Shining Clem

Check out Icelandic Air. Their prices were very low.

We didn't know ChoiceAir would attempt to match another price quote - good to know.

We are booked on an Icelandic Air flight to Paris from JFK, in Icelandic's business class (they don't have a first class). Better food, better luggage allowance, access to private waiting areas, better seats for our old bones. All at a price several hundreds under the cabin class of bigger airlines. Just have to hope one of their volcanoes doesn't decide to erupt!

We will be transiting the Atlantic to the west on a Celebrity ship.

We flew Icelandic back to the US a couple of years ago in regular cabin class into Boston, which seemed to have a little more leg room than some other airlines. The customs/TSA people in Iceland were nicer too. (You're leaving the European Union when you change planes in Iceland) They don't have planes leaving every hour to Europe (maybe just one a day from only a limited number of airports), so advance planning is essential.

Where we ran into problems was at Logan which was under re-construction and we were mis-directed to our connecting flight -sent on a wild, long goose chase - by an unhelpful employee - nearly missing the plane. :mad::eek:

If you are holding up booking a SA Cruise on HAL based on a ban on smoking on the balconies, I wouldn't let it concern you. We went on the March 4th sailing and probably spent a total of 3 hours on the Balcony over the course of the entire 13 day cruise. It's not weather friendly for balcony use between being chilly when sailing and the winds! When we popped out for pics we never saw our neighbors!

 

Book, sail and enjoy! It's a great cruise!

Thanks for the helpful comment. On the cruise to Alaska we were able to stay out of the way of the few smokers by getting a cabin at the very front of the ship so there were fewer around us. I think 'nature' type cruises attract a different type of cruiser. Our TA thought we would have less of a problem - and in Alaska, we made great use of the balcony. The cabin was also right next to the forward deck under the bridge.

Having said that, I know if one is addicted to smoking it is very tough to stop. And of course some don't want to stop or cut back.

Our cruise to NZ made me a penguin lover!!! Want to see more - and take a clothes pin or gas mask for the smell, LOL! If the second hand smoke doesn't get you, the penguin sh*t will. :D:eek:

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On a personal note, I watched my mother fight with her 70 yr addiction the last year of her life. She had strokes caused by a brain tumor. When she finally went into a coma for nearly 6 months, her body reacted positively to the lack of cigarettes. Especially her facial skin which had been very sallow. When she died she looked younger and more beautiful than she had in years - skin pink with fewer wrinkles. Bitter sweet memory.

trend on balconies soon.

We would like to seriously consider all or part of their S America cruises, but will not until there is no smoking allowed on the balcony.

Perhaps they will ease into it as Cunard did - starting with their shorter cruises, and then waiting until their longer cruises, such as long segments world wide, were completed. That seems fair enough.

We had hoped to book with Cunard for a trans-Atlantic this fall, but the available sailing dates did not jive with our schedule. And we rejected a Norwegian sailing because of the smoking. We are going with Celebrity instead.

You smokers should keep in mind, that some of the European & Asian based lines still have more lenient smoking rules. Some are now offering cruises in the Caribbean this winter (MSC?). I'm sure a good TA can help you.

If all of you really want HAL to follow Carnival's lead then HAL will have to go back to allowing smoking in one of the bars. If you read the Carnival policy they allow smoking in one of they nightclubs. HAL does not, at this time, provide an indoor smoking area.

When we saw the headline on CC, we were hoping that HAL would be the line ending balcony smoking. A year ago we took the Amsterdam to Alaska, and carefully chose our cabin as the one furthest forward on the deck. Luckily no one seemed to be next to us, and it worked out. We chose that cruise due to the dates which meshed in between some family events.

On our evaluation we said we would probably not be choosing another HAL cruise as positive as many of the experiences were, because of the balcony smoking policy. Not only does it disturb breathing from second hand smoke, but adds considerably to fire danger. If people are corralled around a couple of tables, sitting upright with others around, there is much less chance of them dozing off in a lounger on a quiet balcony, with a lighted cigarette in their fingers. I wish all the lines would encourage the crew members to smoke less, too.

As for Carnival enforcing it's new policy, it'll probably take a year for it to sink in. And yes, more smokers will migrate to HAL & Norwegian, making them even worse. Unfortunately making one side of the ship smoking & the other non-smoking, would be a nightmare to implement and juggle.

On a Celebrity ship, we ran into a passenger who would not change his cabin when offered another, because he deemed it too far to walk to the allowed smoking area. So some are lazy.

(sigh....) We hope HAL soon joins the others in forbidding balcony smoking.

To the OP:

If Park West is having an 'issue' with the artist, it is their issue, and should not delay your purchase. If they can't agree with the artist about a payment for a piece, then they need to cover the difference, and send you what you purchased or refund your money.

It is THEIR problem, and not an excuse for delaying your merchandise or a refund. Perhaps the artist is already owed money for previously sold paintings, and will not release further items until previous ones are paid for. There are all sorts of possibilities which may have nothing to do with you.

Not surprisingly they are giving you vague excuses, not valid reasons. I do not blame you for following up on this - but others are right - the issue is with Park West. Better Business Bureau? Small Claims Court? Stern letter from a lawyer? Do they ever come to hotels in your area and hold auctions? Confront them there!

Good luck!

IcelandAir. They go from Boston, JFK, DC Toronto, Chicago, Seattle (?) etc.

It's a little later in the year, but we just booked a one-way flight in late Sept for Paris leaving on a Wed. It was $500. for their coach, $999. for their coach plus (with meal & more leg room), and $1400. for their business class (Saga) with really nice meals, private lounges at JFK & Iceland (where you change planes), good luggage allotment, better seats. The Iceland stop to change planes is generally about 90 minutes - giving you a chance to stretch your legs a bit.

The minute you go from one-stop to non-stop on any of the lines, the price seems to go up $400. pp.

In other words, their Saga service is cheaper than US majors coach section. We flew them coach back from Amsterdam 3 years ago, and they were fine. With only one plane a day from each airport, they fill up fast. Don't know if I'd want to do them in winter - that's when people comment on canceled flights from Canada or Iceland.

We know we are headed for sticker shock with Paris & NE France hotel prices, so are trying to save on the air fare.

A friend going with us on the plane out of JFK, will be transferring to a plane to Germany in Iceland. The fares within Europe are generally much better, so if going on to Italy or Spain, there might be some options.

I second the note about having insurance.

Memory is a little fuzzy here, from the mid-1950's. I was around 9 or 10. My mother had friends (2 sisters in their late 40's) who were on a trans Atlantic passage from Europe to the US. Probably going into NYC.

One of them unexpectedly died shortly after leaving Europe. There were no helicopters to remove a body from the ships in those days - and if there was insurance, it wasn't nearly as comprehensive as it is now.

Besides being startled about the news, I clearly remember her saying what an hassle & expensive proposition it had been to get Mary "home" to the family cemetery plot in mid-Connecticut. The shipping line charged something for body storage (guess the paid passage wasn't enough :rolleyes:).

Then when the body was unloaded in NYC, some government/medical examiner people had a procedure ($$) to go through. A funeral home from their home area charged much $$ to come get the body and return to Conn. Then the normal service & burial costs. The remaining brother & sister were distraught over the event of course, and the extra costs didn't help. If they had lived in the mid-west, they probably would have had to fly the body back home.

It sounds like at least Celebrity is a little more understanding of the trauma involved than the lines were 60 yrs ago.

With so much genealogy info now on the web, we looked this woman's name up and there it was - she had died on the ship.

It seems this will be hatched out of a portion of the Main Dining Rooms.

Does anyone know if it will be the first or second floor of the MDR?

Think a pub type operation in the space of Cellar Masters would be a good idea, with small plates of food. Please, if TVs show sports let's have not just American football, basketball & baseball, but some rugby, soccer and tennis ......with the MUTE button well used on all screens.

When we were in NZ & Australia we were really getting interested in/enjoying the rugby we saw on TV - Americans need to broaden their sports horizons!

Of course what we really would enjoy would be some sheep dog trials! ;):D

A potential concern is the service in this 'pub'. There have been so many posts about cut backs in service at bars; would Celebrity devote enough personnel in this space to serve beers, some wines and food? And keep the tables cleaned up?

As another said earlier, a beer and a bit to eat would be welcome when you come back from touring around 2-3 pm and just want to relax a bit.

Another cold catcher here. This fall I'm going to try to get some preventative meds out of my doc, before leaving for Europe & the trans-Atlantic back.

Not only do I get hit hard with a cold/cough, but I end up coughing and blowing for 4-8 hrs all the way home on the airplane, rightfully earning dirty looks from the other pax. And like others posting here, it's a tough cold to get rid of, lasting for 3 weeks afterward. Ever since I had a viral pneumonia that I nearly died from, and was in the hospital for 8 days, I seem to get colds which are deeper. DH has gotten one once too.

Will look into nasal sprays.

What's this about getting a room attendant to change the air filter in cabin? Is this request a likely one to be granted (with a bit of an extra monetary reward, of course)?

Replying to Waterbug123 & PetNitNoy-

I see your points. Also some posts went on to speak of microchipping as part of a training ID system which was already in effect. I'm a bit cynical that some wouldn't fraudulently find a way around this (sorry to say!).

I do hope my post explains what micro-chips can presently do for animals. I suspect that many people are not aware of the benefits of microchipping their pets, and hope my post informed them of the process and what the benefits are in helping an animal get back to it's family when lost or stolen. The more the general population knows about & uses this service, the better it is for the animals.

BTW, I have a picture taken of my aunt on a trans-Atlantic ship holding her cat - probably in the 1920's :D I know she and her husband went to Switzerland on that trip, probably from the Boston area. Now I wish I had asked her the date & ship before she died, 13 yrs ago, at 104.

To clear up one previously stated bit of information:

Putting a micro-chip in an animal has nothing to do with it's service skills. Anyone can have their vet put one in their dog, cat, monkey, horse, etc.

Microchips are intended as proof of identity, ownership, and location, not training. Our two previous dogs had microchips. The veternarians put them in the backs of animals with a special hollow needle. The microchips are about the size of a grain of rice. When read by a special transponder waved above the top of the animal's back, a number comes up. That number is then matched with the records the owner paid a service to maintain & match. (AKC runs such a registry, and the animal does not have to be a pure-bred - Heinz 57 dogs are also done) The numbers are usually also listed to & by the vet, so there is another path to track the animal.

This is used by animal shelters when they take in an animal to try to locate the owner, labs which use animals for research :( , police in the case of theft, the military & police which have canine units, training organizations such as dogs for the blind & deaf, and just ordinary folks who want to up the chances of their animal being returned to them.

Those 'sh*t happens' times when they might be separated in the time of emergencies (Katrina comes to mind). Quite often responsible dog breeders will microchip their puppies before they go to a new home, to aid in finding the dog, should the animal fall into the hands of an irresponsible owner.

When we got Clem (cocker spaniel) from the town dog catcher, who had picked him up at a strip plaza, he did not have a reader. One of the first things we did when we took Clem to a vet, was to have his back "read". He was such a sweetie, and we did not want to keep a dog, whose previous owner might have been searching frantically for him. The second thing we did was to have a microchip placed with us as the owners. (Part of the $300. bill :eek: for that first appointment!)

The town clerk told us we would not believe the times people came in demanding that their dog be returned to them, 6 months after they had "lost" it.

Micro-chipping has nothing to do with training, and everything to do with increasing the chances your animal will return to you if lost or stolen.

Sorry to read of your report for several reasons.

For some reason studies have been done in the restaurant industry that have concluded that higher volume means people tend to drink more - therefore they sell more alcohol. Maybe they drink more at that point, but that kind of noise volume will help kill the hearing of their staff and customers. If they contribute to the hearing loss of people in their 30's & 40's, then they will loose them by their late 50's because at any age, our personal loud speakers (our ears) aren't any happier than mechanical speakers which ODed. Is this what they want?

Ask the multitude of returning veterans in their 20s-30s from Iraq & Afghanistan who have lost their hearing due to bomb noise about this subject.

Your Reflection CD had obviously heard the complaints before. The only way to fight it is to send snail mail letters to Miami, as well as make strong comments in the evaluations. We have a Celebrity cruise coming up this fall -- if this is their attitude, it will be our last one. :mad:

The cruise lines dragged their feet about smoking for too long and people voted with their feet & wallets. In many ways we had a fine time on a HAL cruise to Alaska last year, but the threat of being around smoking was always there. We told them we would be happy to cruise with HAL again IF they restricted smoking to a couple of areas, but until then "no".

I have already lost 70% of my hearing due to both family genetics and NYC subway noise for a year - not willing to endanger the remainder. Not only when do you loose the functioning of the little cilia hairs in your ears from loud noises, but the next thing to go is the nerve between your ears and brain. And once that nerve atrophies ......... well forget it.

I'll put in a plug for a marvelous non-profit organization for people with hearing loss: www.hearingloss.org

I know of several people who certainly have the $$ to cruise, but will not do so just because of the noise in the MDRs - and we are talking Crystal, Oceania, Regent people. Being able to eat in Blu, a smaller dining venue has kept us with Celebrity. Is it no wonder so many of the suite people want to eat there - often the reason cited is it is quieter.

If Celebrity thinks they are attracting a more exclusive, high spending crowd with loud music, why are people wanting to go to smaller, quieter dining rooms? Is Celebrity telling people who cannot afford or wish to spend more money in private suites, that their hearing can be abused? :confused:

Mike & Carol- Just returned from your Baltic Cruise (#2) pages. Have bookmarked your web site. Thank you for your great pix, interesting commentary & comments. Although it will not be this year, a similar cruise including St Petersburg is on our 'to do' list. As an art history major, I have waited too many years to get to this part of the world. It is quite a ways distant from the Black Sea. Lets be patient and see how things work out there.

I think it will be a while before travel is restricted into St Petersburg. It is a good source of tourist money for the Russians. As Mike points up, they have spent a lot of money cleaning up and refurbishing the buildings there in the last 10 yrs. It's an investment.

In the meantime, let's hope for as much freedom, and little bloodshed as possible, for people in the Ukraine. It seems a combination of historical nationalism, corruption, fear, poor economic policy and Russian insecurities about gas pipes & naval bases in the Crimean region have pushed tempers to the boiling point. Another cruise we would like to go on would be a Black Sea one. That may be of greater concern this year.

You say you've done everything on-line. We had this problem last year with our HAL sailing to Alaska. We made our arrangements through the same great travel agent we've used, but thought we could do things like dinner reservations, excursions, etc for ourselves and not use up her valuable time. Which we did, but then there was a mistake on the night for dinner and we couldn't cancel/reschedule it ourselves.

We took the problem to Joan the TA and although she was put on hold, she was able to get the changes made after 15 minutes on hold. She said as an agent for a large agency (AAA), she has dedicated reps at the cruise lines she calls. I imagine those folks are more experienced too - the TA's are too important to the cruise lines business.

My point being that working with an experienced travel agent has it's benefits.

It's not just in the travel world - many companies have cut back on the number of customer service agents and it shows a contempt for the customer. When Mr Clem started running into this stuff after retiring, he couldn't believe it, and got a taste of what things were like in the real world. In his job for a major corporation, if he called a vendor about some software or to order a box of widgets, the phone was answered -- quickly.

Yes, we also got the same enticing offer. :eek:

Had three reactions to it:

1) Alex on Jeopardy would have a heart attack.

2) It was noted that ChoiceAir planning/reservations was offered for no fee; therefore it must involve a quick transfer via plane to the Caribbean after arrival at Seattle. Round trip of course.

3) Whomever is responsible for the erroneous cut & paste, won't make that mistake on his/her next job!! :o

I forwarded it to our travel agent, so she would be aware of this unique itinerary. :D

:). We booked this cruise because of the Red Sox theme! Well, that's what got our attention! We are especially excited after winning the World Series! Looking forward to a little R&R.

GO BOSTON! Please write a report/review of the activities when you return.

Will there be a beard contest? :D Which of the players has signed up to be on board? Have a great time!

- Shining Clem (born to it)

Now I want to meet this Sue D. and check our her shoes!

We had Sue Denning for our trans-Atlantic, and first sailing with Celebrity on Constellation. She has since become the gold standard for Cruise Directors.

I never noticed her shoes, other than they had tall heels, which is amazing because the woman is on her feet all day and half the night. But you will notice her hats! She also does a program on scarf shapes, selection and tying.

We would never choose a cruise because of the CD, and generally could care less, but with 50/50 vision backwards we can see that certain things went more smoothly with her on board. Her upbeat, generous personality made a difference with the general outlook of the passengers on that sailing.

Hope Celebrity knows what a treasure she is and pays her accordingly.

Following up on Gonzo70's post. We took the Celebrity shuttle bus from the ship to the FLL airport a year ago. What a mess!

Everything s/he sez is true, plus the buses have to unload at a bus unloading place at the airport. This is far away from the main terminal entrance. In our case it was one of those slightly steep upward inclines that can be a challenge with even rolling luggage. We had been away for nearly 20 days in various venues, so weren't traveling light. It was a hot hot day, with no breeze and no Red Caps came out to help many elderly pax. Then inside the airport, either United or Delta had not opened many check in gates. There were also many ships unloading that day - several from a Princess ship had already missed their flights. There was NO coordination which we could see between staffing at the airport and the # of boats unloading. The TSA inspections that day were actually moving along, but getting to them.............

The driver of the bus was a sweetheart - working very hard to help people get their luggage off the bus as fast as possible. But he was working against forces he had no control of.

The whole thing left a very bad taste in our mouths for Celebrity & FFL & the airline. Celebrity needs to take a lesson from HAL in Vancouver, BC. Their red jacket people were very visible and helpful. After trying to avoid FLL exits, we would opt for the taxi. At least they would drop you off right at the airline doors, not 1/4 of a mile away.

We would like to thank people for the original question & subsequent information posted in this thread. With terms, conditions, changes to Capt Club, etc in flux, one has to be on top of all this stuff.

It has also prompted us to be sure to ask our TA about how these on board booking conditions interface with return booking perks offered through her agency. They offer anywhere from $50 to $250. pp credit on your next cruise if booked by a certain date (1 yr from the date you booked I think?).

If one booked a future cruise on-board, can this agency credit also be applied to the booking after it transfers to the agency?

We don't book looking to find the rock bottom price, but on the other hand don't want to pay more than necessary. :cool: Sort of like income taxes - have no wish to cheat, and consider all the things we get for our taxes; but on the other hand, don't want to pay more than we have too! :p

for their restricted smoking policies. It is one of the major, if not THE major reason we first sailed on the Connie, and have come back for more. Oceania is even a bit more restrictive.

Because we wanted to go to Glacier Bay, except for the Nat Geo ships, the only ones with a license to go there are the Carnival ships. We chose the HAL Amsterdam sailing because it fit around some family plans, was short and we were able to chose a good cabin & still have a balcony. Considered a suite on this older ship, it was the same size as we usually have, and was the first cabin forward, so the other cabins around us were limited - and there was no 2nd hand smoke :cool::). It was a good cruise and we enjoyed it - but in answering the final question at the end of the journey: would we be back? We said only if they restricted smoking to one or two places.

Because we never knew when or where on an outside deck we might encounter smoke, there was frequently a 'smoking elephant' lurking in the background.

We also might try Azamara. And now look forward to investigating one of the steerage levels :D on an Atlantic crossing on Cunard next fall. Speaking of which, you'd think the world was coming to an end, to read their CC board. :rolleyes:

More should have the attitude of MissMapp!

would like to say that Texas is more reasonable than New York and leave out the politics.

The last week being a prime example. :rolleyes:

At any rate we will not have to worry about collecting meds for a 6 month trip, unless we win the Powerball. :cool: Hope some can work the finances & logistics to take advantage of this opportunity - maybe even you.

The Clem-ster sends you a play bow and a tail wag -

Dave, you wrote -

DW and I started early buying refills after only 2 months which was the allowed refill time and ended up with about a 150 day supply.

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We used to be able to do that, but NYS has changed things and one can't renew in advance now either. And the previously unnamed major X corp. changed their coverage & carrier to retirees. Currently we are supposed to be able to get a 90 day supply, but all the local pharmacies dole things out in 30 day allotments. It's a PITA for patients, docs, etc. Some people with other coverages are still forced to do mail order, which for some reason can be filled for 90 days. Every year or two the rules change, and every week one of us is going to the drug store.

Imagine that! TX more liberal than NY! :confused: :D The point I think we are both trying to make, is people should look into this aspect well ahead of time. Who's not to say one's needs, dosages, might not change in the course of 6 months?

The cruise is a lovely idea, which stretches the imagination! (And being Oceania, maybe the waistline too!)

As part of the medical end of this cruise, people should consider their prescription needs. Around here, the Medicare/BC folk keep a very tight rein on the number of days they will set up pills in advance. (Can't even begin to imagine what it would be for things like insulin!)

When we went to NZ/Australia (Regatta) and were gone for 3 weeks, our doctors had to contact the insurer to get an adequate supply issued by the local pharmacy. Plus we had to have doctor certified lists of meds for NZ. (The most recent trip to Alaska, had me short by one day on one medication, but I decided it wasn't worth the hassle and refilled it 2 days ago after getting home.)

And don't count on being able to get meds in or into certain other countries. When working for a major US corp in Brazil, and having to overstay his planned itinerary by 2 weeks (exceeding the packed extras we had planned), it was an unbelievable hassle for me, the doc, the corp, to get a package of medicine into the country for my husband, and then up to Manaus, where he was.

This can probably be worked around, but docs today have so much excess paperwork, they just loove :rolleyes: these special requests. :eek:

Hi Amy & Steve-

We are just coming up for air after returning from the same cruise. Enjoying your reports!

A couple of comments/additions to your observations:

About the muster drill - HAL needs to upgrade their life jackets - putting them on over the head isn't the problem, but the miles of thin braid at the bottom where it goes around the waist & back is a disaster. At our station, the person demo'ing, got all tangled up in the excess line. No way would one be able to deal with that mess in the water, in an emergency, at night. Could easily strangle oneself too.

We too missed the pea soup-It's as if they are trying to keep the tradition alive, but barely so in this day of staff cut backs. In the past, they probably served it for an hour's time. Ten thirty would probably be a better hour, but would impact regular meal staffing too much. They also might serve it at regular meals occasionally.

As you know, we were at the Pinnacle Grill the same night you were. Just to let your fans know, despite the yellow cast of the lighting around your 'tuffet', you looked great with sparkles in your hair and eyes. Steve looked equally impressive. At that meal, we had the pleasure of being served by Sari, who managed to flambe our main courses without setting off the smoke detectors.

I'll be writing a report shortly too. Enjoying yours!