traveler525

11 hours ago, JasYHZ said:

Interesting - I have a Caribbean on Connie in January and my OBC isn't showing up either. My travel agent said there are "several hundred" people in the same situation; I wonder is it an issue with Constellation bookings only?

We are on the Summit in August

1 hour ago, Gaynors said:

I'm not sure but I think the difference was that OBC given by Celebrity showed up before boarding... OBC given by my travel agent didn't show up until after boarding.  However, just to add another twist, I didn't use the same travel agency for both cruises.

 

We were able to book excursions onboard with no problem.  We actually booked them the afternoon we boarded.   The ones we wanted were not sold out.  This was on a Caribbean cruise where there were lots of options offered.   I noticed on our Transatlantic that the ship did not offer as many options as I had hoped.  Probably because the celebrity ships do not stop at these ports every week like they do in the Caribbean. 

Thank you, that helps!

1 hour ago, Gaynors said:

We were lucky and all of our OBC showed up in the cruise planner before our sailing.  We were able to take advantage of any pre-cruise sales on excursions and were able to book everything we wanted, even specialty dining.

However, on a previous cruise I was in the same situation as you and had to wait to book onboard if I wanted to use OBC.

Well that is confusing why it would show up on one cruise and not another.

Were you able to book excursions once you were onboard or were a lot of them sold out?

"Since we had lots of OBC and didn’t need it for tips or drinks we booked shore excursions through the ship"

Thank you for your review. 

I am in the same boat (lol) as I have quite a bit of OBC from my TA but it doesn't show up in my Celebrity account and I cannot prebook shore excursions (right now, before my cruise, they are offering them at a discount).  Did you book your shore excursions before you cruised?  I am waiting at the moment until I get onboard to book them so I can use my OBC, but the ones online are showing that they are sold out.  I am hoping Celebrity reserves some space for when people get on the ship to book excursions if I cannot use my OBC before I board.  

21 hours ago, Triptkr said:

traveler525,

Hello!  I am wondering what decision you ended up making regarding the Island Princess - did you end up getting a stateroom on emerald(deck 8)?  If so, which one?  We are looking at maybe getting E737 or E736 due to the dual views.   I've read that people said that those two balconies were not for people that wanted privacy, just wondering what you thought of that and whether those are legit concerns.

I appreciate your comments!

Yes, we did stay in E736 and LOVED it! We loved being aft, and we had a great view from the balcony.  We were almost close enough to touch the walls when going back through the locks (we only did a partial transit).  There was also a door to the back of the ship right next to ours, and the wake views were lovely.  We did not have a problem with privacy.  Of course, it was warm on this cruise, so I cannot address the "coolness" factor.  I would chose this stateroom again easily.  

I was on the Island on Baha in the back for a Panama Canal cruise. Increased availability could be due to location. The Horizon Court buffet and Princess Theatre are at the front of the ship. Our dining room entrance was midship. It was a hike, a real hike, to get anywhere on that ship. Therefore, you can eat as much as you wish, because you will be working it off! Lol.

 

 

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Oh, that is a good thought! I do not mind walking, as you said, we can walk off those wonderful meals :) Thank you.

Correct - the lounge/nightclub on the Island was taken out in order to add more cabins. More cabins, more passengers, less public space = everything seemed crowded on the Island when I sailed on it. Lines for ATD, lines to get into the theater an hour before a show to get a seat. Good luck. For me, never again.

Thanks for letting me know!

Hi , we stayed in cabin e736 on Coral princess sister ship of Island, for a Panama Canal cruise. It looks like the deck plans for 8 are the same on each ship. We loved this cabin. The view is great as the railing curves a bit to the back giving you extra view behind also. It was also covered. Had no problem with movement , but we are not prone to sea sickness or light sleepers. Would definitely book again. At little extra walking but was great to wear off all the food and bevies !

If I can figure out how to put a pic up I will.

Thanks!! I can get a bit seasick but not often.

I would enjoy a picture if you find one:)

Susiean, the Island has a different layout since extra cabins were added I think. When I look at the deck plan, it shows (on the Island at least) rooms above and below deck 8. Deck 8 extends out further so I am guessing those rooms were added. Therefore I am a bit worried about the movement and vibration, if excessive, and since there are a lot of those cabins on deck 8 available right now, I am wondering if there is a reason no one is booking them.

Thank you Steelers36. We booked the last port balcony cabin, E736. We are not normally on a lower deck.

Anyone been on deck 8 on the Island?

Thank you for this information. I have not been on the Island but will experience her in 2 weeks. The reviews have made it a little scary, but posts like yours and a few others have been helpful and hopeful!

We are supposed to be on her in November and am not sure about our location at the back of the ship. After you return, would appreciate your thoughts!

Hello, in reading about the Island Princess I know people have strong opinions but since we have never been on her and the dates of the cruise work for us we have booked a cruise. But my concern is that we booked a cabin at the back of the ship on deck 8 and it looks to me as if there are a lot of cabins still available on that deck, aft. So I am wondering if anyone knows why that area might have a lot more availability than others on the ship. Problems with movement, noise? My husband and I have usually been aft, but since she is a smaller ship maybe there is more movement? Thanks for any help!

Just to confirm the convenience of staying at the Newark Penn Station Hilton when you are flying into EWR and want to tour in Manhattan, we did just that in 2010 and again the end of August this year.

 

Our flight was supposed to land at 10:30, so we had called and scheduled the Hilton shuttle for 11:00. Our flight was delayed a couple hours, so I called while still at the airport and rescheduled it for 1:00. The shuttle was there waiting for us at P4 when we got there right at 1.

 

We dropped off our stuff in the room and walked through the skyway to the Station. Stopped at a kiosk and purchased a $22 metrocard (2 people x $2.75 x 4, for the round trip on PATH and a round trip on the subway between WTC and Times Square.)

 

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening on Manhattan. I had pre-purchased tickets for the 9/11 Museum (as an AF retiree, my husband was free, and as a veteran, I was half price) and the One World Observatory. Amazing! Then we took a subway to Times Square, had dinner at Junior’s, and saw “Come from Away”, which is now one of our very favorite musicals ever. Then we took the subway back to the WTC and then the PATH back to Newark.

 

The next morning I requested an Uber to the port at 9:30. The driver was right out front, and the Fare was less than $19 plus tip.

 

We also took an Uber from the port to EWR after the cruise. Also quick and inexpensive.

 

 

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Thank you Sue for all the helpful, detailed information!

My husband is also a veteran, and I didn't even think of purchasing the tickets in advance, I am sure that would save time.

I appreciate it!!

Be sure to read the Hilton web site about how to connect with their shuttle. You have to let them know when you're arriving. You also have to take the Airtrain to the P4 stop for the shuttle pickup.

Oh, thanks for the advance information! We will check out the airport online and let Hilton know in advance.

Typically we don't recommend that out of town folks wander around on foot at night in downtown Newark. However, we recommend the 4* Hilton with its skywalk to Newark Penn all the time for folks who want easy access to both midtown and downtown NYC. Newark Penn Station is a major transportation hub with folks coming and going well into the evening. I would suggest you plan to eat dinner in NY before you return.

Thank you, that is now our plan!!

I really appreciate your help!

I would look at staying at the Newark Penn Station Hilton,

which is $30 less than Embassy Suites for your date when you compare the tax included prices. They have a free airport shuttle but no breakfast. The Hilton is connected to Newark Penn Station by a skywalk. You would walk across to the station and take PATH to the World Trade Center for $2.75/pp. The next day you could take Uber or a cab to Cape Liberty. The Uber prices folks have been posting for this trip are less than the cost of the Embassy Suites shuttle for 2 people.

 

Taking a cab or Uber from Embassy Suites to the 911 Memorial and back is going to be pricey. It's an interstate trip between NJ and NY and you will pay a premium for that. The Tunnel tolls are $15 and there are turnpike tolls as well. Add in some traffic congestion and you could have a time consuming expensive trip.

 

Staying at the Newark Penn Station Hilton is the easiest way for inexperienced out-of-towners to take advantage of the 22 minute PATH ride from Newark to WTC. To get back to EWR after the cruise, you can get a shared shuttle for $20/pp from the taxi dispatcher at the port.

Thank you 138east for the very helpful information! We are staying at the hotel with our points, so that is not as big a factor to us as the ease of transportation. I thought I had read from you in this thread that the area around the Newark Hilton might not be the best place to be in an evening, but perhaps I am remembering that incorrectly. If so, it certainly sounds easy enough for even us to ride this PATH :).

Hello, we are sailing on the Anthem of the Seas out of Cape Liberty 11/11. From what I have read in this thread (thank you everyone!) I think I will book us at the Embassy Suites for one night precruise. They provide pickup from the airport and we can book a shuttle (for a fee) to take us to port the next day. Our flight arrives at EWR around noon, so we plan on checking into hotel and then we would like to go see the 9/11 Memorial. Taking a taxi or uber (we have not used uber yet but are willing to try) sounds like the easiest for us midwesterners who are not used to public transportation (and not even used to taxis much either, ha!), although I am sure we can figure it out if that would be convenient. My question is as to how expensive it would be to use a taxi to the 9/11 Memorial and is it easy to get a taxi to get back to our hotel then when we are ready to go back? Another question, I have also read that one can take a ferry across, is that a better option?

The other option is just to stay at a hotel near the 9/11 Memorial and then just taxi to the port the next day. Of course, we would have to taxi into Manhattan first from the airport, so I am thinking my first plan would be the easiest, less expensive?

Thank you for any help!!

As everyone has said Venice is easy to walk around on your own. We wanted an overview though on our first day there and booked a walking tour with some others from our cruise. The tour guide was Luisella (luisella.romeo@gmail.com) and she was great :-).

Last September we stayed at the Hotel Indigo. Really nice, close to everything, only a ten minute walk to Vatican City.

Traveler525, breakfast service will end by 8:30, perhaps even as early as 8:00

Thanks, may need to rethink our pickup time....

Hi all.....we scheduled a later pick up (9:30 am) since we are staying a couple nights in Rome and thought it might be nice not to have to rush that morning. So from what is said, that time would be ok, but do they still serve breakfast until then? Or do we still have to be out of the room by 8:00 am, and have finished breakfast then too? Or can we leave and go to a dining room and have a "relaxed" breakfast?

Well, according to the representative, she went under my date requested and did actually book it. But she wanted my credit card to finalize it and I declined.

Well this is strange...I had to call Princess today about another issue so asked the representative about booking UBD and she was able to prebook it for me on the embarkation day. I was surprised but declined it as she needed a credit card to charge it to and we have some obc I intend to use. So, if one wants to prepay, it looks as if it is possible.

Thanks!