tinaclose

Try Neptune Oyster in the North End of Boston for the best hot buttered lobster roll. And their New England clam chowder is out of this world. Neptune Oyster was on the New York Times best restaurant list last year. The North end is Boston’s Little Italy.  While you are there, pick up a cannoli at Mikes Pasty!  Easy to take a cab or Uber there from the port. 

Costa and MSC both visit Palermo. 

Thanks. I didn’t know that wheel chairs couldn’t self-disembark. I agree that you may be safer with the later flight. 

A lot of people will tell you to take the later flight. But I’m from the Boston area and I’d take the 10:55 in a heartbeat. The airport is close to the cruise terminal and even with morning traffic it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. Be one of the first to debark the ship and go directly to the taxi line. Easy. And you will get home earlier too!

We booked excursions back in October when the base prices were lower. Then we cancelled and rebooked Thursday night when all the excursions were 35% off. Even though the prices had gone up, we still saved about $50 each. The sale has changed now -  not all the excursions are discounted 35%. 

TeeRick - We don’t do big bus tours either. But like you, we are also in a suite and have a lot of OBC. So, we booked excursions on a boat and a ferry (outside) and the Chefs Market Discovery, a small group tour. With the 35% off we were able to save about $100 in total for the two of us. Hope you find something that is satisfactory. I’m also encouraged that the latest version of Covid seems to be mild. Best of luck!!

We just got off Equinox too. What a great crew and staff. I feel for them as they are stuck on the ship for 30 days and really don’t have much more information than that.  I spoke to some of them and they are very concerned about their jobs, health and their families. They will be in our thoughts.
 

Coronavirus has effected  all of us in some and I’m afraid it’s only the beginning. Stay healthy all!

We are disembarking from the Equinox tomorrow after a wonderful cruise. I feel so sad for the crew who work so hard to make us happy and to support their families back home. What will happen to them?  This whole situation is a mess that is effecting everyone in some way or another. Please be understanding. 

Thanks for your replies.  I will do my best to avoid germs on the ship.   I think it won’t be long before The CoronaVirus goes global. The stock market thinks so too. We can only do our best with frequent hand washing and keep our hands away from our faces. There is no proof that hand sanitizer kills viruses. 

We have never been fans of buffets and eat at the OV Cafe as little as possible. Although the food looks great there you just can’t trust people to have clean hands when they handle serving utensils. I’ve also seen plenty of people touch food directly and put it back. On a couple of cruises, when Noro or flu was rampant, staff served everything from the buffet. Can anyone who is on Equinox now tell me if that is the case now?  If not I guess we will only get food served from made to order food stations in the OV and eat most meals in the MDR or use room service. Thanks!!

Hi. We booked a guarantee sky suite on Constellation last February for a European cruise in September.  We were almost immediately assigned a handicap accessible suite, and it didn’t change. No other rooms in that category ever became available. That said, our suite experience was fabulous. We especially loved Luminae. As suite guests we got impeccable service wherever we went on the ship. I rThink it’s unlikely you room will change unless you make it happen. Before you bid on an upgrade you may want to call your TA to see what it would cost to change or upgrade your suite. Whatever you decide, I’m sure you will love the Suite experience!

44 minutes ago, dara90210 said:

Where did you find this in the app?

I went to the Mar 7  Equinox Cruise and it’s under Dining:  Special Event - Progressive Lunch - Tuscan Grill. 
 

it’s not something you can pre-book. 

It must be a new thing!  I’ve never read anything about it before. 

Hi. We are sailing on the March 7 Equinox cruise to the Western Caribbean. I just saw on the Celebrity App that they are offering a Progressive Lunch on days 3 and 6. The lunch starts at Tuscan Grill then goes to Murano and finishes up in Sushi on 5. Has anyone done this?  Do you know what they charge?  And is it worth it?  It might be fun to do it on a sea day!

We cruise both Princess and Celebrity and usually go with the best itinerary. We have also been on Royal Carribean, Norwegian and Holland. Princess is the most similar to Celebrity. I think you will like the Sky Princess. 

Thanks so much for your replies!  Good to know about the extra space!

A few months ago We booked a Guarantee Sky Suite for our upcoming September Med cruise. I just saw on the Celebrity website that we have been assigned an accessible room. Has anyone stayed in one before and what can we expect?  Will the special equipment take away from the ambience of the room?

Husband and I just returned from 2 weeks land and cruise in Alaska. We were fortunate to have warm and sunny weather, and we wore mostly shorts, jeans, T shirts and a light sweatshirt. However we did need a fleece, rain jacket, hat and gloves on a couple of occasions on the water. My advice is be prepared for all kinds of weather. But don't overpack. The outside layers can be used repeatedly. We each took one 24" suitcase and had plenty of space for outerwear, mid-layers, and jeans, shorts, long and short sleeve Ts and shoes and flip flops. We also broughtt a couple of nice outfits for the cruise. Don't forget a backpack!

Budget Queen- Thanks for all the information you give on these boards. You helped me decide to go with the park shuttle instead of upgrading to the TWT. We know we must bring food and water, and we will also take our cruise documents with us so we can get the refund on the park admission.

lovetotraveltx - yes the shuttle is free. It stops at the Visitors Center and the WAC. The park shuttles leave from the WAC and the bus to the sled dogs leaves from the Visitors Center.

We are staying at the Denali Park Village as part of an RCI land tour. I called the hotel and was told they operate hourly shuttles to/from the park between 6 Am and 6 PM. Therefore we booked a 7:30 shuttle bus to Eielson visitor center. We won't get a refund for the Nat History Tour. But the longer distance nd flexibility of the shuttle are worth the additional $35 per person.

We are primarily Princess cruisers but we got a deal on NCL For a New England/Canada cruise that was 1/3 the cost of the comparable Princess cruise. We had a fabulous time on NCL. Really liked the ship and casual atmosphere. There were two things I didn't like: 1. The cabin was TINY.- much smaller than what we are used to, and 2. The food in the main dining room wasn't as good as Princess. Since we had $200 in on-board credit we ate several meals in the specialty restaurants. I don't know how well NCL handles people with special needs, however I'm sure they have handicapped accessible rooms that could possibly accommodate your family. I recommend you call NCL and find out what they can do for you before you decide. I agree that with your itinerary it makes sense to debark in Seward. Best of luck with your decision.

I put together our group of 17 (12 adults, 5 teens) through our Cruise Critic Roll Call. Because we had 17 people it made the per person cost very reasonable. Because our cruise left port at 3:30 the Nautilus picked us up at 8 and had us back to the dock by 3. It worked out great.

We just returned from our Med cruise and one of the highlights was the Nautilus boat trip. We had a group of 17 which was perfect for the size of the boat. Captain Lakis took us to the caves and the lighthouse to jump off the rocks. Then he grilled up the most fantastic lunch with lots of Greek bread, salad, and tsaziki and plentry of drinks. Fantastic. His wife Vanessa coordinates the trips. They can be reached at nautiluscruisescorfu@gmail.com.

We just returned from a Crown Princess med cruise and used Katakolon-Express. Stephen and his crew were great and we are glad we used this company. They are the only independent bus company that picks you up right on the dock as you get off the ship. They were on time and Stephen provided a narrative about Olympia and some facts about Greece as we drove to the archeological site. We had three hours at Olympia which was more than enough time to see the site and the museum. Some of our group even walked around the town. The company is very much alive and ready for business so please do not hesitate to use them. You can contact Stephen at stephen@katakolon-express.com.

We are looking forward to going to Olympia with Katakolon Express. I hope their problems at the port get resolved.