SpringBreakMom

Great advice!

In practice, if you show the card at check-in the fee will generally be waived for the card holder and up to 8 other persons traveling on the same itinerary.

Yes, this is what a gate agent has told me, and what has worked for me in the past. You do not need to pay for the tickets with the card in order to get the free baggage.

Thanks for the review! Did you use your balcony much?

With regard to the question posted above by JRice, lI am sure this is too late, but perhaps someone else would be interested in the answer. My husband and I stayed on the lowest level of the Emerald Destiny on a Jewels of the Rhine cruise last June. (These are nicknamed “aquarium cabins”.) The lower edge of the windows of our cabin were situated high, at perhaps nose level for me, about 2 feet above the water. ( I am 5‘5“ .) I feared I was really going to be creeped out in that type of cabin, but actually both of us ended up liking it! For one thing, when our ship had to tie up against another ship – I believe they call that stacking and all ships end up doing it at some places along the Rhine and other busy rivers – the boat next to you is docked very very close. Again maybe a distance of 2 feet. So anyone on that side of the boat with a large window or balcony pretty much had to keep their curtains closed until the ship was back on the river cruising. It is not that I wouldn’t probably enjoy a balcony, but the cost difference made us appreciate our own cabin much more. I did a lot of research before booking with Emerald and would highly recommend that line to anyone.

Thanks for the info! It may be too late for JRice, but the timing is perfect for us!

It IS close when rafted. Fortunately, Viking has prohibited their past custom of boarding, raiding and pillaging non_Viking ships.

:')

Because of the Oberammergau Passion play taking place in 2020 there are a lot of cruise lines that have already released at least some 2020 cruises. Get yourself on the email list of any company that you are thinking of cruising with, and they will let you know when schedules are released.

 

Otherwise, I don't think that they generally release at the same time.

Thanks for the reply! The few 2020 sailings I saw were for the Passion Play only. I don't think I have seen any regular sailings yet. I have requested brochures from a number of cruise lines, and their emails have preceded their brochures. I will be sure not to hit delete until I check for new sail dates.;)

When we had to file a claim due to weather (not cruise) a few years ago, each person (total of 4) had to file a claim and each got 25% of total amount claimed. It was a pretty smooth process! I would call the company you insured with just to clarify how they handle situations like this.

I am actually happy to hear about the lagers as I much prefer them to an IPA! Must be hard to try to please everyone!

Is there a "wave season" for European river cruising? We are looking to sail the second half of 2020. Does this vary by cruise line, or do most release info at the same time?

Hi Nancy,

We did your same itinerary this past May and it was fabulous! Show times were 7:30 and 9:30 most nights I think.

If you have time try to read our roll call thread as there is tons of great info there. Have a wonderful time!!

Karen

Tee hee, figured everyone would follow the link to read the release. Here is the bottom line though -

"Carnival Corporation & plc. the world’s largest travel and leisure company, today announced that Christine Duffy has been named president of Carnival Cruise Line, with 24 ships, making it the largest of Carnival Corporation’s nine distinct cruise brands."

Here is a link to the Carnival press release-

http://carnival-news.com/2014/12/17/christine-duffy-named-president-of-carnival-cruise-line/

As predicited, here is the announcement-

http://www.cruiseind.com/2014/12/17/clia-ceo-named-president-of-carnival-cruise-lines/

No official announcement that I know of. I just happened upon some very credible inside information in a round-about way.

I believe the announcement may come as soon as tomorrow.

I will be taking the same cruise next April and we are looking at tours. Will you share the name of your tour company? I think that is OK.

Thanks!

Sorry for the delayed response! I would be very happy to share his info :) I used Mariano from Pleasantravel.com both last month and in 2007. For both this cruise and the last, his tour was the highlight! While he is not one of the "big" names and doesn't have a fancy website, you will see he has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor.

The thing that sets him apart, is that he will stop at his families farm (upon request) where they have lived for 18 generations. It gives you a true feel for how people live in this region. He and his wife are both very warm and inviting. We got to sample some bread, salami, wine, and limoncello, all of which they made. A truly unique experience :D

I just got back Saturday from 12 nights on the Spirit and our day on the Amalfi Coast was our favorite! This was my second tour with the same company. Both times we had a Mercedes van and had no issues with comfort or visibility. First time was a group of five, and the second a group of eight.

Honestly, I think the more important issue is the tour company. There may be others on your roll call who would like to join you and share the cost (and the fun). There is also some great info on the Ports of Call board about your options for tour companies.

A few days back I went to the site & purchased individual tickets for both Topkapi & Hagia Sophia, 30TL each. Obviously site is back on line.

Not obvious at all. Did you check today before you posted? Wasn't working when I just checked. The site is very inconsistent, up one day and down the next.

CintiPam and SpringBreakMom - Thanks for the info on the Museum Pass website! Just a quick question before I hit the purchase button - it says you have to have an address in Turkey for the cards to be sent and doesn't let me change the country from Turkey to any other. Is this just a warning I should ignore because it is only for the 40 TL local card for Turkish residents? Just want to be sure... Thanks again!

After looking at the website it does appear that the Muzecart is only for Turkish residents. They list both Museum Pass and Muzecart, but I am not clear what the distinction is. If the Museum Pass is for visitors they are not clear how it is delivered. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. There is a contact email on the website. Perhaps they could provide more clarification?

That is the way it was before. It seems to go up and down. Just keep checking back and hopefully you will catch it on a good day :)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I read this afternoon on sister website tripadvisor that the Turkish government finally had fixed its website for purchasing individual tickets for Hagia Sofia and Topkapi (both palace and harem, which have separate admissions), as well as Ephesus.

 

So I purchased my Hagia Sofia tickets easily this afternoon. Simply go to www.muze.gov.tr. The site takes both Visa and MasterCard and a pdf ticket arrives immediately.

 

I also am impressed with Capitol One MasterCard fraud unit, which contacted me within the hour regarding this minor purchase on my card from Turkey.

Wonderful news, thanks for the update Pam :) Saw your post and had my tickets printed in minutes.

Kudos to Capital One! I have found AmEx to be right on top of things as well when purchasing airline tickets from a Greek airline. Nice to know they are paying attention :)

Have a wonderful cruise!

Sorry you've never had a good one! They are worth their weight in gold!

True, however the problem is finding one. The process of trial and error can be long and frustrating.

I used a TA for my current sailing due to the pricing. America's largest cruise agency if you believe the advertising. My TA never even responded to the email I sent regarding an itinerary change on our sailing. The only thing I ever got after booking was a canned email trying to sell me trip insurance. I will never use them again. With any luck I will receive the "post vacation survey" they claim to send to everyone on their website.

IMO, the OP might be considered a bit high maintenance by some, but certainly not difficult. All she is asking for is for them to do the job they signed up for. That is simply the nature of the service industry.

Thanks all! Now I know what I will (and will not) stuff in my laundry bag :)

I have never used the laundry service before so perhaps this is a silly question. Do you know if they separate by darks and lights? Just wondering if they wash everything in the bag together. That might determine what I send out. I know not to send anything delicate or pricey.

When we were there a few years ago we got to Hagia Sophia at 4pm, walked up, bought tickets and walked straight in. No queues at all. All the bus tours etc. are there early so if you avoid them there is not a problem.

At least there is hope :) There will be two other ships in port, one departing at 1:00 PM and one arriving at 2:00 PM. If we are lucky, there will be a window of time where the crowds subside. We are in port until 6:00, so an afternoon visit should work out fine.

Me too! We arrive in Istanbul on May 19.

 

It certainly is taking a long time to get the website fixed. If you want a general museum pass, good for many sites, you can get that online, but the individual ticket part has been broken.

I did consider the pass, but I do not think it would be worthwhile for us. You would think if that if that part works, it shouldn't be too hard to have the individual ticket purchase functional as well.