Eight_Paws

Well -- I had been booked on this BTB pairing (Sep9 and Sep16) and after finding this information, asked my TA to verify.  She called Celebrity brought it to their attention.  Rather than send her my options, they just cancelled the second cruise (which is the one I would have preferred to keep!!)   

And they acted like they were doing me a FAVOR by giving me a refund for that one, when they are at fault for their systems allowing it.

What flabbergasts me is -- why wouldn't they have gone through ALL their bookings once this violation was identified, to proactively identify any other customers who would be impacted?  

Grrr!   Now trying to figure out what to do for the second part... when I had a been looking a month or so ago, flights from Vancouver to Phoenix were not cheap...  😞

Lisa

1 hour ago, bigbenboys said:

Hi Lisa,

You can have your room steward empty your mini-fridge then you can pick up sodas during the day and put it your mini-fridge.

We will be on your sailing.

Cheers!  Of course with an occupancy near 3000, we may never run across each other 😉

Lisa

17 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

If I understand correctly, this B2B begins in Seattle and terminates in Los Angeles?  That is not a permissible combination for cruisers under PVSA.  Vancouver is a foreign port, it's just not a 'distant foreign port'.

Sorry, I'm confused -- wouldn't this be the same as taking a RT cruise from Seattle to Alaska, with the 'foreign port' requirement criteria being satisfied by a stop in Victoria or Vancouver?  (Both cruises do include a stop in Victoria, in addition to the end/beginning being in Vancouver..

Thanks,  Lisa

32 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

I think officially, the Classic package includes fountain soda, but in practice, most bars will give out cans (or at least fill a glass from one). You can usually request an unopened can if you want to take one back to your cabin and place it in your fridge.

Thanks for the tip -- I don't drink coffee, so I like to have a caffeinated soda in the morning while I'm getting ready.  Sure would be nice to have one in the mini-fridge vs having to venture out before I've gotten cleaned up for the day!

Lisa

Hi all--

I'm on an upcoming Solstice sailing with the 'always included' drinks package.  I don't drink much (pretty much never at home, but maybe one alcoholic drink per day on a cruise, if it's included).  Looking at the packages, it looks like soda is *NOT* included?  Seems strange to have all the alcohol you want, but not a Coke?  We were on the Reflection in March with the all included package, and weren't charged for sodas.  Not sure if the policies have changed?

Can anyone clarify current status regarding if sodas are included in the 'always included' package?  What has been your experience with this?

Thanks, Lisa

I am doing a BTB on the Solstice.  I was able to complete check in (select boarding time) for the Sep9 cruise nearly 2 weeks ago.  I had thought that one week after that, I would be able to select a boarding time for the Sep16 cruise-- but still no.  Even though they keep sending me emails telling me to complete my check-in!  

Lisa

Hi --

Sunset isn't until around 8:30, so if you had early dinner you'd still have a couple of hours of daylight to check out Victoria.  It's really easy to explore from the port, even to look at the amazing architecture (the Legislative Assembly building, the Fairmont Empress, the view from the inner harbor) -- is worth it IMO.

Here's a post I wrote on Victoria -- the first part is a list of things you can easily see on foot from the cruise port.

https://wavesandcobblestones.com/best-things-to-do-for-a-wonderful-weekend-in-victoria-bc/

Thanks

Lisa

Thanks everyone for the information on your experiences!  Not fun having COVID, but that does remove one complicating factor of needing to find a COVD testing location after flying into the embarkation city.   My cruise is to Alaska and includes a stop in Canada, but I know the ArriveCAN app/process does not require a negative COVID test for vaccinated travelers (at least, arrival by air.. hopefully the same applies to arrival by cruise ship!).

Lisa

Hello--  I'll be traveling solo on the Solstice in September. I'm toying with the idea of the discounted 'first night' specialty restaurant offer.  Did you find it awkward at all dining solo in the specialty restaurants?

Thanks!  Lisa

Hello all--

I have COVID currently, and have a Celebrity cruise coming up in a month.  On their web site it appears that if you have tested positive 11-90 days prior to sailing, and have a 'certificate of recovery', that you don't have to get the pre-cruise antigen test.

Does anyone have experience going this route?

Thanks,  Lisa

Hello all--

I've taken a couple trips to Victoria, most recently as a port of call on an Alaska cruise.  We were able to spent a few hours walking around the city and seeing a lot of Victoria's top sights.  Victoria is a great place to visit, whether you are there for a few hours or a few days!

Read my post to find out more about taking a walking tour from the cruise dock:

Best Things to Do for a Wonderful Weekend in Victoria, BC

Enjoy!

Lisa

You can spend many lovely hours just walking around Old San Juan's blue-cobbled streets.  We were in Old San Juan in March and spent four hours walking and seeing all the great historic sites, art, and architecture.  It's a fairly small historical center and very easy to explore on your own!

Terrific Things to See and Do in Stunning San Juan

Have a great trip!

Lisa

Hi, we visited Old San Juan on our Mar 5-12 Celebrity Reflection cruise.  We docked right in Old San Juan and spent 4 hours criss-crossing the city.   We prefer DIY rather than ship excursions.

If you also like to do your own excursions, there is a ton to see and do in Old San Juan -- see here for my post (nearly complete now).

Terrific Things to See and Do in Stunning San Juan

Have a great day!
Lisa

Hi all,

On a recent cruise we were lucky to dock right in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  This allowed us to do a ton of exploring the historic city and its sights -- absolutely incredible!  Our port day in San Juan was definitely the highlight of our cruise!  You can read about all the great things we did to get ideas for your visit:

Terrific Things to See and Do in Stunning San Juan

Thanks,

Lisa

www.wavesandcobblestones.com

Hi all!

If your cruise has a port day in Nice or Monte Carlo, here are some great ideas for things to do in those ports!

Amazing things to do in Nice and the French Riviera

Enjoy! 

Lisa

www.wavesandcobblestones.com

We had Barcelona as the end port of our cruise, and spent an extra two nights there exploring.  So much great architecture in Barcelona!

Beautiful Barcelona:  Best Things To Do in Just Two Days

Have a wonderful time!

Lisa

@Heidi13 Thanks for your input.  We'll wait to see how things work out over the next several months -- and what comes out the other side.

Thanks,

Lisa

Hi All!

On our recent holiday Caribbean cruise, our favorite destination (by far!) was the island of St. Barts.  We sure got our 10,000 steps that day!  

We documented our exploration of the town as tips for other folks who enjoy DIY shore excursions:

A Perfect Afternoon in St. Barts: Things To Do on a Scenic Walking Tour

Hope you enjoy!

Lisa

Travel blog:  www.wavesandcobblestones.com

Article:  The Nine Most Popular Cruise Destinations [Infographic]

Lisa

Personal travel blog:  www.wavesandcobblestones.com

Hello!

We are new to Crystal (and new to luxury cruising).  We were fortunate to take two Crystal cruises in 2021 -- one to Bermuda in September, and a Caribbean Holiday cruise in December.  I summarized my experiences from those two cruises and wrote this blog post covering my top picks for reasons to love a Crystal cruise!

My 15 Favorite Things About a Luxury Crystal Symphony Cruise - Waves and Cobblestones

Lisa

Travel blog home: www.wavesandcobblestones.com

p.s. Isn't she lovely?

I think one used to exist (as I'm pretty sure I remember downloading it), but that it went defunct and now we're back to just the web site.  Agree it would be nice to be able to do quick posts through an app..

9 hours ago, Coralc said:

When are you going in April? We are on the 27th. There is no Roll Call because it is only 5 nights. But we like to meet other people. 

Coralc--  I'm actually doing B2B April 11 and April 15 sailings.  LA is a nice departure port from Phoenix as I can drive to LA rather than fly to Miami!