Gwendy914

On 8/30/2019 at 5:57 AM, cangelmd said:

Was the glass cleaner to use on the pickle jar, do you suppose?

 

The only out of the ordinary thing I bring is a small “real” pencil sharpener. For my crosswords, in case I don’t go bold and use an ink pen. We also bring the meds and toiletries and hooks and a noise machine or use a white noise app. 

I try to cut back, but why?

If you've never tried Frixion pens, I rec them highly. They are erasable--but not like the old erasable pens. They are perfect for crosswords. You can get them at office supply stores and online. They make markers too. 

Thank you so much! This makes it much easier to choose. I don't need streaming and I don't want both of us on our screens at the same time when we should be watching for whales. 1 device surf package is what I need.

I appreciate the help. 

I usually unplug on cruises, but it turns out I'm going to need to keep track of some business on my vacation in a couple weeks. I'm confused about the differences in the internet packages. 

1. What is the difference between "surf" and "Unlimited"?

2. If I get 1 device, is that one device at a time or one device only? Say I use my laptop but then the next day, my husband uses his phone? Does that work or do we have to each have signed up for something?

I'm loving this review so much.  We're on the Solstice in three weeks for our 17th anniversary, and your review has got me so excited. Thank you for taking the time to do it. 

Also, I'm a Gen Xer too. 🙂

32 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Sign in to your Celebrity account and go to your cruise.  Go to Manage Reservation. Go to drop down menu Reservation Details.  Under Open Dining there is a button for Edit Gratuities.  You have the option of paying for them there.  Hope that helps!

I don't have an option there, but thank you so much for trying to help me. I appreciate it!

Just now, TeeRick said:

You can do it online or call Celebrity or your TA if you booked through one.

Do you know where online though? I can't find it. I have a phone aversion, but I guess I might have to get over it. 🙂

I would like to prepay but was never given the option. I can't figure out how to add it online. Does anyone know if that's possible?

i wish that were true--I can't log in this morning. LOL

there is lobster, fish (salmon/sea bass/dover sole), mushroom risotto (which you can likely get as an entree)... plenty of options that aren't meat

The risotto is why I was asking. I'd happily just have a starter instead of a main.

We are vegetarian not pescatarian--so the seafood and fish are also not in our diet. Though I've been thinking about adding seafood for this trip. It seems a waste to go to Alaska and not have fresh seafood. (Though I live in Washington State and haven't been tempted in the two years since we started.)

My suggestion is to stop into the restaurant a day or two before you go to eat and discuss your food. They are very accommodating but need time to prepare to have what you need.

 

Pat

Great idea! Thank you.

It appears all the main dish courses are meat. Would they allow someone to choose an additional vegetarian starter instead of a main course?

(We're making plans as a group and I don't want to just not go, but it seems odd not to have at least one vegetarian offering. I'm positive there are French vegetarians.)

People reading this thread should keep in mind that if you are considering leaving the ship a day early, on cruises outside the US there aren't many potential problems. But for cruises in the US, there might be issue with the cabotage laws (PVSA).

 

On the Alaska cruise in question, getting off at either Canadian port is no problem.

 

But there are itineraries where disembarking early would not be allowed, so don't just assume that it's easy to do in all instances.

Good to know. Thank you!

I've been hanging out in the Celebrity threads today and I think this is going to be a good move. I can't thank you all enough for reading my long laundry list and helping me make sense of what I was looking for. The Blu restaurant sounds like exactly what we were hoping for when it came to food on the other lines. And if I'm not out looking for bears or petting sledding dogs, I will be found in Persian Gardens for sure. Now I just have to wait A WHOLE YEAR.

lol

This is interesting. I didn't know you could disembark early. We're doing an Alaska cruise next year that visits Victoria BC in the evening, then goes to Vancouver to disembark next morning. But then we have to take a flight or 3 hour ferry back to Victoria to go home that day. If we can just get off the ship and stay off, we'll save a day of travel. (we don't live in Victoria, but that's the easiest way to get to our home in Washington)

I'm glad I saw this. Thanks OP for posting.

you may like Oceania

 

once you include all the extras you pay for on other lines it is not that much more for the premium lines

I'll keep them in mind for next time. Thank you.

We ended up choosing Celebrity. Thank you for the matchmaking services. The Aqua class stateroom will be perfect and I remembered we were on Celebrity another time and felt less bombarded.

Thank you again all who helped me. I think HAL and Princess would also be good matches.

You guys are all amazing. Thank you.

I wish there was an easy way to choose a line. We're looking at cruising to Alaska next September. I'd kind of love to find just the right line for me so that I can accrue better status with one line.

If any of you are good at matchmaking, I'd love your input. Here is my profile:

1. Married emptynesters in our 40s. Early to bed, early to rise. Non-smokers. Non-clubbing/dancing. We are pretty introverted and quiet.

2. Balcony a must. I like people, but crowds wear on me quickly.

3. Going in September because we prefer fewer children--we do like kids--just not that many. So we don't need an adult only vacation.

4. We like comedy shows and some variety shows. Despite being introverted, I did win a ship-on-a-stick for 80s trivia. But we don't do or need a lot of activities to keep from being bored.

5. We are vegetarians and enjoy eating well. I would not consider us foodies, but we are not big on processed foods.

6. Some kind of hydrotherapy spa is a must. (I love Carnival's thalasotherapy (sp?) pools but they are such a boisterous line.)

7. When we get unlimited beverage things, we use most of it on good coffee drinks because I'm a coffee snob. Hubs does like brandy in the evenings. But we don't hang out in the bar areas for long.

8. No need for waterslides and the like. Would prefer midsize ship without all the exciting features. I enjoy everything about being on the ocean and want as few distractions from it as I can get.

9. I think we sound like we're about 30 years older than we are.

10. We've done the formal thing a couple times and no longer want to pack the extra outfits. Would prefer not to have assigned dining, although I do enjoy getting to know my tablemates. I just don't like having a set time to eat.

11. If we could afford the smaller lines, we'd probably love those the best. At this time, our budget is under 5k. Seattle roundtrip is best for us because then we don't have to fly.

12. Choosing Alaska trip for the nature, not the adventure.

Who would you set me up with if you were making a match?

Sorry - realized that AFTER I posted! OOPS!

No worries! It's good advice for anyone who reads this thread in the future.:)

Thanks for the reply.

I was talking about leaving the port after disembarking and hiring a driver/car not renting. It all worked out! :)

We used On Time and the driver, Mike, was great. 9:30 was perfect.

follow what Keith says above. Have the company's number handy (ask ahead of time if the driver him/herself will call you directly....I know that ontime will have the driver call you to tell you he/she is nearby and to call when you're at the shuttle island with your stuff).

Thanks! I did use Ontime. :)

Thank you! 10am

Sorry I wasn't clear. We are hiring a car/driver service.

NCL says we arrive at 8am in San Pedro on a Sunday. We are not flying out until Monday--so there is no mad rush to get to airport on time.

If I hire car instead of taking a shuttle--what time should I tell them to pick us up and how does it work at the port? Is there a place marked to go to? Like at airports? Or is it a free for all? Is there a place I could tell him to meet us that is easier? Like...is there a coffee shop or someplace next to port? Or is it a long haul out?

Anyone?

Is 9:30 reasonable?

NCL says we arrive at 8am in San Pedro on a Sunday. We are not flying out until Monday--so there is no mad rush to get to airport on time.

If I hire car instead of taking a shuttle--what time should I tell them to pick us up and how does it work at the port? Is there a place marked to go to? Like at airports? Or is it a free for all? Is there a place I could tell him to meet us that is easier? Like...is there a coffee shop or someplace next to port? Or is it a long haul out?