GottaKnowWhen

I cannot speak to the Southern Hemisphere, but I know that in the Caribbean earlier this year, while C19 testing was a requirement for boarding, we and all other b2b passengers were scheduled for a time to go to queue in a lounge where we were swabbed/tested. Anyone testing positive was either put off or, more often, left aboard the ship until 5+ days had passed and the infected one was shown to be symptom free.

Those doing a b2b do get lunch in the MDR.

Thank you! I never thought of the zero receipt approach.

Noises from your boat? Or from the crew? I don’t mean to make light of your experience, I totally appreciate the impact of wind/waves on small boats. But I had to ask the follow up question to your comment!

My first adult-era cruise, 2013, in the Caribbean - my biggest complaint was that it never felt like we were on the water! Could have been in a hotel atop 15-foot concrete foundations! Dull.

We have always tipped after each b2b2b segment. Cabin attendant and MDR servers and bartenders and restroom attendants… Crew changeovers happen, crew get rotated among locations, and you can’t be sure you will have the same people on each leg.

With a drinks package, you won’t have a $0.00 receipt. They swipe your card, and done. And to the large4 question, I often tip (cash) favorite bar tenders during and/or at the end of a cruise. But not on every drink.

Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess. Go for it!

Yes.

Another option we’ve used a couple of times is to go 3-5 or 6-7 days prior to the cruise, arrange through a decent local company for a trip to Iguazu etc. Note, on the back end of your cruise, the taxis lined up outside the cruise terminal are a racket. On exiting, walk left a block or two before trying to engage a cruising cab. Better yet, let that same local company arrange your transport after the cruise as well. “Say Hueque” is good. if you opt for a one-day quickie, make sure that your tour guide/driver includes time in La Boca and at the Recolleta, two iconic visits in B.A.

I haven’t seen any complaints on this thread. I have seen others, like myself, who are first or 2nd timers on Windstar, commenting on some aspects of the Windstar Experience. Several of the comments have been about the dining situation. My first time, it was pleasant. My second time, with a closer to capacity ship, it was not pleasant. Not complaining, just commenting. My third time will be in the Caribbean, warmer weather, maybe more options. If dining is still not pleasant, there will be no fourth time. Not a complaint, just a comment. Not comparing to other cruise lines per se, but rather to our understanding that when we pay mega bucks for a floating resort that proclaims great food as part of the experience, we would hope to be able to enjoy that great food in relative quiet like in any fine restaurant. Your expectations may be different. No need to criticize people who have different view points.

Yes, but. For me, the issue was that my wife and I would like to sit together and have a quiet dinner, at least a few nights. On the Pride, I recall they were opening at 6:45? We found that if we went at our preferred 7-7:15 time for dinner, the only options were sharing, and the alternative of waiting for somebody to finish and leave did not seem feasible. So, to get our preferred seating, we would join the lineup. Whether they opened at 6:30 or 7:00, same issue. If you want a First Seating, you go and line up for 15-20 minutes. I am not sure there even was a second seating. Dining area too small, a come-when-you-want policy not working well. A big deal? No, a minor annoyance, but definitely detracted. Our first time aboard, in August, there were fewer passengers and it just wasn’t an issue. In October, quite different with a full load of passengers. We’ll be back aboard in January, and the dining/seating situation is not something I am looking forward to. I am hoping that being able to go outdoors will make a big difference. Stan

Check your booking documents. An emergency contact number is given. --- Emergency: Friends and family can contact the ship by calling 877-266-1020. From outside the U.S., they can call 321-953-9002. The cost is $7.95 USD a minute. This can be charged to their MasterCard® or Visa®. --- The caller will need to know your ship's name, your name, and your cabin number. As I recall, the call comes to Guest Services, they try to call you in your cabin, if no answer they leave you a voice message. You can call out, again at $7.95/minute. Or you can wait until the next time you are near an island with cell service you can use via roaming. Stan

That’s why I switched from AT&T to Sprint, hundreds dollars charges on a Europe trip in 2017 or 2018. I thought I had their $10/day plan set up, they tricked me with the fine print.

T-Mobile/Sprint. But you need to be in a country, within reach of a cell tower, not out at sea. At sea you are piggybacking on Celebrity's satellite access and need to pay Celebrity for the privilege.

Just curious - if your phone is off and you don’t use the app, how can you tell whether or not the info on the app is correct? It does get updated periodically, and if you hit the Update button, you will get good info…

With respect to Covid etc, our experience on the Pride was that the staff was quite conscientious with cleaning, masking, etc., passengers not so much. Fortunately the elevators are too small for there ever to be much close contact with a crowd there! We didn’t contract any disease, sorry for those that did. I very much enjoyed the rough seas, it felt like we were sailing, not driving on a highway. My wife and several others found it uncomfortable and complained of poor sleep.

Recently off the Pride. Some have suggested a 6:00pm dinner start time, and those of us who prefer not to rush, we should wait until 7:00 or whenever. The problem is that Amphora is not large enough. In order to get a table-for-two, one needs to be near the front of the line. So if the line starts at 6:00pm, then we would either need to eat too early or wait too long, the early diners would not be leaving their tables by our preferred 7-7:30pm dining time. Cuadro 44 was not a good option, way too noisy. Candles was ok.

You can each choose your own package or none at all. But I can't comment on the Water or other packages, have always had Classic or Premium Alcohol (not alcoholic) package. Stan

I already have All-In booked for my January cruise, at $79/pp per day. I don't expect them to reprice that! And I have asked my TA to buy All-In for my upcoming October trip, again at $79. Any new purchases after October 5 will be that extra $10/pp per day.

Two days before. Boarding Monday, anytime after 12:01am on Saturday. The refund may depend on Booking date; our one cancellation/refund was in May this year, booking originally done in March of 2019. Was your Positive test just a home test, or one done in preparation for travel? How soon is your trip scheduled? If you still have some time before your trip, you may have time to: a) get a PCR test to verify your status; b) isolate/recover for 5-10 days, and c) get a Certificate of Recovery. Which you can use in lieu of a Negative test for up to 180 days after the date of the PCR.

So, I would guess it is non refundable.

You could ask your travel agent. Note that I say that a bit tongue-in-cheek, but also seriously. I was one who often mocked those who would answer most questions with “get an agent.” I have found, however, that a good travel agent can provide a great deal of help in, for example, finding what cabins are available. They have the tools to answer those questions. I have mostly always preferred to do stuff myself, going online, searching, making my bookings. But, sometimes your best options are to either call the cruise line and deal with them directly or to get a travel agent and have her/ him do the work for you. Stan

Why not? Testing is good for them, keeps their population safe. A few $$ to cover admin costs is no big deal. So why would a cruise line avoid them for these requirements? Their requirements are much more difficult if not impossible for transatlantic cruises and thus most/all lines have stopped mid-passage stops in Bermuda. But that is way different.

No, you wouldn’t be eligible for the Concierge Class embarkation lunch, that’s just for those sailing in Concierge class and also b2b passengers. You have Luminae, Sushi on Five, the Oceanview Cafe, one or two burger bar types of restaurants…