zip3636

Hi Everyone,

 

My wife is in this situation.

 

Any problems crossing the border?

 

Cheers,

Zip

We have not seen it.

DW's relatives are Newfies. She was very busy 9/11 and the days that followed. She was a pilot for Transport Canada (Cdn version of the FAA).

 

I on the other hand, on the morning of 9/11, was stuck in traffic directly in front of the White House. The car radio announcing that another plane was headed towards Washington, but that is another story.

We are also on this cruise as well as the one following. 

 

 

We live in the Montreal area and are frequent cruisers now that DW ( former pilot) & I are retired.

 

Red Hook is a neat port, one of our favourites.

 

Our flights are booked on Air Canada through Ezy Air (Princess-best prices ). We are flying into LGA. Try to avoid going through Toronto. 

 

We are staying at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, Brooklyn, New York (using our Marriott points), pre cruise.

 

We have booked Carmel to drive us to the hotel from LGA (best price & we pay the driver directly-no deposit needed).

 

Stay where you're at till I come where you be.

 

Judy   and Morris

9 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Ask this question on your next cruise at the M&G.

 

What is really rare is a TA who will monitor changing prices/perks and notify you when they change to your benefit.

When there is a price drop, is it possible that TAs refare and not tell the customer?

 

This way the price reduction becomes extra profit for the TA.

 

With today's technology, I find it hard to believe that TAs are not aware of price drops.

 

Cheers,

Zip

Hello,

 

We have booked the cruise for spring of 2019.

 

We will take the train from the port to our hotel in Berlin. Inexpensive.

 

Cheers,

Zip

Hi everyone.

 

Comments about noise and balcony would be most welcome.

 

Merry Christmas.

 

Cheers,

Zip

Happy cruising to you too Jonathan.

 

DW & I enjoyed your pictures and help. Many thanks.

 

Since there are only four of these cabins, there might be issues booking your favourite cabin. Are you aware of any negatives with the lido deck cabins (L107 & L108)?

 

Cheers,

Morris

Jonathan,

 

Many thanks for your fast response.

 

We have 47 cruises under our belt so choppy is not a concern.

 

We hate the small balconies on the Regal and Royal so the large balcony is very appealing.

 

We will take your recommendation and book this cabin.

 

Cheers,

Morris

For our 50th wedding anniversary, we are looking at the Regal for a TA followed by the Baltic segment.

 

We are thinking about booking club class but are worried by the steel balcony railing in cabins L107, L108, M107, and M108. I spend a lot of the time on the balcony so not being able to see the ocean while sitting would not make me happy. Did the steel (vs glass) bother you?

 

Cheers,

Morris

Hi All

 

We're usually Princess cruisers and expect to reach Elite status in September 2018 so are thinking of then branching out to other lines and would like to try a Viking Ocean cruise.

 

I'm hoping someone accustomed with Viking Ocean Cruises might be able to say when the Summer / Winter 2019 itineraries might be released. Does anyone have any idea based on when 2018 was released?

 

Also, does Viking release cruises to the US first? We're in the UK and I read on a Viking Alaska 2019 thread that cruises had been on sale in the US for some weeks before they popped up in the UK which meant some cabin categories were already sold out.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Cheers.

 

Geoff.

 

Hi Geoff,

 

Spoke yesterday with our TA about a December 2019 Viking cruise.(Viking Sea).

 

She called Viking. She was told that the schedule will be out the end of October or beginning of November.

 

Cheers,

Morris

Good morning everyone,

 

We have been on cruises where there have been a large number of bears.

 

They tend to be friendly and polite. They have their own organized activities so no real affect on other passengers. The ship is huge, so room for all.

 

Good idea to book your shows asap. We just did.

 

So not to worry, we will have a great cruise.

 

Cheers,

Zip

[quote name='baldercash']So you are Elite but you will sail Princess not because it is a better experience but because it is cheaper or do you prefer Princess and only sail X when it is cheaper?[/QUOTE]

baldercash,

Is that what I said? I find both lines to be about the same and have always had great experiences on ships (we sail about 70 days each year). Since getting the short end of the stick with X, I will only sail with them now if their price is unbelievably low. As BosxI said -screw me once........

Zip

[quote name='BosoxI']I can't help but believe that X set up the new system with malice aforethought. Too many people had paid in full in advance of the revamp and lost a good number of points with the installatiion of the new system. DW and I have been Elite for sometime, but the two cruises we took in December would have put us within 30 points of Elite Plus and our March 2014 cruise would have put us well over 750. Elite Plus for us will have to wait until May 2014. Extra internet minutes and cappucini are not going to get us to raise a big stink, but we won't forget X's action when choosing future trips, as we are already Elite on other lines. Screw me once, shame on you; screw me twice... I surely do empathize with those who were so close to Elite (which is the most important tier to attain, I think) and now find themselves several cruises away. I guess X figures those people will stick with them, being so close to the higher tier. Maybe yes, maybe no. Time will tell.[/QUOTE]

My thoughts exactly. So will we cruise x again? Yes, if their fare is too good to pass up. Otherwise, we will stick with Princess.

Cheers,
Zip

Of course they can be disappointed and feel ripped off and I'm truly sorry for them. I actually talked with Celebrity corporate, the Monday the program was announced, and suggested that they waive the penalty fee for those in the penalty zone who would like to cancel. They didn't seem to like my idea, even though (1) I had no skin in the game and (2) I made a very valid case for it.

 

I have just as much sympathy for those that had their cruise cancelled because of a charter or missed a port, as I do for those that are unhappy with the Captain's club changes. Unfortunately, I seem to be in the minority, because I feel that all issues are the same, because Celebrity has said they have the right to change just about everything in their contract with us and there is no difference between the three issues. I guess some are not sympathic unless it affects them, then it is a different story.

 

Hi NLH,

 

We thank you for making a case (with Celebrity) to waive the cancellation penalty.

 

It does seem strange that you would call them since you had no skin in the game.

 

The fact remains that a classy company would grandfather changes (like Princess did ) so that everyone would be a winner.

 

Cheers,

Zip

Hi NLH,

 

Having paid EXTRA for Conceige to obtain the EXTRA points and then not getting them is not right. Feels like we are being robbed. No, we did not book the cruise for the points. We paid extra for the extra points which we will not be getting. That is what is upsetting.

 

Comparing that to missed ports or changed cabins is comparing apples to oranges. Over the years, we have missed ports due to weather or lack of fuel. We always received refunds of the port charges.

 

When Princess changed their loyalty program, they grandfathered the old program so, obviously, it is not too complex to do.

 

I will repeat, again, what others have said. Celebrity can change their program, no one is arguing that. Just give us what we paid EXTRA for.

 

Happy New Year everyone.

I paid more for a "Concierge" class balcony to work the system. It is paid for and I can't cancel the cruise at this point or get back the extra money I paid for the "extra" cruise point.

 

I can tell you from experience that now 'Concierge" class is not worth the extra money. You get cheap sparkling wine, some cold, repetitive snacks, mimi binoculars, and priority boarding. All the other "amenities" are not perceptibly different from a regular cabin. Even the "concierge" you could contact was the same for everyone on the ship. Oh, you do get an "expanded breakfast menu. Big Deal

 

So now I'm out several hundred dollars for no reason, stuck with a cruise I have an attitude about that I probably will not enjoy.

 

And for those who think we are out for something for nothing, we paid for it.

 

Hi DeltaBreeze,

 

We are in the exact same boat as you. Feb 8th Connie, paid extra for Conciege. Now we will not be elite after this cruise. Kind of leaves a bitter taste. We did some payback. We cancelled our 7 day Sillie March 2 (balcony but it would still leave us short). We booked the Royal Princess for March 2. In switching, we saved $500. and have a BC balcony . We are elite so we will get all the benefits.

 

Cheers,

Zip