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My fingertips are raw, my eyes are blurred and I've just about had it with researching a reliable taxi/car hire from Southampton to a town near Heathrow. Estimates range from 90 to 140 BPs and worse, the reviews are either ancient or apparently written in many cases by competitors. Right now it appears that Smiths for Airports or Totally Driven are the best bets for cost and reliability. But on the off chance have any of you had recent experience with a taxi service that you would recommend. Stupid me, I lost the business card for one I used from Harwich last year.

thanks everyone! Hope to be a converted Celebrity sailor....

Well, we're not true converts, as we have taken many very enjoyable cruises on Princess and other lines, too. There are not such significant differences between them to warrant blind allegiance IMHO. When push comes to shove, itineraries, cost, and personal schedules will still govern. Have a great trip

I know I've read about people doing an open passage or on board booking & it automatically is transferred to the last travel agent you used. I guess it's to keep from inadvertently poaching a TA's clients, but I see what you mean.

You're right. It is automatically assigned. But when we booked on board last December, we were presented with a form, saying we no longer wanted to use our previous agent. Once signed, we returned home and assigned the listing to a new agent. It took about ten days for our new agent to receive the transfer. Funny, but that agent left the agency, so our latest booking was with another "new" agent. Three cruises, three agents in three months

I believe Celebrity offered 25 bonus points for Aqua Class and above staterooms booked between late November and December 31, 2013. The usual 14 day lag in posting these points was in effect, I think. Has anyone actually had these points added to his account?

Getting back to what I think your main concern is, Celebrity should be just fine for you, as far as food and accommodations go. There are any number of activities, too. Your real concern might be the number of sea days. People who need constant stimulation will probably be bored by the third day out. Those who can entertain themselves usually enjoy the TAs. We're doing two this year.

It's been a few years since I last did it. Our ship arrives really early at 5:30AM. When can we reasonably expect to be though immigration? I want to arrange a limo and was thinking around 10AM

You are comparing a mass market line with 3000 + passengers to an upscale line with 600 passengers. Azamara runs $300 pp per day for an outside cabin VS $100 for the same category on Celebrity. I was bored with the lack of entertainment on Azamara when I sailed on her to Asia. One thing Azamara had that Celebrity could copy would be their sorbet bar. They had flavors so true to the fruit it was fabulous.

But, obviously, sorbet, however good, does not justify a $200 difference in cost . :D What about the differences in clientele, if any.

For four years of college and thirty four years of work, I wore a suit/jacket and I rarely took off the jacket in all those years. I heartily subscribe to the theory that the way we are treated is largely governed by our appearance. I also believe that a man never looks better than when he is wearing a tux. In other words I have no problem dressing properly and in accordance with the regulations. Having said this, increasingly, I am having trouble dragging a tux on a cruise, not because I don't enjoy wearing it, but rather because the outfit takes up so much space and weight that it's easier to travel in a sports jacket/blazer and add a shirt and tie for dinner onboard. It's not what I prefer, but it sure makes life easier. We are taking two TAs this year and I know my wife will want to dress up. It will be a problem for me, if it means an additional suitcase. Just too much trouble to drag around.

Funny how tastes differ. For the first time we found Blu to be very average and unimaginative. For us steak is the last refuge, only to be ordered when other items on the menu are uninteresting. Frankly, I can grill a steak as well as anyone, but there are dishes that I would never attempt, either because of difficulty in finding ingredients or the difficulty in preparation. Those are the items I typically order when they are available. Unfortunately, they didn't appear on the Blu menu except for one night and then they were very good, I am happy to say. We were so disappointed, that we actually dined in Ocean Liner one time, something we didn't plan on doing when we boarded the ship. And I will say that OL was worth every penny of the additional cost. It is far and away my favorite X specialty restaurant, particularly because of the ambiance. It really gives me the impression of the elegance of a bygone age with very good service and excellent food. But I hated to have to resort to it only because of Blu's disappointing menu. To each his own, it is wisely written. We'll be back on the Connie for a much longer cruise later in the year, and we're hoping that Blu will return to its former excellence, if only because the additional days will allow an expanded and more challenging menu.

I'm sure SOMEONE will flag it, complain, and have it removed...:rolleyes:

 

But THAT is pretty darn funny! :D

We use the federal 'E.V.T.' program (Equality in Vacation and Travel). This new government program provides two weeks of cruises every year- The idea is to insure more balanced vacation experiences between different socio economic classes. We started with Carnival Cruises but there is a class action suit to add Celebrity and HAL lines.

Wow. It's still there! sad to say, it's more truth than poetry nowadays.

Gee, I don't even remember being on your aft balcony :)

Actually, I was hoping someone on board or with access to the current wine list could check for me. We don't usually drink pinot noir as we find them too light for our taste, but this Steele was quite robust and a very pleasant surprise.

Sorry you had some issues. But regarding the Captains Club Hostess, we had a poor hostess in January on the Silhouette. She seemed to only spend time with a couple who were very frequent cruisers and ignored others, who could potentially be frequent cruises.

We are booked again on the Silhouette (hope a new CC hostess), the Summit and the Eclipse

There must have been a CC change after your cruise. On our Silhouette voyage in February the CC Host was all over the place, talking to anyone who would listen. Hope he's on your ship.

We recently enjoyed a Steele Pinot Noir and I'd like to buy a case. Trouble is I don't know the vintage, though I think it was either a 2010 or 2011. Can some one help? It lists for $51 a bottle on the wine list. Thanks.

We recently booked a C2 cabin on Refelction (hump cabin). This appeared to be the only hump available and the cabin received one or two positive reviews. However, I did see that it is listed as a connecting cabin. Is this anything to be concerned about? I assume that it would be similar to hotel

room where a securely locked door is between the rooms but wonder if this increases noise or creates any other issues?

Many thanks for your input.

My wife was particularly disturbed by noise from an adjoining cabin several cruises ago and we will not be booking another connecting cabin again unless it's the last one available on a "must take" cruise. Of course the noise depends on the occupants, so you might have no problem.

I assume you were in an aft room on Deck 11 because when we were in 1116 on Connie just a couple months ago we never smelled anything from the deck below, we would and will book this deck again whenever on an "M" class ship.

 

Also, as LSimon reported drinking bottled not tap water on the ship will help more than the reduction of salt in the food. I used to have the same issue with ankle swelling but not since drinking only bottled water on ships, just another reason Aqua is great because they provide it for free.....:)

No, we were in 1117 and the hallways reeked from the odors coming up the stairwell. Fortunately, once inside the cabin, there was no problem.

We did drink mostly bottled water but in the restaurants we drank regular water along with wine. Maybe San Pellegrino is in order next trip. It's certainly worth a try. I've been off the ship for a day and a half and my ankle's back to normal.

We are on board right now in Cozumel. We were last on the Connie for her December 9, 2013 cruise, the same as the one we are now taking but there have been some real changes in the last three months. First, there is no bartender in the Elite Lounge; waiters have to go into the "pantry" to get/mix drinks. That is pretty chintzy, Celebrity. After three meals in Aqua I must say the food is pretty much average, certainly not worth the increase in cost over the MDR. We had a very good meal last night but the first two evenings the food was bland and the menu unimaginative. We're glad we're in Aqua because the ship is loaded with college kids, and while they are no problem, the relative peace and quiet of Blu is appreciated. I say they are no problem, but I never expected to see a coed from South Carolina stone drunk and flipping someone the bird on the very first day. So much for Southern gentility. Forget any dress code' The evening meals, even in Aqua, have people dressed in ripped jeans and collarless shirts. Finally, the A1 cabins on the eleventh deck are blessed with the odor of whatever is the most pungent food being served in the buffet on deck 10. Keep your cabin door closed tightly to avoid it. On the bright side, the Connie is the first X ship to allow passengers to sign on the internet without having to march down to the I Lounge. Unfortunately, wouldn't you know I had trouble and needed to seek help, but DW got right on. This is a big plus, and one of the good things Princess has been doing for years.

I don't mean to sound negative, as we have signed on for a long Connie cruise later in the year, so we not really upset.

But one last comment which pertains to every X ship and probably every ship of every line we've used: can't the cooks learn to season food without resorting to the over use of salt? Every cruise results in my left ankle swelling and it takes two or three days at home to get it back to normal size. Others are complaining about this so I know it's not just me. Try using herbs, chefs.

It was for us! We could hardly hear each other speak. We never experienced such load noise levels before..not even on the Allure. Maybe it was just our cruise:)

Sorry. I was making light of the frequent misspelling of DINING room

We rob banks

The lounge or sometimes a portion of it is reserved for the elite happy hour. They have to have it somewhere.

It's always something, isn't it? :rolleyes: 900+ feet of ship, there's got to be someplace to satisfy even the most vociferous complainer

Is the noise level in the dinning room really that bad? ;) ;)

and civitavecchia is a strange place to disembark.

we LITERALLY walked off the ship and left last year.

NO immigration, NO customs, NO body there.

My DW was very dissapointed we did not get a passport stamp!

God bless Italy and the Italians. A different world. I once returned a rental car at Marco Polo and had the same experience, just leave the car in the lot and turn in the keys. Not a soul around. Now, in Germany two agents escorted me back to the car, popped the trunk, and actually checked under the spare tire to ensure the jack was still in place. Apparently the word was out that I stole jacks for a living:rolleyes:

Many chase points so the CC cabin will provide a few extra points. The "extras" , in my opinion, are not that significant, but as previously noted, a few might be very important to some folks. It also depends on the price and your budget.

 

Enjoy

M

+1 CC really doesn't provide much except 5 points a day

CC beats RCCL on food but neither is anywhere as good as they used to be in the 90's.

J.[/quote

I dunno. I stopped cruising on Celebrity in the early 90s for a very weak reason: back then their shrimp cocktail comprised baby shrimp while Princess was providing much better cuisine, much more professional waiters, and big shrimp:p. That was enough to keep me loyal to Princess (along with a few other things such as better itineraries) Times have changed.

Really? We couldn't fit ours on the balcony after we moved the toilet there.

We had the same problem