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mnocket

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Everything posted by mnocket

  1. We stayed at the Borg in September. It is perfectly located and very nice. However, the day before boarding we were informed that our ship would not be docking at the pier that's right in town and easily walkable from the Borg, but instead would be docked at another pier several miles further from downtown. Just something for people making their own arrangements to be aware of.
  2. You seem pretty firm in your belief that cruise line call centers will negotiate prices. Why don't you give it a try and report back. I'm with those who think it's a lost cause, but I'm always willing to be proven wrong.
  3. Yeah, ours took a bit longer, but nothing like the waits that people were reporting a while back. However, I'm kicking myself for not requesting the larger passport with more pages.
  4. That's been my experience too. If I upload a photo, they ignore it at check-in and take their own photo. I think this is probably a case of out-of-touch back-office management thinking asking customers to upload photos is solving a real problem and saves the company money - when in reality, the front-line workers know it's far easier to just take a new photo. Taking the photo at check-in simply isn't a problem that needed solving. It's quick and it's easy. It's faster and easier than pulling up the photo the customer uploaded and checking its quality and framing and deciding if it's good enough. I know the business management trend is to look for opportunities to shift work from your employees to your customers, but it's not a one size fits all solution, and this is one of those cases where it benefits neither the company nor the customer. Unfortunately, the people who thought this was a good idea are unlikely to recognize this reality.
  5. Not a very impressive looking invitation🙁
  6. Does this other cruise line offer low price protection even after final payment?
  7. As far as I'm aware, a low-price guarantee that extends past final payment simply doesn't exist on any cruise line. Switching to another cruise line will not make you less vulnerable to this reoccurring in the future. So that leaves you, and everyone, with a choice... A) Book early. Watch for price improvements up until final payment. Realize that you will miss out on any last minute booking deals that may occur. B) Wait to book in hopes that there will be last minute deals offered after the final payment date. Realize that no such deals may be offered, you may wind up paying more than if you booked early and you may not have a good selection of cabins, excursions, etc. Whenever one has a choice, there's always the possibility that time will show that the wrong choice was made. That happened to you in this case. It happens. You could have waited to see if last minute deals were offered. You didn't. I don't either, and sometimes I miss out on last minute price reductions. However, given that I don't live within driving distance to the ports, I care about having a good choice of cabins, I don't want to book my airfare at the last minute when prices often rise, I don't want to find the most popular excursions already booked, etc... I find the risk of waiting is greater than the reward. Lamenting that low-price guarantees aren't offered past final payment is perhaps understandable, but ultimately pointless.
  8. Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I had a brain fart. We are sailing on the Wind Spirit not the Wind Surf as I said. So it's the drydock schedule for the Wind Spirit that I'm interested in.
  9. Has anyone studied the cruise schedules to find gaps that may indicate when each ship will be in drydock? I just booked a cruise aboard the Wind Surf for September '25. Just curious as to whether improvements will be made prior to that time.
  10. I've pretty much reset my expectations regarding food on any cruise line. I took my first Windstar cruise in September and I found the food to be acceptable, but it did not come close to matching the rave reviews I've read on this forum. On a related note... I also found the Windstar passengers to be a nice group, but VERY loyal to the cruise line. A surprising number cruised only on Windstar and this no doubt narrowed their perspective and basis for comparison. I then took my first cruise on Regent in December (yes, I'm one of those who is stepping up from Celebrity, Princess, etc.). Once again, while perfectly fine, the food didn't really live up to the high expectations that had been set by posters on the Regent forum. And once again, I found many passengers to be VERY loyal to Regent, although a greater percentage did sail some other luxury lines. I've come away from this foray into higher-end cruise lines with the impression that although reviewers will often speak in superlatives about the food - even comparing it to fine dining at land-based restaurants, it should all be taken with a grain of salt. As I've said, I've reset my expectations. I expect good, sometimes very good, dining when cruising, but not something that rivals fine dining on land. Service, lack of crowds and itinerary now drive my choice of cruise lines. I've just booked a 17-night cruise aboard the Wind Spirit🙂
  11. It's really just a tradeoff that each person must judge for themselves. High discount booking sites or travel agents work on a lower margin and count on volume to make money. Because of this they simply don't have the time or resources to offer comprehensive post-booking customer support. Think of them more as order takers than full-service travel agents. For people who value low prices above all else, this is a good option. Just keep in mind that you aren't going to get the same level of service after you book as you will from a full-service and knowledgeable travel agent. On the other extreme are high-end travel agencies that not only don't offer any discounts or additional perks, but actually charge an additional fee for their services. On the plus side, you can expect these agents to be knowledgeable and willing to "hold your hand" throughout your vacation experience. This is valuable for those customers who aren't personally knowledgeable about cruising and the various cruise lines and have no interest in spending time researching their options. These agents are especially helpful when things don't go according to plan. For example, if your flight is cancelled at the last minute, you give them a call and they will handle making alternate arrangements for you. At the end of the day, there isn't a right answer as to whether a discount or full-service TA is better. It simply depends on what a particular customer is looking for. Personally, I often find that a big box retailer's travel department offers a good middle ground. They offer a shopping credit for booking with them, albeit not as large as some high-discount agents will offer, but they also tend to be available, responsive and helpful, if not as knowledgeable as full-service TA who specializes in cruising.
  12. I recall that when I took my first Windstar cruise aboard the Pride last September, free laundry was included due to the length of the cruise despite my not having any Yacht Club status. Does anyone know what the cruise length needs to be for this perk? I've just booked a 17-day cruise on the Wind Spirit. It's really a B2B, but offered and booked as a single cruise. Thanks.
  13. I did the same. At least I think I did, having researched companies that are reported to sell properly certified glasses. I must admit though, I do wonder just how real the issue really is. I mean if there really was a bunch of companies selling ineffective glasses, wouldn't there be a bunch of people suffering vision damage after each eclipse? And if this has indeed been happening, why hasn't the press ever reported a large-scale problem? I'm not willing to take the chance, but I do think it's likely not actually a big issue.
  14. I'm with you, but threads like this just remind me how different people are.
  15. The answer to that question is always yes.
  16. One Piece of Advice (which I didn't follow🙁) When applying for or renewing your US passport, request the large one with 52 pages. If you plan to travel much over the next 10 years, it's easy protection to avoid having to renew early because you ran out of pages. Don't forget, many countries require multiple blank passport pages. I just renewed mine, and I forgot to check the box.
  17. I wasn't aware that there was a daily allocation. So how many drinks are allowed on the package?
  18. I'm guessing "catch" with the drink package is that since drinks are limited to $13.50, a double will exceed that limit and you will wind up paying for the double (less 20%). So ordering a double if you're on the drink package wouldn't make sense.
  19. Great link. Bookmarked. Thanks.
  20. I guess with modern navigation systems it's much easier to drive in countries where you don't speak the language and can't read the road signs. Funny you mentioned a TA to Europe followed by a road trip. Next year I am taking a TA with my brothers & spouses. They then intend to do a road trip in England. My wife has never been to Paris, so I've been pondering splitting off and touring France by car. I've never seen France beyond Paris, so a road trip may well be in our future. Added bonus... we've been watching Escape to the Chateau and she would love to stay in some Chateaus😍
  21. That's actually what has kept me from booking. Their itineraries are not exciting.
  22. Yes. I've watched Youtube videos from travel vlogers who specialize in taking luxury train trips in many countries. India was interesting. There's also one in Peru that looks great. Andean Explorer, A Belmond Train | Luxury Train Travel in Peru They tend to be very expensive, but doing 1 or 2 of these trips is starting to creep onto our bucket list🙂
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