PhD-iva

Unfortunate, but not Celebrity's fault (nor their obligation, IMO, to inform you). As with any travel to a foreign country the onus is on the traveller and not the carrier to inform themselves of the visa requirements and obligations based on their own circumstances.

I disagree that Celebrity does enough to inform potential passengers of visa requirements. I will contrast Celebrity’s uncaring, unhelpful process with Oceania. We booked a Baltic cruise for June 2016 on the Marina. There were continual notices when booking excursions (no visa needed if you stay onboard the ship) regarding the difficulties of getting a visa unless we let Oceania do the job for us. In the end we went w a third-party tour group (SPG tours) and they handled the visas for us. But we knew in advance because Oceania had multiple notices.

I will cruise again w Celebrity, but they are not setting the standard for customer care!

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Very excited for you both! Recently two of my four boys got engaged (one already pulled the trigger) so I am alongside your mother whose fist and arm are pulling down alongside her body with a strong “YES!” :)

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My first cruise was when I was 10 years old - Rhine river cruise. I remember the ship, a lot of the river scenery, castles, touring old medieval cities w towering cathedrals. And lots of food.

There were 3 of us, aged 13, 10 and 7, plus ma and pa. We were on our way to an ex-pat assignment in Monrovia Liberia. Got the travel bug bad!

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I strongly prefer Aqua class for access to Blu. Last Celebrity cruise in December 2013 on Reflection we went with an aft balcony cabin (loved it!) and therefore we were relegated to the MDR. What a disaster! Cold food, poor service, huge disappointment. The bad experience Helped to convince my husband to upgrade the next cruise to Oceania (now my favorite cruise line!). We’ll join his family for an Alaska cruise in 2018, and I made sure to book Aqua class! You won’t regret it!

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We had just embarked on Oceania’s Marina in June 2016 when the Brexit votes were being counted. We were in Copenhagen so were able to watch Sky News’ analysis of the votes as it unfolded. Fascinating!

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Oceania is my favorite cruise line. However, IMO their excursions are not a good value. If you are so inclined to do the research yourself, you can find local third party excursions that are just as good and cost less. This is especially true of the “included free” excursions that are part of a bundled package. There my criticism of O ends. Everything else is terrific! I must save up my pennies to be able to book my next cruise on O. Fabulous!

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We took an Everglades excursion in Dec 2013 that dropped everyone at the Miami airport at the end of the excursion. Very enjoyable and satisfying.

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....wish that I lived in Florida? I LOVE the heat.

Really enjoying your review, but you should come to South Texas. We got HEAT! And not as many geezers as in FL!

Maybe your review will inspire me to step out and travel solo. DH doesn’t like to travel as much as I do (am part gypsy!).

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Upon reflection, it might appear that I was suggesting Viking River cruise line is a budget line, Which it is not. Edit function not available.

OP, please let us know when you have made your selection. Enjoy!

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I must chime in to agree with those who have posted their praises of Oceania. We loved our 2016 Baltic cruise.

Although, in truth I think a river cruise will really fit the bill. Port intensive, no “sea days” yet you experience the simplicity of unpacking once during your vacation.

You can choose between budget lines such as Grande Circle Tours (affordable and recommendable), Viking River Cruise (can’t wait to try them), and luxury lines such as Uniworld. There is a river cruise line in your price range. The river cruises are very focused on the ports and the local culture.

I think you could spend some time pursuing the river cruise forums to get a better idea, and then, take the plunge! Happy cruising!

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I lived in Barcelona in 1977, near Las Ramblas. That was just a few years after Franco had died, around 1976 or so, and there was a lot of civil disobedience including turning over city buses and setting them on fire. I recall sitting in some chairs in the central plaza near Él Corte Inglés, while police shot rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. In hindsight, was probably not very smart to be hanging around at that time. “Young and dumb!”

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June 1969 Rhine river cruise, probably Basel to Amsterdam. Was extremely cold weather for June, so I had to wear the same outfit all week as it was the only warm outfit my mother packed (I was 11 years old). Since it was a dress, this tomboy was not well pleased. I remember Strasbourg cathedrals and clocks, and visiting the Anne Frank museum. We were on our way to Monrovia, Liberia for an ex-pat assignment. I got the travel bug!!!

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Thx! Please keep posting. I am really enjoying your live review.

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Oh! To be retired like the OP and therefore able to book last minute cruises! I long for the day.

As an academic, I cannot sail before 1 June, or later given our practice to arrive before day of embarkation. Never mind Holiday sailing prices in December! Sigh! [emoji17]

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Thanks for your review. Looking forward to hearing about the Israel ports.

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I wanted a window seat in the back to hopefully take some pictures of the Andes Mountains. .

Banjo,

The view will be incredible. Oops, my pic was too large to upload. But, the view will be great!

Celebrity website s#cks! Don't worry, there's most likely no problem. Website is complete SH1T!!!!

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Thank you for your comments. My husband and I have cruised on Holland America, Princess and primarily on Celebrity. Last summer we upgraded to Oceania Marina for a Baltic cruise. I was very pleased with everything about the cruise, especially the food and the service. Unfortunately, my DH is a little more hyper critical and his experience was not as fabulous as mine. I still hope someday to return to my beloved Oceania. Please take good care of her until I return. [emoji56]

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Thanks for a great review. I love the detail and all of the information that you provided. Very well written, very informative. Thank you very much. I have recently also become dissatisfied with celebrity, especially with the pre-cruise website trauma. Last year we cruised on Oceania and I was very happy with the experience. Whenever we travel with family, we choose celebrity as our family is very loyal to them. My preference has changed to Oceania. Best wishes and safe travels!

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Sorry my previous post did not correctly identify what was quoted from a previous poster, and what was my response. I am a technology troglodyte! [emoji79]

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Not sure what you want here, not many here work for Royal. I get announcing you are leaving due to some policy, but when a billing error occurs, it is what it is, nobody here can help you.

 

I am glad that the OP decided to post their disagreement with RCI here on Cruise critic. That is what this forum is for, to share our experiences, our feelings, our opinions. Not everyone will agree with the OP, however when we are dissatisfied with the service a company provides to us, I agree with the OP's desire to share that dissatisfaction with the broader public. Caveat emptor.

 

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I wonder if I could still find my certificate from 1967 when everyone in my family had to get a yellow fever vaccination, along with many many other vaccinations prior to an expatriate assignment to west Africa. LOL!

I remember that the yellow fever vaccination was by far the most painful. In 1967 in order to find the vaccination we had to travel to an army base outside of Tulsa Oklahoma, where we lived temporarily to prepare for the assignment.

PS, I loved those 3 years! Have had the travel bug ever since!

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Shoulda decked him, kept my cool tho

Pinenbro, LOL! Good job keeping your cool. [emoji106]

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I have to jump in here to say that I love L.L. Bean outer wear. I have also bought shirts and shorts and skorts, and many items from them over the past 15+ years. L.L. Bean is not cheap however it's very good quality, and I believe good value. I never shop for clothes online, with the exception of L.L. Bean because their sizes are always true. Also, returns are free because I make the purchase on the L.L.Bean visa credit card. OK just my two cents.

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I hate the new website. My dear SIL won't cruise w any other line, so we are stuck. I'm confident we will enjoy our Alaska cruise, but I would never recommend Celebrity to any of my friends due to the website fiasco.

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