pilgrimtraveler

Just recently stayed at the Hotel New York and recommend the property.  It is less than a 5 minute walk to the cruise terminal. The staff is wonderful.  And the hotel is unique.  It has preserved some of the history making it a very interesting place to stay.  There is a water taxi stop right at the hotel making it very easy and inexpnsive to get to other areas of Rotterdam.  It is also within walking distance of a grocery store and lots of restaurants.  

We are on the Apex now and are sailing in the Retreat. In Rotterdam, there was a separate line for suite guests to hand their luggage to the porters.  However, both lines merged together into one when we got to the porters.  After that, we were put into the same line as everyone else to check in.  Everyone we asked indicated  that there was no separate line or check-in for retreat guests.  We had to be rather assertive in getting to the final retreat check-in sign.  The retreat lounge in the terminal is after check-in and just as you board the ship.  We didn’t see anyone using it.  There were no carts being used in the luggage drop off line.

We were able to walk right into Luminae for our  embarkation lunch - just before noon.  There was a long line when we left.  All of our meals in Luminae have been very good.  And the service has been outstanding.

The retreat lounge is beautiful and has a wonderful outdoor space.  Unlike our previous cruises, we have to order our drinks at the bar.  And in the outdoor space, no one has come by to offer drinks, towels, water etc.  On our last cruise, we were given food, drinks, towels etc, the minute we sat down,.Here, everything has been self-service. We still have not met our retreat concierge and we have been in and out of the lounge frequently.

This is a very crowded ship!  If you want to attend a specific activity or event, it is important to arrive 30 minutes early.

In Oslo, we took the ferry boat to see the Fram and Kon-Tiki museums.  It was about a 15 to 20 minute easy walk from the ship to the ferry boat,  

Our cabin steward and butler are wonderful!  

In answer to the question about the on ship temp.  It is very comfortable.  A lot of people are in shorts.  Passengers are dressed much more casually on this cruise than our other sailings.  I would suggest layers even for indoors.  

Thanks to all of you who are sharing your experiences.  It is always so helpful.

15 hours ago, katrina915 said:

For those that are getting refunds, did you get some kind of written notice that a refund was coming? I called a few weeks back for a late may cruise and haven't seen a refund yet.  Just wondering if they actually are going to send refund or if I should call again.  Thanks.

We never received a notice from Celebrity about our refund.  We worked directly through our TA who was very prompt in following up for us.  Once the refund was actually processed, it took 19 business days for it to show up on our credit card.  

Yesterday, we received our refund for airfare and cruise taxes and fees.  We were scheduled on the Feb 15 Millie sailing out of Hong Kong.   We had to follow up twice.  Both times, we were told there was an accounting error and that the refund had to be resubmitted.  Our FCC and refunds for shore excursions were received within 2 weeks after the cruise cancellation.  

We were on the cancelled 2/15 Millie cruise out of Hong Kong.  We cancelled on Feb 5 (just prior to the cruise itself being cancelled).  This meant we would get a 100%FCC plus our Celebrity Air refunded (without penalty fees).  We received our FCC 3 weeks after cancellation.  We are still waiting for our refund.  At the beginning of March, we were told there was an accounting error and that Celebrity was resubmitting our refund. We were also told it would be 7 to 14 business days before we would see the credit.  Our TA has assured us that they will be following up again at the beginning of the week.  We have been receiving prompt responses to all our inquiries.  Doesn't stop us from being anxious to see that refund, though. 

For those of you who have posted your experiences, thank you!  The information has been very helpful.  

I've only used Choice Air once - for a recently cancelled trip to Southeast Asia.  

The positives - 

    Celebrity automatically rebooked us when our itinerary was changed at no extra charge. 

    Our airline price was much less than we were able to get anywhere else.

    Due to the reason for our cancellation, they are refunding 100% of our airfare without penalty.

    No payment due until final cruise payment date. 

The negative -

    When we wanted to upgrade our seats, we had to go directly to the airlines.  Consequently, when our flight got changed by       Celebrity we lost the money we paid for the upgrade since we didn't use the seats.

     It takes a lot longer to be refunded for a cancelled flights than it does through a travel insurance company.  In the past, we've been refunded within a few days by the travel insurance company we use.  This time we didn't use a travel insurance company and am now waiting on a refund directly from Celebrity.  

Now that I know more about how Choice Air works, I will probably use them again. 

When we were on the Splendor in May, our cabin steward asked us whether we wanted evening or morning service (or both). He also asked us if we had any special requests. He was very nice! We chose morning only. It was really interesting to come back from our morning activities and find towel animals on our bed. In other words, we got the entire turndown service - in the morning. Our cabin steward was very visible and always asked us if we needed anything. He also gave us his business card so we could call him as well. We really didn't need very much. He made us feel that if we had needed something, it would have been no problem. He was absolutely awesome!! By the way, if you want morning service and ice only in the evening - your cabin steward will do that. They just need to know what you prefer.

We have been on several November cruises and have had outstanding weather. It is one of my favorite months to sail.

I am also very prone to seasickness. I had a very bad allergic reaction to the patch so I just stick to non-drowsy formula Dramamine and a small glass of champagne or wine (it helps with any nervousness during rough seas). I've also had success with ginger tablets. I think it's a bit of "trial and error" to find what works best for each person. The ship's crew is usually very helpful if there is any rough weather.

We recently sailed on the Summit and ate at Qsine. We absolutely loved it!! The service and food were outstanding. It is very eclectic and fun. If you want something more traditional, the Tavern Grille might be a better option.

If you wait until you board before making reservations, the specialty restaurants usually offer a discount the first day. You can visit each restaurant and look at their food display. You can also view their menus and ask questions. The staff was very friendly and it was very easy to make on board reservations.

Enjoy your cruise!! We really enjoyed our time on the Summit!

We recently sailed on the Summit. Porters were tagging luggage at the pier. The process looked very efficient. We were able to print our luggage tags before leaving home so already had them on our bags. So there isn't any need to order your tags.

A side note - we were in a suite and there was no priority delivery of our luggage. Mine arrived a few hours after we boarded. And my husband got his luggage 15 minutes before the muster. Fortunately, it was no problem for us.

Hello. We've found the easiest way to get around San Juan is by taxi. The taxi stand is just outside baggage claim and is very easy to locate. There are fixed rates between the airport and the cruise ports/Old San Juan. In addition, we have found the taxi drivers to be honest and friendly.

Yes, restrooms are available at both locations. We've been to both stops.

We sailed on the Maasdam in July and very much enjoyed our trip. She is a beautiful, very well maintained ship. I was worried about the small size of the ship but actually loved it. She is sturdy and smooth sailing. And, I loved the intimate feel on board. We were on Deck 9, in a forward verandah cabin. We only used the elevator when coming back from shore excursions. We were able to use the stairs to get to everything. We were within 1 - 2 flights of stairs from almost all the food and activities. The staff is hard working and friendly and took very good care of us.

We loved the Maasdam, would sail her again and highly recommend her.

We also loved the itinerary. We sailed from Montreal to Boston and greatly enjoyed all of our ports.

We had an 8:30 departure time out of the pier in Old San Juan a year ago. We attended the 4:30 p.m. Saturday Vigil Mass at Stella Maris Catholic Church in Condado and had plenty of time to get back to the ship. It was an english language Mass and everyone was very welcoming. It looks as though it may be the same distance from the Pan American Pier. It was only about a 10-15 minute cab ride from the ship. The address of the church is 69 Calle Cervantes in Condado.

Dear Recyclelady,

I would bring a converter for your curling iron - just in case. One member of our group "fried" hers when trying to plug it directly into the wall socket. Mine worked perfectly with the converter. Both curling irons were dual voltage.

As noted in the previous responses, you will be able to charge your electronics (cell phones, cameras, NOOK, Kindle etc.) in your hotel room and on the ship without an adapter and/or converter. If anyone is traveling with a curling iron, however, you will need a converter. Hair dryers were provided in all of our rooms.

Pat,

We paid about $2 a bulb. You may be able to get them cheaper - I'm not that good at bargaining. That was still 50% off the original asking price.

Each bulb will give you approximately 6-8 cups of tea. And, the flower lasts for about a week as decoration. I suggest making sure you have them packaged tightly as tea.

Just returned from the Imperial Jewels of China trip - the first trip of the season! The flower blossom teas are available everywhere in Shanghai. I bought some and had no problem bringing them back through U.S. Customs.

The trip was amazing!! For those of you who will be going on the trip in the future - you will see and learn a lot. Viking Cruises takes very good care of it's customers.