rae8836

Just got off of eight nights on Beyond in 10249 (opposite side of the ship).  No creeks, bangs, or noises of any sort.  Seas were smooth to moderate waves.

Also was in the steak class on Beyond.  Obviously the presentation was still being refined as the primary presenter ( a senior chef ) was referring to notes on a yellow legal pad.  However, the information was good and each of the eight of us did prepare (and eat) our own steak.  The presenter and one other chef were working with the eight attendees and we each got a lot of personal attention.  I felt it was very much worth the cost. Obviously YMMV....  

Received an old style Serenade block on board on the day we made 350 - 10 Nov.   No idea of the existing inventory.

For those who might be interested, this is the reading/library area added to 12 as of 18 Nov:

          RAE

06:30 EST and still can't access an Arrival Time.

Check-in was available to enter travel info for my wife and myself (which I did successfully) but the 'Arrival Time' item on the check-in page comes back with a 'Not quite ready for you' box.  Two most recent cruises (Nov 2022 and Apr 2023) let me select an 'Arrival Time' 15 or 20 mins after midnight.  Any one aware of any issues?

Yes, I have 'decoded' the bed locations.  What I am interested in determining is what is in the 'double sofa bed' space in those rooms where the deck plan shows no symbol.

We've been switched from Reflection to Beyond.  This is will be our first time on an "E" class and I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I commit to a room swap.  I definitely want 'bed by the door' and a non-connecting cabin.  On the deck plan I see two variations in cabins that are configured the way I want.  One type has a 'double sofa bed' symbol (ex: 12122 or 12126) and the other type has no symbol at all (ex: 12144 or 12150).  I've seen a couple of pictures of a cabin with the 'double sofa bed' symbol but haven't found a picture of the 'no symbol' cabin.  Anybody know the difference between the two layouts?

Just got my new passport.  Straight renewal, no special situations. 

Paid for expedited processing and paid for express return. 

Chronology:

Mailed doc package Priority Fixed Rate 04/12/2023

Shown online as "Received" 04/18/23

Received new passport via Priority Mail Express 05/23/2023

Looks to me like 5 weeks once they got it in their hands.  I'm satisfied.

I too was waiting for Jewel.  When that fell through I turned to Celebrity out of Boston.  Three 11 day 'Boston, Maine, and Canada' trips through Sep 2024 on Eclipse - overnight in Quebec.  Good ship, good itin.  Still some space but filling fast.  If you have Crown & Anchor, Celebrity provides reciprocity in their Captains Club.

That's what I'm hoping....  Want to jump on one of those as soon as available but no idea as to when I should start looking.

I see Jewel in Amsterdam in Aug 2024 and in Galveston in Nov 2024 but unlisted for Sep-Oct 2024.  Obviously there will be a TA in there somewhere but anyone know what else is scheduled for those months?

We always choose aft JS when on a Radiance Class ship but don't like the 'steel cave' feeling in the aft JS on Voyager and Freedom class.  On those two classes, we usually take 'top of hump' JS - really a better view and much closer to the elevators.  YMMV....

Anyone aware of if and when we might see trips to/from Quebec in fall of 2024?  Will Jewel do 'Fall Foliage' trips in 2024?

Slightly different internet cost question: We will be on BR starting July 27 and will probably purchase a single Voom Surf Voyage Package for one device. We are Diamond +. I see this package is now on sale in my Cruise Planner for $12.79 a day. If we wait and purchase on board we would both get Diamond + discounts which I believe we can combine. What is the onboard cost for Voom Surf Voyage package for one device? Should we take advantage of the sale and buy in advance or should we wait until we are on board?

tartanexile81, have followed your postings for quite a while and appreciate your knowledge and contributions.

We'll be on Brilliance arriving in Edinburgh on 29Jul18. We'd like to do both Royal Yacht Britannia and The Royal Mile. Given that we will be tendering into Queensferry (at last report) we are aware that there will be time/distance issues. We would probably pre-book Britannia but just wander around The Royal Mile, not trying to hit any of the 'ticket required' venues there. Royal Carribean Itinerary shows the Edinburgh stop as 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, but that doesn't take tendering and such into account, and 29Jul is a Sunday. How would you suggest we schedule the two destinations we have in mind?

I'd agree that the 'III' is a game changer, but I'm on the other side here. As others have mentioned, there seems to be some not-so-subtle pressure to move the enthusiast away from APS-C. Especially given no new native APS-C lenses from Sony (although there are rumors).... However, I really like the trade-off between size and quality that I get with the A6300 and my 10-18, 18-105, and 35mm prime, all with Optical SteadyShot. So far, I can do all I want to do with this package, but I would like some new toys, particularly faster and longer lenses. I'm beginning to feel I might not see this from Sony in native APS-C.

We are also 'over packers' and will have four large bags with us from AMS to our hotel on 26Jul. It appears to me that the standard taxis are small-ish. I note that KLM offers to book airport-to-hotel cars in various sizes. Given we have more than the average amount of luggage, should we choose one of the larger cars or a small van? Or can we get a taxi with more space?

Saw that gap and wondered the same thing. Would be interested in what is going on.

Unfortunately there is no real rule on this. Multiple factors can cause prices to go in any direction. My personal belief is that _most frequently_ early purchase is better on complex itins like Europe or open jaw. On the other hand, round trips between US end points have some history behind them and _tend_ to hit their lowest price at the widely quoted 3-6 months before departure point. But neither of the above is certain.

I purchased our air from Air2Sea and as part of that purchase they offered me transfers both ways in Amsterdam. Price was $34/person. Since there is obviously a mechanism in place for Air2Sea to offer these (and provide the 'we will get you there' assurance) I suspect it is only a matter of time before the offering shows up with the regular reservations folks. My reservation is for the 27Jul departure on the same itinerary.

BTW, my air (ORD-AMS) was $588.80 per person round trip To me, that's a bargain.

"lens/sensor/processor algorithm" - This is probably a subject for a (long) separate thread, but I find it interesting that 'taking pictures' now involves interaction with all three of these components. Of course in the film days all the stuff dealing with developer types, development times, printing methods and print alteration techniques could be called the 'processor algorithm'. However, when I look at all the _in camera_ image manipulation options available on my A6300, it seems that we are over supplied with choices. I even see this to a certain degree in cell phone cameras, depending on the brand and model. Brings us back to the question of what is a true image?

We normally book Aft JS but couldn't get it, so we took 1598. We liked it, but I think it would depend on how you normally used balconies. As shown on the deck plans and as can be seen in any picture of that end of the ship, 1598 has a steel-enclosed 'alcove' at the aft end that makes the total balcony space larger than other balconies. 1598 is also the parking space for the window cleaning machine, although the part that intrudes into your view is just some spindly railings. We had this cabin for an Alaska cruise where the weather wasn't the best. We wanted a good viewing space and got that but actually appreciated the 'alcove' where we could duck out of the weather when desired. The spindly rails were no big deal. If this were a Caribbean cruise and we were looking for sun on our balcony, 1598 would be a mistake. The balcony is more like a steel cave with a view - sometimes a good thing, sometimes not. We still would take the cabin if we couldn't get our preferred Aft JS on Radiance class.

Certainly longer is better - but if you do the redemption via the online site it goes really quick. I recently redeemed a bunch of points and had it show up on my reservation in a very few hours.

To take this just a bit off-topic... I looked very closely at the Peak Capture clip but had an issue with how to keep the camera secure when it is not in the clip. With a normal sling or strap the camera is secure at all times, as long as the sling/strap is around your neck. The Peak Capture clip makes it much easier to walk/hike with a camera, but when the camera is not in the clip it is subject to being dropped. Do you use any sort of a wrist strap or similar?