mrte62

We were all set to book this cruise for October of 2019... we have done the San Juan to Bayonne repositioning twice... and just learned what was posted above ... no perks of any kind on the repositioning cruise .... even with the nice discount our travel agent found, it will still be cheaper to book a seven day cruise flying somewhere .... ugh .... you live and learn ....

Final observations:

 

 

 

Columbia Tower was less touristy and had better vantage points than then Space Needle.

 

 

 

The best area we saw whales was the Strait of Juan de Fuca going into Victoria.

 

 

 

Don’t be afraid to order multiple things at dinner. They were no judgements at all.

 

 

 

On the White Pass Train, left going up, left going down for the more scenic ride.

 

 

 

I read somewhere that the room storage would be limited. We had plenty. No need for over the door hangers.

 

 

 

Unless you are afraid of the dark. No need for a night light. The light of the ship kept the room lit because we kept the curtains open. Unless you are a light sleeper the bathroom light is not bothersome.

 

 

 

I read somewhere that they don’t have bananas on cruises, they did on this one.

 

 

 

The public restroom stall are very private and clean, especially by the fancy restaurants.

 

 

 

I read here about hospital-grade Clorox wipes. They did smell very bleachy but left a large amount of residue everywhere we used them, including the airplane tv screens. I would skip them. Would still wipe down surfaces in the room but regular wipes would probably do.

 

 

 

It pays to tip your room steward ahead of time. I cannot tell you what she did. But, it made a great difference for the rest of the cruise and she tried to fulfill any need we had. She made our cruise much more comfortable. And did not removed our extra six blankets we had to sit on the balcony. It was very cold and windy out there.

 

 

 

The port of Seattle is offering a luggage service to guests to check your bag through to your final destination. With No Over The Weight Fees. This was most helpful on the final night.

 

 

 

I do think we over-tipped some people. Most of our guides thought we were very generous. So either they don’t get a lot of tips and maybe one should stick to $10-$20.

 

 

 

Because I was in class part of the days, I tried to do too much. I was more exhausted than when I left. The prizes in trivia are trivial so if you have something else you want to do instead, do it. There are 200 people playing bingo so your chances are slim, although Mom did win. If you really want to do something, go for it. The ladies in the spa had there noses in the air when we ask for the tour. But, I knew I wanted to experience the Persian Garden and found it to be one of the more enjoyable parts of my trip. So don’t let people’s attitudes get to you.

 

 

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I am asking the same question. I checked with a few of the companies and most depart prior to cruise ships arriving in port. They make no exceptions in their departure times. Only Adrenaline Tours has a half day and full day tour. The full day means getting a group together of ten and renting the boat.

Hope someone can add some additional insight.

Getting ready to board the Infinity and have spent the last two days at this bran new Residence Inn which shares space with a Springhill Suites.

New, clean with plenty of space. Wonderful staff, very helpful. We will literally walk 300 feet across the street to board the ship. $15 cab ride from the airport. Walking distance to Seaport Village and the Gaslamp District. So new it does not show up on several map/GPS locators.

If you are a Marriott person and taking a cruise to/from San Diego, a good place to stay.

Does anyone have copies of the Celebrity Today covering the full Panama Canal Transit?

We are getting set for the 15 day cruise from San Diego to Miami departing on April 11th.

Thanks!

We board the Infinity on April 11 for the San Diego-Miami Panama Canal cruise. First time on an M-class ship - have sailed on the Solstice and Reflection and loved them both. Curious to see how the Infinity Aqua Class cabins/amenities compare between M-class and S-class. We love Blu and hope we are just as pleased on this cruise.

We found you here too!

Did Aqua Class on the Silhouette and it was wonderful. Blu was a separate location as opposed to a carve out of the main dining room we are going to get on the Infinity.

We are booked on a 9-night Baltic cruise this September on the Star. We took advantage of the All-Inclusive Package.

While sitting home waiting out the blizzard, I called NCL and asked how do I book a shore excursion using the $200 credit without getting charged. Same question for reservations using the Ultimate Dining Package. I was told that because this package is an add-on, the computer system of NCL does not recognize it, even though pulling up the reservation, the package and what it includes is clearly spelled out. I was told that we would have to wait till we get onboard in order to make those reservations. "You need to get on board as earlier as you can and then make all the plans you can ASAP." That was the answer.

Is that true? If so it makes no sense. We could be shut out of a tour, a diner time/location (I know Freestyle) just because we purchased a package and not items a la carte?

Friday, March 21, 2014

Noon

On the March 16th sail of the Celebrity Silhouette the Cruise Critics planned a wine tasting, patterned after an event held annually on the Celebrity Summit repositioning cruise in the spring. For a group that did not discuss what they were bringing in detail, there was a variety, and a great discussion of local wineries, individual tastes, and even a successful private stock, wine maker’s experience to share.

Cara and Jeff of Florida, Jim and Missy of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Keith & Susan of Houston, TX, Ed and Dee Kurtz from Austin TX, and Ray and Monica from South River, NJ, brought two bottles of wine that were of significance to them—either from an event, or that they just like, or from their homes.

Cruise Critics were honored to know that Cara and Jeff were celebrating their fifth anniversary—that very day. They brought a wine that they had shared for their wedding, Our Dog Blue, from Chateau Morisette, and which according to the winery website “was the result of a love affair between the Morrisette family and the rural Virginia countryside. In 1978, William, Nancy and David Morrisette planted the first vines and the vision of Chateau Morrisette became a small reality. Mrs. Nancy Morrisette stated in 1988 that the winery began as a hobby that soon got out of hand.” More information about the winery in the Blue Ridge Mountains can be found at www.thedogs.com. Great story and it looks like a destination to us.

Cara and Jeff’s other wine, Moscato di Asti, Bersano, Product of Italy, was held to taste last with the dessert wines, and little did some of us know that a real treat was in store for the end of the tasting! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscato_d'Asti

Jim and Missy of Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, screen name “Snow Bunny,” offered their wines next. Missy brought Santa Margherita Pino Grigiot, which was clean, crisp and refreshing. It is a wine that Missy can pick up in Ft. Lauderdale, and she first tried on a previous cruise. More information about the Italian roots and background of her choice of pinot can be found at: http://www.santamargherita.us/

Jim, as it turns out, makes his own wine. He began in 1992 with a wine making kit that was a gift, and now has six carboys going at all times. He brought a Catena Malbec, 2011, which Ray from NJ had to admit that he liked, even though he prefers white wine. Jim said that he can make wine now for about $2 per bottle.

Susan and Keith offered their wines next. Susan chose a chardonay from MerSoleil of St. Lucia Highlands, http://www.wagnerfamilyofwine.com/ she tried at a wine tasting dinner. Keith brought a Duckhorn Red Paraduxx wine made in California by Duckhorn Wineries http://www.paraduxx.com/Visit —they are most famous for their merlot cab zinfandel blend—a trend that all of us had noticed—even those of us who are usually in the store for beer.

Ed and Dee Kurtz are members of The Wine Society, http://www.thewinesociety.com/home-page and have tasted some great wines along the way. The taste we had of the Driftwood Vineyards Alamo Red, http://www.driftwoodvineyards.com/index.html which if memory serves is a blend of merlot and cabernet sauvignon was a treat. Their other selection for us was a Fall Creek Vinyards, Texas Hill Country, 2010 Tempranillo: http://shop.fcv.com/prod-357022/Fall-Creek-Tempranillo-Salt-Lick-Vineyards.html Great information about pairing on their website, and to get this wine it will have to be a destination because it was only available by visiting the vineyard—thanks from all of us! For those of us who do not live in the region, it was interesting to hear about the surge in the vineyard business in Texas.

Ray and I (Monica) went last because both of our wines were dessert wines from New Jersey. From the Laurita Winery, which has a nice wagon ride through their vineyard and a chalet-style shop and restaurant to see onsite, http://www.lauritawinery.com/, we brought a Chocolate Therapy. I was worried that it may be taken because it looks like Bailey’s Irish Cream, but we were able to share it. The other choice was Almond Berry Wine from the Cream Ridge Winery in New Jersey, http://www.creamridgewinery.com/ . We were surprised to find as many wineries in central New Jersey—and more can be found on the New Jersey Wine Trail Weekends website one fall weekend when we were looking for something to do with visitors, http://www.newjerseywinetrails.com/wine-trail-maps.html

Thanks to all of you—it was too much fun. Note to self—arrange for food and standard wine snacks first!