wangy26

We will take a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise (1/7-1/14/2023) round trip from San Diego. One couple will drive from LA and will need 7 day parking for the car. I checked a few options on portofsandiego.org.  They all seem very expensive. Wyndham is $25/day. Some airport lots with shuttle is $20/day.  I just wonder if there are any less expensive parking options.  A few of us will fly in a day earlier and stay in a hotel before the cruise. Is there any hotel offer stay and park option there?

Your help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for the info! 

We will be sailing on Celebrity Silhouette on Feb 25, 2022 to Caribbean.  We are looking into the shore excursion now. I would really appreciate if you can help me with the following questions:

1. What is the Celebrity's shore excursion booking policy regarding change and cancellation if we book now?

2. Our ports of call for the 10 day cruise are:

Philipsburg, Castries, Bridgetown, Basseterre, and St. John's/Antigua

I would really appreciate it if you can provide recommendations for top shore excursion(s) for any of these ports.

Thanks so much for the help!

Budget Queen,

Thanks so much for the taxi stand and park entrance fee info.  Besides national park what are the other places that are worth seeing (not within walking distance)?  Can you also elaborate a little bit why you consider that the penguin tour (Pira tour) from this port is your last choice?

Thanks again!

We will be at port of Ushuaia (on Celebrity cruise) on Jan 12, 2019. Our plan for that day is still uncertain as of now.  We are still waiting for the Pira tour's decision if they will offer penguin tour for the cruise passenger on that day. I want to have some back up plan in case that one doesn't work out. I am considering just hire a taxi driver at the port to take us (6 of us) to the Tierra del Fuego National Park for the day (5-6 hours sightseeing and some easy hiking).  I will really appreciate it if you can help for the following questions:

1. Is taxi/tour readily available at the port?

2. Do some of taxi drivers/tour guides speak English since we don't speak Spanish?

3. How much is average cost to hire a taxi driver/tour guide for 5-6 hour to the NP?

Thanks so much for the help!

We will be taking Celebrity 14 day cruise (Jan 6-20, 2019) from San Antonia to Buenos Aires. I understand that the outside temperature for this cruise will vary greatly from hot (in BA) to cold (through Cape Horn).  I just want to know what the temp is like for evening dining in main dining room. Do they keep constant temp in the dining room or the temp varies depending on outside temp? Will short sleeve dress be too cold for ladies?

Thanks very much for your help!

Thank you all so much for the very helpful info. Now I know that Brazil has this new e-visa that is much cheaper and easier to get. We may consider to do the both sides of the Iguazu Falls. So my revised plan for the falls is following:

1. Take mid-morning flight on Jan 20 (after debarkation from the cruise) from BA to IGR. Transfer to hotel and drop luggage (may be too early to check-in). Do the AR side of the falls (walking trail, boat ride, etc).

2. On the second day (Jan 21) hire a van (for 10 people) and do a day trip to Brazil side of the falls. I will feel much better if I can pre-arrange this. Can anyone recommend any company to arrange this day drip?

3. On third day take an afternoon flight back to BA. Hopefully we can still have half day to do additional touring on AR side of the falls.

Can you comment if this plan is reasonable and doable?

Thanks again!

Thank you so much for the new visa info. Can you provide a link?

Our group of 10 (college friends from many years ago) will be on South America cruise on Celebrity Eclipse (Jan 6-20, 2019) from San Antonio to Buenos Aires. We have never been to that part of the world. We will fly from different parts of the world to Santiago, Chile. Some will arrive on Jan 4 late morning and other will arrive on Jan 5 late morning.

Pre-cruise

Tentatively I plan to book a hotel in Santiago near airport for one to two nights (Jan 4 & 5). For people arrive on Jan 4 maybe we can do a city tour on Jan 5. SouthExcursions has a 6 hour tour/transfer (from Santiago to Valparaiso to San Antonio). I incline to book this tour for our group on Jan 6 leaving at 8 AM and arrive at port around 2 PM for check-in. I hope to get a van just for our group.

1. Is it better to get a hotel near the airport or in the city for our intended purpose?

2. Do you have any recommendation for a good mid-range hotel?

3. Do you have any other tour companies to recommend beside SouthExcursions?

Post-cruise

We would like to visit Iguazu Falls post cruise. Tentatively, I plan to book a flight late morning on Jan 20 from BA to IGA (Argentina side). Stay 2 nights in a hotel in Argentina side. I don’t intend to visit Brazil side since it is too much trouble/cost to get a visa. From what I read so far, the actual visit inside Iguazu Falls National Park seems doable by ourselves; i.e., no need to do guided tour. We probably still need airport transfer. I plan to flight back to BA on Jan 22 in the afternoon and stay overnight in BA. Most of our flight back from BA will be around 9 to 10 PM on Jan 23. I would like to get a tango show/dinner on Jan 22 and hire a tour/van on Jan 23 for a day tour for BA and transfer to airport.

1. Does the post cruise schedule look reasonable/doable? Any suggestion or input?

2. Should I work with a tour/travel company for this post cruise part of the trip? Do you have any company to recommend?

3. Is there any advantage (cost wise and convenience) to have the tour/travel company to book the flight from BA to IGA and the hotel in Iguazu Falls and in BA?

4. Do you have any recommendation for a hotel in BA?

5. Do you have any recommendation for a tango show/dinner?

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Can someone help me with the questions? Thanks in advance!:)

We are thinking about taking the following 14 day cruise Jan 6-20, 2019 on Celebrity Eclipse:

Day Port / City Arrive Depart

1 Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile --- 6:00PM

2 Cruising --- ---

3 Puerto Montt, Chile 9:00AM 7:00PM

4 Cruising The Chilean Fjords --- ---

5 Strait Of Magellan --- ---

6 Punta Arenas, Chile 7:00AM 5:30PM

7 Ushuaia, Argentina 10:00AM 7:00PM

8 Cape Horn, Chile 6:00AM 8:30AM

9 Cruising --- ---

10 Puerto Madryn, Argentina 8:00AM 5:30PM

11 Cruising --- ---

12 Punta Del Este, Uruguay 9:00AM 7:00PM

13 Montevideo, Uruguay 7:00AM 4:00PM

14 Buenos Aires, Argentina 5:00AM ---

15 Buenos Aires, Argentina --- ---

For this trip the top scenery on our list are glacier viewing and wildlife (penguin). I understand that we can take tours on some port of calls to see penguins. I am not so sure is where we will have opportunities to view glaciers and how good the glacier view would be on this itinerary. I read some trip report from someone who took the same itinerary a few years ago and mentioned that ship passed glacier during night time and didn't see much of the glacier.

Can someone who are knowledgeable about this region and Celebrity itinerary help me with the following questions:

1. Where are the possible opportunities to see glaciers during this trip?

2. How good are the glacier viewing from the ship; up close pristine white or far away little dot?

Your help would be greatly appreciated!

Our family of four will be in Copenhagen on Sept 2nd (10 AM to 6 PM) via Celebrity Silhouette. Our ship will dock at C197, which is Langelinie from what I read. We would like to visit Rosenborg Castle and do some walking around old city (like Steve Rick's walking tour). I would really appreciate some advice on what the most efficient way is to see these places with the public transit (where to get on which transit and where to get off, etc.).

Thanks very much for the help!

Thank you all so much again for the help. I do have the RS book. But the book is 2015 edition and some info is not up to date. The book says the the ferry runs every hour. That is why I am a little worried about the ferry schedule. I feel more comfortable now that it runs every 15 min.

Thank you all so much for the advice. This is exactly what I was looking for. So I will take the City Hall off the list. The ferry seems like a very nice way to travel between these two places.

meicheraxo

Do you remember how frequent the ferry runs? Is there any place I can find the timetable for the ferry? How much time should be allocated for the old town?

We will be in Stockholm on Aug 31, 2017 (9 AM - 4 PM) via Celebrity Silhouette. We will dock at F638 FRIHAMNEN.

We would like to visit Vasa, Skansen, take walk in old town (Gamla Stan), and possibly city hall if time permitted. My understand from reading this board is that bus #76 seems to go to most of these places. However, I don't know what order of visits to these places would be most efficient from public transit point of view.

I would really appreciate it if someone can advise me on the order of the visit and how to take the bus (where to get on and get off) for each place. For the time we have is the itinerary realistic?

Thanks very much for your help!

Sounds good. Tram 7 will leave you at Senate Square which is one block away from Market Square. The walk from the Market Square area to the Rock Church is about 2 km do you may also opt for tram 2 for that leg. From the church to the ship I would just walk to Kamppi (900m straight street) for tram 7 (or 9 that leaves you slightly further from the ship) back to the ship. Or you can take a bus for one stop there if you prefer not to walk.

 

Day ticket costs 9€, single 1h ticket from the driver 3.20€, single 1h tram only ticket from a ticket machine is 2.50€. If you make only two trips, single fares are cheaper. For three trips single fares are cheaper if you buy at least one of the trips from a machine.

 

Taxi rides would cost 10€-15€ per ride and more if stuck in traffic. Ends up being slightly more expensive than public transit. If you make at least three trips, I would go with the day ticket. If you are likely to walk the second leg and not add other legs to your journey, buy single fares or take a cab.

Jonza, thanks again for your help! Is there ticket machine at every stop?

Thank you Jonza for the very helpful info on this thread. Our family of four will visit Helsinki on Aug 30 (Wed) from Celebrity Silhouette. Tentatively we are thinking of visiting Market Square and Rock Church. I would like to get some transportation advice from you.

Option 1: Take tram 7 from LMA to market square. Walk from there to Rock Church. Then take public transit (which one?) from there back to cruise. If we only take two public transits is it cheaper to buy two single tickets than day pass?

Option 2: Since we have 4 people is the cost of taxi or Uber for the above two trips comparable to the public transit?

Thanks very much for the help!

We will be on Celebrity Silhouette cruise ending in Amsterdam on Sept 4, 2017. We are family of 4 and will go to airport directly from the cruise port. What are the transportation options (and cost) for us (public transportation or taxi)? I know cruse line probably also offer transfer option and that is probably the most expensive. Anyone knows the cost from the cruise line?

Thanks!

We will be on the Aug 23, 2017 Baltic and Russian Cruise (12 nights). We have $150/pp on board credit that I need to find best use of it. We already get 2 perks (for internet and tip). As of now I am thinking of spending some of them on specialty restaurants. Here are my questions:

1. Does anyone have the menu for the MDR? I would like to know the menu of MDR for the 12 nights we are on the ship. So I can pick the nights that MDR menu does not appeal to us and go to the specialty restaurants.

2. I understand that there are some multi meal packages for specialty restaurant you can book pre-cruise. Since I want to use the OBC I need to wait until I get on board. I also read that you may also see some specialty restaurant on sale during the cruise. So I am not sure if I should buy the multi meal package once I get on board or if I should wait for individual restaurant on sale.

3. I saw that X’s website has menu for each specialty restaurant. Does that mean each specialty restaurant has the same menu every day?

I know there are some very knowledgeable people on this board and would really appreciate it if someone can provide the information and suggestions that I am looking for. Thanks in advance!

NantahalaCruiser

Can you tell me how to get $20/pp discount if I get our St Petersburg tour through CC roll call?

Thanks again!

Are you doing Berlin on your own? I have heard (our Baltic cruise did not stop near there) that it is a fairly long trip from the port city. Even if you are doing it on your own, you would probably want to use a ship's shore excursion to get you from the port to Berlin and back - I would hope that they would have a DIY excursion with just the bus service. I would recommend you use some of the OBC for that and get the cheaper, much better, less crowded non-ship excursion in StP. My wife and I did not want to pay the larger cost for a personal tour for 2 or 4 people, so used the SPB tour agency with a small group tour of 16 in a van rather than the ship's tour on a 50 passenger bus. But SPB is just one of a half dozen quality tour agencies that you will see recommended by fellow CC members.

 

If you have no other use for any remaining non-refundable OBC, then I would suggest you convert it to cash in the casino. Unfortunately, you can no longer just buy chips and then cash them back in without gambling. You use your OBC to purchase chips which must then be played at the tables. The best place to play, with the lowest house advantage of about 1.4%, is at the craps table; but you could also use the roulette table with a house advantage of 5.55%. The chips you purchase with NR OBC are restricted and cannot be cashed in; you have to play them until you lose them! So the betting strategy for cash-conversion is to make minimum bets with the restricted chips, pocket your winnings (since the chips you win are not restricted and can be cashed in later) and continue to bet the restricted chips until you have lost them all. On average, you will convert $200 in restricted chips purchased with NR OBC to about $197 in regular chips at the craps table or about $188 at the roulette table. Of course your actual conversion could be somewhat more or less than the average, depending on Lady Luck!

 

St. Petersburg was the highlight of our Baltic cruise; I would recommend that you use a private group of 16 tour for StP rather than a ship's excursion even if you had to let all of your OBC go to waste - you're probably only going to be there once and it's worth every dollar! You should also be aware that SPB, Alla and probably a few of the other tour agencies will give a group of 16 organized through your CC roll call about a $20 pp discount off of what you would pay if you were just 2 out of a random group of 16.

 

Even though you are planning on doing most of your other touring on your own, if you do decide to book a non-ship's tour for StP, then I would also suggest you look into bundling your StP tour with private walking tour in Tallinn, Estonia. When we booked both with SPB it was only another $25 pp to add a 3 or 4 hour walking tour with a local guide. Her personal stories of her family's experiences while under the thumb of the USSR were heart rendering but outstanding.

NantahalaCruiser

Thank you so much for your detailed info. I really appreciate it. I know Berlin is a long way from the cruise port. I checked the X's shore excursion for that port. The only ones available are the $299 train ride to Berlin and then bus tour of Berlin (12 hours). I see that all other private tour companies who offer St Petersburg tour also offer 12 hour Berlin tour (bus ride and tour) for only $105 if combined with StP tour. So can not justify to pay X $299 for that tour. Glad to hear that if we book the StP tour through CC roll call there is additional $20 discount. I will look into that.

Unfortunately we don't play casino. We may have to spend the OBC on Massage and specialty restaurants if we decide to take the cheaper cabin.

If the price difference is only the $300 cabin price difference between 2B and 2C, which cabin would you take?

Thank you all for your very helpful inputs. Based on what I read on this board the private tours for St. Petersburg are probably better than the ship tour and less expensive. Due to the weather condition on this route we may not spend too much time on the balcony. So I should probably take the cheaper balcony. If the price difference is all on the cabin price then there is no question I would take the cheaper one. The dilemma here is that half the price difference is in the form of OB credit ($300/cabin). We don't have much need for other on board activity (drink, massage, shopping, specialty restaurant). We already got two perks (free internet and free tip). So the only use for that OB credit is for shore excursion. From what I have researched most of the other port of calls I can easily do it on our own. So St. Petersburg is the only place we need guided tour. Therefore, this is the only place I could use that OB credit, but private tours seem better and cheaper. Still couldn't decide??

Thank you all for your very helpful inputs. Can someone provide some inputs for the weather condition on that route as well as scenery view point on that route?

Thanks so much!

We will be on the 12 night N. Europe cruise on Silhouette (8/23-9/4).We would like to take the 2-day comprehensive St. Petersburg tour. There is a St. Petersburg 2-day exclusivetour – small group for $399/pp from Celebrity. This is about $114/pp more expensive than the 2-day comprehensive tour ($285)from all other private tour operators (SPB Deluxe, ALLA Grand, TJ Travel AllHighlights, etc.). I just wonder if anyof you have the experience regarding the 2-day comprehensive tour for St.Petersburg that offered by Celebrity and by all other private tours. Are they similar or one is better than theothers? I also wonder which tour companyactually provides the tour for X.

Thanks very much for your help!