GottaKnowWhen

Thanks for the comment about ACL practices. [BTW, note that as far as I can tell ACL does not own Pearl Seas. They may be owned by the same person, but two separate companies as ACL is strictly U.S. ports, Pearl is not U.S. built nor U.S. manned nor subject to laws and regulations aimed at U.S. shipping.] Whoever owns Pearl Seas, it is in fact ACL staff who answer the phone when I call Pearl Seas Guest Relations. So, I called, needed to give Name and Phone Number for the guest. Two weeks later (27 May), I got a call back: they also needed her passport number! Right away, approvals for the June 14 sailing were closing soon. And, no dinner, but maybe cocktail hour... We decided to forget it. With what is apparently a sold-out cruise, time ashore for dinner and away from the crowds on the ship will probably be a good thing. Stan

Alternative: taxi to train station in Ravenna, onwards to Bologna... https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Ravenna/Bologna Stan

On my several trips in that region I have gone in and/or out of Venice, and now Ravenna since they wisely closed down large-ship access to Venice. However, in browsing rail maps, I came up with a plan for my next time, whenever that might be. The line from Ravenna to Bologna to Florence is quite direct. I would go to Florence for a few days and then train down to Ravenna next time. Or train from Ravenna to Florence for a few days afterwards. And it would be ideal to start in Florence, after a few days take the train to Rome/Civitavechia, cruise to Ravena, train to Florence, and back home...

In the last 12 years I have been on 30+ Celebrity cruises. Unfortunately, I have noticed that the presence of ship photographers has diminished over the years. Too much competition from people on cell phone "cameras"? I say "unfortunately" because I have always enjoyed the quality and posing of the onboard photos. I am a fairly strong amature photographer, but my attention is usually outwards; I very very seldom do any photography within the ship except for a few for-the-record shots of our cabin etc. The ship's photographers are a valuable resource and I value the occasional singles or Photo Packages I have purchased. And I have never felt pestered or bothered by the occasional polite request from one of the photographers.

A note for anyone curious about and/or planning a trip on Pearl Mist... I was back on their web site and found an interesting comment: they allow visitors onboard! And they say that dinner aboard might be possible for guests. My sister-in-law (my brother's widow) lives near one of our ports-of-call, I called Pearl Mist guest services, now have a tentative dinner reservation for her. They are to call me if/when the reservation is approved. I do anticipate possible issues as the ship is Sold Out and so the dining room might be a bit crowded... We'll see.

Re: Icy Strait and whale watching… We’ve been to Icy Strait several times Great views of bubble net fishing right from the ship’s deck. Eagles nest, with fledgling, next to a house in the town. Nice local handcrafts and art in the shops near the pier (inside the old salmon cannery). I can dig out the name of the small company we used for whale watching, but my main point is that when you shop for that tour, pay attention to style of boat, Do you prefer to sit inside in comfort? Or do you want to be outside, top deck, getting wet and getting views? Different companies/boats have different options. But on the water, they all talk to one another (radio) and all track where the whales are feeding and all converge on any action. Same thing in Juneau; big comfortable boats, smaller boats, all get to the same views. And don’t dismiss Icy Strait as “made up”, they are real people in real homes doing what they can to make a living in a changing world. Stan

Any soup o offer will be good.

Thanks. I did decide it might be legit, I did generate a digital gift card. Which is of no real utility. 1 - to use it you need to enter an expiration date, but the card doesn't have that. 2 - it can only be used for very limited purposes on Royal or Celebrity. I don't recall the details now, but skimming through the Conditions page, I recall no OBC, no payment toward fares, etc. Oh well, I am glad I didn't drastically alter my credit card usage to try and advantage this offer! Stan

RosieRoo, I think that is it! Thanks.

I do have a Celebrity BoA card. I am concluding that this is just a poorly managed and poorly executed promotional stunt, trying to use the promise of a "$25" "Gift Card" to get me to click through to Royal (Celebrity?) sailings. I will pass. Stan

This is the letter, a few items deleted… Hello Stanley Halpin, Royal Caribbean sent you a $25.00 BofA Spend Promo for Royal Caribbean International. Click the "View My BofA Spend Promo" button below to access your BofA Spend Promo. If the button above is not clickable, please copy and paste the following URL into the "Address" field of your web browser: https://royalcaribbean.cashstar.com/gift-card… Have a question about your BofA Spend Promo? Click here to access our customer support tools. We hope you enjoy your gift! Thank you, Royal Caribbean International BofA Spend Promo Team

We are on the 2-week cruise from Toronto that reaches Duluth toward the end of June 2025. We’ll try to leave the ship in good shape for you. In Duluth we will be renting a car and driving back home, haven’t thought about a hotel yet. In Toronto we’ll probably stay in the Novotel Toronto Centre for a few nights, have stayed there before. Stan

I received an “offer” of a $25 RCI gift card. Not clear where the card is, how I get it, what I could use it for. Was this a phishing expedition to get personal info from me, or was it a poorly thought out, poorly presented genuine promotion of some sort? Whatever, it was quite bizarre. Stan

Thanks for all your information! I am starting a b2b on Eclipse 17 Feb, turnaround is 27 Feb. It has been many years since I did a b2b turn-around in Lauderdale. As I recall, we had a brief meeting one afternoon, sea day, near the end of the first leg, on The Day we disembarked last, sat in a lounge area in the terminal for a short while, and then were allowed back onboard. Is this about right, about the same procedure they are following now? Stan

A common issue for small contractors who focus on only a slice of the possible market. I hope I see a post here someday letting us know that the site is usable for all customers again. Meani will sail on other lines.

The lunch is fine. Limited menu, not gourmet, but much better than fighting the lines in the buffet! The bottle of sparkling wine is ok but you do not have to open it if you object to the brand. The afternoon munchies can provide an interesting adventure (what was that I just ate?) but are usually ok or better. And your room steward can probably arrange a cheese plate instead.

You will see what are apparently "inconsistent" answers with regards to communication (not likely to happen) or with regards to the boarding process. That is because the most accurate answer is "it depends!" People are telling you what they know based on their experience. If their boarding experience was in LA or Seattle or Miami or New Jersey or Lauderdale or Civitavecchia or Southampton or Vancouver or wherever, it could make a difference. Day-of-the-week could make a difference (different procedures depending on number of ships in port which varies by day of the week. Day of the week could also affect which shore-side staff show up for work.) Size of the ship (number of passengers they are trying to disembark in order to "clear" the ship) can make a difference. Norovirus or whatever on previous cruise could result in extra time required to "deep clean" the ship. I am doing a back-to-back out of Lauderdale in February. As I recall from the last time I did this in that port, we had to disembark briefly and then were allowed to reboard. If there are many of us doing a b2b, that could briefly hold up embarkation for freshly boarding passengers. In short, It Depends. You have already made the right preparation by booking that early time. I suggest you go with the consensus of the several answers you received here: do not show up early and expect a comfortable spot to wait or a magic fairy godmother to wave you aboard. It might happen, just don't count on it. The Concierge class is fine (all of my 35± Celebrity cruises have been in Concierge) and the lunch is good but there are limits as to how far they can go to accommodate you. And don't sweat the small stuff! Go with the flow, accept whatever outcome you achieve and don't let any frustration set a bad tone for the rest of your cruise. Stan

OK, I'll plead ignorance. I kinda sorta get the UK ETA and the EU ETIAS, but what is the EEU and how does it play onto these processes? Stan

I have stopped using Windstar for now, too frustrating. I like the ships, the crews, the itineraries, but trying to communicate and do any business is too much of a pain.

We spent 5-6 days there over Thanksgiving last year, stayed in a hotel in the old city. Walked everywhere within that zone, cabs outside to go to excursions, restaurants, etc. No issues. I’ll do a longer report later with a couple of recommendations.

Thanks Jim, and also to Essiesmom who replied earlier. And my apologies for not asking more clearly. Yes, the Roll Call is there. However, what is missing is the spreadsheet. Several of us have attempted to click through and consistently get the message that the file is missing and may have been deleted... Stan

Jim - intruding on your current voyage… But what happened to the Roll Call for November 2025 TA to BA? It seems to be missing. Deleted, or just lost? Stan

A brief comment about conditions in Ecuador, since I had commented on this thread a few months ago. We were in Ecuador from 16 September through 8 October. For the first portion, we traveled with Southern Explorations (four of us plus driver and guide in a 10-12 person van) from Quito N to Otavalo, then E to Papallacta, then south through the Andes highlands to Cuenca. Nothing unusual except for the long-term drought causing low reservoirs causing hydro problems causing the imposition of rolling blackouts. A nuisance, but no big deal. After Cuenca we flew back to Quito, joined a typical 10-day Celebrity Expedition Galapagos trip. Again, nothing unusual - no major crime waves evident, etc. And by the time we left Quito at the end, a few rains had appeared which might put out some of the wildfires and relieve the hydro power situation. A great country for travel, tremendous variations from place to place in eco-systems and climate and geology and farming practices and clothing and food and... More to follow in. a few days. Stan

You also need to check the phase of the moon for the nights you are interested in. A full moon or close to it would likely interfere as well.

Our overnight flight from ATL arrived about 8:30am local time Tuesday Morning. Went to the hotel (pre-booked driver), checked in, wandered the streets. Wednesday we did an all-day excursion with Tours-By-Locals to the west coast. Thursday again we spent on our own in Dublin, including a Hop On Hop Off ride around the city. Friday we packed up and headed for the port. So we had about 2 days in Dublin, another day in the countryside. Stan