pattymo

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

I assume you mean the Encore. The Eclipse is a Celebrity ship. 

 

There is one difference in the itineraries that to me favors the Encore. The Encore does Sunday to Sunday and is in Bermuda Wednesday to Friday, all weekdays when everything is open and public transportation schedules are  better. The Gem does Friday to Friday and is in Bermuda Sunday through Tuesday. On Sundays not many things in Bermuda are open and the bus and ferry schedule is reduced.

 

On the other hand I don't particularly like the very large ships and of the two would prefer the smaller Gem.

 

We are booked on the Empress this coming summer. Despite it being older with small cabins we fondly remember the years when we cruised on t

Thank you, that is a difference in itineraries..Worried about the empress being so old and possible  breakdowns . Will have to research it more

My daughter and spouse live in Boston and I and son in NY metro area so either port works for us. Have been on the Jade and the Getaway..I prefer the Jade class ( no reservations for the shows. dinner etc) but Im sure the 30 year olds prefer the larger ships..but..heck Im paying...Havent been on a Bermuda cruise in 20 years..the Celebrity Zenith which docked in Hamilton and St George...Not considering the Empress...too small cabins and small older ship...What ship and timing of port dates works best ( would be in mid/late May before it gets too hot)..Any advice appreciated..

Hi we've done the same cruises/ships in the last 3 years. Jade June 2015 and Getaway July 2017.. ,my kids who were mid twenties to early 30's liked the Jade itinerary and the Getaway ship . My husband and I both in our 60's liked the Jade. It's the perfect size ship for us...we enjoyed both itineraries..The Getaway is bigger , had more bells and whistles .We had cooler weather and some rain on the The Baltic cruise ..it is not a pool/sunbathing cruise .We never used our balcony to sit out on,In September could be downright chilly

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TY :) Have a great summer!

 

Are you cruising?

No Eileen. sadly we are not cruising or vacationing , my husband has been very sick since late summer . Hopefully in the future we can vacation again

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Wow that's a great trip. Have fun !

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My husband and I are will be docking on September 15, 2018 from the NCL Breakaway. We have a flight leaving at 12:10pm. Is this doable? Best way to get to the airport? Thanks!

We were on the same cruise last year on the Getaway, our flight on Delta left at 1245 and were worried as well, we bought the ship transfers for $30 each .They had a 7 am and 8 am bus..we paid for the 8 am bus . everything went smoothly and we were at the check in before 9 am. Unfortunately Delta didnt open up theirs check in till 10 am. Once we checked in/ baggage dropped their was a short line for security then when we eventually went thru passport control which was about a 20 min line . Our flight was delayed several hours so we didn't go thru passport control right away as there is nothing past there but the gates where once your at the gate it's a locked typed sitting area where they check you in again and you sit in that flights waiting area ( there is a bathroom in the sitting area ) there are lots of shops and eaterys after security and before passport control ..So I think a 12noon flight is very doable providing the ship is on time

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Hi Eileen. Loved the cruise ( except for nynasham ...not docking in Stockholm proper cut into our time in Stockholm [emoji45]) but whenever my next cruise is , it will be a warm sunny one ! Glad we got money from Delta

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The last time I saw the free gratuities was over a year ago That promotion expired end of Nov 2016

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I called the special needs desk for a liquid exemption ( ensure ) and a nutrition bullett..My papers had liquid exemption on them. Didn't specify what liquids ..They did say that it had to be carry on...Ended up finding powdered ensure so no need for liquids.

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We were able to upgrade our comfort plus seats on a Delta flight to Copenhagen from JFK about 2 weeks after initial purchase.. Our base fares had gone down over $100 PP and the Delta one was then just $550 more RT ..however based on our fare that we booked, upgrading to Delta one was $650 more RT than our comfort plus fare..so worth it . The delta agent connected us to a supervisor for the refund of our comfort plus upcharge ... our upcharge to comfort plus was $119 each way

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We just return dishes etc to the Buffett

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Pre paid $ 239 for the 9 nite Baltic on the Getaway for my DH...SIL purchased on embarkation $259 ...later on she insisted on buying me a day pass for last day of cruise ( sea day) ...I loved it...I don't know how much it cost....

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Just did a quick glance in the Getaway shop and I think I saw a price of $40. Didn't seem to be much of a selection ...

single packs are sold at some of the bars...sunset out side bar , for one, I saw a cruiser buying them.

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Thermal suite spa pass 7 day Jade cruise June 2015 $119 bought on embarkation ...last month on the Getaway 9'day cruise $239 booked before the cruise. ( up to $259 once cruise began ) ..

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We just did a Baltic cruise on NCL July 9 to 18th and we always cruise a balcony or above ( and took our adult children and booked them a balcony as well..) It was windy and chilly esp when at sea .none of us sat out on the balcony. very few people out on the decks too...we booked our tours thru TJ's and were very satisfied ...My advise forgo the balcony and get a oceanview cabin

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Didn't read this whole thread but if you see someone lugging on a blender/ nutribullet don't be so quick to judge ...There are passengers who cruise with swallowing/eating disorders who basically get a good portion of their calories / nutrients with blended drinks made in a Ninja/ nutri magic bullet ...very easy to make ...some greens/ milk / fresh fruits/ ensure powder, protein powder , etc all blended up ..In fact it's such a necessity that on the limo ride to the airport my DH remembered he forgot to pack one...so we had the limo driver stop at a Kohls enroute...Problem solved !

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We also used TJ tours in St. Petersburg for a group tour and were very satisfied ..would highly endorse TJ tours as well ..

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Don't know when your trip is but here is my timeline with Delta to CPH out of JFK. A non stop. Booked Nov 11 for a July 7 to 20th flight. Price for economy was $925 pp. 1 week later price dropped to $800 and 1 week after that to $725 pp. and the airfare stayed down to $800 or less for months ..We were of course stuck with our higher fare , however I noticed that the Delta one fare had dropped as well to only $650 more than what we paid for comfort plus ( comfort plus was an extra $209 on top of $925 ) . Delta refunded our comfort plus fee and we upgraded to Delta one ( first class) ..ended up paying under $1800 each for first class . 2 years earlier we paid $1500 comfort plus to Venice , so felt this was a bargain. Deltas international flights are very nice ..Plus 2 weeks prior to departure due to my husbands illness I changed our flights to return home directly from the cruise, 2 days earlier and they not only waived the $250 change fee but also kept us in first class seats ( which were now priced over 4 k ) .Cant recommend Delta enough

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2 years ago we took a private water taxi from the cruise ship , it was a short walk from the pier and the water taxi dispatcher took our info and we waited along with other cruise ship customers about 15 minutes. IT was about 80 euros to our hotel on the grand canal ...It is easily one our best experiences, very enchanting . We sailed all around Venice, under small bridges ...The next day thru the hotel we booked a private water taxi to the airport , it was more expensive, raining and we sailed mostly in open water ..Not so memorable

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We did Stockholm on our own from Nynasham. Directions/advise/maps and all encompassing transp tix from the tourist office ...15 min walk to the train , train runs every half hour weekdays or every hour weekends...must get in the first car. From Stockholm city station we hopped on a tram to the Vasa ( as advised by tourist office ) ..there are long lines for the Vasa for non groups but it went quickly...10 minutes we waited in line... The total cost for the vasa museum and transportation was about $30 each . Do see the short film about the vasa museum ! At the vasa museum there is an info desk manned by knowledgeable guys with large maps who can advise you to your next stop ...

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Hi. Really nice review. Thank you again. My question goes back to Helsinki. Were the NCL shuttles the only alternative that you were aware of to get from the port to the town? I am still planning Helsinki. I read about a HOHO tram you can pick up from a train station. Diane

Hi there is a HOHO bus right at the port that NCL is in cahoots with but outside the gate there is another HOHO bus that is quite a bit cheaper...we took the cheaper one , whereas my husband and son took the shuttle ( they bought the tickets right there at the shuttle ) ...All things considered I would probably take the shuttle ...you can walk to most sights from the shuttle stop ..

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Was there 5 minutes looked like a lot of tables and modern scoop like chairs. Nothing like the sky lounge at delta terminal 4 ..I don't think it's worth $39 unless you were planning to spend a lot of time there ... you can check it out and decide if it's worth it before you buy .. It's after passport control and not much in c gate -wing

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Delta uses Eventyr lounge now. was just there yesterday albeit briefly as our delta flight was boarding.....panoramic views out of the windows... had chicken on skewers... muffins apples oranges. Can't remember what else. By C26 gate ..

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May I dare say that a CFP and a travel agent are not in the same boat .. like comparing apples to oranges . I don't begrudge my CFP his fees, they are made up more in the portfolios growth. I certainly would not patronize a travel agent who imposes a high fees in addition to his commission ...

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tip dollar (s) or your sterling ...