ptrpanpens

Good advice. Rhodes is my favorite Greek island and I am looking forward to going back there on my Holy Land cruise in October.

I found the people very warm and cordial. I have not been since the 80s but I always remember my trips there fondly.

Yes it was Brilliance and yes we're booked on the Vision next year too. Look forward to meeting up.

 

Shawn

No last minute deals on that cruise I'm afraid. Very popular cruise.

Anne

Thanks Shawn

That must have been the Brilliance TA. I remember I changed cabins about 5 times on that cruise and finally ended up with a balcony 2 doors away from my original cabin but about $1,500 less! Lol.

It pays to watch the prices especially as it gets closer to final payment and also monitor cabin availability on the web sites that show it.

I think you are also on the Vision TA next year so hope to meet you then.

Anne

When you switch you get the perks that are being offered then -- but on higher category cabins, the perks are often as good or better than what you gave up. One time we lost OBC that wiped out most of the saving -- but I still feel that cash is better than a "coupon."

If you upgrade after final payment, especially using the Tuesday exciting deals, you will lose the perks because they are not combinable with the go better or most other promotions. I don't know about the OBC you get for booking a cruise onboard, you may keep that.

Only you can decide if upgrading to a balcony or suite is worth what you are giving up.

Do you make your original booking with perks? If so, have you been able to keep them when you upgrade? Thanks!

No you will lose the perks except TA OBC because of the dirt cheap price. But the drink package is something I don't use because I don't usually drink. The $300 OBC and even gratuities for me are usually more than offset by the savings of what I would otherwise have paid for a balcony (eg almost $2,000 less in South America). But if you use the perks or only want the cheapest cabin in whatever category, then it might not work for you. You just have to look at the bottom line and whether you think it is worth what you are paying.

Willing to bet you will also see significant price drops on the Holy Land cruises leaving from Istanbul this October and November after final payment. And TAs and TPs often are great values. But you have to be flexible and open to cabins assigned by Celebrity, not wedded to having a specific cabin.

My strategy is to always book the lowest category I can stand to be in (oceanview) on the higher priced cruises and hope to upgrade after final payment. Even on the popular cruises like South America, this has almost always paid off for me and I end up with the category I wanted in the first place but at tremendous savings. Sometimes I even luck out and get cabins in prime locations!

I sail solo so the savings are really significant for me using this tactic.

I recently booked a panoramic window cabin for an Avalon river cruise on the Danube in 2017 with no single supplement. I thought it was an excellent deal since most other lines restrict cabins with no single supplement to the lower categories with the two high Windows, (which I do not want.)

Maybe other river cruise lines have allocated some panoramic view cabins (full Windows) for singles without supplements, but I haven't seen them yet.

Tenting here almost always means termites.:eek:

If anyone is interested, RCCL has some very good itineraries to NE on Vision of the Seas for September and October 2017. I think the ship was just redeployed. Cabins are much less than X right now due to one of the promotions on Royal.

The ships tour was $85, but our cruise was only 2/3rds full. Not sure if that raised or lowered the price. And there is a part two of the ship's tour the following morning that we did not do. But if you do both, there might be a discount. Worth checking.

 

If you visit the Spice Bazaar find a place that sells dried fruit. We enjoyed the dried strawberries especially!

 

The shuttle was $10 for one round trip ticket. You walk out of the cruise terminal and the shuttles were waiting. And the shuttle drop off point is in between the Sultanahmet area and the Grand Bazaar.

 

Enjoy your visit. I can not wait to go back.

I would book a private tour rather than the ship tour. With 2 people the cost for a day shouldn't be that different and you will get personalized attention and not be with a lot of people on a big bus. Plus you can adjust the tour to see what you want and not be bound by a structured tour. There are many excellent guides there.

Both 3114 and 3140 are directly ahead of you as you enter into that passageway, both fore and aft entrances, so as you open up your stateroom door exit or entering, people entering into that passageway can see directly into your stateroom. 3114 is in a quiet area, but if you were to switch, I would choose 3136 over 3140.

Thanks Wine-O. I will probably just keep 3114 due to its location closer to reception. If I don't like it, I will just change to a different cabin if I choose that location in the future. (I do have 3112 booked on a future B2B). Right now there is a very good chance of upgrade after final payment on 3114 anyway because that cabin is on the Holy Land cruise and there are still many vacant verandas.

We are now on the 5/20/2016 Southbound sailing on the Millennium and we have cabin 3114. There IS noise in this cabin. It sounds like a diesel trunk is idling 10 yards away outside the window. Not a very loud noise, but it is there. The sound is there 24x7, even in port. This is very strange, because we sailed northbound the week prior in cabin 3116 next door, and it was so quiet - a fantastic cabin. Cabin 3114 is directly in front of the entry to the hallway were these cabins are located. Opposite the hallway entry is a decorative wall in the main hallway that you can hear large machinery behind if you listen closely. Apparently this effects only cabin 3114, as our neighbors in 3112 hear nothing, and we heard nothing while in 3116 the prior week. We did advise the ship's staff, though I suspect this is simply the nature of this room. So, we basically ignore the noise and are our best to enjoy our vacation, but if you are noise sensitive then this may not be the best cabin for you.

Has anyone been in 3114 on constellation lately? I have that cabin booked in October but could switch to 3136 or 3140 if need be. Wonder if it is noisy like the Millie? Thanks for any info.

They are posted on Celebrity web site today. Look under "specials" and you will see them.

I was in Istanbul a week ago, and found many shops in the Spice Bazaar that accepted euros. We used plastic at Aya Sopia.

 

The only sticky point was the WC at the Blue Mosque. We did not have ant TL on us, but the attendant took pity on us and let us use .50 euro coins. We also used euros to make a donation when leaving the Mosque.

 

I found people warm and gracious, and forgiving of my meager attempts at speaking their language.

 

I hope you have the same experience.

I guess I know what I can use my leftover TL coins for. Lol:D

Thanks for the great advice...think I'm definitely leaning towards the Sirkecki, as it's got fantastic reviews on Trip Advisor as well.

Check out their free city tours if you are there on the right days.

Look at the Sirkecki Mansion. We stayed there last fall and will be there again in two weeks. They have a rooftop deck that overlooks the park and across the water (in the distance we could see the cruise ships) They are located on a quiet street at the northern edge of the Sultanahmet convenient for walking to all the tourist sites in the area, near a tram stop and the train station, .and the Galata Bridge The service was outstanding. They will arrange transportation from the airport so you can avoid taking a taxi.

Another big thumbs up for the Sirkeci Mansion from someone who is very picky about hotels. This is without question one of my favorite hotels in Europe. Free transfer from the airport if you book 3+ nights and a 10% discount for paying in cash ($,€, or £). Plus they have some great free private tours around the city not offered by other hotels. I am also staying there in October prior to a cruise on Celebrity.

I booked cabin 3112 on a coastal/Alaska b2b cruise next spring, which is the first cabin nearest the doorway Leading to reception. I spoke to the occupants in the cabin while on a prior cruise and they informed me that the corridor and room is very quiet. So it must be that the noise is because of connecting cabins. Most people love the cabins in this hallway because there is less activity.

Since it takes me over an hour to wash and blow dry my hair, I get it done in the beauty salon. Definitely worth letting someone else do it for me while I am on vacation.:D and they have always done an excellent job.

And you don't have to worry about the hair dryer.

Just returned from cruise on HAL's new Koningsdam. We spent overnight in Istanbul. There was some concern whether we would go or not. Decision was made to go after being advised by State Dept and European agencies. We felt there was good security at the port and in the city. Never felt concerned as we toured the city. Our tour guides were most thankful that we had come. We were the 1st cruise ship since October and their economy has been deeply effected by the downturn in tourism.

Thanks for posting this. I feel so sad for the poor Turkish people who are being so impacted by this situation. I have plans for spending 5 nights in Istanbul before a cruise in October and I do not intend to cancel unless the State department forbids it! But I will be vigilant not stupid and avoid obvious potential areas for conflict and demonstrators.

Also, note that the specials are for new bookings only. You can get some great deals on both Celebrity's and Royal Caribbean's Tuesday sales sites. RCI's site is http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Multi_Dest/Special_Offers/rci_sales_event.pdf

Exciting deals are usually after final payment but I have always been able to upgrade as long as the cabin costs at least $1 more than I paid. So even though it says new bookings only and double occupancy only, I have always used them to upgrade my cabin and pay the difference. Sometimes you have to ask for the resolutions desk but if you use a good travel agent, they should also be able to get the upgrade for you.

One thing you need to be aware of is that you usually lose perks like go big when you upgrade after final payment so you have to consider that.

I have never been bothered by the time changes going east on a TA. But I have always been zonked out for the first few days flying over. So I prefer the eastbound TAs and being refreshed from day one in Europe.

Just wanted to add that I am now in Paris. Yes there is more security here, but I feel perfectly safe and have not altered my activities at all. Tourism is down 30% here which is terrible for the French so don't be afraid to support the French and come enjoy this gorgeous city - no more beautiful place anywhere in the world.

(And I will be also visiting Istanbul and Israel in the fall.)

I am in Paris now but took the Jordaan food tour last week and highly recommend it. Just be sure to NOT eat any breakfast that morning because they do not skimp on portions, esp the Dutch apple pie that Bill Clinton loved so much he took a whole one home! You get a huge slice. Plenty of beer and wine too if you want. It is totally worth the cost and the Jordaan is a lovely neighborhood, like all of Amsterdam.

I was frankly pleasantly surprised with the Amadeus Princess as it is not one of the newest ships but is extremely clean and well maintained. Staff was on their hands and knees today washing down walls and banisters and everything in the cabin is so clean. I will check out Emerald as I have seen it advertised but would definitely take Lueftner again. One thing about Lueftner's Amsterdam to Basel itinerary is that they visit both Strasbourg AND Colmar whereas AMA does not visit Colmar. That could be a deal breaker for me as well as the single occ price difference between the lines for cabins with French balconies. I don't think the lowest priced cabins are that different due to AMA's no single supplement for their lowest category.

But I would like to try AMA sometime so if I decide on them, I will just bite the bullet and economize elsewhere. ( God only knows where..lol.)

Anne

Lois, thank you. The reason I asked is that I did not even see the no single supplement for category E when I looked. I guess I will have to weigh all the pros and cons when I get the exact quotes. In the meantime I may be sorry for trying a picture window for my first cruise because now I am spoiled. The jump up to a French balcony on AMA is quite a lot because of the single supplement on that category. On the other hand if I had chosen AMA for my first cruise I would not be able to downgrade the cruise line to Lueftner. So it's a decision.

All I know is that I will be going on another river cruise next year.:D:D

Anne