Z-Bird

4 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

Hi!!  A few random notes for you….

Finding travel agents that offer group pricing can involve some research and surfing.

Cruise Critic is not the place to find them since specific mention of travel agents or agencies or websites is not permitted.

Get quotes from a number of different agents for a particular sailing that you are interested in.  Compare their offers against pricing on Celebrity’s website.  Possibly let the agents know they are competing for your business because sometimes they will match another agent’s offer.  

Join and follow private groups on social media that relate to Celebrity and The Retreat to find travel agents offering deals.  Sometimes these groups are moderated by travel agents, so they post deals in the group.

By using a TA you will relinquish control of your booking, but that has never been an issue for me.  

Ask friends, family, and fellow cruisers who they book with.
If an agent that you have reached out to for a quote responds timely, thoroughly, and professionally to your emails and messages, that is a good sign you have found one that is eager to earn your business.

I never book direct unless Celebrity’s direct price is astonishing.

If I book direct I transfer the booking to my preferred travel agent within 30 days for additional on board credit from her.

Hopefully this helps and falls within Cruise Critic guidelines.

Thank you very much for this thorough and thoughtful response.  

2 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Same.  Supply and demand  pricing.  Some sailings are filling up causing prices to rise.  Over the last few months we have made all of our bookings for mid-2025 through early-2026.  This is a new concept for us.  Our booking habits have quickly become akin to the philosophy of choosing preferred itineraries in our preferred stateroom categories at the best prices.  More often than not this involves booking far off into the distant future.  I am now looking to complete our travel planning for the remainder of 2026.  I am grateful for group pricing with refundable deposits on most of our selections.

Hi Paul, what is the best way to get group pricing with refundable deposits?  Thanks!

16 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 When we sailed out of Southampton we went over a few days early and stayted at a Marriott Ressidence Inn London Tower Bridge.  We did sightseeing in  London and then on embarkation day arranged a shared van service from the hotel directly to the cruise ship through the same company we arranged our tours in London through. 

 

How was your experience at the Marriott Residence Inn London Tower?  We are looking at several hotels in that area.  Also, do you mind to share the name of the tour company?  Thanks!

Just now, BuckeyeMark said:

Here's who we used:

Katy Parker
Office Manager
07740 197148 (Mon to Fri) - 07774 693720 (Sat & Sun)
Cotswold Tours & Travel
www.cotswoldtoursandtravel.com
office@cotswoldtoursandtravel.com

They were excellent. They did what we asked - which in the Cotswolds was to "we want to see the Tolkien Tree and the famous row of houses that everyone takes pictures of (LOL) and then we want to be given the taste and tour of the Cotswolds."  And that's exactly what we go. We didn't even know what to ask for and we had a splendid day.

In Oxford we said "we want to to see the CS Lewis sites, plus anything else that is good, and we'd like a run into the Ashmolean museum too if we can manage it to see some ancient coins." They managed it!  A splendid splendid day.  Mark guided Cotswolds and David in Oxford. They were superb.

 

Thank you!

 “We were met by our guide who would conduct us to the Cotswolds and Oxford for two days until the ship sailed on Wednesday. We had the world’s best tour guides there. They were sensational but I’ll save that for another trip report (message if you need a recommendation).”
 

Would you please share who your guides were and what company they worked for?

Thanks!

We appreciate all of the feedback.  We have decided to book the Magic Carpet Suite, due to its central location and to the cost savings.  On the recent Edge Alaska cruise, when we sailed by the Dawes Glacier, we enjoyed spectacular views from the retreat deck area so won’t feel like we are missing out by not having the aft cabin view.

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

We had an aft last year in Norway. Stunning. For Alaska and Norway I would always seek out an aft cabin. If you are going to Geiranger, it’s an early morning sail in. Nothing like enjoying it in your robe and pj’s . 
 

A few shots from last year:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful photos!  I specifically picked this cruise because it goes to Geiranger.  Is there an excursion you’d recommend for that port?

We recently went on our first E-Class cruise in Alaska aboard the Edge, and loved the ship style!  We were in a Magic Carpet Suite and felt like it was a real sweet spot for being able to enjoy all of the suite amenities at the best price.  We have decided to book a 2025 7-day Norwegian Fjords cruise on the Apex and have the option of an end Magic Carpet Suite or a Sunset Veranda Suite for about $1,200 more.  Any feedback on which one you would choose and why for this type of cruise?  Thanks!

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Recently I've found that it is at the discretion of the F&B Manager.   In the past they always started with day 1 and went sequentially and then repeated.

 

Recently on Apex they changed to a random order that didn't even match up to what you would expect on the 1st and 2nd Chic nights.    They of course had Lobster on the Final Chic Night.    The menus were not published on the App until the day before the cruise.

Thank you - looks like the menu on this cruise may be a surprise!

51 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

Unless it’s changed, it’s a 14 day rotation and days 15 and 16 will be repeats of days 1 and 2.

Thank you!

We are in a suite on a 16 night repositioning cruise in Dec 2023 aboard the Eclipse.  I’d like to make some specialty restaurant reservations and wondered when or if the Luminae dinner menu will repeat itself?

Thanks!

We are on a 16 night Eclipse repositioning cruise in December 2023.  Does anyone know if the Luminae menu repeats during a cruise of that length?  We’d like to make some speciality restaurant reservations and if there is a repeat in the menu, that will help us make our decision on which nights to make those reservations.  Thank you!  

We just booked a sky suite for this cruise and it is shaping up to be a fun cruise with many cruisecritic and sailing friends joining in.  GenerationX, Charla, hope Jeremy and you join us! 

On 11/25/2022 at 4:29 AM, Ine said:

In Puerto Vallarta check with https://oceanfriendly.com/whale-watching-tours/

and/or

https://vallartanatours.com/

Be aware they donot leave from the cruise terminal.

Ocean friendly leaves from Los Peines Pier, about a 15/20 minutes walk from the cruise terminal (depending on which pier your ship will be docked)

Vallarta Natours leaves from the Marina, better take a cab  to get there, about a 10 minute drive.

Also check the times your ship arrives in Vallarta. 

Are you familiar with Ecotours Vallarta and would you recommend them?  They have availability for a whale watching tour on the day we are in port and the other 2 you recommended do not.  Thanks!

Thank you for your feedback.  How were the temperatures in the dining areas and the theater?

Thank you, @martincath.   I have read other posts of yours and respect your knowledge in this area.  @lovecruzin, I didn't think the 2nd ArriveCAN was for Victoria - I read it as needed to embark on the ship from a Canadian port.  I still believe the instructions are contradictory about whether or not a 2nd ArriveCAN is needed in our situation. 

What's the harm in completing a 2nd one before boarding the ship just to make sure?

Thank you both so much.  I was just on the official Canadian gvt website, and it states the info below.  Whew - this has been challenging to keep straight!

Entering Canada by land or air before embarking on a cruise

You must complete your ArriveCAN submission before entering Canada, no more than 72 hours of boarding your flight or before entering Canada by land.

• If you’re flying in to join a cruise immediately, enter the address of your terminal.
• If you’re not joining the cruise immediately, enter the address of your hotel.

You must also submit a second ArriveCAN submission no more than 72 hours before boarding the cruise. This applies even if your second ArriveCAN submission is within 72 hours of the first submission.

Upon your entry to Canada by air or at a land border crossing, the border services officer may notify you that you’ve been randomly selected for a mandatory arrival test.

Mandatory random testing is part of the Government of Canada surveillance program to track the importation of COVID-19 virus into Canada, and identify new variants of concern.

Could someone please confirm that my understanding of what needs to be done regarding testing and customs forms for our cruise is correct?  I realize this has been discussed many times, but nevertheless, would appreciate confirmation that I got this!  We depart Vancouver on 9/16 for an 8-night repositioning cruise to LA aboard the Celebrity Solstice, including a stop in Victoria on 9/17.  We arrive in Vancouver via plane from the US on 9/14.  We will complete ArriveCAN on 9/13, listing our Vancouver hotel as our destination address (I've downloaded the app and filled in everything I can so far.)  We will do the OnPoint proctored Rapid Antigen Covid test on the morning of 9/14 before we fly out of LAX, and will use that for test result for boarding the ship in Vancouver on 9/16.    We will complete a 2nd ArriveCAN on 9/15 listing the ship as our destination.  And finally, on 9/16 we get to start our cruise!   

Does it sound like all of the bases are covered with this plan?  Thanks so much for any feedback!

Big thank you to everyone for the excellent advice in this thread.  Could someone please confirm that my understanding of what needs to be done for our cruise is correct?  We depart Vancouver on 9/16 for an 8-night repositioning cruise to LA aboard the Celebrity Solstice, including a stop in Victoria on 9/17.  We arrive in Vancouver via plane from the US on 9/14.  We will complete ArriveCAN on 9/13, listing our Vancouver hotel as our destination address (I've downloaded the app and filled in everything I can so far.)  We will do the OnPoint proctored Rapid Antigen Covid test on the morning of 9/14 before we fly out of LAX, and will use that for boarding the ship in Vancouver on 9/16.    We will complete a 2nd ArriveCAN on 9/15 for boarding the ship.  

Does it sound like all of the bases are covered with this plan?  Thanks so much for any feedback!

Can someone please confirm:  if I am leaving on a Friday cruise, and live in CA, I can complete the test on Tuesday after 9pm (my time) and it will be dated Wednesday, which gives me the 2-day required window before boarding the ship?  Thank you.

Enjoying your detailed review - thank you for taking the time to write it while on your cruise.

9 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Yes, on Solstice they could be.

on Reflection as well. 

Great - thanks!  Just booked that aft corner Sky Suite!

6 minutes ago, 81Zoomie said:

We have stayed in both on the S class ships.  We enjoyed our corner S1 on top deck.  However, our S2 just next door was equally as good.  Both were the upper deck because we prefer shade.  The amount of coverage and size of balcony does change as you go lower.  There is a bit of noise from above on the top deck.  The slant balconies are bigger.  We did enjoy the a retreat experience and Luminae, but we liked Blu as well.  Another consideration is a a concierge or plan verandah on the slant.  With the $ you save you can buy a lot of specialty dining. There is no right answer.  It’s all about preferences.

Thank you for the feedback.  Do you recall if the bed can be separated in to 2 in the corner sky suite?

The recent threads on aft S1 cabins have caught my attention and I am considering booking one on the Solstice.   There was discussion on another thread about how the balconies on these cabins on the Eclipse differ in size a lot between deck 6 and deck 11.  I am looking at one on Deck 9.  Would it have the bigger balcony?  And can the beds be separated?

My other option is a midship aqua cabin on the bump.  The pricing is about $600 total between them for a 7 night cruise.  Any feedback on what you would choose?

Thank you, jelayne, for your feedback.  That was the term I was looking for that the Eclipse was due to get in 2019:  revolutionizing the ship.  I can see why those expensive upgrades would be on hold right now.  I am just glad the Celebrity is still in business and that the Eclipse was in excellent condition the last time you were on her.