baggal

IMO, cruising is about to get a lot more complicated than it already is.  We are booked on a 12 day Med cruise in October.  After we disembark in Rome, the next cruise on that ship is a TA to Ft. Lauderdale.  Theoretically, if one of us test positive at day 9 or 10 of our itinerary, will Celebrity disembark us in Rome while someone is still testing positive or do we continue on the TA in a cabin not of our choosing?  

Without overthinking, cruising is about to get much more complicated.

2 hours ago, PACD_JG said:

 

OP specifically asked about cabins in the aft.  The music venues are forward (deck 2).  Are you saying that you can still hear the "sounds" two decks up on the opposite end of the ship, or are you just typing nonsense?

No need to be snarky.  Just made an error.

I'd be just as concerned about the cabin's proximity to the "Music Walk" venues.  Those sounds (I don't want to call it noise) carries to some cabins.

Two cabins for sure!  Don't underestimate the benefit of having a 2nd bathroom.

Newark airport is very close to Cape Liberty.  LaGuardia is much further.  Try to get a flight from Newark.  The transfer will be much easier.

The airport is huge.  Be prepared to spend a lot of time walking to get to your gate.

I hope someone who goes to Cocoreef comes back to report the experience.

Are there chairs and umbrellas available to rent?  Approximate cost?

What test is he taking?  If its a PCR test, he can be positive for up to 3 months! If its a quick Antigen test, by day 10 he should be negative.  I know from personal experience.  In any case, a Certificate of Recovery issued by an MD is acceptable to Celebrity.

2 hours ago, timf264 said:

I've been looking at the pricing of this cruise for about a month and the Apex has always been priced higher than the beyond. I have a casino comp on the Apex but having another couple going with us who must pay full fare. I figured the Apex would be a safer choice for a cheaper rate. Anyone think this fare wil decrease? I'd think everyone would be wanting to sail the Beyond that week!

The weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas traditionally have the best-priced cruises of the year.  Many people don't want to cruise pre-Christmas.  I would definitely wait a few months before booking.

2 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The earliest you can submit your application to Bermuda's health authorities is  about thirty days prior to your embarkation date so there's no need for Celebrity to provide you with any information right now.

The process starts on this page: https://www.gov.bm/applying-bermuda-travel-authorisation

Thanks for the info

We're on the Celebrity Summit to Bermuda in July.  We booked directly through Celebrity.  We're about 2 weeks from final payment.  No where on the confirmation from Celebrity does it say anything about applying for a Bermuda travel authorization.  Anyone know where to find this info?

Just as important, I would worry about my luggage making the connection. 

6 hours ago, jkrislc said:

HAL is excellent with the8r GF dining and most dishes can be made gluten free, even if not indicated on the menu, by preordering the night before. We’ve been able to get GF pasta cooked to order in the buffet, breakfast sandwiches at.the deli on GF bagels, etc. we were even able to get tempura at Tamarind as the chef used cornstarch as a substitute for the coating. 
 

At the lido buffet, you can always ask one of the chef’s to walk you around and tell you what is safe. And since the crew serves you, there’s much less risk of cross contamination like on normal buffets. They’ll also have a corner were you can get GF bread, cookies, cereal, and the like. 
 

The only disappoint generally is the desserts for me, but this is generally true on most lines. However, they do have a GF chocolate soufflé that I wish they offered every night. Unfortunately, they don’t make much of an effort to offer a GF dessert choice in the specialty restaurants. 

You can always get a fresh fruit plate for dessert in the MDR.  Often a better choice than even the "regular" desserts.

1 hour ago, GTJ said:

Bermuda fits that bill. Longest bus ride on the island is about one hour, and much can be done while there on spur of the moment: we were there for four days in 2019, having sailed from Bayonne via Celebrity Cruises, and relying on a 4-day bus pass to go almost everyplace. A trip to Alaska really requires attention to detail--in the face of competing claims from various cruise lines, railroads, and tour operators--and making certain that everything fits together geographically and temporally. And when the time arrives to make those plans, and with good health, then you should be able to put something together.

Exactly!  Thanks again.

13 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Denali will be better next year assuming the road into the park is repaired.  Have a great cruise.

Thanks!

Hi Everyone, 

I really do appreciate the time you took to respond to my initial question.  (@GTJ - Wow!!).  But, as I wrote earlier, we are looking for a EASY getaway this summer.  And after researching all the flight options it turned out that if we began or ended our touring in Fairbanks , it would mostly likely require an overnight stay in Seattle (again, health issues even if there was a good flight connection).  So after much discussion today, we have decided to do a complete 180 degree turn and we just booked a Bermuda cruise.  We drive to the port in Bayonne, NJ which is a mere half hour away from our home, park our car at the port, board the ship and then reverse the order when we disembark.  No its not Alaska, but in our hearts I don't think we were really looking for an Alaska adventure this summer.

Thanks again.

Thanks everyone.  Your responses are very helpful.  We just wanted an easy get-away this summer without much effort on our part.  And considering we live on the East Coast, just getting to and from Alaska this summer was becoming a challenge.  It turns out that its easier for us to fly non-stop over to Amsterdam and board a 7 or 10 day cruise to Norway than it is to fly to and/or from Fairbanks.  Unfortunately, we don't feel comfortable traveling to Northern Europe this summer.  So we're exploring other options.

Thanks again.

P.S. The HAL website does state that the road into Denali is closed at mile 43 and and the Tundra Wilderness tour will take approximately 5 - 6 hours.

We're looking into taking an Alaska cruise and land tour this summer. We've done the cruise portion only several years ago and now would like to visit Denali.  Unfortunately, the logistics seem daunting - especially the 9 hour bus ride either to or from Denali.  Due to some health issues, its not recommended that I sit for so long (yes I know the bus makes stops along the way but I don't think it would be enough).  Has anyone ever been able to take the train in both directions  instead of the bus?  Any other suggestions?  

Scallops seem to be in very short supply all over and very pricey if you can find them.  In my suburban NJ grocery store, scallops are $34.99/pound.  In the "gourmet" grocery store they were $54.99/pound - although I must admit those looked beautiful.  At those prices, I haven't cooked scallops at home since last summer.

14 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

We used Guided Tours Israel in late 2019 and they were excellent.

Great to know.  Thanks!

I'm in the middle of finalizing tours for 8 people in October with Guided Tours Israel.  Communication with them has been excellent and their prices are very reasonable.  I haven't actually taken a tour with them yet but their reviews on Trip Advisor and on my Cruise Critic roll call are very good.

Traveling with 2 teen girls and you're considering giving up that second bathroom?  Think about that long and hard before you make a decision.

Have a good trip!

6 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

 

I would not consider the Ephesus site itself to be strenuous walking.  However, the ground you will be walking on is uneven -- a mixture of gravel path, irregular rock paths/old roads, up and over stone steps to get into a few locations, etc.  Unless they've changed how they do tours, you are bussed to the top of the site.  You then walk through the site, along a gradual downhill route.  It is not steep, but pretty continuously down the slope.  

 

If you're tour includes the Terrace Houses, you will walk up quite a few steps during this part of the tour.  The houses are ON the terrace (hence the name) in an enclosed structure.  Your tour starts at the bottom and you walk on metal walkways and steps that gradually take you up to the top of the terrace where you exit that part of the tour.  You can find YouTube videos of what this tour looks like.  I seem to recall multiple sets of 5-10 steps to navigate along the way.  They are spread out and not all at once.  For someone who is reasonably fit, there should be no problem.  For someone with walking issues or shortness of breath, I could see this being an issue perhaps.

 

At the top of the Terrace House, you exit the structure and then walk down a pathway, again downhill, but not strenuous. 

 

Once at the bottom of the sloping hill (via the regular tour and the Terrace Houses, it becomes a flat walkway through the rest of the site (by the Library of Celcus and onward to the touristy souvenir shops and back to  your buses.  

 

The entire walking distance it probably somewhere between 3/4 and 1 mile (just guessing).  Most of the time, you're stopping every so often to listen to the guide.  

 

I do not see this site significantly more strenuous than Pompeii.  

Thanks for you detailed response.  At your recommendation, I watched some You Tube videos (would have never thought of that on my own) and it looks as though we should be able to manage very nicely.  Thanks again.

8 hours ago, butterfly4108 said:

I'm on NCL for that one but the tour I booked mentioned appx 3 hours of walking, thus strenuous.  I booked the "Best of Ephesus".  That being said it obviously isn't a continuous non-stop 3 hr walk since we take buses to get from "here to there" so as long as no one needs a wheelchair or walker it should be fine.  I'm 66 yrs young and do these all the time when cruising with no problem.  Just take health into consideration obviously....good luck and happy sailing!

Thanks!