judytata11

I always get whatever my local travel clinic recommends but usually I do 2-3 week land trips. Not sure what they would say for a stop over of a few of hours. They are the authority on this subject, they follow CDC recommendations, it is best to check with them.

BTW, there are 22 million cases of typhoid reported each year around the world and 200,000 deaths.

I have read all the great recommendations for companies that do those great car tours around Havana. I will be traveling alone, I am an older woman and wonder if it will be safe for me to book a tour with any of these companies and go alone.

15 hours ago, Always Cruising said:

You can often upgrade to a cabin that becomes the same price or only a bit more than the one you booked. 

Thank you I’ll try that if the price change is significant.

2 hours ago, BlueLadyBlue said:

I read on this board that someone called after final payment and was given 25% of the difference between what they paid and the new price as OBC.  As the price of our cruise dropped significantly after final payment, I decided to call and ask.  The agent said they usually look for an upgrade first and if there isn’t one, they will give you 25% of the difference in OBC.

In our case, we were given an upgrade from a balcony to a mini suite which on the Sun was a big difference in price.

Call and ask and please let us know the outcome.  Best of luck.

 

So helpful, thank  you!

If there is a price drop after final payment will I get the lower price if I call and ask?

I take two types of trips, one that i consider as a vacation, like a resort stay or a cruise and others that I consider as a travel the world type like land tours. Land tours are my favorite whether on my own or with a group. Usually it’s 3 to 1, 3 on land and then 1 vacation. I do regret being on a cruise occasionally, like the day we stoped in Cartegena in Columbia. I wanted to stay there on land for a couple of days.

I never realized that they could be bought in denominations greater than $250!

4 hours ago, casofilia said:

Having made a reservation, when you arrive tell the desk and the server you have the dining package.  At the end of the meal you will get a zeroed bill to sign and you will then have i less meal left.  Everything is n their computer and telling them you have the package they know what to do.

You will have to pay for drinks though!!

Thank you! 

2 hours ago, tbo said:

It covers the entire meal, so whatever is on the menu. I don't recall anything being excluded. There is an upcharge if you are doing Ocean Blue or if you are going to be seeing the Cirque show. For our upcoming cruise I booked the Cirque dinner show, floor seats and it allowed me to use 1 of our meal credits and charged something like $18/pp extra, I paid that at the time of booking.

Thanks!

What I mean is the price is for 3 meals but the price of each meal at say Cagney’s is different because it is a la carte, so would what I bought cover  the cheapest offerings, the most expensive or something in between.

4 hours ago, Hyena Snow said:

Thanks to those who responded but like someone said 3 day cruises is a big no no and I believe I chosen the wrong cruise line plus wrong boat. Carnival didn't suit me, NCL should not even be in operation but I think I found the perfect cruise line and ship. Oasis Of The Seas it has everything I could possibly enjoy. I wanted to do Symphony Of The Seas but they were booked up. It's a little out of my budget but I could make it work I really want to the Oasis. 7 days Southern Caribbean. 7 days should be more then enough.   

I have taken many cruises with others and solo. For me NCL is preferable to RCL mainly because the food on RCL is not at all to my liking. Although I always meet people I enjoy talking to if I go solo I plan to enjoy being alone. There are always singles meet ups but I have never been interested in that. On RCL you can choose to at an assigned table, I find that I usually end up with 2 or 3 married couples. That’s ok but maybe not what you are hoping for. For solo trips to meet people I would suggest a land tour with a company like Gate1. Being with the same group of for 8-14 days fosters an environment for long term friendships. I have traveled again with many new friends that I have met on these tours, it’s great!. 

If I buy a meal plan how does it work since most restaurants are a la carte?

I think of a cruise as a vacation which I enjoy now and then but I like to travel and have been all over the world on land trips.

Sorry I don’t think exactly like all of you. Your answers were not helpful, I will leave this discussion.

1 hour ago, StolidCruiser said:

 

If you think they are making a “huge profit” from you sailing solo, you know very little about the profit  structure of a cruiseline.

I know plenty about all these subjects. Obviously they are making more on me paying double for a room and only eating for one, using 1/2 the linens etc.

The last one was RCLin September.

3 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

 

Ok  so your priority for sailing is points, and "perks"???   Interesting.     NCL  is a cruise line that drops supplements,  has cheaper studio cabins,,   solo meet & greets  with organized activities.       I  sail for an extensive itinerary priority, which  NCL has as well.       Perks are way down my list.  

To each their own,  the itinerary was available on other cruise lines, many have cheaper supplements for solos but this sailing I am paying double, there are no studios on this ship. I think if I am paying full price for  2 people I should at least get points for 2. I certainly won’t eat for two so NCL is making a huge profit on me without a single tiny benefit to me. 

Well it is too bad, I paid exactly double for this cruise and on all other lines that I have cruised solo credited me for double points each day. I should have checked before I guess but with that policy it will be my last on NCL as a solo. It isn’t a sail away rate.

39 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Not unless you book a fare that qualfies for a latitudes rewards promotional offer.

So paying double doesn’t count on NCL like on other cruiselines?

Does a person traveling solo get 2 loyalty points for evey day of the sailing?

I have been on many, many cruises, always go to the shows each and every night and never had to see the same thing twice. This will be a huge disappointment for me.

Russian ballet at the Bolshoi it is definitely not like any other in the world but check on the class of the ones offered by the cruise in St Petersburg, those may be touristy and not the best experience.

Another vote for booking directly. The website is easy to use. If I remember correctly, the transport options show up a screen or so after you pick your entry time.

 

I've had nothing but good experiences with booking tours, transportation, etc, directly thru the vendors in Iceland. There is no need to go thru a third party like Viator.

I did go to their website and it is as easy as you said. Since the kids are free the price isn’t too bad. I sent all the info to my dtr. so we’ll probably book it with them. Thank you for your help!

FYI, Viator is simply a third party booking agent for tours and is owned by the umbrella company, TripAdvisor (same ones that own this here Cruise Critic website.)

 

It's rather easy to book the Blue Lagoon with transport and other tours directly. Have a looked at Reykjavik Excursions, the primary tour provider for the area. A few years ago, I used them for a tour and it included pick up/drop off at the port (small mini-bus which takes you to the main terminal for the Blue Lagoon bus.) The other provider is GrayLine.

 

When ordering your tickets on the BL website, it will give you the option to add transportation which is provided by Reykavik Ex. Personally, I cannot rationalize paying extra to a third party booking site when one can easily do so directly.

Great info, thanks!

Has anyone used Viator to get to the Blue Lagoon or for any other tour in Iceland? We want to go to the BL but definitely don’t want to rent a car.