shainky84

My husband Matt and I just booked this cruise. Would love to meet up with other "Friends of Dorothy" while aboard. Made some connections through CruiseCritic before our last sailing, and then become quick friends while aboard!

Sailed on X Reflection in Italy/Greece in June 2016 on first-ever cruise. Now that Alaska 2018 has been posted, it's time to book #2.

It seems the same three ships (Solstice, Infinity, Millennium) are returning to Alaska for the same itineraries they've done the past few seasons (7-Day round-trip Seattle, 7-Day Vancouver, 7-Day one-way Seward-Vancouver alternating northbound/southbound).

We are looking for recommendations to help us book our trip in June or July 2018: Which of these three itineraries do people like best? Which ship do people prefer? Which ports are must-do's and which ones can we skip? Etc, etc.

We are based in New York City so we'd need to fly cross-country regardless of embarkation/disembarkation port.

Thanks

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Recently returned from our first-ever cruise with Celebrity in Europe. Since we live in New York City, we are looking at a future cruise on Anthem...Our Celebrity booking included promos (beverage package, on-board credit, pre-paid gratuities, etc.). Does Royal ever offer these sorts of deals?

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Thanks everyone!!

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I stand corrected! It appears now that Celebrity will be keeping the Equinox in the Caribbean for the summer 2017 season. The promos they have for cash-paying guests are pretty enticing, so you may wish to investigate more!

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Looking at the Breakaway or the Gem for next summer from New York, where we live. Does NCL offer any sort of tour for prospective cruisers on embarkation day?

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Hi There!

Congrats on your winnings. So nice to hear that there are legit prizes out there without strings and timeshare presentations....My new husband and I missed NYC Pride this year since we were on our honeymoon aboard the Reflection in Italy and the Greek Isles! We were first-time cruisers and loved nearly every minute of it (hated disembarkation), so I hope I can help you out....Apologies if anything is a repetition of what's already been said; my initial post yesterday somehow was deleted before I could post.

*We LOVED Celebrity! After mulling over the pros and cons of each cruise line, we are so glad we picked this one. In so many ways it was perfect for us for our honeymoon.

*Celebrity's fleet is a bit smaller than the other major lines so they don't have any ships in the Caribbean during the summer months. Look for a date between Late October and early April.

*Celebrity was perfect for us, gay newlyweds in early 30s. Plenty of stuff to do and people to meet but very chill and sophisticated.

*Our cruise was 10 nights and we stayed in Aqua. We LOVED Blu, especially for dinner, but we really only took advantage of the included spa services on 2 or 3 occasions....Since our cruise was port-intensive, 10 days was perfect. Of course for a honeymoon we splurged a bit, but I don't know that the extras would be worth too much of an upcharge next time.

*Since I can't compare our Mediterranean cruise to any other itinerary, I would suggest you try and decide what's the bigger priority for you -- the ports or the ship/amenities aboard. That will guide your decision-making process.

*I'm assuming that the $2500 is just a voucher. Will you want to purchase a drink package, pre-paid gratuities, and/or WiFi? What about specialty dining? Spa services like massages? Keep in mind costs for those as you plan.

No matter what you decide, if you relax and enjoy you'll have a great time. Inevitably there will be a few hiccups, but if you can role with the punches you'll enjoy nearly every moment!

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Hope everyone has the premium drink package. I hear the Martini Bar is the place to be, especially for the unofficial LGBT Happy Hour!

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Hi Anders & Tomas,

Welcome! Matthew & I look forward to meeting you aboard the ship.

We are a couple in our early 30s from New York City. We are getting married at the end of the May and will be celebrating our honeymoon this cruise, too! (Seems like there are lots of honeymooning couples on our sailing.)

We are first-time cruises, but we are incredibly excited for this trip. Matt's a big foodie and I in into wine, so I hope we'll have the chance to spend some time together. We are booked in Aqua Class too, staying on Deck 11.

See you soon,

Barry

I'll be visiting Santorini on Thurs, June 23, while sailing on Celebrity Reflection. We arrive at 7am and depart at 6pm (18:00). I want to visit, and have some time to sightsee/explore, both Fira and Oia. I want to see the ruins at Akrotiri and enjoy a winery or two. Everyone says I should also see the black sand beach.

It is possible to do all of these things in one day? Can it done without breaking the bank and paying a fortune for a private tour guide for the day? What tours do people recommend?

This is my first-ever cruise, so I wonder how the tendering process plays into all of this. Our booking class comes with priority tendering, so it is possible (and if so, can we do so) to book a ship tour for the first part of the day and then do our own thing?

Thanks.

If you haven't already booked your airfare, I hope this is useful. If you have, I'd love to know what you decided.....

LGA is the closet to Manhattan geographically, but probably the least well-connected to ground transport of the three. JFK is massive, but very easy to get into Manhattan. EWR is somewhere in between the two - large but not overwhelming and reasonable connections.

If you still plan to fly AA, of course you'll have plenty of options coming from DFW to any of the three. I'd avoid EWR since it's harder to get a NYC taxi ride into Manhattan from there. Of course, there are other cabs available, but I don't know about the licensing options on these. You could take NJ Transit from the airport into Penn Station, but you are at the mercy of train schedules.

JFK is a secondary hub for AA, so the new Terminal 8 is gorgeous but you could have a long walk from gate to baggage. LGA is much more compact, but you have less options for shopping/dining. There is a NYC public bus from LGA, which is much cheaper than a cab, but it won't go anywhere near Times Square so you'd need to transfer to another bus or the subway. From JFK you'd need to take a cab, or use the AirTrain to connect to either the NYC subway or Long Island Railroad to Penn Station.....Cabs to Manhttan are a metered fare from LGA (so subject to traffic), but a flat fee from JFK.

As long as prices are comparable, and you like the aircraft flying each route, if you want convenience go to LGA. If you prefer to take your time and have a more pleasant experience on the ground, use JFK....It looks like AA has more flights to LGA (makes sense since JFK is more of a hub for long-haul flights).

The cruise terminal is located on Manhattan's West Side, along 12th Ave between W 47th and W 54th Streets. Times Square is located at Broadway & 7th Ave in mid-40s. Look for hotels somewhere between the two. Anywhere in the Hells Kitchen or Midtown West/Theater District neighborhoods would be good. You'll have easy access to the 8th Ave subway if you stay on or near that block.

Hope that helps!

I paid for 4 Delta Economy Comfort seats on a 747 from JFK to Israel and back last summer. It cost me $700+ to do this. I selected aisle and window seats in adjacent rows (with an empty middle seat) knowing that the middle seat would be likely to remain empty (as who would pay extra for a middle seat, even in EC?) For some reason, my seat was bumped over to the middle seat on the journey back. I emailed, tweeted, etc. and they claimed it was an equipment change, which was BS, as all their 747s have the same seating arrangement.

 

Finally, I called a few weeks before the flight and spoke to a supervisor, and although they wouldn't change my seat back, they refunded the entire cost of the upgrade for all 4 of us on the journey back. Then, I saw that the bulkhead window was open so I moved there anyway. We weren't all together, but I relaxed knowing I had $350 extra in my pocket. It pays to keep trying until you get a more understanding rep on the phone.

Thanks for sharing your story. I do plan to keep checking periodically online, and I will continue to call in, varying time of day, day of week, etc. Who knows what might happen?

I've done the NYC-Tel Aviv route a few times, but never with Delta. I'm usually fine in standard economy on an El Al 747, and a little more comfortable on an El Al 777, but I've done a premium economy with any carrier so I'm sure that any seat in that section will be great.

But I agree with you. There may be subtle changes from aircraft to aircraft, but my research showed me that all the A330-300s in Delta's fleet are 99.9% identical. One of the representatives I spoke to suggested that may have combined two flights into one, but that is complete and total garbage since Delta only has one flight each day between JFK and Rome. I just can't understand how we got bumped!

Unfortunately airlines are famous for this. I check ours often and we have been changed a few times which to us was no big deal until the last time when they had us in seats two rows apart. With AA I just logged in and put us together. As far a location this is just short flights, DFW/MIA. With our flight to Italy last spring we decided against bulkhead seating because it was such a long flight we wanted to be able to keep our carryon bags under the seat instead of digging them out of the overheads everytime we wanted a book, Ipod, travel pillow....that kind of stuff.

Thanks!

I usually don't care so much for short flights, so I never splurge for the economy plus on flights or exit row from NY to Florida, for example. But this being a honeymoon and a longer overseas flight is a bit different.

I was under the impression that bags only had to be stowed for take-off and landing, and that you could keep them on the floor (as a footrest, perhaps) during the flight. Is that not correct?

^^^this

 

I realize it's disappointing, but remember that until flight time, selected seats are really just seat requests and are never guaranteed. You're still seated together, you're still in Comfort+, you still don't have strangers beside you. It could be much worse. :)

Yes, agreed! Thanks for helping me put this in perspective. This is a very minor inconvenience. I still have my window (not obstructed by the wing) and my fiance still has his aisle, and we still have the extra legroom, which will be well worth the money we spent for transatlantic flights....it's just frustrating when we booked so early to get the seats we wanted and then got bumped!

Seatguru.com is a good resource to check seat configuration.

 

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Yup, I use it all time. Did my research for this trip before booking....In fact, I had seatguru and Delta's seat maps next to another!

Which aircraft type? Not all 767's are created equal, nor any other Delta configuration for that matter.

Sometimes the first row of EC are bulkhead seats with even more limited foot space. And, as mentioned you will not have access to underseat storage.

Your honeymoon will be absolutely wonderful if you let little inconveniences like this fade away. BTW, Delta is not the only airline to change everything from flight numbers, to times (departure, arrival, and actual flight time), to aircraft.

The contract of carriage only provides for 1 reservation change under most circumstances so don't be too quick to change your reservation. There could always be other "issues" before June.

Delta is operating an A330-300 on both our flights, which was the same when we booked as it is now. Of course, there could be subtle changes between every individual metal, but I got the sense that nearly all of these planes in the Delta fleet have similar configurations. While these aircraft were originally part of Northwest, they've all since been updated since integration with Delta.

In the grand scheme of things, this is minor and we know that. It's just frustrating when we booked so early to get the seats we wanted and then get bumped.

Thanks.

There's nothing to do about this, but check your reservation on a regular basis. Maybe these seats will open up. You have a very long time until this flight; anything could happen.

 

That said, I personally hate bulkhead seats. No under seat storage, on some plane types, there's very little overhead storage and legroom can be less.

Yes, we do have a while, so I'm hoping for some luck as we get closer....I've enjoyed the bulkhead the few times I've been able to get it, but you may have a point. I'm less concerned about under seat storage, but legroom is a must for my fiance who is a big guy!

If your return flight has been changed it may well be that those seats on the new flight were already reserved. If they are not open there is no way to bump other people out of their reserved seats. If they are open on the seating plan, call back and get changed into them.

The seats aren't open, so I guess we are stuck....I'm just trying to figure out how the return was changed. The flight number is different, but everything else (times, type of aircraft) are the same.

Thanks.

My fiance and I are taking my first-ever cruise in June, as our honeymoon, and our perfect trip may have just hit a snag...

We are flying with Delta non-stop from JFK to Rome to meet our ship (Celebrity Reflection Eastern Mediterranean cruise), and then of course flying home.

Back in August, shortly after they went on sale, I booked these flights for next June. Despite the high price, we booked early in order to secure the "Delta Comfort" seats in the bulkhead for both flights. The configuration of seats is such that we were able to secure two seats together, with no other passengers next to us.

On a whim, I just logged in to my Delta account and noticed that due to a "schedule change" our seats for the return trip have been moved back a row. Granted we are still in the Delta Comfort seats, but we've lost the bulkhead. I am not able to change back to our original seats online.

I called Delta and spoke to two representatives, and they would have moved us to the four unoccupied bulkhead seats in the middle, but I prefer to have two together, even if they aren't the bulkhead. That's all they could offer me. (The first was was very pleasant and warm, got the sense that he would have helped if he could; the second, a supervisor, was nasty and totally rude.)

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there anything else I can do to get back our original seats?

Thanks!

We were in the Med for 28 days, 7 B2B on the Equinox. We booked 9 months in advance and requested Late seating at a table for 6 or more. Our first night we ended up at a table for 2. After 45 years of marriage eating by ourselves everyone night was not acceptable. The Maître D checked his computer and we were supposed to be a table for 6 or more. He made the changes and we eventually got to a table for 6, of which 2 were dined with us once and the other 4 times. The staff tried very hard on the next cruises but it is a problem with Specialty dining, Select dining etc. people sign up for one but then change once on board. It is a challenge for the Maitre D to schedule. People from Select show up because there is a long wait etc.

Wow. That sounds terrible. I'm sorry to hear about that experience but I thank you for sharing it...I've heard some people who swear by Early or Late, but I'm finding that more and more people opt for the freedom of Select.

Berry,

 

DH and I enjoy foodie tours.

Found this website and think that the twilight tour might be perfect for us. Thought you might be interested in light of your comment above.

http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/tours/

 

And, the reviews on Tripadvisor are fantastic!

 

Dona

These options look great! I will add them to our short list!!!

Appreciate these nice follow-ups and comments from Barry and the poster from Colorado. Happy to share more and answer any added questions. To make sure I catch any added info needs, you might post on the below live/blog thread and I can follow-up there.

 

Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

Hope you don't mind, but below are a few more visuals and options to consider for Rome, Amalfi Coast, etc. So much to see and do in both great areas!! Can't do it "ALL" during your first trip there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 203,160 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

From inside St. Peter’s in Rome in June 2011, this is the view of the heart of this great Basilica and its magnificent dome by Michelangelo.:

 

 

 

The Pantheon was built between 118-125 AD in Rome and is so large and amazing in its size, construction and classic style. We had seen it before, but it is always amazing and impressive as you round the corner in walking from Piazza Navona and “there it is!”. The second shot is the view when standing in the entrance to the Pantheon and looking towards the plaza in front of this historic site. The Pantheon name is from Greek meaning a temple consecrated to all gods. It is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns, has a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 142 feet. It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs". The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda.:

 

 

 

Inside the Pantheon in Rome, this photo with my 10-20mm wide angle lens shows what is regarded as the best preserved of the ancient buildings in Rome. It is based on the classical Greek temple design and has a hole in the middle of the domed ceiling. It was the Roman “temple of all the gods”. You can see the light shining through the roof to part of interior on the left side.:

 

 

 

For Ravello overlooking the Gulf of Solerno, this is the town church tower with flowers in the foreground:

 

 

 

Ravello has many nice ceramics shops with locally-made pieces of many sizes. Here is the owner making a welcoming toast to come in and shop.:

 

 

 

Near Positano along the Amalfi Coast, this is the super luxury hotel, its gardens and views where the rooms go for about $1200 a night. Costly, but these are million-dollar sights from each of the rooms.:

 

Another great set of photos; thanks for sharing. Can't believe next June is still so far away, but at least we've crossed the 300 days threshold.

The restaurant is at the top--a bit past the funicular--but well worth the very short walk--great views and great food!

Just talking about this is making my mouth water....

We just returned from a great cruise on Celebrity's Reflection that visited both Santorini and Mykonos. We had a wonderful dinner at DaCosta near the funicular on Santorini and spend a very fun and unique six or seven hours on Mykonos doing a bike tour that took us to two beautiful beaches and then having lunch and a wine tasting--it's all through Yummy Pedals-and you should be able to find that online and through TripAdvisor--the reviews speak for themselves.

Thanks, scogor, for the suggestion. I will put this on our list of possibilities and look at them a little more in depth....

Appreciate the nice follow-ups and comments from Barry. Happy to share more and answer any added questions. To make sure I catch any added info needs, you might post on the below live/blog thread and I can follow-up there.

 

Don't be shy!! The only "dumb" question is the one you don't ask. Keep researching and planning. It will be very helpful for when you do your actual trip and that experience.

 

Hope you don't mind, but below are a few more visuals and options to consider for these great areas. So much to see and do in these great areas!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 203,160 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

 

Ladies and generations from a family are departing a church service in main Mykonos on a Sunday morning. It was nice to see the people who live there and not have things too busy from the tourism masses!!:

 

 

 

At the fish docks in Mykonos near many outdoor dining places that overlook the harbor, there are discussions about some of the recent catches being offered to a local resident.:

 

 

 

Here is another visual on the opposite side from the Mykonos village on this scenic island. This picture is from Elia Beach.:

 

 

 

On Athens’ Acropolis hill with our very knowledgeable private guide we lined up at the site, she helped us appreciate all of the history and architectural details there at this famed site going back 700 years before Christ. Having a guide here does involve some added cost, but it made a hugely positive difference for us in understanding so much more about what is up there, why it is important, how these structures were constructed, etc.:

 

 

 

Here is one sampling from Athens’ very historic National Archaeological Museum featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities. We loved this great range of art, its history, evolution to the Roman periods, etc.:

 

 

 

Nearby to our hotel in the Plaka is this cute shop with a wide variety of statutes and other reproductions reflecting the great Greek artistic traditions. My wife is pictured with the shop owners. They were very helpful and had a wide selection of options. We bought a couple of nice items that are in our home daily as a reminder of our wonderful visit to Greece.:

 

Wow. All I can say is Wow!