funji1

Does anyone know if Celebrity runs a free shuttle into San Miguel since it is not  a short walk for some seniors?🤔

Maybe I am dreaming but I thought it was worth asking anyway.  Thanks!

7 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Birth Certificate must be an original with a raised seal. No photocopies accepted.

Does this mean a notarized copy will not be accepted by Celebrity?

1 hour ago, keesar said:

It docks at the International Pier.   At the shopping center, you will find interesting "entertainment".  Bring your camera.

Thanks for the info.  We have been to Cozumel both by cruise ship and staying there for a week .  I like to be able to walk around San Miguel  at our leisure and snorkeling .  Docking at the International Pier will put  little damper on the walking but if cabs are still as cheap as when we were there, we will be fine.

Thanks!  That is disappointing.  How was your overall cruise?  We have not sailed Celebrity in a few years but loved the Equinox when it was new.

Does anyone know which pier the Infinity will dock at?   Punta Lagusta right in town?

Or the International Pier about a mile or so south of town next to the Carnival dock?

It is great to dock right in San Miguel which is where I am hoping we dock in January.

This avoids taxi rides and enables us to go back to the ship if we choose and then back into 

town.  We will be there from 10 am until 12 Midnight.

canada and the us use the same power and style plugs. You will be able to plug in your curling iron the same way as at home.

 

 

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thank you very much !!!

I am from the USA. Will an electric converter be needed in Montreal hotels for a hairdryer or curling iron?

Thanks for your help !

Hi Funji1, if you don't mind me asking - did you purchase that insurance within 2 weeks of making an initial deposit? Or was it within 2 weeks of the full/final payment?

I'd like to be able to cover pre-exisiting conditions too, but we tend to book onboard 1-2 years out on our cruises, wondering if i also need to purchase the insurance that early.

Yes, I purchased our trip insurance within 2 weeks of making our initial deposit which was 1 1/2 years out from the scheduled cruise. I do this because my husband does have pre existing conditions and we want to avoid any possible hassles with them. Well worth the peace of mind! However, I never purchase our insurance through the cruise line.

We are booked for the Amsterdam departing Seattle tomorrow. My husband fell last night, and experienced some other issues. So we’ve been in the ER for 8 hours now. Looks like we can go home soon, but the doctor wrote a note advising us not to go on the cruise. I bought insurance about a week ago through Insuremytrip. But I only insured it for half. I know, I know. I was willing to gamble a little on the trip cost. And that’s okay. It was the coverage I wanted should something happen on the cruise. I didn’t anticipate anything happening before we left. Where do I go from here? Is there a process? Call our TA? Insuremytrip? HAL? Thanks much!

To begin, I am glad to hear your husband is doing well enough that he did not require hospitalization. I can totally relate to how frustrating and overwhelming this experience can be. My story is very involved so I will do my best to keep it to the point. If it is wordy I apologize in advance.

I had to cancel our cruise in February 2018. I also purchased this insurance and all other travel policies through Insure My Trip. But, I purchased our insurance within 2 weeks of purchasing our cruise which was in 2016 ,which then covered us both for any potential pre-existing conditions. We always get travel insurance but this was our first ever claim. What I learned was a lot, and a very lengthy process.

FIRST, if you booked through a travel agent, they must contact the cruise line and cancel your reservation. Unless, they are closed and you cannot reach them, then you can call the cruise line. But , have your travel agent follow up ASAP. The cruise line will send your TA a notice of cancellation etc. Also, you will need a copy of the cruise line's cancellation policy and cancellation fees.

SECOND, the insurance company is important but the THIRD PARTY that processes their claims is even MORE important. I never knew this was how claims were handled. The processing company we had, I found out from CC, was the worst to deal with! Not nice people and not very cooperative in offering help. I finally found one woman who was a compassionate human and spent two hours on the phone with me. Through Cruise Critic, I scrolled down the the site for Insurance claims on the main page of the Boards and learned most of this information. The processing company is called Trip Mate. They process claims for some of the best cruise lines including Viking. I It took me 2 months to receive our payment from them. The cruise line will reimburse your taxes and port fees, not your insurance.

THIRD,Keep a copy of everything you send to the claim company, number every page and keep the pages in the same order as you sent to the insurance claim company, and do not forget a single thing they require. Even though I did that, after one month, the processing company asked for more information. When I called them I told them that information was in the package I sent them registered mail, return, receipt, requested. I even told them which page had that information they requested. Of course they said that page was missing. I had stapled all 29 pages !!! I then faxed them the second copy of what they "were missing". They said the clock needed to start all over. I was really upset. Not just the length of time this all took to prepare, but the stress of making sure everything was correct. My husband had gotten seriously ill in September 2017 and almost died, and none of it was a pre-existing condition (which would also have been covered). He had multiple complications on top of complications which lasted until April 2018 when he finally was almost back to normal.

FOURTH.. Even the note form the ER physician will probably not be sufficient information, in most cases. They will request he complete forms that the processing company provides for you to print. For you to get this information, go to the website for the insurance company you purchased your insurance through. Looking under a heading "Filing Claims" or something similar. This should link you to the processing company and how to file your claim.

FIFTH.. and lastly, do no give up! Take your time. Stick to your guns. Complete and send every form they require and do so in a very orderly fashion.

As you said, you will only receive the amount you covered with insurance, but, better than nothing. I wish you and your husband the best with continued good health. If I can be of further help, let me know and I will do my best.

We just got off of the HAL Maasdam from

Montreal to Boston. The weather was nice in Montreal, Quebec and Bar Harbor but colder in Charlottetown, Sydney and Halifax. We did not do any cruise excursions and opted to rent a car in Quebec and Sydney to go to Montmorency Falls/saint Anne church and Fort Louisbourg, respectively. It was much cheaper than the cruise excursions and we got to go on our schedule. We walked around a little bit in Charlottetown and took a Harbor Hippo tour that left right near the cruise terminal. In Halifax we had planned to do the free walking tour and citade but it was cold and wet so we skipped. We ended up at the Maritime museum to see the titanic exhibit.

 

We are going on the Maasdam in early August. What was your favorite port and why? What did you love about the Maasdam and what did you dislike? Was there anything that you did not bring with you, and later regretted it? Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it !

If you didn't book with a TA, you would find it in My Bookings (after logging in, of course). Find your booking and click on Manage Payments. The OBC shows on the right hand side under Cruise Fare and Taxes, Fees.

Thanks all for the info! It has been just 24 hours so I will keep checking. Usually I see it the same day online, but not this time.

HELP WITH CCL on board credit please!

Once you fax proof of your CCL stock as a shareholder and required information, how long before it is posted, AND, where can I find it on my booking on the new HAL website. I have looked all over without any luck. Thanks in advance for your help !

We were in 7:00-5:00 pm. We started our tour at 8:00 and it was a 6+ hr tour including lunch.

So you should have enough time. Our guide saved Peggy's Cove for last and the crowds were gone but we spent the shortest amount of time here(about 20 minutes).

 

Enjoy your tour and ship.

Chris and Carl

 

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Thanks for your feedback ! That make me feel more comfortable with our timing. Out guide is also going to Peggy's Cove last to avoid the crowds. He said we would have enough time for our agenda but it is reassuring to hear from someone who has done it as well. Looking forward to this great trip. Happy sailing !

We used Paul McNeil for a tour of Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, and Peggy's Cove. We had an excellent time and he is a wealth of knowledge. He has different tours on his website.

 

paul@halifaxtitanictours.ca

Phone. 902 292 6780.

 

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Thanks Beachball !

We have our tour guide booked. We dock at 8 am and depart at 4pm. Given the that time frame, and wanting to be back on board by 3pm, can we see all three areas in that time ? If not, which of the three would you delete. We are not shoppers so that does save us time and, lunch, although nice, is not an absolute requirement, we can skip that as well. Thanks for you input.

Here is a link with information about car rentals and maps, etc. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BjAtDscML-9Ce3VWUUsOrsVhPL7KIxb7Go_9SRi82dE/edit

 

Be very aware of your time and when you are a bit less than halfway through your available time you need to be heading back. Going to Lunenburg you should take the coastal roads. Coming back you can take the highway.

 

Mahone Bay is just a slow down on the road. You get the famous view of the three churches before you reach Mahone Bay. Have lunch in Lunenburg (lots of places) visit the Fisheries Museum and wander about with whatever time you have.

 

This link has good information about the South Shore area of Nova Scotia: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iTNvEXWfiMaXIyHRv82AgrNkthPFT0PzDzhZIr7qRgE/edit

 

Here is a map for what you can do: https://goo.gl/maps/3whqBEQgyg22 So if you allow four hours for the drive you can work out how much time you can be in Lunenburg.

THANKS MaryannNS for the helpful info. However, we really do not want to drive ourselves. Would we be sorry if we missed Peggy's Cove ? The plan was to stop there on our return trip to the ship to avoid the buses. I really want to see Lunenburg as it is a UNESCO site and we have always found them to be very good. Thanks for your help.

You know how much time you spend at places taking photos and the like better than I do, so whether it is enough time to enjoy all three of these for YOU I can't really say. I can say that the total drive time is about half of your available time - Google shows just under 3hrs30mins to take in all of those and return to the pier area (quickie map here) - so that gives you less than an hour in each spot (I'm assuming that you keep an hour of padding to allow for getting off the ship, finding the tour vehicle, a little traffic, and being back in time for All Aboard - which is usually at least 30mins before sailaway time, not sure if you have already factored that into your timeframe or not).

 

NB: you'll need to factor in a lunch break somewhere in there, so offhand I would say that unless you enjoy literally just jumping off, hustling round, grabbing a few pics then piling back into the minivan you very likely want to cut back to two of these three. Since dropping Peggy's Cove saves an hour, vs only 30mins for Lunenberg and none at all for Mahone Bay, and PC is by far the most touristy of the options, I'd say it's the one to drop. Just pick up some postcards of the lighthouse - they'll be better quality than any shot you can take with hordes of tourists swarming the place anyway;-)

Thanks Martincath for your help. I did allow for us to be back in time for boarding. I pretty much thought the same as you in probably dropping Peggy's Cove but always appreciate and welcome all input from CC which is why I post here ! Thanks again!

Cruising to Canada and we will have 7 hours to tour Halifax by minivan with a tour guide.

Is 7 hours enough time see Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove ? We are not shoppers and just want to see the non touristy (except Peggy's Cove) local areas, beautiful scenery and seaport villages. If this is too tight a schedule, what do you recommend? We are not so interested in the Titanic Memorials etc. so we can skip that.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hotel Bethel in Nyhavn was a great hotel with a good breakfast with great cheese. Location is perfect for walking all over Copenhagen. I would stay there again if I return to Copenhagen. Make sure to take the canal cruise and buy the original Danish pastry...sinful.

I agree with many of these postings too ! Maintaining everyone's privacy is very important and not to be taken lightly. We have met many people on cruises and some are friends to this day, others we never heard from after the cruise which was fine. We cruise to see new things, experience new cultures and to explore great places. When someone wishes to join a tour I have organized (which is about 10) over our many years of cruising, I try and get as much information from them to hopefully learn if they will be a match with our tour. Only once was there a "dud" who joined us. That can happen on a private excursion or one from the ship. Of course, it is a little more difficult on a small group tour but manageable. Never have I regretted organizing or joining another tour organized by someone on CC. I will continue to take small group tours unless the only option is a ship's excursion. I appreciate everyone's input on this thread and have learned a few new things as well...ie HAL has a roll call on FB which may or may not be why CC roll calls postings have diminished.

Happy cruising to all!

I usually join roll calls and go to M&G's on longer cruises. 20> days. Anything shorter I don't bother. DH doesn't go to the M&G so I go myself. I do love the cc arranged tours and do use them quite a bit. It is so much better than a HAL tour with a mob of people. As for people I don't particularly like or want to be friends with, yes like everyone else I have met a few of them, but I just move on. There is bound to be some one there I will enjoy talking to.

 

I think roll calls for the longer cruises are the ones that are the most active.

You are correct. The reason I posted this was not because I was looking for a M&G. We have gone in the past and they are hit or miss as to the people, activity, officers attending etc. Unless we are with our own friends and can fill a table, we too go to open dining for all the reasons listed.

My goal on CC Roll Calls is to open up or join the small private group tours which we enjoy much more than the ship's which made us feel like a herd of cattle.

If anyone will be sailing on the Maasdam August 4, 2018 Montreal to Boston and are interested in the smaller tours, please contact me on the HAL Maasdam Roll Call board and we can discuss it. I have 4 openings on each of our two tours.

We have only been to one M&G. Met some lovely people who we bumped into a few times around the ship. Unfortunately there were a couple of very self opinionated, loud, obnoxious people there who knew everything.

Haven't been to one since.

We have been on many roll calls on various cruise lines including 2 others on HAL. People at the M&G always vary. There are always a few who are full of themselves and think they know everything, but most are friendly and fun to spend time with.

After several disappointing cruise ship's excursions, I started participating and organizing private tours and never looked back. The private small group tours are far superior and much cheaper and well worth the time to organized. Last summer I organized 2 tours which filled up almost immediately. This upcoming cruise I have 2 tours booked for a maximum of 6 people including us and so far no takers. Maybe after final payment things will pick up. I can only hope !

Thanks for all the replies.

:confused::confused:Is it just me or are only a very few people signing up on the HAL Roll Calls ?

I have posted on our Roll Call for private tours for our Canada/New England cruise on August 4, 2018 and

no one has replied except two couples who are travelling on different dates.

I am the only one on the Roll Call. I find this very strange and unusual.

ANY ideas why .........:confused:

Another question re: HAL SBP.........Will a Rusty Nail (scotch and drambuie) or a Manhattan count as 1 or 2 drinks. Some people like myself enjoy a Rusty Nail that is equal parts scotch and drambuie. If they are "charging" by the "shot" a Rusty Nail would only be a jigger, correct? Or would it be 2 jiggers ? Not that I will drink more than 2 a night, just wondering so I know how to order.:):)

THANKS for all the help on this board.

Since the area around Marché Bonsecours is considered downtown, the taxi rate from the airport is indeed 40 CAD. The walk from Auberge Bonsecours to the main terminal is about 12 minutes but you will encounter coblestones so you might be better off taking a cab with your suitcase. To double check if your ship will be docked at the main terminal here is the cruise ship schedule with the directions.

 

For suggestions of things to do, see my post from last year (# 467).

 

For restaurants, I will let others make suggestions since I rarely eat out.

Jolie Cruiser

Thanks for your help !

I think a cab to the ship is the only option that makes sense as we will be docked at T2 of the main terminal.

I will try to not break any rules this time.

 

I am a 41 years old cruise addict and I live in Montreal...I have been living here all my life.

 

I would love to help any cruise addict, like myself, who are coming to Montreal and give you pointers about the city.

 

Feel free to ask and I will try to help you have a great time.

 

 

talk to you later !!

 

Sebastien

I have been following some of your posts and really appreciate your advice and information. My friend and I will be spending 3nights in Old Montreal near Marche Bonsecours. Is a taxi from the airport still a fixed rate of $4o CA ? Also, can w walk from our hotel Auberge Bonsecours to the cruise ship with a large rolling suitcase? We are active 71 year olds. Can you recommend good but not expensive restaurants and what sights we should not miss. We will be mostly walking on our own. Thanks for your help in advance !:)