Algebralovr

The ship's are all sailing full, so no upgrades are available once on board. Best bet is to watch prices for your cruise about 4-8 weeks out when they start price dropping - if they do. You might be able to upgrade.

Are they still trying out the instant OBC on a ship or two? That stinks. I'd much rather have it for the future cruise.

Hopefully they will go back to that fleet wide before I book again in a few months.

OP, I was told in June that I could book for friends while I was on board. They did not say I had to go on the same cruise. I planned to, though.

We were just on Equinox in June and my DD was in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was a rather last minute thing, so we were in a standard cabin.

Important: the wheelchair would not fit through the door of the cabin when she was in it. She had to get to the door, get the chair through the door, then sit down in it.

She was able to take the few steps necessary, but could not walk distances or stand more than a few minutes at a time. She had assistance every time she got on or off the ship, often with a pusher in back and someone else in front of the chair. Even if we were with her, someone from Celebrity would jump in to help get her off or on the ship.

Hopefully you are taking your own chair, or have one rented through special needs and you are not depending on a free loaner from Celebrity. There were a couple of people I saw that depended on a free loaner rather than bring or renting one, and the ones they had only had small wheels. This was an issue because they were required to always have someone push them. My DD has the two rear wheels that are large and meant to be self pushed.

Even though they are more expensive, I would take excursions through the ship. If you are having a bad pain day or need to cancel fairly late, you should be able to. The ShoreEx staff should be able to advise you what excursions will be WC friendly. They may also be able to give you a slight head start once your excursion is called, since you will be dependent on elevators to get there and they sometimes fill fast.

the elevators were our biggest hurdle in many cases, as people would rush to fill them when they arrived and we were getting turned.

Good luck and if you have additional questions, I'll try to answer them.

I would not dream of taking a cruise without insurance! These days, I can afford to lose the cost of the cruise, but for $69 per person, I don't have to. That was my cost for two weeks, a t about $2700 per person. It also means that if we slip and fall, which can happen to anyone at any age, our medical expenses will be covered.

Just make sure you get primary rather than secondary Healthcare coverage.

DH and I are chocolate snobs and didn't find the pillow chocolates all that awesome, either brand. My boss, however, did like them and I've brought them back to her since she has to pitch in more when I'm gone.

I can do without the chocolates. I'll just order a chocolate martini as my last drink before bed. :)

taking Equinox in Sept, and was going to take a water taxi each way.

Is there a need to reserve a taxi at airport before we leave?--I was expecting to pay 100 E , to San Marco area where we will be staying-

Also I was surprised to hear about 2 hours to get on the ship--we were thinking about getting on around 2 Pm we don't leave until following day

How many are in your group? We stayed in an apartment we booked on AirBnB that was near the Madonna Dell'Orto in Venice, and took the Alilaguna to get there for €15 each. Even my DD in the wheelchair was able to board, although she had to step on, and they are used to suitcases. The water taxi would have cost €160 or so. The water taxi from our apartment was €140. We booked the taxi the day before by phone. Your hotel can advise you on the best way to transfer.

You just never know. Last February, we were stuck in line in the Customs hall a very long time. Our 8 am disembarkation time was delayed by more than 30 minutes. Then we waited in line two more times, finally emerging close to 11am. It was crazy - the shuttle to the rental car company said none of his pickups had yet emerged.

I was very glad we didn't fly out until 4:55 pm. We rented a car and spent less time than we planned at Hollywood Beach.

Recommend you check with your cell phone provider. One option is to get an unlocked phone and a t-mobile Sim card, use with their standard $50 per month plan. It covers text messages, some data, and calls at $0.20 per minute. Just double check which countries it will be good in.

Lock vs secured....

If you rotate the handle correctly, you definitely secure the door, preventing it from sliding open unexpectedly.

Our door had a know above the handle that I had not seen on previous cruises. I believe in locked the door. That know was only on the inside so that you could not lock yourself out. Our kids room did not have the know, so I think we had a replacement door. We didn't engage it, and used the balcony to go between the 3 rooms.

Please be aware that open passage have a much smaller OBC than they used to. Your son will get much more if you book a specific cruise rather than an open one.

How about you make up a card, put some photos of cruise ships on it along with places they might go, and ask them to choose the ship and sailing before your cruise. Then they will receive the better OBC as well as the 123GO that is often offered when booking on board.

Second the car rental idea. A couple of the companies even have a free shuttle from MIA to port. Hertz also has a location close to port and they provided a shuttle the last time I used them.

My family of 6 was on the same cruise. We actually arrived at the embarkation hall close to 11 am and had very little wait. They did hand us a registration group letter, but when I spoke u p that we were Select, they young man pushing my DDs wheelchair checked with his supervisor and we were allowed to go straight to check in. It turned out that even if we had waited, they were already on that letter, so there was no reason to wait.

Then, they gave us an embarkation number, and it turned out they were beyond that number by the time we were escorted to the security lines.

In some ways, the seats and beverages were a nice touch, since in Miami you just stand in line. Additionally, they had tables set up to purchase drink packages and specialty dining there in the embarkation hall, so if you wanted that you had a little something to do while waiting to board.

My entire party had non-alcoholic premium beverage packages. We had gotten the veranda for an inside price last summer, which did not come with 123GO, but was a lot less expensive. We liked the packages we got. My DD and sister decided the free coffee on board was not to their liking (both are coffee snobs) but did like the Café AL Bacio drinks. Mom was fine with the free coffee - DD'S response was "and at home she drinks Folgers". We bought a couple of bottles of wine over the cruise, but that was about all. Both my DH and DS wore their Tuxes on the formal nights. They did not feel out of place.

We can't wait to take the family on Silhouette in 18 months! We've decided that for the next few years, that is going to be how we spend the holidays.

Most of us understand that there is a difference between pre-boarding someone in a wheelchair is way different than providing an additional seat that could produce revenue for the company. Accommodations only go so far.

For example, I own a duplex. If I rent to a person with a mobility disability, I must allow them to make needed modifications AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE to my property to make it usable for them. This can include a ramp, wider doors, grab bars, etc. They must follow all local laws, including getting a permit to do the work, and all of my business requirements, including the written requirement I have that any contractor working on my property must carry at least $1 million in liability and workman's comp insurance. The law says that I do not have to allow them to get their cousin Bubba to do the work on a Sunday afternoon for a case of Bud.

Another statement in the fair housing law says that when the tenant who has this work done chooses to move out, I can require them to return the property to the condition it was when they first signed the lease, once again AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. I don't have to pay for any of it. Basically, I have to allow them to make it so they can live there, but I don't have to lose money to do it.

Providing an extra seat for a customer of size is similar. Legally, why should the airline be required to give up revenue for a customer that does not fit into a standard sized seat? If you need extra space, either because you are too wide for the seat or because you are too tall for the allowed space, it is up to the customer to purchase that extra space. The person who is wide can purchase a wider seat, on Southwest that means buying a second one. On a legacy airline, it could mean an extra seat or business class. My colleague who is 6'5" flies a lot. He either pays extra for a seat with more legroom or knows he will be squished for a couple of hours.

Southwest is more than fair when they are willing to refund the extra seat to the COS who purchases it.

You'll be fine! DH and I did an 11 - night on Equinox to the western Caribbean this past winter. We are in our 40s. Had a great trip!

Our last trip, we had a late flight. We rented a car and enjoyed the day at Hollywood Beach, leaving our bags in the car. Headed to the airport after a relaxing day and nice lunch.

The other great option is the excursion that drops you off at the airport. They keep your bags under the coach, and drop you at the airport.

It sounds like there is only one ticket at that rate. As you have seen, that is high tourist season in south Florida, and flights and hotels are pricey.

one suggestion is to book one ticket at the lower price then log back in and book a second ticket. Yes, it may cost a little bit more. You can also check other airlines and see if they have flights you prefer. I've had to book one ticket then a second one before and pay two different rates to get on the same flights. No big deal.

As for waiting until four months out, you just never know what the prices will do. Most people suggest that if you find a price you can live with, you book and don't look back when it comes to flights. Right now, when I look at February flights to our scheduled cruise, they are quite high - more than $250 per person what we have paid in previous years. We are debating driving and waiting for a couple of additional airlines to release flight schedules before driving.

I'm in the camp of never traveling outside the US without trip insurance. We purchase through USAA.

It gave us piece of mind in June. We didn't end up needing to use it, but we were glad we had it. My healthy DD got sick in May, and about 2 weeks before the trip was still not up to full health. In fact, she had complications. We were on the way to the airport to fly across the Atlantic and discussing whether we were going on the trip or turning around and going home to call the insurance company. Our solution was to purchase a wheelchair and work out a reduced schedule with her, knowing that if she suffered a severe setback, we could cancel and go back home.

Then, on the way home, our flight experienced a delay and we missed our connection back to the US. Air Canada took care of us, very well in fact, but knowing that I could invoke the trip delay part meant I didn't have to worry.

By comparison, a friend ended up with a nightmare on a trip to Bermuda. They flew rather than cruised, and had to transfer planes in Atlanta. They left their home airport at 6 am, and the flight in Atlanta took off without them. Delta didn't provide food vouchers in spite of a multi - hour delay, ended up rerouting them in a strange way, and they spent one night sleeping on the floor in an airport. They finally arrived in Bermuda more than a day delayed. If they had bought travel insurance, they would have been reimbursed for meals, and when it became apparent that it was going to be such a delay, could have booked their own replacement air tickets on another airline with the insurance company's concierge assistance.

Number of children should be few on either cruise. The Dec one will have the Christmas decorations. Hotels are likely less before Christmas than in January.

I would look at the price of the cruise + air + hotel night before and go with whichever is least.

Celebrity has said they are only doing propulsion fix in the dry-dock, so I would not expect any major issues there. In fact, I expect they will wait until they disembark all the passengers on January 4 to remove the holiday decorations, then spend the extra days to do deep cleaning and maintenance they often work around passengers to do, so that the ship is extra clean and in tip-top shape on Jan 11. That also gives the crew a chance to have their holiday party after the passengers are gone.

I'm flying into FLL for a cruise on the breeze. My mother is going to but she's actually flying into Miami. Does anyone have any information on transportation to embassy suites hotel in Miami? All of the shuttles that I've researched require a minimum of three to four passengers. Need help for transportation for one.

Thanks in advance.

 

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It is unclear what you are asking.

Are you looking for transport from FLL to the Embassy Suites Miami for yourself? So that you can join your mom there? If so, you can take a cab, but be prepared to pay close to $100.

Other factors to consider:

How many are in your party?

Do you have travel insurance?

If insurance = yes, what does it say about missed connections and travel delays?

Do you have time to get global entry and are you willing to do so? For your entire party?

Do you or any in your party have any kind of status with the airline or a hotel chain?

If this last is yes, it might make life a little easier.

We had excellent experiences at Customer Service on our Equinox trip in June. We did have to make a few trips there, but they always were pleasant and professional.

We originally booked four rooms during the early booking window using loyalty rates and two open passages that we had purchased 2 months prior to the schedule being released. We booked mom (previous cruiser on X) into a room with my sister, my DD (new cruiser) in with me, DS (new cruiser) in with DH, and a room for two others. Thus, we needed two open passage coupons, since we needed one more room. DH and I each had an open passage certificate. We ended up canceling the fourth room before final payment, but still needed three rooms. Plan was to move DS and DD into one room and DH and I into a room once on board. We had $100 in OBC from X and another $100 from our TA.

Once on board, we went to the rooms to see which would work best for DD, since she was using a wheelchair on board and was not in an accessible room. We needed to see which room had the bed by the balcony to allow space for the chair. Then we went down to customer service to switch keys around. Sigh....

There were issues. The agent worked and worked on it, and finally got it all straightened out. The agent didn't get mad, although we could see she was frustrated with something in the computer, but for whatever reason, we ended up with multiple keys being spit out by the system and yet the accounts not correct. Final result was that she had to split all the accounts apart and then put people in the correct room with separate charge accounts. The next day, three of the four of us get a letter from guest services that they need to come set up how they are paying for their charges. Even though everyone was supposed to be charged to one account, by her splitting up the accounts in order to move people into the correct room, it split the billing. OK, so I went down with the letters, spoke to the same agent, she apologized numerous times, and we got it all fixed.

Then, I go to get off the ship. Get the dreaded noise from the security computer. My card had been deactivated, even though I had just used it to buy drinks. Back to guest services. Same agent. Explained what happened, and she rapidly made me a new card.

I ended up with everyone's (all 6 of us) excursions on my bill, since I made the arrangements and paid for them at ShoreEX, so we needed to transfer OBC's from DD, DS, DH and Mom to me. Filled out a form the last day, taken care of, no problem.

We definitely did see a small issue at the Captain's Club Celebration one evening. DH and I are Select, Mom is Classic, and the other three were new cruisers. After dinner one evening, we decided to check out the Captain's Club Celebration. It was listed on the usual letter in the room. DH and I were invited to something else, but didn't make time to attend. From what I remember, Mom as classic was invited to the same time that one evening that DH and I were. So, we decided we'd check it out. I let my sister and DD know that they might be turned away at the door, and we'd address it when we got up there. We arrived about 1/2 way through.

We watched as a Select level cruiser, accompanied by 4 new cruisers, berated the CC Hostess because she said it was a private event limited to CC members and his friends were not members. He was quite rude. We were the only ones behind him, and we just watched the spectacle. I was privately glad to see that he was not obviously American, since I get tired of the stereotype Ugly American. His first language was some other language. Anyway, the poor CC Hostess finally just told them all to go in, that it wasn't worth calling security on him. Then we approached. DH and I approached, with our Select cards out. Sis was pushing DD's wheelchair. She glanced at our cards and didn't even ask to see everyone else's card. DD and Sis were quite prepared to go elsewhere, but since the Hostess waived us in, they joined us. I guess two more didn't matter? Plus, we had spoken to her earlier in the day to get DD's CC account set up - so she knew we were with at least one person that was a new cruiser. Maybe it was the WC?

Either way, we did experience very good service for our unusual issues, and we always have.

We all like the idea, but don't see it happening. Each brand is expected to show an independent profit so that the parent company shows a profit. Their goal mm is to get us all to sail more on all the lines!

We had our 6'1" son try it out, to see if a 3 person room could work on the new years cruise next year. The steward helped out once we explained. End result: I booked an extra room.

Ouch ($$$ ).... but better for everyone involved.

My sister does not currently reside in the US, but she does have an official permanent residence at my mother's home that she uses for her drivers license and voting registration. Because her residence outside the US is considered a temporary duty assignment, we were able to get her insurance through the USAA travel insurance provider of TravelInsured. It might be in part because they are used to the situation, dealing with deployed military, but when I told the rep she was currently in Europe, the rep asked me for her state of legal residence.

Hope this helps!

Hi Barb:)...people have been wanting those back for years....doesn't

look like it is happening though. Everytime new itineraries are released

they are never offered anymore.

I guess they decided to put the 14 nighter out there from Ft.

Lauderdale instead....although that is one cruise I can never do

either:rolleyes:

There are quite a few itineraries I want to do but the timing makes

them impossible....glad I am not the only one with work issues LOL..;)

Lois,

You are definitely not the only one with work issues!

I would also love to see a few sailings out of Tampa or somewhere a little closer to the Midwest. I can get to Tampa in one day - a long day, but one day. Mobile or NOLA would be wonderful, but I know better than to hope for those with Celebrity. Until another line disallows ALL smoking inside public spaces of the ship, I won't sail them. Therefore, Celebrity for me for the foreseeable future! I also love the S - class ships, although I keep reading how nice the M - class ones are. If one docks within a day's drive, I will be there.

I'll keep hoping Celebrity will base a ship somewhere other than south Florida, but until that happens, I guess I'll keep my Southwest Rewards Visa and fly from STL to FLL in February.