Bruin Steve

Thanks... About that earlier thread: I forgot to refer back to that...but also figured that, from that time many months ago to today, our plans are much more concrete and structured. At that time, we had no ide how many days we would spend there or where we would stay...neither did we have plans as to any organized tours. We were looking for recommendations as to hotels and tour providers. Now that we have those in place, my questions are a little more focused. I probably should have appended this to that thread rather than starting a new one. Mea culpa.

I've done a lot of cruises since I've started using a CPAP...and have found every ship a little different... Recently, on Navigator of the Seas, there were no outlets anywhere near the back of the bed...so I had to request an extension cord...and string it all along the walls, clear around the cabin. On Celebrity Apex--a brand new ship--we were in a Sky Suite and they had an outlet right at at the nightstand. Why can't all ships be designed like this? On one of the older Celebrity ships--it may have been Millennium, but I don't recall with any certainty, we found the lamp on the nightstand plugged into a Euro outlet right behind the bed...which worked well since I have an adapter that turns a Euro outlet into two outlets--one Euro, one US...So I could unplug the lamp, insert the adapter and then plug in both the lamp and the CPAP. Now, this April, I will be on Infinity for a Tranatlantic. Before I call Celebrity to request an extension cord, the question is whether or not there are any usable outlets for a CPAP in a standard balcony cabin on Infinity... Anyone know? Thanks...

I've done a lot of cruises since I've started using a CPAP...and have found every ship a little different... On Navigator of the Seas, there are no outlets anywhere near the back of the bed...so I've had to request an extension cord...and string it all along the walls, clear around the cabin. On Celebrity Apex--a brand new ship--we were in a Sky Suite and they had an outlet right at at the nightstand. Why can't all ships be designed like this? On one of the older Celebrity ships, we found the lamp on the nightstand plugged into a Euro outlet right behind the bed...which worked well since I have an adapter that turns a Euro outlet into two outlets--one Euro, one US...So I could unplug the lamp, insert the adapter and then plug in both the lamp and the CPAP. Now, this April, I will be on Symphony of the Seas for the first time. Before I call RCCL to request an extension cord, the question is whether or not there are any usable outlets for a CPAP in a standard balcony cabin... Anyone know? Thanks...

Hoping someone could give me some ideas. Thanks.

We're cruising out of Seattle on Quantum of the Seas in August and flying in the day before. We don't have any reason to sightsee in Seattle, just want to relax...and a reasonable price. My feeling is most major chain airport hotels are fairly similar...and we just need a shuttle from the airplane, a pleasant room and breakfast. We ended up booking this one: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/wingate/seatac-washington/wingate-seatac-airport/overview?CID=LC:WG::GGL:RIO:National:50618&iata=00093796 ...it has free airport shuttle, free breakfast and an exercise room...It's fairly new (built in 2019) and gets pretty good reviews...

Carnival has multiple ships sailing out of Long Beach so there's usually one leaving most days...and that Residence Inn is very close...and those Carnival ships hold a LOT of passengers... If your flight arrives at LAX at Noon Wednesday, realize that it is going to take some time t actually collect your luggage, find your ground transportation and get down to the harbor. I've stayed at the Crowne Plaza and have made it down there before noon and checked in early...and not waited until official check-in town. If they have a room available, they won't make you wait. Otherwise, the hotel will keep your luggage. The restaurants in San Pedro are much closer to the Crowne Plaza than the ones in Long Beach are to the Residence Inn Downtown--where you need to cross the bridge...and, with one night, you really only need one restaurant. Unless you have a specific desire to go see the Aquarium or the Queen Mary--and with little time left on your Wednesdy afternoon--I would choose to opt the convenience of being in San Pedro and near your ship.

Some people like HOHO buses, others don't. If there is a problem doing it in a city as large and widespread as Los Angeles, it's this: In order to even somewhat efficiently cover it, the route is made up of three "loops"--Santa Monica, Hollywood and Downtown. In order to get to all of them, one must change buses twice. The loops each operate limited hours for some odd reason...And, since each loop takes a couple of hours even if you don't get off the bus anywhere, you really need to plan out your day carefully so as to avoid being stranded far from home. And there is inefficiency built in since you need to take the entire loop...you can't, for example, just go to Hollywood/Highland and return directly. You can get on anywhere and buy your tickets on the bus, I believe...or buy them at a kiosk at some stops or ahead of time on the website: https://www.starlinetours.com/en/city-sightseeing-hop-on-hop-off-double-decker On the other hand, there are several tour companies serving LA providing more traditional tours...everything from two-hours to full days...which are much easier to figure out as they plan it all for you. Most either start their tours from Hollywood or from Santa Monica. Many will pick up at most Santa Monica hotels while others have convenient start points either on Ocean Avenue or on the Third Street Promenade. If using ANY tour, contact them directly and ask about pick-up/starting point. Personally, unless I was thoroughly organized and armed with all sorts of contingency plans, I would find a complete standard tour rather than a HOHO in Los Angeles.

I always have a good laugh when on ANY cruise that leaves San Pedro on embarkation day at, say, 5:00 pm and pulls into Catalina at 8:00 am the next morning....WORLD'S SLOWEST SHIP! I just keep thinking back to the old Four Preps song from 1958:

When is/was this cruise? How did it all work out (or if not yet, can you come back and let us know?)? We are flying in on April 9/10 for a Celebrity Infinity cruise on April 19. We are booked for three nights at the Hilton Copacabana...and one of the few things we haven't yet figured out is transportation GIG to Hilton and Hilton to cruise port...

We will be doing a 13 night Rio to Lisbon cruise on Celebrity Summit, followed by a second cruise in the Western Med on Symphony of the seas...The start of all this will be 3 days in Rio--a city we know little about. So, I have lots of questions... We arrive in Rio at 8:15 am, Monday April 10…after leaving LAX around 1:00 pm Pacific time on Sunday and changing planes in Houston. Staying for three nights at the Hilton Copacabana (INCLUDES breakfast) before boarding Celebrity Infinity on April 13. So… Day 1: Arriving 8:15 am sounds great…until you realize that this is 3:15 am Pacific time and we will have been traveling about 18 hours including Uber, airport time and two flights…We will be dead tired…and our body clocks will be off by five hours…So, we are not planning on doing much that day other than relaxing and eating. Questions: Best way to get from GIG to the Hilton? Taxi? Uber? Something else? How do we find it after baggage claim? We will likely venture out for lunch and, later, for dinner…We don’t need fancy or gourmet. Usually, we just want CASUAL, inexpensive, easy. Any recommendations near Hilton? Anything–Sandwiches, pizza, burgers, local food–will do. Same for dinner. We don’t know Rio. Never been there. We feel safe enough most places we’ve traveled but everyone tells us to be careful in Rio. Should we plan on doing dinner EARLY to avoid walking at night? Any other tips? Day 2: We have a tour booked: “VIP A day in Rio” with City Rio Turismo…hotel pickup at 8:55 am. Christ the Redeemer by Corcovado Train, the Maracanã (outside area), the Sambódromo, the São Sebastião Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro, the Selarón Staircase and the Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car, lunch at Rodizio Steakhouse. I figure this is a pretty packed day…and covers most of what we need to see in Rio. So, for this day, I am only concerned with finding an option for dinner. Day 3: The open day. Haven’t planned anything. Any ideas? Day 4: Checking out and heading to the ship. Taxi? Uber? Anything else we should really know? Thanks in advance...

I am a local...lived in various parts of Southern California virtually my entire life. My number one recommendation--by far--is Santa Monica. Epecially if you won't have a car or don't want to deal with driving/parking in LA. Santa Monica hotels can be pricey...but worth every dollar. First off, it is in one of the better neighborhoods of LA--better weather (and, yes, that varies greatly in SoCal from one area to another), more upscale, safer, more pedestrian friendly... From Santa Monica, you can pick up all sorts of tours into Hollywood, etc. or you can get the HOHO bus...or, if you are brave and want to try and figure it out, you can even use the Metro to get to Downtown and Hollywood. But, most importantly, it gives you a lot of iconic LA attractions within easy walking distance or a short Uber ride. And there is lots to do in the evenings as well. Stay in a hotel near the Santa Monica Pier/Third Street Promenade/Palisades Park. Loews, Marriott LeMarigot, Fairmont Miramar, Huntley, Shutters-on-the-Beach, Marriott Courtyard, Hampton Inn, Pierside (formerly Wyndham), Georgian, Ocean View... You can find a lot of shops and restaurants nearby...Lots of street performers along the Third Street Promenade...walk along the cliffs at Palisades Park at sunset...enjoy the attractions on the Santa Monica Pier. The iconic Venice Beach Boardwalk is a short Uber ride (or even public bus) away. It's a quick Uber ride to the Getty Center Museum or to the Getty Villa... It's about a ten mile Uber ride north of LAX...and 30 miles south to get to San Pedro for the cruise...really not all that bad...

Just remember that, if you are on Carnival Panorama, you will be sailing out of LONG BEACH, not San Pedro...so you will have a ride in the morning...Of course, its not that long a ride--about six miles...to the other side of the harbor.

I got it as well... ...and I just disembarked Navigator this past Friday... ...and I embark Symphony on April 30...and Quantum August 21... So...I'm not sure which cruise I need to complete the muster drill for???

To be clear, the Maya Doubletree is maybe 15-20 minutes drive, if that, (or Uber/Lyft/Taxi) from the SAN PEDRO cruise terminal...It's actually walking distance to the Carnival Cruise Terminal--which is right next to the Queen Mary....

There are some posters on here who believe the airport area is a reasonable choice...It's largely and unexciting industrial area but they have built a little retail and a few places to eat in recent years...but, again, to me, largely unexciting. If you want to do little else but relax in your hotel room and Uber to the port in the morning, it's acceptable. If you are planning on Ubering to downtown and back, you will be doing tht ride three times (there and back then to the port in the morning). The Downtown area is more designed for tourists. You can visit the Aquarium or the Queen Mary. There is tourist-oriented shopping in a couple of retail complexes and a large choice of restaurants. And it's a more pleasant area to walk around. $500 sounds a bit high to me...but, is that two rooms--one for you, one for the kids? Oh, also important--are you flying in to LGB or to LAX? That would also make a difference in my thinking...

I'm not sure any of that is because of air2sea. Airports each have a rule as to how early you can check your luggage. It's a security/logistics issue. Same restriction no matter how you book your ticket. Multiuple schedule changes, again, is the airlines' doing. Air2sea does not set or change the schedules. Change fees vary from airline to airline and ticket type to ticket type. At least with air2sea these don't apply until after final payment.

I have used air2sea quite a lot on recent cruises. A lot of posters on these boards tend to blame them for everything that goes wrong...HOWEVER...a lot of what goes wrong lately is the fault of the AIRLINES. Air2Sea is merely an agent, a consolidator. They only book the flights...and often at a very good price since their deals are not necessarily based on current airline public pricing...and at VERY good terms--NO PAYMENT NEEDED UNTIL FINAL CRUISE PAYMENT...plus, you can CANCEL (or change) ANY TIME up to final payment. All of the flight cancelations, schedule changes, etc. are caused by the AIRLINES. Most of the airlines have gone a little off the rails of late--due to the pandemic, due to financial instability caused by the pandemic and other causes...and a whole lot of other issues. Not being able to make advance seat reservations is due to constabtly changing policies by many airlines. Many airlines do not allow ANY advance seat reservations without substantial additional fees. This is only one way airlines have found to squeeze additional money out of the customer. Some airlines won't allow seat assignments until the ticket is issued--usually when paid in full. It CAN be a problem with air2sea--but only because you have chosen to defer payment. You can always pay it in full at reservation and get a ticket issued--and then you will be able to reserve seats--though often still with a fee. You also might be wise to researrch the airlines before going to air2sea and only book with an airline that allows free immediate seat reservations...there are still some. Also helps to ASK the air2sea agent to give you the actual ticket number, not just the 6 letter/digit code. That number means they actually ticketed it--which often allows you to contact the airline and arrange seats--and not just wait for the surprise at check-in. BTW, if you book directly with an airline, you will have to pay in full at booking, changes/cancelations may be heavily restricted...AND, you will still find yourself with surprise cancelations and schedule changes...AND, when you try to contact the airline, you may find as much of a runaround. My daughter had a Christmas night flight canceled by Alaska Airlines (booked directly, not a cruise) and was on hold EIGHT HOURS waiting for an agent to rebook. We fly a lot--both for cruises AND non-cruise flights--and we have had great frustration working with ANYONE in the industry.

I don’t know which of the Hiltons mskaufman stayed at, but we’ve stayed at the Hilton on Diagonal in the Financial District—a good location for business, but I do not consider it a good location for tourists. I would stay near the Placa Catalunya whenever possible- walking distanc3 to most of what you’ll want to see. The first time we stayed at the H10 Catalunya Plaza, it was a standard double—a bit small but reasonably decent. The next visit, we upgraded a level and room was a bit better (and fewer stairs within the room). The first room had stairs between the bed area and the bathroom- which bothered m6 wife. Personally, I’d be okay with either room…even for multiple nights. We were there two nights rhe first time, three the second.

I, literally, just got home from the January 20-27 sailing of the Navigator of the Seas. Getting there by Lyft (I always check both) was easy. Calabasas to the pier in San Pedro, including a nice tip, cost me $65. The return was just a little more complicated--a LARGE crowd out in front of the terminal at about 9:15--when we made it through immigration after picking up our luggage. The center island, where Uber picks up, was jammed. Even so, we had our Uber in about 14-15 minutes--and the fare was a little higher--with tip, we paid about $89 and change. But, considering the demand--and that we were venturing ut onto the LA freeeways during "late rush hour"--we don't think that was that bad for the 50+ mile trip. So, total cost, both ways, was around $155. Parking at the pier alone would have cost us $140. Five gallons of gas (not even considering wear and tear on the car and adding mileage to the car) at about $4.50 per gallon would have been at least another $20...And we saved having to leave our car exposed at the pier parking lot for a week. Plus, we got dropped off and picked up right at the terminal. This has become a no-brainer for us. I was frightened a bit at first by the large number of people waiting for an Uber...but it really did not affect us much.

It's free SPECIALTY coffees...Capuccinos, Lattes, etc. Regular coffee is free...

The April 9 cruise has ALWAYS been the most "sold-out" of the lot. Originally, that was the cruise prior to the Tranpacific scheduled for all of those prior (canceled) years. Many of us had planned to do the B2B combining it with the Transpacific so as to end up in Vancouver rather than flying home from Tokyo. Plus, it's more of an "around Japan" itinerary than the one prior--the March 28--which goes far south down to Okinawa...and those two cruises make up the heart of Cherry Blossom time. April 9 was the first date to be sold out...for every year including 2024. Therefore, extremely likely that the "oversell" on this cruise is greater than the March cruises...So, it may be possible that the March cruises, from time to time, cross over into a gray zone, the April 9 cruise is likely to stay in the area where Celebrity won't even take on additional guarantee bookings...hence it is completely off-the-board. NOT CANCELED, just not available for booking...or even consideration of booking. I am booked on BOTH the March 28 and April 9 sailings...and I am fairly certain that if either were in jeopardy, I would have heard. Most likely, the onboard future cruises agent is fairly clueless. It has always amazed me what those agents DON'T know. Same with most of the telephone reps.

Sorry to revive a ten day old thread...but I was reviewing my benefits before my Navigator OTS cruise Friday. For this cruise, the laundry benefit isn't that big a deal since it's only 7 nights (though my wife wants to have them do some laundry so she doesn't have to wash that much when she gets home). The real challenge is our April trip. We fly overnight to Rio...then 3 nights in Rio...then 13 nights Transatlantic to Lisbon on Celebrity (as Elite Plus, we get two free bags each)...followed by three nights in Lisbon and one in Barcelona...then 7-nights on Symphony OTS (Diamond Plus...so one bag each?)...then one night in Barcelona, then the flight home... So, 30 days/29 nights total...with 4 bags of laundry some time during days 5-17 and 2 more bags between days 22-29 (approximately)...So, how many days do we pack for? And, yes, I know we can also just pay for additional laundry...but, with six free bags, we probably don't need to--if we plan correctly.

I really hope this post was "tongue-in-cheek"... They are NOT chartered... NO cruiseline would take a sailing that is already sold out and make a deal to charter it...There is ZERO financial value in doing that...and they would have an incredible number of headaches having to reschedule and otherwise deal with a large number of customers. You only do a charter deal early in the process--when few (or no) cabins have yet to be booked...

If you want to walk just a litte bit from the pier, head past the USS Iowa and turn right at 6th--near the Crowne Plaza... There's a nail place on your route, on 6th, just past the CP... The Nail Tailor | Nail Art Studio | San Pedro In another couple of blocks, you hit Gaffey...and, at 6th and Gaffey, there's a Rite Aid drug store and a Supercuts...There are a few more nail salons on Gaffey between 9th and 15th...and a CVS at 8th and Gaffey...And a Vons Supermarket at 12th and Gaffey...

Oh, boy!! Puts me up to 1,233... Now I'm at only 1,767 points until Zenith... That's only 127 7-night cruises in an OV cabin...or 85 7-night cruises in a balcony cabin...or 51 7-night cruises in a Concierge or Aqua... So...hmmmmm...if I take four Celebrity cruises a year....I'll get there by the age of 81...or 91...or 101... Can't wait!