lovecruisingtoo

Actually, I do remember one time when people jumped off the Legend (the Captain even jumped off the deck). It was one day when we were cruising the Sognefjord in Nororway and the Captain stopped the ship so people could jump into the sea.

Couple of things you need to be aware of. First, even with a passport in hand, you can not depart the ship in Russia "on your own". You need to get a Visa - which takes time and is costly. If you want to take an arranged tour with a company not affiliated with WS, it is absolutely no problem. The tour company will probably have a "blanket visa" which allows them to take you off the ship and go on the tour - but will not allow you to just wander around unescorted. They will tell you exactly what you need. We did it a few years ago, and had no issues.

The advantage of arranging your own group is that it is much cheaper and you can arrange where you want to visit. Arranged a group of about 10 people and it worked out great. If you do want to go "on your own" and get a Visa, make sure you use a good visa agency to help you get through the process. It will save you a lot of time and money.

Another option is to use an unlocked cell phone and then buy a SIM card. Starting very soon one card will be required to be valid in all EU countries.

I am still looking at cruises and have another question......what input do any of you regulars have about taking a TA

Crossing? There is a 13 night cruise in April that I am going back and forth about........yes, I love the sea and have

not taken a TA before.........the prices look OUTSTANDING:).......

 

Thoughts please:)

The reason the prices look outstanding is that most people prefer not to take a long TA cruise. Very rarely have I heard of a WS TA sailing being full. The big question is what you enjoy. If you enjoy just sitting around reading a book or playing games then a TA would be fine. However, on WS the ship is designed for people to be outside - which may be an issue if the weather is cold. If you want a TA, I would strongly suggest a larger cruise ship. It will have more stability and more interior room if the weather is bad.

However, if you enjoy seeing sights and seeing new areas of the world, then taking one of the "normal" cruises may suit you better. See and discover a port during the day and change location at night.

Bottom line is that no one can really tell you what is best. Look at what you would enjoy and are expecting and make you choice based on that.

I'll buy the first round at the Top of the Yacht Bar.:cool:

Does that go for any "first time" cruiser on SD?:D

Can you also close the balcony doors when you are out there? Looking at an Alaska cruise in 2018 and do not want to upgrade to a balcony suite if you can't use it appropriately....

Really not enough room to close the balcony door behind you. It is a "French Balcony" so it is only about a foot or so deep! It is still very nice to open the sliding glass door and be able to stick your head out.

From what one other person reported, when they asked if there was a large group on the ship, the WS response was that they did not release that information. I can understand from a corporate position why they would not release the information but as a consumer I want to know that information.

As for the Tauck "cocktail hour", they may consider the lounge talk as being that cocktail hour. If so, there really will not be any impact.

I agree with others that a Tauck group will probably not be noticed. The only exception being that it may limit the shore excursions due to the smaller number of people that may sign up for any single tour. For us, I know this would not be an issue because we normally tour on our own and rarely take the cruise excursions.

Suppose you book early on SeaDream and then they add a group? Will they let you out and give a refund? Just curious to know if you've asked them. Last time I checked they were quite a bit pricier. It gets harder to change lines with return discounts, etc. Kind of like sticking to one airline for perks. We've met up with them in the islands a few times and looks like a nice option.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

SeaDream cancellation policy is slightly better than WS. It is as follows:

Cancellation requests must be made by telephone or in writing to SeaDream Yacht Club Limited. If the request is received more than 120 days prior to sailing, all amounts already paid will be refunded minus US $50.00 per booking administration fee. Guests who cancel within 120 days prior to sailing for any reason, including medical reasons, will be subject to the following cancellation fees:

Cancellation requests received following number of days before sailing:

120 – 91 days = $200 per person

90 – 46 days = 25% of full fare

45 – 31 days = 50% of full fare

30 days or less = 100% of full fare

Non appearance/no written notice = 100% of full fare

I can not imagine that a large group would book less than 3 - 4 months prior to sailing. So basically, you do have an out if a group books after you put down your deposit.

Looks like you found same "problem" with Sea Dream based on your January posts. The travel industry operates to fill cabins, beds, seats, etc. If they are to stay viable the small cruise lines need to do the same. There is no good answer other than just book and hope for the best. We are going on something like 11 and 12 in June and 13 and 14 in November. Wouldn't cancel because of group. Won't stop travelling because of terrorism either. Just want to live and be happy. The worst cruise ever is still better than being in an office.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Yes small ships are more prone to being impacted by a large group but at least SeaDream will tell you if there is a large group so you can make a somewhat informed choice.

I am very surprised that WS would not confirm if there were any large groups onboard. To me, this shows that WS knows that large groups can be an issue and they do not want people canceling due to the large group.

We are in the same position as LAURALGUY, we are really looking at SeaDream for our future cruises. WS was great for so many years but our last cruise was not the most enjoyable and management, including the ship's captain, were not the least bit understanding. We had decided to give WS one more chance but with the issue of large groups, and the fact that WS will not acknowledge if there is a large group, gives us second thoughts.

What I find strange is that Tauck has released the itineraries before WS. I wonder if this "partnership" will impact WS providing the "free" nights or any other perk? Also, does Tauck have an agreement with WS on pricing such that the Tauck pricing seems "reasonable"? Also wonder how WS will handle the Tauck "daily cocktail hour"?

Many questions......so few answers.

Considering the political climate in Turkey, I would not book any cruise that began or ended in Istanbul. Too much risk. Also, we book air 11 months prior (because we use points) and that would put us in a horrible position if they later decided to change the start of end point of the cruise.

You aren't going to get any compensation for "time spent" pondering your next cruise. Most travel insurance policies may be rolled over to another trip, nothing lost there.

Did not mean for payment for "time spent" but really for the inconvenience associated with the change. WS sure wants to keep some of your deposit (to pay for their expended labor) if YOU cancel. If you look at the WS pricing, each cruise date has a different price for the most part. WS offering to "transfer" the booking to another cruise on the same itinerary at no increase in price (or an OBC equal to the price difference) would be a good customer relations thing to do.

I would think that WS would give some sort of compensation. There could be lost costs even booking over 1 year out. For example, you might have bought cruise insurance because of a pre-existing condition (which you typically need to buy within about 14 days of initial payment). Also, there is the time spent deciding on what cruise you want to take. The "new" cruise that you are willing to take may be more expensive than the first so you will not be paying more. If nothing else, give an OBC which really does not cost WS much.

I just think that WS owes the passengers something for the inconvenience of cancelling their cruise.

Person

Discussed in this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2450459

What did your TA say?

Have you called WS? I suspect that Summer 2018 should be announced soon. Lines like SD have announced.

Please let us know if you find out anything.

You nailed it. We live in a big world. There's plenty of opportunity to travel. Our preference goes to WS, but, we also sail Celebrity for value and cruise length. We canadian pay a 30% surcharge on WS.

Or you can go back to 2000 where the Canadian dollar was 1.45 to the US dollar. So compared to then, you have a bargain.

How do you find out if there is a "large group" on you upcoming cruise ( 02/04/17)? Also, it's 2.5 weeks away and we have yet to receive papers...what's up with SD?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I would just call SD and ask or else send them an email.

I personally suspect that a group of 16 cabins booked by Zoom Vacations would be very different from a group that booked probably 50% or more (all of Deck 3 and a large portion of Deck 4) of the ship either before the itinerary was released to the public or very rapidly thereafter. To me, this means the group is probably a large corporation or organization where most people would know each other and probably have organized activities on the ship.

Commander, your comments are exactly why we want to try SD. We just feel that for our first cruise on SD we do not want to take the risk of having a very large group possibly "take over" the ship.

Wanted to thank everyone for confirming my thoughts. We love sailing on small ships (have sailed on WS about 7 times). One time there was a large group on the cruise and it definitely took away from the experience.

We will look at other SD cruises (and WS when they come out) to see what itinerary is best for us. We are really looking forward to booking our first cruise on SD.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

How were you able to see availability? It would be nice to not have to call or write to see what the availability is. Was able to confirm with SD that it is a large group that has booked the entire deck. Will probably pass on that cruise. We are retired so timing of a different cruise is not an issue.

Wife and I were looking at the 2018 Med itineraries that were released the other week. Decided to book the June 2nd, 2018 SD 1 cruise from Monte Carlo to Civitavecchia. However, when we went to book, it appears that there is a large group that has reserved all of Deck 3 (other decks appear to be wide open). Trying to get more information from SD relative to the group. But if it is one big group, I am very concerned that they will basically take over the ship and detract from the SD experience. FYI, we have sailed extensively with WindStar and this will be our first time on SD.

What is everyone's experience when there has been a large group onboard? Should we be concerned?

Depending on where you are going, you might look into getting a local SIM card for your phone (assuming it is unlocked). Almost every cruise line has issues with slow internet service so SD is not alone in this area.

Let's just hope they don't "overgrow" in a short period of time like they did when they acquired the SB ships. Service went down significantly and it is taking time to get some of the loyal alumni back.