4ready2cruz

Just booked 1806 for Alaska '18 and very excited. Not happy to read about the fog horn!

We wanted a aft corner balcony, but they now require 3 guests and it's just the two of us. Not worth paying for a ghost (a no show 3rd guest). Looks like 1804 is a Family cabin. I hope they don't have loud kids.

We booked for August 10, 2018 last month and will be staying in 1804. If that is your sail date, my girls are older teens (17 and 19 by the time we sail). I promise that they will be very quiet.

Going on Silouette in Sept. Please tell me how you access these bungalows! Looks like fun!

The bungalows are available under Excursions for Coco Cay.

Just checking into this thread again ... how far out from a cruise departure do they put up the prepurchase option for photo packages - anyone know? We are 14 weeks out from our cruise and still it is not available.

 

 

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I purchased a photo package in mid-November 2016 for our mid-April 2017 cruise on the Silhouette. That was about 5 months from the sail date. Celebrity had a 40% off sale so I paid $140 for the hard copies and digitals.

My daughter turned 18 just before our last cruise, but I never signed her up for Captains Club. Will Celebrity give her credit for past cruises?

In doing my research, I came across different pricing for the same cruise on different online travel sites. The rate listed on the RCI site is higher. The difference in the fare alone would be $300 (almost a 10% savings) . In addition, we would get an additional $200 in OBC with the lower rate.

My dilemma, my travel agent is also my friend and the rate he is quoting is the RCI rate with his reason being that the online sites are not allowed to undercut RCI. Not that what they are doing is illegal, I guess just against CLIA policy.

It is also my understanding that OBC comes out of his commission (historically he has given about $100 - $200 depending on the cruise fare. this is at the lower end, so I would assume $100).

I am feeling very guilty for wanting to save $400. Not sure exactly what I am looking for here, except maybe make myself feel better for going with the lower fare and not my friend.

Thanks for letting me unload. If there are any travel agents out there who could give me some insight, that would be greatly appreciated.

We were in that type of cabin on the Freedom this past March. We absolutely loved the cabin. They already charged a premium for that type of oceanview cabin. If they re-label it a suite, I guess we will not be booking that type of cabin again. Back to booking other cabins that will accommodate our family of 6 or booking a few rooms side by side.

 

I looked at a similar type of cabin on the NCL Dawn and they call this type of cabin a suite and give the suite privileges. We picked a couple of interior cabins for less than half the price for the 6 of us. We will spend the extra money we saved on excursions and a few other perks we can enjoy.

We have always booked 2 OVs or balcony cabins since our daughters are teenagers. The price on this "suite" was a lot cheaper than booking 2 OV. The fact that it had 1-1/2 bathrooms was a huge plus with 2 girls. Also liked that they would not be sleeping on a pullout. We toyed with the idea of inside cabins but for Alaska, we wanted the view. We will miss the balcony, but at least we will have a gorgeous view!

Which cabin did you book. 1804 or 1854? I know the others are considered Ocean View.

We are booked in 1804 (the square footage and extra 1/2 bath sold me!). Everything (reviews etc) I have seen to date indicated that it was an oceanview. But Royal's site and the travel agent site both list it in the suite category.

I guess I will wait (I have 14 months!) and see how it is classified prior to our cruise.

We were in PV on Grandeur last month. It is just a slightly larger OV with no perks except for what C&A perks you get.

 

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This stateroom is 406 sq. ft, with 1-1/2 bathrooms and sleeps 6. It is located at the very front of the ship above the bridge on Deck 12. There are other OVs on Deck 12 but they are a lot smaller.

What ship?

We will be on Explorer for an Alaskan cruise August 2018.

We are booked for the first time on Royal Caribbean and are sailing in an Oceanview Panoramic Suite (VP). In looking at the details for the suites, all the others list Suite Benefits:

Exclusive For Suites

• Priority check-in and departure lounge
  
• Concierge Club service on select ships
  
• VIP seating at the pool deck and theater
  
• Priority tender tickets
  
• Complimentary luggage valet service
  
• Luxury spa bathrobes
  
• Complimentary pressing service on formal night
  

But these are not listed for the Panoramic details. Is it truly considered a suite or just a glorified oceanview. And if so, are the gratuities $13.50 pp/pd or $16.50 pp/pd?

Thanks in advance!

We have sailed on Ecstasy, Fascination and most recently Elation. We love the smaller Fantasy class ships. Each time we come aboard its like coming home, we know the layout, no need to go exploring the first day to get our bearings. They all seem to be well maintained. The crew is constantly repairing and cleaning. Elation did not have all the 2.0 upgrades when we sailed but it was still a lot of fun.

Our first Carnival family cruise I pre-ordered gifts for my daughters from the FunShops. One item did not arrive, but a card was sent to the room indicating that it was not coming. They gave a credit to our Sail and Sign. On another cruise, I again pre-ordered for them. One item was not available as ordered. I received a call from the FunShop onboard asking us to pay them a visit to pick out another item.

We did the Porch, loved it. Normally $30 pp . but we got a 30% discount the first night. Also tried Murano ($50), LCG ($45), a Qsine ($45). Of those, we did not care for food at Qsine. But the ambiance and novelty were great. We did the 3 restaurant pkg and added The Porch when we got onboard.,

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We just returned on 4/23, In the Celebrity Today where they have the bars listed, it stated that alcohol would only be served to passengers 21 and over. We left out of FLL. One time I accidentally handed the bar server my daughter's card for my drink (we were at sea), he said that card could not purchase wine.

We got off Silhouette on 4/23. They had a violin duo at least two nights playing classical music and one other night a latin singer. We sat there waiting for my husband and daughter before our dinner at QSine, it was very nice, but it is a cut through to the specialty restaurants so lots of foot traffic.

Absolutely LOVED the bungalow - we must have been close to you because we were close to the middle too in the front row. We were the first to the area and it was so peaceful and quiet - we loved it. The entire trip for us was great, highlight for us was jetskiing to stingray city in Grand Cayman.

 

Here's hubby in ours.

 

I'll look for your posts, now that I know your screen name.

 

Sheila

Couldn't see the picture :-(. We were almost equidistant from the small bar and the bathrooms. To our right was a young couple (she was pregnant) playing music (fortunately I enjoyed it since I could hear it quite clearly) . The couple to our left, I recognized him from our tender ride over. We took the tram to the bungalows and they plopped us right at the Concierge. The other couple walked!

We were also one of the first ones there, I think everyone that met in the Silhouette Theatre must've been on the second tender. I was surprised when we got to the docks that another tender had gotten there before us since I thought we got off pretty quick.

We did all Celebrity Excursions and aside from the weather, we were quite happy. I could not talk them into doing Stingray City in GC! We did an island tour in Jamaica which I think is just a ploy by the tour organizer to get us to Bamboo Beach. But aside from the rain it was fun. We had been to Jamaica last year for a family reunion. We did Dunn's River, swimming with the dolphins and Scotchie's so it was kinda been there, done that. Plus I actually grew up in Jamaica (moved when I was 13) so I had seen and done most of the other stuff. This was another opportunity to show my kids the country where mommy grew up and make them appreciate more of what they have.

Thanks Lisa, I enjoyed your review. You sounded like you had a lovely break and know, like us, that sometimes we have to take the rough with the smooth, even though we are on holidays. We would do the same if it's too busy, bring your own booze, the staff are working hard. We find, a smile and a friendly word goes along way.

thanks again. Debbie:)

We had a wonderful time and made many great family memories! After re-reading I realized I never said that. I am glad that it came off balanced. It is not always smooth sailing and sometimes we have to adjust to the individual situations. I am a firm believer in making lemonade out of lemons.

Hi Lisa,

Just wanted to say HI and that it was nice to meet you at the CC meet and slot pull. We actually cancelled our Alcove on that rainy morning and after reading your post I'm glad we did.

 

Glad you had a great vacation, we did as well. We booked while onboard and now looking at booking EDGE for 2019.

 

Have a great day!

 

Sheila

It was great meeting you also! I just realized that with all my rambling in my review, I never said that I had a GREAT time. It was relaxing and enjoyable.

I was glad I tried the Alcove, but the heat in it was oppressive and the amenities basically worthless since I could get water with my beverage package and fruit from the buffet.

How did you like your Bungalow? We LOVED ours! Had #17, right in the middle and up front. We had been to that island once while on a Carnival cruise (they leased it from Royal for the year and called it Little Stirrup). We were at the area closest to the tenders and it was a madhouse. Hubby and younger daughter went snorkeling (there is a reef and a fake ship/plane wreck), then we moved further down the beach where we had to contend with an obnoxious little girl who kept trying to "share" our float. Guess her parents were too cheap to get their own! Our bungalow solved that problem!

Our concierge was great at keeping the area private. It was great that they came around with the food since it would have been a hike to the food area. Hubby and both daughters went jet skiing and were not there when they first came around. But they came back multiple times and then were willing to plate the food and leave it with me for when they got there. Fortunately they got back just in the nick of time.

I was going to do my own review, but figured I would just plop it here....

We were also on this sailing and agree that the Silhouette is a beautiful ship. Our cabin was spacious and we loved our cabin steward Ryan. The steward for my daughters' cabin, they could not pick him out of a line up, never saw him.

We only ate 3 of our meals in the MDR since we had made specialty dining reservations.

Night 1 we did The Porch, and it was the greatest experience! We were the only ones eating there so it was like having our own private restaurant and Basilio our waiter was fantastic!

Our second night was in the MDR, there the wait staff seemed harried and spread thin. The sommelier seemed stressed, no one (except the assistant waiter) smiled. A very different experience from the prior night. The next 3 nights we went to Murano (GREAT!), QSine (will prob not go back, the experience, venue and presentation was different but the food only so so), Lawn Club Grill (Wonderful! Daughter and Hubby made flatbread pizzas).

Night 6 we were back in the MDR, we arrived on time to find that our assigned table (we had Assigned 6pm dining) was occupied. Spoke with a waiter, who spoke to the Assistant Maitre'd, who spoke to the people sitting there, who REFUSED to move. We were seated on the other side of the MDR which fortunately was right by a window so no worries. Towards the end of our meal, the AMD came over to tell us we would go to Select Dining the next day at 6 pm. My husband was a little out of joint about that since he felt we should not have been made to move a second time. BUT, every cloud has a silver lining, it all worked out since of our 3 nights in the MDR our waitstaff the final night turned out to be the best. We also found that the upstairs dining was a lot quieter than the downstairs. We were seated at a table for 4 and there were times we could not hear each other, the sound just seemed amplified on the lower level.

• We also had rented an alcove. We decided to keep it even tho the morning started off very rainy. The weather actually turned nice and we spent the afternoon in the alcove..... baking! There is absolutely no air up there. We made a suggestion that they give fans to circulate the air. I am glad I tried it, but I will not do it again.
  
• Loved our balcony and being able to hear the ocean, did not like the gentleman a few doors down smoking a cigar on his
  

• made good use of our premium drink package at the Martini and World Class bars. One good thing is that the bartenders will ask if you have a premium package when you ask for a glass of wine. I did note one bartender at the Passport Bar who did not use the alcohol stated on the the menu. It called for Bombay Sapphire and he used Beefeater. I just wanted to try it so I did not make a deal about it. It was still good.
  
• room service is a waste unless you are ordering cold food. They did follow up with a survey and I did tell them that it arrived cold. they offered to make it right but by then it was too late.
  
• loved the Hideaway until it got overrun with loud kids on scavenger hunts.
  
• not a big fan of the folks at Guest Services (a smile goes a long way),
  
• buffet was good but if you go when they are busy, don't count on a hot meal. Yes, the bar service was a little slow. When they came around and took your order, they would turn the menu card on its side to show that your order was taken. Yes it was a little slow, but there were A LOT of people during prime feeding time! After the first time, we planned ahead and brought our own.
  
• We saw the Tenors of Rock (they were GREAT) and Life (Very Good). Bar service in the Theatre was very slow if they came at all, I would suggest bringing your own.
  
• My girls loved the Spa Cafe for breakfast and smoothies
  
• Embarkation and Disembarkation was a breeze. Got to the pier early, they let us in at 10, was sipping first fruity drink by 10:45. We were one of the last off the ship (we were in no hurry since we had a late flight). short wait for a taxi, were at FLL by 10:20 only to find out we had to wait since we can't check in more than 4 hours prior to our flight. FLL was a zoo with 4 ships in port.
  

That's it in a nutshell I think.

Lisa

On equinox....aspen coffee price raised...only available on premium pkg

 

Affogato off menu

Your subject line almost gave me a heart attack! :D We love Aspens and are looking forward to it on our cruise in less than 2 weeks. As the previous poster stated, I believe that if you have the Classic Package, you only need to pay the difference. We upgraded to the premium package, just like more choices and not having to worry about what is and is not included.

Sad to hear about the affogato.

Link to other thread regarding Classic Package change.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2478908

There is another thread on CC referring to a change in the Classic Package. The beverage menu you posted seems to be the same that came with the change. With the Classic, you can now pay just the difference between the maximum classic drink price and what you are ordering (in the past you would have to pay the full price). Maybe check to see if this change is effective for your cruise.

Enjoy!

We just got off of Reflection and had an alcove on a sea day and 2 port days. All of the benefits that you listed were available to us on sea days. On port days, we just had water delivered.

Did you reserve your sea day alcove before or after the price increase? Trying to debate if it is worth paying an additional $100.

Did you feel you got value for the port days? We have stayed onboard during port days and felt like we had the ship to ourselves. Not sure if we would need the alcove. Pool loungers should be very abundant.

We are sailing on April 16th and the sale applies to that sailing also. Mostly excursions.

Our first Celebrity cruise was on the Constellation for 5 days to Cozumel and Key West for Christmas. We had a great deal, I think, in an OV for $574 pp which included the drink package and $300 obc (We upgraded to the Go Better). We loved it and will be doing a 7 day on Silhouette in about 2 weeks.

5 days did seem to fly by, especially since we were in Key West the day before disembarking. For a 5 day cruise, the M Class was great. There was plenty to do or not do. Also, we had 3 OV cabins in the "newer" OV cabins. These have the large round windows. They are in a very quiet hallway (because there are no inside cabins across from them) on Deck 3 midship.

Our schedule revolves around our children's school vacation and how much time off we have from work. Would love to do a longer cruise but that will have to wait for a few years.