markeb

We're on Equinox in a week. DW did the hot glass on our last Equinox cruise and wants to do it again. You can pre-book ("It sells out"), but I don't see any way to book a time, which would be the real advantage to booking early. I know things like the whisk(e)y tastings can be bought ahead of time, but are scheduled onboard, and other than possibly a few % discount, there's no real advantage to booking ahead of time for those (and you could end up with a conflict). Is it the same with the Hot Glass? It's a 5% discount to pre-pay, but I have no idea if that gets her to the front of the line for scheduling, or if we should just go up there on our orientation walk when we get onboard. Anyone booked this ahead of time? Did it matter? Thanks!

I don't know how they stay in business in 2022 with that policy. People "Venmo" each other for everything in the Eurozone. If you have to pull pounds or euros for an excursion (seriously, in 2022 I'd look for a different operator!), then pull the exact amount plus GBP 20 and 50 (max) Euros. Plastic is accepted almost everywhere you're going to go on a cruise tour. Wasn't true 20 years ago. If memory serves you could pay the 1 euro entry fee to the toilet in Amsterdam with Apple Pay. It's not difficult. They all have the same phone apps your local farmer's market uses to accept credit cards. And, yes, we make bank transfers horribly difficult in the US (hence Venmo and PayPal...).

Yes. If you want to take a hit on the primary exchange into pounds or euros, then a hit again selling them back. Or just use plastic...

Nah. It's not lazy. I remember it and just figured I'd never find it! They did use mixology in the thread title, which made it much simpler. So I'm the lazy one for not trying the search and posting the link...

It would be great if search worked better! I know at least one person posted on this a few months ago. I've not done it on Celebrity. I did something similar on HAL years ago and it really depended on your interest and familiarity with mixing drinks. We have a bunch of OBC so this might be on of the things we consider.

Give them a quid if you feel generous! Especially if they’re advertising they’re looking for tips! No, this is not a thing!

Absolutely! I’d like to hope this is an aberration…

We're making one final trip to The Rock before Come From Away leaves Broadway. We're not going to make it to the West End, and our timing didn't work out to catch Jenn Colella. My wife's birthday (one of the uncounted big ones...) is in three weeks. Catching the matinee, and heading out for dinner at our favorite restaurant. As a total outsider to the industry, I'm a little surprised that a show that seems so successful on the surface is closing. I understand the whole marginal revenue needs to be greater than average variable costs thing. You can only fill the house with half price tickets so many times if you're not filling it with full price and premium tickets as well. Junkyard Dog doesn't look like it's ever had anything run this long, and CFA is the longest running production at the Schoenfeld. I guess theater lives up to the adage that the quickest way to make a small fortune in fill-in-the-blank is to start with a large one! (I'm at least going to look at Six tickets while we're in town. We'll see...)

Which only works if they keep the same equipment and don't merge two flights. I'm !K and had United delete an entire cabin on a long haul flight 3 weeks ago. And my seat. And in the process of processing an upgrade, they cancelled my check-in on the connection and put me in a middle seat from SFO to IAD. And all of that was within 12 hours of the flight. Is that an ERJ into Norfolk? A seat choice in July of 2022 does not necessarily equal a seat available in June of 2023. Great if it works out, but no way I'd count on that!

I'd always purchase tickets in advance. Frequently you can purchase them on their app or mobile web page and just show your confirmation number. I've purchased tickets to Windsor Castle while standing in line at Windsor Castle... I assume you mean Westminster Abbey? Westminster is a city. The Palace of Westminster is the home of Parliament. There's an Abbey and a Catholic cathedral in Westminster (and a lot of other things). Hopefully a Londoner or recent traveler pops up on the thread. I don't think any of the attractions you're talking about need to be purchased way in advance, but even the night before should let you go to the "I have a ticket" or similar line. That's almost sure to be worth it, especially if you can make an early morning (ahead of the bus tours) trip to the Tower of London. Google maps says Gymshark is temporarily closed. I'm guessing you've seen that and are looking for confirmation, which hopefully you get one way or another!

I'm all for being proactive, and agree the later flight makes more sense, but I have almost no confidence that a flight booked 11 months early will still depart at the time scheduled today. Or be less expensive than one booked 90-100 days out. Especially in the current air travel environment. For a 90 minute domestic flight, is there a reason you're booking this early?

Do you have the Celebrity app installed? (Assuming it's available in Denmark.) Beers should be listed under the Dining tab by venue. For Reflection (assuming that's the cruise you're looking at), I'd probably look at Cellar Master first, then explore others. On Equinox this month, they list Newcastle, Fuller's (which for some inexplicable reason they're calling a brown porter!), and Paulaner Salvator at the $10 and under point. They also have several very good, but high alcohol, Belgian beers that are over the premium package limit. I don't see anything that resembles a Baltic Porter, for instance. Those are at Craft Social; Reflection doesn't have Craft Social. Reflection "could" be different on a European itinerary, but I've not found RCG to adapt it's beers and wine to location...

Hugging the ground. Something ground pounders do when they call in fire on their own location. Come on Chief! 😀

I didn’t say it was a smart way to do it. There are probably 6-10 threads on this topic going back to April. As I recall, in the UK they raised the price by 18%. I agree with @jelayne that they should have just raised the price and kept the gratuity embedded, but there are 2-3 threads over the last month about specialty restaurant gratuities. if you have a solution, I think X needs a new director of marketing.

It was always part of the charge. Rather than raise the price of the specialties, they pulled out the cost of the gratuity and listed it separately. Would you be happier if they'd just raised the cover charge by 18%? I believe that's what they've done in some markets. You're paying either way.

I'm going to wait for JB and others to correct me, but... If it's your first time in London, I'd tend to Waterloo. There's nothing wrong with the Blackfriars location, but the Waterloo area puts you almost on Westminster Bridge, and you'll be looking across the Thames at the Elizabeth Tower (you can't see Big Ben...). The London Eye will be to your right (from the bridge). There are Tube stops, HOHO stops, Thames boat tours (across the bridge), Whitehall, Westminster Abbey, etc. You're going to walk a lot no matter what, but there's a lot to see and do on that walk. The boat tours to the Tower and to Greenwich leave from the Embankment (actually I think they may still stop adjacent to the Eye as well?). I guess there's a touristy aspect as the Eye and several "attractions" are at County Hall, but it's a very convenient location. Nowhere in London is perfect for all attractions, but there's a lot to like about the Waterloo area

I'm looking at my cruise on Equinox, and some of those are available by the bottle. Not by the glass. There used to be some decent bottle lists online, but they look to be dated. Not by the glass...

Why does every Cruise Critic thread do this? There are 58 pages going back over 4 years. Almost all on the theater, occasionally music, and assorted restaurants. Arguments about the statistical safety of MTA are just going to result in arguments! (You can download vehicular data from the NYPD. You really don't want to drive, ride a bike, or be a pedestrian in NYC if 300 a day is a bad number!)

Yeah, but they didn't fight it when the government called it bourbon to qualify for free trade under NAFTA! 😀 As long as it's not JD, you're on!

Is Nürnberg your final destination? If you already have some euros, use a credit card or Apple Pay until you get to a Deustche Bank ATM in Nürnberg (or Munich if you have to divert). I haven't used actual euros in a city, other than Oktoberfest, in ages. Other than traveling with a group where we split the bill with cash.

Well, Texas is a whole other country... (Uncle Sam let me spend a total of close to 7 years in San Antonio.) Apparently Texas law not only taxes beer, wine, and liquor sold at retail in its territorial waters, it requires that the liquor at least have a tax stamp showing taxes have been paid in the state. Very "untouchables" like!

Yes to all the above, including the swill part. But it's distilled from 51% or more corn mash in the United States at no more than 160 proof, aged in new charred oak barrels at no more than 120 proof, bottled at greater than 80 proof (No. 7 is exactly 80 proof), and contains no flavorings or colorings. That's the definition of bourbon, and the only change for a Tennessee Whiskey is all that has to happen in Tennessee, and almost all of them (including JD) undergo charcoal filtration (the Lincoln County Process). Which doesn't add a flavoring or coloring, so it's still a bourbon... 😀

Best bet is probably to store you luggage at Schwartz. Link here: http://schwartztravel.com/ 357 W 37th St. Not far from Penn Station & Times Square and recommended here for years. That would give you the freedom to explore Midtown, got back and pick up your bags, and then check in. If you're getting in hours early, I'd head from the airport to Schwartz, to explore, then go back for my bags and catch a cab/Uber to the terminal. No idea on cruise check in time, unfortunately!

Hate to pile on, but I'd price this multiple ways. UberXL maybe 4 with luggage (depending on luggage). Some of them are large vans, but you can't count on that. But for 12 you'd need a minibus and that's a different animal altogether. Check Dial7 and Carmel for what they have, but the drivers are all private drivers, and many of them probably also take Uber calls. My last couple of times coming into Moynihan Hall I've struggled to get a cab, so we're planning Uber on our next trip. Usually cabbed out and Uber back, but we'll see in August.

Awkward, but it happens. It would be also be awkward if you were on the same long haul flight and you turned left through the door and they went right... (Been there.) It's also possible couple #3 wasn't even thinking about dinner with everyone. You're saying it's only their third cruise. It may be simpler than you think, but an early conversation is probably in order. You can still have drinks, go to shows, etc.