elena7seas

Suzanne...

I just booked the May 7, 2016 12-night Scandinavia Russia trip for my daughter and her friend. C2 plus Go Big beverage package. I owe Arno a big one!!

Do it online.

I was able to hold a cabin but you can make a deposit.

Go big did not work but go bigger will.

 

I'm expecting a call tomorrow explaining it was a late April Fool's joke.

 

All my fingers and toes are crossed because May 7th is my birthday and I was born in Holland... What a celebration this would be.

 

We're exit 81 on the 401

Hi Arno:

Thanks so much for the tip! I have booked my daughter and her friend. We did this cruise last June with a group of 17 friends (on the RCCL Serenade). It was an fabulous trip. We did all our excursions with St. Petersburg Tours...they were amazing!! I'm going to book them for my daughter for this trip. Thanks again!

Arno, what dates?

Thanks for the tip!

Lois, most of my casual shoes are Vionic, and they have been terrific. I get them on TV on the "deal of the day", or on clearance. The sizes are pretty reliable, so I don't have difficulty buying them on line. I hope they solve your problem with the Plantar's Fasciitis. :)

Hi everyone,

I'm glad everyone survived the storms. Is this year worse than normal?

Rich, I totally agree with you that Celebrity's pricing is haywire. I was lucky and was able to book that November 6, 2017 Equinox cruise with the 4 perks at the rock bottom pricing, but none of the regular cruises are affordable. We leave on the 24-night Explorer OTS on October 8th, and that was totally a financial decision. It was less than half the cost to go with RCCL.

Aloha Andy seems to be an appropriate greeting ....goodbye and yet, hello...

You are well and truly loved and respected on these boards, and you will be missed as our "Host Andy". However, we are glad to hear that you will still be posting here on the Celebrity forum.

Best wishes on your new venture and may it bring you much joy. Gerry and I hope to see you and your lovely family on a cruise someday soon.

I am so looking forward to your press release tomorrow that I am taking my laptop to bed with me, with my notifications turned on and my volume turned up. :)

Fair winds and following seas,

Eileen.

Hi Katie:

Yes, Gerry and I will be on the November 6, 2017 cruise. Gerry's birthday will be on the night we board. I'm getting really excited about seeing everyone. :)

Anne and Carolyn, thanks so much. :)

Anne, sending good thoughts your way.

Lois, hope you get great news from your doctors tomorrow.

I have to catch up with what's happening for Host Andy. Has he announced what his new position is yet?

Linda, thank you for your good wishes as well. Sorry I missed you in my first list. :)

Now I won't have to take a ferry to see you the next time you come into Victoria. :)

Tried to replace that photo with a small one, but this thread wouldn`t let me. :(

Oops...didn't realize the photo would be that LARGE. My apologies.

Suzanne, we are ready for a slower pace. Gerry has had it with the constant driving. And we are so used to the ferry issue, having all my family live over there. At least we are 50 minutes from each of two ferries, as well as flights that come into (and leave from) Maple Bay four times a day, and that is 15 minutes from the new home. Plus we are about 45 minutes from Victoria International Airpost, and two ferries down to the US, so we have better access to transportation than we do now. I will miss the cheap flights out of Bellingham, though. :)

Kathy and Beth: I only mentioned my health issues to explain why I have been away from this board for a couple of months, especially in light of Lois's health challenge, which I would normally have responded to immediately. I am getting excellent care and as soon as we can get this pain management issue under control, and I can get some sleep, things will be much better. Thanks very much for all the kind words.

Lois, I have never paid anything like the current prices for any cruise, ever, and I don't intend to start now. I booked the November 6th 2017 cruise on the second day they posted the new itinerary, and the prices were half of what they are now. With 4 perks, including the Premium Bev package, the $250 loyalty discount, and my $200 OBC that I carried over from Booking on Board, it was a good deal for us, and I rebooked a transatlantic on the Eclipse that was leaving from Southampton on October 28th. A C1 on the November 6th cruise is currently $3299 per person. That is completely off the wall. I have a really good price on the Mardi Gras cruise as well, but sadly, am going to cancel it. Is anyone here interested in knowing the details of that booking?. I used a travel agent who is sailing on that MG cruise, and she was able to switch us into a group she has, with terrific prices and benefits. I didn't know that you could replace both members on one reservation, but apparently you can, and I could see if she could do a new switch, before I cancel with her. I also have a nice hotel room (Meridien?...can't remember) on one of the parade routes, at travel agent pricing, that I will have to cancel, and I might be able to move someone else into that reservation. If you're interested, just let me know and I will send you the details.

I have six cruises booked, and will be deferring three of them this week. I'm not sailing anywhere with Celebrity at the current prices. I'll just stay home.

Here is the main reason we are looking at the move to Arbutus Ridge: the view from our main floor (should the gentleman from Santa Fe sign the paperwork) :)

Hi Lois: Thanks for the (((hugs)))). Hugs are always the best medicine. :)

The pain is pretty dire, and there is no comfortable way to sleep, so I'm dragging my way around. I had my first back surgery at 24, so I am used to back pain, but this is something else, as all my joints are involved. It's an auto-immune situation and something is attacking my body. I can't currently sit at my desk for more than about 30 minutes at a time, so it is interfering with my time at the computer. Booo! I have a wonderful doctor and they are doing everything that can be done.

Gerry was to retire last year, but just wasn't ready to leave, but now he is, and is very excited about our new opportunities. I have three brothers on the Island, and they all see Gerry as their "big brother" so there are lots of guys for him to build things with, and tear cars apart with. Last weekend, when we were over at the new house, my youngest brother was with us, and he introduced Gerry and me as "his brother and sister-in-law", so that tells you something. :):):)

Hi Suzanne:

Our new community would be Cobble Hill, BC, which is in the Cowichan Valley. This is a particularly warm and sunny area of South Vancouver Island. There are 25 vineyards in the immediate area, so every time you go over a hill, there's another vineyard spread out before you. It's become a real area for foodies, with lots of farm-to-table producers and restaurants, fromageries, cideries and artisan bakeries, etc. There is lots of fresh seafood available in the area as well. Quite a few of our friends have moved to the Island in the last couple of years.

If you search Google Maps for Arbutus Ridge, BC, you will find the Arbutus Ridge Seaside Community. We are about half way down Marine Drive towards the water, and have a full view of Saltspring Island and Satellite Channel. If you go to this Youtube video, you can see a flyover of the community. It starts off at the "village" centre:

It's a gated over-50 community (somewhere I never though we'd live), but it has the most awesome 220 degree view of the sea.

We have a long closing date because we have to sell our house here on the mainland, and with a long vacation and Christmas in the mix, we need the extra time to take possession over on the Island. We have some touch-up work on our current home, and since we had no plan to move anywhere, this has all come up very quickly. The house on the Island only needs some minor work, and it can be done once we move in.

We definitely will look at the spring Pacific Coastal cruises, but for us it will be a last minute booking, as they are always over-priced to begin with. That will be my 11th Pacific Coastal (I think). I LOVE them!!

Why don't you come on the November 6, 2017 10-night cruise on the Equinox? Celebrity is currently offering all 4 perks, including a Premium Beverage Package. You could build in a visit to your DGD on the east Coast, then fly down to Miami.

Lois, wouldn't a November 6th cruise work into your accounting schedule?

Hello everyone....

A thousand apologies for not posting recently, and especially to you, Lois. I have been in and out of this forum several times and started posts, but haven't completed them, usually because what I had to say seemed so inadequate.

Lois, I am sending you big, big hugs. I have been so impressed with the way you have been handling your health issue. The situation was so important but came on so fast that I was just, frankly, speechless at the grace with which you handled it and the positive and pragmatic approach you have taken. I'm so sorry that you have had so much bureaucracy to deal with. I can't really get my head around why there is so much involvement with insurance companies. Surely this extra level of bureaucracy adds significantly to the cost of health care, not to mention what it does to your frustration level. I am glad that you have a good team of doctors though, and that you seem to be on track with getting the medications that you need. I especially hope that they can deal quickly with the nausea issues, which are truly no fun at all.

I have been fighting some medical issues myself, which started in February and ramped up in severity after I came back from my cruise with Katie in May. Without going into too much boring detail, I appear to have an immune system disorder and the diagnosis has been difficult. There are a ton of symptoms but the main thing giving me problems is pain in all of my large joints, to the extent that I am having real problems sleeping more than about 20 minutes at a time, and I am having real challenges walking. The only thing that is giving me relief is big time pain killers that are highly addictive, so I only get them for about 7 days at a time, then I go for the intervening weeks onto something less habit-forming, but also less effective. Lack of sleep is turning me into a zombie, and pain is just making downright grumpy. Poor Gerry. :)

Adding to all this craziness, Gerry and I have decided to move back to Vancouver Island, where we haven't lived since 1979. We have just bought a house 30 minutes north of Victoria ... well, the seller accepted our bid yesterday but we haven't received the paperwork yet. The seller lives in Santa Fe, NM and is highly emotional about having to sell the house, as he lost his wife in the last year and is not well himself. The bidding process has been lengthy, and more than a little bizarre.

The house has an amazing view of the ocean and the main living area is all on one floor, which will be great for me. We were not in any way expecting to do this, so the process moving forward is going to be very complicated, as we are leaving for our 25 day cruise to Australia on October 7th. Our current home needs a bit of updating before we can sell it, and we were not planning to return home until December 9th, so now we have to decide whether to cut the 3 weeks in Australia short and cancel our 14 day cruise around New Zealand. Final Payment date on the second cruise is August 31st, and I really don't see how we can go on the second part of the trip. Ugh, I have so much planning to undo. Just the thought of that exhausts me. :)

We booked our return flight home through Hong Kong and the 3-day stop in Hong Kong will be cut as well. Our business class flights were booked on points so can be moved, but there is a real risk that I won't be able to book business class fights home now.

Couple of other updates: we are still booked on the MG cruise but will have to cancel as the possession date for the new house is January 31st. Suzanne, I have the same concerns as you about this cruise, so although I'd love to experience Mardi Gras, it probably won't be happening in 2017.

However, we did take advantage of the crazy pricing and 4 perks on the rescheduled Equinox cruise on November 6th, 2017. Kathy, I think that you are on that one, right? I haven't been on Cruise Critic much in the last two months, and haven't looked at the Roll Call, but I have a sense that there are quite a few Cruise Critic regular on that cruise.

Gerry retires on September 30th, and we are SO looking forward to getting on the ship (Explorer of the Seas) and just chilling out. Sailing is my best chance for quality sleep (well, sailing plus drugs :)) and there are elevators everywhere when I need them, which I currently appreciate more than ever. (I have a temporary Accessible Parking Pass now and my most often repeated phrase lately is "where is my walking stick?") Gerry is being as patient with me as he can. :)

The rest of the family is doing really well. Katie is NOT happy with our intended move, but we've promised to build her a room with bunk beds that she can decorate any way she wants. :)

Good luck with your renos, Suzanne and I look forward to hearing that you are booked to visit that beautiful grand-daughter soon.

Lois, I hope everything is smooth sailing from here on out.

Hugs to everyone.

Thanks Lois. Katie loves to get dressed up for formal nights. :) I am actually pretty leary about posting her photo, but that one was five years ago, and I carefully cropped her mother out of the photo.

There are always a few nasty posts whenever the topic of kids in the specialty restaurants comes up. I think as long as the parents are aware of the comfort of other diners, and the child is behaving well, then children should be included in family celebrations if their presence falls within the guidelines of the restaurant. If the family can see that the child is running out of patience, then the parents need to have a plan in place that can whisk the child out of the restaurant before other diners are disturbed.

I would appreciate it if anyone could tell me the difference between a D1 and a D2 on Explorer of the Seas. We have a midships D2 on deck 9.

Great post and beautiful picture:)

Thanks for your kind comment. :)

The thing is we only get to see the granddaughter a couple of times a year so getting her a sitter for this special occasion is not appealing.

Nor does the buffet appeal.

 

Checking out the wine room option seems like the best idea for now.

 

Maybe Tuscan will be open for lunch and we can try something that day.

 

I guess we will play it by ear and see how things go.

 

 

Thanks for the valid concerns

 

Carol

My husband has one granddaughter (we have no other grandchildren) and she is absolutely the apple of his eye. A milestone birthday celebrated with the family would not be complete without her and would be no joy for him.

Our DGD is nine years old and has just completed her fifth cruise (her first cruise was on the Solstice in the Eastern Med at four years of age). We have taken her to a specialty restaurant on every cruise. She loves to dress up for dinner and knows that dining in a nice restaurant is a special event and that appropriate behaviour is expected. She has always had excellent manners and knows to use her indoor voice. As an only child, she is used to the company of adults and has always been included in all our family celebrations.

We are very aware that others are also in the restaurant for a special evening, and we always have a back-up plan in case she starts to become tired. One of the adults is always prepared to remove her immediately if she starts to show any signs of fatique, but that plan has never been needed at any restaurant, whether at sea or ashore. You would never know that she was in the restaurant if you didn't see her walk in.

Carol, if concern for the dining experience of others is forefront in your mind, then you, along with her parents, will be the best judges of what is appropriate for your husband's birthday celebration. If the restaurant permits your DGD to be included, and you are confident that she will enjoy the experience as well, then I would say, by all means include her in this special evening. Have a back-up plan in place in case she starts to tire, and that will give you, and her parents, a level of security with respect to the comfort of other diners. If including her is something that you think is appropriate, then I am sure her presence will add so much to the enjoyment of your husband's special birthday celebration.

Hi Suzanne...Mauren is a beautiful name. An eight pound baby is off to a great start. My older daughter was 9 lb. 4 oz. and was four weeks late. They tried to induce me twice and she still wouldn't come. She just didn't like to get up in the morning, and she is like that to this day, forty years later. :) But I love your analogy about the ship. That is perfect! Well, you are starting a wonderful new chapter in your lives, with a new granddaughter and a new home! How are you enjoying Whidbey Island? It is so pretty there. I thought about you last week on my way home from Seattle. Which ferry do you take home from the mainland?

Carolyn, once Gerry retires in the fall, we will have more NA road trips on our agenda and Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole are on our agenda. It looks like stunning countryside.

Hi Suzanne...Mauren is a beautiful name. An eight pound baby is off to a great start. My older daughter was 9 lb. 4 oz. and was four weeks late. They tried to induce me twice and she still wouldn't come. She just didn't like to get up in the morning, and she is like that to this day, forty years later. :) But I love your analogy about the ship. That is perfect! Well, you are starting a wonderful new chapter in your lives, with a new granddaughter and a new home! How are you enjoying Whidbey Island? It is so pretty there. I thought about you last week on my way home from Seattle. Which ferry do you take home from the mainland?

Hi Everyone:

I have been checking in since I returned home with my GD from our Explorer of the Seas mini-cruise, but haven't had to time to sit down and write a note. So happy to see lots of good news here!

First of all, many, many CONGRATULATIONS to Suzanne and Rick, and to your son and DIL, on the safe arrival of your wonderful new granddaughter. I look forward to hearing her name soon! As you know, my granddaughter is the light of my life...not that my DH, and DD's aren't completely wonderful :):):). I don't know what it is about grandchildren...they are just such gifts.

Suzanne, I just got a laptop so that I don't have to run up and down the stairs as much to stay connected...very handy. My sister-in-law is keeping up with her twin granddaughters in Brisbane, Oz via her laptop, and I think that is making all the difference for her...the babies are almost 7 months old, and they really recognize their grandparents over the 'net.

To Anne and Lou....it sounds as if Lou is doing better...I hope that things continue to improve, and that you get to do all the travelling you have on your playlist! Good luck with whatever work you are having done on your eyes.

Good wishes to everyone who is back up north for the summer. Katie and Jeff, enjoy your summer on beautiful Cape Cod. Linda, I hope your wrapping up of your northern home isn't too much work. I'm doing the downsizing tango right now and passing things off to my daughters. Currently, it's all my entertaining stuff that is getting passed along.

Lois, we really enjoyed our aft balcony on the Serenade of the Seas last summer. The cabins are a good size, and I hope you have a wonderful time cruising with your sister.

Kathy and Suzanne, I have been trying to keep up with the Mardi Gras thread, and have been learning more about what we can expect from New Orleans. So far, we haven't felt the need to book anything...I think we're just going to walk around and experience as much as possible...I'm trying to find out if there will be any way to see the Orpheus parade from the Meridien hotel that we booked for Lundi Gras night...would love to catch a glimpse of Harry Connick.

When I get a few minutes this evening, I will jot down a couple of notes about our four nights on the Explorer. The cruise worked out well for Katie and me, but I have a couple of concerns about being on that ship for 24 nights on our way to Australia in October-November.

The biggest problem was that the bed was really hard and I'm not sure that they have egg-crates available. The food was really not very good, but I think most of the problems stemmed from the fact that it was a "turnaround" cruise. Lots of free drinks for being Diamond through reciprocity with Celebrity, but I only had time for two drinks in four days (Nana duties in the way). More details to come later.

Hope everyone has had a good Memorial Day weekend. Heartfelt tributes to all who have served their countries.

Thanks for the information Andy. As someone said, the M & S class ships each hold, (or held), their own allure. However, no matter how Celebrity spins it, the replacing of the ship themed specialty restaurants on M class ships with the Tuscan Grille is a huge step down. Just my opinion.

I totally agree with you, Linda and Rich.

The specialty restaurants on M-class ships were excellent and were the dining experience that we always looked forward to the most on M-class ships. The Tuscan Grille is my least favourite of all Celebrity specialty restaurants.

It will be interesting to hear back from those who are sailing on the Millennium in the next few weeks.

Thanks, Andy, for posting this information.

Hi Kathy...welcome home!!

Suzanne, hope your move has gone well! I will think of you as I drive past on my way to the Explorer of the Seas on Sunday.

My granddaughter Katie is packed and ready to go. She is having to give up participation in the Track and Field meet because she will miss the last two team practices. We didn't know about the timing conflict when we booked, and I told her she didn't have to come on the cruise with me, as she had qualified for all four of her events. However, she is a cruiser at heart, and it was no contest. She'll be able to do Track and Field next year, and the training was good experience this year.

Wow, Suzanne, I didn't realize that your move was that imminent!! Moving is so exhausting, not to mention getting the new property ready for your arrival. I can't even imagine how busy you must be right now!! I'm sending you best wishes for a smooth and happy move as well as tons of extra energy for both you and Rick!!

When is the new grandbaby due? That thought must keep you smiling!

Katie, I'm sorry to hear that you and Jeff won't be on the Mardi Gras cruise, but I fully understand. After reading ClaudiaB's post on another Celebrity thread, I sure understand. I think having a hotel room downtown on the parade route for Lundi Gras will solve my biggest problem, as I don't think getting back and forth to the ship will be all that convenient, and I have to know that there is a clean bathroom somewhere that I can count on! I hope you both have a wonderful trip north to beautiful Cape Cod. We have such happy memories of seeing you both there.

Lois, I think you have picked a great cruise. The fall colour is magnificent. We were on the Serenade in the Baltic last summer and were very pleased with the ship. This was our second trip on her, and she was in great shape. The Schooner Bar was still there, and was our favourite watering hole, although the drink prices were absolutely craze. Thank goodness we had the Diamond Lounge as well as the 3 vouchers on our Sea Pass card every day. The Radiance class ships are built on the same "chassis" (don't know the nautical equivalent) as the Millennium class ships, so you will feel very at home on the Serenade. The food was surprisingly good...far better than we expected.

I wrote a long reply in answer to your Napa accommodation question, but it disappeared. We have been to Napa five times and have stayed at some great B&B's and small Inns.

Lois, I booked the Silver Cloud Inn on Lake Union for Katie and I for next Sunday, as I decided to go down to Seattle a day before our cruise. I got an excellent rate on Hotwire and it will give me some peace of mind. Traffic going through Seattle can be such a bottleneck...I will be happy to be safely in Lake Union and 15 minutes from the pier the night before we sail. Will think of you when we are there!

Hello to everyone else, and thanks for the reports from your travels. Lots of new things to think about.

Anne, hoping you and Lou are both doing well.

We are having summer weather here in Vancouver, and Katie and I are hoping it will hold until our mini-cruise from May 16-20th on the Explorer of the Seas.

Big hugs to everyone.

A few more photos of Miku.....