Lookingforfacts

PP gave incomplete information Some Caribbean cruises stop in Cuba. Passengers on those cruises require passport and Visa.

Some cruise lines require a passport.

Different people chose to spending their $$$ on different things. Different people have different financial resources. Different people put a different value on ship (slow) internet.

There was a discussion regarding hotel laundry prices on a Disney board. One poster said it's worth an extra few hundred dollars on the price of their vacation to come home with a suitcase full of clean clothing. Not to me but that post illustrates how different people value "perks" differently.

Seriously who on here really cares what you do with your alleged group of 50 people. Go find a newer ship.

Your post reads harsh but ITA with your point. Some people prefer the ambiance and amenities which come with a bigger and newer ship. I don't know why posters are arguing with the poster. Nothing wrong with booking the experience you're looking for.

Can anyone tell me if Celebrity cruise lines are strict on the "no swim diaper" rule?

(not necessarily the OP, because she may not have been aware of the rule) who know the rules, then feel compelled to ask whether the rule is strictly enforced or maybe they can just ignore it. A rule, is a rule, is a rule....and exits for a reason, whether you are aware of the reason or agree with it or not.

OP is aware of the rule. If you think your child is prone to accidents, and should wear a swim diaper, then your child isn't potty trained to pool standards.

OP is trying to have it both ways, insists her daughter is fully potty trained but should wear a swim diaper just in case.

When I booked I had the option of booking without the summer of savings promotion. I would have saved $100. TA told me $100 was drink service charge. I think she was confusing it with NCL. I booked within 45 days.

A member posting a recent review believes the Summit and other M class ships are for sale. He believes this is the Summit.

http://www.qpsships.com/copy-of-s2348-cruise-ship

Yours for 350 million

These types of posts are balanced by the Pollyanna cheer leaders who have nothing bad to say. As one poster said, the middle ground tends to give a realistic overall review. We need all the reviews to find the balance.

 

Burt

Agreed. Many people only post to say what was wrong. I wouldn't be concerned with one or two bad reviews....BUT

Posters are telling the OP not to be concerned. Did any of those posters cruise on that itinerary? On any European MSC cruise?

Did they even take the time to read the review? Sorry, you can't make an intelligent comment without at least one of those things being true. OP seems concerned I searched for the review, read it then looked up the current itinerary for that cruise.

MSC only lists a summary of ports unless you click through. Day 3 is at sea. Day 4 is Santorini 7a-3p. Santorini is a tender port requiring a cable car (mule or walk) ride up a hill Need to allow for lines. Port time is limited, particularly if the ship is delayed. Mykonos is 8p the same day leaving 3a day 5. Port time not conducive to touring the island. Fine if you want a bar crawl. Day 5 should be considered a sea day. Next port is Dubrovnik 1p day 6. I have no idea if the reviewer missed this prior to booking, if the itinerary changed after booking or if the ship was delayed. This is a legitimate issue, even if it was the reviewers fault, to consider before booking. How can a poster intelligently suggest taking the review with a grain of salt without reading the review?

To the OP. I'd consider taking a ships excursion in Santorini. Sometimes the tour will include a boat, eliminating the need to take the cable car first. I wouldn't get off the ship in Mykonos. Maybe if you want to explore the nightlife.

edited to add Food comments are subjective. I'm skipping over that part of the review.

You'll get better solar eclipse viewing, greater obscuration, if the captain is able to deviate from the normal course. Going closer to land and further south will increase obscuration. Normal course is basically diagonal course from NY to Bermuda. Changing the course to an L, and increasing speed to get further south, will improve eclipse experience. Not sure if that would justify increase fuel consumption, not how much extra fuel would be burned

Unless the OP lives in Mexico, why would you suggest he/she has a duty free allowance? Also.......... those to whom he/she is giving the 'suitcase', who li ve in Mexcico, don't get duty free allowance.... Ha d they been on the ship an left with gthe other t ourists, they woldl receive the items while on the ship and would make a customs declarration. tio...... If they have not left the country, they don't get a duty free allowance for receiving a gift.

The link offered by Mcdonaldban in post 5 (which I read prior to posting), and quoted in post 25, suggests a $500 maximum duty free allowance. I don't know how much the OP was planning to bring but a suitcase full of new clothing might have a value exceeding $500.

You post is utter rubbish. I assume you got you "facts" out of thin air. Countries have a duty free allowance for incoming visitors. Personal items in luggage, such as clothing you'll be wearing then bringing home, are generally excluded. Items like liquor frequently have a limit. Items you'll be selling or giving away are subject to limits. Some items (clothing for example) given to certain charities might be exempt.

It doesn't really affect most cruise passengers. Passengers are looking to purchase duty free liquor and bring it back on the ship, not the other way around. Passengers generally leave their luggage on the ship. Immigration and customs clearance for most passenger at port are streamlined.

You are making an assumption that the goods that the OP wants to bring will fit in a back pack. I got the impression from the original post that they OP is talking about a lot more stuff than that.

I'm going with the assumption the OP wants to low key this. Not bother with getting cruise line permission, dealing with customs and possibly paying duty. Two passengers, each with a back pack should be able to leave the ship without an issue.. Reduce the amount of stuff and the OP might save a lot of aggravation.

A suitcase, packed with clothing, new with tags, might easily exceed the duty free allowance. A back pack with used clothing, or at least clothing washed once, not as much.

The reviewer didn't like the limited port time in Santorini and Myonos (both ports the same day). I agree port time is bad. Reviewer didn't say if the itinerary was always this way, changed after booking or changed due to irregular operations.

Didn't like the food. Plan on spending a few dollar for a specialty restaurant, if you agree with the reviewer.

The time to read reviews is before booking, or at least before final payment. Reading reviews a few week before your cruise isn't productive.

I hope a moderator pickup on what I'm going to say here and passes my thoughts along to the powers that keep this board up.

 

Photobucket is getting free ads place on this system by removing member place content with their ads of their product. If they just placed a blank space I could live with that but I'm being forced to view their ads which I'm guessing are being push on this board which is not receiving ad revenue from them.

 

Currently I exploring ways to remove them from sites I run.

 

framer

I agree with PP. PB "ads" aren't really positive.

I see your point but look at it from PB. Third party hosting isn't generating any revenue. I can't imagine how much bandwidth is being used by CC members.. Not only are posters on CC using PB for dozens of photos in a review post (thread) but other posters include the pictures in quoting. I see your point but the other side is probably more valid.

PB decided to only offer third party hosting to customers willing to pay $$$. People like free. People don't want to pay what PB is charging. Remove your PB links and the "free ads" won't appear. Can't edit your posts to remove the link? Complain to cruise critic. You cancel your health club membership. Do you go to the club every day and swipe your expired card? No. Why should you continue to link to an expired PB account? Or at least an account with expired third party hosting? The current "ad" is intended to motivate posters to either upgrade their PB account or remove their links.

Cruise Critic is a commercial site. Why aren't they doing the hosting? Give every member a free allowance. Pay extra for more? Let Cruise Critic negotiate with PB.

It's a shame CC doesn't allow TA recommendations or discussions.

 

 

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I think the current policy is great. General discussions are allowed. Check and see what extras your TA is willing to throw in. See if there is a group booking which works with your schedule.

Specific discussions and recommendations of TAs would result in large amounts of spam postings. Would also undercut TAs which pay (advertise) to support this site.

Terms like extortion and ransomware aren't valid. Am I missing something? You can use a different service? Can't you download your pictures, assuming you can't find them?

The issue is with cruise critic not allowing you to edit your posts, updating location of your pictures.

Olympus TG-5, around $450, is rated best. Olympus TG tracker at 300 is another option. Nikon cameras mentioned by PP are reasonable choices. Costco, and other plsced, off great deals on a Fuji tough camera for under 200. Reviews aren't great

Occasionally a port is skipped. I'll second the knapsack idea. Go with 2, if necessary. Do any ships tender at Cozumel? That might be an issue.

Alaskan cruise are about the ports. Princess has a cruise which does both glacier Bay and Hubbard.

The question is if skipping PT, for no good reason, will delay his recovery and risk losing benefits. File a claim with your travel insurance and reschedule your cruise.

Mebbe its just me but I wouldn't show up with a photocopy either - we've always cruised with a passport. With the subjectiveness the rules could be interpreted, I would want to make sure that we are able to board without a doubt......

I use a passport. I agree with Sparks. A "homemade copy" is a last resort. Certified copy gets lost at the last minute. Up until the very end the parents thought the nice looking BC they were given at the hospital was an original BC.

According to the menus posted an 8 oz gourmet burger is 9.95 and a 4 oz gourmet burger is 4.95 You can buy two 4 oz burgers for (slightly) less then the cost of one 8 oz gourmet burger.

I read a list of the top chain burgers. Five Guys, Shake Shack, Wendy's and in and out were in the top 10 (I think top 5). All use fresh, never frozen, meat. I don't think ground beef lasts a week. Is it ground on the ship? Is it frozen? Can a burger prepared from frozen meat be considered gourmet?

The RCCL site says a WHITI approved document is acceptable. For children under 16 an original, photocopy or certified copy are all acceptable. At least for a child under 16 the requirement of a certified copy is a myth.

Again RCCL suggests a certified copy of a BC but says it will accept any WHTI approved document.

I don't suggest using a home done photocopy but several posters have.

The link to RCCL allows

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) or Trusted Travel Documents. Click here for a list of all approved documents.

A copy of a BC is one such document.

Again, I don't suggest it but a passenger has a case.

A poster, not in this thread, corrected an error many of us posted and believed to be true. For a child under 16 an original or even certified copy of a BC isn't required. An ordinary photocopy is sufficient.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

The poster actually cites rules which allows use of an ordinary photocopy by adults. Several posters report being able to cruise with "home made" copies.

That's beyond my comfort level, even if technically allowed.

Yes. I see the moderators seem to have an exception for Gate 1 Travel. To me they look like a travel agent...that promotes it's tours.

No exception needed. You can book a cruise directly with the cruise line or with a TA.

You can book a Gate 1 tour directly with Gate 1 or with a TA. Online TAs offer discounts, 5% off the land portion is typical.

Is a cruise line functioning as a TA if you book directly? No different then booking direct with Gate1.

Gate1 is a tour operator not a TA.

Gate1 isn't a travel agency. It's a tour operator. You can book directly with Gate1 or through a travel agency.

They have at least one river cruise ship. I think thev leased a couple of other river cruise ships.

Sometimes they offer a land tour combined with a group booking on a third party cruise line. Gate1 generally offers a good deal. If you list the specific tour you're looking at posters might be able to give you some thoughts.