desert2lover

On 10/17/2022 at 12:03 PM, ladysail2 said:

I bought a National Express ticket from London to Southampton. It is non-amenable and non- refundable. But National Express has changed my departure time to a later time. There are earlier times available that I would rather take. I really can’t find help on their website about how to change my ticket.  Do I have to buy a new ticket, or will they exchange my current one to a more preferable time for me. 
Thank you for any help. 

7 hours ago, ladysail2 said:

Thank you John. I tried the on-line chat, but it’s not a person, just a series of topics with further policies and rules. I felt the simplest thing to do was buy a new ticket, so that’s what I did.  
The time change difference was not significant, just 30 minutes but it meant that I didn’t arrive into Southampton until 1pm. With sundown around 5pm, it didn’t give me alot of time to go to a few places that I’d like to visit. So I am taking the 8:30am bus from London and arriving at 10:40am 🤞.  That gives me some extra time.  I hope they don’t change this schedule 🤞.  
Also, I made a reservation at the Duke of Wellington for Sunday Roast lunch. I am really looking forward to that!  
Thank you for all your help!  😊

We missed our connection from LHR to Southampton because of a delay in customs.  They added an additional amount to our ticket and we took a later coach

On 12/2/2019 at 12:19 PM, landbc said:

Hello all! I don't post here much, but wanted to give a quick Pro's/Con's review of my families Edge sailing last week. First of all, we are a family of three. My wife and I are in our early forties and my daughter is eight. This is our fifth cruise with Celebrity.

 

Pro's

• Embarkation at Port Everglades was amazing! No more than 20 minutes from leaving the parking garage to being on the ship. I had a noon boarding time and showed up around 11:10AM. I was on the ship by 11:30. 
• Ship was very modern, clean and aesthetically pleasing. Personally, I liked a lot of the artwork and enjoyed the overall looks of the ship.
• Select dining was nice. Made reservations for all four restaurants the first four nights. Ate in the Normandie the first night and in the Tuscan the second night. We fell in love with our waiter and sommelier, and stayed with the Tuscan all week. We did have lunch in the Cosmopolitan both sea days. Big shout out to Slavitka, our head server and Sebastian, our Sommelier in the Tuscan. Probably the best restaurant staff we have had on a cruise. Both were amazing. I won't go into food, since it's so subjective, but my whole family very much enjoyed our meals. Some better than others, but all good.
• We felt like the breakfasts and lunches that we had in the OVC was improved over our previous Celebrity cruises. Hot food was always hot and cold food was always cold. Loved the hand washing station right outside the OVC. They should be mandatory on all ships.
• Overall, we enjoyed the shows in the theater. The two female lead vocalists in the performances were fantastic, their two male counterparts just mediocre. The accompanying acrobatics were always a highlight for my daughter. 
• My daughter liked the pool. It was a nice size compared to the other ships we have been on. 

Con's

• First let me say that we enjoyed our Infinite Veranda stateroom. But, like many others have said, they are not a veranda. I don't think Celebrity should be allowed to use the term veranda when selling these rooms. They are a wonderful oceanview sunroom, with a sliding window, but nothing more. The light they let in during the day is fantastic and the shade does a wonderful job of blocking out the light when needed. We put our window down for a few minutes every day, but you lose your A/C and everything fogs up in your room. 
• Not enough bars or bar staff on a ship of this size. We aren't huge drinkers, but always like a pre-dinner martini(more on this below), wine at dinner and a beer by the pool once in a while. 
• They ruined the martini bar and grand foyer all in one ship. The Edge has combined two of the most iconic locations on their cruise ships and I personally don't like it. I want the two to  each have their own space and audience. 
• Eden was different. I liked the space, but I didn't like the drinks or the incense smell they pipe in. Some days the smell was better than others. I never went in late at night, so I didn't get to see any of the performers. It's a big space that they could do so much more with. It was empty most of the time.
• The Club is way too small to hold shows in. I tried to take my daughter to the "Mirage" acrobatic show there twice and could never get a seat to see the stage. Their can't be more than 50-75 decent seats in the club to see the show. I'm not sure why they don't do these in the theater.
• My daughter hated the kids club. She loved the Summit this summer but hated the Edge. The activities and the staff were way better on the Summit. 

 

We all have our opinions and these are just a few quick gut reactions to my 7 days on the Edge. The Edge is one and done for me. I probably won't be back unless it's a price too good to pass up. For me and my family, we will stick with the older ships in the fleet. That being said, any day on any cruise ship is better than a day in the office!

 

Thanks for reading!

Agree as well. Plus the loss of the sky lounge is a huge disappointment!  And no Rendezvous lounge also.  We are one and done too.

Thanks for the excellent review.  We have booked this excursion when we are in 

Bonaire in November on the Edge.  Sounds like they do a great job!

We are booked on this cruise and looking forward to the wonderful ports. Just curious/interested/concerned as this cruise is not showing on the Celebrity or any TA website any longer. Could it be completely sold out this far in advance? When it was still showing, the prices had increased dramatically? Any guesses!

The ship is sold out.

Deanna

Begin with going up at the main entrance just across from our Onofrio fountain. There are 87 steps to reach the top, with a small platform about half way. You can only walk counter clock wise and will enjoy the views from our sea side of the old town. This part of the wall has several sets of ups and downs but is the less strenuous. Continue past the views of our old port and you will then come to the half way point and the last exit at Ploce (plo-cha). At this point decide if you want to continue. The land half of the wall is all upward taking one to the highest point, our Minceta Tower. Decide if you want to continue at Ploce, the views are much the same of the old town roofs. Do understand that yes the wall does have 1.080 steps which does include all three entrances. I have done the walk many, many times over the years. When I was younger (60's) I made the trek 3 days in a row, then collapsed for a week. If you really want to have a grand view of Dubrovnik, then take the time to enjoy the cable car trip to the top of Mt. Srd (surge). Depending on time of year, make sure you have water, sun hat, sun screen and excellent walking shoes with radial tires on the soles. During our high season, after 01 April, it opens at 8am. Enjoy my retirement home!

Thx! Exactly the information I was looking for.

Deanna

It’s not that bad. We’re in our early 70s & reasonably fit, but we both have artificial knees ( me 1, my husband 2) and managed it. Yes there are lots of stairs, but you can take your time. The worst thing is that it gets very hot up there and it can be difficult to find much shade, so it’s best to do the walk first thing in the morning, preferably as soon as they open at 9am.

 

 

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Thx. Very helpful!

Deanna

Please throw away Rough Guide, it does not have accurate information. It does not matter which entrance you use, you will walk counter clockwise. This route will take past our sea first, my favorite part of the wall. Also here is an FYI, it is just one wall, not many walls. Enjoy the 1,080 steps, they can be daunting for some.

We are a couple mid 70's in decent shape and walk every day. Can you give us an idea how difficult this really is?

Deanna

My recommendation is WWW.ROMEINLIMO.COM We used them before and are going to use them again this October. Check out their website - you won't be disappointed.

I also recommend Rome in Limo. We used them for tours and transportation from airport and hotel to pier. Excellent service and would

certainly use them again.

Thanks everyone it's something to think about hadn't considered it before

Have had aft cabins twice. One time no problem at all. The second time it was a very big problem. Wind plays a major role, but when there is soot the balcony can be impossible to use. I won't book another aft cabin because of this and we loved the aft location!

I was just beginning to enjoy the new website....my reservations came right up....it was easy to read and beautiful to look at.....then I tried to find my shore excursions....after about 30 minutes of clicking here and there and everywhere I could not find them anywhere! I had to call X, wait 15 minutes for a live person and even SHE couldn't find my shore excursions! Finally we worked it out. In case anyone else is wondering. Click on "check in"....then "already booked"...then add in your reservation number and the drop down will offer the calendar we're all used to so we can see what we've booked and what time it leaves. Sheeeesh....for something that makes X so much extra $$$ you'd think they'd make it easier to find them!!!!

Thank you! This actually worked for me after numerous attempts. Finally was able to make a shore excursion reservation

for our Caribbean cruise in November.

Deanna

So, my PC has started showing me the new website. I check in daily to see if I've been assigned a cabin (have a guarantee). On the old site, which my iPad still takes me to, I can see my shore excursions, drink packages, calendar, etc. in the manage reservations section. In the new one... nothing. Anybody else seeing this?

Exactly the same issues!

Click on Plan Your Vacation after you are signed in. It takes you to the shore excursions. However, above the excursions is the itinerary with arrival and departure times listed. There is also an option to view the itinerary as a map.

Tried this several times, but will not work for me. Since we're not leaving until November, guess I'll just wait a while.

Thank you for the quick responses. It might be worth it to take a quick little cruise before the twelve-nighter. Even three or four nights would do the trick.

We did exactly that before Celebrity changed the entire point system.

Isn't the inside passage supposed to be the one that is most scenic?

The inside passage is scenic. However, we went in August last year and had fog the entire time, so didn't see

much of anything. Found out when we got home that mid-July to mid-Sept is prone to fog. Several years ago,

we did the exact same cruise in late May and had spectacular weather. As you know, though, weather is

always iffy anywhere!

Avoid the center cabins. We got soot on our balcony throughout a Caribbean cruise.

 

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We were not so near the center but still got soot every day on our balcony. Love the aft cabins, but don't love the soot.

We stayed at the Delta Suites a few years ago. The Delta chain is now owned by Marriott. We walk a lot and just walked to the ship terminal, but it would be a short cab ride for most.

Delta Vancouver Suites is a lovely hotel. We stayed there in August,'16. Just walked to the ship, very easy.

We had an aft cabin on Solstice in New Zealand and really enjoyed it. However, last year on Equinox in the Med, our aft cabin

was constantly covered in soot, so much so that we really could not use the furniture unless everything was wiped down each

time. As much as we loved the view, the soot was really a pain.

Yes, I was curious so I googled them. Discovered that they'll be embarking the Equinox right after DW & I disembark. Hmmmm, wonder if I can talk DW into a B2B

We're on the same cruise with you. Guess the good news is that we are"before" not "after".

Can you upgrade to a premium package once you are onboard? I think I read somewhere that Celebrity will offer a "special" price to upgrade once you have sailed.

We upgraded to premium on a recent Alaska cruise. No discount given.

It came to about $150 for two of us for a 7 day cruise.

Deanna

Have they sorted the soot problems on the aft balcony,s.

We had one a couple of years ago and could not use the balcony because everything would get covered in soot.

Ian.

We had an aft cabin on Solstice in Australia/New Zealand last year without

a problem. But on Equinox in the Med this year the soot was so prevalent we

could not use the balcony. Very frustrating!

Hi! I am looking to do the Equinox next summer. (I just did the Summit to Bermuda and love Celebrity!!). I am wondering which itinerary is better. The Eastern goes to San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Martin. The Western goes to Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman.

I am going with my teenage daughter. We usually like to divide our port time between relaxing beach day one port, and fun activity another port, like snorkeling, cave swimming, etc. Of the ports, I have been to St. Martin where we did the all day tour. (Forgot the name, it was sightseeing and beach time.)

Of the above ports, which has the prettiest beach. I like to go to a nice hotel that does day passes if possible, like the Elbow Beach Resort in Bermuda. Thank you for advice!!!

 

 

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Just my two cents......

We have been to all these ports except Key West. Cozumel has fabulous

snorkeling on the Palancar Reef. Sting Ray City on Grand Cayman is an

experience not to be missed, IMO, and I think a teenager would love it. Plenty

of lovely beaches on both islands. Love the eastern Caribbean too, but

the western has lots of good points as well.

Deanna

My friends and I will be sailing on the Equinox to and from Barcelona. I'm trying to determine what time I should arrange for pick up at the port when we disembark. We're staying overnight in Barcelona so do not have to rush off the ship. If I arrange for a pick up time at 9:00am, how long will it take to get off and get our luggage as I do not want to do self disembarkation. Also do we have to go through customs when we get off the ship?

 

What is the latest time we have to be off the ship and also out of our cabin.?

We just returned from Barcelona. Out of the cabin by 8 am. Our disembarkation time was 8:50. Got our luggage and waited in line for

a taxi to go to our hotel. Lots of taxis there and even though there were lots

of people in line, it was well organized. Not necessary to arrange for a

special pick up in my opinion.

I'm concerned that our cruise this month still includes Turkey. We are considering staying on board if they don't change.

We were in Kusadasi in May. Absolutely no problem either in town

or at Ephesus and a shopping/gladiator show stop. Ephesus was

amazing, not to be missed. I hope you get to experience the

beautiful country.

Deanna

I just went through this a few weeks ago and researched online, made phone calls, etc but the answer seems to be that only specific day tour operators and the train depot will hold your luggage.

 

In other words, if you are going on a Seward-based tour that day, some of them will hold your luggage for you. (The one we are using doesn't, unfortunately.) If you are taking the train, you can bring your bags there in the morning and check them. You will not have access to them again until you get to Anchorage, but you won't have to worry about them all day.

 

The bus lines that I called said that they could not hold luggage for us. Not sure if I called Seward Bus Lines, though, so it's probably worth it for you to call and double-check since their schedule works so perfectly for you.

 

If your tour operator cannot hold your luggage and prefers that you don't bring it with you, then you are pretty much stuck taking the train from what I can see. If there is another way, then I must've missed it in my research. I didn't want to wait any longer to make plans so we are booked on the train.

I got an e-mail from Manny at Seward Bus lines Today. They WILL be able

to accommodate luggage on the bus trip to Anchorage Airport, but I did not

inquire if they could store ahead of time.

Deanna

We are taking my parents on the Reflection next July (2017). I'm hesitant to book now, as I feel like the price will drop. When we did it a few years ago, it was about $500 less and if you book now, for THIS (2016) July, it's about $700 less.

 

But then I thought I would book it and just watch for price drops and adjust it. After reading the fine print though on Celebrity website it looks like you can only as for a price drop once. Does anyone know if that is true?

We got three price drops on the Med cruise we are taking next week. In the

US you can reprice and keep the same cabin. Apparently in the UK, if

they reprice , they lose their deposit and their cabin (per some posts

on cruise critic). However a previous poster pointed out that you must be

careful to note lose any perks you had with the old booking. Repricing

gets you the current offer, not the old one. Also, after final payment, you

cannot get a refund if the price drops, BUT you can get an upgrade to a

better cabin. I like to book early and choose my cabin. Then , just keep

on checking the price on the Celebrity website, and ask to reprice if

it goes down.

Deanna