Poconolady

I find that European cruises tend to be dressier due to so many Europeans being onboard. That said, nice pants and dressy tops are perfectly acceptable on all Celebrity cruises. Australia was very casual.

African safaris are amazing, they truly are a once in a lifetime experience, but the problem is they leave you wanting to come back over and over again. What a problem!! There are several cruises that go up the east coast that has excursions to safari camps, several with overnights. Azamara does a round trip from Capetown and Oceana has one in Jan 26 that sounds very interesting. The best way to see Africa is on the ground though, so if cruising, be sure to include a pre or post experience on land. You have to sleep in a tented camp and hear the animal sounds at night at least once in a lifetime. Nothing like a Lion roaring in the distance to help put you to sleep, or waking up in the morning and finding elephant footprints outside your front door!!

12 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Yes, but which port do you book your flight to if they are subject to change.

Amsterdam (AMS);is the main airport for both Amsterdam and Rotterdam

Wow- I finally made   it- 29 pages and you haven’t even dropped anchor at the first port!  It was a great way to spend a Saturday laying on the couch recuperating from a case of post cruise “crud”, coughing and sneezing my head off. Just got off the Millennium on Tue., 12 night in Southern Japan for cherry blossom season. Great  cruise, even in Okinawa when we experienced the tsunami warning following the earthquake in Taiwan. It was a very unreal feeling,:standing on a high hill and watching our ship sail out of the harbor without us! Luckily all was ok before the end of the day.

Just off the Millennium, they had Ipad 9’s 256 in stock. $475. I had checked Best Buy and Target before going so price wise they were pretty similar. Not enough of a savings onboard to make worth it, to me. The best part of having the Apple reseller onboard is the help from staff. During the course of the cruise in Japan my iPad, Apple Watch and iPhone all stopped playing well together, the nice gentleman worked it all out for me.

Special request please- if anyone is currently on the Millennium, could you stop by the Apple Store and see if they have any IPads in  stock? Generation number would be an added plus!

Thank you so much, in advance!!

Agree on the train idea. Book a hotel at, or near, the station. (Hotel Granvia Kyoto is above the station, not too expensive, clean and very convenient.) Go to Get Your Guide or Tours by Locals and arrange a Gion tour for the evening, and then a seperate short half daytour of several of the shrines and temples that you are interested in for the next day. Be sure to state upfront what your time restrictions are and the need for a guide who will take it easy on your knees. ( Japan guides walk very fast). The hotel will hold your bags while you do the half day tour and you will be right at the station to catch the train back. We did this several years ago and are doing it again at the end of the month. If you want to see Osaka, then just do the train and return late on day one.

It is available in all bars, except those  in  the dining rooms.

Thank You,  that will work! 

Is it possible  to arrive at the dock and drop off the bags and then leave to explore Yokohama before returning to complete our 3:30 check in before sailing? If so, what is the earliest time to drop off the luggage? I would like to utilize this time to:see Yokohama as we must leave immediately after disembarking. The ship is scheduled to arrive in port at 6 am.

TIA

Hoping to find fairly recent reviews or suggestions for Shared Transportation options that will pick up from our hotel in Central Tokyo going to Osanbashi port. Do not want subway or train due to luggage, hoping to spend less than a taxi.  We did this pre Covid, but now there seems to be a lack of companies providing g this service.

2 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said:

The actual Flora zodiacs are fantastic.  they have stairs with a railing built in which raise and lower.  Makes it super easy to adjust to the height of the ship marina and on islands where the is some form of a landing"dock".  The naturalist also helps you.  The thing that can impact this is waves.  If it is very rocky, the ship and the tender are bobbing up and down.  The naturalists will either hold you back from boarding or advise "go now" if this is the case.  Of all of our days ( and you get on/ off multiple times per day), we only had once where it was really a big issue.

Good to know, thank you!

12 hours ago, traveler55g said:

I was interested in the Celebrity Flora, however my hesitation in booking comes from the zodiacs.

How difficult is it maneuver on and off the ship and land? It is our major reservation.

Thank you for sharing your trip with us.

 

I’m very interested in this too. We are booked on the Flora and I’m concerned that I might have difficulty with this. 

It’s always wise to carry a few test kits, some masks and hand sanitizer and enough cough and cold meds to carry you thru 5 days of isolation... Covid is definitely still active, better to be prepared.

The Infinity is one of the older ships, it has some wear, but overall it’s still a fine ship. Definitely go for Aqua, esp if it is less than balcony! Try for one of the Aqua  cabins on 11, they are newer and quieter  than those under the pool deck. 

Lovelacyc, thank you for the cherry blossom report. Our Millennium cruise leaving Yokohama on March 28 will be perfect timed!🌸🌸🍒🌸🌸

We do Aqua on the older ships and SV on Edge class ships, we are not fans of the infinate verandah, and feel that the four dining rooms on Edge class give a little variety to our dining. SV’s are great as long as.you don’t mind the walk to the central elevators. 

Really looking forward to your live review. We will be doing a family trip ( group of 6, 3 generations) on the Flora in August. Have fun!!

6 hours ago, prmssk said:

I have these in three different colors and really like them.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRFJZJ8Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you, I just ordered two pair! Should be great for a lot of other occasions too.

I see that most people in the last  zodiac shot have on long sleeves and long pants, is this for sun protection or weather?. What has the temperature been? 

Yay, a Jim_lain Live review!! I jumped in here to comment before this thread goes onto anymore pages! I was in Singapore about four years ago, riding on the top of a hoho bus, a big burst of wind blew my sun hat off and it landed on the sidewalk, next to a policeman who was patrolling. He picked it up, smashed it and threw it into a trash can and then turned to look up at the bus. I was afraid he was going to arrest me for littering! It would not have been a good start to a cruise! Still miss that hat, it was packable, UPF treated and looked cute.

Following along, we are on the Flora in Aug, so I am very interested in seeing how the daily activities are presented. We will be onboard with our family, including two teens, and admittedly a number of dietary restrictions and some mobility issues between the six of us. Its great to see how Celebrity works with those, it will make the whole trip a lot smoother and more fun!

This report has been excellent, you have answered so many questions and I am really looking forward to our trip in Aug.

Eden Cafe is a little hidden gem. Excellent cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, fruits and oatmeal plus toppings  ( plus other items, of course). Lunch  has carved meat sandwiches, create your own salads, soups, and the absolute best chocolate chip  cookies and brownies on the ship. Inside and outside seating. Check the daily planner for times, its not open every day.

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We’ll be on the Flora early next month and I’ll be doing one.

Great- I’ll be looking forward to it!