tampatramp

Alaska cruises have to be canceled if no Canada port stop, your cruise can skip the Canadian ports. I have no idea what O will do, but if I was in charge I would add an overnight or another port stop in Iceland and the cruise would go. Cruise lines often cancel or add ports, it's not a big deal IMO.

Steven

aka tampatramp from San Francisco 

2 hours ago, kangforpres said:

I found this NYT article very sobering, even if you have a Signature Beverage Package. The most efficient cruise ships produce 3 to 4 times the amount of carbon per passenger mile then an airliner. Remember if a train is a viable option take it. It the least carbon emitting way to travel.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/03/travel/traveling-climate-change.html?searchResultPosition=1

 

-Paul

I find cruising ten times more enjoyable per mile than flying. As soon as trains travel on the water.... And I'm not the only one, that's why there are more than a hundred cruise ships being (or planned to be) built. [ here's a cruise critic  article on some of them:  

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=167 ]

New Cruise Ships on Order - Cruise Critic.webloc

22 minutes ago, whogo said:

We have lived through all this before. I am surprised that so many posters on this thread are unfamiliar with civil disobedience as a form of protest. It was civil disobedience that brought independence to India, it was civil disobedience that helped give women the vote, civil disobedience that ended segregation in the US, and civil disobedience that helped end the draft and the Viet Nam war.

 

To engage in civil disobedience is to risk arrest and imprisonment in a civilized country, or beatings, torture, and extrajudicial murder elsewhere. Civil disobedience is not going away.

You are absolutely right. Here's another fact: there are over a hundred cruise ships being built (see some here- https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=167 ) . Cruising is not going away!  happy cruising!

28 minutes ago, Zouave said:

On Viking Orion Tokyo to Vancouver.  Ever since boarding the Viking itinerary app has listed the stop in Petropavlovsk as Petra, Jordan.  We’ve mentioned it to staff several times but it never gets corrected.  Important because you need weather information for the cruise port.

We were just in Petra and it was cold and rainy; which doesn't help you since you'll be in Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka Siberia. It is a shame the only way to find out the weather  there is on the Viking app. I wish Viking had free wifi and there was a weather site somewhere I could look up. Yes, they should correct their site.

7 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

With sufficient horsepower, docking a ship, it isn't much more challenging than parking a car - provided the wind isn't blowing.🙂

that's good to know. I'm good at parking, I guess I'm lucky my car has brakes- I should have ordered ones for my boat. I wonder why the Jupiter captain/pilot didn't just hit the brakes, back up, and try again.

18 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

I assume you are on the April 25th sailing?

Here is the roll call thread, in case you missed it.

Along Europe's Western Coast

actually on the April 6 sailing but thanks for the roll call reminder. I will remind the captain to be careful when docking (a skill I haven't quite mastered myself).

I Felt really bad about this especially since we're sailing on the Jupiter in April until I read the Maritime Bulletin. There's a container ship fire in Venice, a Latvian freighter aground in the Black sea, two fishing vessels burned (1 sank, 11 dead) , a german freighter cut in two by a passenger ship, and a Croatian tanker blocking the Suez canal. [https://maritimebulletin.net/2019/02/15/luxury-cruise-ship-viking-jupiter-damaged-in-maiden-voyage/]

But I do feel bad for the VO passengers on its maiden voyage.

54 minutes ago, Ready to Sail! said:

Tampatramp, we are on the Star leaving Athens one day before you (boarding April 4th).  I have found that the Star and the Juniper will be in 4 ports on the same day-Katakolon, Corfu, Kotor and Dubrovnik.  I'm wondering if our port times are the same also.  Our schedule is:

 

Katakolon 8-4

Corfu 8-5

Kotor 8-11

Dubrovnik 8-4 ( there is another ship, Costa Victoria, also on same day)

 

Do these times coincide with yours, or different?  I know Dubrovnik is implementing new rules this year only allowing certain # of ships and/or passengers on any given day.  I did read that they also want to stagger times in port for more than one ship.  We chose April hoping that we would have less crowds to content with than in the later months but having 3 ships in Dubrovnik in one day isn't too encouraging, even with a total of about 4K passengers between the 3 ships.   

Ready to Sail: we too choose spring to travel and avoid summer crowds, but we will just have to deal with 3 ships in Dubrovnik. Our ships do overlap:

Katakolon 12noon-7pm - you get an extra hour in this port

Corfu 8-5 same time

Kotor 8am-10pm - we leave an hour before you.

Dubrovnik 7am-6pm  ships are staggered

all subject to change. we enjoy Viking and will have a great time regardless of the number of passengers or ships in port (as long as all those other passengers get on their own ship and our ships don't collide)

tampatramp aka Steven from San Francisco 

We will be stopping at Costa Maya on our cruise. Is there any reason to be concerned with our safety while taking a tour? We will be going to the ruins at Chacchoben with Native Choice. My husband has read online warnings issued by the state dept. and now he's getting me wondering how safe are we?

been there, done that, and didn't feel unsafe. It does pay to be cautious especially in New York. Chicago OTOH is way too dangerous to visit. One word of caution though, The Brilliance of the Seas is not Penny's Boat.

Steven

Also, from what I am led to believe, is that the Viking pools are deeper than most cruise ship pools with no shallow end. I saw somewhere that the depth end to end is 5' 8" so if you are not holding on to the side, you are most likely treading water unless you are 6' 6". This applies to the main pool and the infinity pool in the review I saw.

On the Viking Sky the pool was 3 feet 12 inches in the center of the pool. (that's 4 feet for the less mathematically inclined)

Steven aka tampatramp from San Francisco

They should dump Cuba all together. Its not at all like the Cuba i remember when i was there with Johnny Ola.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That's nice nice. I hope nothing happens to you while your mother is alive.

Cruising on Viking Jupiter Athens to Venice, April 6, 2019

very hard to search for Jupiter roll calls on this site. Under "find your roll call" hit "If you don't find your Roll Call here, click here."

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1118

Steven

I have alot of medical problems and I been eating fresh tumeric for inflammation which has been helping me better than medications, question, will I be allowed to board with fresh tumeric packed in its original container?

you sound like a terrorist and your so called "turmeric" is an explosive powder. I would indeed call the cruise line and let them know if it is a large quantity. ;)

I will be on the Vision of Sea in Sept 2019, with a POC in Piraeus (Athen) Greece.

 

I would like to take a shore excurision that includes the Acropolis. I have heard, there are a lot of stairs, and steep walking conditions.

 

I will be celebrating my 70th birthday on this cruise, Not saying an over the hill, but I'm no spring chicken

 

Please advise and info you can

 

Thank you

Mary

It's well worth the climb! If you can go up stairs and walk up a hill, you can do it; It is not as bad as some people make it out to be. You do not need to run, go up slow, take breaks. If you fall way behind your tour group- so what- you can't get lost. If it's a hot summer day, bring water; and wear really good shoes.

Steven

Fairbourne & Parsley Cruises: very funny, thanks for my morning laugh.

Steven

Cindy,

sorry to hear about your troubles, I'm sure everything will work out in the end. we will cruise VO for the first time next year. as for travel/cruise companies we've had many problems, the difference between companies is how they respond to problems. as for China:

RE "You know a group of us were thinking of taking a trip for our 60th birthday and I was going to suggest a Viking River cruise of China. Now not to sure about that. I will wait and see how the actual cruise goes. Hopefully it won't be so disorganized."

I've been there 5 times and going again this year, but the last time was on a Yangtze river cruise with Uniworld. Their new ship wasn't ready so they switched us to a later ship and put us up in a Beijing hotel for 3 days at no charge. I'm just wondering how customer service is on Viking.

Good luck to you.

Steven (aka tampatramp from San Francisco )

Thank you so much for this information. The links are extremely helpful!

What can you use for the India reference? Celebrity Cruises? Obviously I know no one in India.

Note to OP we live near Chicago and so we can apply in person. I was told that you can have your pictures taken at the appointment

You certainly should pay attention to Xport's post. And to the Indian Embassy. (The US Embassy, well, that's up to you).

Some people on our cruise used the port agent address and phone, We used the phone&address of the private tour company* that we planned to use. I don't know what the right answer is.

Steven

* we were very happy with Mumbai Magic in Mumbai and Kochin and will use them in Delhi and Jaipur next year.

I'm booked on the Constellation to India later this year, and can't get clear info on the visa needed. My roll call for the cruise has gone pretty quiet, and my TA is not being a big help, so I'm trying to get a jump on the research. Has anyone else done an Indian cruise? Will we need what's called a multiple entry visa? Thanks for any help.

 

Michael

We went last year, India is wonderful (we will go again on a land tour next year) but the application was not wonderful. It is more than a dozen pages. The ship will not get it for you, you can't get it on arrival (unless you arrive at an airport and pre submit the application; and Celebrity goes to a dock not an airport). But it is worthwhile applying for a visa.

From the Indian Gov't website: NOTE: WITH EFFECT FROM MAY 21, 2014 THE VISA/OCI/PIO/RENUNCIATION OF INDIAN CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION COLLECTION/PROCESSING AND DELIVERY PROCESS SERVICES HAVE BEEN OUTSOURCED TO COX & KINGS GLOBAL SERVICES PVT. LTD. WALK IN APPLICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTED AT THE EMBASSY. ALSO PLEASE DON'T SEND APPLICATION FORMS TO EMBASSY.

Website: http://www.in.ckgs.us

https://www.in.ckgs.us/visa/visa-application-guide.shtml

We got a multiple entry visa, one never knows-just to be safe. It is said that England invented bureaucracy and the Indians perfected it- fill out the visa application and you will know that's true.

I'm sure you remember all the countries you visited in the last 10 years, and have a sponsor in India (with a phone #) where were your parents born, by the way? From your picture it looks like your grandfather is from Pakistan- that's going to be a problem. (My grandfather was not, but my grandmother was a Pakistani terrorist who snuck into India to blow things up; but they never asked about her).

Follow the instructions carefully (note the exact size of the picture- it's not exactly the same as a passport photo) and you have to send in your passport.

I bet you think I'm trying to be funny (which I am) but when you see the visa application you won't be laughing. However, going to India will be worth it. Have a wonderful cruise.

Steven (aka tampatramp from San Francisco )

Has anyone ever needed to change their charge card used to make the deposit online or transferred the deposit to another credit card by calling Celebrity (without changing anything on the reservation)? We booked a cruise with a deposit in December for February 2017 departure using a credit card we do not want to renew due to the high annual fee. Thanks for any info.

You may cancel your credit card at any time, even if you have outstanding charges. If you want to cancel that card, just cancel it. Of course you will still be obligated to pay any outstanding charges.

Leaving in 10 days & would like to know any secrets about the ship like where to watch sail-away, places to grab a quick snake, etc, etc. In general anything you liked about the ship.

 

george35

just off the Serenade. It's a great ship with good service. Solarium pool was wonderful. But the food was awful IMO, I think they keep that a secret, so my tip to you is budget a few bucks to eat off the ship at some of the port stops.

Leaving in 10 days & would like to know any secrets about the ship like where to watch sail-away, places to grab a quick snake, etc, etc. In general anything you liked about the ship.

 

george35

just off the Serenade. It's a great ship with good service. Solarium pool was wonderful. But the food was awful IMO, I think they keep that a secret, so my tip to you is budget a few bucks to eat off the ship at some of the port stops.

I reached out to Celebrity 3 weeks ago regarding an issue with cruise fares and it took them more than 3 weeks to respond and then in a totally unsatisfactory manner.

 

The back story: 6 couples are traveling together in staterooms of the same class on Celebrity Constellation Nov 19, 2015. Almost all are 1st time cruisers using one couple’s wedding anniversary as an excuse for trying a short cruise to see whether it was a vacation venue we’d all like to experience again. Reservations were made well in advance by speaking with Celebrity reps via telephone. No one from Celebrity mentioned the “Best Price Guarantee” or told any of the couples that we could check back for lower fares. All but 1 couple paid by calling Celebrity. Of the 5 that spoke with a rep, 1 couple simply mentioned the rate seemed high. Their rep VOLUNTARILY responded, “today is your lucky day” and proceeded to give them a rate $200 lower per person. No one else was offered a lower rate. No one else knew what to say or what to ask. The internet payer was doomed from the get-go!

 

When several of us called back 2 DAYS after the payment due date to request the lower rate, Celebrity provided conflicting information and passed us on to other departments. When I finally reached a person who took some ownership for logging the complaint I was told it needed to be escalated to the executive department and I would hear back in 3 business days. 3 business days turned into more than 3 weeks even given repeated phone calls to determine the response. When the response finally came, Celebrity REFUSED to do anything to make this trip equitable for the 6 couples traveling together or even recognize that their lack of consistent communication created problems. They kept referring to ineligibility for an upgrade due to the promotional option we had each selected with our reservations. How difficult would it be to issue ship board credit? Or offer a dining experience upgrade for the group?

 

I work in the hospitality industry and if we treated our complaining guests like this we’d soon be out of business.

 

What should have been a happy, friend-filled celebration of a wedding anniversary has been clouded by a less than hospitable experience with the cruise company. Needless to say Celebrity will not be getting business from us again.

First: you will have a happy, fun filled, friend-filled celebration of a wedding anniversary on your cruise; don't let your experience ruin that.

Second: there are better ( more expensive) cruise lines and less expensive cruise lines not as nice as Celebrity, and we have been on both. You are free to give them your business. We like Celebrity.

Third: I realize you are new to cruise critic, but if you read the posts on all the other cruise lines you will find your issues are not unique.

We always deal with a travel agent which might have been helpful to get the best rate and resolve any issues. But it is rare (although not unheard of) to get a reduction after final payment is made.

Whatever. Enjoy your cruise, try other cruise line, and I bet (if you like cruising) you will be back to Celebrity.

So...on my upcoming Pacific Costal SF Round Trip we depart Ensenada on Sept 8 at 4PM and arrive San Diego (no bus) at 6AM on Sep 9. How does that work? Is Ensenada suddely distant again?

 

Thanks for the clarification.

did you mean "Round Trip" from San Francisco? sure you can do that as long as you visit a foreign port (Ensenada).

you can't go from San Francisco to San Diego without visiting a Distant foreign port (e.g. a port in South America).

you can go from Ensenada to San Diego. (that's called a ferry ride, not a cruise).

You can always go round trip from a US port if you stop in any foreign port, it doesn't have to be "distant".

our next cruise is to India so I will ask for the Indian menu! I'm not a great fan of Celebrity's food (it's ok and I can usually find something good to eat) but I think they put the food through the deflavorizing machine. As for lunch I always head to the buffet for Indian food- it does have a good flavor and its been on all the 6 Celebrity ships we've been on.

Steven (who cruises for the destination, not the food)

We did not eat in the specialty restaurants, just the MDR and the buffet. Clearly, we did not starve; and I admit I am a little biased towards NY, San Francisco, and New Orleans restaurants. Yet we found the choices in the MDR less appealing than in past cruises. Taste was significantly bland. Spices? I don't think so. Temperature of dishes- fine.The buffet for the most part was better than the MDR. I do have to admit: the presentation of the dishes was great and what clever names they give mediocre food-pure genius. Certainly great service. The fruit was excellent (although I wish they learned how to cut oranges and grapefruit). The Indian food was good in the buffet. Like I said before, we will cruise for the destinations, not the food.

lydnsyd: we did not visit Tallinn on this Cruise.