Bruin Steve

I just went through the same thing for my June 2025 cruises...

We have two cruises--a 7 night round trip out of Ravenna followed by an 11 night Ravenna-Rome.  We wanted to fly a week or so early into Vienna and work our way down to Ravenna by train, then fly home two days after the second one from Rome.  Could not do anything close on the website...all "No Flights Found".

I called.  They had no problem booking on my requested dates--but would NOT fly us into Vienna...only Venice for Ravenna (even though, in the past, they've always let us choose alternate airports to account for our pre- or post-cruise plans).  They said this was a change in policy and my Vienna request could not be accommodated.

We considered the alternatives of booking on our own, paying in full now and with restrictions versus accepting the new Celebrity Air rules.  We ended up booking LAX-Venice and Rome-LAX through Celebrity... with the first leg a day earlier than originally planned...and then booked a surprisingly cheap extra leg the following day on Austrian Air, Venice-Vienna.  We then booked one night at the Hilton Garden Inn by Venice Airport using Hilton points.  Problem solved.  Our combined cost with this set-up is still cheaper than anything I've found on kayak...and I don't have to pay (and am able to change) until final cruise payment date.

LAX area is largely unexciting...nowhere really to eat except hotel restaurants...nowhere to venture out...though I guess you're arriving late enough that you won't care.  Still, I wouldn't stay there.  Worth heading straight to Pedro just to get all of the stress out of the way and leave yourself with an easy Saturday morning.  Long Beach may be a choice for some people...but not with as little time as you'd be there...you'd just be adding additional Uber rides and unnecessary trips.

The Crowne Plaza is perfect--especially with Holiday Inn points.  It's even walkable to the cruise pier (about three blocks) or a very short Uber ride...or a cheap hotel shuttle (yeah. the CP charges...but only something like $6...reserve a time slot when you check in).  I've never eaten at the hotel but there are lots of restaurant choices within a block or two.

Don't be afraid of the Uber pick-up deal at LAX...it's nowhere near as bad as somne might have you think.  We do it all the time (including last Thursday, returning from a cruise.  Since we came in on United, we walked the short walk to the pick-up lot.  You can do this easily from Terminals 1, 2 and 7.  For other terminals, there is a very short shuttle bus ride which picks up CONSTANTLY outside all of the baggage claim areas and drops you at the "LAX-it" lot.)   Hit the Uber or Lyft app when you get to the lot and they make it fairly easily...lots of signage directing you to the proper pick-up location for your ride (We had "32-A" for our Lyft ride...car was there in 3 minutes!).  

Or, rather than a cruise line excursion, try Sunseeker Tours--they do LA tours with pick-up at the ship and drop off at LAX.

Also, with a 6:45 flight, you likely have a bit more than four hours to kill.  AA will tell you to get to LAX 3 hours prior...but two hours is likely more than enough.  The Santa Monica idea is not bad...You could have your car service drop you off at the Third Street Promenade (one end or the other), walk around there, down to the Santa Monica Pier, along Palisades Park...maybe an intermediate Uber or bus trip down to the Venice Boardwalk...Lots of restaurants in all of those areas...not too bad if you only have small rolling carry-ons...

I've always found it's best to CALL.

But, also, certain things appear to have changed.  I recently booked my flights for my June 2025 cruises.  Since we're doing two cruises (Ravenna to Ravenna on RCCL followed, two days later, by Ravenna to Rome on Celebrity), it gets complicated...but, basically, we needed to fly to Europe before our first cruise...8 days before, in order to do a pre-cruise...and fly home two days after our second cruise.  We also wanted to fly into an airport other than Venice for our Ravenna sailing.

We've always been able to do this in the past...but, this time:

The Celebrity website would give us flights only to fly IN a day or two prior to whichevre of the two cruises to which we were attaching the flights....and only within a couple of days after.  Inputting an airport other than Venice resulted in "No Flights Found"...Choosing a date well before the sail date also resulted in "No Flights Found".

I finally CALLED...and an agent managed to book us flights fairly quickly.

Lesson, don't wrestle for long with the website booking situation.  If you can't book it quickly, call Celebrity Air/RCCL Air2Sea (it's the same people) and have them book it for you.

We are on the ship now…Klaipeda is two days away.  We will be taking a fairly run-of-the -mill shore excursion…and we paid full price with all of the sales long gone.   We did get through to TBL…after the usual voice mail hell and long hold times…a few days before we left…and officially canceled…and DID get a credit back to our VISA card.  They also gave us a small discount code toward a future cruise—which I doubt we will ever use. Never again.

40 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Of course, it also looks like we can fly Austrian Airlines at 1:55 that next morning for 109 Euros pp including one checked bag.  NOTE: Typo...actually 10:55 am!

 

And it went up 10 euros pp while I was thinking about it!

BUT...it still sounded like a vast improvement over ANY long train or bus ride...

And, I figure, even if I restructure the longer flights, we're still aiming at landing in Venice on the 29th...SO, I just pulled the trigger and booked it...comes out to $260 US for the both of us...We can get into Venice, stay at the Hilton, get up the next day, have some breakfast and head back to the airport...and be in Vienna by NOON!  And the cost is actually in line with a lot of the train/bus costs...

And, even iof we flew directly to Vienna, we'd get there some time on the 29th and pay for a hotel room in Vienna one extra night.  Doesn't really matter where we recover from jet lag...Venice or Vienna...

3 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

How about the Nightjet? If you're planning to spend 12 to 15 hours on the train, you may as well go direct, and also save yourself a hotel night at the same time.

 

However, with a 1515 arrival at VCE it might be a bit brave to book this for the same night.

It's definitely intriguing...I remember when I traveled Europe one summer while at University, taking as many overnight trains as I could in order to save money on hotels...so, boy, do I have some stories!  

Anyway, I ran the idea by my wife...and she doesn't like the idea of getting off of 15 hours worth of airplanes and connections overnight and getting onto a train--even one with a sleeping compartment for a second straight night.

I have been able to book the Hilton Garden Inn Mestre on "points"...so, we could get to the hotel , have dinner and get a full night's sleep, then get some form of transportation the next morning.

Some sites seem to suggest there are buses direct Mestre to Vienna that can do it in under 8 hours.

Of course, it also looks like we can fly Austrian Airlines at 1:55 that next morning for 109 Euros pp including one checked bag.

UPDATE:  Since I feel more comfortable having something booked as early as possible, we went ahead and tried to get something booked...even if we end up later replacing it, at least we have it as a "hedge".  Playing within their rules, we booked it into Venice arriving with 9 nights to spend prior to our departure from Ravenna--flight arrives 3:15 pm.  Rather than starting off in Vienna as we first envisioned, we've booked one night in Mestre--near Marco Polo Airport.  So we'll try to get a train or other transportation from there to Vienna the following day, spend three nights in Vienna...then train to Salzburg--2 nights...then to Innsbruck for 2 nights...The a train or bus to Ravenna for the night prior to the cruise...One extra train...and a wasted travel day.  But it works.

Booking is cancelable...Fare, for Economy class...on British Airways (both ways--this and Rome to LAX after cruise) is $1550 pp.  Seems a bit higher than we're accustomed to paying for LAX-Europe and back...But I guess it might just be prices going up.  If we see prices drop for similar flights, we'll just re-book. 

Celebrity/RCCL also gave us an opthion on Finn Air for $11 pp less...But layover in Helsinki on the way there was only an hour and I felt a little uncomfortable with that short a time when first entering Europe.

I'll keep monitoring prices.

We've used RCCL Air2Sea and Flights by Celebrity for our air travel on most cruises over the last several years.  It has worked well for us for several reasons:

--Refundable Ticketing, cancelable if plans change (Very important during pandemic as we had several cruises canceled and cancelation of flights was easy/connected)

--Not paying for tickets until Final cruise payment date.

--Flexibility to change if better flights/fares became available.

--Often better fares than airline or major sites...but at least competitive.

We have booked two cruises for June 2025--Ravenna to Ravenna on RCCL followed by Ravenna to Rome on Celebrity.  For us, we NEVER fly in right before a cruise.  Always at least a few days early and try to add a little touring to that pre-cruise.  Try also to NOT fly out immediately at cruise disembarkation.  Best to stay a couple of days and enjoy the disembarkation city.

Ravenna poses an additional problem.  It's NOT Venice.  It's a complicated 2.5 hour drive by car or 4+ hour trip by public transportation from Marco Polo Airport.  Especially wanting to spend a few days pre-cruise, there are lots of other arrival airports that make just as much sense as flying to Venice.

What we WANT to do is to fly into Vienna instead.  Spend maybe 3 or 4 nights there, take the train to Salzburg for a couple of nights, then to Innsbruck, then down to Ravenna for the night prior to the cruise.  Then we wanted to spend two nights in Rome after the second cruise.  EASY-Fly LAX to Vienna around May 28 or 29, then fly Rome to LAX on June 29.

The RCCL Air2Sea link shows us nothing--even LAX-Venice/Venice-LAX on the exact cruise dates (and we're within 11 months of both).  The Celebrity site actually shows flights and fares for the exact cruise dates of that cruise--into Venice and out of Rome...And, changing Venice to Vienna, it even shows flights/fares for that.  But, changing the LAX Vienna flight to a week or so earlier and we get "No Flights Found".

So, I call Celebrity Air/Air2Sea.  They tell me they understand what I want...and, yes, it makes perfect sense...BUT...they CANNOT do it!  They tell me they can ONLY book me INTO VENICE.  New corporate policy.

Think about it.  Venice is limiting.  Fewer nonstops.  Difficult transportation to port.  It makes more sense to many to fly into Milan.  OR do a round trip to Rome for that Ravenna to Rome cruise (might find better choice of flights, better train connections).

So, now I know that I cannot count on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity assist me with air transportation to get me to and from their cruises.  I guess I have to look for flights independently, pay for full airfare way in advance, get non-cancelable, nonrefundable tickets that I will be stuck with even if RCCL/Celebrity cancels or changes my cruise...AND THEY HAVE.  During the restart after the pandemic, they moved my Apex cruise from Barcelona to ATHENS! (Good thing my air was through Celebrity).  We had friends supposed to travel with us on our recent Japan cruise on Millennium and Celebrity arbitrarily canceled their cruise!

First off, I know that many people have used this company…and will gladly post that THEIR tours using this company went wonderfully.  And I am certain, that most of the time, this is the case.  However, the measure of a tour provider is NOT in how they do when everything goes according to plan…it’s in how they handle things when they don’t.

And I also understand that this company is NOT the actual tour provider…they are, in reality, a booking agent who deals with a list of independent local providers in many cities and  ports around the world.  So, though I am not completely happy with how the local guide handled this matter (poorly…though I know stuff happens), I am more concerned here with how the well-known booking company has handled things.

I’ve done a LOT of cruises…and I’ve booked a LOT of private port tours.  With most of them, everything goes well.  I book well in advance.  Sometimes, they require payment in full, sometimes just a deposit and, sometimes, it’s pay on the day of the tour. 
Sometimes I deal directly with the local provider, other times I’ll book through one of these agents (Viator, Get Your Guide, this one, etc.)

I’ve had, just one time, a guide completely flake out and was a no-show on tour day.  And, I’ve had, just one time, a tour company cancel only a short time prior to the tour–but for a very good reason which rendered the subject of the tour impossible–so completely understandable.

But I have never found myself as frustrated with a tour company as I am right now.

We booked two segments on the Royal Caribbean World Cruise in the Baltics and the Norwegian Fjords.  We planned most of our ports months ago.  Doing some with RCCL shore excursions, some with private small group tours, some with larger local non-ship tours and some “on our own”.

Most important to us was Klaipeda, Lithuania.  First, we have never been to this port before…But, more importantly, because this is the are from which my wife’s family originally came from.  It was one of the main reasons we chose this particular itinerary.  And, therefore,it was extremely important to us to arrange a fairly specific type of tour.

All of RCCL’s shore excursions here…and most of the various non-ship tours one finds…are fairly general in nature:  Walking tour of downtown, visit to the sand dunes, visit to the Amber Museum and free time to shop for amber…in some combination or another.  All VERY uninteresting for our purposes.  My wife’s family lived a long time in the area–until her immediate family moved to America…and any relatives left in Lithuania were wiped out in the Holocaust.  Vestiges of the now-gone culture are limited and hard to find.  But there is a little left…but it requires a good guide familiar with the history and culture to find it.

So, six months ago, we did our research, compared our options, and found exactly what we were looking for with Tours by Locals.  And so, we booked it.  Paid the required deposit.  We found another couple on our Cruise Critic roll call to join us, helping to keep the cost reasonable.  Kept in touch with the guide via the Tours by Locals website.  We were required to pay the price IN FULL 30 days prior to the tour…WHICH WE DID.

And LATER the same day as our payment was made in full, we received a message, via Tours by Locals website, that the guide was “canceling our tour…for personal reasons”.  No further explanation.  

That was LAST Friday.  We called Tours by Locals IMMEDIATELY.

First problem was that, their telephone number–using BOTH the toll-free version and the local BC number–only got us to a voice message asking us to press “5” to leave a message or press “4” if URGENT.  Pressing 5 and leaving a message NEVER resulted in a call back–EVER.  Pressing 4 was worse,  It gave you a recording saying to have your booking number ready…then circled right back to the Press 5/press 4 message–in an endless circuit,  Occasionally, it went to “hold music”, then either disconnected or sent us back to the press 4/press 5 voice message.

I spent HOURS, repeatedly calling, before finally reaching a person–who did not know we had been canceled…then, after hearing the story, promised to find us another guide and get back to us with details within a day or two.  I reiterated that it was urgent for us–we were leaving for Europe in just two weeks and needed to have this resolved.  She never did get back to us.

I called again on Wednesday, time and patience running short.  After another difficult multiple calls and endless voice message loops, I finally got through to another “real person”.  Went through the story again.  Same promises to find us another guide.  Told not to worry–”We have lots of time” (seriously.  Yeah, THEY have lots of time…they are not the ones traveling NEXT WEEK with no idea of what they are going to do in this port).  Again, they promise to get right back to me.

Well, here we are on Saturday…one week until we fly to Europe.  The other couple who were to be joining us want to move on.  I can’t even assure them we have a tour.  Even if we wanted to do an RCCL shorex, the prices have all gone up over the past six months and some have filled.  I call Tours by Locals again to ask what’s happening.  Apparently, very little.  I get through to a third person.  Same thing:  I will try to get you another guide…along with the “we have plenty of time”,  She asks me if there is a different tour I may want to take.  Again, NO.  We really didn’t want to go to the amber museum and/or the sand dunes…or the Lutheran Church..or the Soviet Nuclear facility.  And we certainly weren’t paying for a high-priced private tour to visit any of that.

We leave in 7 days.  They still have our money.  We don’t know if we still have anyone to share the tour.   We, of course, don’t even know if we have a tour.  We don’t know what we will do in Klapeida–our personally most important port.

What we DO know is:

1.  Tours by Locals appears clueless.

2.  Their communications system is near impossible.

3.  Their idea of “urgent” is “don’t worry”.

4.  They really don’t know how to deal with things like this.

If I am running this type of operation, I make sure my guides tell ME, in plenty of time, if they will not be available for the contracted dates.  If something unexpected comes up, I immediately CALL every other guide I use in the area and get SOMEBODY, if available, to fill the order.  IF that is not possible (ie, no other guides or EVERYBODY is booked for the date or if no other guide is reasonably qualified to provide or understand the tour), then I immediately TELL the customer–with many humble apologies–and find some way to compensate them for the inconvenience.  I don’t waste everybody’s time and make the customer jump through hoops

I guarantee that, if it were ME canceling the tour with no reasonable excuse (or even with one) at the last minute, that Tours by Locals would NOT give me my money back.  I would be considered to be in breach of the contract.

Probably the last time I will ever consider booking a tour through Tours by Locals.

3 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

I have a question, since RC is not my usual line. When I booked, I specifically chose a neighbourhood balcony as I had never experienced this type of cabin and wanted to test it out. The only option at booking time was for guarantee cabins - fine with me as I'm not at all picky about location. I just checked in and tried this "barcode" trick and the cabin showing appears to be an oceanview balcony - does RC usually randomly upgrade for free without informing people, or could this still change before we sail? I know I should be thrilled to have been upgraded (and ordinarily I would be) but for this situation, I really wanted to try out the boardwalk type balconies. Any RC experts know the answer to this?

The whole reason for a cruise line to market "Guarantees" is to give them the flexibility to market at various levels and then assign them according to availability.  So, at some point, RCCL, holding guarantees at certain levels, find themselves with vacancies at different levels...it then moves them around to fill the available inventory...

Most people booking guarantees expect to be assigned the worst cabin at thei9r guarantee level...and, usually, that is what they get...because the other tool they have to move people around is "RoyalUp"--where they can squeeze extra $$ out of existing bookings...But, when the dust settles, sometimes they just have the open inventory only in higher categories00which is the result MOST hope for when booking the guarantee.  AND, yes, an OV balcony is considered a step up from a Boardwalk or Central Park balcony...

We just went through this with our first segment of the World Cruise coming up in a couple of weeks (we booked two).  Usually pick our cabin...but OV Guarantee was all that was available,  Figured "What's the worst that can happen?".  Thought "maybe we get a window at the very front or back of the ship".

Well, it was worse.  We got a Deck Two cabin (the ship has only a few--rest of deck two is crew quarters) with a TINY porthole.  Usually, we would have called and had them change it for another available OV--and there was one.  But, since the assignment was not yet "official", they wouldn't do that.

BTW, we are D+...but, officially, they say it is all RANDOM (I don't think it is--it seems that they go out of their way to give the newbies the better assignments). 

Anyway, that left us to deal with "RoyalUp".  I put in bids for everything I could )Of course we couldn't bid on a REAL OV cabin--one with a real window--because the system considered us to already be in an OV).  Not to take any chances, I went a little over the minimum bid level for a balcony...and, along with a lot of others, did get one.  Cost me an extra $500.  Of course, had I been able to actually book a balcony at the time of booking, I would have gladly paid another $500...and save myself a lot of stress.  I'll probably never book another guarantee....

Okay...

First, those B2B cruises on Infinity that I was talking about in that January 2020 thread?  NEVER HAPPENED.  A little thing called the "pandemic" got in the way...

We eventually ended up transferring those bookings to a B2B on Apex when they restarted in July/August 2021...and we had a wonderful Sky Suite on those by the time we got there.

Now, OTOH, we ALSO had B2Bs on Millennium to Japan get bumped several times...until just this past March/April (2024)...and, on those, we were NEAR the window washing equipment...We were in #8054...

On the CURRENT deck plans, it shows 8046 and 8050 as having the obstruction for the window washers (as well as the cabins on the other side)...AND, YES, they are there,,,

We could see the equipment from 8054--two cabins away...

Here is the photo from 8054...

Yes, hardly bothered us from two cabins away...but I could see where it would be very annoying if closer.

It would be EXTREMELY RARE.  They usually only sell Guarantees when they pretty well know they have cabins available. It's just that they're not always available in the category of the guarantee.  Say they have balconies available, but no OVs...they will sell some OV guarantees because they know they can free some up when they accept some RoyalUp bids or otherwise upgrade someone.  Selling Guarantees gives them some flexibility in cabin assignments while allowing them to keep selling cruises at varying price levels even when the availability doesn't have that current flexibility.

It would take some crazy miscalculations for them not to have a cabin for you.

21 minutes ago, FrannyK said:

Do you mind telling us what type cabin you had and what you upgraded to?  And how $$$?  Was it a low or high bid?  Did you bid on more than one category?

We usually DON'T bid on these.  I typically book the category and cabin I want...and know I'm happy with my choice.  But I've now seriously bid twice...and got the upgrade twice.  My reason for bidding is that the cabins I really wanted were unavailable when I booked.  In this case, they ONLY were offering OV Guarantees when I booked...and I was eventually assigned a very bad cabin on Serenade--#2018--one of the very few guest cabins among the crew quarters on Deck Two...and with only a very small porthole.

The minimum bid for going from an OV to a balcony was $220 per person.  I bid $250 pp---which was still considered "weak" on their scale.  My thinking is that many people bid the minimum ...with the attitude "what the heck?"...Others bid slightly over...by, say, $5 to $20 over...figuring they'll have bid enough to be above all of those minimum bidders.  Since I had such a bad cabin, it was worth it to me to bid, at least, a little over that...OTOH, I don't want to go crazy, bidding against myself...and I figured a total of $500 was something I could justify in my mind.  If, when I booked, they would have had  balconies available for only $500 above my OV price, we would have booked the balcony.

We also put in bids on three other categories--two larger OV categories...but for bids only slightly above the minimums...something like $65 and $75 pp...and one for a "large" balcony for a little over the $300 pp minimum.

Since the cruise has shown as "sold out" for some time, I figured we were waiting (and hoping) for last minute cancelations...but those do usually happen.  And figured we needed to better the minimums to assure ourself of a good chance...but disregard the little "weaker-stronger" graphic,...that's just there to get you to outthink yourself.

8 minutes ago, dznypal said:

could someone please explain this royal up deal

we only sailed once on RC and have the next one for next year

seems there were alot of changes between then and now

Within around 30-45 days of the cruise, they give you the opportunity to "bid" on an upgrade...

They give you minimum bid amounts and it's up to you if its worth it to submit a bid...

If cabins in that category aren't available, it won't make much of a difference...but, if some are or come available, your bid gets considered vs. any others...If you "win", they charge your credit card the amount you bid (per person)...and upgrade you...but you cannot pick your new cabin...it's whatever was available.

Guess what?  It just came through...

We had an OV guarantee...and they assigned us one of the worst cabins on the Serenade of the Seas (15 night Baltic segment of World Cruise)...#2018--One of few guest cabins on LOW mostly crew quarters deck...with only a small porthole for a window...

We just got the move to #7518...A balcony cabin on Deck 7 Forward...

Cruise is 24 days away...

A while ago, I put in four RoyalUp bids for four different category upgrades...

Until moments ago, they all said "Submitted".

Just moments ago, one changed to "Pending"...The other three now sat "Expired"...

Who can read tea leaves?

Is this good news?  Or false hope?

10 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

 

We have stayed on decks 2,3 and 4 on Royal ships. 

Close to getting off the ship, when the lift arrives on your floor it will be empty 99% of the time ..

Port intensive cruise , you'll be fine.

Well...the main reason I am unhappy is not so much the location (which, yes, doesn't thrill me)...It's with what Royal Caribbean categorizes as an "Ocean View" cabin.  Now, as a disclaimer, I have NOT yet seen these cabins.  In over 70 cruises, I've never cruised on Deck Two.  Our last three cruises have been on Celebrity--in Concierge class twice, then in Aqua class.  When I booked this--OVER 14 months prior to the sailing--OV Guarantees were all that was available.  You see, this was marketed first as part of the "World Cruise", then as larger segments...and then, 14 months ago, they released what was left in smaller segments--and we booked two,

And here's the rub:  I sort of assumed an "Ocean View" cabin would have a reasonable window.  We could live without the balcony for 15 nights ...or 24 with both legs...BUT a window--something with a nice view outside, something to let in some decent amount of natural light...that's what I expected.  This ship has something over 220 non-handicap OV cabins on OTHER decks...ALL with decent-sized windows...and 12 on Deck Two with tiny portholes.  The rest of Deck Two is all CREW cabins.

And THAT description is only from what I gather from research here and elsewhere...but it's a bit sketchy.  The tiny portholes are mentioned by some--on Radiance Class ships.  And ALL RCCL ships are NOT the same.  Some may have ordinary windows on Deck Two.  BUT, assuming my research is correct...and we paid for an OV and get a small porthole the size of a dinner plate that you'd have to stand on the bed to even see out and that allows in minimal light...well...that sucks!

Well...

I just checked in for my July 26 segment of the Serenade of the Seas World Cruise (our first of two)...

Normally, we book balcony cabins or better...and we stay away from guarantees.  BUT, when we booked these, all they had to offer were insides or OV guarantees...So we took the OV guarantees.  

So, having now checked in, I did the barcode thing...and it looks like we've got #2018...Might be about as bad as one could get...There are only 14 OVs on Deck Two (Is the window even above the water line?).  The rest of the deck is crew space and the Med Center.  And, because of the Med Center, it appears there is access to only one set of elevators.

My wife said, "it's okay...we'll make the best of it"...I am hoping that since it still officially says "Guarantee" that it could still change...but I'm not counting on it.  Steerage, here I come!

Thanks, everyone, for the advice…

Looks like we will just pre-book the 11:50 and add an extra piece of luggage since I am certain my wife will never travel with only one suitcase.  

We’re headed to Southampton next month for a cruise.  Been several times, but, looking back, most of the time we’ve done extensive land tours prior, so we’ve usually hired a car.  But, this time, we’re only going 4 nights early and spending our time in Southampton (likely doing a day trip by ferry over to the Isle of Wight one of the days).  Hiring a car doesn’t make sense for a short stay due to high one-way drop-off charges.

Looking at National Express…which gives rise to lots of questions.

1). It looks like you need to book a time.  There’s a bus at 10 am and another at 11:50 am.  Our flight from Los Angeles is scheduled to arrive at 9:00 am.  With luggage retrieval, customs/immigration, etc., 10 am seems tight…and there’s always the possibility of flight delays and such.  Looks like there’s a “flexible” fare that’s about 10 pounds pp higher.  What do you book?  Or do you just wait until arrival to figure it out?

2). Looks like there’s a luggage weight restriction of 20 kg.  We’re traveling for a full month. The airline allows 23 kg per checked bag…and even that is hard to do…especially for my wife.  She expects to pack a 23 kg suitcase and a second hard side wheeled carry-on.  As I read the website, we’d have to pay for an extra piece of luggage for the carry-on, but It sounds like they’d weigh all three together for a total weight of 60 kg.  Is that correct?

in addition to the cost of the tickets and added luggage, we’d also be paying for a taxi from wherever they drop u# off to the Holiday Inn…so, altogether, we’re, if I got this right, looking at around 70-80 GBP…or maybe a bit more if we wait to book it until we get to LHR.  
 

I suppose a shuttle or car service of some sort would be a little simpler but also come with a significantly higher cost.  Is it worth the trade-offs?  If so, who to use?

thanks.

4 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

45 days before the cruise departs I believe.  Is it possible the time zones are messing you up?  I'm on the east coast, and it's 9:08P on 5/30.  But in Southampton it's 2:08A on 5/31.  So midnight in Southampton on whatever 45 days before your cruise is would still be the previous day in the US.  

But...Check-in, supposedly, opens at 12:01 am local time wherever the ship is.  Would that not be the same date whether you're on the website or the app?  Where I am should be irrelevant.  45 days would be the 11th either way...

Same cruise...

On the RCCL App:

On the RCCL website:

So...Does check-in open on June 10?  ...or June 11?

Or does it open on the website on the 11th...but open via the app on the 10th??

Our last three cruises on Celebrity, we were marketed the AI "deal"---included classic drinks, lower level WiFi and, on the first two, included gratuities (those first two, we booked in 2019 when AI was all they offered--and those got lifted-and-shifted multiple times for the pandemic.  Of course, the AI deal rendered the Elite Plus perks completely moot...though we received no discount on the packages for being Elite Plus.  Pretty much convinced me to never again purchase an AI package.  Hereafter, when cruising on Celebrity, we'll carefully use the free 240 each WiFi minutes and the 5-7 free drinks that we get as Elite Plus...and we'll just pay by the drink for anything we drink after 7 pm.

On Royal Caribbean, as Diamond Plus, we get two days free WiFi each per cruise...so, sharing passwords, we're covered for 4 days of a 7 night cruise...and we'll do the off days on port days where we can find free WiFi in port.  The drink voucher thong works out MUCH better.  We get 10 drinks per day between us...and my wife rarely drinks more than 3...So I get 7--more than enough.  And we can spread those drinks out all day and night...which is all we need.  As Diamond Plus, we also get a half dozen free bottles of water and a free bottle of wine in the room.  In addition to all that, on Royal, we get the Diamond (now "Crown" I guess) Club--which has a 24 hour espresso/cappuccino machine, cocktail hour appetizers and a better atmosphere and service.

Celebrity Elite Plus gives us two free bags of laundry each, RCCL Diamond Plus gives us one each--only makes a difference on LONGER cruises.  So, overall, the RCCL C&A Diamond Plus perks blow away the Celebrity Captain's Club Elite Plus perks.