SoCalTraveler

You missed the point of the post. None of those answers, which are from actual trivia contests, are correct.

That was the point of the post. Each of those were actual questions and answers given by the crew in trivia.

We actually had a large number of Canadians playing trivia with us on that cruise. Some of them said that the correct answer was Newfoundland, as Newfoundland was a separate Dominion at the time of the Titanic sinking. In any event, I've been to Halifax twice, and while Halifax has a museum and cemetery dedicated to Titanic victims, it is not a country. Our host finally gave in and accepted, begrudgingly, Canada.

We have also had: How many Israeli prime ministers were born in Russia. Answer: 1. (This question does not actually turn on how you define Russia. The answer of 1 is wrong with any definition.) How many notes are in a musical scale. Answer: 8. (On this one, an actual music professor corrected the tour director, and he accepted the correction.) What is the meeting called when a group gets together to select a new pope? Answer: conclave. (In this one, "Papal Conclave" was actually rejected.)

I like the repeat questions with "correct" answers when the original answers were wrong. 1. When was the great San Francisco earthquake? Answer: 1908. 2. What country was the Titanic closest to when it sank? Answer: Halifax. 3. What country was Columbus from? Answer: Italy. 4. How many American Presidents have the first name of William? Answer: 3

Take the money.

I assume two Ecuadorian fishermen have been given the Xpedition's tracker and are rowing about off the coast.

We went with celebrity and the extension was great, but not anywhere near that price. As I’ve observed before, decide first his long you want to be at Machu Picchu. If you want to stay overnight, you need a private tour, not celebrity.

I have not seen any posts by anyone who was bumped and did not get an offer to be re-booked on another ship. On our prior trip on the Xpedition we found the food and service to be very good. We never had a language issue with the staff. Oh, to be sure, we met Peruvians in the Sacred Valley with whom my high school Spanish was woefully inadequate. We had some other issues on that cruise, which we resolved with Celebrity. There are complaints to be made, for sure. In 2015 we had to sweat out the volcano. Celebrity did not create this mess deliberately. They could communicate better, but they don't. By the time of our November cruise, Celebrity will have solved the problem or not. If not, they will either offer us another ship or a refund. I've got no control over anything having to do with the situation.

We went a few years back on Princess. (Look below in my signature for the Baltic cruise.) We used Alla, who was excellent. Small group, and we were able to do 50% more than the cruise ship tour. Payment was required in cash. Dollars in Russia MUST be new, with no rips, tears or marking, so I brought fresh $100s from the bank. A small group means shorter bathroom breaks, less chance of someone being delayed slowing down the whole group, etc. Look at Trip Advisor and you will find the top-rated tour companies.

We did the Celebrity extension in 2015. It was nowhere near $6000 p/p. I think it was less than half that. What I tell people is that if you want more time at Machu Picchu (overnight, get up early to see the sun rise, etc.) arrange for a different tour or do this on your own. While we were very pleased with how Celebrity handled everything, and there is a lot to see in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley, the number one issue to resolve is how long you want to be at Machu Picchu. From our Xpedition cruise of 99 people, 29 did the Machu Picchu extension. One woman had some issues in Cuzco, which were quickly resolved. (The staff got her oxygen within 30 seconds of being alerted.) At Machu Picchu, after about 3-4 hours, 24 people went to the nearby hotel for drinks or hot chocolate. They had had enough hiking about. Only 5 of us kept going up to the Temple of the Sun. I pooped out twice, but eventually caught up with everyone at the top.

We have had aft cabins on a variety of ships, and our TA reserves them for us when available. We are not sun people, so covered is nice. There tends to be no wind. However, a bit of exposed deck is nice when sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge or equivalent. Some ships with open aft patios will get some soot in port, so watch the railing.

First, we always find we brought stuff we did not need. When we went in 2015 I don't think there was anything we had missed brining, and we were under the South American weight limit. Second, we are scheduled to go again this November. While I read these threads, this is clearly a problem over which we have no control. Celebrity will do whatever it is going to do, and will do it close to departure time. Thus, I try not to be concerned, because my fretting about whether the ship will sail is simply designed to annoy me, so I struggle not to give Celebrity that power over me. And we've been through this before. When we went in 2015, the volcano erupted, and there was concern about the direction the wind would carry the ash, which could shut down the airport in Baltra and, in extreme circumstances, affect air travel to Quito. In the end, things settled down.

We went to both in June 2015. The weather was fine in both locations. In Peru, Celebrity provided an outstanding expeience in touring the Sacred Valley and in taking us on the Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu. Having said that, we were only in Machu Picchu for one day, for about 4-5 hours. It's a very long day as it was 4 hours to get there and 4 hours back, although the Hiram Bingham is extraordinary; it's like being on the Orient Express. It's a fine trip, but others we know have made independent arrangements and stayed overnight at Machu Picchu. And then you can get up at 4:00 a.m. to see the sunrise, if you want a really long day. So if Celebrity is doing only one day at Machu Picchu, and there are tours with an overnight there, that is the biggest difference you should explore. Price may be secondary for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. As others have suggested here, the price of doing it yourself may even be less. Keep in mind that there are 3-5 days worth of sites in the Sacred Valley, and that Cuzco is very high up and you won't move quite as fast as you are used to.

President Lisa said look to the website for updates. I have looked. I've used every magic word in all the Harry Potter books. I've pointed my wand at the pages. I see no updates for any date. Nothing that says, we are sorry we had to cancel X cruise because of regulatory issues. The only way we know a cruise has been cancelled is because some folks post here.