Kathie44

Cruise is five weeks away and reservation says luggage tags are not yet available. Is anyone else having any problems with where to find and print their tags. I know there is still plenty of time but I am not sure if it's just one of the many website problems or if I'm not in the right place to find and print the tags.

Luggage tags are included with the E-docs which come closer to the cruise. I used to be able to order them and sturdy ones came in the mail, but it seems they are not doing that anymore. I fly into Vancouver next Thurs, Aug. 17 and sail the next day. My travel agent e-mailed the E-Docs yesterday. Tags were included, but they are just paper. I have printed several, in case I need to replace them. I used to put the sturdier ones on my bags before I left, but may wait till arriving at the pier this time. Even the sturdier ones sometimes got torn off with rough handling at airports. There will always be generic tags at the pier if you need them.

I loved the towel animals on the 4 RCCL cruises I've taken. My favorites are the monkey hanging from the ceiling and the sting ray with the pillow candies for eyes (when we were in Grand Cayman).

In the "old days" of my cruising, beginning in 2002 and early days of getting on this board, there were Celebrity "purists" who thought any form of whimsy was beneath such a classy cruiseline. However, in recent years I have had towel animals on some M-class cruises and occasionally see them in the pool area on the towel shelves. They are fun and interesting, but not a deal breaker for me.

Fortunately, my TA is a relative, who will always go the extra distance for me. I think the TA has more clout than a lowly passenger, lol. If you call the cruiseline, do you have one agent who is assigned to you or do you get whoever is on phone duty? Do you ever have a relationship with a faceless agent? Give me Joni any day.

I know it's been 2 1/2 years since I was on the Connie to Scand/Russia (June '11) but I don't know why anyone would not be happy with her. I've also sailed 5 times on Summit, and once on Millie with great experiences.

I love the M-class ships and may be doing S. America next winter on Infinity, the only one I haven't sailed yet. Last week I sailed Silhouette and it was also great, but I had a hard time disregarding my mind's tendency to picture the M-Class layout while I was trying to learn the new one.

Nice to know these cruise newbies are also hooked like the rest of us. :) I just did my 16th cruise--8 with DH and 8 since he passed away in Aug. '08. Life's too short to stop cruising. :D

 

1/02 Explorer OS E. Carib. 1/03 Explorer W. Carib. 8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib. 2/05 Galaxy Partial PC+4 other W. ports

6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords 1/07 Mercury Mex Riv. 1/08 Mercury Aust/NZ

1/09 Galaxy S. Carib. 6/09 Summit classical Med. 1/11 Summit S. Carib.

6/11 Constellation Scand/Russia 2/12 Summit S. Carib. 8/12 Millenium Alaska cruise/tour

2/13 Summit S. Carib. 1/14 Silhouette W. Carib.

That's one reason I always book with a TA. One time RCCL wanted to change our hotel in San Juan to a not-as-nice one 20 miles away from the pier and she headed them off. I've never had a problem with Celebrity in my 12 cruises with them, but I would be very upset if this happened.

I think they are more likely to tell a TA what's happening first and not just do it without your knowledge.

I didn't even know there were such cards. I've always put names on the ship questionaire. I also mention them on the E-mail questionaire which comes a few days after the cruise. I just filled mine out on Tues. on my computer.

lamcom--that almost happened to DH and me on our first cruise, Jan. of '02. We were delayed in Dayton due to a broken cabin phone and were late to Charlotte. We were not able to board, but our luggage did! That connecting flight was delayed due to mechanical difficulties, but we didn't know that till we got to Miami, via Ft L. YIKES! Our luggage was still in the air from Char. We went to the ship and hoped for the best. Fortunately, we got the bags the next day in Nassau. Another couple got their bags two days before the end of the cruise. :EEK:

Took a chance on same-day arrival the next year without problems. In '04 we flew to San Juan a day early. In '05 we flew to Houston the same day our ship left Galveston, but it was a direct flight. After that we always arrived a day ahead. DH passed away in '08, but I'm still cruising and still coming in ahead of time. I am really paranoid about missing the ship. Living in OH with snow and ice--this year's been terrible--I wouldn't think of arriving the day of the cruise.

Got back Sun. from the Silohouette to the W. Carib. Had a great time as usual. On the verge of booking Infinity to S. Amer. for a year from now.

We left in a snowstorm on Jan. 25th and got back just in time for the new onslaught. 6+ ins overnight with an ice crust and more to come in the next few days. :eek:

I'm doing as many flashbacks as I can to the warm temps and sunshine of last week. :D

Happy cruising to all!

Texed, glad to see you again. Last week on Silhouette I had waffles in your honor! :D

When is your next cruise?

20pluscruises-I'm not sure who you are referring to with.."They make it sound like there will be an upgrade." As you can see in my post I said, "...very rare....almost unheard of on X". It is VERY rare, but occasionally there is a surprise and we hadn't done a guaranteed booking. We had booked a Deck 3 OV, no special occasion, but 15 mos ahead of time. I think free upgrades are rare because most Celebrity cruises sell out well before sailing. I can't remember the last time I saw a notice, upon boarding, saying upgrades (not free) are available.

I prefer an OV lower deck cabin toward the center of the ship to reduce the possibility of sea sickness, but I've been on OV deck 5 once and deck 8 twice, once with OV and once with the CC. The verandah on the CC upgrade was OK, but in the Med. the sun was so hot most of the time, it was not comfortable to sit out there. I'm not prone to sea sickness, but have had two queasy days out of 16 crusises and don't want to tempt fate. I do get sick on smaller excursion boats--go figure!

Bottom line--don't ever expect a free upgrade.

The upgrade fairy is VERY rare on X. BUT at the final payment for a 12-night Classical Med cruise on Summit sailing June 3rd 2009 out of Barcelona my friend and I got upgraded to concierge class. Not only was it no extra charge, the prices had been falling regularly since DH and I had booked it at $2299 in March of '08 and we got it for $1490, down from the previous price of $1799.

I ended up doing this cruise with a new friend from my bereavement group. My DH had passed away in Aug. '08 and hers 2 mos later. Both of us had cruised with our DHs. When she said she'd go with me, I was elated because the original friend who was going with me had to cancel out. The cruise had been booked 15 mos ahead of time, but I don't know if that had anything to do with the upgrade.

I would never look for a free upgrade. Mine was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

I wish Celebrity would repeat our itinerary. Barcelona to Nice, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples/Capri, Santorini, Athens, Dubrovnik and Venice. DH was leery of going to Turkey. I didn't care about Turkey, but really wanted to see Italy and some of Greece. Since then all the itineraries always include Turkey and not always Santorini, which is not to be missed.

Book your cruise and hope for the best, but free upgrades are almost unheard of on X.

I've played on RCCL, but mostly on Celebrity. On this cruise we could have up to 6 on a team. For the last few cruises it's been only 4. On earlier cruises it was also 6. Some couples played by themselves, but I played with 4-6 depending who was available. On port days we were gone part of the day and teams were not always at full strength. Playing with 6 is good, because there is more input to help get the answers.

At home, I play Thurs. evenings at a local sports bar and sometimes we have to split into two teams if we have more than 15 show up. It's nice to have more than one age group because each generation has something to offer. On cruise ships I often play with people from other countries. Two of the regulars I played with were from Canada, but they knew a lot about the US, too. One game on this cruise it was just three of us women and we came in 2nd. In any case, it was fun all week.

Just back from Silhouette last night. Great cruise and fun trivia. My complaint is the new system of not giving out prizes at each game. Now they have papers with 26 squares on them for players to get initialled each time. 3 for 1st place, 2 for 2nd and 1 for 3rd. Then on the evening of the last night you go and redeem your points. HAH! Unless you have an impossible amount of initials, even when you win 1st most of the time, it is slim pickins'.

I did enjoy the challenge, though, and fortunately was able to get in with a team with very good players. The Activity Staff did a great job and were lots of fun.

Believe me I know how lucky I am to live where summer and winter problems are minimized by good utilities and service. I have friends who live in Essex and had no air conditioning at their home. When they were moving to another house, I asked if they would have AC at the new house. Silly me, lol. Hilary said, "You don't understand. There is NO AC in the UK except for some public buildings and maybe some prominent tourist venues". :eek:

I didn't grow up with AC, but have had it since we moved into this house--1967. My kids have never known life without AC. All public venues are are conditioned.

In times of snow and ice, the salt trucks which also plow, are always out in force and sometimes they brine the streets ahead of time to get a head start on the oncoming storm. Pretty much all streets get salted in order of importance, so the side streets are not first but eventually get treated. My street is the main drag through the subdivision and includes a big hill half-way through. It gets treated right away as do most other hills and streets with curves. Street crews work 12-16 hr shifts to keep the roads cleared.

Not everyone has a snow blower, but every time a big storm is forecast, the stores run out of them, lol. Sometimes schools do close for a day or two and also some businesses and church activities are cancelled, but life goes on and we don't come to a total standstill.

I am lucky to have Jesse, now a college freshman, who has been my mow and snow guy since he was in 8th grade.

The morning paper has a chart showing how many thousands of tons of salt have been used so far and how much is in reserve. If things keep going like they have been, some communities will have to buy more, which will impact how much money they have for road repair and other projects. Last year we had hardly any snow, so I knew this year would probably be bad.

I miss E-Mailing with Hilary. I haven't heard from her since they moved. They were also changing internet services and I think my E-Mail addy got lost in the shuffle. She didn't give me the new address or I would have sent her a card with my contact info.

This Sat. I head to Ft. Lauderdale and then Silhouette on Sun. for at least a brief respite. :D

I vote EARLY! The first cruise we got there after 3 without luggage. Bags made our connecting flight in Charlotte, but we were closed out of boarding (our plane was delayed in Dayton when we first boarded). We took the 3 PM shuttle to the ship. Even though it was late, there were tons of people and it took FOREVER to get to our room. The muster drill was going on while we were at the check-in window. We were totally exhausted by the time we flopped down on the beds and it was less than an hour till dinner. Our luggage got there the next day just before we left Nassau. Maybe these days it doesn't take as long for later embarkation, but that experience has left me with no desire to go late.

Eventually we learned to board by 11-noon. It usually doesn't take long in line outside or in. I like having that extra afternoon onboard and lunch is usually not crowded yet. By the time we're finished eating, the room is ready. I usually dress for the day so that I can just go up to the pool after freshening up and not worry about changing. Vegging out in a lounge chair and indulging in an "adult beverage" with the whole week ahead of me is my idea of heaven.

I'm not much of a "scoff law", but the last 4 cruises I have eliminated the inconvenience of lugging around carry-ons. I always put the extra luggage tags on the pilot case and backpack. The I attach the backpack to the large bag and put the smaller wheeled bag next to it. Then I walk away so they can't tell me I have to keep the carry-ons. I don't worry about anything getting lost once we are at the ship and keep some meds in my purse. So far it has worked. I'll try it again a week from tomorrow. ;)

I'm in cruise mode pretty much all the time. I have gotten in the habit of booking the next cruise on the current cruise. I sometimes have cruised twice a year, even since DH passed away in Aug. '08. I am blessed with great family and friends who go with me.

No summer cruise this year because the friend who would have gone with me had a hip replaced and needed plenty of healing time for our Jan. 26th cruise on Silhouette--8 days to go!!!

DH and I did 8 cruises in 6 years, at his original suggestion. We had booked 2 cruises ahead for 2009. I worried that my cruising days were over but my step-sis and TA said if I could find someone else to go, Celebrity would do the substitution with no problem. So DH's sister went with me to the Carib. in Jan. and a new friend from my bereavement group went with me to the Med. in June. She and her DH had cruised several times, but the last time, the ship hit a pier in Civitavecchia (Rome) and they were sent home. She really wanted to see Rome. So we did the 12-nighter from Barcelona to Venice and had a marvelous time. I was so relieved she wanted to go because the friend who originally said she'd go had to back out.

I will say that with 7 days till I leave for FT. Lauderdale and 8 days till sailing, I am in super cruise mode! We've had snow and snow and snow here for the last 3 1/2 weeks. UGH! Mother Nature must be making up for lost time since we had hardly any last year.

Happy cruising to all!

1/02 Explorer E. Carib. 1/03 Explorer W.Carib. 8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour

2/04 Adventure S. Carib. 2/05 Galaxy Partial PC + 4 W. ports

6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords 1/07 Mercury Mex. Riv. 1/08 Mercury Aust/NZ

1/09 Galaxy S. Carib. 6/09 Summit Classical Med 1/11 Summit S. Carib.

6/11 Constellation Scand/Russia 1/12 Summit S. Carib. 8/12 Millenium Alaska cruise/tour

1/13 Summit S. Carib 1/14 Silhouette W. Carib.

From what I've read about overboard incidents, the fault has always been

with the person going over--drunk, drunk and fighting with with someone or suicide.

I am sailing on my 16th cruise on the 26th and I figured out a long time ago that there's no way anyone could accidently fall in. The only time I was on a ship when someone went overboard was a few years ago when a window washer fell off the scaffolding while the ship was in port. He was rescued without a problem. That kind af accident I can understand, but not going over a railing, even on a balcony.

I have no sympathy for those who choose to put themselves in danger, thereby making things difficult for others on the ship. I agree that the cruiseline should be suing her for time and fuel costs. I hope the jury socks it to her.

Down to 8! Can't wait to get away from the almost constant SNOW!! :eek:

I've never had a problem getting luggage tags, except last year when I did the on-line check-in for my friends,too. There were 4 of going with two separate reservations. Somehow, the box where I checked US as Kathy's country got changed to Canada. The tags for me and my cousin came within 4 days (as usual), but two weeks passed and the other tags were still missing. I went online again to see if I could find out anything and saw the Canada on the order. I was about to call Celebrity, when Kathy called to say the tags had just come. Evidently someone had figured out the computer glitch.

3 weeks ago I did the check-in again for 4 of us. Something seemed goofy when I ordered Kathy's tags again, so I ordered them sent to me, plus my own. Well, I shouldn't have worried. She got hers and I got mine and hers, so now she and her roommate each have 8 tags.

I always put mine on when I leave home. I'm with WestLakeGirl--if the bags get lost, at least someone will see that they need to be on that ship. It doesn't guarantee delivery to that ship, but better than no info.

This time I ordered the tags on Jan. 2 and they arrived to both of us on the 6th. I love getting the tags. Makes the cruise seem somehow more real, lol.

I always have a bright yellow plastic tag with info insert, remnant from a now-defunct travel agency, on the handle of my luggage. It's are easy to see when the carousel comes around. I can't imagine being paranoid enough not to have that info available in case the bags get lost, then found. I do have the aluminum tags described below (Celebrity trivia prizes), but they are not as visible on the carousel.

As mentioned before, tags are available at the pier if you need them.

Wow! Kathie, Judie and Scott--3 roll call mates all in a row, lol. Our sailing is on Silhouette a week from tomorrow. Can't come soon enough for me. It has snowed off and on the better part of the last two days with more predicted later today. When the college boy who mows and snowblows for me was here last night I told him I was coming back on the 2nd and asked him to have the driveway cleared for me if we had snow while I was gone. I don't want to come home to a snow-clogged driveway and not be able to get into my garage.

We were really spoiled last year with hardly any snow. I knew the hammer would fall this year. :(

Amazing! I was expecting to see a sea gull. I have pics of a sea gull on the rail of the Summit(still in port) last year, stalking peoples' food trays on the deck near the Sunset Bar. At one point he swooped over to a table on the other side of mine and flew off with a piece of roast beef from a sandwich. The wife of the man (who'd gone to get drinks at the bar)whose sandwich had been raided, was horrified and clapped her hands over her mouth with her eyes bugged out. I got a good pic of her, but just the tail and part of the feet of the culprit in the far right side of the pic. It happened so fast, lol. After that the stalker switched to the other side ofthe deck, but those diners were onto him and he was out of luck.

I never knew peregrines went that close to the ocean.

icydog--DebbieMacG's "Thankfully not" comment was not aimed at Cunard, but at Carnival, considered by many to be at the bottom of the ladder for various reasons. At the risk of sounding like a cruise snob, it has always amazed me that a traditionally classy line like Cunard would be under the Carnival umbrella. There are probably millions of commited Carnival cruisers who will howl at my comments. So be it.

My first clue about Carnival was when my TA, also my step-sister, was helping plan our first cruise. The first thing she said was, "Well, you don't want Carnival". That was all I needed to hear. A few years ago, a friend of mine won a 5-night Carnival cruise and when she came back I asked her how it went. She said, half-heartedly, "It was nice. It was good." I said, "You don't sound very enthusiastic." She told me the food wasn't very good, the service was not good and the 24 hr noise level was totally annoying. She told me she would go on Carnival again if she won another cruise, but would never pay for one. She had sailed Princess (another one owned by Carnival) and RCCL.

I've done 4 RCCL and 11 Celebrity cruises with the 12th coming up in 10 days on Silhouette. I stick to those lines because, as the quaint old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

I'm diabetic and usually don't eat the candy, at least not right away. I put the candies in my nightstand and take them home in my backpack for blood sugar emergencies on the way home (It HAS happened). I also keep them on my nightstand at home in case my blood sugar gets low in the night. Sometimes I find them months later covered up by other stuff, dry and inedible. This is a tribute to my effort not to gobble them up immediately, since I am actually a chocoholic. :eek:

I did a Med. cruise on Summit which sailed June 3, '09--Barcelona to Venice. Weather was not bad except in Athens. The tour guides were on strike for just that day (figures!) and we did our own tour (5 hrs), using the ship shuttle to get into the city, instead of the planned 10 hr one. It was a blessing in disguise because I don't think my friend or I would have survived so long in that heat. We walked to the Acropolisus and later took the double-decker bus without hopping off/on.

The weather in Barcelona and Venice and the other ports (Nice, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples/Capri, Santorini (in Greece, but not as hot) and Dubrovnik was warm, but not stifling.

My sister and her husband did a Med. cruise on Brilliance in Oct. '09 and the weather was great. It was round-trip from Barcelona with 6 of the same ports.

I've been on 3 cruises during the Super Bowl and there was a big party, once in the big nightclub and the other two times in the theater. The bars were open and there were tables of food everywhere. The game was shown on a huge screen in the theater, in the casino, Michael's Club and all the cabins. That was only one game, so I don't know how much they will show of the Olympics, which go on all day and evening.

I get home from my upcoming cruise the day of the Super Bowl and just before the Olympics. I don't care about the Super Bowl, unless a miracle happens in my lifetime and the Bengals are playing. Since I'm 4 mos from turning 70 (:eek:), I'm not holding my breath, lol.