Slopoke15

I haven't done virtual balcony, but I've done a promenade-inside after sailing in balconies and I liked it better for several reasons. Balcony rooms are humid, they smell funny, you never feel clean or dry after a shower, and the room has more rust because of all the moisture. The balconies themselves are not usable to me, because they create a wind tunnel and is kind of miserable to stand in and also freezing cold, therefore, the balcony doesn't get used.

 

I found the promenade to be plenty of room and it was much more pleasant because it wasn't constantly humid in there. I didn't feel there was anything about the balcony room that warranted the $1,000+ price difference.

 

 

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from a value for money perspective, I agree ...

Thanks for the confidence. I like that it's organized like a balcony cabin with the bed on the side instead of all the way against the back wall. (Voyager)

if it's like our room was ... you may also like that there is a small couch in the bay window that looks down on the promenade ...

I would like to know what hotel is good to stay in Galveston, Tx before cruise?

When we sailed out of Galveston, we stayed at The Tremont House. It was close to the port, and a nice hotel.

Thanks for the reply. I decided to book a Promenade "inside" instead for about $30/pp more. I like the layout better despite the probably noise.

have done a promenade inside before ... no need to expect there will be noise ... except for times when there are shows going on in the promenade, there was no extra noise in the room ... the promenade inside room is quite nice as well

Do those 80" TVs put off any heat? I'm possibly in an inside cabin for the first time (always have cruised balconies in the past), and I'm worried about the air getting stuffy with a VB, especially knowing they can't be turned off (just the image blanked).

I did not notice any extra heat from the TV ... no noise either .... like with any other issues with your stateroom ... if the VB television is an issue (heat or noise), just mention it to your cabin steward ... that's how I found out I could turn off the image

nicely done

I am wondering which ships have Royal IQ. I know Harmony does. Which others can be confirmed, if any?

 

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Quantum, Anthem, Ovation and Harmony I believe

We travel with our two kids and will always take two of any category of room over putting the 4 of us in one room. You will love having the extra space, bathroom and privacy. While we enjoy the balconies we don't really miss it when we don't have it.

I agree with this. We had a promenade inside room on Liberty out of Galveston in Nov, 2015, and thought the room was quite nice. If there are kids involved, then I am pretty sure they will like having their own room too :)

Talk to a crewmember.

 

 

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this is the best way to go ... crew members that have been to the ports many times before will know the best places for wifi, groceries etc ...

had an inside room with VB on an Anthem sailing ... it was fine ... as others have stated the image can be turned off ... and since we don't spend lots of time in the cabin the size of the room wasn't a big deal ... as for sleeping, because the room tended to be darker at night, we found that we slept later most mornings since we don't set alarms while on vacation :)

Is there anything to do near the hotel the evening before the cruise?

How about a place to eat?

We stayed at the Embassy pre cruise for Anthem. As others have said, the mall is very close ... but for restaurants close to the hotel there is Ruby Tuesdays, and IHOP ... we ate at Ruby Tuesdays for our dinner the night before heading to the ship

didn't do a ships tour but pre booked a private taxi tour that took in Corinth canal,ancient ruins of Corinth and Acrocorinth

 

we enjoyed all 3 sites

 

what does the RCCL trip include and how much are they charging?

ditto ... did a tour of these three sites but not as part of a cruise stop ... the canal is interesting to see and hear about, but it will not take long ... the ancient sites are far more interesting, especially the Acrocorinth ... the photos above of the temple at the site of Corinth you can see the Acrocorinth in the background high on top of the mountain peak

Also, if you travel into Texas, there is a separate state duty on liquor collected by that state.

correct. When we sailed Liberty out of Galveston, we were caught by surprise that we had to pay a state tax on any alcohol purchased on board. That collection was done after clearing US customs, but before getting out of the building ... so, the duty free purchase did not end up being so for the sailing out of Galveston ...

Don't panic, as I have done before[emoji51], X conducts maintenance on its IT systems overnight on Saturday's. Give it a few more hours, and it should be back up and you will see all your bookings again.

 

 

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whew ... glad to hear this ... I was in the midst of putting an excursion in my shopping cart, and all of a sudden the error message that there was a system problem, and when I went back to My Celebrity, the reservation was gone, and I can't add it back .... :)

Think of it this way, you paid a higher price to ensure you would have a spot on the ship. There's always a chance a sailing will sell out, it just happens yours didn't and it sounds like the room category just happens to be one where there are more available rooms than other categories; supply and demand.

 

If you waited til the last minute to book, you'd also have to buy airfare last minute, and that price increase could negate any savings you'd have gotten from the cheaper cruise.

 

It makes total sense for them to decrease the price after final payment because after final payment is the only time they can be sure people aren't going to cancel and leave them without revenue for an empty room that they thought was going to be filled. Final payment date comes and people cancel and all the sudden there's a bunch of available rooms that weren't there before and they have a short amount of time to fill them back up. If they charged $1,000 less as the regular price that wouldn't make financial sense; they are simply trying to make sure they are making something vs nothing.

 

It's kind of like when you go to a shoe store and suddenly see that some shoes you bought went on sale for 75% off and you're mad that you bought them at full price, until you realize they are only trying to get rid of the leftovers nobody wanted; like the size 5's and 10's. At that point you're glad you got your shoes when you did because otherwise your size would have been gone. You don't get mad that you didn't get the sale, because your particular size (or room) was already sold out and therefore doesn't count for being on sale.

 

 

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I think this summarizes things pretty well. I agree with all previous posters that suggest that you booked at a point in time and you were happy with your booking at that time. I also agree that you can call to ask about price changes and possible upgrades ... but don't let it change the fact that you were ok when you booked ... the last minute stuff is after final deposits, and comes with risk (eg. not getting the cruise you wanted)

Duty Free shops are only for outgoing international passengers. The biggest and best wine store in Fort Lauderdale - Total Wine and More - is between the airport and the Eisenhower Blvd entrance to Port Everglades in the Harbor Shops shopping center off 17th Street. You can order on line and your wine will be waiting for you to pick up thus saving time and money (assuming that the meter is running on a cab). http://www.totalwine.com/store-info/florida-fort-lauderdale/904

as noted above, this is a very nice wine store ... we have stayed at the Embassy suites several time pre-cruise, and I believe this is the wine store in the little shopping area near that hotel ... very close to the port as well

We are doing the full transit through the canal with Celebrity...soo excited!

 

I'm not hearing the best things about Colon...quite unsafe apparently? We have a ship tour booked of the locks :)

excellent ... I expect you will enjoy the cruise very much ... what you hear about Colon is correct ... not the safest place, and not much to offer itself ... so an excursion off the ship is definitely the way to go ... one thing about the "panama hats" in Cartagena ... there will be lots of vendors approaching you with shirts and hats, including what they call panama hats ... my suggestion would be to be selective, and have an idea what you want ... no need to buy the first one you see, as you may see a nicer one a bit later ... speaking from first hand experience :)

The stuff in the "market" in Colon is "touristy" stuff...mostly crap, IMO....trinkets and useless items. There is a duty-free shop in the confines of the marketplace...but I don't recall hats!

I agree ... I would not plan on spending much time in the Colon market ... better to stay on the ship in many ways ... :) ... OP - by any chance are you doing the partial transit of the canal on Princess?

Ah just saw the letter on another post about this tropical depression coming...much better to be safe for sure....

this is especially true for Anthem given that it has been caught in a few really bad storms already in it's short history

I just posted about this super port in my blog- please check it out!

http://thecheerfulcruiser.blogspot.com/2016/06/cool-costa-maya-ideas-and-excursions.html

I did the Chacchoben tour through Native Choice last fall. I highly recommend them, as it was an excellent tour, well organized, and they looked after the group very well.

I along with many people on this board have stayed at Embassy Suites and highly recommend it.

 

Price includes a wonderful breakfast and a reception at night.

 

The hotel is well situated near restaurants and stores and is relatively close to the airport and to the port.

 

Keith

I agree with this. We have stayed at Embassy pre cruise numerous times.

Hello,

We will be staying almost 2 days in Istanbul on our next cruise.

Seeing that you have been there a few times what should we do,see and eat.

We will be arriving Friday July 22nd at 4pm and leaving the next day at 5pm.

Thanks

Sea ya

Eric

Based on your message, it appears you will be in Istanbul just over 24 hours. If that is the case, then you should check the opening and closing times for the key places, and confirm when you need to be back on board. My suggestion for must see places in order would be:

1. Hagia Sophia

2. Blue Mosque

3. Basilica Cistern

4. Topkapi Palace

5. Spice Market

6. Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is huge and somewhat repetitive after wandering around for a bit ... do not spend lots of time in the Bazaar if it means you do not get to locations 1 to 4

We have stayed at several hotels in the 17th St vicinity. Some seem to have taxis in a queue or readily arriving for passenger transport to the port. Others, it seems a taxi has to be called.

 

Does the Embassy Suites have a queue of taxis in the mornings or will I need to call for one? We will be going from ES to the port on a Monday in February.

they used to also have a shuttle bus running back and forth from the hotel to the port .... particularly useful for groups as opposed to multiple cabs ... just another option

Arcade is just the card. No quarters.

 

There is an adventure ocean area on Labadee that is staffed but never busy. Perhaps the treasure could be buried there as it could be watched.

what a wonderful thing! As others have suggested, I would plan the treasure hunt as much as you can. I would definitely suggest that you check with RCI staff on board as soon as you can. I know that on past cruises the Adventure Ocean folks had the kids dressed up as pirates and they paraded around the ship. Surely they will have some things that they could contribute, and possibly some ideas for you. Possibly they have some form of treasure chest even?

If you want to see the Basilica Cistern, it really doesn't take long and it is very near Haghia Sofia (across the main street and up about a half block).

OP - I agree with previous comments that the Basilica Cistern would be a good thing to see if you can. As Cruisemom says, it is very close to Hagia Sofia (approx. 500 feet) and should not take long to visit. If any of your group have watched movies (eg. James Bond :)) then they will have seen the cistern in some movies. I have been to this site, and am glad I went.