lydnsyd

I would like to thank everyone for all the information you have given me it is appreciated- this forum is amazing.

I guess now I will just have to be patient and wait till nearer to the time to work out whether we would have more chance of getting on a flight from Vancouver or Seattle. Obviously a departure from Vancouver will be our preferred option so we will keep everything crossed.

3 hours ago, martincath said:

While I'd suggest doing as Heidi says (stash bags at the PP, hang around downtown for the day where's there's way more to do) you can store bags at YVR for the day (with CDS) or get a day room in the Fairmont at the airport (but it would be cheaper to room at the YWCA hotel downtown overnight and just leave early, as the Fairmont is not remotely cheap!)

Thanks for the CDS baggage storage information it looks ideal.

I had just been looking at the Fairmont Hotel website - it is pricey for a day room but would be very convenient being situated right at the airport. I feel so much better having all this information so will be prepared for all eventualities.

8 hours ago, Btimmer said:

If it's the Maasdam, we're booked on that cruise and also have airline flight benefits. We live in Seattle but we cannot disembark there; so we'll figure out our options as the trip gets closer.  We're very flexible travelers.

 

I would add that there is excellent inexpensive light rail service from near the Seattle train station to the SeaTac airport.  If you travel light, it's a good option.

Thank you for the info on the light rail service. No it's not the Maasdam. The one we are looking at is with Celebrity. We will have to wait till nearer to the time before we book as hopefully by then we will be able to get a clearer idea of seat availability on the flights.

Sorry for all the questions & slightly off track.

Question - if we are lucky enough to get on a flight from Vancouver to London the day we dock - we will dock early am and the flight doesn't depart until 2055. Is there a luggage storage section at YVR airport or is there an airport hotel where we could reserve a day room?

Thanks for all of the advice. I will have a look at Quick Shuttle. Looks like we have a few options so that is good to know. Obviously our 1st choice is to depart from Vancouver and if needs be we can always night stop & try to get on the London bound flight the next day. The cruise we want to book isn't till March so we still have plenty of time to check on the flight loads & at least now we have all the connections information to work with.

Thanks everyone

4 hours ago, martincath said:

The info above, especially GL's post #2, gives you all the info re: getting to the train and then to Seattle. But before you book it I do feel obliged to ask - do you intend to actually spend time touring Seattle? If it's purely to access a cheaper flight home, reconsider - even if you value your own time at zero, double-check exactly what the price difference is from YVR for your dates to be sure that whatever saving you're looking at is worth the ~4 hours extra travel, cost of transportation, and potentially more expensive overnight hotel.

 

While we've done several flights to the East Coast out of SEA and PDX instead of YVR, due to hefty savings on US Domestic flights vs. from Canada, we've never found a flight to the UK that was even close to enough cheaper to be worth the extra hassle of crossing another border and wasting half-a-day; there are non-stop flights to London airports on major carriers from YVR, and it's a more pleasant airport than SEA with far nicer security minions so it's really only worth the extra time & hassle if you save an awful, awful lot of cash.

The only reason we are thinking of going to Seattle from Vancouver is based on flight loads. We are airline staff and only get on flights if there are seats available. There are 2 flights a day from Seattle & only 1 from Vancouver. Ideally we would prefer to fly from Vancouver but it the loads look too full we will have to resort to going to Seattle.

Having just looked at the AMTRAK timings and as Gardyloo mentioned the timings aren't great so we may have to think about flying to Seattle from Vancouver. 

We are still in the early stages of planning but it is good to have all the options in place and appreciate all the advice that has been given.

We are looking to book a cruise that departs from San Diego & ends at Vancouver. We want to go from Vancouver  to Seattle & fly home to London from there. DH doesn't want to drive so we are thinking of going with AMTRAK.

My questions are

Is the Vancouver cruise terminal a long taxi ride away to the train station? 

What happens to the luggage once we are on the train - we will have 2 large suitcases & 2 carry ons- do we keep it with us?

We have UK passports so what happens re Immigration from Vancouver to Seattle when using the train - does the train stop at border control?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We are looking to go on a cruise from San Diego and ends in Vancouver

We want to travel from Vancouver to Seattle and eventually fly home to London from Seattle.

Someone posted a while back that AMTRAK was a good way to do this. Is the train station far from the Cruise terminal?. Is it easy to do with luggage etc?

The other question is Immigration - years ago we travelled by road from Vancouver to Seattle & we had to stop at the border to clear immigration --- how would that work if we went by train?

Any suggestions would be appreciated

Hi Norris, Loving your review and eagerly awaiting the next installment.

 we are going on the Norwegian Fjord cruise next June - I was wondering do most places accept credit cards or is it best to take an adequate amount of cash (NOK)

Just another question which I am sure you will cover as your review goes on - How many Chic nights are there on your 7 day cruise?

Thanks

Need advice please Re FLAM

We quite fancy doing the boat trip to Naeroyfjord & return by bus.   My only concern is timing. Our ship docks at 9am & departs at 4pm & I'm guessing all on board by 3.30 latest. We will have missed the 1st two sailings so it will have to be the 11am sailing. The boat/bus trip is quoted as taking 3.5hrs so by my calculations we won't get back to Flam until 2.30 pm - that is if all goes to schedule!

I'm a bit of a worrier - do you think this itinerary is doable --- it's a long swim to our next port Stavanger.

Thanks

12 hours ago, lydnsyd said:

We used the Celebrity transfer and it worked smoothly. By the time you clear immigration & collect your luggage then get to the coach + the journey to the port is around 30 mins + you won't have any problem.  Once off the coach we checked in straight away and made our way onto the ship - no waiting around.

Just  to add - we have also used a private transfer which worked out well. We used airporttaxitransfers  dot com  Think the fare was around 50 Euro's but that depends on how many people etc. We had 4 in our party with 4 suitcases.

We used the Celebrity transfer and it worked smoothly. By the time you clear immigration & collect your luggage then get to the coach + the journey to the port is around 30 mins + you won't have any problem.  Once off the coach we checked in straight away and made our way onto the ship - no waiting around.

Norris - you mentioned that Carol had got the tickets for the Funicular on line. - is there a separate line for pre booked tickets or do you have to queue up with the others?

We are going on a Fjord cruise in June so are following your review with great interest. Loving your review & the photo's - we are captivated!

Lydia

On ‎9‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 7:19 PM, vtcruising said:

This thread will give you an overview of what cabins available on the Edge, with pictures. The Sunset Verandas are popular on this ship if you want a traditional non-suite balcony (and are okay with a cabin in the aft).

 

This is really helpful - thanks for that.  We eventually decided on a cruise  on an S class ship - when we do finally go for the Edge we will be fully informed on the types of cabins. thanks

Thanks -We have taken the plunge & booked 9303 so hopefully we will have quiet neighbours

Thanks for confirming that the connecting door is on the outside. Now all I have to do is decide on which cabin to choose. The one 9303 next to the Sky suite or 9307 which is in the middle of the row. We will go ahead and book the cruise tomorrow.

Thanks for all your help.

6 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Thank you for your reply.

Recent Rhapsody "any thoughts" threads:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2693633-rhapsody-cruise/?do=findComment&comment=58296783

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2694179-just-off-the-rhapsody-wow/?do=findComment&comment=58311666

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2686494-just-off-rhapsody/?do=findComment&comment=58084818

 

Lots of questions

We've never stayed in a rear cabin before - 9303 & 9307 on the Silhouette are available   - I'm hoping it will be a good choice to see the views on a Norwegian Fjords Cruise

Are these cabins a good choice? I've noticed they have connecting doors are they similar to the 'outer' doors on the Solstice class of ships i.e. there won't be a connecting door inside the actual cabin?

Does anyone have any photos of these cabins?

 I've had a look at the S Class Cabin information section & no comments have been posted for these 2 cabins

Any advice will be appreciated

I've found a nice Mediterranean itinerary out of Venice on the Rhapsody for June 2020 . As it is an older style of ship just wondering if it is looking tired. I want to get my choice right as it is for my DH's 80th Birthday.We have done a few trips on the other Class of ships - the last 2 on the Independence which we found too big & busy.

We hope to opt for a Junior Suite on the Rhapsody- can't find much on the Cabin info section - are there any that I should avoid other than the one's under the Hot Tub?

To be honest - any tips/ information / thoughts will be appreciated.

19 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

Can you find an S-class ship with a similar itinerary?

I've looked but the cruise is to celebrate my DH 80th Birthday so has to be over a specific time alas.

Thanks for your reply. So I guess if DH wants to have some fresh air then I will have to as well - not sure I want that if that is the case.  I know we should be more adventurous but as a 10 night cruise is a whopping £6000 + for an Infinite cabin I want to get it right although having said that a normal Veranda 1B isn't that  much less at £5600

Appreciate you input

I'm looking at a Med Cruise on the Edge & need a bit of advice on what type of cabin to book. We would normally book a Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Cabin on the Solstice Class of ships. Is there much difference other than the price between the Edge's Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Cabins and the Edge stateroom with Infinite Veranda.

We wouldn't want to be near the Magic Carpet so what areas should we avoid.  I'm finding it all a bit confusing and would appreciate you steering me in the right direction.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

Just wondering if you get the sunshine more on one side more than the other?

Is there a good side- Port or Starboard to opt for on a Canary Island Cruise?

At the moment the UK Offer is Free Classic Drinks Package & Wi Fi - just curious to see if anyone has had success in modifying the offer. Between DH & I we already get 180 free Wi Fi minutes so really don't need the free Wi Fi from the offer. Was wondering if it could be part exchange for some OBC ?