Blanq

I just received an email from Celebrity this morning, regarding the health and safety check for my 4/7 Edge cruise. This is a Caribbean cruise and testing/proof of vaccination is not required. That said, the Celebrity communication we stated "Though vaccination is not required, we recommend vaccinated guest bring their vaccination cards with them."  We're bringing our cards.

On 3/10/2023 at 5:51 AM, bluetardis said:

I like leggings or yoga pants, with a tshirt and cardigan. I think slip n shoes are great with this outfit. IMO this is a cute comfortable look.

100% agree on this approach, and it’s my go-to outfit as well. I love Vuori performance joggers for travel. Their dream knit fabric is so comfy. Also, I often will add a scarf to the mix, usually a neutral one in soft linen.

I sail on the Edge on 4/7. No menus are showing in my app, although the “Menus subject to change” statement is front and center in the description for each restaurant. 🙃

16 minutes ago, jelayne said:

The Solstice is a S class ship and those ships have entirely different specialty restaurants than he Edge class, so no Le Gran Bistro.

 

Ahh! I read the reference to the Edge in the original post, and clearly didn’t read the entire post carefully enough to catch we’re talking about the Solstice here!

Le Grand Bistro, is a French bistro on deck 4 is likely the closest replication of Bistro on 5. It is open for lunch, including on embarkation day and is a quiet alternative to the buffet. I think the price is now $30 pp (was $20 pp last year) but someone correct me if I am wrong about this. The restaurant changes to Le Petite Chef for dinner.

38 minutes ago, David Kane said:

Em-Meow-Cation

 

Having survived the Marriott...airport? Hotel (we do NOT say negative things on this blog - so, in its defense, it was very clean, which, I think, is rather important for pre-cruise health, but, aside from that...'nuff said - as Jim Shooter from Marvel Comics used to say in 1989) we caught a Lyft (spelled...in the Norwegian?) to the cruise port for $25.

 

SO! A few points; 1) unlike Bayonne, where all you have to do to gain entry to the Port is to prove you're not currently snorting cocaine,  Port Everglades is locked down...kinda. You, and your spouse, and your driver, all have to show your documents before you even cross the threshold. Those documents that you used to fly down here and immediately packed at the bottom of your luggage. Yeah. Dig those back out immediately. For some reason a rather nice person will need to cursorily examine them before you even get close to the ships. It is all a little strange and I suspect it has something to do with Uber/Lyft versus medallion cabs and likely the Mafia but, as long as you have your documents, it takes about 1 minute to get through (note: someone was being searched by dogs so...rememeber your documents and don't smuggle...fruit?)

 

NOW, you might think that the well-heeled suite guests get their own luggage conceirge...but you know who doesn't really care about your 'status' - the Port Authority. Your shuttle and/or private car and/or cab will park exactly where the guys in safety vests/big guns will tell them to park. The GOOD news is that there is always a Sky Cap (those...don't exist anymore, do they? like the occupation of 'Sky Cap'?) ANYways, there is a Porter (I prefer that word!) who will happily take your 8 (!) pieces of luggage from you. Tipping is not required, but, seriously, give that fine fellow (or fellow...ess?) at least a $10. A $20 if you're feeling gregarious, and consider it money rather well spent.

 

After getting your luggage sorted you will be instructed to enter one of two lines. Those for Suite Guests and those for non-Suite Guests. The port is so well managed that, if you squint really hard, you maybe be able to make out the difference between no lines and...no lines. This was at 11:01am. So em-meow-cation is less about waiting in line and more about be preprared to sprint to the ship, because it is GO time!

 

GO time for Suites involves taking an elevator while everyone else gets to take an escalator. Once up the elevator there is a single security line staffed by two folks from the Port Authoritty who decide how much of a jerk you are. No. Seriously. If you have a sour face they will search your soul. If you smile and politely introduce yourself you will be through the faux-TSA process in 1 minute or less.

 

NOW! Once you are through, you finally arrive in the domain of Celebrity! Below are pictures of the Suite Em-meow-cation lounge. They have rather comfortable chairs, a cute snack and soft drink spread, and, most importantly, hidden, gorgeous bathrooms. Seriously. Scroll down to the bottom where we reveal the hidden hallway where you can have a few quiet moments to yourself before onboarding. Pictures, as follows:

 

"If you have a sour face, they'll search your soul." Okay, this statement alone has me along for this ride, and I never follow live trip reports. You're hysterical, so I'm in.

14 hours ago, Saukkey1 said:

I always get insurance for a cruise. My question is why buy the insurance before I pay the balance? My deposit is refundable. Is there an advantage to buying it earlier? Thank you.

I don't see the benefit of buying it before final payment. I have not noticed prices changing if you wait, and companies will sell you a policy up to the time you travel. I have a 2 week trip to Belize coming up next week and just bought insurance last week.

If you travel frequently, especially involving travel out of the country, purchasing an annual policy may be the way to go. I looked into it for 2023, as we already have 2 trips abroad planned early in the year, but I didn't pull the trigger. I definitely think when my husband and I retire (within a year or so), we'll just get annual policies. We are currently primarily only interested in coverage for medical, evacuation, trip delay costs, recovering delayed/lost luggage costs. 

In my experience, the quality of the therapist is more important than the length of the service. I do get monthly massages at home, with a therapist I have had for over 15 years, and any amount of time with her is a great experience and no amount of time is too short or long! I just always feel great after I have a massage with her.

On a ship it's a crapshoot because you can get a therapist that doesn't fit well with you. I have had fairly good luck by being clear upfront about what I prefer/need, in terms of pressure, areas that need more attention (always my neck), etc.  Sometimes I will book a short service early in the cruise to see how it goes, and then come back for a longer service if that therapist works for me. 

I am a half and half packer: half cubes (I will only use the compression version) and half rolled. I have tried all sorts of variations, but this works best for me. Mostly I use cubes for smaller items that I want to keep together, such as under garments, scarfs, swimming suit/coverup.

I think Murano is the perfect way to start a cruise. It’s a beautiful experience.

I appreciate hearing about people's current MIA airport experiences with the partial shutdown going on. DH and I will be on Riviera's 1/26 sailing, returning to Miami on a Wed and it looks like we will be the only ship in port on our return from sea. We do have TSA-pre-check and a 10:55 am flight on AA. I understand we may be cutting it, but we have first class tickets and the ability to reschedule with no change fees on the day of travel if we encounter delays...well, provided there is another flight with open seats, but there are a myriad of other flights to my final destination that day. Worst case scenario is we spend a night in Miami and how bad can that be?! :)

Thanks all. I am fine going with the flow, since that seems to be what is required.

9 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

There isn’t a one size fits all answer to your question. Check the port authority’s website a few days prior and it will tell you. 

Thanks for the quick reply. I am booking an Everglades tour for the morning of our cruise, and they are asking for the hotel pickup point and the cruise drop off point for my reservation. I will just contract the excursion vendor closer to our trip with the port details then.

My blue book arrived for my January cruise, but I can't find any reference to the port terminal. I looked at the port website and it appears that Terminal J may be the luxury/boutique terminal but it's undergoing a facelift and it looks as though Terminal B may be the back up. Can anyone confirm?

6 hours ago, Barrheadlass said:

The OP did not ask for opinions, she asked what O has for infants...cribs, high chairs, etc.  I have no horse in this race, but am truly sorry about all the rudeness she’s been subjected to.  Over and over!  I hope you have a lovely cruise, OP, and enjoy the memories made with the grandparents!

x2.

I am no “O” expert and in fact have no “O” experience (I will be taking my first Oceania cruise next month), but jeesh people, can we give this mom a break and just give her facts in response to her questions?

Seriously,  in my 30 years of cruising I have seen more bad behavior from the they-should-know-better adults than from any one year old. And at least there is no hearing a one year old complain and crab about virtually anything and everything. No listening to them yak on about health problems, crappy food, terrible entertainment, missed port stops, or chair hogs. 

I have a super simple skin routine whether traveling or not: Stillwater Skin gentle cleansing gel, spray mist gentle toner and skin relief serum. These are local products I purchase at a spa in my home town and the important ingredient is cranberry seed oil, which is a wonderful antioxidant. I use these three products morning and night. Twice a week, I exfoliate with Kate Somers Exfolikate. I have travel size versions of all these that I pack for vacation.

For day time,  when traveling, I finish my skin care routine with Australian Gold tinted botanical broad screen sunscreen SPF 50. It is so light and sheer, but evens out my skin tone with the light tint.

The only other makeup I wear on vacation is Josie Maran Argan Color Stick in Summer Lovin and her highlighter stick, for cheeks, top of my forehead and eyelids. Super natural and it just provides a glow. I also use lots of chapstick with SPF 30, and at night I might use my argan sticks for my lips.

Thanks for your quick reply, Mura. All of our excursions will be independent on this cruise, as they typically have been when we have sailed other lines, with the exception of Harvest Caye. Since that port is a cruise-owned island, we are stuck with purchasing ship excursions.

Our only other option for snorkeling is to take a ferry from Harvest Caye to Placencia for the day and take an excursion from there. We would lose quite a bit of time in transit with that option, and most of the decent snorkeling is about 20 miles offshore from Placencia, adding additional precious time to that option. 

If we can't pick up the snorkel excursion on the ship, we may just take the ferry to Placenica and hang out at some beach bar for the day. I mean, hard to complain, right?! Any option will be better than snow in Minnesota in January! :)

I waited too long and the snorkel excursion at Harvest Caye, for our late January Riviera cruise is already sold out. I could kick myself  that I waited to book because there is nothing else we are interested in doing at that port, and we are big snorkelers. This is our first Oceania cruise, so not having experience to draw from on this line, am interested to know if there is any chance of a booked excursions becoming available once on board. Anyone have any success with this?

Yet another reason to return to Bonaire. I long to be in that place, and our Woodwinds snorkel was a highlight!

Thinking about booking the snorkel excursion that is now being offered from HC, when we visit via the Oceania Riviera in Jan 2019. It is my understanding that this a relatively new excursion offering, and I am looking for feedback from anyone who has taken this excursion. Trying to decide if we want to give it a whirl. DH and I are experienced snorkelers, and our experience on snorkel excursions via other ships in Belize has not been great. We have had superb snorkels on an extended land trip to Belize a few years ago, especially via dive boats out to places that take awhile to get to such as Glover's Reef.

Hi! Wondering if there are any ship snorkling excursions leaving directly from Harvest Caye? Also, how is the snorkling directly off the beach at the island. Anyone? Anyone?

Muzzy,

According to the shore excursion information from Oceania for my Jan 2019 Reefs & Ruins cruise on the Riviera, there is a Barrier Reef Snorkel from Harvest Caye. It is billed as a 3 hour excursion that departs from the marina on one of their snorkel vessels for a short ride to a site along the reef. It is a “shallow water entry, well suited for beginners and intermediate snorkelers.” The location is supposed to have soft and hard coral formations, sponges, sea fans, anemones, spotted eagle rays, large starfish, queen conchs, sea cucumbers, and colorful reef fish. Tour Price: $119, Your World Price: $89.25.

Sorry I am not able to comment on the merits of the excursion since I haven’t done it. My husband and I are avid snorkelers, and have quite a bit of snorkel experience in Belize having taken a lengthy land vacation there, experiencing some amazing snorkeling there, including Glover’s Reef. Our snorkel experience in Belize on other cruises has been “meh”. Nevertheless, we likely will be doing the Harvest Caye snorkel on our upcoming cruise.

Maybe someone will come along who has done this snorkel and can provide more details. Sorry I can’t help more!

Linda

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I appreciate all of the replies. I opted to book an 11:15 am flight. If I miss my flight, I am able to rebook to a later flight the same day without change fees. If all of the many other flights to my final destination are booked, and there are over a dozen, then I will just grab a hotel I can get a flight out. Really, I was most curious about self assist disembarkation, and I think I got my question answered there.

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yes they offer self disembarkation

as for time it depends on immigration & when the ship is released

 

I would not book before noon

In Dec we flew AA & it took over 1 hr in security lines we had TSA pre check & in Bus class

 

 

YMMV

Surprised they have lie flat seats on short haul flights ...

Thank you so much for your reply about your experience in MIA! I once had a 1:10 pm flight leaving FLL, after a cruise from the Ft Lauderdale port, and walked out of the port at 1:15 pm, 5 minutes after my flight left. They were short customs staff, and it was a mess at the port. So, I am quite aware of the risk that comes with flights following a cruise.

I have never done self disembarkation on previous cruises, and so am interested in that process on Oceania, since I am also new to that line.

Yes, there are some lie-flat planes that fly domestically, but I often am not in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the planes that have them. In this instance I am, so just considering my options.

I did search the forums before posting and that thread you linked to does not answer my question, which is about self assist debarkation on Oceania. But, hey, thanks!

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I am new to Oceania, sailing on the Riviera, with a return to MIA on 2/5/19. Does Oceania offer self assist debarkation, and if so, would someone let me know their experience and what I might expect? Am especially interested in the earliest debarkation time I might expect.

Am eyeing one of two early flight times (10:00 am or 11:10 am) on AA, mainly because I can score flat bed seats on a 767-300 (763). If I miss one if those flights, there are over a dozen later flights to my destination that day, and I would have same day flight change & standby options with my ticket. I have global entry which also gives me TSA pre-check at MIA. Weighing the risk, and I get it’s a risk!

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