Godblessourhome

8 minutes ago, NanaPam00 said:

No guest laundries on any Celebrity ship.

Thank you so much, NanaPam00 and cruisetonowhere10!!  Most helpful!!  We will plan accordingly!!

Thank you, again.

Ron

Does anybody know whether there are any Laundry Room for guest to use onboard the Edge and Solstice?

We will be soon onboard both the Edge and the Solstice;  will really, really appreciate your advice please.

Thank you!!

Ron

13 hours ago, firsttimers68 said:

We did our trip in March, and had an absolutely brilliant time.

Our trip to India (among other places) will be in December.  But we will only return home in November from our September trip. So there are not be much time in between trips.  That is why we want to get our India visa approved before we leave home for our September trip.

Lots of planning before our long trips!!

Thanks for sharing information here so that we can be better informed and plan ahead of time.

3 hours ago, firsttimers68 said:

I used ships details when I did it yes and no problem. As I said in an earlier post my 30 day e-visa was approved within a few hours, which is fantastic. Have the best time in an amazing country!

Thank you!!  When is your sailing?

Have a safe and smooth sailing. Enjoy and have a wonderful time.

4 minutes ago, firsttimers68 said:

I did yes, you would have to check when you need to start using 1 year visa as it may be different.

Thank you for the advice.

May I please ask, on the visa application form, they ask for the "Details of the Reference in India".  What did you put down for NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER in India?

Will it be correct that, for NAME, I put Oceania Cruises, ADDRESS: Oceania's Ship Name; and Phone number 1-800-531-5619??

Appreciate your advices please.

Thank you!!

5 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Yes.  Easy.

Thank you for sharing the info!

That explains why: You have to activate visa, i.e. travel within a certain time of it being approved. I think it's 28 days, then you have a month validity. 

As, we are going to apply for the 1-year tourist EVisa, it is a bit different for the validity.

10 hours ago, firsttimers68 said:

We did our Indian visas electronically. Be aware that the turnaround time is VERY fast! You have to activate visa, i.e. travel within a certain time of it being approved. I think it's 28 days, then you have a month validity. I think my application was approved within 8 hours. It's very easy to do yourself rather than via an agent.

 

Did you apply for the 30-day India Tourist EVisa?  

On 6/16/2023 at 7:12 AM, grifdoglover said:

Basically it’s the same as Viking now.

Viking includes one shore excursion EACH DAY AT PORT!!  Not just a set small amount of shore excursion credit which is not enough to cover a shore excursion each day at port.

30 minutes ago, lorimay said:

I did several zoom calls on Edge in March. Of course I had premium wifi and for the most part it worked well. Interestingly I didn’t find the star link connection as good as on the Equinox in February but it was still good enough for uninterrupted zoom calls with video. Some days were better than others but I think that depends on the location of the ship. I have also done zoom calls from Beyond. They all were good enough that nobody noticed I was on a ship and not in my home office. 

Thank you Lorimay for the very helpful information and share your valuable experience.

We have complementary Elite+ free wifi hours and wondering can we upgrade those complementary hours to premium wifi with a fee?  Usually the complementary Elite+ wifi hours are good enough for us.  Except this time, we need to host the Zoom meetings during our cruise. 

Does anybody has any experience in attending a Zoom meeting by using the standard wifi while onboard a Celebrity ship?

Love to hear from you and thank you for sharing!

Ronnie

2 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Done many video chats on, zoom, facetime and MS teams

 

If this is for a job and you suffer the worse case scenario, that you get disconnected and cannot get back on, will you suffer consequences?  If yes, one should consider moving the meeting pre-sailing or post-sailing

 

Otherwise I've found the Starlink to be pretty good, there are usually little hiccups (sound fading in and out) here and there and it can slow down just before lunch (noon) or dinner (530-6pm depending on ship)

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

While not on Edge I was able to participate on a number of Zoom Calls using the premium on Apex.   Since they are both Edge Class I would assume the results would be similar. 

 

For the TransAtlantic I had a separate thread on speed test using Starlink.   Solid connection on TA.   @KenTheCruiser was also doing live with daily speed tests on Eclipse Sydney to Vancouver.   His speeds were as solid and same range as in the Atlantic.

Thank you, Ken and NutsAboutGolf, for sharing your Zoom experiences while onboard Celebrity's Edge-class ship.  Appreciate your sharing the experiences and advices. 

Ken, I followed your recent live report on Eclipse from Sydney to Vancouver.  What an enjoyable cruise!!  Thank you for the detailed daily reports and lovely pictures.

Would love to hear others who would care to share their thoughts and feedbacks of using the Zoom meeting experience while onboard Celebrity's Edge-class ship.

Thank you!

Ronnie

Ronnie

We will be sailing onboard the Edge B3B from Vancouver to Sydney, Australia, in September 2024 (42 days). We will be hosting some Zoom meetings during the cruise.  Would really appreciate hearing your experience, feedback, and advice if you have cruised on the Edge and used the Zoom for meetings - recently.

Thank you and appreciate that you could please share your experience.

Thank you!!

Ronnie

3 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

I am pondering what to do about flights for a Bangkok to Hong Kong sailing in Feb.  I purchased flights into Siam Reap to visit Angkor Wat precruise, and returning home from Hong Kong.  With Asia heating up, would it be prudent to get a backup flight?  The last port stop before Hong Kong is Hanoi.

 

O has been substituting Taipei for Hong Kong since they resumed sailing but if things heat up in the South China Sea, Taipei will definitely not be the answer.

 

My TA is cancelling 6 of the 9 sailings I have booked with O but the 3 remaining bookings are places I really want to visit so I’m keeping those bookings.  After the O debacle in Myanmar, with all the bombings and sanctions and O refusing to cancel the port, I finally cancelled that sailing.  I’d rather be overly cautious in February and have my own back up plan as opposed to relying on O and losing another $24k.

 

Any opinions on Hong Kong next year and alternative cities to fly home from?

IMO: Flying in and out of Hong Kong should be safe.  Its airport is operating smoothly and back to "normal".  Its "national" airline, Cathay Pacific, has  resumed all its flight globally.  Hong Kong has lifted all COVID restrictions and people are travelling all over the world again. 

I would not worry about flying in or out of Hong Kong!

7 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

not currently on, but just got off 3 days ago &  they had the large dispensers of lotion, soap, shampoo & body wash

Thank you so much for the information.  It really help me plan my packing for my May cruise.

Appreciate your help!!

Ronnie

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Currently being provided on the Sapphire, but I'm fairly certain that the same products are being provided fleet wide.  We are not a fan of any of their products, we bring our own

THANK YOU!!  THANK YOU!!   This is REALLY helpful!!  

I just want to pack as little as possible - if I can help it.  Princess's products are just fine with us!!

Thank you, the pictures are perfect - better than ten thousand words!!

Thank you and appreciate that you share the helpful information with us!! 

If you are currently onboard the Crown Princess, could you please kindly let us know whether Princess still provides body lotion / hair conditioner in the cabin

bath room?

Thank you for sharing the information, as there are different reports with different reviews.

2 hours ago, Moche1 said:

I lecture on cruise ships and have gone "around the Horn" four times on Marina, once on one of the R class ships, plus twice on Norwegian Sun, twice on Celebrity, and once on Princess -- with upcoming on Marina in March 2023 and twice on Viking at the end of 2023.  One of my favorite cruises (right up there with Panama Canal transits).

Weather can be iffy, especially around Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Beagle Channel.  Possible to have four seasons in one hour....  Sometimes rainy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, and hot (mid-summer) in Santiago and Buenos Aires at both ends of the cruise.  

This is a great trip if you are interested in wildlife -- several ports with penguin tours, marine mammals, birds, etc.  Early in the season you might see whales, late in season no.  Scenery in Chilean Fjords and Beagle Channel is spectacular.  

Local food is great -- Argentine steaks in Buenos Aires, King Crab in Ushuaia, German food in Puerto Montt, plus local wines everywhere. 

We will be sailing from Miami to Santiago on Dec. 18, 2022.  

Does anybody have the updated information for the COVID entry requirements for Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands, and Chile - apart from the vaccination requirement?  Love to hear from you - thank you!

11 hours ago, daveb82 said:

Glad to see larger showers being installed. As a 6'1" person, the current walk in showers were very uncomfortable and not tenable.  God forbid you dropped the soap!  The only way to get a decent shower was to use the handheld in the tub, which was still not comfortable and was tricky to maneuver getting into and out of the bathtub.  Bravo on the cleansing experience for the majority...

Looking forward to a larger walk-in showers!! 

Not only the bathtub is a dead trap for people who might slip and hurt themselves as they get in and out of the tub, but it also is a waste of precious space in the cabin.

Who would like to soak in a bathtub shared with thousands and thousands of people who had used it before you?

On 8/17/2022 at 1:33 AM, ToxM said:

 

I think too much info is better than too little. When you have a cruise upcoming regulations and such are really subject to change so they are trying to make things as easy as possible. 

 

 

AGREED!!  Better be fully informed with updated information than NOT receiving updates!!

7 hours ago, bbtondo said:

Having a wonderful time on my first Oceania cruise. Have been told there are 1100 guests. Nothing seems crowded. 

 

Red ginger has the miso sea bass. Not cod. It was yummy.

 

Jacques was delish and servers were great! 

 

Fyi Not many masks worn for those wondering.

 

My cosmos ordered in the specialty dining restaurant were included with the premium drink packing. 

 

Service has been good. Superior to viking . Passengers very friendly. 

 

Compared to my viking med cruise last November,  I vote for Oceania again!

 

 

Thank you for the information - great summarization.  I will be onboard soon.  Looking forward to your postings.

2 hours ago, Jancruz said:

My husband and I took Paxlovid with us on the cruise(May)  in case we needed it..we did in fact use it two months later (July) when we got covid and we hadnt any idea where we contracted it...you can,  get a prescription  and take it with you it is free..

Jancruz1

How to you manage to get a prescription for Paxlovid BEFORE you actually get COVID?  We would love to have the Paxlovid at hand - before we cruise - just in case!!  Please advise.  Thank you!!

6 hours ago, 2552phxcrzr said:

The description provided for Regent is exactly how it worked for us on Insignia when we disembarked the world cruise in Miami.  You must collect your bags to go through customs and then hand them over to the Luggage Forward People … the instructions were clear on this.

 

Nonetheless, several people neglected to do this.  The problem then was that they were not allowed back into the luggage area since they had cleared customs already. Not sure how they eventually worked it out.  We also met one couple who neglected to pick up their bags to go through customs and didn’t realize they had to do so until the transfer bus got to the airport and we were talking with them while we were waiting to check in.  Again, not sure what they ended up doing since we checked in for our flight and flew home soon after.

Thank you for the detailed reminder - very helpful!!

10 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

This is how it worked for Regent, and we suspect O is the same:  In multiple experiences in Miami with Luggage Forward. we tagged our luggage (as everyone does with the colored O luggage tags) and left it outside our door the evening before departure.  We next saw it when we disembarked and went to the luggage storage area on shore.  We took the bags through customs right at that area and proceeded outside the building.  A Luggage Forward representative was just outside holding a sign that said "Luggage Forward".  We handed the person the bags and left.  That's it.  Our luggage showed up at our home a few days later.

Thank you!!  That make sense!!  We will be disembarking in Yokohama in our upcoming cruise.  I wonder whether it will  be, more or less, with the same procedure.  Does anybody have a similar experience?  Thank you!! 

23 minutes ago, chpal said:

Hi,

 

I know many folks are using this, or a similar service and are pleased with the ease and convenience of not having to manage luggage.  My question is - how straightforward is the pickup upon disembarkation in Miami?  I know we have to take our own luggage off the ship, but is the Luggage Forward pickup spot easy to find?  Any experiences to relate in this regard?

 

Thanks!

Good question!!  I (hope) - but I do not know the answer -  we can just put the luggage outside our state room, with a big label and/or luggage tags provided by O that clearly indicated it is for "Luggage Forwarding"; and the cabin steward will put the said luggage at the right place for Luggage Forwarding to collect at the terminal.  (??)

Hope the ATW cruisers will have the answer for that.  Thank you!!

So glad that Celebrity reinstalls the previous entitled Captain's Club Benefits for Elites and above - more or less - again with the "cruise only" fare.

It was terrible that Celebrity took away most of the benefits that we valued: free wi-fi minutes, etc., etc., and only offered the "always included" fare which is much higher than the cruise only fare.  For those who do not drink, it is no added value at all.  (You paid for something that you do not use at all.)   I stopped booking Celebrity cruises once Celebrity introduce the "Always Included" fare because of that, as there are many other cruise lines that still offer more choices with better pricings.

On 6/23/2022 at 3:20 PM, macaroni said:

I can’t wait for just a larger shower……

We can't wait for a larger shower AND the bench seat!!

Never want to use the used and shared bath tub with so many other guest who used it before us!!