gwsster

I agree with the consensus, I would use a taxi with a party of 4. A Taxi will take you to the door of the ship or Hotel. The Sky train is very convenient and we use that if it is just the 2 of us and we have a Hotel close to the cruise terminal but you have to walk from the Station to lodging or cruise port with your luggage. Not bad with 2, not fun with 4 persons.

Blue Sky waterproof waist packs, sold on Amazon. I put my phones inside and they stayed dry. Waist packs also don't float in front of your face while snorkeling or swimming like the neck pouches. The company is a family owned company and I contacted the owner because I was so happy with them and he wrote me back thanking me for letting them know how the packs worked for me.

Any suggestions on a truly water proof wallet for my cards/cash etc. ?

The water is very good on every NCL cruise I have been on. That being said, I forked over the $15.00 or so for a 6 pack of 1 liter size bottles. Why? Because I like having a water bottle at my bedside and I don't want to have to scrounge around looking for a refill. The $3.00 per bottle price was not too outrageous and we shared a couple of bottles with friends traveling with us.

We're sailing Celebrity Infinity to Alaska in mid September for the first time...I need to check the roll call LOL! I am hoping that there is nice entertainment on the Ship. The ship looks amazing and I can't wait to see the difference from NCL, Princess or Disney. The only iffy thing is the Formal nights. DH does NOT want to take a suit, he will do a Sport Coat and insists that suits aren't required for the MDR. I hope this is true.

Hmm, we're sailing with Celebrity for the first time this September, on Infinity for the itinerary, having sailed many times on RCI.

 

We were of the understanding that Celebrity was more 'up market', 5* as opposed to 4*, suggesting the food, service and entertainment would be of better quality. Maybe that is what the term "refined", used in previous posts, is referring to?

 

We will certainly enjoy Alaska but from reading here, it appears we could be a little disappointed with the entertainment and nightlife. At around 50, we're not young but we're certainly not old either.

 

We will keep an open mind and be sure to make the most of the ship and what it has to offer.

Disney Magic 1997, 3 day cruise to the Bahama's. We promised our girls a trip to Walt Disney World for many years. The oldest daughter was a Senior in COLLEGE! We had to bite the bullet and go. This was when Disney offered the vacation package of Land and Sea. 7 days and your choice of 4 days on Land First part of the week and then 3 days at Sea. The other plan was start with the 4 day cruise and then 3 days in the parks. Loved this plan, your Key card opened your hotel door (Old Key West) and also the Ships door. The package included transportation to Port Canaveral and back to the airport. It was a great deal and I am so sorry they don't offer this as a package anymore. Land and Sea now have to be booked separately. A lot a good memories were made and a promise kept!

Well the topic of "Just for Fun" got derailed fast.

I was at a gas station 45 miles from home well withing my usual spending pattern, Card got cut off. Fortunately I had a back up card and all was well. I called the bank from my cell phone to get the card turned back on and they informed me that they called my HOME # to verify if it was me using the card. Duh...I was at the gas station not at home LOL! I changed the contact # to my cell number for this CC company. I had used this same card many times between home and my destination 120 miles away without issue, why this time it triggered an unusual spending pattern I will never know.

Vancouver Hotels are pricey and we used several travel sites. We booked Residence Inn in Downtown Vancouver for mid September for $218.00 per night. Most Vancouver Hotels do not have transportation. The taxi rates are very reasonable.

Searching for a reasonably priced hotel in Vancouver (if there is one)that has a shuttle from the hotel to the Port. Arriving day prior to cruise.:)

At a bar the gentleman in front of me bought his drink and mine (2)....He suggested I pay for the person behind me and I did, would have cost me the same either way. The lady behind me then paid for the person behind her since I paid for hers....I don't know how long this went on, but made my day.

Medicare robo calls? :D Oh, say it ain't so. Yikes, between the contractor calls, the political calls and the time share hopefuls, I go bat ship crazy. Now you tell me that there is another gift of Medicare calls coming my way in a few years....God bless your little heart.

My cruise call solution was to tell the cruise consultant that I would NEVER book through her. Don't call me, I'll call you when and if I choose to book a cruise vacation....the calls stopped from her.

Just wait til you are about to turn 65 and start getting the medicare calls. :eek:

Thanks I realized this after posting, I emailed the moderator to remove the thread.. Yikes, what a problem!

Thanks for letting me know.

Has been discussed here several times in the last 2 or 3 weeks.

Wow, that is a huge concern that charges went through again causing distress to many clients. I hope answers are forthcoming from the Cruise lines. Needless to say, a GREAT reason NEVER to use a DEBIT card for deposits. I was warned by another cruise line to never use a DEBIT card for deposits, too many pitfalls.

This is the notice on the website

We use the neighbors who are very trustworthy to feed the dogs and get the mail.

I had to look to see if you lived in CA....Yep! Moms mail stolen right from her front porch, we had it moved to her house as she couldn't get to the cluster box any more...she is 91 and has fallen X 3 at the mailbox. The first day with the mailbox at the door, mail and packages stolen. She called the Police and wanted her mail to go back to the cluster box, the Police told her that her cluster box has been broken into many times, she wouldn't have known it as the Post Office fixes it right away. Nothing is safe. Thankfully she does everything electronically and the items the thief stole were Bible books!

I have a POBox (for 40 years now) and only junk mail gets delivered to the "house". Everything is done electronically now. I have a fabulous friend who picks my mail at my POBox and home once a week. The POBox has my signature on file for most deliveries. I also left a "permission slip" with my friend to deal with issues at the POBox (box too big, etc). The house mailbox is one of those cluster ones. It has been "broken into" three times in the past few years. So glad I have a POBox.

 

Good luck. Missing mail is not fun to deal with.

My Sister said the same thing about Tahiti, no malls, no fast food...nothing but beaches. Seriously?

I was researching the port of Bora Bora for an upcoming bucket list cruise. One reviewer who recently returned rated it 1/10 saying "there was nothing there" ??I'm not sure if he was sight impaired or not...

 

 

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The Best cruise? NCL Jade out of Barcelona for a 7 day Mediterranean cruise. I had spent the previous 18 months recovering from a serious illness and I really needed a vacation. My sweet Husband upgraded the room to a 2 bedroom suite and didn't tell me, a huge surprise! We met up with several CC members at the Hotel in Barcelona who we met through the roll call forum and they were in on the surprise and I think had as much fun being in on it. Wonder where Linda and Lyle are now?

The Worst cruise? NCL Pride of America, the ship and staff were GREAT. Trip with 3 sisters notso GREAT. Four Sisters traveling together on a once in a lifetime vacation. I spent months coordinating the trip, hotel reservations, dinner reservations, excursions and rental cars, and airfare and all were in agreement on the plans....until the cruise. Two were happy to lay on the bed all day watching free Netflix, we were in a Suite, movies were free. They could have stayed at the Motel 6 in Pacoima for a LOT less! One Netflix watcher did not want to eat in any dining room, instead of communicating this she made a scene at Teppanyaki, embarrassed the heck out of me. The other Netflix watcher got drunk x 2, sunburned and had moody episodes that we all had to "deal" with. I was ready to get off the ship and fly home after the shenanigans. Thank Goodness the oldest Sister the one with class, plied me with some booze and pulled me off the ladder. Needless to say, I made it very clear that there would be no more Sisters vacations for me. I can laugh now, but I was so upset at spending a collective $15,000 to be that miserable, Lesson learned.

How much are the dining packages? Celebrity website locked me out for 20 minutes, still locked out for "security reasons". Why can't they post their dining prices, without having to go through the booking process. This is my first Celebrity Cruise and I am underwhelmed with the website and managing my cruise. sigh.

I say keep the second cabin. Having 4 people in a cabin can become very crowded when all need to use the bathroom. Having access to a second bathroom it would be worth the cost for me and for peace and quiet.

Currenty we have an inside room (for my two daughters and son) and a balcony (for my dh and I ) booked. My son is in tech school with the Air Force and it's looking like he won't be able to make our October cruise, but there's a possibility of that changing if he can get leave once he gets to his first duty station. Debating if I should change our booking to just have our daughters with us in a balcony (would have to be a different room since the one now only fits two) before the final payment is due in July or wait til it gets closer. Just worried we won't be able to find a balcony that fits 4 if we wait any longer. We'll be on the Freedom and the most that can be in a balcony is 4. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

There is so much research and reading to do before traveling and I can understand how this Passport fact gets missed. I am so glad that the OP was able to save the trip. I can't begin to imagine the stress of getting a new passport in such a short time. YIKES. The information is on the NCL website, you have to know to ask and that is the problem. I can't remember if this information was on my e-docs or not from my last NCL cruise, but it sure would come in handy.

For Cruises Leaving a Non-U.S. port (Europe, Asia, South America, Australia itineraries)

This is from the NCL site under documentation Visas and Passports in the FAQ section.

You’re required to carry a valid passport, not expiring within six (6) months of the return of your cruise.

Specific visas may be required for entry into some European, Asian, Australian, South American and Cuban ports. Some must be obtained in advance; some can be obtained onboard.

Click here for visa requirements and info on obtaining visas.

FROM THE NCL WEBSITE UNDER FAQ'S - DOCUMENTATION.

I can speak to this if you are making a closed loop within the USA this is not the case. My DH and I left on the Getaway RT Miami on April 23rd of this year and our passports expired on May 17th. I brought our BC's just in case but there were no issues. Our passports were checked on arrival and we were sent on our way.

We were traveling with Friends on a Cruise to Vancouver. Flew from Vancouver to LAX. Friends had Global Entry, we did not. We beat them though the customs line in Vancouver. For non carrying GE passengers, it was very easy. There was an automated at a kiosk where you scan your passport and then pass though a live person screening booth. Friends traveling with us who used the Global entry line were told they didn't need the actual card. Uh, they needed the card, fortunately she had on her but this held up the process in Vancouver. Not sure it is worth the hassle for us to get a card for the rare instances we would use it. I will say I was very impressed with Vancouver's airport, they have it together.

FYI-- I just got back from a cruise into Vancouver and they required you to have your card in the global entry lane at the airport. The gate agent told me it was also important to carry it in case your passport does not scan-- apparently this happens a lot. I too was told that I did not need to carry it, but I had it with me anyway.

 

 

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Thank you so much, We will be doing our first Celebrity cruise in September and are excited. Your photo's are an advertisement as to why you should book Celebrity. Our dear friends are traveling with us and we can't wait to see this ship. We have sailed NCL, Princess, Disney and now Celebrity coming up. Great review!

Typically there is a cooler-Mini Fridge in the room, if not there is a bucket of ice that can be used to chill wine. The rooms on the POA are small, but you really only are in them to sleep and shower, There is so much Port time that you don't want to be in your room. Have a great trip.

Is there a refrigerator in the cabin? We booked an Ocean View room.

The corkage fee is indeed $15.00 a bottle paid on embarkation. There is a small table before checking in the terminal. I would have missed the table had I not asked a host who was moving the line along. At the table they sticker each bottle and write your cabin number down . The corkage fee will appear on your ship board account and you are charged $15.00 per bottle. We took 4 bottles of wine ($60.00) we carried them to our room and then carried them to the restaurant with us. The unfinished bottles can be stored by the ship and they can bring it to you at any restaurant you are dining in. We didn't carry wine around the ship but I am sure you could carry out a wine glass if you weren't done or ask the room steward for wine glasses. It was very easy and keeping the bottles in our room we could choose which bottle to take with us when we dined. Remember only wine brought on embarkation can be consumed on board. Wine brought from a port will be stored until you leave the ship.

Cruising on POA in September. From reviews I learned that you may bring wine on board and pay a $15 corking fee per bottle. Where are the bottles kept? May you only drink the wine in the dining room, or may you bring a glass out around the ship? Is there a gratuity charge for pouring? Same rules apply for wine package? Thanks for any help!

Waffle Iron? No, so far never any foreign or domestic objects in my food on a cruise.

I found a metal wire in my waffle that was served to me the morning of my departure from the cruise ship:eek::eek::eek:. Anyone else have a similar experience?

Go and have lots of fun. Take lots of Sun Screen and bug repellent, a sunburn and bug bites can dampen a vacation. I liked the POA.

My family (husband, 11 yr old & in-laws) and I are boarding Pride of America next Saturday. We have our excursions planned and are boiling over with excitement. Any last minute ship tips?

 

 

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