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MrJulius

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    Internet package

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I believe that the prepaid internet is cheaper than the same thing purchased onboard. I have read that the difference in price is approximately 10%. So your discounted daily rate actually means a discount on the entire package if purchased in advance.  You can expect no additional charges. 

    Equinox internet (recent)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

    Any way you can write it off as a business expense?  My DH has to stay connected as well and bills his company for the WIFI expenses.  

     

    Thanks for the suggestion but I'm retired now.

    I guess when you look at the price it isn't THAT bad compared to the old pay by the minute plan.  I think it was around $100 for thirty to sixty minutes.

    What I found interesting is when I went to the Celebrity website cruise planner and clicked on the internet section I had to scroll down a ways to find the pricing for a single device.  The price for two devices and four devices were prominently displayed at the top. I thought that those were my only options until I scrolled down a bit.  You would think that it would start with one device and show additional plans from there...NOT.

     

    MrJulius

    Equinox internet (recent)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Thanks for the replies.

    My 10 day cruise is coming in at $269.00 😬

    I guess that I will have to bite the bullet on this one as I have a lot of sea days and I need to be accessible at least once a day.  (and by "biting the bullet", that means that I'll have to drink lots of Bulleit Bourbon on my Premium Package to make up for the WiFi 😜)

    MrJulius

    Equinox internet (recent)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by MrJulius

    We will be on the Equinox in two weeks. 

     

    I know that the Equinox has the high speed pay one price for the duration of the cruise package. (Take out a second mortgage price) and the 24 hours at a time package. 

     

    Once onboard are there any offerings in minutes like in the old days.? 30, 60, 90 etc..

     

    I am the compose Emails / log on / send-receive / log off / pay accordingly kind of guy. 

     

    Anything from recent Equinox cruisers is appreciated in advance.

     

    Thanks,

    MrJulius

    Equinox diembarkation

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Just of interest ...

    We sailed on the Equinox last month. Our last port of call was Key West, just prior to heading back into the Port of Miami.

    We went through immigration during the cruise, prior to going out in Key West. The process was seamless. Now, for the interesting part, you know those customs forms we all used to fill out ... well, they didn't distribute these. We disembarked, picked up our luggage and were out the door. Hmmmm... something changed here since our last cruise earlier this year. No customs that we encountered.

    Not sure if this is the OP's final stop but there was no extra time needed to go through customs or immigration after the cruise. As a matter of fact, the Port of Miami doesn't put your luggage out in a big room and release a section at a time. They have all the luggage coming out on a few large carousels. Very efficient way of doing it, or so we though.

    On the morning of our disembarkation, we were also staying in the area for a couple of nights. We had a nice leisurely breakfast in the MDR and got off after we finished our breakfast. We left the dining room around 9:15 AM and were ready for our ride by about 9:30 AM.

     

    Sorry to bring up an older thread but this is of interest to me. We are cruising on the Equinox late October and plan to self disembark the ship. We have never done this before. Our flight out of Miami is 11:00 AM.

     

    What approximate time can we get off the ship if the arrival time listed is 7AM?

     

    The last port is Key West. Does this itinerary still make for an expedited trip through customs?

     

    Any recent cruisers on this itinerary have suggestions?

     

    Thanks in advance.

     

    MrJulius

    Star NB Alaska boarding time

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    We will be flying into Vancouver BC this Friday and staying at a hotel 2 blocks from the pier. We like to board as early as possible to kick start the fun.

     

    We don’t have any early boarding perks so when is a good time to be at the pier?

     

    There is currently a Star SB thread here concerning muster time. Does anyone know off the top of their head when we can expect muster on the NB Star?

     

    Thanks in advance

    MrJulius

    Use of Verizon cell phone in Ketchikan, AK

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    I have heard, not verified, that all the phone has to do is ping off a (in this case) Canadian tower and the $5 fee starts. Maybe someone can correct this or you can call Verizon to verify. (Of course from the other posts above not sure I would even trust a supervisor.)

     

    Cut 'n paste from the email that I received from Verizon...

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    ...TravelPass uses your domestic plan allowances for a daily fee Per line/day Available Countries Allowance

    $5 Canada Uses Domestic Talk, Message, and Data

     

    A 24 hour session starts when you place or answer a call, send a text or use data in a TravelPass country.

    This includes background data and automatic updates. Incoming texts do NOT start a session. When ½ GB of data is used in one TravelPass session, the data speed will be reduced.

    We'll send a text that lets you purchase additional high speed data OR the speed will simply resume with the next session.

    No need to remove TravelPass when you return. It doesn't bill in the US.

    Calls to numbers within the TravelPass country and calls to US numbers are covered by your domestic plan.

    Calls to numbers of other countries are charged International Long Distance...

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

     

    I think the part that I highlighted in red would be the killer here. Every phone I know and all of the included apps on those phones, I suspect, are constantly running background data.

     

    I would just assume that if the phone is on in Canada, then the $5 plan is on too.

     

    MrJulius

    Use of Verizon cell phone in Ketchikan, AK

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    Depends on your plan.

     

    Dial 611 on your Verizon cell phone.

     

    Talk to a rep. I did this just yesterday because of this thread. Other than a monthly international surcharge plan I was able to opt for an add on that is $5 per day for Canada and Mexico, doesn’t affect my regular plan, and only kicks in on a day that your Verizon phone is actually using a Canadian or Mexican cell tower. You get full use of phone, text messages and data at your normal plan rates.

     

    Great option for Vancouver, BC pre/post cruise for hotels, taxis, restaurants, keeping in touch with other members of your party, etc.

     

    The same option is available for almost any other country in the world for $10 a day. The rep sent me an email with instructions for phone settings and plan details.

     

    BTW, the rep also told me to be careful while on the cruise. He has had Alaska cruise customers that didn’t have the $5 plan tell him that while cruising along the coast they unknowingly connected to a Canadian tower and were hit by regular international rates. I believe that those rates were per megabyte. Ouch!!!

     

    Again, check your plan to be sure.

    Verizon has a LOT of grandfathered plans out there in the wild.

    They seem to change every 6 months.

     

    MrJulius

    Recommendations for new Binoculars

    in Alaska

    Posted

    Another vote for the Canon image stabilizer binos.

     

    I have taken my 10x30’s on many cruises. You can lock into anything while the ship is moving and your image is nice and still and no dizziness.

     

    For our upcoming Alaska trip I just got myself the Canon IS 12x36. Now my wife can use the other pair.

     

    I also agree that each person needs their own pair. A lot can be missed when swapping binos and readjusting them back to the other persons settings.

     

    Also keep in mind that if you keep your optics (binos, camera, etc) in the stateroom changes in temp and humidity when you step onto the balcony can fog you up in seconds. You will definitely miss something then. I have been known to keep my optics on the balcony if I anticipate using them anytime soon. This is especially useful in the carribean.

     

    We will see about Alaska. ;)

    Carry on only- am I crazy?

    in Alaska

    Posted

    In the last few years the definition of “carry on” has changed significantly since airlines started charging for checked bags.

     

    The steamer trunks I’ve seen recently being stuffed into the overheads could certainly hold weeks worth of clothes with no intention of washing during the trip.

     

    Two weeks ago I was on a flight where the flight attendant had to twice get on the microphone and tell a lady to stop attempting to get her suitcase into the overhead bin because if she broke the door we would ALL have to wait for the repair.

    Do I really need a light down jacket for July?

    in Alaska

    Posted · Edited by MrJulius
    Used “boat” instead of “ship”. Oops :)

    Thanks for the thread. We are cruising Alaska next week. I just ordered a packable down jacket while reading this thread. $49 from Am***n.

     

    BTW, I’m also bringing a pair of Timberland black waterproof hiking boots. I’ll wear them on the ship if it’s raining, off the ship no matter what, maybe even the MDR with a smart pair of grey pants ;)

    Odd question about onboard spending with a Carnival card

    in Princess Cruises

    Posted

    I am considering the purchase of (long name here) an American Express membership reward Carnival Corporation gift card with some American Express points. $350 value give or take. The return on the points seems pretty good and we are doing Alaska in six weeks anyway.

     

     

    What can this card be applied to onboard?

     

     

    We already have the drinks package via promotion. I was thinking about buying a couple bottles of booze from the duty free store onboard, then taking them with us for the land portion of our cruise-tour. Are there any restrictions to the duty free store other than waiting until the last night of the cruise to receive any liquor purchase?

     

     

    Thanks in advance.

    MrJulius

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