cruzsnooze

We've seen agricultural dogs sniffing luggage at the end of our cruise, so even the US does it!

I think those are drug sniffing dogs.

Haha, they must be working on the prices. I have seen $20,000 each on Royal Caribbean website before.

 

I would say that I am looking forward to the review, as you would be getting some special cabin perks. If I like your review I might chip in $10 :D

Fruit , cheese , meats are a no no. Grab a croissant, box of cheerios, muffin and you'll be ok. If asked when you disembark be honest and they have never taken the items I've just mentioned.

It's only per person so the final cost came to a little over $200,000.00

12 Nights

Post Cruise Alaska Cruisetour #10A

Celebrity Millennium

Cruise Ports

Departing from:

Vancouver, British Columbia

Sailing to:

Inside Passage (Cruising)

Ketchikan, Alaska

Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Juneau, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)

Seward, Alaska

Cruisetour Cities

Seward, Alaska; Alyeska (Girdwood), Alaska; Anchorage, Alaska; Talkeetna, Alaska; Denali, Alaska; Fairbanks, Alaska

Selections may cause prices to change.

* Lowest FareDepartures and Staterooms

04JUL

Inside

Sold Out

Ocean View

Sold Out

Veranda

99,999.00 USD*

Select

Concierge Class

99,999.00 USD

Select

Aqua Class

99,999.00 USD

Select

Suite

99,999.00 USD

Select

As search function has disappeared how much is the norm for tipping porters at Everglades? From UK so like to know norm.

In Nov I had the lobster, it was mushy and fishy. I should have sent it back but I didn't. Now I just won't waste my time or money on the specialty restaurants.

If you get MLIFE due to your status with RCL and it's Platinum level you get to use the VIP line at buffets. From what I've seen , there are few advantages of Mlife outside of hotel discounts and buffets. You get free admission to shark reef once a year with a platinum level too.

The lady may have said son of a bit** because she couldn't find her robe or slippers or who knows what, it wasn't necessarily aimed at this room service person. What a lawsuit this will be, and not a frivolous one. I cannot imagine what this lady went through, my hopes for a complete recover are sent her way.

Okay please do not flame me. We always pay the Daily Service Charge before even stepping on the ship. We also tip extras for like our room and such. We also have always tipped our bartenders until we realized on our last cruise they are adding 15%. Do most people tip more then that 15%?

The cruise has worked the tipping shedule out so why fret. I leave the auto tips intact and leave the 15 % intact and that's all. They already worked out what's fair.

Who paid for the cruises? If friend of OP paid for both rooms, he should get in touch with his credit card company, there is theft involved.

What theft? If you buy someone a present and charge it on your credit card and they return it for something else where's the theft? I didn't read where the OP actually says he paid for both cabins, just that his room mate changed cabins apparently after a break up.

How did Bob's SO change the reservation to another sate anyway after final payment?

First off, I have already prepaid tips and I have no desire to remove them.

 

I was wondering what the average tipping "in cash" amount is? For instance I often see Room Service is tipped $2. What about your daily for the room steward? Waiter? etc?

I don't tip extra to those already in the auto tipping pool, feel free to do so if you want. If you feel you want to tip above the amount you have tipped on your daily auto charge then only you can decide how much. There is no average, most people feel they met their responsibility and leave it at that so anything you give will be happily accepted.

The coffee is subjective. I was so prepared for this awful Princess Coffee on my first cruise I took my own coffee maker...The coffee was just fine and I packed it away. Love having coffee and juice brought to my stateroom every morning at no charge...(except a tip).

 

When I get the coffee I dilute it with a drop of hot water and then the coffee is lovely.

No, it's all or nothing. Just call room service if you want to trade it out.

Those menus are nicer then I remember, thanks for that posting.

People are packing lighter to get everything in one suitcase because of the charges they pay to the airlines. It's also easier to handle one suitcase. I prefer country club casual which RCL's premium line has. Azamara has no formal nights, I wouldn't mind RCL following suit. Why would RCL deny entry into the dinning room if someone didn't dress according to a "suggestion".

Cruzsnoose- I am doing this trip in May. Do they have a hairdryer in the rooms? Did they offer to do laundry?

BEST ADVICE I CAN OFFER

1. wash your clothes before leaving home with a deet product (must must must)

2 take lots of bug repellant

3 take Benadryl cream 2 % (a mosquito will get you trust me on this)

4. take benadryl pills 25 mg. (less drowsiness with a lower dose)

5 Wear light weight long sleeves on all tops and long pants

6 Wear socks (the mosquitoes know about uncovered feet in sandals

7. Hats are really needed for sun glare and the hot sun

8 Binoculars

9 Own shampoo & Conditioner scent free (again mosquitos love you in the Amazon)

I never used sun screen because i was covered and I don't sun bathe

I brought crystal light sticks to put in the bottles of water, which is complimentary

Cokes are $2 adult beverages are available and the menu with prices is listed above the bar

Something that will strike you as weird ....you hang your cameras on a hook outside your cabin, never in your cabin. Nobody on these cruises will touch your property, it's only a 22 pax boat. If you take it in your cabin the cool air will cause condensation within the camera. You will know everyone after the first day and everyone is as friendly as can be. People will leave their ipad, binoculars, cameras on a table in the community room too and no one will bother it.

Tipping is included in the upcharge so anything above that is NOT cheap and is optional.

Could you tell me if they have the nightly happy hour or using vouchers on your sailing? Thanks.

I took my first cruise in 1998. It was a "great deal" on Grandeur of the Seas. We paid $750 per person for an inside cabin. In today's dollars that would be $1072 for the same cabin. We cruised in Sep. a very low time of the year.

In 1998 oil was $11.91 per barrel. Adjusted to today's dollars it would be $17.02. Actual cost today is about $100 per barrel.

But now factor in this, ships used to hold 600 passengers and were more inclusive so spread the price of of a cruise over 600. Today the ships sail with 3,000 to 6,000 passengers and although some staff areas have more staff (which we pay anyway thru tipping) the profit margin has increased and the amenities have been diminished.

About 25 years ago I was getting upset that the doctor was over an hour late for my appointment. Many people waiting were complaining, I also complained and was getting ready to leave. The nurse came out and said the Doctor would like to see me first. A few people were not too happy that I was called in before them. I went into the room the Doctor was already in there and told me my mother had a stroke and I should go to the hospital ASAP. The Doctor was late because he and the ER Team were saving my moms life. Needless to say I never get upset about having to wait long for the doctor. I think we forget sometimes it is not all about me!

Very touching but doesn't excuse the office nurse or receptionist from come out to the waiting patients and informing them an emergency happened and would they like to reschedule. Courtesy is a two way street. Most people are understanding if only they aren't treated with indifference and given a little information and an apology, and an estimate of how much longer their wait might be. It's this indifference that created the outcrop and success of concierge / boutique Doctor practices which gained market strength in my area.

Imagine waiting in the tender boarding line in an area with no visibility of the loading area, perhaps standing in the stairwell. A half hour passes and the line doesn't move. 45 minutes and you wonder what's the problem. Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect a staff member to come over to the line and say we had the tender break down and are working hard to fix the problem?

ok rereading you post you asked if a 1 and 4 year old would be bored and I think so. This is not an activity type vacation, nothing geared for children, no pool, games, internet. Would they play games you brought with you? Do children enjoy learning about cultures and animals and water tables and such? A one year old wouldn't really care, he'd be your arms but the 4 year old who knows. Is he a super active kid. Can he sit on a skiff for hours, there are some stops so a potty break will happen.

A word on the medical. It s a very remote area and only a shaman for a doctor who we visited as an excursion. He showed us his primitive way of using herbs for illness. For any serious illness you need to get back to Peru. Only your personal physician can say if an individual's condition is stable enough to travel to such a remote place. Parkinsons is not something that requires emergency medical attention on a daily basis but would be almost impossible to sit on a skiff bench that has no back support with the jostling it entails. People with heart conditions travel all the time, but ask your folks doctor what he thinks. If they chose to go bring enough of their medications and then some extra in case there is an unforeseen delay some where.

I am so sorry I did not back to this thread sooner.

DH and I both got yellow fever shots. DH took malaria pills I refused (side effects not worth it).

As for the elder folks, will they be bored, hard to say. I could sit in the observation area all day and watch to unspoiled terrain and the sunset and love every second. It would be too strenuous for them to board the skiffs every day twice a day for the "excursions". The time in the skiff is not pre determined, they take off and follow a usual pattern but vary depending on what is available. I wanted to see the giant lily pads but is was low water level and they took us as close as possible and then we had to walk thru mud which was like quicksand. It was so great that they are willing to accommodate you. We fished for pirhana and they cooked then for dinner. I didn't eat them but everyone who did enjoyed it.

While you are out on the skiff for hours the Aquamarina sails down the river and you meet it in a new place when you come back. This happens every day.

All meals are open seating at tables for 6 and buffet style. The food is indigenous items and very interesting, worth trying. I don't eat fish and they always had a fish, meat and chicken dish so you will find something to your liking.

Any other questions? I'll check back to see if there are any. I loved this trip and plan to do a different area of the Amazon in the few years. FYI we are seniors and not the athletic type but found the trip quite doable. The pace with only 22 passengers is not rushed. When you go out on the sjiff they use 2 so there's about 10-11 on each so no hurry up get on or off, it goes fast with so few people.

I looked at all the river boats and settled on international expeditions due to price. They delivered, not a single complaint other then the boat which has since been replaced. We saw the Aqua and the delfin both sailing near us. They looked fabulous too so any of them would have been fine with me.

We are thinking of taking Viking's China river cruise in 2015 on Viking Emerald. We live in Florida and enjoy seeing mountains and being a little bit cold without rain when vacationing. It looks like April and October would be cool enough for us. Any opinions on the month that would be good for us to travel?

 

Also, how strenuous is this trip once we get over to China? I'm a little concerned about the Great Wall, as I'm not good walking uphill and doing a lot of steps. Would I be able to walk a bit at my own pace and then stop and get back on the bus or would the bus already be at the end stopping spot? I am not elderly but I have arthritis in my knees and I try to baby them so I don't get a flare up. Are there any other excursions that I should be concerned about?

 

You can e-mail me at supersecdd at aol dot com

 

Debbie

Florida

I just booked the April 15 2015 on the Viking Imperial Jewels of China. The weather usually is 65 degrees then and I hate heat so this will work for me. I took their air and will look into Visa's later.

and maybe this patient had a lot of crap going on in his life, that you couldn't fathom, and getting to your office was a hardship, and waiting a "a bit" was a really long time to him. sad all around.

I agree and many Doctors totally disregard a patients time as if their time wasn't just as valuable. when Walking in had the doc said I'm really sorry about running late it would have diffused the antagonist behavior.