amusea

We are traveling in April with a friend who has never sailed on Celebrity before and he would like to bring two bottles of wine aboard into his cabin which is single occupancy. With this be allowed? Is the wine bottle allowance per person or per cabin?

The fare for the city bus has gone up from 2 to 4 Euros.

On Viking Ocean ships all the spa area is free including therapy pool, lounges, sauna, steam and snow/ice room! And the men's locker room area includes a beautiful lounge and a private dip pool just for men. Since all the six ships are the same design this goes for all the Viking Ocean ships. The price is high but it is really worth it for a splurge.

We have just returned from our 14 day Viking cruise. Any recommendation of any cruise line must be given with some understanding that not everyone, gay or straight, is looking for the same type of experience. Having been on 91 cruises both straight and gay on over 20 cruise lines I feel qualified to let you know our feelings about Viking.

The age group on our group averaged about 70 years of age and many of the older passengers walked with the help of walkers or canes. But they all seemed intent on doing the best they could. Nobody under 16 is allowed and a maximum of only two passengers are allowed in a stateroom. I never heard any complaints about the cruise and that it is unusual. Viking does not allow motorized scooters. One passenger tried to use one during the cruise but it was put in storage while they sailed and a the lady had to use a manual wheelchair with help.

The atmosphere of the ship is geared to the age of the passengers which is usually not true on the ,mass cruise lines. No loud music, R&B, hip hop or anything that would upset the quiet environment. This makes people talk more quietly so there is a subdued atmosphere. The activities reflect this situation. Except for a small group of singer/dancers, the entertainment after dinner was provided in public areas by three entertainers - an excellent pianist who played both classical and standard pop tunes, an electric guitarist who played soothing music and a classical trio. When there was music over the PA speakers such as at breakfast, it was mostly orchestral, truly background music and you were not aware of its presence. Except for a few modest but entertaining shows by the singer/dancers in the show lounge, the main feature of the activity calendar was lectures by four very well informed men which featured historical, geographical, political and

nature subjects and they were well attended. The ship was basically deserted by 10:30 PM and whatever folks were doing after that was mostly confined to a good TV selection in the staterooms which were very well insulated from the noise of adjoining cabins.

We met some very interesting straight couples with whom we spent most of our time. We did see two or three older gay couples and they seemed most interested in mingling with the straight guests so we never talked to them. However we never felt uncomfortable or felt singled out.

Service everywhere was excellent and no request was too much trouble. Food is very subjective. We found the quality to be very good but food tended to be bland and without much seasoning regardless of the descriptions on the menus. We went to the Italian specialty restaurant and did not find enjoy our entrees, one of which was Italian pasta and the other was swordfish. Therefore we did not try the second specialty restaurant but rather stuck to the main dining room or the buffet upstairs which often was really varied and let us have a larger selection of selections, especially since there was an excellent sushi/sashimi section. Having said all that we found that the food came nowhere near the cuisine that is offered by Oceania but it was usually a notch above the mass cruise lines.

The Scandinavian design of the ship and its concept is unique and extraordinary. Much of the furniture features copies of museum design. And the ship is absolutely immaculate. The open spaces and the feeling that you are in a five star hotel rather than a ship is a splendid accomplishment.

We preferred the concept of having one cabin attendant rather than the usual two since it allowed us tip him more generously.

The included white and red wines for lunch and dinner were of rather good super market quality but we found ones that we preferred and would request them at each meal which was not a problem. And they were poured generously.

Since we tend to spread our travel among many cruise lines, we are happy to encounter this sort of oasis in the desert as opposed to cruises that offer more activites and night life. But I would not want it as a steady diet. Last month we sailed on an Atlantis cruise and while we have booked another Viking Ocean cruise next year, we also are booked for a trans-Atlantic Celebrity cruise in April and a 28 day Tahiti cruise on HAL in 2019.

We are leaving this weekend for 14 days on the Sky. I'll try to post our impressions after returning on Dec. 10.

A couple of years ago our cruise from Shanghai to Vancouver was cancelled because of a charter. Unfortunately, it was after most folks had purchased air and hotel. Then at a later date X announced that the ship would cross the Pacific at a later date but from Yokohama instead of Shanghai. We were able to adjust our travel plans but many people could not. No compensation was offered.

I suggest you wait and see if there are further developments.

I tend to sail all cruise lines and I am elite on Princess. I just spent two weeks on the HAL Oosterdam, The first week in a Signature Suite and the second in a standard balcony cabin. Both had the same very large, luxurious towels that were soft to the touch. I remember when everyone was complaining about the Princess mattresses and for good reason. Finally something was done about that but it took several years. I suggest that everyone mention the towel problem on their comments sheets. Eventually maybe Princess will be pushed into doing something about the towels.

After reading some very negative reports about flights to and from PPT from LAX we decided to book the Eurodam round trip from San Diego in March 2019 which eliminates having to take those long flights. The cruise is 28 days so it depends on whether or not you have that much free time but the ship does stop at quite a few interesting islands.

I noticed that this week the Viking Sky embarkation terminal was switched from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I am wondering if this was just a one time change or whether Viking is switching to the Brooklyn terminal for future cruises which, IMO, is much less desirable.

Asking someone about the comfort of a mattress is a waste of time. The last time I purchased a mattress for my home I read the reviews and the same mattress was reviewed as rock hard and way too soft. Also too high or too low. A person's age and physical problems can also affect one's opinion of a mattress. So if you are very concerned about the comfort of a cruise ship mattress you may want to listen to the suggestions made on this thread about how to soften or harden an existing mattress. For the great majority of cruisers HAL mattresses are better than average but that may not be true for you.

I understand that the beverage cards can be purchased in different denominations, i.e. $50, $100, $250. My question is: Does the amount on the card have to be depleted within one cruise or can any unused amount be used for another forthcoming HAL cruise?

Does anyone know the current prices for specialty coffees, both single and double strength in the Exploration Cafe? I was able to find a list from 2016 but I think the prices have increased since then. I usually order a single or double cappuccino but I don't buy the beverage package.

Paul,

Just a coincidence BUT our departure on the Viking Ocean SKY on November 26 from the Port of Miami is the same day that your Eclipse sailing departs Miami and both ships return on December 10. Viking will probably be at Terminal J where the smaller ships usually dock.

Then our next sailing is on the Reflection TA on April 13 from Fort Lauderdale to Rome. Sound familiar? Hoping that we will meet you and Edward while crossing the Atlantic.

Jay and Al in Tucson

Hello Paul,

I came upon your blog by chance while surfing the Celebrity board on CC. Then I couldn't stop reading. I know how much time and effort are involved in posting a blog, especially one as comprehensive and enjoyable as yours. It is much appreciated.

I would like to know if you will be communicating on this site or somewhere else when your travel plans for April next year are resolved. My partner and I have booked the Reflection to Rome in April and would like to say hello if you and Edward will be aboard. We will be sailing on the Oosterdam in October and the Viking Ocean SKY in Nov/Dec prior to the TA in April. The cruise addiction never ceases.

Jay and Al in Tucson

Viking Ocean Cruises includes one free excursion in each port. Sometimes they are walking tours and sometimes they include ground transportation. Of course they also offer other optional excursions that require a payment. But it is possible to never pay extra for any excursion if you stick with the included tours. One could argue that the tours are not "free" because all cruises on Viking Ocean are in the high price category.

However we will be sailing on the Viking Ocean SKY soon and we are hoping that it will be a good value overall.

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Comboy,

Thanks for refreshing our memories. I do remember that in October San Diego can be not quite summer weather - more like high 60s to low 70s. Always good to have a jacket at hand. Now we have to find out if we must debark and then get back on the ship or whether we can just stay on when the ship returns to San Diego on October 14. Also we might try to make some specialty restaurant reservations before the masses arrive. I think the last time we did an Atlantis Halloween cruise it was from LA on a Royal Caribbean ship.

We have been on six Atlantis cruises but the last one was about six years ago. I really feel that we would now fit in more on RSVP because of our age. However we had already booked the Oosterdam for the previous week's cruise on the same itinerary through HAL so we decided to just stay on the ship.

My biggest question is about the theme parties and the sequence of those parties.

Can anyone give us a general idea of the special themes so that we can come more or less prepared.

Thanks.

Jay and Al in Tucson

Some TAs have started putting fine print under their OBC offer stating that it has to be used onboard and is non-refundable so look carefully at all that small stuff.

I specifically asked Viking about the difference between a waitlist and a guarantee. The answer was that a guarantee was just that. It guaranteed you space on the ship but not an actual cabin or category. A waitlist is a just a list of people who want to sail on a specific cruise but there is no guarantee that they will get on the ship.

I asked about the chances of graduating from waitlist to guarantee and he said that it was not very likely.

Celebrity Cruises was started as an upscale part of Chandris Cruise Line. In an effort to distinguish itself from other lines it hired 3 star Michelin chef Michel Roux as supervisor of cuisine, similar to Oceania's hiring of

Jacques Pepin. It immediately became known as the line of superior food offerings and great service. I sailed on the Horizon in 1990 and on the Zenith a couple of years later and the food was amazingly good and imaginative. Celebrity became very successful using this as a springboard to success. The Horizon and Zenith were ships of about 48,000 tons which at that time seemed absolutely huge. With today's much larger ships that supposedly have a much better economy of operation, I wonder why cutbacks in service and food are continually required.

I am sailing on the same Nov. 26 cruise from Miami. The round trip air was free but we are traveling from Arizona and did not want to experience a whole day of travel and then sailing the same day. In fact, it could have even been an overnight flight. Our only option was to pay for the deviation which we did and we are flying on Saturday rather than Sunday. We will still not be able to choose our actual flight because the domestic air plan does not offer the custom feature - that is only for international flights.

Still, I was willing to lose the transfers from the airport to the ship. That is a minimal expense and from the hotel on Sunday we can either use the hotel's shuttle for $10.p,p, or take Uber for no more than $15. total.

On the return we are sticking with Viking's schedule on Sunday Dec.10th and they will then provide transportation from the pier to the airport as well.

I think that HAL is finally getting the message. If I am correct the photos of bathrooms in standard cabins on the Koningsdam appear to have nice stall showers but no tubs. The situation you mentioned was exactly what happened to my elderly mom on the Celebrity Infinity. The Celebrity Suite just had a shower in the tub with a high step over. She was not able to negotiate the step. It would have been very dangerous when she tried to get out of the tub while wet. Luckily th e ship had a small cabin with just a stall shower that was empty and that is where both my mom and dad showered.

By the way, I think the showers on the Kdam have received mostly favorable reviews but there will always be a few unhappy cruisers who do not like the change.

I am sailing soon on the new Viking Ocean Sky and all the standard cabins have just a large stall shower. And this is a ship that is designed mainly for seniors.

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The policy regarding the $500 offer has changed. When I first booked Viking Ocean you had the choice of saving $500 on the Viking air package OR deducting that amount from the p.p. cruise fare . We opted for the latter. The next time I wanted to book the only "deal" was to save that amount from the air package. This was quite a substantial change.

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I am considering booking a cruise to replace the April 7 trans-Atlantic Viking Sky cruise that was cancelled by the cruise line. In reviewing the deck plans and photos of the ships, it seems to show that two of the life boats on each side extend beyond the side of the ship. Of course photos can be misleading but if this is truly the case, the rooms directly above those lifeboats on Deck 4 have what I consider to be a partial obstruction. On the Celebrity "S" ships, many of the "obstructed cabins" actually have a full view out to the sea but if one looks down you only see the roof of a tender rather than the water. Celebrity has labelled such rooms as partially obstructed and has reduced their price accordingly. I hope someone can clarify this issue. Do a few rooms on Deck 4 such as port 4078, 4080, 4092 and 4094 have a similar partial obstruction?

The dates I wrote are correct. In order to get the "sale" discount the cruise had to be paid in full by Dec. 31, 2016 for the April 2018 trans-Atlantic cruise. I have already made personal arrangements for time I was to spend in Europe visiting several countries after the cruise ended in Barcelona which now must be changed. Yes, it is an inconvenience. These Viking payment policies are quite unusual and I doubt I would agree to such a plan again.

Today another person on the roll call has received word from his travel agent that the cruise is cancelled and Viking would only say that the Sky is being redeployed but would give no further information.

You should understand that prices for the 15 day trans-Atlantic cruises are about 50% less than for other Viking Ocean cruises and therefore the demand is heavier so cabins tend to sell out farther in advance. My full cost was about $3000 for a deluxe verandah. It seems that some posters are not aware of Viking's unusual payment requirements for certain cruises.