ptrpanpens

If you add Cairo, I'd like to insure you :) :)

Not that adventurous, yet, although glad I went to Egypt in the 80s when things were safer.

In answer to the OPs actual question (instead of going off in other directions) the current situation would not effect us one iota! DW and I are lifelong travelers who sometimes spend up to 7 months a year out of the country. Stuff happens all the time, it could happen anywhere, and we refuse to be intimidated. However, we do have some concerns that additional security will make traveling more of a hassle....but one must just smile and go with the flow.

 

Hank

In total agreement with you. I have plans to go to Paris, Istanbul and Israel next year.

As long as the government does not ban travel, I will be going back to Israel and Turkey next year.

Two of the best places on earth!

I have been to Paris at least 20 times over the past 40 years and have almost never had a bad experience. I believe that it all depends on your attitude and the French can pick up negativity. I am so in love with that city that I walk around everywhere with a smile on my face and people have always responded.

Try learning a little French...it will do wonders.

I have plans to visit Paris again next spring for 10 days and pray for the French and their country that they heal from this latest atrocity.

Can someone who has been on Infinity around Cape Horn beginning in early January please tell me the temperature variances from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and then back up to Santiago. It looks like the average temps are in the 80s in Buenos Aires, Montivideo, and get down to the 40s and 50s further south in Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. Then back up to the 80s again in Santiago.

Are there bad winds in Ushuaia around the 2nd week in January or do you think I can get by with a raincoat, lots of layers, cap, gloves, etc. i hate to take a heavy coat for only a couple of ports if the weather is going to be around 40s to 50s. Any opinions from those who have done Ushuaia? We will be going to Martillo Island with Pira tours and photos show many people with only jackets.

Probably because your friend booked under UK contract terms. OP choose to use a US TA to avoid the extra costs of a UK contract.

He is a US citizen and booked in the US with Princess. The credit came directly from Princess and was given to all guests onboard.He got a very nice discount on a cruise to the Baltic that next summer.:D

Two years ago a friend of mine was on a Princess TA from Southhampton to FLL. Because of extremely bad winds and a storm the ship was forced to stay in port for two days and had to cancel two ports. I recall that the compensation given by Princess was 50% credit of the cruise cost toward a future cruise within the next year. Just saying....Celebrity might take notice if they are reading this thread.

Several months ago was able to get UA business class LAX to EZE at the end of December for 55,000 miles with one stop in Houston and on the new Dreamliner. Lucked put on that one. Seats much higher now.

Try operaciones@piratour.net.

Keep trying they will respond eventually. They sometimes go out of town and do not respond during those times.

Good luck

1300 pesos (about $80) for a 7 course tasting menu including wines sounds like a pretty good deal to me, especially on NY eve. If you want to celebrate with NY festivities, the luxury hotel dinner/ dance/ parties will run considerably more, but still a bargain compared to No Am/European pricings. Check the web sites of the top hotels. Hey, you only live once.

Thanks. I didnt know if this was high for Buenos Aires or not. I know it would be reasonable here in Los Angeles. We are also looking at La Pecora Nera in Recoleta. Are you familiar with it? It gets good ratings but you never know.

My problem with New Years is that I do not drink much so all you can drink wine and champagne is wasted on me. I am also not much of a beef eater so may have some stares directed at me in Argentina.:eek: Is Buenos Aires busy on Nrw Years Eve or are people out of town on vacation?

Thank you so much for the outstanding review with great photos. I have just started looking at the Israel section, since we are planning to go on a similar cruise next year. I will look at the rest later; but am certainly enjoying it. Which lenses did you use with your Canon on the cruise?

Mike, are you planning on taking Constellation next year by any chance? Would love to meet you and Carol on the October 23 cruise. I guess you finally convinced her. It is a great itinerary from Istanbul. Anne

I just hope this is resolved by next October. I still intend to spend a week in Istanbul prior to my cruise unless things are so bad that the State Department forbids travel. But I wont be spending my time anywhere around Taksim Square!

Good to know things are still OK there for the time being even if Celebrity has chosen not to dock overnight. And lets just hope they stay that way after upcoming Turkish elections.

My motto: lots of exercise, do not eat it unless you REALLY want it, limit desert and bread, only mainly drink water, iced tea, and skim milk. I am lucky I do not like wine or hard liquor so that is one place I can really save calories but this obviously will not work for most people.

And don't worry about eating everything on your plate just because it is there. Much better to waste food than calories!

Blu may be healthier but it is not Healthy unless you make good choices.

Take advantage of all the walking and other opportunities for being active and you wont gain weight if you exercise some discipline. It is really very simple. I have lost weight on every cruise I have ever taken.:)

Just keep in mind, the more stops, the more chances the airline has to lose your luggage, more chances for delays, etc. IMO, the fewer stops, the better..

Does anyone have any recommendations for dinner in Buenos Aires on New Years Eve? I am staying in Recoleta and there is a small group of us trying to decide on a restaurant. I have emailed one place but have heard no response but figure that it is vital to book in advance. Is it better to just call?

My hotel the Club Frances on Rodriguez Pena gats a good rating for their restaurant but it costs $1300 ARS plus tip, presumably so that is expensive even at the blue rate. It does include about 7 courses plus wine and champagne though so I dont know how out of line it is for a highscale restaurant on New Years Eve. Does anyone have any advice about the going rate on NYE for a nice restaurant? Or any recommendations?

We stayed at the Alvear Art Hotel in Feb. and had the same experience. As long as you receive a quote in both dollars and pesos you can know exactly how to proceed. Like you, we saved a bundle by paying in Blue pesos....maybe not quite as much since the rate was only 13;1 back then.

I considered that hotel but ultimately chose the Hotel Club Francis since I figured the best location for me to be traveling alone and my first time in BA was Recoleta. There is a recommended cambio not far near the Alvear Palace Hotel., which is only a couple blocks away so convenient to exchange right when I arrive. Other than the hotel bill and maybe some restaurants I am going to try to limit my pesos purchased. Anything I have left over I will just give as tips to guides or to my cabin steward. Or take home as a souvenir.:o

On the web site of my hotel you can get the rate quoted in pesos and dollars so you know what the conversion rate is. I suspect most of the better hotels also do this. When I checked pesos vs dollars I saw that they used the official conversion rate which is WAY less than the blue rate. I will save a huge amount by converting at approx. 15/1 versus the official rate of approx. 9/1.

On small purchases it may not be worth the hassle but for an expensive 4 star hotel, it is a no brainer IMO.

I have Always gotten an upgrade for single occupancy as long as I am willing to pay the difference in fares. Usually they do have to contact the resolution department. This includes special discounted fares that are posted after final payment as well as fares that state "for new bookings and double occupancy."

You have to be persistent. Also, every travel agent I have used has been able to get them for me if I have not booked directly. I take advantage of these fares all the time on both RCI and Celebrity.

I visited the Chora Church last October and it was undergoing renovations but still plenty there to see. Also there are other places to visit near by such as the Western Walls, Balat, the Pammakatistos Church and several other places. I was disappointed in the Chora Church when compared to the Ravenna churches, but still would recommend a visit to the area especially if you are interested in the Byzantine period and mosaics.

Recommend lunch at Asitane too, right next to the Chora Church. Fantastic Ottoman cuisine - The best meal I had in Istanbul!

Istanbul is safer than London and most U.S. cities. The only reason Celebrity is skipping it is the paranoia in the U.S. created by the media. This is providing an excellent opportunity to save massively on fuel cost by skipping the long track to Istanbul. Abysmal.

How absurd! If that were the case and Celebrity was just trying to save on fuel, they would not have put Istanbul on the itinerary this year or any year, especially in past years where fuel was much more expensive than it is now.:eek:

I have heard no hysteria from the US media regarding Turkey and Celebrity would not be making their decisions based on that anyway.

The only thing you said that I agree with is that Istanbul is probably as safe as or safer than London or most large US cities.

Thank you for the recommendation for changing money. I also received another recommendation for that place from someone else so I definitely will go there. It is only a couple blocks from my hotel, the Club Francis so I will go there right after I arrive on the 31st.

We are on the cruise on August 31 and we are affected by the changes... and yes, we are disappointed and not thrilled about Athens as a replacement for the overnight at all.

 

For us, too, Istanbul was THE reason to book this cruise and I would still not have a problem to go to Istanbul.

 

HOWEVER, I fully understand that Celebrity has the responsibility for over 3,000 people on board and my own personal sentiment is not the issue.

 

Istanbul was cancelled because of an excisting risk. There is no denying the risk - we can argue about the probabilitiy and chances, but not about the risk.

How much risk do you want them to take?!

 

I will and would never ever ask for compensation because Celebrity or any other cruiseline acted accordingly.

 

Asking for compensations in these situations will only make them hesitate in a similar situation in the future. Until something really happens...

Miaminice,

So disappointed you will miss Istanbul this time as I was selfishly looking forward to your review with photos! But I will enjoy the review anyway, even with Athens I am sure it will be outstanding.

Perhaps you should just travel there for a few days on your own since you live so close, as I would recommend for everyone. Overnight is way too short for a city like Istanbul and you may just be frustrated at not having enough time there. At least a week is required there anyway, IMO especially if you have any interest in Byzantine and Ottoman history.:)

I only hope things settle down there because I have the Holy Land cruise booked again for next year and would be very disappointed to put it mildly. Istanbul is my favorite city next to Paris and I planned to spend at least a week there before the cruise. I have been to Greece at least 5 times but not recently so wouldnt mind being diverted there but so disappointed to miss Istanbul. I guess there are things you have to accept but sorry for all the cruisers who will miss Istanbul as it is beautiful and unique..

Just another reason you should NOT put off traveling to places you want to see as there may not be other opportunities. So thankful I visited Egypt when I did.

Thanks for the amazing photos. I will be in 3138 on Infinity for my cruise around the Cape in January.:D the cabins look great.