ChucktownSteve

Vancouver's downtown is quite compact so all of the downtown hotels are pretty much within a mile of Canada Place. However, here is a list of many 3*+ hotels that are within 6 to 8 blocks of Canada Place:

 

The Pan Pacific (part of Canada Place)

Fairmont Waterfront (across the street from Canada Place)

Fairmont Pacific Rim

Marriott Pinnacle

Renaissance

Hyatt Regency

The Shangri-la

Fairmont Vancouver Hotel

Auberge

Coast Coal Harbour

Delta Suites

The Metropolitan

Four Seasons

Rosewood Georgia

Sutton Place (about 8.5 blocks)

Sheraton at the Wall Centre (about 10 blocks)

le Soleil

The Wedgewood

 

I have left off the list the Blue Horizon only because it is more like 12 blocks from Canada Place but it hugely popular with cruisers.

 

During the cruise season it is very hard to get a room in a 3*+ hotel in Vancouver for under $200 per night unless you use something like Hotwire or Priceline. You should be able to secure a room out near YVR for $50 to $75 less and most of these airport area hotels will have shuttles to and from YVR but virtually none will have a shuttle to and from Canada Place.

 

+1 THANKX too

OP, Do you ever check your credit card account online? If so, you'll see wheter Celebrity charged your deposit or your TA did. If it's not posted or not under pending charges, I would be concerned about the booking. If it shows from the TA I would be concerned. If it shows the charge from Celebrity, I wouldn't be concerned. That's just MHO. :)

Is the Clasic pkg unlimited? By that I mean the number of drinks? We had it last year but thought it was limited to a certain amount each day. I am sure we never came close but I am curious. Also, does it still include the fresh squeezed orange juice?

 

I suspect it would be more restricted based upon how you act according to how many you've consumed. :D (enter name of another cruise line with many young, heavy drinkers here)

"X" has definitely not discontinued formal nites.

 

I recently tried an Oceania cruise and I must admit, I liked the upscale cruise without having to lug the tux. A sports coat was sufficient. After all, don't the people with the most money flying first class go in jeans too nowadays? ;)

Here's a hint: It's not so much the name of the drink but the name of the brand in the drink. If you don't mind what type of bourbon, rum, vodka, scotch, etc... You'll have no problem with the classic package.

 

If you prefer a particular brand in your drink, then you can check the various threads or the Celebrity web site on the drink package page to see which brands are included in each package. Log into celebrity.com, under already booked tab, select beverage packages. There you'll see the brands in each package.

 

However be aware that brands may actually differ in availability by ship and location in the world.

Unlike the airport hotels these hotels are in a lovely setting in a wooded corporate park - it's hard to imagine you are actually in New York City. However, there are no services within walking distance, so if you don't have a car, you are limited to eating in the Hilton Gardens for dinner(good reports on the restaurant). Take out or a cab to a nearby restaurant would be other options.

 

Ah but if you weren't driving in with a car and needed to park & cruise, why would you stay in Staten Island?

By the way JW gold only worth it at duty free shops not at my local store's prices! That's my opinion too.

 

Can you say HIGH NJ taxes above high Federal taxes? :eek:

 

That's why I stock up in the islands.

Thankx xlxo. I decided to book at close to the airport because we're coming in at 8:30pm. But post cruise I'll be looking for a hotel downtown. You've helped. :)

Platinum not worth the money. However stay with single malts!.

 

That's YOUR opinion. Scotch preference is about flavor and palate. You should stay with Dewers if you think Johnny Walker isn't worth the money.

I won't go below Black. I'd rather drink water than Red. St. Maarten liquor stores sold JW Blue for $99/ltr two years ago. Much cheaper than St. Thomas. I loaded up on Blue, Gold & Black. :D If you stop at a US VI port, you can bring in 5 ltrs pp duty free plus one rum made in USVI. So I did.

 

BTW if you buy one extra bottle and declare it, they won't charge you duty because the paperwork is much more than the tax they'll collect. ;)

 

Has your DH tried Gold or Platinum? I like them better than Black and cheaper than Blue. I think I may actually prefer Platinum over Blue that one bottle I had. But I'll have to sample more to be sure. :p

For the top shelf brands (and not being tied to "drink(s) of the day which may include nothing you like), the "prestige package" makes sense to me. Including gratuity, double pours of "call" drinks, etc, the package price works out to no more than 4 drinks per day.

 

My Johnny Black doubles were $32 each. Since a single is a true measured one oz, a double equates to a regular rocks drink at home. The coffee liquor, Tia Maria, double up after dinner with a cup of coffee hit the spot and was included. At two drinks I was ahead.

 

The package worked for me and I didn't have to carry on liquor. Thank you TA for the OBC. :D

The Casino bar had the purple lights on both ships when we were on but we usually sit in the Grand Bar hallway for the quartet

 

Was that the same string quartet that played, "Stairway to Heaven" :(

I thought O boarded Cannibals by the title..

Jancruz1

 

Or swingers?

[quote name='CHUCKIE50']There was a local story in NY alleging that some of the crew ran off the ship before the guests were evacuated. If true this is disturbing.
[URL]http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/12/15/long-island-couple-recounts-fatal-fire-on-oceania-insignia/[/URL]
I hope some of you who were actually there could comment on these other guest's account.[/quote]

OH YEAH you know those news stories are ALWAYS accurate. I'd never believe they were sensationalized. :rolleyes:

We seem to get charges for items in the mini-frig (which we never touch) - usually only a few dollars. I've started calling, since this seems to be a pattern, and the extra charge is always removed. (I didn't used to call since the amount was always under $10, but Celebrity should be aware of this problem - so I now call.)

 

I never have that problem. As soon as I see my cabin steward, I politely request that when they get the chance would they mind please removing everything from the fridge so I can use it for other things.

Hello, did you not know that we plant and grow trees for the sole purpose to make paper, just as we grow tomato plants for the sole purpose to produce tomatoes. :eek:

 

And my Hamburgers appreciate all those tomato plants. :D

I am a scotch drinker, so I always upgrade to get the better single malts and

johnnie walker black rather than red. I also like the better choices of premium bourbon and using the better gins in the martinis.

Malcolm

 

Malcom, I totally agree. I'm a Black man myself. I refuse to let red ever pass my lips even if I was dry. (Although I prefer Platinum, Gold or Blue). So the upgrade will be worth in on my upcoming cruises. For bourbon, I prefer Turkey. Not on the classic pkg. Thus I have no choice but to upgrade for the taste.

 

On my recent Oceania cruise I loved their package. It was $59.95/night. But a double JW Black was $23. They used a 1oz shot glass per pour! That was a no brainer! No drink cost maximum. Anything was fair game.

Hey everyone,

 

just curious about how much a cab typically costs from the airport to a hotel in west ashley and then from west ashley to cruise terminal? any recommendations on a cab company? thanks!

 

There is a fixed rate for the Airport to West Ashley hotels by the Airport Taxi/limo association which you'll find walking out of the baggage pick up area. http://www.charleston-arrives.com/

 

From the hotel to the port, Charleston city has a metered system. I found this on one of the taxi web sites. Yellow Cab.

 

You can google map the distance from your hotel to the cruise port or fleet landing restaurant which is next to the port's entrance.

 

$4.00 (drop) for first 2 miles.

35 cents per 1/5th thereafter.

 

Waiting Time: 20 cents per minute; $12 per hour.

$1 per extra passenger.

$5 Flat Fee on the Charleston Peninsula (plus any applicable extras).

 

Gas Surcharges have been authorized by the City of Charleston, pending the price of gasoline. Please see the table to the right for details.

 

Gasoline Surcharge Rates

 

(if the price of gasoline surpasses the following price levels per gallon, the City of Charleston has authorized the following surcharges per fare): Fortunately the price of gas right now is under $3/gal

Gas Price Surcharge

$3.00 $0.50

$3.50 $1.00

$4.00 $1.50

$4.50 $2.00

$5.00 $2.50

$6.00 $3.00

$6.50 $3.50

 

The final amount you pay is based on what the taxi meter reads down to the latest 1/5 mile. Your taxi driver may choose to charge you less than the meter, but never more.

 

Additional Fees:

Pet Fee: $2 per pet

Oversized Bags: $1 per piece

Groceries: 3 Bags Free, $1 for 1-6 extra (if driver is assisting)

Moving Fee: $15 each way

Children 1 year and under must be in a car seat.

NOTE: All taxi cabs are REQUIRED to take the most direct route to their destinations, or the route requested by passengers.

Yellow Cab of Charleston is a metered taxi company. If for whatever reason the meter is not running on your journey, please call 843-580-2060.

 

 

 

Estimated Fares for Popular Journeys

 

Although we cannot quote you an exact fare, below are some estimates of our most popular journeys. Please remember, applicable extra charges (gas surcharge, extra passengers, etc) will be added to the following fares.

 

Downtown - Charleston International Airport - - $23

Downtown - Folly Beach - $22

 

New Area Minimum Pricing

(as of August 14, 2014)

 

West Ashley - $8

Circle Line is a wonderful way to get a taste of the city from the water.

 

There are parks near the South Street Seaport with great views of the Brooklyn Bridge

 

I was born in NY and raised in Jersey. Never played tourist in the city because I always had a destination or task to accomplish. Many years later, since my DW had never been, we visited NY for a wedding and added extra time so we could play tourist.

 

With all that being said I agree with Nitemare. We took the Circle Line and I enjoyed it very much. I had never seen the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island close up. We also took the HOHO for the uptown, Brooklyn and night routes.

 

I would recommend them.

Oct 28, 2014 cruise. We flew O air from Savannah to Rome via ATL on Delta. Arrived at 7:45am day of cruise.

 

Lisbon to Savannah via EWR on United. The crediit for air would have been $850pp. I Could not find flights for less than $1,100. I took the air deviation for $175 to stay two extra days in Lisbon. Competing airlines were not available in a timely fashion to/from those ports.

 

What I liked about the deviation was locking up early seat selection.

I found the smoke to be a problem, along with the noise level. Everything was twice as loud as it needed to be. The ship is also not heated, so many people were cold. I don't mean to be a sourpuss since I'm one who believes that a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work, so I didn't hate the cruise, but it was my least favorite of the 11 cruises I've been on. The kids I saw seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

 

I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way last year when I took the cruise.

Our flight arrives at YVR at 8:35pm the night before our cruise. Since we only need a place to sleep that night, is there a hotel property that is convenient to the airport and cruise port without being too expensive? If they don't have complimentary transfers I suppose we'd need a place that is convenient to transportation.

 

Then when we disembark, we'll be flying out very late the next night so we'll need a hotel that's convenient for sightseeing.

 

Any recommendations please? :confused:

TIA

Steve

However, the Euro is about $1.26 right now. ATM rate would be around $1.28ish. US banks add 1-3% on top. So at $1.42, you are paying over 12% above ATM rate, and 9-11% above ATM rate depending on the rate your bank charges for using that foreign ATM.

 

I mistyped. sry. it was $1.26 and I paid $1.34. I knew it was higher than the ATM rate.

Have just looked $1 is equal to 0.79 euros take of what the banks make you may get about 0.73 euro for every dollar. When we travel from the UK into europe we exchange a few pounds into euros then use a debit card, have found you get a better rate. It's the same when we travel states side. Enjoy your trip.

 

I went to AAA in the states to exchange for Euros. They charged me about eight cents more than the big money exchange rate. Euro $1.36 US$ cost me $1.42. Got a small amount and will use ATM debit card in Europe.

Hi. I have never been in that cabin, but just wanted to say that the nearer the front of the ship you are the more motion you will feel, so if motion is an issue to you bear this in mind.

 

And all this time I've been thinking that it was the amorous people near the front of the ship that were rocking the boat. :eek: