2theship

I've never done three bags but I usually do two, one of all whites and one of darks. On the bag of darks I write "cold water only". I have no idea if I actually get what I ask for but so far my jeans have come back fine. On both bags I write the cabin number and mark them "Bag 1 of 2" and "Bag 2 of 2". Obviously, nothing particularly delicate goes to the ship laundry but so far, I've gotten back everything I sent.

I have not had it done but my sister did. Yes, they do gel nails and do a good job but the price is a lot higher than at home. So far, I’ve managed to get mine done by my local manicurist before leaving. It occurred to me on our most recent cruise that one reason I will never be able to do a long set of B2B cruises is that I have to get home to have my nails and hair done!

We cruise both Celebrity and Princess and make our choice based on itinerary. So far, for cruising the British Isles, Princess has gotten our business because we like the ports better.

When we've sailed out of Southampton, we've used Woodford Chauffeur Cars - they're great. There are also trains and the cruise lines operate buses from London to the port. At the end of the cruise we usually take the cruise line transfer because it's easy.

As has already been suggested, check the cruise line's option for airfare. We've found it's usually a much better deal than trying to book with the airline for exactly the same flights. It's not always true with domestic round-trip flights but for a transatlantic cruise, it's the way to go.

When alcoholic beverage packages were first available for sale, we did the math on what it would cost us for an upcoming cruise. Then we looked at what our onboard spending was for a previous similar length cruise. The cost of the package was more than all of our previous onboard spending so we figured it wasn't worth it. When there is an opportunity to get it as a perk, we often do. For our upcoming transatlantic, we booked with PBP and there has not been a better price available since. For next summer, we booked with PBP but switched to Three for Free because it was a much better deal for us. It's convenient having the total package but, since we always have to give them our cards anyway, it's not a big deal. We know what drinks we like so experimenting is not an interest. If I don't have a drink package, I'll probably buy the bottled water package and a coffee package.

If you're cruising in Europe, be sure to join your roll call. You'll be more likely to find small group tours with reputable guides.

All of our transatlantics have been with Celebrity or Princess and they both provide a number of enrichment events every day. We like westbound transatlantics because we can run ourselves crazy in European ports then have a number of days to relax and recover before we have a short flight home.

You have plenty of time to get your passport renewed. Set aside time in the next week to get the photos and paperwork done and send it off. You have more than three months if you do it now. Rather than depending on the differing opinions here or worrying about the possibility of rules changing after the first of the year, just do it and stop worrying about it.

On 9/22/2019 at 6:03 PM, neverbeenhere said:

you can order a cheaper imitation Chairman of the board by ordering the mojito drink without mint. 

Doesn't a mojito involve rum? Doesn't sound much like a Chairman of the Board.

You probably have a good chance. We saw some dim northern lights in August in Iceland. In October, the odds should be much better.

While there may not be adjoining cabins available, most cabins on Solstice class ships allow you to open between the balconies. That would essentially create adjoining cabins with easy passage back and forth between the two.

@Shaver John it should show up as refund to your credit card but that takes time, it's not up to Princess or EZAir, it's up to the bank that has your credit card.

Cruise line air fare (my experience is with Celebrity and Princess) has always seemed to be a great deal with transatlantic flights and open-jaw tickets. We've gotten business class for outrageously good prices. Having said that, in January we were flying from CMH to LAX for a Hawaii cruise. It helped that we booked during a promotion that offered discounted airfare but, even at that, we got an unbelievable deal on domestic flights. When it was time for final payment, our travel agent called and said "how did you do that?" We had roundtrip flights, both nonstop for just over $100 per person. We were each paying just a bit over $50 each way in coach. My travel agent is great but no one is going to monitor my cruise and flights better than I can. For this fall's transatlantic, we booked as soon as the flights were available and got business class flights for $1620 per person total. Now, on EZAir, the same flights are about $5,000; on the airline website, they're $9,000. I keep looking but I don't know why. I guess I just want to gloat.

If we don't have drink package, we will often buy a bottle in the dining room and ask for it to be saved for later use. While we have always consumed those bottles in the MDR, I have seen other cruisers request a glass from their bottle from the dining room. Someone from the bar goes to get it for them.

2 hours ago, lorri111 said:

 

I wasn't sure how the minutes would work when we are on a 22 package in total but only 16 is a cruise, the rest is landtour - does that still count as "voyage" of 21+ days?

Probably not, it will most likely be 250 minutes for each of you for the 16 days. As mentioned, be sure you log out when you are done with your session. At that time, you'll see how many minutes you have left.

One of the benefits of EZAir is that you don't need to pay for the tickets until you make final payment for the cruise. The flights will show up in your cruise personalizer and even on the airline's web page. You can then continue to monitor the flights you want and see if there is a price drop. We booked flights for our upcoming transatlantic cruise within hours of them becoming available for booking and I continue to monitor them. I've noticed that flights that interest me will show up with just a few seats left then disappear and a week or two later, they'll be available again.

Last year we were flying from Central Ohio to LAX and when we originally booked our flights, there were no non-stops. We booked what we thought was best but kept watch. At some point American Airlines announced non-stop flights at a great price so we grabbed those.

Yes it is.

I just posted this quick reply and went on to read another post on a similar subject. It used to be possible but it might be worth a call to EZAir to find out for sure.

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I think  they only cut back on benefits when there are a lot of Elites onboard.  Were there a lot of Elites on your West coast cruise?  Hopefully there won't be any cutbacks on your Canadian cruise.

We've never experienced any cutbacks even on cruises with over 1,000 Elites on board. Instead of limiting the Elite Happy Hour to one location, we've sometimes gotten coupons or some other method of ordering drinks in other bars. But, the Elite event still takes place in whatever lounge is forward at the top of the ship. Comp drinks are served and appetizers are passed. A lot of people don't go because they can get their drinks in a number of other bars on the ship. We had one where there were so many Elites on board that they also served the appetizers in other bars from 5 to 7 p.m.

It's looking like it will be a transatlantic from Barcelona to Tampa but no one will no for sure until it's announced. The Caribbean cruises from Tampa starting November 2020 are supposed to go on sale tomorrow.

If they actually give you that many bottles of booze, I'd be taking a lot of it home with me!

I'd be surprised if you find anyone here with that experience. It's possible that there are defaults set on the online system. Give them a call and see what they say. It never hurts to ask. Could you take another short cruise near the end of your stay? It would probably cost you more money than just booking a flight home directly with the airlines but, hey, it's a cruise! Or, take another TA to get home!

In 2008, we took a Greek Islands cruise but our flight home from Rome had been cancelled and we wound up crammed into the center group of seats on  a full flight. I said to DH, "next time we sail back". For quite a few years, we took a transatlantic in the fall and only had the short flight home from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. A few years after that, after arriving in London in the early morning hours, I said to DH, "isn't it time we upgraded our seats?" The next year, we were shocked at what a good deal we could get in business class using cruise line air. With a lie flat seat, the flight is much more tolerable, even fun. The family joke now is that I won't fly across an ocean in coach. The trick seem to be booking flights as soon as they become available for the itinerary then watching the pricing. We choose our flights and seats very carefully when flying in coach. We also enjoy the Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruises from Bayonne because it's a day's drive.

How far out is the cruise? If it's more than 330 days from the last day of the cruise, you will get an error message.

As Happy Cruiser says, the partitions don't open all the way but certainly enough to allow an easy passage between balconies and cabins without going out into the hall.

If you sit down at a slot machine you can put your card in the machine and charge casino money to  your account. That purchase will be billed like any other purchase during your entire cruise. When you are done playing, hit the "Cash Out" button and it will transfer the funds to your card. If you have any winnings, they are not credited to your account, you must go to the casino cashier with your card and they will give your winnings in cash.

I can't begin to count the number of non-ship tours we have taken and we've always been back in plenty of time. Once, in Monaco, there was a huge traffic jam but we had Princess buses behind us so we weren't worried. I only really worry when we go off to explore on our own. The operators of the independent tours have too much to lose if they get you back late so they will plan the day well. Be sure to check the Ports of Call boards to see if there are any comments about the operator you're considering. Also check Trip Advisor.