GeezerCouple

It wasn't easy to find flat beds from anywhere on the East Coast to HNL.

At first, it seemed Delta through Atlanta, but the Delta rep insisted that it was a non-stop (okay there) and that it wouldn't become flat bed until after LA (not sounding quite so good - I'm envisioning beds floating up by balloon or something...). Next Delta rep insisted it wasn't a non-stop, yet we could watch online the current day's flight trajectory, and it sure didn't seem to be stopping anywhere.

On to the Travel Agent, who got other weird answers from Delta.

Scratch Delta...

I would have expected flat beds through JFK, but apparently it's the Newark flight instead.

There could still be an equipment change, but as the flight gets very full, it's less likely UA will decide they "need" that aircraft on another route instead, but there could still be an equipment "problem". In that case, there probably won't be another similar aircraft to substitute.

We'll just keep our fingers crossed.

More and more flat beds will be coming along on various airlines.

Even Jet Blue will be adding some next summer. That was a real surprise, given their typical "one class of service" except for the "extra leg room" seats, which is how we often fly on domestic routes.

We'll report back on the comfort factor and "sleepability" :)

Thanks!

GeezerCouple

Just to show you how nice overalls can look, this is DH on formal night of our last cruise:

 

 

Don't he clean up right fine? LOL

This is serious competition to J&S :D

Or IS this J or S? Which one of you is it? :eek:

"Black Tie" - we'd expect no less from you...

C'mon Guys, 'fess up!

Geezer Couple

What type of Suite are you considering for that one part?

If it's something like a PH Suite, then have you considered the difference in price of the arrangement you are considering vs two PH suites (vs one PH suite and one regular balcony)?

If I understand this, the question in this case is whether the cost of the extra balcony cabin plus the extra cost of the 3rd and 4th person in the suite is much more than the cost of an additional suite?

The charge for one person in a balcony (or any category) is often fully the same as if two were staying, but that can vary by cruise line or any specials for singles.

Even if it's a bit more, but not much more, then you'd all be getting the suite perks AND all be enjoying the suite accommodations.

If it's a higher category suite, then the math probably wouldn't be as close.

GeezerCouple

DH is interested in an air tour of Kauai.

(I'd love to join him, but there's this little issue of "heights"...)

Has anyone done both a helicopter and a fixed-wing tour over Kauai?

What are the pros/cons?

If you had to choose just one, which would you do?

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

You might want to post this question/situation on the Cruise Air Forum:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

There may be a critical handy hint from someone there.

And someone may also have info about the "getting on the cruise ship", also.

This assumes the worst case scenario that DMV cannot issue an emergency temporary license if your husband shows up there in person.

GeezerCouple

This is great info and what inspired us to just go ahead to the airport and see if we can talk to a TSA supervisor today with the documentation he plans to use on Friday!

Regardless of what the TSA agent says prior to Friday, plan to get to the airport on Friday with PLENTY of extra time (as in "hours").

Although this is incredibly and understandably stressful for you, it isn't the first time the TSA has had to deal with someone who has arrived at the airport without proper ID.

They have a variety of ways to verify who you are, and whether you are "okay to fly", etc. The online data bases that many of us complain about because of all the personal information that's now so easy for anyone to find? Well, TSA can find all that, too, and much, much more. (Apparently a LOT more than we realized, not too long ago - thanks NSA!:rolleyes:)

They'll inspect whatever documentation he does have with him, and probably same for other family members. Bring along ANY photo ID, such as something from work or fitness club, etc., even if it isn't government-issued. He should probably expect questions about all sorts of things from his past.

Have you ever encountered the online security questions such as "on which *one* of the following list of streets have you NOT ever lived"? Or a list of phone numbers from the past. (At least that one was a "pick one you had", so if there were several I didn't recognize, it was okay.) It could get as specific as which one of the following charge cards (list of names of issuing financial institution, including several we've never had accounts at - or such is our memory...!) had a recent charge of <something>.

It was a bit spooky.

Meanwhile, are you SURE that the DMV can't issue a temporary *paper* copy of a license, possibly right ONLINE?

I renewed my license a few days late, online, and just printed out a piece of paper that was valid for 10 days.

TSA probably would NOT like that, as I could have printed out the same thing with any name, and it would have looked just as good. It would be one more supporting document, however.

But AT the DMV, they might have a seal they could imprint or attach, and they might be able to include a printed copy of the photo from the most recent license.

Good luck!

We hope you enjoy your cruise AND your great surprise!

GeezerCouple

Great fun to plan surprises like this!

There are suites and there are suites...

You could consider mentioning something at the last minute about a "little surprise" like a little suite, but that wouldn't lead him to expect a full 2BR suite.

The PH suites are really just larger balcony accommodations, along with the suite perks. It would probably still be a wonderful surprise when he walks in, starts exploring, and realizes that one of the doors is NOT to just another closet ;-)

Does this 2BR suite have an extra bathroom, too? That should be quite a delightful surprise, too!

I surprised DH this past summer at a hotel. We were in an amazing, but small, balcony room directly over the water. When we planned to extend our stay before arrival, he told me we could, but we'd have to move to the smallest room, and no balcony. We were just delighted not to have to change hotels before we left town. He was at a conference that last day, and I was to "manage" the room transfer. I spoke with the manager, and found that the only bigger room was their grand penthouse suite, at several times the cost of our first balcony room, but what a suite it was! We'd seen the photos. While I was inquiring at the front desk, two calls came in for reservations, and they turned them away because they were "full". We have some vacation properties, and we know all too well that an unsold night is revenue lost forever. I mentioned that, and asked if they would consider a lower price for the big PH, which would get them revenue for it for that night AND would almost guarantee them an opportunity to re-rent our smaller room, and probably at a higher rate, too. We bargained - and I usually HATE that type of "haggling" - and then made a lower "offer". Mgr said she'd need to contact the owner. I thanked her, and said I'd be upstairs packing for the move, and just let us know where we'd be going. A few minutes later, a call: *DONE* :). So DH arrived back that afternoon, knowing full well he'd find a smaller, non-balcony room for our last night. He had called to ask how it was. Me: "Oh, it's really not bad, and they told us the window would overlook the water, so the view is still great." Misleading, but... true ;). Because the PH was on the same floor - a small boutique hotel, so no dead giveaway in the elevator, etc. - he was clueless. I opened the door to greet him, and his face went from amazement to jaw-dropping. We joked that they were going to need to carry us out kicking and screaming the next day :eek: :). It was so worth it! I'm going to try to do occasional upgrade surprises in the future, but it probably won't be quite that dramatic.

(And yes, an early comment was along the lines of "How much did this cost?", and then he dropped the issue entirely.)

Enjoy it, no matter how it works out. It will be a wonderful surprise no matter when he "learns", or if it's in "stages" ;-)

GeezerCouple

I have a pair of Sony that I like. I bought Bose about a month ago and took them back, might be good for a plane but not great sound the rest of the time, plus I didn't like that the battery always had to be on for them to work. The Sonys are pretty good.

Cruise Junky raises a couple of good points, the use of the headphones when not on a plane, and the "battery" issue.

We ONLY use the Bose headphones on planes, not for listening to music at home, or elsewhere. We might - might - change that and start using them at home, hotels, on trains, but only because we already have them.

Are they the best for "music quality"? We have no idea, as that's not what we use them for.

On (infrequent) occasions on planes, we don't use them for any audio at all - only for the "noise cancelling" features.

But the battery: More than once, one of us (mea culpa!) has forgotten to turn off the battery when removing the headphones, and then? Well, I suppose the full-size Bose headphones would make nice earcovers if we were taking a walk through the snow. And this isn't too likely from a plane, which is where we've on a few occasions realized the battery is dead or about to be so.

[Note to selves: Check availability of extra batteries to bring along. After all, we travel with extra laptop batteries, and those are, um, *large* critters, and not particularly lightweight!]

Bringing some music to a store to compare headphones especially makes sense if you plan to use the headphones for "listening", but it won't be too helpful with the noise-cancelling feature. Perhaps trying to use them next to a noisy mechanical system of some type (air conditioner? leaf blower?) might be more useful to evaluate that critical feature.

One other little point: The "full cup style" Bose (and presumably other brands with same construction if there are any) doesn't put pressure on the ear/ear cartilage. After several hours, for someone who doesn't usually wear headphones, even gentle pressure can start to become uncomfortable. The larger, clunkier Bose set is a circle of padding resting more on the head area surrounding the ear, so any pressure is spread out over a larger area, and there aren't protrusions like with construction of the ear.

I never noticed this until longer flights.

(I might not have noticed it when younger, either.)

Even if the Bose *are* "better", for you, it might not make enough difference for you personally, to spend the extra money, especially for very infrequent use.

And as already mentioned, there are so many new brands/models out there, that there may well be a far less expensive set that serves the noise-cancelling feature sufficiently for *you*, and that's what counts.

It's just difficult to test them when not in a very noisy environment similar to a plane.

However, you might want to include the Bose in your testing. If they do not make that much of a difference to you, then you have your answer about that extra cost.

GeezerCouple

You might want to give a try to several for comparison, although it's pretty difficult to simulation jet noise in an electronics shop, or even in town somewhere.

We've had two types of the Bose headphones, and neither are especially new, so the technology might be even better.

One set has the "padded cups cover the entire ear", and the other has "smaller padded covers for just the middle 'open' part of the ear" (but much bigger than just "ear buds" that go IN the ear).

I found that the larger ones were *much* better, no comparison really, but DH seemed to prefer the smaller ones. (Hard to know if he was just being kind in trying to insist that I take the larger ones.)

Then we misplaced the cord to one while traveling, so we purchased a less expensive model (don't remember which, but they weren't super cheap), and there was NO comparison.

The non-Bose were almost like nothing, compared with either of the Bose models, more like regular headphones without any noise-cancelling feature.

For our next flight, a long one, we are getting another set of the full-size, ear-covering Bose, even though we still have the smaller set.

DH finally agreed that for a very long flight, it's really a bit of a health/stress issue, not just "better sound quality", to get rid of the dull roar non-stop.

But this might be a very individualized thing. A few years ago, most consumer comparisons gave the "award" to Bose, but there are quite a few new products out now.

Regardless of the type you get, if they really do have a serious "noise canceling" technology, they make a huge difference (for us, anyway).

GeezerCouple

Have flown all over the world in United Business and First. The lie flat seats are amongst the best in the airline industry. Yes, if you are taller than about 6'3" they will start getting tight. But have slept just fine on them, and I am 6'2".

 

Food is very subjective. But given you aren't running a marathon, not even doing standard exercise, there isn't a need to bring food onboard.

Thanks so much Cruiser!

That's really good to know.

(I think the domestic "Business/First" might be different from the international Business and First classes of flat-bed seats. Is that correct?)

These cost a small fortune, compared to puddle jumping on Jet Blue, etc., but we are trying to determine if "flying in comfort" (relatively speaking) will allow us to head out to more distant locations as we ramp up the retirement travel time.

As for the food, it's not so much to provide the energy (to sit and sleep, and to read ;-) but to keep us from eating too much junk food, partly out of boredom or lack of better choices.

It's easy to avoid junk food at home, because we don't keep it around.

But we've learned the hard way that on flights, it's hard to pass up when it's the only thing around for hours.

Assuming this goes well, our next try at flat-bed will probably be to Europe or a bit further, and we haven't yet figured out the airline choices.

Thank you again!

GeezerCouple

Does anyone have any feedback on the United flat-bed comfort, on the Newark - Honolulu flights?

Are they wide enough/long enough/comfy enough for real sleep.

The outbound is daylight, but the return is overnight, and thus dark for much of the flight.

And the food?

We usually stock up with a variety of tasty and reasonably healthy packaged food from Whole Foods for long flights, which is absolutely critical in most airline's cattle car class. Is there any hope for anything better in the "Business/First" class on this flight?

We care MUCH more about the seat/bed comfort on this flight, but figured we might as well as about the food service, too.

Any suggestions to make the trip better?

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

Is Geo-Blue an actual INSURANCE company/plan, one that pays for the actual medical care (according to the level of a policy's coverage) when one is traveling, or is it a service that helps to locate providers and facilitate care when one is traveling - with the payment still the responsibility of the traveler, and any possible other insurance payment coverage?

That didn't seem clear from the link, without actually starting some sort of sign-up process.

Thanks very much.

GeezerCouple

Yes, but to be driving a car (a rental?), he should have had insurance. Maybe they are investigating that?

 

I have had Travelguard pay several claims. One took a while, but they all eventually were paid. Hopefully, you make a full recovery and get your out-of-pocket expenses back soon.

She wrote that she was hit by someone on a bicycle, not someone driving a car.

GeezerCouple

I would go in either 8000 or 8002. It was definitely a cabin next to 8000 - we looked through the door ;). I'm not sure there are any elevators in the "white area".

 

I agree with other posters, I wouldn't go under the Terrace cafe or Waves grill.

 

Good luck with your choice.

 

Brenda

Great, thanks so much.

We grabbed 8002.

The opposite two cabins are under the fitness center, and we could just imagine treadmills thumping *very* early - and not used by us!

Someday, maybe we'll be fortunate enough to enjoy a long cruise. It must be wonderful. (DH isn't eager to retire - a nice "problem" - but that means we'll start our "retirement travel" in bits and pieces. We've decided not to postpone it any longer. We "officially" start in about a month. Some cruises, and some land-based trips, and some combos.)

We'll probably be on the Riviera before we have a chance to see the Regatta.

(We had to reschedule a Regatta cruise in 2014 until 2015, alas, due to an unexpected conference rescheduling. At least we had plenty of advance notice. And we got 8002 as a consolation prize for the delay, at least ;-)

Are the Regatta "mid-ship" PH suites under the public areas also subject to noise problems, or is it mostly the noise of swinging doors and food service equipment that causes the noise under the aft areas?

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

We were in 8000 for 28 days on Regatta and loved it. We chose this cabin as it is directly below the card room so there was no noise from above. There is a door directly outside which leads to officers' cabins and the bridge. The Chief Engineer was next to us but we never heard him. We occasionally heard the door in the corridor but never during the night. We would definitely book this cabin again.

 

Brenda

Good to know!

Would you choose 8000 or 8002?

We were slightly wary of 8000, because we weren't quite sure what was in that "white area" next door. We figured it would include some senior officer quarters, but it could be an elevator immediately next to 8000.

But 8002 is a bit closer to the stairs/elevators.

It's a shame that the PH's are all under public areas on these ships.

Many thanks!

GeezerCouple

You have been so wonderfully supportive -- truly, I hope to have the opportunity to meet you in person some day to express my thanks.

 

Unfortunately, I've heard nothing more from NCL. While that troubles me deeply, I and my family are committed to having a great vacation in one of the most beautiful places on our precious planet. I plan to do a full report when we return.

 

Again, many thanks for your kindness.

 

Midnight Blue

You wrote:

"I and my family are committed to having a great vacation in one of the most beautiful places on our precious planet."

We have the same hopes (without some of the serious snafu's - in the best sense of that acronym! - you've experienced).

Time will tell whether this will be our only cruise on NCL or not. It would be awfully nice if the ship experiences "exceed our expectations".

(Those expectations are no longer particularly high. We now expect the ship to be a rather mediocre hotel, at best, that follows us around from island to island, rather than a great cruise as well. We'll see.)

I probably can't use a brand name here, but there is a commercial that has a motto we've taken to heart.

There is a photo of the liquor product, and in very simple type below that:

Living well is the best revenge

It doesn't quite apply here, but it's "close enough..." :)

Have a GREAT visit to HAWAII!

GeezerCouple

And still no response from NCL to the email I sent to the address that was included in the post to the Cruise Critic forum.

Uh oh....

What a shame.

I just posted elsewhere that we hoped NCL had "done the right thing".

How dreadful to know they haven't even tried!

But to repeat from our other post:

"We hope that you have a WONDERFUL time, and ... this cruise is about HAWAII , and that's the main point for most of us.

.

.

.

Let us know how your trip is.

We hope to hear you've had lots of wonderful excursions/experiences! "

GeezerCouple

Aieeeeee... I'm booked in 12006 in just over 2 weeks. :eek:

 

Here's hoping they get the problems fixed. At least it's nice to hear that the butler, concierge and cabin steward were good....

I thought of you IMMEDIATELY upon reading Caroldoll's comments.

This has been quite an ordeal for several, and your situation has troubled us the most.

I hope you've somehow managed to get suitable accommodations for your needs, given what you were "sold" when you originally made the reservations.

It would be very comforting to know that NCL "did the right thing" (even if belatedly).

We are just crossing our fingers, and mostly very, very relieved that at the last minute, we chose NOT to select a "new" cabin on Deck 13.

But to have a leak in the best cabin on the ship? (It's obviously not okay to have a leak in ANY cabin!)

NCL has only a few hours during turnover to get that fixed properly, without having a major inconvenience to the Guests staying there.

(Obviously, this type of maintenance problem is a nightmarish scenario for any property owner when there isn't a good vacancy opportunity.

But this is hardly the only problem we've been reading about NCL and their customer service, unfortunately.

We are still totally baffled by how NCL handled the changes - or lack thereof - made during the renovations, and the major inaccuracies in the descriptions they posted - and kept posted - for the public.)

We hope that you have a WONDERFUL time, and ... this cruise is about HAWAII , and that's the main point for most of us.

(However, having a properly functioning, usable bathroom is also part of the experience! NCL really can't afford to have Guests slipping on wet floors due to plumbing leaks, after all...)

Let us know how your trip is.

We hope to hear you've had lots of wonderful excursions/experiences!

GeezerCouple

my wife's priority is to get into the cabin and do her almost manic Clorox whip down of the cabin. now don't get me wrong she's not a germaphobe. but no hard surface in that cabin doesn't get a little one on one time with a Clorox cleanup. knobs ,pulls, phones ,handles, switch's and the things she does to that remote makes me cringe. our second or third cruise had a terrible noro outbreak and since then a germ doesn't stand a chance in our cabin . hell she puts the whips in her carry on so its there even if my clothes aren't

"...she puts the whips in her carry on so its there even if my clothes aren't"

Oh. Okay.

This is our first time on NCL.

I hadn't seen this on other "What to Pack" lists, but now we know.

And clothing optional, no less...

:)

GeezerCouple

"Low cost" (or "reasonable cost" - subjective, I know!) WiFi might make more sense than truly "free".

That way, those who need/want to *use* the WiFi would have convenient access, without exhorbitant charges, but passengers would be less likely to leave their browsers open, automatically checking for email "all the time", such as forgetting to turn it off when off the ship, or at night. That would help with the bandwidth constraints, while allowing good access when desired.

Do NOT like the "all included excursions", because that means we are really paying for them, even if/when we'd want a quiet day, an excursion on our own, or a private tour.

GeezerCouple

Well, to be honest, while I scrolled through your photos, DH did mumble something about my interrupting his work. (Yup, he did mention something about that before I insisted he look.)

So I went back to this first photo you posted, and pointed to the open door at the starboard side of the Riviera's bow, and said that was the gangplank, so he should pay attention! :eek:

GeezerCouple

Photo Tour of the Riviera - March 2013

 

We have just returned from our 10-day Caribbean Hideaways cruise on the Riviera, out of Miami to five great islands.

 

My wife and I are pretty seasoned cruisers, with 25+ cruises... but never on an upscale line.

As we ran out of options for itineraries on our cruise line of choice (Norwegian), we began to explore other lines.

 

The Oceania experience seemed to be a very good fit for us. Rather than make our first try on a long or exotic voyage, we chose this trip from Miami to see how close we came to finding a good match for us.

 

It was a bullseye. We throroughly enjoyed every aspect of the trip and found the Riviera to be nearly the perfect ship in every way.

 

I will post my Cruise and Port Review on a different thread, but this thread will address my impressions of the Riviera in pictures.

 

I enjoy taking pictures and sharing them. When we were in the discovery mode, like so many other rookies, I spent hour upon hour crawling over every post on this forum, looking for insight and advice.

 

I hope by creating this thread, I can pay it forward to some newbie down the road who also wants to see just what is this ship all about.

 

We certainly are now Oceania fans, booking our Winter trip onboard...and planning our 2014 cruise as well... on Oceania.

 

 

So... a walk around the Riviera.

 

Your photos are breathtaking.

DH's eyes really opened wide as I scrolled through them.

Thank you so much for taking the time to take the photos, and then to post them here.

I've decided to surprise DH with a camera like this, and present it to him just before we leave for our next cruise.

Alas, that one isn't Oceania, but it's a destination that was at the top of our travel list. I'm going to have to keep reminding him that he should NOT judge the future cruises by this next one.

THEN... Oceania... here we come...:)

We've already got two Oceania cruises booked, first on the Regatta, and then the Riviera, for starters.

GeezerCouple

Thanks...no secret. I have had this one for about a year...and is the best pocket-sized camera I have ever seen.

 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

 

18 megapixel, 20x optical zoom, GPS, WiFi, and a gazillion features ...and shoots HD movies to boot.

 

 

 

 

I booked a SE suite on deck 13 for Dec 7. Now I wonder what I will be looking at. Is that terraced and I will be looking down on someone else's balcony on deck 12?

 

What are the differences between a deck 13 SE and a deck 10 SE? I may have to change.

We ALMOST booked one of those *new* PH Suites on Dec 13.

We - and our travel agent - KEPT asking NCL about why the deck plans for Deck 13 had that "white area" around everything. No other deck plans showed that.

And for good measure, we called another cruise specialist travel agent.

(As an aside, this agent was told by NCL that the categories of suites on Deck 13 were totally different!)

We didn't trust that anyone knew what was "going on" with respect to Deck 13.

We chose Deck 10, even though it wasn't fresh and new.

But it was "knew" in that we knew what we'd be getting.

LOOK AT THE PHOTO POSTED EARLIER.

It looks like all suites and especially the balconies on Deck 13 will be like living in a fishbowl.

Last time I looked, there were still suites available on Deck 10 for that cruise.

GeezerCouple

I'm told -- who knows if it's correct -- that two connecting PH suites aren't available for that cruise.

 

I so agree with you that $300 really isn't enough. The lawyer in me wanted to continue the fight. My family asked me to let it go.

 

I know it will never happen, but NCL... you could really turn this mess around by proactively offering more. I should never have had to call your corporate office and fight for compensation -- and no one else should have to do it, either.

How soon is your cruise?

You can probably check online with some degree of accuracy (??) by starting a place-holder reservation (perhaps on behalf of some new imaginary friends :) ) to see what PH suites show as available.

And if you aren't in the cancellation period, it could well be that some reservations will be cancelled, or cabin changes made, etc.

If you can make do with the lesser privacy, that DOS suite really does look very nice indeed.

And NOTE TO NCL: DO THE RIGHT THING FOR THESE FOLKS (everyone affected by what is now obviously false advertising): The $$ cost to you (NCL) of fixing this for everyone affected is a pittance of your operating budget. And compare this to what could become a social media disaster (and wait 'til a "real" travel journalist picks this up!), not to mention the Florida AG...

It is just a very few cabins (but especially that top drawer DOS!) that are affected. Fix it "right".

GeezerCouple

Wow, what a great attitude. I don't know if I could be as gracious had I been in your situation. Thanks for the updates here and enjoy your cruise!

Agree.

For Midnight Blue:

I'm glad you finally got "closure" (not that I think "closure" offers the satisfaction/resolution often implied by that word), and at least now can plan for your trip knowing where you'll be.

And the general appointments in the DOS are no doubt going to be far nicer. (Especially if any of you play the piano - what fun ;-)

Would 2 connecting PH suites work for you?

That would still be LESS space, but it would be better than the 2-bedroom family suite (if I've got that right).

And the general level of the cabins would be more similar.

And you'd have the "two separate bedrooms" promised to you when you made the reservation, and continually promised you by their advertising all this time...

NCL's offer of $300??

That's a pittance for the [purposeful?/negligent?] misleading information you - and others - were repeatedly given over a long period of time (while the correct information was fully available to NCL - it was their OWN information, after all!), and the way you were treated.

But worst: You wanted/expected/paid for TWO separate bedrooms. Having only one bedroom (and not really "separate" as best as can be seen from the floor plan), this is NOT the type of accommodation you wanted.

$300 is a "normal" OBC, not for what is a pretty major and outrageous failure on NCL's part. This WAS avoidable - that is what is so unfortunate.

You and the others similarly situated should receive far more compensation, something more commensurate with the serious loss of privacy for a week (and that's not even mentioning the way you and the others have been treated).

This is totally within NCL's powers. (Sometimes there just isn't any good "fix" - in which case the $$ amount should be far higher.)

We hope you HAVE A WONDERFUL CRUISE and ENJOY HAWAII!

GeezerCouple