waggie

Ok I have had a fairly busy, stressful time at home due to family happenings at present. Probably did not use the best of words, but had just intended to help, I was just somewhat taken aback by the tone in #6. Hope you enjoy your cruise,

 

Barbara

That is fine Barbara - and thank you for taking the time to post. Why did I post it on the other forum? When I looked at this one the focus was entirely on Japan, Singapore,Hong Kong and other Asian places - I think there was just one reference to India on page 2!!!

So, I thought perhaps more people would look at the Middle East and indeed I had a response very soon.

I have planned the 2 ports now and will look forward to applying for my e-visa - (when i have saved the $100 for it!)

Thanks again,

Ruth (Waggie)

This section of the boards is for destinations, not start or finish points for cruise ships, so it would be normal to ask about each destination on the board relating to that destination - hence different board for different ports in some cases. I did not comment on this as a complaint, but if answers are wanted, the best place to ask the question is where it is most likely to be answered - just a bit of common sense and as a means of helping the OP. Some people (often ones new to the boards, but not necessarily so) do not realise how the boards are organised and when I have offered people advice regards this have usually been met with thanks. The question is about India which is in Asia, not the Middle East.

 

I see it has been moved, so can now be seen by people looking at the appropriate boards, who are more likely to be able to help answer the question.

Thank you Tring for pointing out my error! Fortunately I was offered some good advice from someone who found my post on the wrong board. I am not new to the boards and like you try to offer help to others (but prefer not to suggest they use common sense!).

Have just returned from Silhouette Baltics cruise.

We had booked Rony's taxi for 8 -€100 return. When I read this thread i emailed to check the price and it was confirmed at

€100 along with the agreed pick up times. The driver was waiting for us outside the terminal building and again later on the main square in Bruges.

Everything worked to plan and I would wholeheartedly recommend them. The bus to the terminal building worked fine and there seemed to be no problems for people that had booked the shuttle/express service to Bruges.

We managed a great walk around, coffee and a boat ride in the 4 hours we were there - it is so lovely.

We could have taken a free walking tour too.

Thank you so much for the post and pictures of the best kept secret ever!!

I returned yesterday from Baltics on Silhouette and what was the second thing i did? (The first was empty the case and put a laundry wash on!)

Second - I checked to see what Wendyam76 posted!

We booked this cabin for December 22nd. after I questioned numerous people at Celebrity about the deck plan i had seen online. I then asked CC people onboard to find out more, but due to privacy and security they were not able to see the cabin in use.

The pictures are wonderful and your review answered most of my questions. Can you confirm that the decor and bathroom layout are as usual - I think that is what you said!!

Thanks again,

Waggie

Hi Simon,

Thanks for the link - we don't visit Cochin on our cruise, just Goa, Mumbai and Sir Bani Yan island.

Celebrity have a wide range of options for Mumbai, so it will be good to compare - but we prefer CC group sizes where possible.

Has Lijo been easy to deal with?

Ruth

We are cruising Celebrity Constellation December 22nd. 2018 and are looking at options for tours in Goa and Mumbai.

If anyone has recently visited these ports please advise us.

We prefer small CC groups if we can.

Thanks

Waggie

Waggie

 

I forgot to mention that for Stockholm we docked in Frihamnen rather than Nynäshamn. This had much better public transport links to the town centre with bus tickets available from the terminal.

Polk01 - thank you for taking the time to let me know - enjoy the rest of your time - safe travels home.

Ruth

(Waggie)

Waggie

 

We docked in the Rostock container port which is in neither town. You'll need a taxi or the shuttle. I get the impression that they usually dock in Warnemunde, where you can walk into the town centre and get a cheap train to Rostock if you want, but clearly not always.

Thank you !

Enjoy your last 2 days.

OP - I am sorry to read of your issues and the way they were handled. Can I ask a question - were you expecting to dock in Rostock ? We are sailing this weekend and expect to dock at Warnemunde. Have they changed this? Shame if they have as we have made plans from Warnemunde.

Waggie

These are the flyer links which should be active tomorrow.

 

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/Caribbean/Flyers/CEL_AUG_Offer_Campaign_Caribbean.pdf

 

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/18063515_Caribbean_EQ_SNRS.pdf

Thanks for this info - Celebrity UK inform me that these offers don't apply to UK -yet they call it "Sail beyond borders"???????

As great as this list is it is not entirely correct....they label S class ships but don’t mention the specific ship. For instance on Equinox cabin 6304 is an S1 Sky Suite corner aft with no obstruction and a rather great veranda, where as 6304 on Reflection is a C2 veranda obstructed view. The picture depicted on the list shows this cabin. So I would hate for someone to be incorrectly informed.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I agree - this is a great resource but not totally correct. If you look at 6302 it has a solid wall to the right, then look at 6304 - identical picture - shouldn't 6302 have glass partitions on both sides?

I have 6302 on Silhouette - perhaps someone can confirm what the real situation is?

Thanks

Waggie

We are also sailing on Silhouette 1st September & had booked Qsine a few months ago when it was still showing on cruise planner. I'd been keeping an eye on posts hoping that it would still be available on-board but received the following email from Celebrity yesterday confirming Qsine is no more!

Dear Valued Guest,

We are writing to inform you the specialty restaurant Qsine will no longer be offered onboard the Celebrity Silhouette. We will now be offering a new and exciting dining experience called Le Petit Chef in its place. Your Qsine reservation has been cancelled and you will be refunded back to your original form of payment, or if you used onboard credit then your onboard credit has been refunded back to your allotment. Le Petit Chef will be available to book the week of July 23rd. If you wish to book in Le Petit Chef, you can reply to this email and provide a contact number, and I will call you to book a reservation and take payment, or you can give celebrity a call at 1-888-837-5676, or you can do so onboard the ship. Your original rate will be protected if done in advance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Best Regards,

We are sailing August 4th. Can anyone confirm that Qsine will still be operating then or, as suggested her,e be converted to LPC? - I cannot get used to LPC - it makes me think of Little Chef, the UK restaurants that have almost disappeared!

Waggie

Hi Silkroad

Thank you for such a wonderful review. We are doing this cruise on Silhouette on August 04. I have been told that we will be docking at Langelinie, the closest to the city - where did you dock? (apologies if i have missed this in your report).

Waggie

For those who wished to explore Bruges or Blankenberge on their own, Celebrity arranged for a local tour operator to provide shuttle service to both cities. Round trip tickets to Bruges were 20 euros per person. Round trip tickets to Blankenberge were 10 euros per person. Tickets were available at the pier. Cash only.

 

Those who wished to explore Copenhagen on their own could purchase a $20 per person day pass for a shuttle service at either the Guest Relations desk or the Shore Excursions desk.

 

Those who wished to walk into Copenhagen could take a very pleasant walk along the water, and through a lovely park to town. Should you look at the third photo, you will see Silhouette on the horizon. The promenade on the left would be part of your route to walk to and from the ship.

The Celebrity UK website "Gifts" is showing $25 obc is now £18.80 to buy - it has just gone up from £17.70.

I noticed that my upcoming cruise had a significant reduction and so I did a ‘just in case’ email to my TA. Very polite I thought but 3 weeks later not even had the courtesy of a reply. I will think twice before booking with them again.

Pauline,

If that is the same cruise we are on - 'balcony' was sold out but now that final payment time has come all available balcony staterooms are showing today on the website as guarantee - a risk maybe?

Pity that the TA has not responded though.

Waggie

Just to add to your confusion!

The http://www.gov.uk site shows this list of 37 as GerScot says, but also shows that not all of them are processing centres.

These appear to be in Durham, Liverpool, Peterborough and Belfast!!

I agree - "United Kingdom" sounds a good idea!

According to Ryanair's website:

Ryanair’s new bag policy went live today (15 Jan) offering:

– Lower check-in bag fees (down from €/£35 to €/£25 per check-in bag)

– Bigger check-in bag allowances (up from 15kg to 20kg)

– 2 free carry-on bag allowance for all customers continues

– Non-priority customers can bring 2 free carry-on bags but will be required to put the bigger of the 2 bags in the hold – free of charge – at the boarding gate to avoid boarding delays and/or baggage offloads.

Priority Boarding can be purchased at time of flight booking for just €/£5 or added for €/£6 up to 30 minutes before scheduled departure time on the Ryanair App.

I hope this helps anyone planning their flight.

Waggie

This will not be easy with luggage and public transport. Into London by train, tube across London and then train again!

National Express coaches go direct from Heathrow to Stansted, but that will involve you getting to Heathrow first.

Private car/van hire could be worth considering, but for all of these options you need to make a comparison with the more expensive but direct flights from Heathrow - such as Are Lingus and British Airways.

As others have stated, Ryanair, along with other budget airlines add-ons will add to the cost big time.

I am sure other people will have ideas for you too.

After several attempts to sign up I emailed Captains Club here in UK and they replied:

"I have sent your details to the Event Coordinator on board Celebrity xxx and asked that they ensure you are signed up for the Connections Party on your sailing."

Wishing you all a Happy and healthy 2018

Waggie

NoWhiners - just to avoid any confusion the premier Inn definition of prices is:

Flex

Amend or cancel up to 1pm on the day

Saver

Our lowest prices. No amends or refunds.

The flex(ible) rate is the one to opt for until you know for definite that you will be travelling and are prepared to lose the cost if anything changes.

I would agree with Simon and Bob++ - and by arriving on the Friday you could enjoy the local sights (Castle, White Cliffs etc.) before you set sail too!

There are several group hotels serving the area ( ie. Premier Inn, Ramada, Best Western) and I suspect that they will fill very quickly when other cruisers realise the clash of dates.

You never know - the hotel might even let you stay and watch the wedding!

As Wayfairer mentioned some laneways can have substantial grass growing!

 

Another couple of thoughts.......

No matter how long or short you think it will take to get from 'A' to 'B', when in Ireland, double it! Getting somewhere quick is a dream, not a reality here.

 

Renting a GPS when renting a car is expensive. Check about buying a basic GPS from a store/supermarket in UK (make sure it has maps of Ireland!), or, check your cell phone provider about using data in Europe and use Google Maps. Alternatively, you can get 30day SIM only mobile plans that have data. As your first call is UK perhaps some of the UK posters could suggest a provider.

SIM only idea - assuming that your phone/s are not locked to a particular network it is possible to buy a UK SIM and some will offer the chance to buy just a 1 month package with no further commitment - GiffGaff.com is worth looking at as I see from their website that you can order the free SIM and they will send SIM's overseas ready to activate when you arrive in UK.

Another benefit is that all GiffGaff customers can call each other for free - could be useful if your party go their own way and wish to stay in touch.

There are other providers, but I don't have experience of them.

Linda,

check a spreadsheet I made to compare some of the City Highlights kind of tours offered by well-regarded local companies - what sights are on the itinerary, how many people in a group, rates, extras, etc. Here is the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7qPbaGB1wZ9LWFhektxV0w5UFVzaEdnU3dJd0tnSFh5S3hB/view?usp=sharing.

Thank you for this link - a very useful document!!!

Waggie

Hi tnt10

As usual the advice on this forum is excellent. Can I add some local information?

I live in Colchester and much as I wouldn't hang around the bus station area very late at night, it is really not a problem at any other time! By the way the bus station is a major stop for all local buses too, but does not have facilities/drinks/toilets etc.(there is just a small waiting room)

The service 250 from Heathrow is a direct and very comfortable service - as others have stated.

I have called the 2 suggested cab firms and Minicab charges £7.20 currently for the ride to Wivenhoe House. 666666 is charging £10-£11.

Our preferred company is Hawaii cars -01206 543210 - and they are charging £7.40 for that trip. They have a website http://www.hawaiiuk.com and app called hawaii cars - worth looking at. They will all pick up from close by the NE stop.

Will you have time to enjoy Colchester the next day? It is the oldest recorded town in England and we have a wonderful Castle, Roman Circus and Dutch quarter to visit - and that is for starters!!

Ruth

Another example of useless information.

UK website, I logged in to MyCelebrity and it shows the details of my next cruise - great!! It then gives me the option to ask for help planning - I dialled the number and a recorded message stated: "The number you have dialled has not been recognised"

Glad I didn't need the help badly! I just wanted to made dining reservations.