southwestgal

We visited the USS Iowa a couple of years ago and did exactly as you mentioned. We parked close to the cruise ship and gave our larger bags to a Porter. We left our small carry on bags in the trunk of the car. Then we walked to the USS Iowa and had a great time onboard. We mentioned that we were cruising later that day, and by showing our cruise "ticket", they gave us half off the admission (basically a buy one and get one free for cruisers). I don't know if they still do that, but it is worth mentioning. We spent somewhere between 2-3 hours onboard. We took tons of photos and read every placard and examined every nook and cranny, so your mileage may vary. We received a pamphlet with the self-tour route on it. Really worthwhile to follow it. Beware that, at least at the time we were on, of the various steep stair/ladders that you will need to climb up and down. If you're physically challenged, then you will be a bit limited to the sections you can reach and you may spend less time on the ship. Either way, still worthwhile to visit. When we were done, we walked back to the car, grabbed our carryons and checked in for the cruise. By then, I guess it was around 1:30pm or so, there were no lines so it was a pleasure to get on the ship. If I remember correctly, we initially got into the parking lot and gave our bags to the porters around 10-10:30 am.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise and your visit to the USS Iowa.

Hi Critterchick,

 

Thanks for posting your experience with Club Class. We'll be in a suite on an Alaska cruise this summer and was wondering about the special suite breakfast perk and the Club Class impact. Since you were in a suite, were you offered breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants limited to suites or was the suite breakfast part of the club class offerings in the dining room? If it was in the dining room, were the breakfast hours extended for the club class folks?

 

Thanks!!!!

We visited the Iowa last year. We got to the port earlier than usual and parked near the cruise ship leaving our bags in the trunk. Then we walked over to the Iowa. We mentioned we were on a cruise and by showing our cruise tickets we got a two for one admission special. We spent about 2-3 hours on the ship then walked back to our car, got our bags and checked in for our cruise. It was great and I highly recommend visiting the ship.

I have no advice...just wanted to wish you and your daughter a wonderful time on your cruise.

This was not the case on the May 12th sailing. It was widely thought beforehand that the first formal night would be the first sea day but it was actually the 2nd sea day, between Warnemunde and Tallinn. The 2nd formal night was, in fact, the day we were in Helsinki.[/QUOT

 

Just got off the Regal today. Our experience was the same.

Just got off the Regal a few hours ago. No themed nights that you need to prepare for. There is a Midsommer night but they have an activity to make a flowered headband. Formal nights were a Mix of tuxes, jeans and everything in between. Great cruise and great crew!

Just some friendly advice, but please check to see what constitutes a "fee" for UBS. Usually that would a be a charge that the owner of the ATM would charge for the use of the ATM - you would usually see some disclaimer that there would be a charge for processing the transaction and would you like to continue.

 

Unless you have a bank account attached to your UBS credit card (which would be the typical situation with a debit card), then any money you get from the ATM using the credit card is a cash advance. And, cash advances typically start incurring interest charges the second you pull the money out of the ATM. In my experience those interest charges are fairly hefty. Interest charges for the cash advance would not be considered a "fee" by most credit card companies and not refundable.

 

You might have a great situation where UBS allows you to pull money out of an ATM and there aren't any fees or interest charges. lf that's the case then that is terrific. I just didn't want you to have a nasty surprise when you returned home and opened your credit card statement.

 

Happy traveling.

Thanks Danish Viking and raindropsalways! My husband and I love to walk and at times we've inadvertently strayed into some shady areas. While it didn't seem that would be the case here, it's always nice to get some confirmation. We are looking forward to this trip so much and can't wait to see this beautiful city!

Hi Danish Viking,

 

Thank you for all the information you provided on the 2015 and now 2016 discussions. Ive read through everything and have a question that hasn't been asked. We are staying at the Marriott and would like to walk to Tivoli Gardens and back to the Marriott later that evening. It looks like a fairly easy and short walk but didn't know if it was a smart thing to do. Would you do this walk late at night (11 pm or so) or is it wiser to take a taxi?

 

Thank you so much for all the information you've provided. It has been very helpful in planning our visit.

A bit confused. We are on Regal Princess arriving in Stockholm on June 1. Princess lists the port on everything (itinerary, shore excursions, web site) as Nynashamn, but the vessel calls website shows the ship docking at Frihamnen.. Any ideas on how to confirm where the will actually be going? Trying to do some planning...

 

We are on the same ship. The itinerary has changed and the website has now been updated. Our TA sent us the notice that we will be docking in Stockholm and the port website shows it as Frihamnen.

Quick update - less than 24 hours after applying for Global Entry we received notification that we are conditionally approved and to make an appt for the interview. The first spots available are during the first week of February and we grabbed two. They're on separate days but that isn't an issue for us.

 

Thanks for those gotcha items. I've gotten the PreTSA on my boarding passes before even without paying for it so it would sure be a bummer not to get it with global entry. I knew that I would have to check my bags in with southwest manually so I'm trying to figure that into the time needed for the connection. In spite of that I still like to fly southwest. I didn't think about the time needed to change terminals. It looks like we can walk from g to 1 in about 10 minutes and I'll add that to my calculations. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for all the replies. We applied last night. We did spend some time trying to come up with the list of countries visited. You were right - that was the most challenging part of the application. I'll keep checking the site now for the next step which is to get the appointment.

 

I'm always looking for ways to make air travel less painful. I'm just sorry I waited so long to take advantage of this program. So happy this includes PreTSA!

Yes, I knew about the interview and we're lucky that our airport has an interview center. It's only about 20 minutes away so very convenient. I'm applying about 5 months before I need it so hopefully that's enough time. How long did it take after your interview to get approved?

Thanks! That is an excellent point. I checked and it looks like the highest fare is $200 more per person than I will be paying. As long as I cancel 10 minutes prior to the flight I can apply the money I paid on the original flight against the new flight. So we should be out of pocket an additional $400 if we miss the earlier flight. I can live with that.

 

That's one of the reasons I fly southwest. Any other airline would have cancellation fees and change fees and you wouldn't be left with anything.

 

Thanks again for your insight! I never thought of that situation at all.

Need advice from experienced folks for an international to domestic connection at San Francisco international airport. Arriving on an SAS nonstop flight from Copenhagen scheduled to arrive at 2:45pm on a Friday afternoon in June. We are flying premium economy and we are both applying this week for global entry. There are two of us and we will each have one checked bag.

 

Is a 5:50 pm connection to Southwest airlines reasonable? Bags need to be checked no later than 5:05pm. I'm hoping that 2 hours is enough time with global entry to get through customs and immigration and recheck the bags. If not, then our other option is 9:50pm and that one shouldn't be an issue. Other than I dread having a 7 hour connection time.

 

My definition of reasonable is that, unless there are extenuating circumstances, a person walking briskly and not dilly dallying should expect that the connection time is doable and has a few minutes of extra wiggle room.

 

Thank you!

We just got off the Ruby on Sunday after doing a 7 day California Coastal cruise. The ship was in great shape, crew terrific, gained 5 pounds so that should tell you how much I enjoyed the food and we didn't hear anyone complaining the few times we were at the passenger services desk.

 

There are always going to be people who complain about everything. I typically discount the really awful reviews and the over the top wonderful reviews. What is left is typically closer to the truth.

 

We had a great time and I would not hesitate to sail on the Ruby again.

Thank you so much for your reply. I wasn't sure if they only ran them for a short period but it seems like we will definitely be able to see them running. If we get there when they turn them on it will be a bonus. Thank you for posting the video. The fountains are truly spectacular.

Hi everyone. My DH and I are booked on a Baltic cruise next May. Trying to decide which company to choose for the St Petersburg stop. SPB, Alla and TJ all look terrific and I'm sure we'll be happy with whichever one we choose. My big question is seeing the fountains running at Peterhof. For those of you who used these companies previously can you tell me if you were able to see the fountains running? Did you arrive there when they were already running or did you get to see them start up? I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that they start at 11:00 am but the three companies I mentioned all show different arrival times to the site.

 

Thank you!

You can absolutely purchase more expensive wine and just pay the difference. We've done it many times. If I remember correctly, you'll see the full charge for the wine on your bill and also a credit. The difference between the two should be the $1 in your example. I do make a point of checking my bill every few days when I do this just to make sure all is well. Sometimes it takes a day or so for the bill to reflect everything properly. Enjoy the cruise and the wine!

I'm going to take a different stance. Do not let up on Amex. If they used Amex issued cards (not ones issued by another bank) then they are trying to get out from their obligation on a technicality. The Amex issued cards all have the same travel underwriter which is Amex themselves.

Get on twitter and ask for help from Amex. Call them out. Do not expect someone at an 800 number to assist. They are working from a script. Amex has a team that monitors social media. They will respond. Make it public. The small amount of the insurance will be more than repaid by positive publicity. Try it.

This is a horrible situation and I can not even pretend to know the anguish of the families. It is wonderful that you are trying to be an advocate for the survivors. Good luck and my sincere condolences.

It depends. If you're on the 10 day cruise round trip Papeete then the answer is yes. You will actually dock in Papeete the evening before departure. We took the air France flight which left early in the morning...maybe the one you want to take and we were fine. You can leave as early as you want. Here's the caution...there will not be any cabs for the early disembarkation. So make prior arrangements for the drive to the airport by prearranging a cab.

 

If you are docking in the morning (6am or so) then you probably will miss the flight.

 

Double check your itinerary for the arrival day and time into Papeete.

Bingo!

 

To quote just press the "quote" tab in the post you want to quote then add your comment under it. ;)

 

Thanks! So simple I completely overlooked it.

Sorry I can't figure out how to quote from a post....but there was an earlier comment that mentioned that if a child has a blue or gold card then the party should be in non-preferred seating. Apologies if I've misstated.

 

My point is that, in my experience, if you're under 18 you get a blue card regardless of how many cruises you've completed. Even though the personalizer will list all the cruises, the card remains blue.

 

That little darling with the blue card may very well have more cruises under their belt than you. So does that mean that the parents, who are platinum or elite, now go back to non-preferred for 18 years? Sounds a bit silly to me.

 

I'm elite and no kids. My feeling is that if you're under 18 you belong with your parents. If that means a few more in the preferred lounge then so be it. If we're traveling with a bunch of adults who aren't preferred, then we either choose to stay in the preferred lounge alone or go to the regular waiting area.

I've taken the 8:30am Air France flight but I was on the typical 10 day cruise where the ship arrives back into Papeete the night before. The biggest tip I can give you is to book a car that will be waiting for you to take you to the airport.

 

We got off the ship at 5am and there were NO taxis anywhere. They simply do not come into the port that early. We had to walk into town to try to find a taxi. While it was not far, it was a huge time waster and it was very stressful.

 

Usually taxis are lined up at a port, but not this one. It was quite unexpected so I thought I should pass that tidbit along.

We did the same excursion you're looking at. They have another excursion that goes to Stirling Castle and it was hard to choose. If you are really interested in castles then you might want to go on the Stirling Castle tour. Inverary Castle had lovely gardens but it really is just a fancy French chateau.

 

If you go to Luss on Loch Lomond then try to go into the little gift shop by the pier. Talking with the shopkeeper is an adventure in itself. Very thick Scottish brogue. It was something to remember...a great memory. And he served warm shortbread which was wonderful!