have diabetes, HIV or cancer. My own doctor was shocked at that. He said many people, young and old, with serious health issues that are under control or are being treated travel all the time with no problems. I just worry that if the cruise industry sticks with the physician medical form, I won't be able to find any doctor to sign such a statement, and our cruising days will be over. 

Does anyone have any knowledge or insights into this issue? Do you think Regent will adopt such a policy, or do you think the medical form proposal will be dropped once the world's health situation improves? I am just trying to figure out if I should go ahead and make my final payment. Regent's "reassurance'' policy to offer full refunds no matter when a passenger cancels will not help me because the benefit applies only to cruises that start before Sept. 30, 2020. Our cruise would leave a few days after that.

My wife and I are thinking about treating ourselves to a Haven suite to celebrate a special occasion. We would like to bring a couple of bottles of champagne on board to enjoy strictly in our stateroom. If I am reading Norwegian's alcohol policy correctly, there is no limit on the number of bottles we can take onto the ship, but we will be required to pay a per-bottle fee for them even if they will never leave our suite. Is that true? If so, how is that fee charged? Do they charge you when you go through security? How does that work since you haven't yet checked in with your crddit card. Do they confiscate the bottles and then give them back to you after you check in. We have never sailed on Norwegian, so I am just curious how the system works. I certainly don't want to inconvenience my fellow passengers by holding up the line at security while I am paying for a couple of bottles of champagne. Any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks so much for the info. We were there in late Oct., so that was the Coast Guard inspection of the Bliss. It was an amazing line. I'm glad to know that was not an unusual situation.  

I am considering a Norwegian Haven suite. Recently when I went on a Celebrity cruise in Los Angeles, a Norwegian ship was docked nearby, and I have never seen such a long line ouside the terminal on the sidewalk. There were no lines on the sidewalk for the Celebrity ship, just manageable check-in lines inside the terminal. What gives with the very long line on the sidewalk outside the Norwegian terminal? Is there a separate terminal entrance for Haven guests, or is there simply a separate Haven check-in line once you get through that long line outside the terminal. Any insights on the Haven check-in issues  would be appreciated.

My wife and I will be sailing to Hawaii on Eclipse in late October. Depending on how the games go, the World Series may still be going on after we sail. If you have been on a cruise when the World Series was on, did the ship provide the broadcast? We have watched the Super Bowl on a cruise, but we have never been onnoard during the World Series.

Viking Ocean's web site says the Silver Spirits beverage package excludes champagne. Are any sparkling wines, such as prosecco, included in the package?

To celebrate our 50th anniversary, my wife and I are treating ourselves to back-to-back seven-day cruises in asky suite on Edge in March. One cruise does the eastern Caribbean, and the other the western route, so they are different cruises. I have read that Luminae rotates its menus every 14 days, but I would like to know if the restaurant will have the same seven-day series of menus on both of our cruises. We are trying to decide on which days we might want to try one of the specialty restaurants.

Also, we wanted to try the special dinner on the edge on one evening on one of our two cruises. I have heard that dinner is offered only once on each cruise. Does anyone know which evening features that special dinner? I cannot find any info on the Celebrity web site or app on how to make reservations in advance for that dinner. Must reservations be made on board? Thanks for any information you all can share.

I was diasappointed to learn that our March 2020 cruise from Los Angeles (where we live) to Miami is now going to leave from San Diego because of "environmental regulations" in LA. I find it amazing that a new ship can't meet those standards, especially when Regent's older Seven Seas Mariner is scheduled to do three round-trip cruises out of LA in October 2020.

I know that cruise lines have the right to change itineraries, and we have had such changes made on a number of cruises, but only once has a cruise line changed a departure or arrival port. The one time that happened to us was on a Celebrity cruise, which had to change our arrival port because of docking problems in Fort Lauderdale. In that case, Celebriy offered an on-board credit and reimbursed any out-of-pocket costs that were the result of the change. I was told that Regent is not planning to offer any on-board credit even though I suspect many of the passengers will have to pay more for their transportation costs to the ship because of the change to San Dieg. In our case, our shuttle costs will double. Of course, Regent is in the enviable position of having a sold-out cruise with waiting lists of potential passengers.

I certainly understand that changing the departure city is by no means the end of the world. I am just curious why Regent can't meet the Port of Los Angeles' rules. That is one of the busiest harbors in the world, and hundreds of commercial and passenger vessels meet those standards every year.

My wife and I will be taking an Azamara cruise to Cuba as part of my 80th birthday celebration in March. On past cruises, we have preferred to explore the various port cities on our own, and not as part of a ship shore excursion. Is that possible to do in Cuba under the current circumstances, or are you required to do your sightseeing as part of a ship tour?

The shore excursions are now available for our cruise in March, so I want to go ahead and make reservations if that is what we must do. Most of the tours are six or seven hours and include lunch on shore, but if it's possible for us to walk around town on our own, we would much prefer to do that for a few hours in the morning and then go back to the ship for a nice lunch. We also would be fine with taking a couple of tours on some days and then go sightseeing on our own on the other days. We just don't know what is permitted. Any advice on Cuba cruising would be appreciated.

My wife and I are doing back-to-back cruises for my 80th birthday in February and March, but because we booked the second one much later than the first (it was somewhat of an impulsive decision), we were not able to get the same stateroom for both cruises. We are on deck 8 for the first and deck 7 for the second. I have several questions about moving day, and I would appreciate any information from people who have gone through that process.

Can our clothes be moved on their hangars on a trolley, or do they have to be packed in the suitcases? Should we just pack up the shoes, toiletries and other things in our suitcases? When does that move occur?

I assume we will have to get off the ship in between cruises and go through customs. Will the stateroom move occur before we leave the ship or after?

Any information will help relieve our stress about having to change staterooms. Thanks.

Good news! Celebrity was able to work out a back-to-back booking for us on Edge after one of our cruises (March 17, 2019) was canceled because of a charter. We had to change the dates of our trip and our stateroom choice, but we are satisfied with the new arrangements, so our 50th anniversary adventure is back on track. Now we just have to make it to 2019.

We were so excited to book on Edge the minute the bookings opened, but because of the tremendous interest in the ship, we could not get our first choice for the February dates we preferred since we wanted the same stateroom for two back-to-back cruises. We were able to get two cruises in late March, but today Celebrity informed our travel agent that our booking for the March 17, 2019, cruise has been canceled because of a charter.

They said we can switch to the March 24 voyage, but we are already booked on that cruise. That was the second cruise on our back-to-back booking. The March 24 cruise hasn't been canceled, but we don't want to fly cross country for one seven-day cruise.

The other option we were offered is March 10, 2019, but that does not match up with our March 24 cruise, so I don't know where we will go from here. We may have to cancel the March 24 booking and sail on some other cruise line. We are already booked on Silhouette in late 2018, so we don't want to book another Solstice-class ship in March 2019.

I know that in the overall scheme of life a canceled cruise is not the end of the world. My wfe went through a year of cancer treatment, so we know what is really important in life, but even so, this was a very important cruise to us. It was a gift to ourselves for our 50th anniversary. We are longtime cruise veterans, so we know that charters are part of the game, but we are so disappointed. It was going to be a wonderful way to celebrate 50 years together.

When we have sailed on the Solstice class ships, we have always booked Aqua Class and much prefer to have the bed by the bathroom and the couch by the window. We knew how to pick those cabins on the Solstice class ships, but for Edge, in honor of our 50th wedding anniversary, we are booking a Sky Suite 2 on Deck 10, and we're really operating in the dark since so little is known about the stateroom configurations. Because we are doing back-to-back cruises (we're flying in from the West Coast and didn't want to travel all that way for a one-week cruise), we had trouble getting the same suite for both weeks. We finally got one, but no one can tell us where the bed is located in the Sky Suite we booked.

For those guests who have sailed in the Sky Suites on the Solstice class ships, does the bed's location in the those suites move from the bathroom to the window in alternating staterooms or is the bed in the Sky Suites always by the bathroom? I realize that just because it's one way on the Solstice class doesn't mean it will be that way on Edge, but I would still would like to know what the bed situation is in the Sky Suites on the Solstice ships. Thanks for your help.