Cruisergal

Joey, I was told by my TA that the "document department" get the docs and processes them by the earliest travel date and we should get ours within 2-3 weeks before our travel date. Duh!! That is the time frame NOW. We will be away most of next week and I was hoping we got them before we leave. May have to get our neighbor to sign for them.

Gail, I too have use that product. It works but so does hanging clothes in the bathroom for the steam treatment. One less thing to pack. Also, you can always ask the cabin attendant to get things pressed. I also use a lot of zip lock bags (extra large) to pack things and press out the air. Also putting clear cleaner bags over and between items help. With bags being subject to hand searches zip locks make it easier to repack a bag. I have a huge stack of bags I just keep reusing from trip to trip. For those of us flying in coach, do not forget to pack your eye mask and ear plugs. I am thinking of using my I-Pod to listen to soothing music and that will put me to sleep also. We have a new poster on the "other side" and I have asked them to join us here. Joey, great pictures. Thanks for the link. Still watching for the docs :huh: Mary Ann

:grin: Hi Gang, I'm back!!!! Tom solved our problem, something to do with our router. Sure am glad to have such a techie as a husband. Joey, thanks for all your help while I was off line. Jackie and Tony, have a wonderful time. Wow, what a way to get in the mood for another cruise. Spent the last few minutes catching up on the postings I had missed. I missed you guys!! Still no docs for me!! TA said to watch 2-3 weeks from date of trip Sooo, maybe in a week. Our private tours have come together and now on to gathering all the "stuff" we will need to pack. At least with the relaxed rules of what we can take on board we should be able to have fresh breath upon arriving in Barcelona. :grin:

Joey, Congrats on getting your docs!!! Watching for ours each day now. What time are you meeting Dream Tours in Villefranche? I have booked with them and plan to meet at 8:30am. We have a total of 8, all from CruiseCrazies. Do you think this will be ok time wise? Thought it would give everyone a chance for a good breakfast and not be so rushed getting off the ship. Hope all are having a good weekend. It is beautiful fallish weather here. Mary Ann

Gail, So sorry for the loss of your Dad. I went through this in May and it is never easy. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you go through this time of grief. Mary Ann

Susan and Harvey, Have not heard from you lately. Noticed you were celebrating your 25th Wedding Anniv. What is the date? Also what is your cabin #, if you care to share that info. Thanks.

Jackie and Joey, Thanks for your input. Airport is what we will do. Regarding the tour, I think we would be able to see so much more with Alain's company versus the ship's tour. Hope for at least one other couple to go with us. Mary Ann

Hi all, Hope you are having a great weekend. Our weather is beginning to feel like Fall. My bank has suggested getting Euros at the Atlanta or JFK airports before flying to Milan. They said it would be less fees for exchange than they would charge. What do you think? Is this the way to do it? We want to have have some with us before we land in Milan. Still looking for anyone interested in the private tour of Nice and the area. If no one responds within the next week, I will cancel that one and book through the ship. Thanks. Mary Ann and Tom

Yes, Joey, Tom and Mary Ann are booked CC.

Joey, That's what I thought regarding your tour. I am going to let Tom decide which he wants to do - Private VS Ships and book in the next few days. I am playing in a golf tournament Monday and Tuesday so after that I should be able to get finished on the booking details. Sure wish we were going to be there with you all at the dinner. You all will have a big head start over the few of us that are arriving on departure day. We hope we can catch up with you once on board. Jackie, we usually take an Ambien after dinner on the plane and get "some" sleep. I also take ear plugs to cut down on the noise around us. Printed out the list of things you can or can not take on board from the TSA site. We all may arrive with bad breath and BO :shocked: but I guess all will be in the same condition.

Joey, That's what I thought regarding your tour. I am going to let Tom decide which he wants to do - Private VS Ships and book in the next few days. I am playing in a golf tournament Monday and Tuesday so after that I should be able to get finished on the booking details. Sure wish we were going to be there with you all at the dinner. You all will have a big head start over the few of us that are arriving on departure day. We hope we can catch up with you once on board. Jackie, we usually take an Ambien after dinner on the plane and get "some" sleep. I also take ear plugs to cut down on the noise around us. Printed out the list of things you can or can not take on board from the TSA site. We all may arrive with bad breath and BO :shocked: but I guess all will be in the same condition.

Joey, Your tour is for just the 2 of you, right? That is to be a special day for you both Is what I remember reading. I will wait a few days before responding to them in case some of you are delayed in reading the recent postings. Jackie, If we do not use Dream Tours, we will book a tour through the cruise line. Since this is the first port of call, do you think we will have acclimated to the time changes? I was wondering if we should book something shorter in time and have more time to rest up for the rest of the tours. Having done this trip last year, what do you think? We will not have the few days before the cruise like most of you guys, arriving the morning of departure. All of you have been so helpfull in planning this cruise. Mary Ann

Hey Gang, I finally heard back from Dream Tours about Villefranche. I am posting their reply below. If anyone is interest is joining us on a private tour with them, please let me know right away. I do not know what took so long to hear from them unless they were on holiday themselves. I was ready to book with the cruise line but if someone wants to share this tour, I will book it for us. Thanks. Mary Ann Hello Mary Ann, I am Alain, manager of Dream tours I and my partners will be very happy to drive you during your stop in Villefranche on 2006. It is a relax full day tour special cruise. We work with comfortable mini vans Mercedes with air conditioned and 8 seats passengers. Pick up in the port and direction to Monaco. First stop on the way in Eze village to visit if you wish one perfume factory to learn the secrets of making perfumes and cosmetics. After that direction to Monaco to visit everything. Walking in The Old town with the Prince Palace Square, the Cathedral Walking in Monte-Carlo and the famous Casino, the Golden Square, the very nice Hotel de Paris Drived City tour, formule1 race circuit, beach area. Back to Nice with Panorama, maybe if you whish the chocolate and jam factory, the Old town with the famous flower market, and maybe a free time there to have a lunch. Direction to St Paul de Vence,walking in the medieval village well known for the presence of artists, painters, stars of show business, and actors. But if you wish, we can cancel St Paul de Vence to visit Cannes to see the Film festival Palace, the beaches, and Hotel Palace. Back to the ship. I will help you to choose a restaurant for the " lunch free time ", if you wish . The price for this tour is Nombre PER CAR PER PERSON 2 480euros 240euros 3 480euros 160euros 4 480euros 120euros 5 550euros 110euros 6 570euros 95euros 7 595euros 85euros 8 600euros 75euros

Hi Gang, Here is a review from someone just getting back. It is from the "other side" but has some good info. ) Somewhere on one of the boards, there was a mentioned that all the shuttle buses that were available at the ports, there is now a charge for them when they used to be free. I keep calling Celebrity, but they have no knowledge of these shuttle buses. They said that it's the port that are providing the buses. Is there a fee for the shuttle buses? If so, how much were they? Were there shuttle buses at Venice taking you to Piazzale Roma? We took private tours for Florence, Rome, Naples, and Athens, so I can't speak to those ports in terms of shuttle service. I can tell you that in Villefranche, the ship tenders offshore, and the Millenium tender boats are completely free, and leave about every 15-20 minutes or so. Once you get to Villefranche, you can explore the port itself (which some of my group did) or head to Nice by train (which two of our group did, and they HATED it...said it was filthy and disgusting, which I heard from others, too) or do what my husband and I did, which is take the train into Monaco/Monte Carlo. You need to check the train schedules and try to time it such that you're not waiting around 40 minutes for the next train. My husband found the schedules online. In Santorini, you can explore the city itself (which is lovely) and then we public bus transportation up to Oia, which is worth the trip because it's gorgeous. In Dubrovnik, you simply get off the tender and you're right there. I was not prepared for how absolutely breathtaking the city would be, particularly as you walk along the wall. Try to go early before it gets too crowded (we docked there early that morning, and another cruise ship pulled in about 3 hours behind us). We screwed up royally when it came to Venice, so please learn from our mistake. The Milennium no longer docks right by St. Marks' Square, and instead docks alllllllll the way on the opposite side of Venice. I don't think they could get further away if they tried. Celebrity has a boat shuttle that is right there next to the ship, but they charge 13 Euro per adult and half price for children. We were so angry! These shuttles used to be free, from what I've heard, and we thought that was a ripoff. We'd heard that you can walk a short distance to public shuttle boats (Vaporettos) that are much cheaper, so our group of 10 said "Let's do that." Big mistake. It was hot as heck outside, and it's a good 10-15 minute walk across busy Italian streets to get to the vaporetto. Once we got there, we found that it cost 11 Euro per person roundtrip, with NO discount for the kids. If we'd taken the Celebrity shuttle, the 13 Euro ticket is good ALL day long, so you can bop back and forth to the ship as much as you want. The Celebrity shuttle also puts you right by St. Mark's square. The vaporetto was crowded with commuters and other stupid tourists like myself. I recommend you bite the bullet and pay for the Celebrity shuttle. It's a crime that they don't provide it for free, but they have you over a barrel, so you're stuck. 2) Those of you who took private tours, did you have difficulty leaving the ship before 8:00 a.m.? Only if you follow the rules and wait like a sheep for them to say, "Okay, we're cleared for all passengers to go ashore." Celebrity tells you to head to the Celebrity theater at 7am and wait there for tender tickets. Instead, we asked Millenium staff members what the disembarkation floor was for that particular day (sometimes it's deck 1 midship, other times it's forward) and we just headed down there on our own at around 7:30. No problems. 3) There is a website that said that the cable cars in Santorini only run every 20 minutes. Is this true? Not in my experience. We got right on in the morning, and going back in the afternoon we waited maybe 5 minutes. NOTE: I was absolutely convinced we would take donkeys up the hill, because the kids were so into it and I thought this is the one time we'd ever get to experience it. Listen to me: TAKE THE CABLE CAR. I heard so many horror stories about the donkeys, and how they're not fed all day long to minimize all the poop on the steps, and how they sometimes freak out and people have fallen and gotten hurt, and how it takes forever to get up the hill, etc. Not only that, if you take the donkeys up, you will SMELL to high Heaven when you get to the top. I walked into a gift shop and stood next to a woman who had taken the donkeys up, and I nearly died from the stench. Poor thing had to walk around all day like that. 4) In Santorini, do you recall when was the last tender back to the boat? We leave at 10:00 p.m. Don't remember, but it's usually a half hour before the ship sails. 5) On another board, someone said that in Citavecchia, due to remodeling, it now takes a long time to get out of the terminal. Did you run into this problem? We had a private tour that drove us out of the terminal, so I couldn't say. It was a hike from the ship to the outside, even by private car, but there weren't any sort of delays, it was just a long drive. I hope that helps. Have a wonderful trip, and say hi to Ante S. and Palanko (our waiters in the main dining room) for me (table 462 on the left-hand side) if you get a chance. Thanks! --Lisa

James, Which Westerdam cruise was cancelled? We are booked B2B on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. Cruisergal

For those that need more info on packing lists and tips, don't forget to click on those titles located on the left side of our forum page under "Planning". Lots of good tips. Mary Ann

Check out this site for all kinds of packing tips. You can pick what needed for your different travels. http://www.geocities.com/Calgon1/Ultimate_Packing_List.html Mary Ann Here is another great site for all kinds of travel info. [url=http://cruisediva.com/things_to_do.htm]http://cruisediva.com/things_to_do.htm

Ok, for those of you that wanted my travel checklist I am pasting a copy here. I am sure each of you could add something else to personalize it for your needs. Hope it will be of help to you. PRE-TRAVEL CHECKLIST General Home Preparation Water plants Unplug appliances, such as computers, tvs, ect. Set thermostat up or down according to season Stop all home-delivery services or have items picked up Security Lock all windows and doors Tell neighbors you’ll be away and how to reach you Set lights and a radio on timers. Close blinds and curtains Kitchen Remove perishables from refrigerator Empty all waste baskets Run garbage disposal Wash dishes Personal Check with doctor for any necessary vaccinations Pick up cash, change, or traveler’s checks at bank Get a telephone calling card and take it with you Get absentee voter form if you will be away at election time Tell friends how to reach you Pay bills due while you are away Refill medicines Get clothes cleaned and picked up Call Shuttle Service for pick up Call or send family members numbers where you can be reached Make list of items to pack Miscellaneous Print address labels to use for sending postcards Turn off water to washing machine Turn back water heater temperature Fill bird feeders

Joey, Yes, you may make the correction on our trip page. Thank you. We have Joe and Pat and Bob and Pam joining us on the tour. For the holiday, our Sunday School class is having a cook out and other than that, we will be having a quiet weekend. Safe travel to all that will be on the road, rail or in the air. Mary Ann

My travel to do list is in the works. We have 2 and I am in the process of combining them to post here. Will post it as soon as it is ready. Have been having some shoulder pain and went to the dr. and she gave me a corisone shot and made xrays. Should find out tomorrow about them. She said NO GOLF for several weeks!!! Maybe I will not have withdrawal pains!! Hope all of our luggage concerns are worked out soon. We may just pack very light and have laundry done onboard. You guys may see us in the same two or three outfits for the entire trip. Our Santorini tour is full at this point. Thanks to all for the interest. Mary Ann

Are any of you doing a private tour in Villefranche (NIce). Have checked into a few private sites and still do not know what to plan to do. Also looking at what the ship offers. If you are doing a private tour, do you still have room for 2 more people? Jackie, What do you reccomend at this port? We are open for suggestions. Thanks, Mary Ann

Jackie, My prayers will be with you that the Dr. will be able to rule out possibilities and find out the problem. Joey, Glad your procedure went well. Tom also has a pace maker and had to have it replaced with a different kind. He is doing really well with it. He is totaly dependent on it to keep the heart pumping. If it stops---so does he. Did we break the record last night at the Deck Party?

Tom and I keep a standard list of "to do" in the computer and print it out for each trip. Then check off items as we get them done. Saves a lot of panic attacts for me. I tend to panic the week before leaving, worring about things getting done. The list really helps. I also use sticky notes everywhere to remind us of urgent items. Hope we break the record for the 5th party.

Mary Ann here and toasting the BIG 5TH!!!! Let's get this party started!!!!

This is a quote from the Celebrity site. Beginning in 2005, the number of Celebrity ConciergeClass staterooms will more than double, from 100 to 228 staterooms per ship on Constellation, Infinity, Millennium and Summit. Formerly classified as categories 1A and 1B, "premium ocean-view with veranda" staterooms, each ConciergeClass stateroom is 191 square feet with a 41-square-foot veranda. Guests booked in ConciergeClass staterooms are treated famously throughout their cruise, from the moment they arrive in their stateroom with a bottle of chilled champagne, fresh flowers and a selection of fruits, to the time they're ready to sleep, with tension-absorbing pillow-top mattresses, plush duvets and a pillow menu whose selections include conformance, body, goose down or Isotonic. Additional ConciergeClass amenities include afternoon canapés, a leather key holder, personalized stationery, an oversized tote bag, an umbrella available to use throughout the cruise, and shoeshine service. For guests who choose to linger in the comfort of their plush bedding, Celebrity offers a room service breakfast menu designed exclusively for ConciergeClass guests. ConciergeClass bathroom amenities include plush bath rugs, oversized Egyptian cotton towels, double-thick Frette bathrobes, two hair dryers, a Hansgrohe showerhead, and a selection of fine shampoos, body lotions, soaps, shower caps, breath mints and a sewing kit. Special services associated with ConciergeClass include priority luggage delivery, dining time and seating preferences, VIP invitations to exclusive shipboard events, priority shore excursion bookings, early embarkation and debarkation privileges, and a one-touch button on the phone to reach a ConciergeClass desk representative directly. ConciergeClass amenities also extend to the veranda, which features a table large enough for dining al fresco, cushioned chairs, and high-powered binoculars for zooming in on captivating scenery throughout the cruise.