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MsB1254

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    Will it ever be safe..

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    For as long as I can remember I have taken a vacation every year or two or three times a year.  Cruising has been my preferred vacation since I took the first one in 1993.  That being said, I am in the high risk group and I believe that 2021 will probably be the first year that I do not take the two cruises I have booked in January or the family one booked for February.  The September one that was scheduled to go to Canada, I cancelled before the cruise line.  I also will not be going to most likely not take any vacation in 2021.  I am 65 with underlying conditions and have elderly parents that I also look after and need to protect.  I go to work, the grocery store and pharmacy.  I can social distance at work and I wear my mask when I have to go into a store.  Of course, I am also not attending even family birthday parties or weddings either.  I think this is a choice that every person has to make for themselves but for me the risk is too high.  I am looking forward to being able to cruise again in the future and I am waiting until final payment in October for the January cruises.  I also have two cruises for 2022 that I will keep hoping that there will be a vaccine by then that would make me feel safe enough to go.  For the people who will take the risk and resume cruising, I look forward to seeing the trip through your eyes and truly wish you a safe voyage.

    • Like 8

    Elites and above: do the perks keep you enticed?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I am Elite status on Celebrity but not because of the perks. In general, I have found that the product just suites me the best. I have never used either the breakfast or the cocktail hour so it is of no value to me. I appreciate the bag of laundry especially on longer cruises and usually use the 30% discount on internet to sign up for the unlimited package. That being said I usually pick the cruise line for where I want to go and who I'm going with. For cruises that I take my whole family on I pick Royal Caribbean. I have also cruised on Carnival, Princess and Holland America. I love the true southern 14 day Caribbean cruises that are not a b2b and

    Celebrity is not offering them after 2019. I was told by my travel agent that they do you generate as much venue for the cruise lines. In the future I will be search out other cruise lines that offer the longer cruises that I prefer.

    Cuba Questions

    in Cuba

    Posted

    We are booked on a Holland American seven day cruise that includes two ports in Cuba and that cruise leaves Ft. Lauderdale Jan. 15, 2020. Hope this helps

    Help with Amsterdam & Lehavre to Paris

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    With respect to Amsterdam, we did a couple of walking tours with Mark Law, AKA That Dam Guide. Mark is great. I'd book him again in a minute. You can read his reviews on Trip Advisor.

     

    I'll look him up but I'm a little worried in Amsterdam that it will just require more walking than a couple of us can do with bad knees. Thanks for the suggestion.

    Help with Amsterdam & Lehavre to Paris

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    Kathy, I second Ine's suggestion of the canal tour and HOHO boat. The tram system is also excellent and very easy to use, you can buy a day pass for unlimited travel. We were in Amsterdam last year and my mom negotiated the trams quite comfortably.

     

    IMO Anne Frank Huis is a must-see, but it's an old building with steep, narrow steps, hence may be hard on someone with bad knees.

     

    Other then the tickets for the Anne Frank house, did you book the canal tour or HOHO boat before the trip or just after you got there. Thanks Kathy

    Help with Amsterdam & Lehavre to Paris

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    rederijpaping.nl/#_=_ . Our cruise didn't have an overnight in Le Havre. We had never been to Paris so we took the ship tour, which we normally don't do. It was a very good tour and we are so happy we did it. Hope this helps, if you have any questions I'll try to answer them.

     

    I assume the ships tour included the transportation to Paris. How long did the tour take and do you feel like you got to see most of the highlights. I have looked at the ships tour and wondered if it would be the best for the first time to Paris.

    Help with Amsterdam & Lehavre to Paris

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    We will be sailing on the Eclipse next June and we have an over night in Amsterdam and Lehavre. For Amsterdam we would like a find a guide to give us a tour of the city and/or surrounding areas for one day. Also, can you hire a guide/driver for transportation from the ship into the city with a city tour for just one day from the port. We would rather not try a do it yourself tour and a couple members in our party has knee issues and can not walk long distances. Thanks for any and all help. Kathy

    Help with hotel & transportation in London

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    I have stayed at both hotels.

     

    The Rubens at the Palace -

    - small rooms

    - small elevator, just room enough for 2 people with 2 suitcases

    - friendly and helpful staff

    - we had a package with breakfast each day plus 1 dinner - breakfast buffet

    - a few stairs to get to main entrance of hotel

    - doorman

    - on Main Street - we were in the back and did not hear any street noise

    - only steps to a corner to cross the stree to Buckingham Palace, The Mews, the Queen's Gallery, The Mall

    - walking distance to the 2 HOHO (Hop On Hop Off) buses, regular bus, stores, small grocery store, pubs, restaurants,

    - can walk to National Express Victoria Coach station, or train station

     

    Park Plaza Westminster Bridge -

    - larger room than The Ruben

    - modern hotel

    - elevators and escalators

    - bar

    - restaurant - we had breakfast each day - buffet

    - friendly and helpful staff

    - doorman

    - entrance is street level - need to use elevator or escalator to get to regeristation desk, then elevator to room

    - walking distance to the 2 HOHO bus, regular bus, tube, stores, pubs, restaurants, small mini grocery store, Waterloo train station

    - walking to London Eye, Westminster Bridge, Thamas river, Parilament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, River cruise

    - A/C

     

    From my previous thread post 4, I used http://www.justairports.com from LHR to London hotel and London hotel to LHR four times.

     

    I walked from The Ruben to National Express Coach - Victoria station to Southampton Coach station, then short taxi ride (less than £10) to the port.

     

    We took the train from Southampton to Waterloo train station and then walked to Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

     

    I have used http://www.internationalfriends.co.uk from Southampton to my London hotel. A great way to have a stop along the way and be driven to your London hotel. They only go on embarkment and disembarkment days.

     

    Thank you so much for your input. It sounds like both places will be good and thanks for the transportation tips.

    Help with hotel & transportation in London

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    Haven't heard of EC Minibus, though don't let that concern you - there are dozens of similar operators.

     

    Their website has a few grammatical errors, which suggests that English may not be their first language. But that's true of many London operators.

     

    I checked out some fares on their website.

    Heathrow to a random central London hotel at £70 is significantly more than the average of around £40 to £45.

    Central London to Southampton is also a little high at £150. Around £130 is closer to the mark.

    And their rate for Heathrow to Southampton is the same (£150), which doesn't make sense because Heathrow is so much closer, easier & quicker to Southampton. That should cost around £90 - £100

     

    Some folk are happy to pay extra for a well-recommended operator, but I see little about EC Minibus on the web - the various review sites have only two or three entries, so I'd be inclined to dismiss them as too easy to plant.

    Where did you hear about them?

     

    For private transfers to/from Southampton consider http://www.smithsforairports.com or http://www.westquaycars.com or http://www.aquacars.co.uk

    All are based at the Southampton end, all have been recommended by CC members. But because of their location they're not suitable for transfers between central London & the London airports.

     

    The direct train between central London's Waterloo station and Southampton is fast & frequent. http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

    The walk-up fare is about £40 pp, but if you pre-book with https://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx can be as little as $5. Megatrain tickets are available on only a few trains per day, must be pre-booked & you can only travel on the train that you booked - no amendments. But they offer a substantial saving. No megatrain tickets for sundays.

     

    The train between Southampton & London Gatwick airport costs about £20.

     

    For Southampton - Heathrow the direct National Express coach (bus) is comfortable and inexpensive - about £18. http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

     

    This website gives an excellent overview of the transfer options

    https://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/southampton_london_transfers.htm

    But avoid the private transfer operators who advertise on there - over-priced.

    The cruisebus transfer on that page from Southampton to London hotels is excellent but takes all day - great if you want to see bits of England, but not if you want to concentrate on London. If you want to visit Stonehenge in your limited time, that cruisebus transfer from London hotels to Southampton via Stonehenge is worth considering - you won't have time to sight-see in London on your cruise morning.

    That website also has a wealth of info about London - well worth browsing.

    ------------------------------------------------

     

    For a one-night stopover in London I think it best to bite the bullet & choose a reasonably central hotel. Check out Premier Inn at County Hall or Waterloo, or the Travelodge hotels in central London.

    If those prices are too heavy for you, especially for several nights, there's nothing wrong with icumpire's suggestion of West Kensington. Or Victoria or Paddington or Kings Cross.

    Just make sure that the hotel is handy to a tube (metro) station, and ideally on a main ho-ho route - the yellow route on this map https://www.theoriginaltour.com/media/1844/the-original-tour-map-hr-from-30-april.jpg

     

    You are planning well ahead for July next year - don't commit to anything too soon, your research may well throw up something better.

    JB :)

     

    I just realized I didn't note that there would be six of us travelling together. What were the prices you quoted for - a taxi or something big enough to haul the six of us plus all our luggage? Thanks again

    Help with hotel & transportation in London

    in British Isles/Western Europe

    Posted

    We will be cruising in June 2017 from Southampton. We are planning on at least one night in London pre-cruise and would like any advice for mid-range hotel in a central location. We have looked at EC Minibus London for transfers to the port from London and back. Looking for someone that has used them to verify the quality of their service. Thanks for any help. I've done some searches and haven't found much help.

    Question about Le Havre & Paris

    in France Ports

    Posted

    The beauty is that you do not have to read many guide books if you choose the right ones. We have often recommended the Rick Steves series (and no, we do not work for them or get any kind of promotional fee...) which has become somewhat of a bible series for the do it your selfers (DIY). Trip Advisor is another good source although we recommend paying more attention to the individual reviews than their rankings. Tripadvisor also has Forums on each of the cities which can make good reading...and you can also post questions. We think that Tripadvisor is related to CC (will not go into detail) so we hope our post passes muster.

     

    As to an overnight in LeHavre, if Paris is going to be your destination we do support the idea of spending the night in Paris (always notify your ship of this type of overnight off the ship). As to Amsterdam, if you are actually docked in Amsterdam (as opposed to another more distinct port) then you can easily use your ship as an overnight hotel. In Amsterdam, if you are an adventurous eater, you should Google "Rijsttafel" which is a type of Indonesian cuisine quite excellent in Amsterdam.

     

    Hank

     

    Last week I purchased Rick Steve's guides for Amsterdam, London, & Paris but I haven't started reading them yet. In Amsterdam I believe we are actually docked there and are planning on staying on the ship at night. Thanks for your suggestion about the Indonesian cuisine and I'll look into it.

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