southwestgal

Dealing with the most recent Delta time change roulette. For the prior changes, we've been able to switch to flights with acceptable layovers, but now we are in a pickle and need expert advice from folks like Flyertalker and Globaliser.

Here's the current situation that Delta switched us to:

11/3, DL65, FCO-ATL, 10:25am - 4:54pm (comfort plus seats row 16)

connecting to

11/3, DL1319, ATL-PHX, 7:01 pm - 7:58pm (First Class cabin)

The change was on the ATL-PHX segment. Originally, we were on a flight leaving ATL to PHX at 10pm which had a 5 hour connection time. I am keeping the FCO-ATL flight but need advice about the Atlanta connection time and the ATL-PHX segment.

Note that we have two tickets that are supposedly "linked". Delta would not sell us one ticket with mixed classes. So they sold us a RT PHX-ATL-PHX in First Class and then we have a multi-city ticket, ATL-BCN returning from FCO-ATL in comfort class which at least gets us closer to the front of the bus when exiting in ATL.

We both have Global Entry, only have carry-on bags (nothing to check) and we are very mobile (i.e. we can run if we have to).

The 10pm flight that we were on from ATL-PHX was removed from Delta's schedule and the 7pm one is now the last non-stop flight out. Our other choice is to take an 8am flight out the next morning on 11/5.

I'm concerned about the 2 hour best case connection. If the flight is late, we are probably doomed. And if that happens, what are our chances of getting on the 8am flight the next day? I know, nobody has a crystal ball but I don't know if being in first class gives us any advantage over others about being accommodated.

Do we stick with the 7pm flight or suck it up and stay the night and leave the next day?

We are not retired and need to go to work Monday morning, hence we would love to get home Saturday night.

So, is 2 hours a good connection time or will we be doing a sprint through the airport? I hope I gave the experts enough information to give us some good advice. If there are details you still need, please let me know.:(

I really appreciate the knowledge sharing on this board.

Thanks!

We have visited a wonderful shop in Puerto Vallarta for many years now. They sell Majolica pottery which is made in Mexico. It has Morrocan influence and is absolutely gorgeous. We buy something every trip. They have something in all price ranges and take dollars as well as credit cards.

The name is Majolica Antica and the address is 191 Corona Street. They are about 2 blocks off the Malecon. Google map it - it's easy to find.

Thanks everyone for your replies. It definitely helps us make a decision on how to best proceed.

Southwestgal

Hi Everyone,

We're scheduled to arrive in Civitavecchia on November 3, 2018 at 5am on the Crown Princess. She is the only cruise ship in port that day.

I realize that 5am is the scheduled arrival and I shouldn't expect disembarkation to start until some time afterwards. I'm hoping that someone who has experienced Civitavecchia with a 5am docking can let me know what their disembarkation experience and timing was like.

Princess recommends that passengers not book a flight earlier than 6 hours after scheduled arrival. Our flight was originally scheduled to depart 8 hours after arrival. Now, the airline has changed the departure time and it is scheduled to depart 5.5 hours after arrival.

I have a private transfer booked for 6:30 am pickup. Is that realistic? Will I be able to get off the ship at that point? The previous day we'll be in Naples, so we're going from one Italian Port directly to another. Will we be able to get off earlier than 6:30? We can walk our luggage off ourselves. I'm not sure what time people can pick up their luggage if they choose to leave it out the night before.

Any direct experience at this port is helpful. I understand that stuff happens with weather, unexpected items, etc. But, if all goes well, can I expect to get off the ship no later than 6:30 am.

Thanks and please no lectures that I shouldn't even try it. I'm weighing my options here because there are no other good flights - all of the others increase my time in travel by another day. It's just 30 minutes earlier than Princess' cut-off and I have to believe that they pad the recommended time themselves just to cya themselves.

Thanks!!!!

Well, as they say, the best laid plans....

We had great flights booked and then Delta went ahead and changed our return flight from FCO-ATL. The flight is now leaving 2 hours earlier than originally scheduled - changed from 12:25 pm to 10:25 am. There is no way we will make a 10:25 flight out of FCO the same day we are docking at Civitavecchia.

Our final destination is not ATL, we are continuing on to PHX. The other options available to us to get back to the States will require us to spend another night somewhere in the States before getting to PHX.

Thinking outside the box, I think the best option might be to just keep our flight as is and disembark the cruise one night early in Naples. We already have a private tour set up and the driver can drop us off at the Naples train station. We can take the high speed train to Rome, connect to the train that goes to FCO and that only takes 1.5 hours. We can stay the night at the Hilton that is literally connected to the FCO terminals via a pedestrian tunnel. We can have a nice night's sleep and then the next morning just stroll into the airport. No stress. And missing the last night of the cruise is really no big deal to us. Also, the thought of not having to deal with the morning disembarkation in Civitavecchia is also really appealing.

I know all about the restrictions of leaving a cruise early in the US itineraries. We've also been on European itineraries and have seen people leave a day early (for example leaving in France instead of returning to Southampton). I haven't heard of anyone leaving in Naples.

So....after all that detail that you probably really didn't need - here's the big question. Has anyone disembarked in Naples on the Grand Med or similar cruise? The day before Naples is a sea day and the stop before that is Kotor, Montenegro (adding that detail in case it matters).

By the way, the ship is scheduled to dock at 5am in Civitavecchia and there are no other cruise ships scheduled that day that I can see on the port calendar. It's in November so the busy season is over. But I still think the chances of missing the flight is very high even with a private transfer.

I'll speak to my travel agent on Monday and have them contact Princess to see if we can make this work. But definitely wanted to hear about any personal experiences with this option.

Thanks. Always appreciate reading about other experiences and options on this board.

Southwestgal

Hi Romancingthebuck,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. My husband also honeymooned on a cruise - though many, many years ago.

Just a few thoughts...

Typically cruises over 7 days have less children/teens sailing since the families don't have that much time off - except perhaps in the summer.

Before picking the cruise line, I would suggest thinking about what you want to do/see on the cruise. Do you want to enjoy time sunning yourself by the pool or on a beach with water activities in the ports? More of a lazy, relaxing type of cruise with a fruity drink in your hand? Or, do you want to see a lot of scenery like canals, glaciers, fjords, small scenic towns? Or do you want a busy, port filled cruise where you get off in a different city each day and are busy from sun up to sun down with museums, architecture, historical sights, etc.? What part of the world do you want to see? Europe? Asia? USA/Canada/Alaska? Caribbean?

Once you determine what type of cruise you want, then I would suggest looking at the various lines to see what they offer. Smaller ships have a more intimate experience, but may lack some entertainment options. You will tend to see and interact with the same folks over and over because the passenger count is much smaller. You may find that, because of their size, the smaller ships might call on ports that are not part of the mainstream cruise itinerary. That can be good and bad - good because it can be a more authentic experience but bad because the port is not used to handling cruisers and may not have the infrastructure or tours to support it. On the other hand, the larger ships tend to have a greater variety to choose from for dining and entertainment options. Larger ships will usually stick to the mainstream ports and may have to use their tenders more often than the smaller ships to get people to shore. Larger ships will give you more variety on board.

We've sailed both types of ships and we've loved both.

And, of course, there is price. Some cruise lines offer a more "a la carte" experience (which some folks here tend to negatively call it nickle and diming". Others have a more inclusive approach. Neither is good or bad - it is just what works best for you.

My advice would be to think about where you want to go and what you want to do. That will usually determine the time of year because most itineraries are only offered at certain times of the year. Once you have that nailed down, then check the various offerings by the cruise lines. See what appeals to you most with the ships that they offer, the itineraries and the price points. Go on Cruise Critic and check the boards for those cruise lines and get a feel for the demographic. Obviously lines like Disney tend to cater more to families - you'll get a feel for that on the boards. Holland America, on the other hand, tends to have an older clientele. Obviously there are couples with no kids on Disney and younger folks on Holland America - but I think you understand where I'm going. There are also more basic lines and more luxurious lines.

Just some things to consider. Without knowing your particular tastes, wishes and price points, it would be very hard to point you to one specific cruise line.

Happy Sailing and Best Wishes!

Hi Everyone,

Our next cruise departs from Vancouver. We haven't started a cruise in this port for many years so wanted to ask a question about embarkation.

We have really downsized our packing a (still working on downsizing even more) and the last time we left from San Pedro we tried bringing our bags onboard ourselves instead of checking them. We each have a 24" rolling suitcase and a small backpack. The bags are too large to carry on the plane, but easily carried by us up and down stairs - they rarely weigh more than 35lbs. We brought them onboard ourselves in San Pedro and they fit through the scanners just fine. It was really nice bringing them on and being able to immediately unpack.

We have done the self-disembarkation for many, many years now and are used to carrying our bags ourselves so we don't hold anybody up and we always have a free hand for the escalator.

Does Vancouver work the same way as San Pedro? If the bags fit through the scanner are we able to bring them onboard ourselves? Or do we need to leave them with one of the Porters? I don't want to bring them inside, get in line, and then find out we have to go back outside and check them. So hoping that someone with experience can give us a heads up.

I know that a lot of you will probably chastise us for carrying them ourselves. But we are still young (at least in our minds), very mobile, and as long as we are still able we will continue to keep the bags with us. It was really nice to bring them right to the room, get the unpacking done and then have the rest of the embarkation day to relax without wondering if the bags got on. :)

Thanks!

We visited the USS Iowa a couple of years ago and did exactly as you mentioned. We parked close to the cruise ship and gave our larger bags to a Porter. We left our small carry on bags in the trunk of the car. Then we walked to the USS Iowa and had a great time onboard. We mentioned that we were cruising later that day, and by showing our cruise "ticket", they gave us half off the admission (basically a buy one and get one free for cruisers). I don't know if they still do that, but it is worth mentioning. We spent somewhere between 2-3 hours onboard. We took tons of photos and read every placard and examined every nook and cranny, so your mileage may vary. We received a pamphlet with the self-tour route on it. Really worthwhile to follow it. Beware that, at least at the time we were on, of the various steep stair/ladders that you will need to climb up and down. If you're physically challenged, then you will be a bit limited to the sections you can reach and you may spend less time on the ship. Either way, still worthwhile to visit. When we were done, we walked back to the car, grabbed our carryons and checked in for the cruise. By then, I guess it was around 1:30pm or so, there were no lines so it was a pleasure to get on the ship. If I remember correctly, we initially got into the parking lot and gave our bags to the porters around 10-10:30 am.

Enjoy your cruise and your visit to the USS Iowa.

Hi Critterchick,

Thanks for posting your experience with Club Class. We'll be in a suite on an Alaska cruise this summer and was wondering about the special suite breakfast perk and the Club Class impact. Since you were in a suite, were you offered breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants limited to suites or was the suite breakfast part of the club class offerings in the dining room? If it was in the dining room, were the breakfast hours extended for the club class folks?

Thanks!!!!

We visited the Iowa last year. We got to the port earlier than usual and parked near the cruise ship leaving our bags in the trunk. Then we walked over to the Iowa. We mentioned we were on a cruise and by showing our cruise tickets we got a two for one admission special. We spent about 2-3 hours on the ship then walked back to our car, got our bags and checked in for our cruise. It was great and I highly recommend visiting the ship.

I have no advice...just wanted to wish you and your daughter a wonderful time on your cruise.

This was not the case on the May 12th sailing. It was widely thought beforehand that the first formal night would be the first sea day but it was actually the 2nd sea day, between Warnemunde and Tallinn. The 2nd formal night was, in fact, the day we were in Helsinki.[/QUOT

 

Just got off the Regal today. Our experience was the same.

Just got off the Regal a few hours ago. No themed nights that you need to prepare for. There is a Midsommer night but they have an activity to make a flowered headband. Formal nights were a Mix of tuxes, jeans and everything in between. Great cruise and great crew!

Just some friendly advice, but please check to see what constitutes a "fee" for UBS. Usually that would a be a charge that the owner of the ATM would charge for the use of the ATM - you would usually see some disclaimer that there would be a charge for processing the transaction and would you like to continue.

Unless you have a bank account attached to your UBS credit card (which would be the typical situation with a debit card), then any money you get from the ATM using the credit card is a cash advance. And, cash advances typically start incurring interest charges the second you pull the money out of the ATM. In my experience those interest charges are fairly hefty. Interest charges for the cash advance would not be considered a "fee" by most credit card companies and not refundable.

You might have a great situation where UBS allows you to pull money out of an ATM and there aren't any fees or interest charges. lf that's the case then that is terrific. I just didn't want you to have a nasty surprise when you returned home and opened your credit card statement.

Happy traveling.

Thanks Danish Viking and raindropsalways! My husband and I love to walk and at times we've inadvertently strayed into some shady areas. While it didn't seem that would be the case here, it's always nice to get some confirmation. We are looking forward to this trip so much and can't wait to see this beautiful city!

Hi Danish Viking,

Thank you for all the information you provided on the 2015 and now 2016 discussions. Ive read through everything and have a question that hasn't been asked. We are staying at the Marriott and would like to walk to Tivoli Gardens and back to the Marriott later that evening. It looks like a fairly easy and short walk but didn't know if it was a smart thing to do. Would you do this walk late at night (11 pm or so) or is it wiser to take a taxi?

Thank you so much for all the information you've provided. It has been very helpful in planning our visit.

A bit confused. We are on Regal Princess arriving in Stockholm on June 1. Princess lists the port on everything (itinerary, shore excursions, web site) as Nynashamn, but the vessel calls website shows the ship docking at Frihamnen.. Any ideas on how to confirm where the will actually be going? Trying to do some planning...

We are on the same ship. The itinerary has changed and the website has now been updated. Our TA sent us the notice that we will be docking in Stockholm and the port website shows it as Frihamnen.

Quick update - less than 24 hours after applying for Global Entry we received notification that we are conditionally approved and to make an appt for the interview. The first spots available are during the first week of February and we grabbed two. They're on separate days but that isn't an issue for us.

Thanks for those gotcha items. I've gotten the PreTSA on my boarding passes before even without paying for it so it would sure be a bummer not to get it with global entry. I knew that I would have to check my bags in with southwest manually so I'm trying to figure that into the time needed for the connection. In spite of that I still like to fly southwest. I didn't think about the time needed to change terminals. It looks like we can walk from g to 1 in about 10 minutes and I'll add that to my calculations. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for all the replies. We applied last night. We did spend some time trying to come up with the list of countries visited. You were right - that was the most challenging part of the application. I'll keep checking the site now for the next step which is to get the appointment.

I'm always looking for ways to make air travel less painful. I'm just sorry I waited so long to take advantage of this program. So happy this includes PreTSA!

Yes, I knew about the interview and we're lucky that our airport has an interview center. It's only about 20 minutes away so very convenient. I'm applying about 5 months before I need it so hopefully that's enough time. How long did it take after your interview to get approved?

Thanks! That is an excellent point. I checked and it looks like the highest fare is $200 more per person than I will be paying. As long as I cancel 10 minutes prior to the flight I can apply the money I paid on the original flight against the new flight. So we should be out of pocket an additional $400 if we miss the earlier flight. I can live with that.

That's one of the reasons I fly southwest. Any other airline would have cancellation fees and change fees and you wouldn't be left with anything.

Thanks again for your insight! I never thought of that situation at all.

Need advice from experienced folks for an international to domestic connection at San Francisco international airport. Arriving on an SAS nonstop flight from Copenhagen scheduled to arrive at 2:45pm on a Friday afternoon in June. We are flying premium economy and we are both applying this week for global entry. There are two of us and we will each have one checked bag.

Is a 5:50 pm connection to Southwest airlines reasonable? Bags need to be checked no later than 5:05pm. I'm hoping that 2 hours is enough time with global entry to get through customs and immigration and recheck the bags. If not, then our other option is 9:50pm and that one shouldn't be an issue. Other than I dread having a 7 hour connection time.

My definition of reasonable is that, unless there are extenuating circumstances, a person walking briskly and not dilly dallying should expect that the connection time is doable and has a few minutes of extra wiggle room.

Thank you!

We just got off the Ruby on Sunday after doing a 7 day California Coastal cruise. The ship was in great shape, crew terrific, gained 5 pounds so that should tell you how much I enjoyed the food and we didn't hear anyone complaining the few times we were at the passenger services desk.

There are always going to be people who complain about everything. I typically discount the really awful reviews and the over the top wonderful reviews. What is left is typically closer to the truth.

We had a great time and I would not hesitate to sail on the Ruby again.

Thank you so much for your reply. I wasn't sure if they only ran them for a short period but it seems like we will definitely be able to see them running. If we get there when they turn them on it will be a bonus. Thank you for posting the video. The fountains are truly spectacular.

Hi everyone. My DH and I are booked on a Baltic cruise next May. Trying to decide which company to choose for the St Petersburg stop. SPB, Alla and TJ all look terrific and I'm sure we'll be happy with whichever one we choose. My big question is seeing the fountains running at Peterhof. For those of you who used these companies previously can you tell me if you were able to see the fountains running? Did you arrive there when they were already running or did you get to see them start up? I was under the impression, perhaps mistakenly, that they start at 11:00 am but the three companies I mentioned all show different arrival times to the site.

Thank you!