LabMom57

Link to article with picture of Passau flooding. (Scroll down) 

 https://www.euronews.com/login

I got this picture from the driver I had hired to take us from the airport in Prague to our hotel when I contacted him to cancel. It is a picture of Passau yesterday:

Well, hubby and I have decided to pull the plug after watching reports from the area. We just are not comfortable with the state of things on the Danube. We are fortunate to have made all of our reservations through Avalon. The only money we will not get back is what we paid for the insurance. We are very grateful to have had options. We know ourselves and we aren't comfortable with winging things. 

I wish everyone still going to have fair skies and lower water levels. May the impacted regions recover quickly from this disaster.

1 hour ago, Kenster said:

But they could use another ship that is already upriver. 

@KensterThey could. There is a ship upriver. I'm assuming that all of their ships are booked up but I might be assuming incorrectly,

@goksucats We were looking at moving it back but there are too many complications. First is that we have to file a claim with the insurance company in order to receive the Travel Certificate. Then there is moving all of our other arrangements and the flights. We are still weighing our options, but looking at the 10-day forecast for Prague and Vienna, it's really not looking too positive with rain still in the daily after the weekend.

For those who know the area, what is it like in late September / early October? 

Just now, AHMIowa said:

Ours is the Envision heading east on June 12. I didn't purchase a bus tour, and honestly, with the boat still stuck in Vienna for the unknowable future, I really wish we could reschedule. Don't want to be soured on a river cruise forever, but my stress level is way too high when it's supposed to be a break. 

@AHMIowa I just called my TA. She's calling Avalon now to find out what our options are and hopefully find out what they have planned. Since the ship is in Vienna until the 12th, that does seem to indicate it won't be available for us to board on the 12th in Vilshofen!

4 minutes ago, Kenster said:

Just to be clear to readers, Avalon doesn’t actually provide that coverage. You purchased it. 
Travel insurance, like all insurance, is always a gamble. But it’s certainly a good call this year. 🙂

Thanks for noting that. I should have said the insurance we purchased through Avalon. I never buy insurance through cruise lines, but the Aon Affinity insurance Avalon offered is exceptional.

We always buy travel insurance but this is the first time we may use it.

37 minutes ago, goksucats said:

As I pointed out to Labmom57 above.. she is going to be on Avalon Envision I believe the week before we are.  While we are all disappointed at the possible change of plans, I wouldn't immediately discount Avalon's ability to make this worthwhile.  They are a division of Globus International which many consider to be the premiere land-based tour company.  Unlike any other cruise line, I'd have to believe Avalon/ Globus could create something amazing for us if the river doesn't cooperate. 

@goksucats -- I like your positivity! I am sure you are right. We actually have a land-based safari booked with Globus in 2025.

We are cruisers because we like that style of travel. I believe you are correct in your outlook. We just have to decide if we want to do that or move to a different cruise date. We are retired, so while it would be a real pain to rearrange everything and move to the June 19 or June 25 cruise, that is definitely a consideration for us so we can experience this vacation as envisioned. We have a lot of money in this one and I really wanted to have the "dream" of cruising down the Danube. 

Decisions, decisions! 

30 minutes ago, Kenster said:

Blame your cruise line, not river cruises in general. And try someone else next time. I highly suggest Avalon. We gave our sixth cruise booked with them for the Fall. 

We are on Avalon.

I just dug into my insurance and Avalon provides cancel for any reason that will give us the funds as FCC. It's a lot to have tied up but better than having to take a week long bus tour.

Just for background, we are experienced ocean cruisers. I know things happen and have had ports skipped due to unforeseen circumstances. What I am not thrilled about from this experience is that the entire cruise is disrupted due to river levels. I had anticipated that later in the year due to low levels, I hadn't done enough research I guess to realize that flooding could take out the entire cruise. 

58 minutes ago, NCvol24 said:

I think they should give the option to cancel at this point for those of us starting soon. I understand it is a lot of money for them to lose, but it's a lot of money for us too, and how they handle things will make me want to come back or not.

Agreed. Our cruise is set to start 12 June and I am not thrilled about the possibility of a bus tour instead of a cruise. While I realize the cruise line cannot change what is happening, I would appreciate an opportunity to rebook, which it does not look like I will have. Probably will not do a river cruise again.

Well, just catching up here and I see I missed a lot of relevant information!

We leave on Friday for Prague to spend a few days before our Danube river cruise on the Avalon Envision. We will head to Regensberg on 12 June to embark. I sure hope things improve by then. I still see rain in the long range forecast!

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! It helped pass the time till our next cruise on the Westerdam in a week. Love reading your posts!

We like HAL but we don't need a lot of entertainment/lectures since we like port-heavy cruises. I would not advise doing a long trip your first time out unless the itinerary is your driving force.

As others have said the food and staff are very good on HAL. We had a ball on our first HAL cruise. We leave on our second one in a week. 

YMMV!

I agree. We recently sailed on the Edge. We upgraded to a Retreat class suite and that made the entire journey for us. The Retreat areas were the only place we felt welcome and were treated well. I will not sail on Celebrity again without a suite with Retreat access. Unfortunately for them, that prices them way beyond HAL. We are sailing on HAL in 10 days. It's only our second HAL cruise but I anticipate many more. Far superior crew.

We just return from a 12-day sailing from Sydney to Auckland on the Celebrity Edge. We have sailed on other cruise lines and usually book a veranda cabin. When we booked this cruise it was due to the itinerary, which turned out very well. We arrived early in Sydney and got to enjoy that city before the cruise. We also had a few days in Auckland after the cruise.

What we loved:

- We bit the bullet and bit on an upgrade to an Aqua Sky Suite. No butler but you do have the Retreat Lounge, Retreat pool and sundeck, and Luminae. Having the Retreat class access made the trip for us. This was because we love to drink wine and in Luminae, the Retreat Lounge, and the Retreat Pool bar, there was never an upcharge on the wine. This might not mean much to you, but on this itinerary wines nearly all outside of our package. There was only 1 chardonnay that was within the limit but the bars didn't carry it. 

- Service in Luminae was outstanding at every meal.

- Cafe al Baccio and il Secundo make excellent capuccinos and it WAS included in our classic drinks package.

- Water bottles were plentiful every day. I drink a lot of water and having it rationed with a limited on number of drinks per day is annoying. (Yes, I do use tap water if I have ice cubes.)

- Medical providers. I became ill and needed treatment on the ship. This accomplished with no problem including the 2 medications I needed. I thought the cost was reasonable for out of network provider and medication. I do have medical travel insurance so will try to get reimbursed but it won't be devastating if that doesn't work.

- Viewing the sounds was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed that part of the cruise.

- The sail on the ship was wonderful. Waves hitting the bow did not bang due to the design, and ship stabilization is fabulous.

What we didn't love:

- Prices for drinks. In Eden bar, the martini's were $24 and in Martini's bar they were $20. When we were on Holland America in August, the same drinks were all included in the Have it All package -- no upcharges. This was my top complaint.

- Oceanview Cafe buffet is self serve. Post COVID, I hate using utensils used by others.

- Inability to get reservations for any of the 4 main dining rooms using the app -- ever. I would have liked to try them but they were apparently totally booked up before the cruise.

- Shore excursions:  Hit or miss. My main issue with these was that the descriptions were often very wrong. Example: Seal Safari Coastal Tour. It was pleasant enough but given the price, 15 minutes spent looking at half dozen seals and 3 hours spent driving back and forth did not make me happy. We drove through farm land with windmills on it. This might be nice for some but it looks exactly like Eastern Washington. I would have preferred more information to make a better choice. 

- Venues were PACKED. I thought having multiple bars and music locations would mean we could find one to enjoy. We did -- in the Retreat. Don't try to drink in Martini's. The place is always packed and good luck getting service anywhere other than the bar.

What surprised us:

- The carpet in the hallways was visibly dirty. They need to be replaced or professionally cleaned.

- The Cruise Director, Guisseppe, was fabulous. He's over the top but in a good way.

- The ship's production shows were very good.

- The 7:30 show was full every night.

There are pros and cons for all cruise ships and cruise lines. We choose based on itinerary, cost, and value in that order. This cruise wound up costing us much more than originally planned but we had a good time. I don't think we will ever sail on such a large ship again but I'm glad we did it.

I hope these thoughts help someone.

19 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Any thoughts on how you do the comparison?

There is a secret to getting a good price on Oceania. You have to plan far ahead. The best pricing is when they first release the itineraries. The sailings are almost never less than that. Admittedly, it is still higher than I'd like with Simply More, but if I add up what we spend on drinks, food/dining, and excursions (assuming we do ship excursions which really depends on the itinerary), Celebrity is still higher at the end. Our trips tend to be longer and further away. We don't typically sail Caribbean itineraries. We like Oceania for the specialty restaurants and small ships and port intensive itineraries. We like HAL for overall value and itineraries. We chose Celebrity for the price and itinerary for Sydney to Auckland. I'm sure we will love the cruise. It's just coming out much more expensive than I had planned after adding in the excursions, specialty dining (I didn't get the discount prices), and cost of drinks.

YMMV.

Just now, calicakes said:

We have 2 X cruises booked( Edge coming up next month, booked when the prices were still all inclusive and we got a great deal and we booked Galapagos for 2025.  Will move back to Oceania if we book another cruise.  The miso glazed cod in Red Ginger is probably the best seafood dish I've had on a cruise.  Maybe even on land. 

We are also booked for the Galapagos in January 2025 on the Xpedition!

16 hours ago, maureenk said:

Am I being naive or are the prices for Eden and Fine Cut on Edge excessive?!  Im thinking we already are entitled to a nice meal in the dining room. While I’d love to try them both, not sure I’ll spend for them if my shipboard credit ends up being refundable. The fees seem high then they tack on another 20% for gratuity. I’m all about different and new experiences so I get that AND it’s vacation so why not live it up?!  Do you feel these are worth the surcharge?  Seriously interested in opinions. Thank you!

I think the prices for the specialty restaurants and wines by the glass are outrageous on Celebrity. I am truly shocked. We have our first trip with them in just over a week and it has run much more than I had anticipated. Lesson learned. We are still going and will still enjoy it, but given our retired status now, this will be our last (non expedition) Celebrity cruise I'm afraid. Dollar for dollar, both Holland America and Oceania are a better fit for our budget.

2 minutes ago, alexandria said:

Our own (now adult) children were raised to be well-behaved and respectful (even addressing other adults by "sir", "ma'am" and only by their last names "Mr...." and/or "Mrs....") and they were regularly complemented by other adults

Sounds like you and I are from the same generation and probably region.

On 1/11/2024 at 3:19 PM, FLCruiser97 said:

And is bottled water included in the 15 drink limit.

Yup. We regularly get 5 -6 cans of water per day -- more if we can depending on how much wine we drink that day. Obviously, we consume more on the ship on sea days than port days.

Read the fine print. Celebrity's GCs are far more restrictive than the others.

Add me to the parenting fail votes. When our kids were little, my husband and I took turns eating/taking the child outside. There is no excuse for poor adult behavior. There should not be a need to restrict who comes to the dining room. I've seen plenty of well behaved children on cruise ships. Babies can't be in control. It's the parents' job.

I also agree that the person who said they will stick to Viking should probably do so. Celebrity is NOT the same as Viking in any aspect. They are not in the same class and it isn't fair to compare. That's like expecting a Carnival cruise to be on par with Regent Seven Seas.

What would be the average cost to get from the Hilton in Auckland to the airport? The cruise transport option is $70 per person, which seems really high.

Thanks!

On 12/27/2023 at 1:50 PM, markeb said:

 

There have definitely been nights when I'd love a simple dinner salad and maybe a little soup. 

 Our last cruise was our first Penthouse cabin on Oceania. It afforded us dinner from anywhere on the ship. We had more than one dinner in our cabin that was just a salad or sandwich. We also have learned to listen to our bodies when we cruise!

Ship: Edge

Length of Cruise:11 nights 

Cruise Sail Date: 04 February 2024

Date email offer received: 23 December 2023

Captain’s Club Tier: Preview

Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA

Current Cabin: C2 Concierge

Bid? Yes/No: Yes 

If YES - Bidding Details:

Cabin Category: AquaClass Sky Suite

Bid Offer: $1700 (US) pp

Notification Date: 08 January 2024

Accepted / Rejected: Accepted

We have a cruise from Sydney to Auckland coming up. We will stay a few days at each end. Do we need to obtain local currency for any reason or will credit cards suffice?

Thanks!