Peggy Tuten

I'm thinking of doing this as I've read that it's beneficial to the bartender who sells me this, but how does this get added to my card?  Do I have to get a new card?  

10 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

The only thing missing from E class to complete the  ambience is rock and roll piped in at 120 db.

 

If you are for loud and shouty ambience, why not loud music?

 

I prefer rock, albeit quieter, much better than the boring, repetitive pop music played on the Edge.  Probably more suited to a 20s age group rather than the mostly seniors on a transatlantic crossing.

I was on the recent Edge TA and would avoid booking an Edge Class ship in the future.  We did like the infinite veranda - put the window all the way down and much like a balcony.  And, since it wasn't hot (didn't need AC), we could put the window down a bit at night to listen to the sea.

I missed the promenade for walking that most older ships have, although the walking track on the Edge was nicer than expected.  I liked the way it double looped around through 2 decks, giving you a hill.

Hated the rooftop "movie" theatre.  Not enough seating and couldn't use when raining.  Would prefer an actual theatre or something indoors for movies.  

Too many speciality dining restaurants taking up too much space.  And as others have noted - does the few # of people buying top end designer watches, other jewelry and handbags justify the space involved?

And, no place to view from the front of the ship unless you wanted to go to gym.

Thanks for the reminder about ports after Rome.  Last EU port is the Azores. But it looks like I may be able to find an office in Majorca. I just don’t plan on doing much shopping after Rome and don’t want to lug my purchases around in case a Customs Officer wants to see them as they have the right to do. They usually don’t sometimes I have had to show them. 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I'm guessing you will have a difficult time doing it in Civitavecchia as the VAT refund offices are generally at major airports -

 

Did find a pretty good article that may offer some alternatives.    I presume you are taking a TA home.

https://accountingbolla.com/blog/how-to-get-a-tax-refund-in-italy-the-ultimate-guide/#gref

Thanks for the info - I do know how it works at airports- have done it many times - just haven’t been able to find out if there is an office at the port.  Probably not worth the hassle as I’m not likely to spend much more than the minimum required.

15 minutes ago, WorkerBee74 said:

When you determine your last European port, this might help:

 

https://www.globalblue.com/tax-free-shopping/refund-points/

Given the current great exchange rate, I hope to do a bit of shopping in Rome prior to a transatlantic cruise. I’ve gotten the VAT refund before at airports, but this is my first TA. Does anyone know if there is a VAT refund office at the port?

We shall see if it ends up being a good deal or not.  The base cost for a concierge cabin on my cruise is up $ 278 pp from yesterday.  I look at every sale as I've paid in full and looking for a Best Price Guarantee refund in the form of onboard credit. 

I'm at 30 days and still waiting for my FCC - my TA did nothing to help expedite or try to reserve a future cruise for us.  However, I did call Celebrity a few days ago to reserve for a Fall cruise as the category I wanted is close to selling out - and was able to reserve it by just paying the taxes which is much less than the deposit.  When the FCC is issued, I'll use that to pay the balance.  Will still have a few hundred extra in FCC left and don't know how to use - suggestions would be welcome. 

I was on a theme cruise last month on the Summit.  My cabin mate arrived too late (traveled from different cities) to have MDR lunch on the first day.  Had to ask for the afternoon hors d'oevres and several times they didn't arrive - not terribly appetizing anyway.  No special check in line.  Concierge rarely available at Guest Services.  Since we had a drink package, never did drink the sparkling wine so left it for our steward.  No invite to helipad for sail away.   In my opinion, not work the extra cost, especially on a theme cruise.  And, if yours is a music cruise, like mine, you'll spend very little time in the cabin anyway.  I've booked an inside for next years themed cruise.  But, its a beautiful ship and we had a fabulous time - hope you do too.

I was on a Summit charter last month.  I kept a mask clipped to my cabin key holder.  I prefer to use the stairs when possible but when I used an elevator, I put on the mask.  Also in any area that got crowded, like walking through the dining room or buffet areas.

Following as I'm in the same situation.  Can't upgrade on the future cruise that I'm interested.  I'll probably do Concierge and the only thing still available above that is the Retreat and I'm not doing that.  Has anyone tried using leftover FCC for upgraded internet or premium beverage package?

8 minutes ago, mikewomb said:

Was this after final payment?

Yes, final payment was in January for an April cruise

23 hours ago, mikewomb said:

My question is under the Wonderful promotion, the price stayed the same, but the perks were better. I emailed the planner, and she said I got the best price. I responded this was about perks, and she didn’t answer. I just made final,payment over the weekend.

Sounds like my travel agent so I didn't even bother to call her about it.  I called Celebrity direct and apparently am being given $ 2000 OBC.  This did surprise me because when I've called before final payment about new promotions,  they always said I had to go through my TA.  A refund would have been better, but I can use to book excursions and shop at the Apple store. 

I presume that you can book prior to your cruise and  you can certainly book for after the cruise.  I'm doing a TA to Amsterdam and returning 3 weeks later from Frankfurt.  Easy to do on Flights by Celebrity.

I'm confused about what happens to your flight payment (done through Flights by Celebrity) after final payment is made.  I may have to change an April reservation after final payment is made in a few weeks.  Since it's a fairly substantial amount - international airfare, I'd prefer not to have as FCC but as a refund or apply to a future reservation. I can't find anything about this on the Celebrity website.  TIA

Was supposed to be on this TA😪 before it was cancelled.  Hoping for better in 2022.

5 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Got the discount for a booking made in March 2021 for an April 2022 cruise.

Thanks, not all that happy with my TA, I'll try to call direct tomorrow

My TA said she was told that the promotion only applied to bookings made after 1 Sept 2021.  Did anyone get a discount on booking made prior to this?  We made ours in July.

Yes, as HskrCrsr described, that's how you check if already booked.  I did this 2 days ago and tried several ways to try to change the reservation myself.  Ended up calling.  Cost of my flights had decreased by almost $ 200 each so it was worth the time to call.  

I use USAA's travel insurance vendor,  Travel Insured.  For my cruise canceled in March, I received a full refund.  For an upcoming tour in November (cancelled by the vendor), they're just offering a credit of what I paid - only covered the deposit as final payment wasn't due until last week.  Good for 3 years from the date of my initial purchase - Nov 19.

Received my refund today for cancelled Queen Victoria crossing on 17 March.  Refund requested 16 March.  I've lost count of the days, but about 3 1/2 months.  Sad that I won't be able to experience Cunard.  I can drive to Ft. Lauderdale and prefer to cruise to or from there so this was a one off opportunity for us.

My health insurance covers me overseas and I also have another policy that covers medical evacuation.  So, I only need insurance to cover cancellation of a trip should I, my husband, or a close family member becomes ill or dies just before the trip and baggage loss (although in 40 years of traveling, have never lost anything).  Do you know of any such policy? 

thank you in advance

On 6/17/2020 at 7:18 PM, iamtrustworthy said:

Hi Redshine,

 

The only way to know for sure if they cover COVID-19 is to ask USAA.

 

I looked on the USAA website and I don't see that they offer a travel insurance plan.

 

Steve Dasseos

 

I used USAA/Travel Insured for a Cunard cruise scheduled on 17 March and a post cruise tour.  Since I never used the insurance, I called and the full cost was refunded in 2 days.  Still waiting on a refund from Cunard.

We were on a segment of HAL's world cruise last year (Ft. Lauderdale to Sydney).  No difference in service that I could tell (we  received the pillow gifts on formal nights), but it seemed like fellow passengers that we met weren't interested in future conversations once they found out we were departing in Sydney - or maybe I was just being overly sensitive. That said,  we weren't deterred and were booked on QVs segment from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton in March (cancelled).  We're considering segments on HAL and Cunard in the next year or two. 

How about more liberal cancellation policies?  I was 4 days from departing for a transatlantic cruise on another line before the s**t hit the fan.  Fortunately, I was finally able to cancel and the land tour we booked on the other end was cancelled as well.  How many people would have cancelled their cruises starting in early March had there been no or minimal penalty?  Had they been able to do so, I expect there would be far fewer passengers to worry about on the Zaandam. And, most of us have found out that travel insurance is  worthless in situations like this.