Markanddonna

17 minutes ago, ldubs said:

OK, I see that.   However, I still disagree that booking an inside via a TA will cost more than direct booking. Could it happen?  Sure.  Across the board as a generalization?  No way.   

I didn't say that booking with an agent costs more. It might usually be slightly less. 

27 minutes ago, lynncarol said:

Oh no! Your scenario was what I feared would happen to us.. Did you ever utilize the agent again?

I never used any agent again. Many people like to have control over their booking and be able to speak directly to the cruise line. Like many have mentioned, the secret is to get a great agent who really knows the industry and is always available. I haven't found that agent. I'm not opposed to using one, but we tend to book cabins on the less expensive side. We have been able to book insides lately and upgrade to a balcony for as low as $75 for a 12-night Med. cruise.

8 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

 

I am going to disagree with you on this statement.  We don't book upper end cabins. Pretty much standard balcony if the price is good.  The TA beats direct booking 100% of the time, and believe me we check.   From everything I see, this is not a unique experience.   

 

 

You book balconies. The OP booked an inside guarantee. A balcony could be twice to three times the price.

22 minutes ago, lynncarol said:

Been on many cruises over the years. Only once did I use a TA to book a cruise and that was because we had other couples going with us and they wanted a TA they could call if problems arose.  However, before final payment, I just happened to notice on the web a  24 hour $1000 per cabin price drop on our cruise.  I immediately phoned the cruise-line to learn that our TA alone could make those changes.  So I frantically called our TA only to have it go to her voicemail. As she was an independent agent,  anxious hours ensued before she finally got back to me and could get us all the new price since it was (barely) under the 24 hour deadline.  Never again.

That scenario happened to me, but the agent didn't return our call ontime. "Sorry" was all we got.

As cruiserbruce mentioned, the cruiselines do the vetting, but the reality today is that the pandemic has left some cruise tour agencies in disarray, with increased energy costs, big turnover in staff, etc. That is why many prefer to check out private excursions where we can check out their online reputation. There is no way for a person to know much of anything about your ship excursion except what is on the description.

We are on a transatlantic on Celebrity this spring and the cruiseline has specific COVID rules for those sailings.

This is classic if you are booking a less expensive cruise. The agent has a much smaller profit margin which is where the perks come from. Really, from their point of view, they will likely make a very small amount of money on your booking and there is the possibility they will need to spend a lot of time on problems if they arise. It is almost always better to book with the cruise line if you book a less expensive cabin.

Precovid, there was one on the Divina, but it was empty in January. 

17 hours ago, kids-in-2-centuries said:

I was on the Divina recently sitting in the aft pool and talking to the pool attendant.  He informed me that I could use the Top Solarium if I wanted.  I was surprised so I asked him if he was sure, and he pointed to my gold card and said that was all I needed.  I used the solarium several times after that, and they would check my card and let me in without issue.

I was not aware that Gold card holders had access to the Top Solarium area, and it is not listed as a "perk" on the Voyagers Club level descriptions.  I was not Aurea and did not have any sort of Wellness package.

I have an upcoming cruise on the Seascape and I am wondering if they will let me use the Solarium area, or if that gold card access was only on the Divina.  Can anyone tell me if the Top Solarium area is a gold card perk?

Could it have been related to the overcrowding situation seen recently on the Divina?  Something really weird is going on with the Divina. I just read the most recent review and it was even worse than ours from Jan 27- Feb 6. We noted the pool attendant in the aft pool enforcing the chair hog situation. I was there at 7 AM one morning, and he confronted a man who was trying to "reserve" five loungers. There was a verbal argument and the attendant won the day. This attendant did the same to anyone who dared to monopolize chairs with their towel and no person.

On 2/17/2023 at 4:04 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Unless things have changed, I don't think there is any way to skip the line at Haghia Sofya, but crowds should definitely be smaller in January...

The only way to  skip the line is to bribe a local and cut in with someone he knows as a "friend." Sort of slimy. Our bus driver made some money doing this, and the tour guide let him in. Some people see the long line and give up. Our tour guide advised us to wait a bit because Hagia Sofia closes for prayer periodically, and the line doesn't move. Then, it opens back up, and the line moves pretty well. Everyone has to go through security. Since it is free, there are no advanced tickets or skip the line.

I would also advise people to use public transportation- the tram. There are guides who will meet you at the ship and escort you on a tour using the tram. We were in absolute gridlock with just one medium size ship and one small one. We got out of the van in the middle of the street and walked to port. It was unlike anything I've seen. The traffic wasn't moving an inch, and others have told me (post-cruise) that is standard nowadays. 

Use Uber or Lyft.

1 hour ago, WatchHill said:

Going to the Alhambra?   It's all about the level of security at this site. It's a pain to add all the required info when booking for this tour, but well worth it. 

 

Darcy

No, just to Seville.

A tour company in Spain is asking everyone for their passport numbers.  Is this common practice?  I know hotels usually ask for your passport. 

We did a transpacific and enjoyed most of it. We found several nice groups to hang out with. Look to see if there are folks on your roll call. We were assigned seating in the MDR with a pretty horrible group (our first time ever) and asked to be changed. The second group was a lot of fun and we did some activities together, like games. Load up your device with some books, take advantage of the ship's offering like dance classes during the day. You will have lots of fun. We hope to repeat this voyage in the fall.

BTW, in Auckland, don't miss their wonderful Auckland Museum. One of the best in the world. Also, we took a day trip to Hobbiton- one of our favorite excursions ever!

We have stayed in three different Premier Inns in London and have been very pleased. Check out their locations. It depends on what you want to see.

We also take the tube around- it takes about a day to get proficient. We have used the National Express system twice with no problems. People in Europe use trains and buses much more frequently than many of us in the USA. It was prompt, clean, and inexpensive. We taxied to the station from our hotel.

We have also used England's train system to go to York, Canterbury, and Hampton Palace. All easy, very good experiences.

6 hours ago, vaindioux said:

Any tips where to subscribe for last minute deals? Caribbean cruises.

 

Thxs

 

Pat

We aren't allowed to say on CC.

Most people who use the buffets on cruise ships tend to sit in the front. You will often see better and more seating at the rear.

I was on the Getaway once, and while it is lovely, they seemed to have doubled the number of passengers while adding only one deck dedicated to public spaces. The pool deck was very compact.

Are you doing the Galilee tour privately or with a larger excursion (15) with GTI to the Galilee.  If private, really ask the company to not visit Yardenit. The authentic site is Bethany at the Jordan, which was made unsafe during the wars in the 1960s and 1970s. It is now being restored by Jordan. Yardenit is a commercial enterprise and owned by a Jewish kibbutz. It was created as a tourist site but that is not where Jesus was baptized or where John the Baptist baptized.

How about starting with "do you love ancient or medieval  history" or are you more of a "I love the beach" sort of cruiser? Do you have an idea of which ports excite you more than others? For example, people swoon over Santorini, but it is problematic when there are more than one or two ships there since you have to tender. There could be two-hour lines to take the cable car. On the other hand, a stop in Rhodes, Greece is so easy- you just walk off the ship from the dock, and it is uber charming with lots of history, castles, etc. 

I love ancient and biblical history, so that is where mind goes. 

People can rave about certain entertainers that performed in the summer of 2022, but it is likely there will be an entirely different group in 2023. Also, any reviews before or even during the later part of the pandemic are often no longer helpful. Cruising is changing so much because of the companies needing to make up lost revenue. My 2022 RCL Ta and NCL Mediterranean were wonderful but my most recent MSC Caribbean was close to a nightmare, and I had happily been on that ship twice before.

It looks like all those companies would work for you. Best of luck!

Choose your Med cruise mostly for the itinerary and then prioritize. We had two wonderful NCL Med cruises, but the itinerary was very port intensive and important to us. We didn't have time to do much on the ship. If you are on a Med cruise in the summer, that is a different story. Keep in mind, the Med can be stifling in the summer.

MSC cruises tend to be harder to find others to tour with because most don't use the Cruise Critic Boards.

Don't worry about this. I've done it twice in the past three years. In 2019, we had the Israeli interview onboard the ship about two days before disembarkation. In Nov 2022, the interview was right at the terminal, off the ship. Both times, I spoke with customer service who worked with our group of 15 and then 29 to get off the ship early. We used Guided Tours Israel for all four tour days, and the tour guides were right outside the terminal waiting for us. GTI has lots of experience with this. Our 2019 group did the tours three days in a row. Our guide suggested we get off the ship 30 mins earlier so that we could "beat the bus tours."  Excellent idea!

Be proactive and keep your group well-organized and informed. Our group in 2019 was superb, but the group in 2022 had a few folks who tended to run late or became disconnected with the group. 

I've been to Israel via cruise ship twice now in the last few years, most recently this past November. Are these port stops, or will you be ending or starting in Haifa?  We did it both ways.

If this is your first time, try to find a private excursion that is NOT with the ship. Israel is so important, and it is so sad to see 50+ overwhelmed passengers following a tour guide down the via Delarosa (which isn't really the street Jesus even walked on.) 

We used Guided Tours Israel for our first trip on all three days and were very pleased. All four trips described were excursions I arranged and offered to other passengers.  It was easy to fill up vans.

First day: Jerusalem and Bethlehem, second day a Christian Tour of the Galilee and Nazareth, and the third was a customized tour of Acre, Caesarea Maritima, B'hai Gardens, and the aqueducts. 

I did a ton of research for the second trip, a 12 day cruise from Rome to Haifa. We used Guided Tours Israel again for a trip to Masada and the Dead Sea from Ashdod. When we disembarked in Haifa, we went directly to Jerusalem and stayed in an apartment in western Jerusalem for a week. We did our own tours from there using a combination of walking, taxis, and a two-day overnight tour to the Golan Heights where we stayed at a kibbutz.

I'm not saying it is easy to tour Israel on your own, but it made the time so much more interesting, and we got to experience more of the culture. Experiencing the challenges of Shabbat for the first time was memorable. It was like a ghost town once sunset on Friday arrived with no trains, buses, taxis, restaurants, stores open, etc. Glad we knew to plan for this!

I am currently in the last stages of writing a travel book on how to tour the Holy Land by cruise ship. We got to visit Rome, Cyprus, Athens, Corinth, Malta, Ephesus, Istanbul, Rhodes, Patmos, and some other ports that were fabulous like Naples, Florence, Santorini. 

One thing I would try to avoid is that inauthentic baptismal site called Yardenit. 

We were matched to Black/Diamond about five years ago, and they stopped that generous match the month after. It was my understanding that loyal MSC passengers were upset that people like us could board their first MSC cruise with that high status. I sort of agree.

We did a B2B last month, and our room steward was pretty much on top of the benefits. We received everything the first day. You are not given a notice about the meal perk- the restaurant knows when you make your reservation and confirm that you intend to use your Diamond perk.

The chocolate ship is no longer- just a small dark chocolate bar. Our robes and slippers were given on day two.

The Diamond party is just one step above the Voyagers party, which was pathetic. The Voyagers' party offered watered-down cocktails, no wine, and a small bowl of potato chips. The Diamond party was the same but offered wine and basic appetizers. Our CD was one of the worst, and the entire party was tedious for the officers and passengers. I chose not to attend either party on the second sailing.

BTW- there is a very nice free trolley that will take you are Miami. We went to Bayside to pick up some items in between cruises. You pick up the trolley right outside the terminal. Miami has a very good website that even shows the trolley locations live.