Bruin Steve

All of the small print makes it a bit confusing... But, from all I can see, none of this helps me at all. I am, independently, Diamond Plus AND Elite Plus...and well into both. IF only they'd COMBINE the points, we'd be only a cruise away from Zenith! As it is, we're pretty far away from Zenith and Pinnacle. All this does for me is to increase the numbers of Elite Plus and Diamond Plus around me, insuring any benefits are overstressed so that the lines cut those benefits back further. As it is, all we really get for Elite Plus is an extra free bag of laundry...and, for Diamond Plus, at least, we get those 5 drink vouchers and two days of WiFi--making it certain we never again buy a drink or WiFi package.

AGAIN: Celebrity had previously reintroduced the Elite Cocktail Hours held in the SKY LOUNGE 1-3 nights per cruise--supposed to be restricted to Elite and above only--several months ago. We were on three cruises that had announced restricted access space in Sky Lounge. It failed miserably as they never cleared space for it. What yesterday's announcements did was: 1) Rescind the dedicated lounge space thing. 2) Add embarkation night to the 5-7 free drinks. What many of us had been hoping for was a return to the dedicated lounge and appetizers so that we could have better service and a more restricted space in which to socialize. Free drinks are immaterial to anyone with a drink package.

Okay... First, this is NOT much of an addition...more of a disguised takeaway. I've recently completed three cruises for a combined 30 nights of cruising--back-to-back 12 nighters on Millennium and a 6 nighter on Summit. And the experience with the Elite Cocktail Hours was interesting, to say the least. First, us longtime Elite and above members recall when the event was really special--held in Michael's Club...with waiters who were incredibly attentive and with passed appetizers nightly. Then, they converted Michael's to a Suite Lounge and moved the nightly event to Sky. Not as intimate a room, but still, appetizers and outstanding service.. Then, because of the increasing numbers of Elite members (what happens with "reciprocity" and with free PUP credits), they went to in addition to the dedicated lounge, the ability to order free drinks at any bar (or, rather, many bars). Some people liked that option, others of us didn't--we weren't availing ourselves of the free drink aspect (especially as we had been sold drink packages), but rather of the great service and the uncrowded room and those appetizers. Then, the pandemic hit and Celebrity discontinued the dedicated lounge space in favor of just those meaningless uncharged drinks. Well, a few months back, Celebrity announced the return of the Elite Cocktail Hours in a DEDICATED LOUNGE for 1 to 3 nights per cruise depending on the length of the cruise. So, when we got to Millennium a few weeks ago, we looked forward to this, The flyer in our room gave the three nights this was to be held and the location: The Sky Lounge, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. So, on the first of these nights, we showed up...only to find out that the Sky Lounge was filled to capacity...not a seat to be found. That many Elite and above? NO. They booked the room for Music Trivia at 4:00 pm and General Trivia at 4:30 pm. When 5:00 came, Trivia was not yet over...and NOBODY in any of those chairs/tables had any intention of leaving. Of course, none of them even knew that a limited event was scheduled for the room. This same pattern held for the next two Elite Cocktail nights as well...AND for the three on the following 12 night cruise. On my 6 night cruise, they had one scheduled...and, again, same thing. The Captain's Club hostess TRIED to put up signs to section off part of Sky...but no one paid attention...and she wasn't about to move anyone out.. A few of the least desirable tables opened up--the ones near the stage, tightly crowded and not near any windows opened up...and she tried to direct Elite members to those...BUT there was no special service...In fact, there was almost NO service as the understaffed bar waiters were overloaded and weren't even passing by that part of the room. I read this "new" policy statement as Celebrity giving up on an Elite Cocktail Lounge completely. But, rather than announcing that, they are trying to phrase it so it SOUNDS like a positive: See--we are adding a night! So, for those without a drink package, you've been granted a couple of extra drinks embarkation night--IF you can find a bar waiter to serve you!

So...I just booked a couple of cruises for next summer...one on RCCL Explorer of the Seas...followed by one on Celebrity Constellation. As always, I book the My Time dining option...So, I head over to the websites to make reservations. No problem for the Celebrity cruise--booked 7:00 pm every night. Head over to RCCL...Can't find a way to do it on the website or on the app. So I go over to the shore excursion options...and there are LOTS of options. None for Day 3 in Katakolon... but there are lots of great choices in Dubrovnik on Day 2... Except...we're not going to Dubrovnik on this one! Day 2 is at sea... So...I head back over to the Celebrity app...where I see it has us in Cabin #9095. Nice cabin...except it's not the one we booked. THAT was our cabin on our last Celebrity cruise earlier this month on Summit. It's all fun... 😁

Back in 2021, we had a cruise planned which ended in Venice...after which, we had plans for an extended post-cruise circling Austria by rental car. Of course, that all blew up with the Pandemic. So, now, we have B2B (sort of...two days in Ravenna between cruises on two different ships) cruises booked for June 2025 which start in Ravenna (Alas, no more Venice!)...So, we're looking at an extended pre-cruise to roughly duplicate the canceled one. Both of us have been to Innsbruck but neither has been to Salzburg or Vienna. I looked at doing it by rental car--but cars have gotten expensive as has gas...and parking while in Vienna...plus, I'd rather avoid driving--though my wife prefers doing it by car to see more scenery. I'm thinking the compromise is to do it somehow by train. The initial thought is, rather than our intended 2021 route (Venice-Innsbruck-Salzburg-Vienna-Graz-Villach-Venice), that we simplify it by flying into Vienna rather than Venice...staying maybe 3 nights in Vienna...then train to Salzburg--2 nights--then train to Innsbruck--1 night--then train to Ravenna the day prior to embarkation and spend that last night in Ravenna. So, 7 nights total pre-cruise. WAY back, when I was in college, I did an entire summer in Europe, traveling everywhere by Eurail Pass. In those days (pre-internet, pre-cell phone), it was EASY. You got a paper card, you got on any train (in second class) and, when they asked to see tickets, you flashed the card. I'm sure things have changed...and there are options. Now, we COULD just buy tickets for individual train rides each time we need one--but I'd prefer less hassle. The Eurail website has a tool where you input your intended itinerary and it tells you which pass to buy. For us, since it's two countries (Austria and Italy), it says to buy a "Global" Pass with four days of usage over a 30 day period. Since we're now both "Seniors". it gives the price for that as $550 total for second class or $698 total for first class. It says there's an extra charge to reserve seats...but that's only necessary on some routes at some times. I assume we'd use it the first time when we leave Vienna to head to Salzburg...second day of usage would be the trip from Salzburg to Innsbruck...third usage would be Innsbruck to Ravenna. We'd be entitled to a fourth...so, maybe between the two cruises, when we have 2 nights in Ravenna, we could use it to take the train to somewhere else in Italy (Bologna? Venice? San Marino? Verona?) and back for a "day trip". Questions: 1) Does the Eurail Pass make sense over trying to book individual rail trips for each segment? 2) What is difference between the First Class and Second Class? Worth an extra $148? The site also mentions an extra $22 pp for "Plus"...but doesn't say what that is...What is it? 3) Do those time frames sound reasonable (3 nights Vienna, 2 nights Salzburg, 1 night Innsbruck) or should we fly in even earlier and add nights? Or, what other schedule adjustments would you make? 4) Any favorite hotels in these cities? (Back in 2021, we had booked the Hilton Vienna Park...I think it was the Hotel Innsbruck in Innsbruck...and I don't recall where we booked for Salzburg). 5) Anything else we should consider? Or not to miss? All advice is appreciated. Thanks.

We used this service when departing our Quantum of the Seas Alaska cruise this past late August... ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. We wish they did the same everywhere. We gave the ship the info on our flight home (late afternoon) and they procured our boarding passes for us. And they got us Alaska Airline luggage tags. They even processed our baggage with our zero fees--which I get with Alaska Airlines due to my American Airlines Million Mile Gold status (I was worried there might be issues with this--but there were none). We placed our luggage outside our cabin the night before...and didn't see them again until we got to the baggage carousel at LAX. This allowed us to leave the ship disembarkation morning with very little to carry (I just kept a small knapsack for my toothbrush/toothpaste and a very few items)...which allowed us to grab a quick Uber or Lyft down to Pike Market...where we spent some time walking around at our leisure and later eating a lunch. Then we easily grabbed the train from there to the Airport...where, without luggage, we easily went through security and to the gate...Never before have I had such an EASY disembarkation from a cruise.

Depends on what you consider a "good" restaurant... There are quite a number of national chain eateries a very short walk away, along the waterfront just across Shoreline Drive: Bubba Gump, Hooter's, Chili's, Outback, PF Chang's, Famous Dave's BBQ, Yard House...plus small local chains and restaurants--Tokyo Wako, Gladstone's (Seafood), Tequila Jack's, Shenanigans and Parker's Lighthouse (Seafood--and great views of the harbor). A short walk up Pine St. (away from the water) and you'll pass California Pizza Kitchen and Islands and get into the heart of Long Beach and more local places and local chains--like Kinbg's Fisdh House--another good seafood choice...So, lot's of choices--though I wouldn't go out of my waya to call any "don't miss"...It all depends on what you want to eat. BUT all are short walking distance from the Hyatt.

Okay...I'm a "local"... I love the Doubletree...AND I have stayed there pre-cruise (We now live a little over an hour from the port, so, often, we extend our holiday and stay nearby for a night pre-cruise. The area is very safe. And, visually, attractive. It is a little removed from the port and from most area restaurants --Though the 22nd Street Landing--Seafood restaurant--is walking distance around the marina. For any of the nice restaurants in Downtown San Pedro (San Pedro Brewing Co,. the Green Onion-Mexican, Rafaello's, Niko's. etc.), the Doubletree will shuttle you there and back for free. There are a few things to see and do in the area...or a short Uber ride into Long Beach to see the Queen Mary or the Aquarium...But after a long flight, you may just want to relax...and the Doubletree is good for that. Here are some photos from our last stay there--the room itself ...and the view from our room:

I've been cruising BOTH lines from back in the late 80s...I'm Diamond Plus AND Elite Plus (without any benefit from "reciprocity"...by the time that began, I was already beyond Diamond and Elite independently)...and I have NEVER received a single point or credit on one line from having cruised on the other. They changed the system from one point per cruise on both lines around 2014-2015...But that change only affected how points were awarded (per night on both lines with Celebrity going to higher multipliers for cabin categories) but NOT for which cruise line you were on. Levels up to Diamond/Elite became reciprocal, but points were NEVER accounted to a line other than the one sailed.

Actually, I didn't have old paper tags. It was a file on my computer. When the tags are available, I save them to a file so I can type in my name in the blank space provided, then print out the file and insert them into my plastic tag holders. Every now and then, I clean out the old, no longer needed files...but I still had this one from December--it's less than 90 days old.

We are on that same B2B--March 28 to April 9 and April 9 to April 21. I'm not worried about the luggage getting there...just curious about the inconsistency. I don't know what good it does for them to print "Captains Club" on the tags. Everyone gets to be a member of Captains Club after one cruise...Seems like the overwhelming majority of passengers will have Captains Club on their tags...Unless they are just wildly inconsistent on the same cruise.

We recently printed out our luggage tags for our Millennium cruise coming up in a couple of weeks... I noticed that these tags, along with the ship/sailing/cabin number, said "Captains Club". I thought, I could swear, they used to be worded differently...So, luckily, I found I still had a tag from my December Eclipse cruise. And, lo and behold, that one didn't say "Captains Club". The Eclipse tags, in that spot, said "Concierge Class"... Just to add specifics, we are, and have been for both of these cruises, ELITE PLUS Captains Club...and for BOTH of these cruises, we are in Concierge Class cabins...So, nothing has really changed. So, who knows why the change in the tag format? Or, is it just lack of consistency?

Only two good hotels in San Pedro: The Crowne Plaza: In the heart of Downtown San Pedro. Walking distance (about 3 blocks) to the pier...though they also have a shuttle (for a fee) or you can do a quick, cheap Uber. LOTS of good, casual, local restaurants withing two blocks of the hotel (Try the San Pedro Brewing Co. or the Green Onion-Mexican- within less than a block. Also a couple of good Italian restaurants very close. The Doubletree: A couple of miles from the pier in a very pretty setting on the small boat marina. Only one restaurant on my list in walking distance--the 22nd Street Landing (seafood) but the hotel will shuttle you to restaurants in Downtown San Pedro for free. Also free shuttle to the pier. I have personally stayed in both for various pre-cruise nights (both offer Cruise and Park options which I have used).

First, the LAX-it thing is not that bad. When they discontinue it, it probably gets worse, not better. With LAX-it, the shuttles are continuous--one after the other...very little waiting. Only thing we don't like is dragging our luggage up and down the bus steps. At the lot itself, things are organized well for finding your ride. And, if you arrive at terminal 1 or even 2 or 8, you don't really even need the bus...You can walk--it's right across a small street from Terminal 1. But, as to getting rid of it, the idea is they will do that when the planned Peoplemover is done with construction...and, then, if I read between the lines, you will need to take the peoplemover to a new off-airport multi-story parking facility, farther from the terminals, which will have an area for Uber/Lyft/Taxi. And you will compete for space on the peoplemover with everyone parking at these off-airport structures or heading to the off-airport car rental center. They really want to move as much traffic as they can away from the inner terminal loop.

Easy enough to park and walk...the lot is right in front of the terminal.

I'm accustomed to driving in from the other direction--down the 110...but it's the same exit either direction--Exit 1C--HARBOR BLVD...if you're coming down the 710 through Long Beach, you'd cross Terminal Island, then the Vincent Thomas Bridge...it's the FIRST exit after crossing the bridge...At the end of the offramp, you will cross Harbor Blvd. and you will be facing the terminal...the loop road parallels Harbor Blvd...You can turn into the lot...or continue around and first drop off passengers and luggage if you like, then circle around again and enter the parking lot.

You could drop off your luggage at the pier, return the car and walk back to the pier...it's only about 3-4 blocks... Or, you could call an Uber...The CP charges $5.95 pp...An Uber to take you that less than 3/4 mile won't cost that much. Or ask Enterprise if they'll drop you back at the pier. They may do it as an accommodation.

We've done a few Northern Europe cruises over the years...So, we've been to the major ports several times each--Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo, Tallinn...We're fairly comfortable visiting these on our own if we don't have a tour. But, this July/August, we're doing a couple of legs on Royal Caribbean's World Cruise...and there are a lot of smaller ports that will be new to us. Here's our itinerary: Fri., 26 July Southampton, England Departs 7:00 PM Sat., 27 July Bruges/Zeebrugge, Belgium 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sun., 28 July at sea Mon., 29 July Skagen, Denmark 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM Tues., 30 July Warnemunde, Germany 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM Wed., 31 July at sea Thurs.,1 August Riga, Latvia 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Fri., 2 August Tallinn, Estonia 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sat., 3 August Helsinki, Finland 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sun., 4 August Stockholm, Sweden Arrives 9:00 AM Mon., 5 August Stockholm, Sweden Departs 6:00 PM Tues., 6 August Visby, Sweden 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Wed., 7 August Klaipeda, Lithuania 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Thurs., 8 August Ronne, Denmark 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Fri., 9 August Kiel, Germany 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sat., 10 August Copenhagen, Denmark 6:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sun., 11 August Aarhus, Denmark 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM Mon., 12 August Oslo, Norway 10:30 AM - 8:00 PM Tues., 13 August Kristiansand, Norway 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Wed., 14 August Haugesund, Norway 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Thurs., 15 August Olden, Norway 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Fri., 16 August Alesund, Norway 8:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sat., 17 August Bergen, Norway 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sun., 18 August At Sea Mon., 19 August Amsterdam, Netherlands Arrives 6:00 AM Now, the ports new to us are: Skagen, Visby, Ronne, Kiel, Aarhus, Kristiansand and Haugesund. We've been to Olden and Alesund before, but only once each and it's been a while. We already have tours booked for Bruges, Warnemunde, Riga and Klaipeda. Royal Caribbean's shorexes seem awfully expensive and, since they started selling the full World Cruise quite a while ago, many shorexes are already sold out. Others, even though they keep running "sales", they haven't been discounting most of their shorexes. The ones they do are like 5% off. Usually, if we haven't been to a port before, we'll book some sort of tour...but $300-$400 for a 3 or 4 hour shorex seems excessive. So, for the above list of new, unplanned ports, I'm wondering: 1) For which of these ports does the ship dock close enough that you can just walk into town and visit easily on your own? 2) Is there anything in these ports that we just should not miss? 3) Are there any nearby towns worth finding transportation to that are worth the extra journey...better than staying in the port town? 4) Any providers worth using either prearranged via internet...or do any just set up near the port and offer group tours? Thanks.

Here's the deal: YES, it is a VERY unusual storm for us...That's because the average YEARLY rainfall in Los Angeles is only about 11 inches. And over the past decade or so, about 80% of the years can only be classified as "extreme drought". We've had several years with only 5 or 6 inches of rain. We've been forced to NOT water our lawns...turning them into dead, brownyards. So, THIS much rain IS a major story here. And, yes, there ARE places around here where there is a little "flooding". But it's not like flooding one sees in other parts of the world where whole houses are washed away. And, in a city this large, you can find plenty of places where someone's hillside has been undermined or a normally dry street looks like a river for a small distance. But, again, it's NIT extensive. But, since it's such a big story here, the news stations send reporters and camera crews to the worst instances...and those "stories" have made it to gthe national news. But, for MOST of us...even those like me-who live in the areas with the most rainfall...it's really just rain. No flooding, no mudslides. Just bring an umbrella when you walk outside...and drive a little slower because roads are slick. Normal life for most of the rest of you. But, here in SoCal, people just have no idea what all this wet stuff is or why it appears to be falling from the sky. And, there really is ZERO impact for areas like San Pedro, Long Beach, LAX, LGB...even Burbank has seen just ordinary rain. There's nothing that would keep airplanes from landing or taking off and nothing that would keep your cruise ship from embarking or disembarking. If your travel plans included walking the Venice Beach Boardwalk or doing some hot air ballooning today, you may want to rethink that...maybe visit a museum today and visit Venice Beach tomorrow. Winds have been 10-15 mph. This is NOTHING like, say, hurricanes in Florida. Our worst weather day in SoCal is the equivalent of a good day in Miami!

Here's today's report (with a lot of numbers) from the LA Daily News: Rain map: Here are the wettest spots in Los Angeles County – Daily News The town next to me, Topanga, reported 11.94 inches of rain...BUT, the areas you need to be concerned with? In that same period, LGB Airport reported 2.21 inches of rain...West Long Beach shows (on the map) 2.75 inches...Point Vicente, near San Pedro, shows a mere 1.19 inches of rain... ...And those numbers were all yesterday. The storm looks to be just about passed this morning. By next Monday? According to Accuweather.com ZERO rain: https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/long-beach/90802/daily-weather-forecast/347631?day=7

Flip a coin? Very similar. Do you want to rack up Hilton points? Or Marriott Bonvoy points? Maybe find which restaurant you'll likely eat at and pick the one with the shorter walk? This is a large shopping mall area. The Doubletree is West of the mall across the street, the Marriott is North of the mall across the street. Unless you have a specific liking for one chain or the other, you probably would not see a difference.

A little update: I live in a town that is one of the more susceptible areas to impact from a storm. We are atop the Santa Monica Mountains, inland from the coast at Malibu. Several canyon roads wind through these mountains. During "fire season", this is the area most often impacted from wildfires--so, during the rainy season, it's also where there is the most danger from mudslides, etc. Also, since clouds get stopped by the higher mountains, we might get a little more rain than most. The City just sent out an email to residents with the latest update: "Car v. power pole at Mulholland Highway and Canyon Drive in the Highlands. SCE says the intersection will be closed all night as crews make repairs. Please avoid the area. Close to seven inches of rain has fallen on Calabasas in the last two days. More on the way tonight through tomorrow Partial clearing Wednesday. Some mud and rocks have been cleared from roadways but, so far, no major damage in our city." So, basically, we've been hit with a LOT of rain...and the area in the highest mountain canyons have been hit by a minor amount of rocks and mud --which has been easily cleared away by city crews--as well as being inconvenienced by one stupid driver who hit a power pole. Other than that, yeah, it's been raining...but for me and most of my neighbors, everything is just very normal...but wet. I did have some dead fronds off one of my palm trees fall off and into my pool. And, yes, I've seen tape on some news stations showing a little minor "flooding" in some areas--but realize that those incidents are actually quite rare. Most of the warnings here just tell folks not to drive if you don't need to and consider not driving into the canyons and avoiding driving in areas that look to have a little standing water. Still haven't seen a single story where the harbor areea is impacted or cruise ships have been impacted.

Okay...remember, this is Southern California. On an average year, we get 11 inches of rain...for the entire year. It's BIG news--"Major Storm" when we get 2 or 3 inches...We get "Flood Warnings", "High Surf Advisories" and the like. Like we are seeing now. They advise people to go get sand bags and protect their property. Not becaise it rains so much, but because it usually NEVER rains. The rest of the year, it's incredibly dry. So, in areas like where I live--in the Santa Monica Mountains--we get brush fires during the long dry season. And, when hillsides burn, it leaves them without the vegetaion and root systems that keep the soil in place. So, in many areas, musdslides become a concern. That's what WE worry about when we say "floods". it's not like parts of the world where rivers overflow and low-lying land is under several feet of water. That doesn't happen here. Our "rivers" are usually dry or nearly dry. (I used to have an office virtually hanging over the Santa Ana River in Orange. I once told that to someone I was doing business with back east and they asked "So, can you take a boat to work?" I laughed and replied, "Yeah...if my boat has WHEELS!" Anyway, our "major" rivers were long ago "channelized"...Cement walls, bike paths, jogging trails. Yesterday, in San Pedro, they got 0.4 inches of rain. Today, they predicted 0.29 inches today...and a deluge--1.36 inches tonight...between the two, it's expected to rain for 12 hours...which means it won't rain the other 12. In most of the world, that's not a storm...it's just "normal". I haven't heard of any ships being affected...but, if I had to guess, it might be a little rocky at times.

I've been on 70 cruises...and even some that have allegedly docked that early...BUT I cannot remember a single cruise that started off-loading passengers earlier than 7:00-7:30...One thing in your favor here is that the port prior to disembarkation, you're already back in Japan. Even so, I would NOT attempt 11:00 am. Getting to Haneda will take at least a half an hour, Narita at ltast an hour and a half (and that's by car, public transportation takes a LOT longer)...and that is WITHOUT traffic...which, in Tokyo, can be bad. And figure you may need time to gather your luggage, you need time to walk off the ship and to wherever you catch your transportation ...and you need to check in, check your luggage, make it through security and gt to your gate. I just would not book anything until after noon for HND...or before 2:00 pm for NRT.

Be wary of what you wish for. First, the hope is that the Peoplemover will be operational "in time for the 2028 Olympics". It will have only three stops within the terminal ring...then three more stops a bit to the east along 96th Street...One at the Metro Station, one at a large rental car area and a third at something called the "Intermodal Transportation Facility-West", a VERY LARGE parking structure, described here: https://www.gatewayla.org/project-intermodal-transportation-facilities-itf-eastwest Sure sounds to me like this will be the new location for Uber/Lyft, Taxis and other forms of ground transportation--so, even further from your terminal than LAX-it. We've actually become accustomed to LAX-it...it's really not that bad...There are busues arriving constantly at every terminal and it makes it fairly easy to find your ride. The peoplemover trains will only handle a certain number of passengers each and you'll have to walk to one of the three airport terminal area stations.