Hydrokitty

Thank you all for your help, it has been very helpful for all aspects of the .trip, interesting to hear of all your previous experiences, I don't think I will bother getting roubles, have booked private tours with Alla who have been brilliant so far with communication so I am sure they will also be helpful.

Alla has a very good reputation.

First timers!! We understand that Butchart Gardens are beautiful, but Solstice doesn't arrive until 5:30 p.m. (sailing in May). Will there be enough time to see the gardens before the sun sets? Or should we just poke around Victoria and do our own thing? We just want to maximize our time in Victoria. Experienced opinions greatly appreciated!!

Unfortunately you would not make it to the gardens no matter what you did. You take a ferry over to Victoria, which is about 90 minutes and then you need to drive to the Gardens, which is about 30 minutes. Butchart is absolutely beautiful but you need at least a half day to really appreciate it. If you really want to see the gardens, I would recommend spending 2 nights in Vancouver....loads to see and do there and you could take a tour that brings you to the gardens and back to the hotel....or take the ferry and go on your own, but getting from Victoria to the Gardens could be difficult....it's not that close.

 

And the best part of a B2B, the night before the paste port, you just enjoy another night at sea and don’t have to worry about packing, and you get to secretly smile as you walk around enjoying the ship and the port while everyone else is lugging themselves off the ship.

 

Den

I agree this is the best part of a B2B seconded by being able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and take your time getting off! One thing I would add: if this is your first B2B, be sure to go to the meeting for B2Bers on your last sea day. That is where you'll be told everything you need to know including where and what time to meet to exchange your sea pass. Our last B2B took place in Southampton and we were off the ship by 10:30 in the morning. If it applies, I can strongly recommend spending the day in Southampton....great sites to see...restaurants galore....a supermarket where the locals shop for items you may be running short of...and all within a very short walk from the ship.

Our SPB tour guide gave us coins to give to the restroom attendants.

We did not need to exchange any money as we also used a Capital One credit card to pay for almost everything else.

It is readily accepted all over, pays cash back, there are no currency conversion fees, and no need to carry around a large stash of bills or get stuck with change in various foreign currencies (unless you just want them as souvenirs).

Unlike carrying around cash when traveling, it provides peace of mind, just knowing that you will not lose anything if it should be lost or stolen.

We found it to be especially handy for Baltic cruises where there are so many different currencies involved.

 

We only carry a few small bills for small purchases as street vendors seem happy to accept US dollars just about anywhere.

I do the same and another benefit is the insurance Cap One (or most other credit cards) offer in case the item you purchased is broken when it arrives or not what you ordered. I've been to Russia more than once and while it's true some merchants will take $, it is supposedly illegal. I use my Cap One for most things and take only coins I need for bathroom tips. Otherwise we avoid carrying cash, especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg where pickpocketing seems to be a career choice and they are VERY good at it. Be especially careful at the Church on Spilled Blood in the

men's room. A member of our group had his wallet lifted and never felt a thing or knew it was gone until he was outside and guide mentioned pick-pockets, he felt his back pocket, which was buttoned, and wallet was gone.

As well as the shuttle it’s a flat, easy walk into town if you wish. As you exit the gate on the dockside keep the sea to your right and you will pick up a waterside pathway. This will take you about 35-45 minutes to reach the centre of town. It takes you past the Sun Voyager statue which is lovely.

 

 

We joined a free walking tour in town which was excellent- https://citywalk.is/

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Beautiful photo....I have the same one on my wall but taken looking more to the right!! Iceland is a photographers paradise....IMHO.

And that's why there's so many different choices....what's important to one person isn't to another. I have no problem with the quality of the food in the specialty restaurants, I'm sure it's delicious. What I have a problem with is paying "double" for it....I've already paid for the dinner in either the MDR or the buffet and I don't get a refund if I don't eat in either of them so what I'm paying for in the specialty restaurants is actually in addition to the meal I've already paid for.That's why I do n't eat in them. :D

Hello All!

Sailing on X Silhouette to the Baltics Jun. 9th. Mid-30's here traveling with Mum who is 63, looking forward to a great cruise! We're not ultra-fussy eaters and have found most of our dining cruise experiences in the MDR to be quite good (except for my cruise on Carnival...) so we are not really "spenders" for specialty dining. Mum and I have not sailed together since 2008, so a lot has changed in cruising, with Silhouette offering 4+ specialty dining options.... I was thinking of getting us a 3-night dining package, however, I feel that in all reality, Mum's taste would only be up to something like Murano and Tuscan Grill (not so much the avant garde of QSine, or raw food i.e. Porch/Lawn Club/Sushi on 5).

My question to the forum would be.... would it be best to just wait and see if some good offers come up to dine at Murano and Tuscan Grill only? or should we just go with the package? Package seems like a good value for 3 venues, but like I said, I think only 2 sound palatable around now and not keen on repeating... Also, I have searched and it does seem Luminae and Blu are def. not available to non-suite/Aqua Class guests.... is this true? or are these bookable to "traditional" guests? (we're value cruisers, so an inside cabin is perfectly sufficient)

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Happy Travels!

I have to agree with Mike...if you like the MDR why even bother with paying extra for specialty dining? We've sailed 8 times and with one exception have never had a bad meal in the MDR (the one we had was celebrity chefs and our waiter TOLD us not to order it!) From strictly a financial POV, you've already paid for your meal in the MDR, why would you pay double to eat in one of the specialties? We checked out Qsine and found menu to be a little too "out there" for us and we're probably closer to your Mom's age than yours. We did like Tuscan menu but were turned off when we realized dinner would cost over $100 for the two of us if we had wine with dinner. We do like Aqua Spa for breakfast and lunch (we can sleep late and eat light) and the Mast Grill is great but there's very little shade. Luminae and Blu are not open to "the public".

HBO in the cabin too? That would be cause for excitement for me, considering the usual tv offerings.

I think poster meant that she could watch HBO on her laptop or phone.

Thank you so much to everyone for your responses! I will take “small blanket” off of my packing list and will remember the various drink methods used to warm up ��.

 

The layering advice is appreciated and consistent with the research I’ve done - it also makes trying to pack for this cruise (and our five-day Oregon Coast Road trip afterwards) a bit tricky [emoji3]. The temperatures look like it will be extra cold this year - highs in the upper 40s/low 50s in most stops unless there is a significant warm up.

 

My husband loves to accuse me of being an over packer and while I have been known to overpack, I believe I would have been a great Boy Scout as I am always prepared. Given the cross country flight, the road trip and “elavator-less” accommodations arrangements, I would like to keep us down to one medium checked suitcase each. We will see if I can do it [emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Alaska is pretty informal so I packed jeans in dark blue, brown and black....they wear well and the dark colors can hide a lot of mishaps....for tops I packed 2 sweat shirts (and bought them as souvenirs along the way), several sweaters ranging from heavy (1); medium (2) and light (3)1 dressy top and 2 tee shirts (again if I needed them, I bought them along the way). I brought a hoodie, a down vest and a hooded rain jacket that fit in its own pouch..I wore my hiking boots and packed a pair of black ballet flats and a pair of Reboks...8 pairs of socks....2 heavy hiking socks and the rest light woolen socks. Being an optimist, I did not bring a hat or gloves and had to buy them, don't make that mistake! I used the black jeans, flats and gauzy top for casual chic nights. Do not forget to bring sun screen, sun glasses and insect repellent. Alaska's state bird is the mosquito and some of them are the size of a bald eagle!!

PS: Oregon coast is beautiful but it can be quite windy and chilly.

We were on Summit last October and it was fine....true it's showing it's age, but food, cabin, everything was fine and I wouldn't hesitate to go on her again.

Funny, I use the Scotch method! 🥃

I like the wine method! :wine-glass::wine-glass:

Can you ask for something that's not on the menu? Like a hamburger and fries.

If you want a burger and fries I would go to the Mast Grill....burgers, fries and hot dogs are really good..only disadvantage is not too much shade.

When you check-in at the port, is it just for the first cruise?

Would we need to take an express pass for subsequent cruise/s?

 

Thanks,

Ben.

When you check-in on line you check in for both cruises separately. When you get the departure info form for the first cruise, check the box that says continuing or staying on for next cruise. You will receive an invitation to attend a meeting for all continuing passengers. GO TO IT!!! :D That's where get all the info you will need about getting a new sea pass, closing your OBC account and reopening a new one. X considers B2B as 2 completely separate cruises, not 1 continuing one.....but they make the process very quick and painless. Really all you must do is attend the meeting and follow the instructions, like meeting in the theater at a specific time (for us 10 a.m.) at which time you will have your sea pass invalidated and a new one issued and you'll then be able to leave the ship and return like in any other port. If you're keeping the same cabin, you need do nothing but you may not have access to it until after lunch. It really isn't as complicated as it sounds just remember to fill out the form and turn it in on the first cruise and attend that meeting! :D

"back to back, belly to belly and I don't give a damn cause it doesn't matter really....at the zombie jamboree"...thanks to the Kingston Trio...:D

Yes there will be blankets for your balcony use. They may be in your cabin or by the pool, but you can always ask your cabin attendant for them.

We actually contacted Celebrity to inquire about the state of the beach prior to booking and told it was back up and running prior to booking it in February for an April excursion. Obviously when we arrived they were only open for cruise excursions there were no resort guests. We also trusted Celebrity brand.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

WOW.....I think that would p... me off more than the quality of the excursion. I think I would write a letter to corporate, including those pictures, and request a refund....since the tour was clearly misrepresented to you when you specifically called and asked.

I think a lot of it has to depend on where you cruise as well as when. More than likely, your teen will only be looking for things to do on sea days....when you're in port, I would assume you'll be sightseeing or doing shore excursions, of which there are plenty of adventure type activities in the Caribbean that she would probably enjoy. One we did that was amazing was the Dr. Prager/Atlantis submarine adventure....a little pricey but you actually do down 150 feet to the coral reef and it was amazing.

There's a Sapphire Beach on both St. Maarten and St. Thomas.....both were badly hit by hurricane. We were in St Maarten on Southern Caribbean (Eclipse) in March and damage was pretty evident....but the people are trying very hard to come back and bottom line, while the Dutch Gov't is doing all they can to help rebuild, the people who actually live there need the tourist income to repair their homes and replace their belongings. I do agree, however, that X should keep better track of exactly what people are paying for on shore excursions and either adjust the cost with a caveat or just suspend the excursion if it's really bad....and this one looked really bad.

I just got the X BofA card and plan to use it to pay the balance of my next cruise. My question is, can I then use the points to pay for shore excursions, wifi or beverage package?

It'll be fine...enjoy San Juan! Our last cruise, 3/18, which was our 8th, I just plain forgot to print our boarding passes! I called Captain's Club and there was nothing they could do but e-mail an old form which I printed and completed. When we got to the pier I told the agent what happened, she laughed and 10 minutes later we were on board! Just don't forget your passport and your credit card! Have a great cruise. :D

I've never been charged a fee for using choice air.

Consecutive cruisers (B2B) receive a invitation for the lunch?

We did on our B2B Baltic and Norway but we were also concierge class so I don't really know if that makes a difference. We went off the ship and had lunch in Southampton anyway.

Please let me know if you have recommendations for where to buy purses in St. Maarten. Thanks!

If you're looking for designer purses check the port boards. If you're looking for an inexpensive, quilted shoulder bag with lots of compartments that fits over your shoulder so your hands are free and zips closed....you'll see them everywhere.....many within close walking distance to the ship...should cost no more than $20 and I LOVE mine!!

 

However, before anyone thinks that requesting assistance if not required is a way of improving your airport experience - I strongly suggest you do not. Any advantages are very much outweighed by the disadvantages. You are always last off the plane. There was the time they "lost" my husband at Heathrow. He had set off from the waiting area but did not appear at the gate and we were last, rather than first, on the plane. There was the time at Madrid in the middle of the night we and a group of nuns were taken off the plane on a cargo lift. And we have seen parts of airports that no one is supposed ever to see.

Amen to that!! We were boarded on Lufthansa through the galley by a bus that raised up to the door...and we sweated making our flight out of Frankfort because we were with an attendant at what appeared to be a deserted garage waiting for a bus to take us to the plane! LH actually had to hold the plane because our attendant kept calling for the bus and even HE was beginning to panic! But it's true...we do see parts of the airport that no one else does! :D

We were there with Gerelmx on March 21....having been there before we didn't do any shore excursions, but we did visit our favorite restaurant, the Blue Bitch, which is right on the beach. Unfortunately, the restaurant (upstairs) isn't ready yet so we went next door to the Pink Flamingo and had a great lunch on their outdoor porch. The beach by the BB is up and running and the concessions that rent umbrellas, chairs, etc. are as well. Many of the shops have reopened and many of them haven't.....but they do appreciate our coming and spending money and one shop was actually selling homemade cupcakes to raise money for a local family that lost everything. The Dutch side is recovering faster than the French side for two main reasons: French side was more heavily damaged and Dutch has poured more money into island than French have...Holland is much wealthier than France.