merlin5353

 

All of the best to each and every cruiser and keep on visiting Madeira Island!

Your answers to our questions have been of such a value, I hope you reconsider.

John

Ports use sniffer dogs for food detection as well as drugs

 

Sandy in Spain

At the several Spanish ports we recently visited I saw no dogs or even inspections.

You can bring packaged food off but no fruits or veggies. I have never had a problem bringing food back on board nut most of the time it is packaged anyway.

 

Sent from my VS980 4G using Forums mobile app

I've carried fruit off the ship several time without a problem. There is not a way they can tell what you are carrying off.

Dear WWLL,

 

As much as I'd love to answer your question, I got in touch with CC first to ask if I'm allowed to post such a detailed reply. In the meantime, if anybody else has the answer please post.

 

The least I can do now is say that Vinhos Barbeito is near Cabo Girao and D'Oliveira is in Funchal.

 

All the best.

Thank you for the email, Biaria.

John

Hello Biaria

 

We are so grateful for your help.

 

On October 29 I will be in Funchal on the Norwegian Epic. I am interested in buying a very old bottle of Madeira wine. Recently one of the most eminent wine writers from the US spent three months in Portugal and made a side trip to Funchal. What he wrote about Madeira wines is revealing, to say the least.

 

Can you find me the addresses of

Vinhos Barbeito, and

D’Oliveira.

 

The reason I need this information is I am signed up for a tour and may have very limited time to shop for this bottle of wine.

 

Thank you.

You should give them your email. They can send you the information you need. I would like it also. Please send to merlin5353 at gmail.

You're probably going to have a cooler, not a refrigerator in your room. This is one of those things that can plug into your car's cigarette lighter. It can keep already-cold things cool, but it will not really bring room temperature items down to cold. It would NOT be safe to store meats for any length of time, nor would you have a way to warm things. It might be reasonable to eat dinner, then bring your dessert back to enjoy on your balcony later..

Several of the Celebrity ships we've been on recently have has refrigerators in their cabins. They are actual refrigerators. Kinda nice to keep a few extra bottles of wine cold, or some bedtime milk handy and COLD.

We have done both. But mostly I like to pay in cash whether euros or USD (we take some of that too) We buy euros here at our bank ahead of time. I have little white envelopes with each private tour printed on the front with the date and then put in the tour and tip cash. That way on the morning of the tour I take the appropriate envelope out of the safe and put in my purse. No hassle worrying about having the right amount etc.

 

Sounds a bit over the top but I like stress free vacations :D

Definitely not over the top. You descibe the method I used on a 27 night B2B in April / May. I got Euros before we left, made sure I had correct amounts for the 9 private tours we participated in and put them in the cabin safe when we boarded. I didn't give payments a thought until we were in port, ready to go, and I just grabbed the envelope for that port visit. No scrambling around to make change or keep money 'put aside'. Considering the several ports we visited in which we did our own thing, the tour money organizing was no problem. And BTW, we used Ephesus Shuttle in Kusadasi. They took us where we wanted and, mid tour, when we wanted to add a stop, no problem.

I think the Spice Market is very interesting too. Much smaller and easy to get around in than the Grand Bazaar. But I just can't imagine not going to the Grand Bazaar if you are in Istanbul. Even if you are not a shopper, it is a part of the Turkish Culture that should not be missed! On our last visit to Istanbul we were scheduled to do a Bosphorus Cruise but it got cancelled because of high winds. So this could happen. We just spent the time exploring the city on our own. Of course we were there 3 days.

I was in Istanbul in May, visiting the 'must do' sights and a few others. The Grand Bazaar was pretty overwhelming, having a ridiculous number of vendors; many of them VERY pushy. For me, the Spice Market was better, because there were a large variety of items and products, with less pressure. A few cafes nearby, also. After all of that, visit BOTH if you have the time. In the GB, be careful to keep track of where you are; it is LARGE!

They're not being punished at all. They knew (most likely before ever boarding) what the dress code is for the MDR each night. They made a decision that they didn't wish to dress for dinner that particular evening according to Celebrity's published dress code, so part of their decision included having dinner at an alternate venue (at least one of which offers the same menu as the MDR.) That’s hardly what could be called "punishment."

I agree! There is a DRESS CODE! Duh... If someone can't stand to dress appropriately, then either eat in the buffet, or stay home. Step #1: Read the rules. Step #2: Follow the rules. Pretty simple. Whew, I've got that out! :)

Meant to say that both have the same usual suspects as far as stores go:

Massimo Dutti, Sfera, Zara, Corefeil etc etc.

So for some shopping, Cadiz has areas of variety. It seems a bit much to travel to Seville for the same items available in Cadiz.

Three days ago I booked flights for my DW and I using ChoiceAir. After a 3 night stay in Barcelona, following our Equinox transatlantic cruise next year, our cost is 1/3rd if we had to buy through the airlines. May 14, BCN > DTW is around $1100, for both of us. We've been able to save a lot of money like this before. You can get prices and buy your tickets online. Good luck!

I've seen conflicting info on these boards regarding adding a beverage package part way through the cruise.

 

Can anyone confirm this for sure, from recent onboard experience? .....

Well, I was on the Constellation 7 weeks ago and I related my beverage package in a post. It seemed to be a normal situation (beverage package upgrades) for several couples we met aboard. :rolleyes:

Bear in mind, a Classic drink (alcohol) package has a price per drink of (I think) $8. If your desired beverage is above that, you pay full price. With the Premium package, you pay the difference. If you get a flight of wine, martinis, etc, you pay full price. Also, you can add a drink package, or upgrage one, part way through your cruise.

Sorry if this has already been asked....but, does anyone know/or have a current price list of alcoholic beverages if you don't purchase a package? Especially when we are one person who drinks and one not so much........I'm just not so sure we would benefit from that type of plan, but haven't been able to locate a list of prices (even on Celebrity website).

 

Also, sorry for bringing back an older thread.....but, it fit my question, I'm hoping :(

Check the posts in this thread. There's a post showing a drink price document. Prices change on occasion, so be ready. We each have a few drinks per day and we are WAY short of the classic drink package. It's great when X gives us the package for free (we upgrade to Premium for $10 / person / day). Good luck!

I believe that we are still elite after the restructuring. So has the format changed? still an evening 5 - 7 gathering or will it now be coupons to be used where / when we wish. THANKS!

Probably need to check your status on Celebrity website.

We were off the Connie yesterday. I'll check in. Still doing laundry.

I'm really interested in this thread. My DW and I are going on 3 cruises next year and they all will include the Classic package. I'm wondering if I'll be able to pay the 'difference' to upgrade to the Premium package to get the scotch I prefer.