1313steve

Whether using the provided blow dryer or one brought on board, am I correct in saying that it still has to be used in the room because it can't be plugged in in the bathroom?

I agree - unless you're requesting some special service(s) to be done regularly, to me it smacks of asking for favoritism over other passengers ... i.e., a bribe.

Favoritism is EXACTLY my goal! And worth paying for!!

Sorry but that seems like a bribe to me. It's like they won't do a good job unless you bribe them.

Call it a bribe if you want, but when I'm on vacation, great service is one of the most important things to me. As soon as we meet our cabin steward for the first time, I introduce myself and GF, make sure I learn(and remember) his name, let him know if there is anything special we would like (usually just " always keep the ice bucket full") and hand him $30 or $40. I make sure he knows we understand he has a tough job, and how much we appreciate it.

I've always had great service doing that. Whether or not that extra few bucks is actually improving the quality of the service or not, I can never know. But I know it can't hurt. An extra few bucks isn't going to make a meaningful difference in the overall cost of our vacation.

Put me in the "it's not worth worrying about for $5.18"!! Yes, the cruise line is potentially making "millions" of extra dollars $5.18 at a time, but who cares. It's five bucks!!!!!!!11

I believe you can always get more money, but you can never get more time! Of course, I'm the same guy who believes we should eliminate change and one dollar bills and round all purchases to the nearest five dollars!

Thanks to everybody for the info. I called and got an alcove booked. Glad I did because they were full on all sea days and only available on two of the port days!

My "inside sources" tell me it will be before the end of April. Several cruise lines haven't announced all of their 2015 itineraries yet for specific ports. And don't forget it won't be until October of 2015, so there will still be plenty of time to plan.

Who am I kidding? I don't have any "inside sources", but if CNN and the other news channels can make up phantom sources, why can't I. LOL :D I'm still betting we'll see it by the end of April though.

If you go online to My Celebrity/Manage Cruise/Online Check-in/ and scroll about halfway down the page you'll see the "Ready for you" section where you can view or download the PDF of your Guest Cruise Booklet. There's a luggage tag near the end of that booklet that you can print as many copies as you need!

Does the Celebrity offer Luggage Valet service for American Airlines (from Miami International)? We don't fly to out until late afternoon and we'd sure like to not have to worry about luggage on disembarkation day.

We're on the Reflection in a few weeks and I have some questions about the Alcoves..........

Is it possible to pre-book them? I don't see anywhere in "My Celebrity" that let's me book them.

If we order drinks while in the Alcove, will they be covered under our premium beverage package?

Thanks in advance for the answers!

Thanks everyone so far who have given advice.

 

While I do like the photos my phone takes, my worry is that since I wont be using the phone for data/calls the week of the trip, I wasnt sure if I wanted to even bring the phone on the boat at all.

 

I wasnt looking at any camera too fancy, but something small and compact that could take good photos and video for less than 200 bucks.

If you decide to bring your iPhone, just put it in airplane mode and you'll basically have a camera only device (plus a calculator and flashlight!) :)

I've traveled extensively for business and for pleasure and the only thing you have to make sure you don't forget is your credit card. There's always stores to buy whatever you may have forgotten or decided you can't live without! You can even buy another suitcase along the way if you really buy a lot. :)

Take less than you think you'll need. You'll still have too much!

Interesting;) Do you have a choice of which Tequila you can get? My experience with ordering pitchers is the bartender uses house Tequila, which is not 100% agave.

My exerience with margaritas is that the type of Tequila is so drowned out by the crappy mixers most places use that you'd never know if it's 100% agave or 51% agave (the minimum requirement for tequila). Sort of like ordering a fine scotch or bourbon and then mixing it with just about any mixer. At that point the quality and taste of the booze is gone!

Maybe taking a few thousand in cash is no big deal to you, but going through that airport scanner is a problem. Everything, even paper, must be removed from pockets. Money belts must be removed. I'm certainly not comfortable being separated from a large amount of cash.

 

Using a credit card in foreign ports is not free since there's a foreign transaction fee.

If you're like most people, you walk through that airport scanner with your paper boarding pass in your hand with no issues. If you have paper money in your pocket, you'll be fine, too. I keep my money in a money clip in my front pocket. When it comes time to go through airport security, I simply remove the money clip, put it in the "bowl" along with my other small items, put the cash back in my pocket and walk through security. It's never an issue.

I just went to my bank on Friday to get Travelers checks, US Bank, and they said they don't have any! No one uses them so they don't provide them anymore. I had to buy a pre paid Mastercard, at $4, to use instead.

That doesn't surprise me. I used travelers checks probably 20 years ago, but I didn't realize they still existed until they were mentioned here.

I do the same thing!! It works really well so that I do not run out of cash to pay a cab in the last port! I never carry cash in my "real" life but this works well for me.

I put my envelopes together last weekend. 9 more days!!!

You and Skyfire53 win the award for most organized! We prepay everything we can (excursions, tips, specialty restaurants, etc), then put as much as we can on the ships card. The day before we leave I go to the bank and get 500 bucks or so as "just in case" cash. The only reason I go to the bank is to get $5 and $10 bills, since the ATM's usually do $20s. It probably the only time I every actually visit my bank anymore!

We also take one credit card with us when we are in a port.

Other than the tips the post above refers to, you don't HAVE to spend any money (but you will).

You can book your shore excursions in advance and pay for them now, so you won't have to worry about that expense on board. You're too young to drink and too young to gamble, so that will save you a lot of money!!! :D

Other things you might spend money on are internet access, soft drinks, pictures, and souvenirs. You could also spend some money going to the specialty restaurants, but there's plenty to eat on board without spending extra $$.

I would go ahead and book and pay for your excursions now, then take whatever the budget allows.

As others have said, your DH will be dressed fine as you describe it. I think calling it "Elegant" Night is purposely vaque because that's the way Carnival wants it.

Unforuntately some people either have no common sense, think the rules don't apply to them, or just don't care. Some people think vacation means no rules to follow, which isn't true.

For me, dressing up is enjoyable, so if you see me on a cruise, I'll be the one in a tux! I'd always rather be the best dressed person in the room than the worst!!!!!!!!!!:)

What was the cost to upgrade to premium?

When I googled average temps for the Caribbean the site I looked on said that average for summer was 86 and winter was 78. 86 doesnt sound bad but they said nothing about humility. My soon to be hubby isnt going to want to do it durning a time when its really humid.

Thanks for your info.

 

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It's a small body of land in the middle of the ocean. Humidity is always going to be an issue, but the tropical breeze mitigates a lot of the perceived humidity. Scroll down about 2/3 of the way on this page to see a humidity chart.

https://weatherspark.com/averages/32526/Kingston-St-Andrew-Parish-Jamaica

It's true that Sept. is in the middle of hurricane, but the odds of a hurricane actually interfering with your plans are slim.

By the way, I'm sure you've looked at pics of the falls, which are beautiful, but don't expect them to be a quiet tranquil place. Typically it's a mass of humanity!

Good luck with the wedding and the marriage!

Here's a shot of the balcony of cabin 9299 on Silhouette which is similar to that cabin on Reflextion. As you can see it has a slightly larger balcony than the norm which is non-obstructed other than it's the last cabin next to the aft bulkhead which extends out a bit.

 

Thanks Bob. That's exactly what I needed to know/see..

Does anybody have an experience with either of these cabins? They are concierge class cabins (1 port, 1 starboard). From the deck plans it appears they have larger balconies as they are the last cabins aft on the side of the ship. From looking at pictures it appears the balconies maybe larger, but might be obstructed view.

Any info is appreciated!

I 'm cruising on the Reflection this coming Saturday. We're leaving tomorrow to drive down to Fort Lauderdale from the Carolina's. My question is are we allowed to carry on liquids (shampoo. lotions etc)in our carryon or must we put them in our suitcases as I would do if I were flying? Are the security rules the same as at the airport. Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. Well it's back to packing for me.........

I hope you're actually driving to Miami and not Fort Lauderdale. Reflection sails from Miami.

Enjoy your cruise!! :)

Just off the Celebrity Reflection. So much about the cruise was excellent: the stunning ship, consistently superior food, spotless cleanliness, friendly service, officers, crew. So many people working so diligently to provide a first class "modern luxury" experience.

 

Unfortunately, there was also a big and easily resolved concern.

 

Around the main pool, the "music" of the Miami DJs was unacceptably LOUD! So loud at sail-away that one could not even hear a person standing right next to one.So loud that one's whole body vibrated. So loud that the speakers distorted the sound. The issue is not so much the kind of music, as its volume. It rendered the main pool area unusable.

 

Likewise, the party band Vibe was so loud in the foyer as to render the core of the ship unusable. They disturbed people in the Library, Hideaway, Game Room, Martini Bar, Cellar Masters, Bistro, Cafe Bacio, Passport Bar, Guest Relations, Elevator lobbies etc.

 

Miami DJs and Vibe would be great in a separate venue, such as Sky lounge or Qasar. Let those who like it come to those venues. The issue was that this was inflicted on a majority of the passengers who did not pay their hard earned money to be subjected to this new un-Celebrity-like experience.

 

Now here is the really scary part.:eek:

 

I attended the Cruise Critic gathering, along with 60 or 70 others, and several ships officers. When the issue of the loud music was raised by several guests, the Cruise Director explained that the Reflection, as the flagship, was leading the way introducing a new entertainment concept, which would be taken fleet wide! The key was a shift in the demographic profile of their target guests, from 50s to 30-something. The loud music reflected this new direction. Apparently someone in Miami thinks that ultra-loud music = 30 something demographic!

 

There was a lot of dissenting discussion. During the course of this the Cruise Director made it very clear that if the loyal, traditional Celebrity customer did not like this direction, they should find another line to cruise :eek:

 

I love the Celebrity experience, and have done some 20 cruises with them. I see this as the Carnivalization of the brand! Given that they already own Royal Caribbean, which appeals to a younger demographic, I do not see the business sense in taking Celebrity in this direction, and upsetting their large established loyal base of customers.

 

I would be interesting in hearing from other Cruise Critic members who were at that infamous CC gathering.

Interesting information, but according to your signature, it doesn't look like you've ever been on a Carnival ship, so I'm not sure how you can describe it as the "Carnivalization of Celebrity".

I was just on the Carnival Glory in October, and at no point was the music anywhere near as loud as you described. In fact, I was surprised at just how subdued all of the entertainment was, based on the stereotypical description of Carnival.

As you can see by my signature, our Reflection cruise in about a month will be our first Celebrity experience, so I can't offer a direct comparison, but I'm hoping Celebrity is a step up from Carnival. I felt Carnival was a Holiday Inn experience, and I'm hoping Celebrity is a Marriott or Hyatt type experience.

 

Last cruise, my DW didn't wear a dress and all I wore was a collard shirt and slacks and my normal shoes and we had no problem.

Dolby1000

As long as you're not wearing your abnormal shoes!! :D