Mparis184

You ladies are funny.  I am also a one carry on packer and I can travel for three weeks using only my small carry on.  I also bring a very oversized purse that holds all my gadgets and last minute didn’t put in my carry on stuff.  Very easy to travel this way and I pack very light and mix and match clothes that are all color coordinated.  I bring one pair of black pants and wear those at night with very sheer dressy colorful tops that fold up very small and that all go into one small packing cube. All my clothes go into packing cubes, so easy to unpack and put them on shelves in the cabin closet.  I have traveled like this for years after Delta lost my husbands luggage on our way to Rio, Brazil and we were there for 5 days with no clothes for him, we found a Walmart though.  We were going on a cruise and his luggage was forwarded to the ship 6 days later.  Never again!  We only take one carry on each now and it works!  

Thank you.  

How much is a taxi from the port to Mambo Beach?  

A friend just asked me if lobster was served on short 4 day cruises.  I have never taken cruises that were less then a week so I cant answer her.  Do they serve lobster or is there a charge? 
 

Thanks! 

On 11/21/2019 at 8:51 PM, dcbiker97 said:

Hello.  We were just in Aruba on the Celebrity Edge and I wanted to give a review of the Riu Palace Antillas Hotel, which we went to after purchasing a pass from resorts for a day. The cost of the pass was $130. I would not recommend going to this resort for this price. We have  been to numerous places like Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and Maya Chan in Costa Maya.  They Riu couldn’t be more different than these amazing places.  

 

First with the good. The staff generally were very pleasant and seemed to want to help you. The grounds were nice and the beach top notch. However, these were not overcome by 3 major failures. 

 

1. We we got to the resort at 9am and got our bracelets and headed out to the beach. We got the last few available beach chairs. (or so we thought). After sitting in them for 2 1/2 hours a lady and her husband appear stating that they put hotel towels down to reserve them at 6:30am (5 hours prior). I told them we would not move and she called an attendant.  He got their towels from us and found them another spot after I refused to move  This place makes Cruise ship chair hogs look like novices 🙂 

 

2. The bars all served liquor that were below well drink quality. For the price we paid, having at least well quality should have been standard.   In addition, a number of the mixes were in old liquor bottles with the name of the mix handwritten on the bottle on tape. That did not seem like a good idea given the recent attention to liquor issues in the Caribbean. 

 

3. The buffet was clean and well kept, but the quality of the food compared to what we paid for the day pass was significantly different.  

 

Had the hotel charged $50 instead of $130 my expectations would have been greatly reduced from what they were going in. Happy to answer any  questions.  

 

Thanks for your review.  We also went to Maya Chan in Costa Maya a few months ago and thought it was fabulous! 
 

On 12/26/2019 at 12:43 AM, jasonfromohio said:

We sailed on the Carnival Horizon and spent the day in Aruba December 19th getting into Port at 9 AM. We originally booked a day resort for me and my wife for $169 - I placed a $15 deposit. On arrival we needed to pay a taxi ride $24 each way to the Resort. We decided to just take the Bus to a beach instead based on another cruisers advice. Let me tell you - this was great. All the beaches in Aruba are Beautiful and Free for public use. So we asked around and were told the Marriott was a great spot. 

 

Bus Pass - $5 per person for round trip transport. Bus Stop just across street from cruise port. Buses run every 20 minutes. 

 

We boarded the bus and arrived at the Marriott in 20 minutes. There were 2 stops before this and other cruisers went to Eagle Beach. 

 

We walked right through the lobby - onto a beautiful beach with Free Beach Chairs and Covered Umbrella type shelters all over.  We spent about 4 hours on this beautiful beach. There is a full service bar on site also with Happy Hour specials and some food items. 

 

Total cost was $10 for 2 of us - plus my $15 deposit I cant get back.  

 

I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a day at the beach in Aruba. It was inexpensive, easy transportation , and a beautiful beach. 

Thanks for this information.  We have never been to Aruba before and I am surprised they let you use their resort facility without any charge.  We tried to do that once on 7 Mile Beach on Grand Cayman and were asked to leave the beach if we were not registered hotel guests so I am apprehensive

. 

Where did you get the information about 5 ships being in port at the same time you will be there?  I want to look up the ports on our itinerary and see how crowded the ports will be.  Thanks

1 hour ago, arsenalboy said:

All sorted, I escalated my concerns with Celebrity UK and they apparently talked with Miami. I have now received an updated invoice showing Select dining. Didn't expect them to sort it that quick.😃

Fabulous one less thing to worry about.  Have a great cruise!  We sail tomorrow on the Equinox. 

9 minutes ago, Travelicious said:

How long before the cruise do you get the offer?

We got the email two weeks before sailing and I received three emails on different days, guess they still have cabins available.  

They will accommodate you please don't worry about it.  If you do not get assigned to SD before you get on the ship they will take care of you once you board and talk to the dining staff.  Go to the dining room as soon as you get on the ship.  They have changed my dining many times and I have never had any problems.  

Marion

Yes to us its a great vacation and to them it is a business and they all have stockholders to answer to.  They are spending millions on new ship and upgrading their older fleet and guess who has to pay for it....US!  The bottom line is it's a business and they must make money.

Marion

We diabetics have challenges when traveling. I have an insulin pump and have to change my insulin dosage often while traveling and eat more or less depending on what my sugar readings are and have to check my blood more frequently.  Traveling is stressful and that also effects sugar readings.    I always have a candy bar with me because I can have sudden sugar drops frequently.  I bring juice to the cabin every night with me just in case I need a sugar boost in the middle of the night.  Food is always available on the ship so it is easy to adjust your eating times accordingly.  

Have a great cruise and I know everything will work out well for you.

Marion

We are sailing on the Equinox on January 12 and we will just miss her.  Feeling sad! 

Marion

I have never gotten an upgrade at check in.  We sail on Saturday and that would be a wonderful way to start our cruise on the Equinox.  We booked late and all that were  available were guarantee verandas.  Oh I think we were given the worse  obstructed veranda on the ship and we have a great view of the life boats from our balcony!   

I hope we have the same good luck that you had.

Marion

7 hours ago, arsenalboy said:

I am type 2 and my worry is not about menus.

 

I have today booked a cruise on Silhouette for May this year ex Southampton. The cruise is virtually full and I got the last C2 concierge cabin left. We booked direct with Celebrity and was told that Select dining was not an option as it was oversubscribed and we were given a fixed time of 2045.

 

Now whilst eating that late does not in any way put me in danger it will not do my sugar levels much good either. My routine would see me eating circa 1930.

 

I accept the MDR is not the only venue but it is part of the cruise experience.

 

Does anybody know whether they would normally take pity on a diabetic and allow Select dining?

When I booked by cruise two months ago I was told Select Dining was completely full.  I asked to be put on a waiting list.  We sail on Saturday and I checked our account and see we have been given Select Dining and we are all set.  Call Celebrity or your TA and ask to be put on the waiting list for Select Dining.  I am also Diabetic but that was not why I wanted Select Dining, I like the options if being flexible with our dining times.  Have a great cruise! 

I look forward to following your Equinox adventure and hope to meet you and your wife in a few days in the Equinox.

 Safe travels and get some sleep.  It looks like you will be up every night burning the midnight oil writing your epic blogs! 

Marion

We are sailing on January 12.  You hit the jackpot.  Yes it must depend on how much one paid for their cabin because everyone pays different rates.  We only booked 5 weeks before sailing and couldn't select a cabin number only a guarantee and have an obstructed balcony with a great view of a lifeboat!

Bon Voyage and safe travels

Marion

Is there a ferry from the port to Rum Point beach 

on the other side  of the island?  Does anyone know the best way to get over to the beach? 

Thanks 

We received a few offers via email to “Move Up” and upgrade to a different cabin.  The Penthouse Suite was not available on our cruise but here is what was offered:

Royal Suite $3,250pp

Celebrity Suite $1,450pp

Sky Suite $1,100pp

Aqua Class $250pp

Concierge Class $125pp

Family Veranda $200pp

These were the rates for the starting bids and we did not put in any bids.

Marion

Yes it is quite sad.  Extras that used to be free are no longer free!  Loyal guests are finding their perks being taken away and cruisers are getting nickeled and dimed to death. However I love cruising and will continue cruising and just cut back on our spending on the ship for the extras.  

Marion

Thanks for all your helpful information about the Equinox and for posting the great photos!

Happy Cruising!

Marion

Thanks for the nice tour of your cabin, what category was it?

Marion

Your balcony was very nice and having a lounge chair is a big added plus you could rest out there in comfort! The overhead for shade is nice too. 

Marion

Your photos are all excellent.  What kind of a camera are you using, your moon photo is exceptional!  I have stopped taking my big cameras with me when I travel and are now just taking photographs with my iPhone 8.  I am learning how to use several editing apps that have really taken my photos from good to fantastic and having a lot of fun doing it!

Thanks again for all your helpful information about the Equinox and taking us along with you on your cruise.  Happy New Year!

9 hours ago, kkmiausa said:

Why don't you see if there is anything else available? Possibly for some small upcharge? Believe it or not our friend who travels with us as a single had a veranda room on Seabourn, since there was not much of a single discount it would have cost her $5000 to upgrade to a penthouse when the offers came. When she got to the ship she was very disappointed at the location. I was able to speak to the hotel manager and asked if there was any possibility of paying extra for a PH if there was still one available and since she has always been very generous to us, we only paid $2000 more and she was given the PH. The point I am making is it doesn't hurt to ask.

Thanks kkmiausa.  I have tried that and am on a wait list if something else opens up.  I am going to call Celebrity myself tomorrow.  I have been working through my TA because Celebrity usually won't talk to you if you booked with a TA which we did. 

I will start with the Captains Club rep and see where that leads.   I will definitely keep calling Celebrity and my TA to see if that helps.  A lot of times they tell you to ask when you get to the ship because they may have real last minute cancelations but I have never had any luck with that.  Often they have a sign at registration telling you the ship is completely sold out and there are no other cabins available.  I think they don't want to go to the trouble of changing guests cabins at the last minute because there is so much chaos at check in.