Boatharbour

No worries,I didn’t think you were saying that. I guess until they “update the update to the update” it is the current version for us though. I’ve just looked at the FAQ’s on the Australian website and some of the answers are at odds with the new Australian contract conditions. The FAQ’s state two bottles of wine per person and there is an all day charge for room service. The contract states differently, so which document rules?

It is the current version for Australian passengers so I doubt it’s out of date. However parts of the email look like a bad cut and paste job with whole paragraphs repeated twice. Plus the update to the update. I’m not sure how things will work once we’re on board with the rules for passengers from one country being different to passengers from other countries. It also feels like some of the new rules have been introduced in response to issues raised on CC in recent months. For example pricing glitches not being honoured.

We received two emails from Celebrity this week with the new terms and conditions of their contract. It states that you can only take two bottles per stateroom, not per passenger. The extract above is the same one we received. This is effective for all cruises departing from 21 April. The departure date, not the booking date determines the state of play although I find it interesting they can change a contract retrospectively. Must be a clause buried in the paperwork giving them the right to do so. We’re in Australia but I assume the new rules are the same for everyone. Having written that, there are other anomalies. I was under the impression (from threads on this board) that there was an all day charge for room service. Our contract states no charge for room service unless it’s after 11.00pm and before 6.00am. The second email was an update to the updated terms and conditions that stated Celebrity is not liable for IT pricing glitches backdated to December 2020!

Different story in Australia as I understand it. These Booking Conditions are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia and any claims or disputes must be resolved by alternative dispute resolution or under the laws and exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of Australia. No room service charges except between 11.00pm and 6.00am. The “normal cancellation policy applies” if you cancel your select dining booking if your selected time isn’t available even if this time was confirmed at the time of booking. Huh?

Thank you Jim for your advice. The zero balance was right down at the bottom of my iPad screen. The system still wanted my credit card details even for a zero charge - all the uncompleted fields were in red and I couldn’t finalise. Good news is that I have the dining bookings secured now.

Thank you for your reply. I applied the credit to the “total amount due”. There isn’t any mention of gratuities. Fair enough if it’s for the gratuities but if so, they haven’t spelt it out. I’m reluctant to go ahead until I know why they want my credit card details almost a year out. Surely it’s not a hold on the card until we make final payment for the cruise? Hoping someone knows on this board, but if not I’ll contact Celebrity.

We want to use part of our onboard credit to book specialty dining for our Edge cruise in 2024. I’ve gone through the process of making the booking and applying the credit, but have to provide my credit card details to complete the booking. The onboard credit completely covers the cost so I’m not sure why my credit card details are needed. Can anyone explain why this is the case? Thank you.

Testing is required by the NSW government. 3 Health Screening 3.1 On the day of boarding, passengers must complete a health screening which includes verification that individuals do not have symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory illness, and/or are not required to quarantine or isolate (as per current domestic requirements). 3.2 Passengers who are symptomatic on the day of boarding must be referred for further medical assessment prior to boarding. Symptomatic passengers must have a negative rapid-PCR on the day of boarding. Those who do not return a negative test should be denied boarding. Full details here- https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules/cruising-reporting

It’s a really easy walk to the Opera House from Circular Quay. 10 minutes (if that) and flat all the way around the harbour foreshore. If you have time you can continue on the path around to the Botanic Gardens which are adjacent. From here you can take spectacular photos of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge together.

Had this on an European cruise several years ago. Loved the view, but only a small overhang. Can’t remember the deck but it was several decks down from the Oceanview outdoor area. There was also a privacy issue (if that”s a concern) as most of the balcony could be seen from the decks above.

We love aft staterooms. Our room on Millennium in late 2019. Next up is SV on an Apex Baltic cruise.

I second the Tokyo to Hong Kong cruise as well. We sailed this itinerary in November - December 2019 on the Millennium. We had a few days in Tokyo beforehand plus several more in Hong Kong after the cruise before flying home to Sydney. The autumn foliage in Japan was stunning and the weather very comfortable at this time of year. One of our best and most interesting cruises yet and the ship size was perfect.

We eat at the buffet 3-4 times on a 10 day cruise. More likely to be on a day when we have had a long shore excursion or simply don’t feel like a 2 hour dining experience. We also dine on 2-3 nights in specialty restaurants and the rest in the MDR. The MDR is our least favourite venue mainly because of the close proximity of the tables. Our next cruise will be our first since one of us was diagnosed with a food allergy. I realise we can pre-plan our meals at the MDR but we were looking forward to being able to choose a variety of freshly cooked foods from the buffet. From what I’ve seen on these boards we’ll be extremely limited in options. By all means reduce waste, but at least provide a quality range of fresh and cooked to order options. We have only ever sailed with Celebrity as we’ve been very happy with the entire Celebrity experience. We won’t experience the changes until our July cruise, but for the first time we’re considering trying out other lines in the future.

I wanted to change a specialty dining booking which involved cancelling the first booking. It took 5 weeks and three emails before we received a refund.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the cancellation / rebooking process if it didn’t require full payment upfront and the delay with getting a refund. I would be happy with a credit that could be applied to another booking, but that wasn’t an option either. Is there any reason why Celebrity manages bookings this way rather than having a simple self-service modify booking function?

If I want to change a dining reservation it seems the only way to do so is to cancel the existing booking and then make a new booking. This involves paying upfront, being told I’ll receive a refund ( still waiting 7 days later) and then making a second payment. Is this the only way to change a booking? I’m using the app and clicked on Manage Reservation in the dining section thinking I could simply edit the date /time. The only option available was to cancel the reservation. The reservation was at the same restaurant by the way, just a different day. I’m probably missing something, but surely it shouldn’t be this convoluted to change a booking.

The rules in Australia have eased considerably. Although there are guidelines in place, I’m not sure it’s that much different from many other parts of the world now. Given that 800 positive passengers on the Majestic Princess disembarked in Sydney yesterday, I can understand why Celebrity is requesting passengers to wear masks. The mask guidelines change in response to the covid situation at the time, so what was relevant a week ago, may not be the case today. Australia is at the beginning of a fourth wave with cases expected to peak before Christmas.

Australian cruise guidelines for the state of NSW are here for anyone interested. https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/travel/cruising-rules/advice-for-the-cruise-industry

We loved it too, I booked it for our wedding anniversary. DH having no prior knowledge of the concept. It was very entertaining and lots of fun. Perhaps that is the secret - think of it as a show or performance rather than just a dinner. I would agree that we don’t need to do it again now that the surprise element is over. Definitely worth doing once.

The word was used by you in post #78 in relation to tipping in Australia and NZ. I wrote the reaction of your waiter was not the norm.

the penguins Posted Sunday at 07:28 PM #78 We are from the UK, always tip extra. All of our UK friends also tip extra. X's cruises sold in Australia and New Zealand have the tips included (sold as not required) and you therefore can't have the tips removed. In both these countries tipping is not expected and indeed offering a tip is often taken as an insult.

The waiter’s response was unusual and should not be taken as the norm. As I wrote before tipping while not expected, does occur in Australia / NZ particularly in restaurants. To say that tipping could be viewed as an insult is incorrect. Your waiter was a one off.

You’re correct about gratuities being included in the cruise fare in Australia and NZ. However tipping (while not expected here), is common particularly when dining out. I’m yet to come across anyone who was insulted by being offered a tip though.

Totally agree that this has to be one of the reviews I’ve read on CC. Not only entertaining, but filled with practical information. The summaries are particularly helpful. Thank you!

This is a wonderful review and I’m really enjoying reading along - especially the tips. Love your writing style. I’m newly diagnosed with a wheat allergy so the GF information is particularly helpful. It’s a whole new world for someone in their mid 60’s. We have booked the Baltic cruise in July next year but are reconsidering now that St Petersburg has been removed from the itinerary ( for good reason). Looking forward to reading more and thank you for sharing.