kiwimum

5 hours ago, ldtr said:

81, 82, 83  from late september through mid December each year..  Spent a fair amount of time camping and traversing on the sea ice in McMurdo sound. Visited the pole a couple of times.

 

Was he at Scott Base? We would go over there to trade cases of beer. They wanted the US brands and we wanted the NZ brands (the darker beers resisted freezing better when we were doing our field work.

No he was at McMurdo until they could fly to Pole.   Operation Deep Freeze out of Hueneme.   He also did a couple of early season fly ins to retrieve/catalog Scott’s Hut.

We sailed out of San Diego to Buenos Aires in December 2022 on Princess.  Spent Christmas in Antarctica.   Amazing trip even with missed ports due to weather and coup in Peru. 

Try changing the number of passengers in each cabin and see what pops up.   2 passengers in a cabin with 3 or 4 berths could be the issue.

22 hours ago, ldtr said:

Last time I was in Antarctica it was from Sept 25 until Dec 15. Thought that was not long enough.

 

McMurdo Station Ross Island.

What year.  DH was there and Pole 1974, 75, 76.

Flew into San Diego yesterday from LHR on BA.   SIL has Global Entry, I do not because of citizenship.  I beat him thru immigration.  Global Entry had long lines.  The aircraft was at full capacity.  

1 hour ago, suekel said:

Not on the Sapphire

If you asked they would make a calzone for you.  Had it several times on our December cruise.   Also known as a giant empanada.

The month of December we were on the Sapphire.   Pub lunch was a regular occurrence in a dining room and posted in the Patter.   Fish and chips were tasty, steak and kidney pie full of tasty kidney pieces.  Scotch egg could have been better but still good.   Ploughmans lunch a miss.  Shepherds Pie also very good.   Plenty of chips with meals, mushy peas strange.  Could order several mains with no issues.  Desserts not worth having.   Overall a lunch worth having.   We went around 12:45 and had no issues with seating.

Definitely far better in a dining room than a lounge.   Union Jacks, waiters in black aprons, vinegars available.  Overall a very nice experience.

1 hour ago, aForestr said:

Booked through EZAir  a flight from LHR to SEA in mid June on AA.  On the AA web site it shows that the flight has been ticketed, but I can not find an eTicket number.  Have the tickets been paid for by EZAir yet?  We lost our seats a year ago because EZAir had not paid for the tickets and the resevation was cancelled.  EZAir rebooked us from London to Istanbul to SFO.  We took a pass on that offer.

Check your Travel Summary on your Princess account. Ticket numbers will show up.

Just checked on our August flights to LHR on BA website and it shows we were ticketed February 23.  

12 minutes ago, Musky Ike said:

I noticed earlier than usual ticketing also. I presume it is a fix to the issues they had during the restart where flights were cancelled for some because EZAir did not ticket them in time, but don't know for sure.

I have not even made final payment.

Our EZAir booking for August to LHR is also showing as ticketed.   Numbers have been showing for a couple of weeks.   Flight is 140 days out.   

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

@mtnesterz its a California Coastal cruise ... I could drive to the ports & back in a day so might not even get off. But I could use Clinique if they carry it. Or just increase gratuities  ... not waiting for a voided check (I've got over 500 total obc)

Not looking for a trick just info amount on max GS refund

 

 

They should have Clinique, definitely available onboard at good prices in October and December.  I usually stock up to utilize OBC.  

We are booked with EZAir for our Norway cruise.   Fare thru EZAir, SAN-LHR, return on direct flights is $3850pp Business class on BA.   Looking at BA website for exact same flights $14670.   Fare has not dropped on EZAir since availability opened.   
We had issues with Covid last year in London and EZAir staff were very helpful and accommodating.   Arrived home one day after quarantine as there were no Business Class seats available the first day we could travel.

Highly recommend utilizing EZAir if you are flying International.

We had a great time during the Coquimbo port stop in December.  Visited the Elqui Valley stopping a wineries, Pisco distillery and Observatories.   The valley has been labeled the astronomical capital of the world.  

On our Antarctic cruise December 2022 we received slippers and blue bag.   Sewing kit was available on request at Guest Services.  Cabin Steward had pens available.   Nasty, watery lotion in pump bottles on counter in bathroom.   Looked and felt watered down.

You will need to rebook to change your cabin class.    Pre-Covid I attempted to do similar,  from Premium Economy on BA to Business Class, no luck.   Cancelled original flights and rebooked. 
On our August cruise out of Southampton,  BA changed departure time by 4 minutes and it did not meet Princess time requirement.   Instead of non-stop we were rerouted thru Philadelphia, not going to happen.  Changed for a second time, same price thru DFW better connection.   Today I attempted to change our return flight from LHR to SAN to following day fare increased $3k pp.   Happy with flying thru DFW.   
Good Luck.

When we sail out of Buenos Aires we always show up around 3:00pm and have no issues boarding.   The terminal is not set up to handle large numbers of passengers or multiple ships.   Disembarkation in January was a disaster as 3  ships in port and passengers attempting to board arriving well before suggested time created traffic jams.

27 minutes ago, mrstmaxx said:

Thank you so much!!  Do you think it was about 10 miles?   Beautiful pictures 

Total from the bus parking lot to Petra entrance and the hike to the Monastery could be around 10 miles round trip.   The trail to the from the city complex to the monastery has over 800 steps one way.   To make it to the monastery you need to move quickly to make the return time to the bus.   

21 minutes ago, mrstmaxx said:

We are interested in this excursion but a little concerned when it says you have to walk 5-6 miles each way through the Siq and enter the city ruins (it's 1/2 mile from the entrance of the site to the Siq)  We wouldn't have a problem walking 10-12 miles at our own pace but not sure how much time they give you go walk to the City.  I did check the Activity Site (maybe it's called something else) on CC but there was nothing there that would answer my question.   Thank you for any info you may have if you've done this specific excursion.

We did this excursion in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed it.   Yes there is a lot of walking over uneven ground and can be very hot.  I cannot recall what time we arrived but we left the site around 1:00pm for an amazing buffet meal  at an area hotel in the way back to the ship.   DH had time to hike up to the monastery which is about as far away from the entrance you can get.  
We booked the excursion as soon as it was available.   Prices increased closer to the date.  There were many many buses from the ship, including a couple with only crew as passengers.

We had 200 under 18 years old on Santiago to Buenos Aires over Christmas.   

You must be special.   I just signed into my cruises booked to add the packages to ones I do not already have a package.  The prices show $60 and $80.  Maybe it is because you have made final payment and you are adding a package.

Good luck in resolving.

We have used one of our Goodwill FCC on an existing booking.  Contacted our CVP to have it applied.   
 

34 minutes ago, conifercruiser said:

Kiwimum, thank you SO MUCH for this info! You made my day!
 

We’re booked on the 2024 WC but I like the 2025 itinerary a lot better and will probably switch (and if we skip the 2024 WC we’ll be in the U.S. and can travel to see the total solar eclipse in April). I’ll be anxiously awaiting my Elite invitation in the next few days! 
 

Thank you!!

You do not need to wait for an invite.  If you are elite, log into your account on March 5 and you should see the pricing and availability.   Releases are usually available at 9:00am California time.  
We are also thinking of booking if we can get over the thought of it being on the Island, our least favorite ship.

Goes on sale March 5 for Elite.  
 

14 minutes ago, travelin.sisters said:

yes January 2022...first cruise into the islands after the pause

We were on Baja, think you were caribe and we could talk with the crew quarantined on Aloha.  Mostly entertainment staff.   Could see the person who was quarantined in our original cabin on Dolphin and exercising.
Enjoy your trip.

Were you on the Grand in 2022 to Hawaii?