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dlh015

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Everything posted by dlh015

  1. Always have to smile when this sort of question is asked...because I just wouldn't even consider taking that chance. Playing 'chicken' with the captain is a losing proposition...
  2. Yes, just click on the Change Flight icon. Your flight will only be replaced *if* you hit change later on at bottom of page...
  3. Mine disappeared a few months ago...suddenly email bounced and voicemail was like yours... Haven't been assigned a new one...
  4. You made me blush...lol. No, I did not ask anyone to empty the minibar...it was empty upon our arrival. However, when James saw I liked IPAs he kept it stocked at no charge along with ginger ale for my DW. And that was it. But I understand not all butlers will do this (from what I've read here on CC) and that we were fortunate enough to have one who did. It certainly enhanced our cruise. I do certainly agree that some deals in other categories do come around from time to time...rereading that part of the post I realize I was too strict in my wording. If the right itinerary comes up at a decent price I would keep X in the running... We're cruising the West Indies on Viking Ocean next year. It's an itinerary we've been interested in for a while. And we want to try a smaller ship. And, believe it or not, we like the decor on their ships. I've been sorting thru a myriad of info and pricing amongst a variety of lines that all get a mention here from time to time. We only have a few destinations that we are interested in so that narrows things down a bit. BTW, just to be clear: the Apex is an awesome ship. Current crew is friendly and competent.
  5. * Embarkation out of Fort Lauderdale was super smooth. It was barely 15 minutes from arrival to luggage drop off in our Magic Carpet stateroom to hitting lunch in Luminae. We got to the port about 11:45 am. * Our room attendant Tommy stopped by and introduced himself shortly after our return from lunch. Our butler James (it said butler on his card) stopped by soon thereafter. He kept our minbar stocked with my fav IPAs and my DW's fav beverages. Yes, he is handling 23 suites...sadly across various decks. He was surprised that I knew about his work load. He said that there was no plan to increase staffing. * We did not go to any specialty restaurants except Eden and ate most of our meals in Luminae when it was open. Service was very good. Food was always hot (except when it wasn't supposed to be 🙂). Wine pours were generous. Unfortunately I failed to note the names of them. Oops. * The Apex was beautiful. And that is an understatement. Very, very clean. We did not encounter any blaringly loud music but we didn't hang around the grand plaza very much so it could have been nasty for others. The corridors didn't have any loud music and many times just had an ocean waves sound. We just enjoyed walking around the ship and admiring the art. * Eden was wonderful. Had a great table and again, the staff was attentive and the food was served at an appropriate temperature. One little gotcha was the yellow snapper my DW had was way too hot spice-wise. We could not tell from the ingredients that it would be that hot. This was easily remedied by exchanging entrees...so she had my Filet Mignon & mini-beef Wellington. (Yes, we could have sent it back but there was no need as I happen to like spicy hot food.) We really enjoyed watching the chefs at work...what a team!! * The weather was superb everywhere! (Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Belize, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman) * We organized our own excursion in Key West which was a walking tour. We visited the Little White House, the lighthouse and the keeper's quarters, the Hemingway Museum, the southern most point marker, and the Nature Conservatory. We liked it all but the Butterfly Conservatory was just amazing. Highly recommend a visit to that...we would definitely go again. * In Belize we visited the Mayan Lamani ruins. It was a 'complicated' tour as there was a bus ride, then a boat ride to get to the site. They also fed us a 'locals' lunch of chicken, fried plantains, potato salad and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk. Everything was quite tasty. This was a ship excursion and that was a good thing because we were the last bus to return and had a tender all to ourselves. We were only 15 minutes late and the tour guides were in constant contact with the ship. We were late because the bus air suspension system failed and the speed bumps were horrendous. (And there were a lot of them!) Incredibly, they dispatched another bus that happened to be nearby (or perhaps it was just ready for just this kind of emergency) and we transferred quickly and easily. * We also took a ship excursion in Cozumel. Since the operator cancelled our original Tulum excursion because of time constraints (whatever), we ended up going to the San Gervasio ruins and then the beach. Our guide was hilarious and an island native of Mayan heritage. You wouldn't have known he would be so enjoyable when you first met him. Frankly, I was not getting a great vibe in the beginning but that quickly turned into a bunch of fun. (His name was Jesus) * For Grand Cayman, we booked a private excursion from a company recommended here on CC (Shore Excursions Group). It went to the Crystal Caves. Celebrity wanted $300 per person for their excursion. We paid $250 for both of us. The guide at the site (Ives) was great and really made the tour interesting. However...the bus left without us! We had returned a few minutes late apparently. Well, the staff at the caves were familiar with Caytours (the subcontractor) and made some hurried calls and they came back and got us. Whew. Did not need that! Getting a taxi on Grand Cayman was not an option given the time constraints. (Some folks on the bus told us that there was some confusion about the number of people they were supposed to pick up...ooooookay...so off they went) I have sent an email to the company with my comments. *Disembarkation could not have been easier. We did a Celebrity excursion to an Everglades Airboat park and then it dropped us off at the airport. It was a fine day. Couple of negs: * Don't much care for the design of the storage space in the MC Sky Suites. The bathroom and balcony were fine...especially the balcony...it was huge. But getting to the closet was a bit of a hassle. Actually it was a pain in the a**. However, there was sufficient drawer space for the two of us. A larger table on the balcony would be nice. * The video on demand and the channels were, well, severely lacking in content and functionality. * Despite monitoring my account daily, including the morning of our departure, I received a bill of $17.78 for the minibar. The minibar was empty when we arrived. I left a couple beers in it that I put there. So I have no idea where the charge came from...perhaps there was a paperwork mix up...I don't know. But I do know that I am not going to bother going thru the process of clawing my money back. The Retreat Sun Deck and Lounge were great...really enjoyed them. So we had a pretty good cruise. (never had a bad one frankly...) But it will be a while before we sail X again. It will have to be a great itinerary and there will need to be some pricing changes. But I'm not holding my breath for any of that. They're sailing full so why should they change? We booked this Sky Suite when grats were included and we got $600 in OBC. Thank goodness. That gave us some value-add. One more thing...the Apex was full...yet it never, ever felt crowded. And the other cruisers were no problem at all, no crazy outbursts or rude behavior. Well...one small humorous event. One evening (9:30 ish) towards the end of the cruise I was hanging out on the port side of the Sunset bar. Just listening to the sea and looking at the wake and stars. I hear a woman's voice asking the bartender if he 'has a light'...he says no. She then accosts a group of folks sitting in a lounge area right at the wake area. "HEY! Anyone got a light??" I hear mumbled nos and I look to see their heads shaking as the woman heads off toward the starboard side (where the smoking area is). I resume my enjoyment of the serene circumstances I am in. About 5 minutes later I hear "HEY YOU" very close to me. I turn and yep, it's her. She staring right at me. Then: "Got a light?" I say no. She says "what are you doing here?" I say nothing and slowly just turn away...off she goes. As I later walk by the aforementioned table of people, they start laughing and we all just start wondering what she was smoking... ETA: Okay, maybe not so short...😁
  6. When I was on the Equinox in Jan. '23, I ordered some food, the waiter said I would be charged...I said fine...he came back later and said I wouldn't be charged because I was in a suite. (Sky Suite). Sure enough, the charge was added to my account and then removed a little later. YMMV. 🤷‍♂️
  7. Yep, you sure *can* do that...rep was very wrong...
  8. Yes. Those menus are the same as the ones you find published on profcruise...except for the beef dishes which are always at the top. So they've had all the menus reprinted?? Huh...
  9. Agreed...but I would add cell phones to the list...right in front of social media...
  10. Thanks, didn't know that...new to NCL. Yeah, I wouldn't bother booking thru BOGO then...apparently they do things a bit differently...
  11. Since you were vague about when you actually leave, let's say you leave at 9 pm your time (Minneapolis) on the 8th. The flight is about 8+ hours long (not counting any layovers of course). Landing would be 5 am your time and 11 am London time on the 9th. If you want to spend 2 nights in London, you would need to leave on the 7th. It looks like you need to make some adjustments...
  12. Wear what you like...I did one on the Equinox on a port day...loved it. It was quiet, I could nap and read and nosh...I thought it was much better than pool side. Don't know what they offer on your cruise, but I got a bottle of vodka (Grey Goose) and there was a menu of included food stuff...there was also a dedicated person taking care of the 'alcoves'... It was a very pleasant day...
  13. At this point, I'm not believing anything until I experience it myself. In April. As I've said before, I'll post my experience here upon my return. (Around April 22nd or so...)
  14. Just as I was starting to think that perhaps things would work out...then X does it to me *again*... I was just getting to the point of 'forgive and forget'...but if this latest turn about is true...well, like the song goes: "we won't be fooled again"... I'm with you @Octavias...too tired of it all to be mad. But I'm gonna enjoy our April cruise anyhow...that's up to us, and I expect nothing from them...after all, that's how they've set my expectations isn't it?? ETA: BTW, I am hoping that this turnabout ends up being just hearsay...
  15. How soon is your cruise?? I'm curious as you mentioned widespread suit availability... If that is truly the case, I would bid just above the lowest on all categories... Did you receive a Move Up email or check your eligibility on the website?? Good luck!
  16. Straight up, no agenda review...love it! Thanks.
  17. This is the best thread I've read in a loooong time.... Thanks for the memories 🤣 @markeb Yeah, Born To Run is way up on my list...but Rosalita will always be my number one Bruce song...
  18. Just this morning I was showing my DW the spa prices on the Apex for our April cruise. I'm not allowed to post what she said...🤐
  19. Woo-Hoo...and it's off you go once again!! Glad to tag along of course!! Have a great cruise!!
  20. Today I looked at the Blackjack and Slots tournaments. On the first screen, it has the '(20% Off) Pre-Cruise Savings' in that ever-so-bright red. When I click on either tournament, it then displays the '(10%) Off Classic Cruise Savings'!! So my Loyalty level costs me more then the Pre-Cruise price?? Too funny. Still some work to be done obviously... ETA: However, if I carry on and reserve the tournament, it does indeed give me the 20%...so no harm done...just a little weirdness...
  21. Correctamundo! I did this on two of our ports for our October cruise on the Sun!
  22. Ah, no, you weren't the one. I can guarantee that...lol. Any posts associated with the guilty party were also removed including a couple of mine. That's the way they do it here. You get used to it...
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