Mummble

7 hours ago, henry1005 said:

This doesn't seem to match the FAQ on the Celebrity website: 

 

If I have a Future Cruise Credit of 125% issued from a suspended sailing, can reschedule the same cruise at the same price with the same promo for the next year?

Yes, but you will forfeit the 25% of the 125% Future Cruise Credit.

 

I have asked my TA to see if I can rebook at the same rate for next year, understanding that I would lose the extra 25% FCC I was given for our cruise that was cancelled.

Excellent!  I will call back and try again.  It's a much better deal for me.

42 minutes ago, timf264 said:

Our cruise has been canceled yes but no refund has come our way yet or fcc email. Plus the cruise still appears in my account to get ready to sail.

I'm in a very similar situation.  So, I called, but no luck.  The guy I spoke to said it only applies to sailing currently scheduled between June 12 2020 and May 4th 2022.  It does not apply to previously cancelled cruises.  😞  Ah well, it was worth a shot! 🙂

At a Peruvian Horse Show in Lima, Peru.  Last year on the Eclipse from Chile to San Diego.  My hubby and I were so surprised at how interesting this actually was!  We had recently lost his grandfather who was a true cowboy with a paint horse ranch, and it was amazing how these cowboys, a world away, reminded us of him.

Love this thread!

Got this in Kusadasi in 2015.  It was our first Celebrity cruise!

Hi all!  My extended family and I are going on an Alaskan cruise next May.  As time goes on, more and more extended family is joining us, which is fabulous.  What started as 3 rooms is up to 5 or 6 now.  I know it takes 8 rooms to get a group rate, but since we're getting closer to that, I'm curious if we can get a group rate after we've already booked rooms?  Has anyone done this?  We've all booked the nonrefundable rate, in case that matters.  Thanks for any advice!

10 hours ago, Von & John said:

Mummble  -- 

Thanks!  In Lima, what was the ruins & horse show?  Was this a Ship Excursion or a Private Excursion or a DIY?

Thanks Again!

All excursions were ship excursions this time, including Lima.  With it being our first trip to South America, we were just more comfortable that way.

It was Pachacamac Ruins and Peruvian Horse Show.  The ruins are a large site, and it was mostly a bus tour which we were a little bummed about.  However, we did get a chance to step into the on-site museum and get off the bus at one of the buildings.  The ruins date from pre-Incan times and Incan times and are still being excavated.  The horse ranch and show was right near the ruins and was a family ranch that breeds and shows Peruvian horses.

My hubby and I were on this cruise and LOVED it!  Having a sea day every other day made for a relaxing trip, but we still got to explore a lot of different ports.

1) Weather was generally nice.  However, you do start out in fall in La Serena and travel to spring in San Diego.  We thought the cooler temp in La Serena was great - but it depends on what you are used to.  We're from Colorado, so 50s-60s is pretty perfect.

2) We took a taxi to the main square in La Serena, and enjoyed walking around.  It felt like there were a bunch of locals and we saw a couple ships tours.  We enjoyed it, but felt like we had seen the area after a couple of hours.

3) In Lima we did the ruins and horse show.  We would have liked more time at the ruins, but the horse show and ranch was surprisingly interesting!

4) In Manta we did Isla Corazon, and it is one of our favorite memories!  So many birds with a very local guide who spoke passionately about the mangroves and the birds.  Saw a lot of birds and had a very home-cooked (Grandma and Mom cooking, with the sons serving) authentic meal.

5) Mexico.  We did a beach an excursion to an all-inclusive in Puerto Vallarta that was nice.  Huatulco was our least favorite port - it was fine, but all of the other ports we're great.  Very much like Mexico stops on the Caribbean side of Mexico.  Cabo was amazing!! My view could be skewed because we went whale watching and saw 3 humpbacks, including a calf frolicking in the water.  First time for is and it was incredible!

5) We only went to one main stage show 'Intimate Broadway' and we were pleased with that show!  We are usually unimpressed with the main stage show, but that one was good. Went to a couple of comedians.  One was better, but both were entertaining.  Casino was weirdly empty a lot of the time, but we still met a group that consistently we're at the tables with us.

6) We didn't attend the guest speakers, but regret that.  We heard they were amazing, especially the gal doing the nature talks.

7) One thing we noticed, and appreciated, was that the passenger make-up seemed significantly more international than other cruises - including to the Mediterranean.  All announcements were in English, Spanish and German (I think, but it could have been Dutch).  We met great people from Rio, London, Netherlands, Canada, Wyoming and Ohio.  The crowd was really friendly.

We had a ball.  It was our first time to South America and won't be the last.  All of the locals were very friendly, and we were able to generally communicate despite English not being as common as in Europe.  My hubby's highschool Spanish (it's been, ahem, a year or two since then 😁) and Google Translate downloaded for offline use kept us chatting!

I hope you love it next year as much as we did!

My heart goes out to you and your sister. I am so impressed at your finding joy during hard times. It is such a difficult decision when the reality of finances come into play during an emotionally charged trip.

Knowing the goal of this trip for you, below are my thoughts:

- I would cancel the facials and mani/pedis at the spa. I, just personally, love to already have my nails and toes looking beautiful before the start of my trips. It has become a feel-good pre-cruise ritual. There will still be a cost to get them done on land, but it will be cheaper. Facials are amazing, but I prefer a massage to feel more decadent and spoiled. I think keeping the massages and spa passes will still REALLY give you the 'spa' experience while cutting costs.

- You could do either the steakhouse or the chef's table. Have one really special night.

- You don't mention if you booked your excursions through the cruise line or independently, but based on pricing I would bet it's through the cruise line. I believe other posters may advise you to book independently and save money, but I'm of two minds about it. Sure, you could save money, but if it creates additional stress to book independently, than it may not be worth it. This sounds like a trip to indulge and take it easy and sometimes (even if it doesn't make sense to everyone else) the easier, more expensive choice is the best.

- The drink packages may be an option to eliminate. I've seen threads on here about how to evaluate if they're worth it - you may try that and find you can save some money there... Or not, the package is great for some!

I haven't been to NOLA, but everything you selected there sounds amazing. Others will have to help with that.

I have never had a cruise not feel indulgent... Someone else is cooking, cleaning, making my bed; I love it. Whatever you do, it sounds like you'll be focusing on joy and healing - after your losses, that in itself will be decadent.

I hope you and your sister have a ball!

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I worked at a sleep-away kids camp in PA after my freshman year in college, and frankly it sounds very comparable to this article. The pay was terrible, but I got free room and board the whole summer. That 'room' was a cabin of about 12 little girls and all I got was an upper bunk. Sure, I got time off, but it was the idea mentioned earlier of 5-on, 5-off. One full day a week. No wifi, and if we wanted to call anyone it was on our dime (I remember the pre-paid calling cards!). Staff from US, Canada and Isreal mostly.

A cruise is a lot like an adult camp. I knew what I was signing up for, but this girl may have been a bit starry-eyed about what the realities are.

Jobs like these are at-will. If they don't work for you, that's okay, leave it. If, however, you can see the intangible benefits of working with a diverse group, travelling (in the case of the cruise), having basically zero bills, and really just the wealth of the experience than it may be worth it.

This article is only disappointing in the fact that what seems to be a very privileged young woman couldn't endure 6 months of a different experience.

All of that said, I do hope that Carnival and all cruise lines take care of their employees mental health and provide resources of some kind to help people through those initial, very tough weeks. Even pairing an experienced crew member (maybe 2 contracts +) with the newbies to mentor and support them could help with homesickness. Knowing others have been through it, and how they got through it can make a difference.

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I think it depends on who your kids are, and what they like to do. Is the goal to relax and enjoy some quiet time after the press of school? Demographic of the cruise doesn't really matter then. Is the goal to make new friends and party hard? Then the demographics may matter.

My hubby and I went on a 12 day Hawaii when we were 25-ish. Honestly, I assume it was an older crowd, but we read, played cards, went to shows and did active excursions that attracted like-minded people regardless of age. Now we're 35 and still typically book longer cruises that have an older demographic. I barely notice.

Celebrate your milestones, enjoy time together, do things at the ports that excite you. I have yet to find a way to have a bad cruise... though I suppose I don't try to hard to do that either...[emoji16][emoji16]

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Just off the Horizon, and I really enjoyed the breakfast burritos from Blue Iguana! Loaded with eggs, hash browns, ham, tomatoes, onions and hot sauce - yum!

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Great! So it sounds like my only dilemma is to book a car service or wait on the taxi. Thanks for all the help!

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Thanks for the input! I think we'll be fine - the other post about waiting so long to self debark just alarmed me.

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Hi all! My DH and I will be on the Horizon out of Barcelona, and are hoping to catch a 9:30am train from BCN to Paris. We've never done self assist to disembark a cruise, but I thought it meant you could get right off the ship. According to a recent post here, it may not necessarily mean that! So, my question is specifically for those of you that have done a Carnival trip in Europe (since it isn't a normal destination for Carnival) - do they offer self assist? If they do, will I actually be off the ship earlier?

I did research, and there seems to be a consensus that the 9:30 train should be easy to catch, I'm just hoping to hear about Carnival's disembarkation specifically.

Thanks!

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Searching on-line it appears that museums like the Uffizi and Accademia will be closed on Tuesday, May 1 for the Labor Day holiday. Is this accurate? I'm holding out a little hope because the cruise line is offering excursions that claim to go inside the Accademia and see the David. We don't plan on doing a cruise line excursion, but wanted to see these two museums on our own.

If the museums are closed, is there something else we should do? I think the Duomo will be open. Are there festivals or something happening for the holiday that we could go to?

Hi all!

My family is planning a Carnival cruise to celebrate my folks' retirement in 2018. As the most cruise-obsessed and the most frequent cruiser, I've volunteered to be the family TA. Its a way to feed my addiction 'legitimately'. :D

I understand I can book three rooms at the same time on Carnival's website. If I do this, will each couple (my brother and his gf, my mom and dad, and my hubby and me) have their own reservation number? Or will there be one reservation number for each room? Will we automatically be linked for the dining room? Can I pay the deposits on different credit cards?

Thanks so much for the advice! I tried to look at Carnivals FAQ, but that part of the website is broken. :mad:

We are taking an ATV excursion in either San Juan or Grand Turk (I forget which one). Do you have any tips for me? Should we just wear clothes and shoes that we would be willing to throw away? I don't want to have to bring home muddy clothes and I don't want to send them to the laundry. Should I bring wet wipes to wipe ourselves down afterwards so we don't get the bus all muddy? Should I bring glasses cleaner so I can see through my glasses afterwards? These are the types of things I am wondering about......Can anyone shed some light on this excursion for me? Thanks, Deb

We did this in Mexico last August and had a great time. My hubby and I wore shorts (swim trunks for him) and our sturdy water shoes. Our legs and shoes got muddy, but we ended at the ocean and rinsed off with a drink in hand!

I will say, if I do it again, I'll wear long pants. There was a lot of heat coming from the ATV right by my leg. As a porcelain - alright, pasty - skinned gal, it really irritated my skin. I ended up with a heat rash for a day or two. Not terrible, but not comfortable. Take the notice to wear long pants seriously if you're sensitive!

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What if you don't really look like your passport picture anymore? I mean, passports last years and things change! I don't want to be left off the ship cuz they don't think it's me! 😱

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My husband gets pretty motion sick and he always wears the ear patch thingy on our cruises. He's never had any side effects (thankfully!). There was one trip where he still felt a little seasick, even with the patch.

You could always take them, as an option, but start with the dramamine/bonine/wrist bands. Should none of that work, you'd have the patch as a backup, with the knowledge of possible side effects to watch out for. His Dr. told him to limit alcohol consumption while wearing the patch, but he never drinks so that was easy for him (wouldn't be so easy for me :-)! Maybe that is why he's never felt side effects?

Thank you all so much! It sounds like experiences can... vary... to say the least!

We've decided to plan on this cruise. It's actually the 4th, not the 3rd, that will be offered on the Carnival Horizon. We're squeezing this one in with another vacation planned for later in the year, and the price is just right. However, we'll be ready for a couple bumps in the road while enjoying that 'new cruise' smell!

My husband and I are considering booking one of the first itineraries (I think it is the 3rd) of Carnival's new ship. I'd love to hear about any of your experiences on a new ship.

We're a little worried that they'll be working out the kinks still, but the price is right. Please help me get my expectations in line so I know what to expect.

Thanks!

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My husband did this last year on the Equinox. He, too, doesn't drink alcohol but he loves Vitamin Waters. We went straight to guest services and asked and they changed his package with no problem.

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While not Azamara-specific, we loved Duquesa De Cardona. Conveniently located to the HoHo bus and the port. Great building with a nice rooftop terrace. Great service. A place we can't wait to get back to!

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Thanks so much everyone! I was so excited about this cruise line and then had gotten a bit worried about being anti-social. It sounds like it will be pretty easy to do whatever works for us... so long as I avoid the guy with the taser. ;-)

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Hi all!

I have been reading these Azamara boards for some time and am in the very early stages of planning a 2018 or 2019 trip. I love many of Azamara's itineraries, the ships look to be lovely, and there seems to be some nice included features at a manageable cost.

However, after reading many comments about how social everyone is I am wondering if it isn't right for me? My husband and I are both pleasant people, but we really vacation to get time for just us. My work demands lots of socializing in my day-to-day schedule, and my husband's work demands lots of overtime. Will it be frowned upon if we just want to sit at dinner the two of us? I know it sounds nuts (and we really are nice people!) but our vacation style is just about us.

I know ultimately it is probably a 'try it and see' kind of thing, but I would love to hear from other introverts or anyone else' experience.

Thanks!