Softball20

I just saw all of this and checked my cruise planner. Our June sailing on the Equinox is showing the $13.99 rate, which is quite a bit lower than what I had paid. I called captain's club, and she was still showing the higher pricing -not sure why. We cancelled my original purchase and I'll go back on line to do the upgrade. I'll probably call CC later anyway to see how they will handle the elite discount. Looks like internet upgrades are down, too.

We have always gotten ours back, too.

Thanks - I know just where that is! My grandson will be thrilled.

I know this is random, but will there be any place at the port in Nassau to get a passport stamped? We are taking our then 5 & 4 year old grands on a short cruise in February, and the 5 year old is obsessed with passports. I know that we don't typically get stamped in ports, but I'm hoping that there might be some office somewhere that we can get their first stamps. I'm wondering if there might be someplace in the new cruise terminal? Any thoughts?

No; we sail next June. Not soon enough!

We booked our business class tix to Rome and then back from Barcelona as soon as they went up for purchase. We used miles, which were crazy high and have continued to go up since I booked. I had to book from two separate accounts - mine and my husband's - and the miles prices literally went up by about 20k miles between one purchase to the next in a matter of minutes. They are almost double now. This was on American out of CLT and back to MIA then SAV. It's convoluted, but it worked.

We also have two days in La Spezia next year. The first day we are doing CT. I'm thinking to taking the train to Lucca for the second day. We've been to Florence a few times, and it seems just too far for a day trip. We've never been to Lucca, so it's something different/new for us.

Looks like our kiddos will have lots of options with no need to pay for the waterpark for which they are too small anyway. I'm not usually a fan of private islands, but we picked this sailing so they could have a fun introduction to cruising. They will both have loads of fun with the splash pads, etc. We live at the beach, so they are pretty used to that, but this will be a totally different experience for them!!

About how long is each segment of the ferry ride - I mean from village to village? One of our friends traveling with us next year doesn't do well on smaller boats. She's fine on big cruise ships, LOL. Looking for ways to sell it to her 🙂 Since we will have an overnight in La Spezia, we will likely do CT villages on our first day, and then maybe a train to Lucca the second day.

This is great info. We will be taking two of our grandchildren, ages 4 & 5 by then, in February. They will be too small for the the water park/slides, which is fine, but it sounds like there are lots of other options for just a fun beach day.

We are taking our then 4 & 5 year old grand kids on their first cruise next February. (It will also be our first cruise on Royal in a long time and never on a ship that big.) I'm assuming there is enough fun stuff for them to do at Coco Cay w/o having to pay extra for the water park?? I'm assuming they will be too little for that anyway.

Thanks! That does make a good deal of sense. I'm sure it will be busy/crowded - which I get living in a tourist destination, LOL. I would like to fit a bit of Porto Venere in there, as well, but I'm not sure when. Is that doable on the same day with Lucca? Seems like a lot given that they are in different directions.

Jumping in on this thread. We will be there next year. We have an overnight in La Spezia so two days to explore. The next port is Santa Margherita. I definitely want to walk between the villages of CT, and all of us are good for the walking, etc. I was thinking that we'd take the train on day 1 which puts us in the middle village and pick a direction from there. However, I've always wanted to spend time in Lucca, so I'm rethinking. Maybe it would be better to see Lucca on day of La Spezia, spend day two meandering from the middle village back to La Spezia and then the day in Santa Margherita, to the last two villages and maybe some of Portofino. It might be a bit ambitious....... Just starting my research so I'm open to suggestions.

Another vote for Rome Cabs/Stefano Rome Tours. We have used them several times for various transfers and excursions. Each time has been great (note: these were all pre-Covid). They are very prompt, professional and courteous. We will be using them again next year for airport transportation to Civitivecchia.

Thanks for all the input. I always do the research and get all that done before booking, so we’re good there. I just booked the other day directly with Celebrity from the open booking we just did on board our last sailing. My sole motivation this time is the potential for additional OBC, which we typically use to upgrade our beverage package and internet. I typically also monitor the pricing along the way in case there are any decreases prior to final payment. Maybe I’ll give the transfer a try this time.

Thanks for the input. I don't anticipate move-up being an issue on this cruise, and Celebrity gives you 60 days to transfer the booking. . I do like some of the OBC they are offering. I wouldn't even know where to find a good TA around here as it's been so long since we've used one. Hmmmmmm

I know we can't talk about specific TAs, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to transfer my booking to one, more specifically one of the bigger, on-line ones. We haven't used a TA in years - we typically book directly with Celebrity, but I keep reading about perks people are getting so I thought it might be a good idea. Any downside?

Mystery solved: We were in Coz a few weeks ago, and we did Punta Morena this year. We did approach Chen Rio, and that's definitely where we were last year. I think we had thought about doing something other than CR last year and decided to stick to it. This year, CR looked kind of tired and not as great as it's been. The beach didn't seem clean, and there was no one there. We agreed, with our driver for the day, that Punta Morena was a better option. We had a fantastic time. When we arrived, there were just a few people there, but it did get busier as the day progressed. Our server was attentive and fun. The food was good, and the margaritas were wonderful. I also had a massage on the beach - probably one of the best I've had. All in all a very, very good day. We got a cab outside of the port. I typically like to walk a block or two away from the port as the drivers tend to negotiate a bit better. Our driver was super nice. We paid $80 total for the two of us round trip, which I think was very fair, given the distance, etc.

So glad I looked at this thread. After reading the comments, and knowing that my DH would likely want to upgrade our internet access, I got on the X website to explore the differences in pricing for our upcoming cruise. In looking at my account and our cruise planner, I noticed that none of our CC club points were showing and we were now showing zero points instead of our elite level. Same thing on my app. I called CC and was able to right away speak to a really nice, efficient agent. He noted that there is an issue now with their site, but all is good. While I had him on the phone I asked about my recent upgrade in my bev package from classic to premium. When I did that several weeks ago, the agent didn't seem to have a good handle on it, and it seemed off to me. I asked this guy about it, and he confirmed that we had paid too much, so he reversed it - we now have more OBC back. .......... and yes, we can stack our elite internet discount with the pre-cruise discount 🙂

Head to the other side of Coz. The cab ride is about 30 minutes and the beaches are great. Good food, laid back and not crowded. We usually head straight to Chen Rio or Coconuts.

Will do! It was a great spot for food, drinks, and beach. As I mentioned, last year we started out intending to head to Chen Rio, but diverted. We'll figure it out but we'll definitely be heading that direction.

I've looked all around google maps - definitely not El Pescasor and we definitely didn't climb up stairs when we wanted a drink. Also definitely not Punta Morena. We've been down that area several times on both land trips and cruise stops. It's definitely past the turn from the transversal.

The taxi came back at the agreed upon time; he was even early. I'm sure we were at Coconuts last year -- there's definitely a beach. It was small, but pretty. It's off to the right from the main area - perhaps not actually affiliated with the restaurant. We had actually intended to go to Chen Rio, as we've been a few times, but the driver suggested this, so we gave it a try.

We always get a cab and head straight to the east side of the island. It's about a half hour each way and the drivers will negotiate and be there to pick you up. Last year we paid $70 round trip for two of us. The beaches are smaller and much less crowded. We like Coconuts and Chen Rio. No charge to get in, other than what you eat and drink. They may or may not charge for chairs, but it's nominal. Looking forward to going back there next month!

Down the road a bit is a place called Coconuts and then Chen Rio - both great! We've been a few times, the last time was February 2022. Great day at Coconuts. Good, clean beach; great food and margaritas. We walked out of the port area first and got a cab for $70 for the two of us, round trip. That's where we will be headed next month!!