kml246

14 hours ago, Xcelsior said:

Does anyone happen to know or have any insight regarding who will be captain and cruise director on the Onward in September?

I don't know about the CD, but Capt G should be on Onward in September. He's supposed to board in Oslo in July.

26 minutes ago, JanR said:

The internet is the most frustrating thing we have endured on our two Atlas cruises.  Not the speeds, which are fairly quick, but the package.  

 

The Starlink's Maritime package costs a cruise ship about $5000 a month.  For an Antarctica cruise, with just about 145 passengers, that's just $35 per person for just one cruise that month.  I get they are a company and need to make money, so add $100 to the bill for everyone and give passengers unlimited WIFI.  Despite a very minor cost addition, it would build more value to the line.  In areas where the bandwidth is limited (polar regions), then I get the need to throttle back bandwidth preventing streaming services.  But their idea of limiting their internet to 1GB is a throwback to the internet model used a decade or two ago.

 

Now, let me put in perspective what I just wrote above.  DW and my #1 issue with Atlas is the internet package.  When our biggest issue is the internet package, that's a pretty good indication of how good our experiences have been on the cruise line.

+1 

After three Atlas cruises, it's our main complaint. 

5 hours ago, 81Zoomie said:

 

My wish is for more transparency from AOV.  “Always Included” fails to mention wifi at all.  It’s conveniently omitted.  You have to comb through the FAQs to locate any information.  And, who actually knows how much 1GB (or 5 GB) of data is, or how fast you will use it?  Starlink is a game changer.  So perhaps, AOV could up their game when it comes to internet?
 

Don’t really want to open a cruise pricing discussion because there are some many variables.  However, at a quick glance, both Silversea and Seabourn offer Svalbard cruises this summer that are priced very comparable to our Atlas cruise.

Turned off background services and checked at the front desk for how much data had been used. 

On 5/5/2024 at 12:01 PM, 81Zoomie said:

We are very excited about our upcoming circumnavigation of Svalbard cruise!  It was quite surprising to learn the included internet is limited to 1GB 😳, especially after hearing AOV Voyager has Starlink.  It is reported that all of Norway 🇳🇴, including Svalbard/Spitzbergen is a currently approved and activated Starlink area.  

 

It feels like a retro throwback to have to turn off/reset most apps and wifi on a device as @kd9 described, simply to read and reply to email and stretch rationed access. We haven’t metered wifi use on any cruise ship in a LONG time.  

 

We hope to upload and share pictures and video of beautiful scenery 🗻, amazing wildlife 🐋🐦🦭🐻‍❄️, and our AOV expedition and ship experiences.  Sometimes you have to swap devices online to download/upload pics.  Are you really limited to only one registered device versus one device at a time?  
 

I have read about how much time 1 GB provides, but have no idea how it will work in practice.  It’s rare to have limits these days.  And, minutes are certainly more easily understood than GBs.  I’m not planning to live online (No Zoom, Teams, Webex, Netflix, etc.) while on vacation, but on downtime between zodiac or shore visits, I hope to stay connected to friends, family, and manage household logistics.  After all, it’s not going to be pool weather around Svalbard 😎🌴❄️☃️🗻.  I would normally try to do a full cruise “LIVE from…” post on Cruise Critic to showcase this unique itinerary, however, the 1GB allowance might limit my ability to do this. YMMV.
 

IMHO, paying over and above for a reasonable quantity of included internet on what @AOV Communications  describes as a “refined luxury” experience, on a brand new ship with Starlink, seems odd in 2024.  Ponant began including unlimited wifi in 2018.  We had very good speed and connectivity in Antartica with Ponant in Jan 2019, prior to Starlink.  Seabourn, Silversea, and Linblad offer unlimited wifi as do most others. It would be great if AOV would consider updating their internet policies to meet or exceed the industry standard for luxury/expedition cruise lines.

It's my one irritation with AOV, but given how much less expensive their cruises are than the lines you mentioned, it's an irritation I can withstand. You can purchase an additional 5GB for $350, at least last time I was on board.

16 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Uh-oh...no veal chop.

My thoughts, too. The veal chop is Nan's go-to. We'll be on Onward for 17 days in July. 

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

@kml246 We'll be getting on when you get off!! 

Congrats on your successful bid! Maybe we'll be keeping your suite warm for you - we were assigned 9305.

We both booked these cruises back when the rates were much lower and All-In was an option. Originally had your cruise booked as the middle cruise of a B2B2B. We ended up cancelling the second and third legs and are going to do land touring instead. 

Enjoy!

10 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Congratulations on winning your bid!

 

Yes, you can show up when you want.

 

And yes I would cancel your MDR reservations.  I would probably do it now in the cruise planner in case the Edge is actually making use of the reservation system (with Edge class ships, there doesn't seem to be consistency in whether they only take walk-ups or use the reservation system).  

Thank you. First time in Luminae so I wasn't sure about the walk-up for dinner. On Princess, Club Class Dining never had a wait. Good to hear the same with Celebrity. I will cancel the reservations to free them up for others. 

Kevin

We're sailing on Edge on Feb 15. We successfully bid on moving up from a Sunset Veranda to a Sunset Sky Suite. We already have All-In from our original booking, and I know that carries over. We checked in prior to the move to a suite. Since we now have priority boarding as part of our suite amenities, can we ignore our 2:30pm arrival at the port and just show up when we want (meaning earlier)?

We also reserved four nights in Specialty Restaurants and paid for it. We'll keep these. We reserved the six other nights in the MDR venues. Since we'll likely use Luminae now, should I cancel those six MDR reservations now or wait until we are on board?

Thanks,

Kevin

• Ship: Celebrity Edge
• Length of Cruise: 10 Days
• Cruise Sail Date: Feb 15, 2024
• Date email offer received: Jan 18, 2024
• Captain’s Club Tier: Elite
• Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA
• Current Cabin: SV - Sunset Veranda
• Bid?  Yes/No: Yes

If YES -  Bidding Details:

• Cabin Category: SS - Sunset Sky Suite
• Bid Offer: Bid $930pp on Jan 18; Increased to $1,135pp on Jan 21 (Min bid $700pp)
• Notification Date: Jan 23, 2024
• Accepted / Rejected: Accepted

General Comments (offer details, etc.)

We had an excellent rate on the SV because we booked in 2021. It was $6,800 with port fees and taxes and was the old top All-In ($1,000 OBC, Gratuities, Premier Beverage, and Unlimited Stream Internet). Adding $2,340 ($2,270 bid plus extra suite gratuities) for a suite makes this just over $9,000. We're happy with this deal. This is all in US dollars.

Here are the other minimum bid offers we received: 

PROMO! Edge Villa $3,795pp

PROMO! Royal Suite $3,040pp

PROMO! Celebrity Suite $1,695pp

AquaClass Sky Suite $1,450pp

PROMO! Sunset Sky Suite $700pp

Sky Suite $1,050pp

AquaClass Stateroom with Infinite Veranda $200pp

Concierge Class Stateroom with Infinite Veranda $70pp

37 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Yes, you have Business Class check-in and SAS Fast Track - usually not more than 10 to 20 minutes in total. Two hours will be sufficient- not a problem at all - also time to enjoy a light meal in the SAS lounge. 
Enjoy your flight.

Thank you very much, @hallasm. 

We were in Denmark this past summer, visiting Aarhus and Copenhagen. My sister-in-law is from the north, in Græsted. You live in a beautiful country. 

Enjoy!

On 12/29/2023 at 4:00 PM, hallasm said:

Depends on when the ship is in port. If you can disembark no later than 08:30, it is not a problem to catch a flight to the US at 12:30.

It takes 30 to 40 minutes by taxi from Oceankaj terminal to CPH airport.

Happy New Year, and thank you for your information. We're on Azamara Onward that docks in Copenhagen at 7:00am. Our direct flight to US on SAS leaves CPH at 12:25pm. We are in business class, so have expedited check-in. Don't know if that helps in security. In any event, from what you've said, we should be okay for this flight. Do you agree?

Thank you.

We did an Antarctica excursion in January 2023 on Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Traveller. We were in Antartica for a full seven days. It was cold outside (especially for us Florida sissies), but inside the ship was nice and warm, including in the staterooms. We spent much of our time in The Dome, a top-deck lounge with 270 degrees of glass walls and a large glass dome in the ceiling. It was a little cooler in there, mainly because people would go in and out of one of the two doors to be outside to take photos. The cold air coming in each time the doors opened lowered the lounge temperature. This was the only area of the ship indoors that felt cool. In the rest of the ship, temps were fine. 

@FengShui@Sea, sorry for your major discomfort. This isn't right in any cabin, but especially bad for an Owner's Suite. I hope you enjoy the cruise otherwise, and take in the beautiful scenery.

Kevin

3 hours ago, aron_ross said:

So just to be clear, I will be on Celebrity Reflection July 2024, if I purchase a one device WI-FI package, can I allow a person who is staying in another stateroom to use it as long as I log off first?  For example, I will be traveling with my sister and her husband and they will be in their own stateroom, I can still share my WI-FI with them?

Yes, as long as you give them your login credentials. 

1 hour ago, marinaro44 said:

Interesting that a leading US consumer magazine downgraded Perrier for insufficient bubbles.  Some can't get beyond labels.

Don't understand the point of your post. If someone else or a review says I shouldn't like something, I should follow what they say and ignore my own preference? 

I use a Plex server which can be used remotely as long as I have internet access. The Roku Ultra has the benefit of streaming providing the ship's internet is good enough. 

Good luck and have fun on your cruise. 

Kevin

49 minutes ago, Rfzz38W said:

@kml246

Many Thanks! I will splurge $8 just to be certain.

 

Surely discussed before... but has Princess publicly stated the grounds for disabling the HDMI-IN port?? It just seems rather petty to deny use of the port.

 

Perhaps they plan to monitize streaming On-Demand Film/TV options??
The ¨Selections¨ as I recall were laughable and quite limited on the last voyage.
1 season of Love Boat re-runs not gonna cut it for 4 weeks.

I can imagine they probably don´t want passangers possibly damaging the connectors (although it was mentioned the USB port remains active which is encouraging).

Now, to find out if it will accept my SSD format and codecs.

https://www.lg.com/us/support/help-library/lg-tv-supported-video-codecs-for-connected-usb-devices--20153095976198

You're welcome. Hope it works.

I don't recall specifics, but I did have problems with trying to play a USB drive on board. My solution is the Roku Ultra. It's the only Roku that has a USB port capable of handling a storage device, and the Roku has a Media Player app that handled the decoding. I primarily use MP4 format and it plays fine with the Roku. The Ultra usually goes on sale for around $69 near Black Friday.

Kevin

4 hours ago, Rfzz38W said:

@culvercitycruiser

Thanks for the info!

Does anyone know if ANY generic LG universal remote will suffice? e.g.
I will bring along an old LG MR400 to tryand cross fingers it works.

I can´t locate the exact model as the one linked in the video, but the following is avail on AMZ for like 5 bucks:
LG Universal Remote

 

I have two remotes I cruise with. I'm not always on Princess. This is the LG specific remote I use for Princess:

Amazon.com: AKB75375604 Replaced Remote for LG Smart TV : Electronics

This universal remote works for LG, though I don't remember if I've tried it on Princess:

Amazon.com: Universal Remote Control for Samsung Sanyo LG Sony Philips Panasonic Sharp Toshiba Hitachi Vizio TCL JVC Hisence RCA Haier Seiki Insignia Magnavox Westinghouse Smart TVs-Come with Manual : Electronics

2 hours ago, lhcruzin said:

Thank you all who responded!   

You're welcome. Have you made a decision?

2 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

Switching to the HDMI input didn't work on the Enchanted last March. 

The only input I could switch to was the USB which worked fine.

I wasn't using a purchased remote but the toggle at the bottom of the TV. 

The remote worked for me on Enchanted last year. The bottom toggle no longer works on the newer ships. 

Thanks for the video. We've been using that remote (and others) on many of the Princess ships. We haven't sailed Discovery (but have sailed most of the other Royal-class ships). What I found is you don't need to go to the Bridge Cam. Any of the Live TV channels work. 

26 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

I also discovered that when anywhere near Canada, Facebook News will not work because of Canadian rules.  Even VPN connected to a Seattle server didn't solve the problem. 

Interesting. Never tried using internet in Canadian waters. What about a server farther south, like Los Angeles or Miami. Is Oceania not using Starlink? I sailed Azamara and Princess several times this year after Starlink installation and VPN to Miami worked fine. 

Try using a VPN (like NordVPN) and set your server to the US. Clears up the issue and protects your data.

We have been on Celebrity Flora twice, Outer Loop Sept 2019 and Inner Loop Nov 2022. Both cruises were outstanding, and Celebrity does a great job throughout the entire trip. If you're interested in wildlife, while both Loops have wildlife, you'll see more on the Outer Loop. We enjoyed the Outer Loop more.

On our Nov 2022 cruise, we were anchored off San Cristobal. Anchored nearby was Silver Origin. It's Flora's sistership, identical in size and layout, and was originally supposed to be Celebrity Fauna. When Celebrity couldn't get permission for another ship, they transferred it to Silversea. I would not pay a premium for Silver Origin, as you'll have an amazing experience on Flora, well beyond a normal Celebrity ship. Plus, Flora has much nicer inflatables than Origin, and you'll be using those every day. 

All cabins on both vessels are suites and come with all amenities. Our upcoming Edge sailing (New Zealand Feb 2024) will quite possibly be our last Celebrity cruise as we're tired of the bigger ships and the cutbacks that have occurred. We would, however, not hesitate to sail again on Flora. 

Good luck with your decision. You'll have an amazing time.

Kevin

50 minutes ago, ricka47 said:

Turn out it wasn’t a cold. We contracted Covid. I’m guessing there was a lot of it on the ship.

Sorry to hear, but as I said in a prior post, I suspected many of these colds were actually COVID.

Get well soon.

I'm sure many of these "colds" are actually COVID. 

We've been cruising a lot since return to sail. On Enchanted in July, we could not believe how most have forgotten COVID. People just piling into elevators as if there isn't any concern. We opted to take the stairs or got off elevators early (or waited for the next) if they became too crowded. 

At the wash stations at the buffet entrances, hardly anyone (we did) washed their hands before entry.

Even if it's not COVID, who wants a cold on a cruise?