watertraveler

Seems like a waste of revenue when they know that they could fill a ship departing from Boston and sailing south if they added several island stops.

Does anyone know what the Jewel is doing the last week of October 2021?  She goes to Canada on the 24th from Boston and the next date she appears to be scheduled in December 4th out of Miami.  I don't see a repositioning cruise for her.  What's up?

Over the years, we have received many treats from Celebrity and Royal. Last year, we celebrated our anniversary and my husband's birthday on a cruise to Cuba. One night, we had the birthday cake in the MDR.  The next night, we had the anniversary cake in one of the specialty restaurants and the following night, another anniversary cake in the MDR! It was overkill but we certainly got a kick out of it.

But, the best was back in 2000 on our friends' first cruise, we had a terrific steward in a balcony cabin below the deck where the concierge cabins were. Evidently, he was on good terms with the concierge (plus, he must have liked us) because each night we would receive a bottle of wine and canapes for our enjoyment.  Totally not part of the cruise cost and he definitely earned an extra tip for the service!  Loved it!

.....Enjoy the sound of the waves, watch the wake of the ship at sunset, find a quiet spot and my husband says, "Enjoy the moment."

On one cruise, we were leaving St. Lucia.  It was the Captain's last cruise.  He positioned the ship in Soufriere so we could get a good view of the Pitons and slowly, did a complete 360.  It was awesome! 

Well, it's looking like the US will not be invited to visit for some time so, traveling domestically, top on my list would be Alaska, St. Croix and Hawaii. I go back to any of those places at the drop of a hat.

Wishfully thinking, if we could travel internationally, Italy would always be tops on my list with Croatia, Scotland and Iceland coming in close behind.

For now, I guess I'll keep on dreaming and planning!  Stay safe everyone!

The Constellation was supposed to go into dry dock for an upgrade this spring.  Does anyone know if this will be cancelled or will Celebrity move her dry dock up while the 30 day moratorium on cruising is in effect?

Last November, I purchased a book later or Next Cruise certificate for $100.00pp.  Today, I booked 2 cabins today for next year's repositioning cruise out of Boston.  We got a rate for the first cabin and when the booking was completed for the 2nd (which had certificte) the total was higher.  When questioned, the agent told me that when the booking was made last November, the taxes and fees were higher than they are now.  Taxes and fees for the first cabin is $175.95pp but the taxes and fees for the cabin with the certificate are $342.65pp.

Has anyone heard of this or had experience with Next Cruise certificates? 

On 1/22/2020 at 6:02 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

At the small hotel where we've stayed in Rome (close to the Spanish Steps), the manager/concierge has assembled a driver and guide that we use separately (transfers) or in conjunction with a licensed guide (for certain attractions like the Vatican). The custom deal, which includes airport/ship transfers and those half/full tour days, when we may want the driver and/or guide, works out to be much less expensive than separately booked private group tours and limos or even shuttles.

Would your share the name of the hotel that you stay at?  Thank you.😊

What about the water ferry?  Does it leave from La Spezia or just Portovenere? We took the ferry from Portovenere some years ago and had a lovely water view of all the villages.  We stopped at a beach for a while and, when ready, hopped on the ferry back to town.  Does anyone know if it runs in October?  What would the conditions be like then?

Bruin Steve ~  Have you traveled south to Anzio?  It looks to be about 2 hours away.  We had considered going there before our cruise in October to see the WWII American cemetery.  

We have stayed in a 'hump' cabin several times and have never had an issue with noise from the centrum.  On our last sailing, there were doors that closed off the hallway leading to cabins that also may have cut down the noise level.  Enjoy your cabin.  It is in a great location!

I'd vote for a trip to Lucca.  Great walled city that is totally walkable.

If you search 'app for predicting Venice Acqua Alta', it comes right up.

Thank you all for your replies.  I have driven, in the past, and it might be an option for our next trip but I wanted to investigate some additional options.  

Thank you.  I looked briefly at their website and it looked like their focus was on Rome.  I will have to contact them though.  I probably missed something😊

We will be in Italy at the beginning of October and I'm interested in trying to find a private driver to take us to several different locations.  We will be arriving in Rome and want to travel to Popoli in Abruzzo.  We will also need transportation back to Rome and to Anzio.  Does anyone know of a company that would be able to assist us? We're not interested in tours, mainly just transportation from one area to another.

Thank you.

If you are looking to do something different, not going to a beach and baking in the sun, check out 

'Nicole's Table'.  Situated at the top of a hill overlooking the harbor with a view of the ocean is Nicole's Table.  You will spend 4 great hours creating delicious local dishes.  There are 4 different options for the day and, if you choose to cook seafood, you might make blackened mahi tacos, spicy shrimp and bake a yummy dessert, like a coconut tart. Nicole and her husband, Adam have created an awesome setting where a group of strangers meet, cook, eat and leave as friends.  

We were told that its best to sail south from Seward. That way you would transit the inside passage during the day. Heading north from Vancouver or Seattle, its possible that you would go through the inside passage at night. At least, that's what we were told.

I think it all depends on how adventurous or independent you are - whether you strike out on your own or stay with the cruise line's excursions.  It does pay to do some research first so that you are aware of security conditions and what the island has to offer.  From my experience, we usually end up doing a few private tours and maybe one with the cruise line.  We also just grab a taxi and head to the beach (that's after we have researched which ones are best for our needs).

We sailed on the Empress back in March on a cruise to Cuba.  There were families with little ones, groups from all different nationalities, but much of the passenger makeup seemed to be on the more mature 😊 side.  We have never been on the huge mega ships but are very familiar with the Radiance Class of ships.  With that in mind, the Empress had some really good things going for her.  As previously stated, Boleros was a great area with entertainment.  The Schooner Bar was a great stop before or after dinner.  There was never any problem getting a chair on the pool deck and I particularly liked that there were small tables around the outside of the pool area where you could sit, have a bite or just relax.  The dining staff were great and the food came out hot (that's a pet peeve of mine).

On the other side, the hot tubs were not always working.  The Windjammer (on other ships is on the aft end) was up front and not well laid out.  It always seemed congested.  The weirdest thing was that the gym was above the Viking Lounge and was partially open to the lounge area.  You could actually see people upstairs on the treadmills.  The rooms were small but we expected that but I really missed the balcony (only suites have them).  

There did seem to be a problem with plumbing in a cabin just down from ours but we never had an odor or a problem in our cabin.

Good luck with your cruise planning!

We loved the Campo d' Fiori area.  During the day the piazza was filled with a market and was within walking distance of the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.  We stayed at Palazzo Farnese and the staff were wonderful.

Just a general observation ~  When disembarking in Havana, the passengers that booked excursions through the cruiseline were the first to get off the ship.  For all others, it took at least an hour more for us to get through customs.  We had a tour with Yanela from I Love Cuba Photo Tours and she waited for us.  Thank goodness I had Yosel's phone number and was able to contact him.  

Thanks for all the nice comments!  It doesn't look like it has actually shipped yet.  But FedEx says I should have it by 4/8.

Good idea to add a picture at the beginning with info in case camera is lost again.

I have read many times about the lack of real customer service from RCCL.  So, when I got home from our recent cruise on the Empress of the Seas and noticed that my camera was not in bag, I really had no hope of finding it.  However, I called RCCL the other day and even prefaced my comments that I didn't think they would be able to help me but I was taking a long shot.  I explained my situation, that I thought I had left my camera on the ship, that I didn't remember packing it and was there any way to find out if it might have been found on the ship?  I was put on hold for a few brief minutes and then transferred to another person.  I again explained what I thought had happened and I was directed to go to the web site 'chargerback.com'.  After completing the form, with as many details about the camera that I could remember, an email was sent to me to complete.  

Okay, I'm thinking that would be it.  Instead, I received a report ID and told that I would get an email when my item was recovered.

I was still doubtful that I would have much success. However, not 5 or 6 hours later, I received an email from RCCL stating they had located my camera! I was given an option to 'pay to ship' or ' do not return'.  Of course, I processed the return! I was advised that, due to the ship's location, it might take up to 2 weeks before it was returned. Low and behold, this morning I received an email with a fedex tracking number. 

It could have been so easy for them to say, "Gee, sorry.  You weren't very careful with your camera. There really isn't anything we can do for you."  However, they followed through and helped me recover my camera with all my Cuba photos.  Kudos to RCCL!  Thank you!