cwb27

I'll add my 2 cents.

My wife was a Premium Non-Alcohol package, I was on a Classic Alcohol. Every night in the MDR a large bottle of Evian was ordered on her card and the MDR staff said it was no problem for us to share the bottle.

I recall the Executive Chef saying that the MDR is on a 14 day rotation, it might add a little complexity to figuring out what will be served on what day of your cruise.

This is the view from 6292 a cat 2C "partially obstructed", starboard side, aft, directly above Qsine, the blue part extends about 10 feet out from the balcony. Balcony is oversized, probably double the usual depth.

Super quiet (no noise from above or below), if you have mobility issues it is a bit of a walk.

My understanding ( and the source was the captain back in October) was that there was no failure as such, just an advice by the manufacturers to run one of the pods at a proportion of full power as they had detected a potential issue in a component in testing. Rather than force the issue and have it potentially fail mid cruise they took the manufacturers advice and made slight adjustments to itineraries when the plan required them to sail at more than 19 knots. The component could not be replaced at sea and so they had to wait for a dry dock. One assumes that the time allocated in dry dock was appropriate to the replacement of the part so unless it did not turn up I cannot see why there should be any worry over whether it has been fixed.

This is exactly what was communicated to us by the Captain during the December 7th sailing.

So here's the key points I've come away with from the "Ask the Captain" that occurred yesterday on the Silhouette. My apologies if some of this information is being repeated.

- There has been no specific problem identified with the propulsion functionality Azipod, hence why people are being told there is no "problem".

- The manufacturer of the Azipod, ABB, is seeing data being output by the Azipod sensors (no specific detail offered or asked) that they cannot determine if it is indicating a problem or not (i.e. a faulty sensor/series of sensors). As such, they have specifically asked Celebrity to limit the overall power output of the Azipod pending further investigation.

- The dry dock has been scheduled on January 4 so that ABB can take a better look at what is happening. I'm going to guess (hope?) they'll have the appropriate parts on hand to affect a repair if it is required.

- Due to the restricted operation of the affected Azipod, the Silhouette's maximum speed is 17 knots (confirmed by the Captain)

- The Captain explicitly stated that the Western itinerary is unaffected by the 17 knot restriction.

Specific to the December 7th sailing, the Silhouette was supposed to call on St Kitts (December 10) and St. Maarten (Dec 11).

- On the morning of December 9th, the Captain indicated that due to severe head winds and ocean currents that occurred on the previous night (December 8/9) the Silhouette's forward speed was slowed enough that we would not reach St. Kitts in time and we were going to divert to San Juan for 8am-7pm port visit on December 10th.

- EDIT: I can't believe I forgot this! -- About 3-4 hours after departing Port Everglades the Silhouette had to turn around and meet the Coast Guard for a Medical Evacuation just off Port Everglades. I somehow lucked out and actually watched the evacuation occur. 2 people and their luggage were transferred to a small Coast Guard Vessel around 2330hrs on December 7. Both people were mobile and moved unassisted. The Captain specifically included this as a reason why St Kitts would not be reached in time (again, the 17 knot speed factors into this --no way to makeup time). Pure rumour and speculation only..... One of the people evacuated was suffering from a detached retina.

- St. Maarten was called on according to schedule on December 11th.

- The Silhouette did not depart early from St. Maarten.

- The Silhouette docked at Port Everglades somewhere around 630am on the 14th.

Takeaways:

- Strong headwind and/or ocean currents will very much further affect the modified Eastern itinerary if they occur.

- During "Ask the Captain" sessions, if you want a specific answer on something you must ask a very specific question. I definitely noticed he is not in the business of volunteering information or going into much detail on open ended questions.

Comments are for the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. We are sailing 12/14 for Western Caribbean. Do you think there might be an issue? I think the ports are closer together on the Western side?

I don't think so, I saw another poster indicate that an average speed of only 14 knots was required for the Western itinerary.

Sea conditions do change, I can't see how you could make the assumption that it's the propulsion issue just because another vessel docked at a later time.

That all being said, I hope you enjoy the remainder of the cruise.

For the heck of it, I also called Celebrity this morning.

All their internal information still indicates that you receive all parts of the Classic Non-Alcohol package as part of the Classic Alcohol. The rep I spoke with said she believes Celebrity is just putting more emphasis on alcohol.

My TA just sailed on this cruise. Glad to hear it went well after the initial embarkation issues.

I Remember that post.

 

It was actually a Repositiong Cruise... UK to USA. Kettles were "still" onboard. Cruiser lucked out. Certainly not the norm

 

Cheers!

That certainly makes sense, I was wondering how/why/if Celebrity would sacrifice the large amount of space to store them while in the Caribbean.

That was reported. Once. But no one before or since has ever had such a request granted

Ah, thanks!

I could be wrong, but in a couple weeks ago I thought I saw someone mentioning they were on a Caribbean cruise and all they did was ask for a kettle and one was delivered to their stateroom later that evening/next morning.

In other words, on European cruises it is there by default, but on Caribbean a request needs to be made.

Our TA gave us a few options, one of them included a group sailing she was running in January where there was $150 OBC if you booked into that group (in addition to any Celebrity promos), unfortunately that date didn't work for our schedule.

I have not tried this but there is an app for Iphone/iPad. Its called Ripple Cruise Communicator.

 

You turn on Airplane Mode and leave wifi on. You look for the ships wifi in the settings and click to connect to it. Your device connects to the ships wifi but then prompts you to enter log on with your username and password. You cancel that. This leaves you connected to the ships wifi but not to the internet. You can then use the app to communicate with voice, text or video messages between you whilst onboard with no wifi or telephone fees.

 

The app is free. I have not used it and would be very interested in knowing if its been tried by anyone.

 

Heres a review by Gambee: http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/2014/08/17/ripple-cruise-communicator-review/

Just noticed that in that review that Gambee has indicated that Carnival is now blocking the app from functioning over their wireless network.

If one assumes that the people behind Ripple aren't actually working with the cruise lines to develop the product, I'm really not shocked.

CWB, The current PYP offer is only good for cruises sailing after your sailing date, so if you upgrade you lose it.

Was fairly certain this was the case, thanks!

Typically guarantee rates do not include any additional offers (ie, 1,2,3/PYP/shipboard credit). So, if you can change to a guarantee rate you'd lose whatever offer you had with your 1A.

I think as a general rule if you make a change like that to your booking you get the current deal. If the current deal includes the promos then you get them, but if not then you don't. However, from time to time we read of people who made similar changes on board and kept their promo packages. Of course we don't always know all the facts and circumstances around those changes, the pricing and current offerings. Bottom line is that you can't say for certain until you check it out.

Thank you both!

Just so I understand fully, is PYP/123Go only lost if it's a resident/senior rate stateroom price that you upgrade to?

In other words, if I've completed final payment on Cat 1A for say $1,009 (with PYP Classic Bev) and a Aqua Class Guarantee comes available for $1,100 regular price (not a resident special price). Can I upgrade to the Aqua Guarantee for the $91 per person difference and still keep PYP?

Thanks!

Sent from my Z10 using Forums mobile app

I completely missed cruises do not count booked between now and dec 20th!

Unfortunately you just missed it, the PYP that ended August 31 included a bunch of sailing dates before before December 20th.

Great review so far Gambee.

You mentioned panorama issues with your camera. I shoot a NEX-3N, I find when doing panoramas with large landscapes I need to pan fairly quickly or else it fails. When I get to the "end" of the panorama I need to keep the camera still for several shots before it realizes I'm done.

Then why did you say you were going to resolve it with Visa? I'm very confused.

 

I do understand your feeling of being unimpressed when you had higher expectations. That is exactly how I felt after my first HAL cruise. I really wanted to like it, but I left feeling underwhelmed. Other than one minor issue that did eventually get resolved, I had nothing concrete to complain about.

 

So, I wrote them an email telling them (briefly) what I liked about my cruise -- spacious cabin, lovely ship, fantastic itinerary, and why I would not probably not be returning -- dining room service issues.

 

In response, I received a personal email from a representative who identified themselves by name and offer of comps related to my issue (free specialty dining and a beverage card). Guess what, I booked another HAL cruise the following year. I enjoyed my return cruise a lot more. So yes, I agree that customer service matters.

I get the feeling the OP has become significantly more frustrated as the days have passed since they returned. Going strictly by the OP's original review of their cruise vs what they are posting here.

I'm really intrigued the angle that the OP will take with VISA and BBB. As others have said MANY of these issues should have been addressed onboard the vessel.

I also really do not feel that the OP is entitled to financial compensation(VISA charge back) for many of the gripes... I.e. Pool chairs not being cleared of left belongings, not enough ice in the drink, a hit and miss dinner, cabin attendant knocking on the door.

my hubs and i are cruising on the reflection in december and like to do different things. we are from canada and i am wondering if i can buy phones and sims while in miami to use on board to keep in touch with him - text messages to meet up etc.

i am not sure how this would work. wifi/android app?? no clue :)

 

thanks:)

Check out Roam Mobility, Canadian company based out of Vancouver. Wherever T-Mobile has coverage you will have service.

Remember though, there is no cell service when you're at sea.

Might be worth looking into the Ripple Cruise Communicator

http://www.ripple-connect.com/

Okay, yielding to popular demand::)

Usually if my wife says to me she has a complaint to make, I ask her to tell me what the complaint is. I try to avoid telling her that I empathize with her, or that I hope she does not let the negative outweigh the positive and that she will still stay with me...... Celebrity did not even bother to ask what the problems were. They simply said they "empathize with me" (what???), felt sorry about the misinformation I received (from aliens I guess, not from Celebrity itself), but they are still hopeful I will travel with them again. Here is a small sample of the overall issues that if seen separately they are all very minor, but you do not expect so many to happen in a single cruise.

1. One time room service took 1:20 mins, food was beyond inedible

2. Ordered breakfast in cabin. Time slot 9:00-9:30. Called me up at 9:45 to ask me if everything was to my liking, but breakfast was not even delivered yet.

3. Do Not Disturb Sign was not respected by the cabin attendant. Kept knocking to ask if he could tidy the room. What is the sign for?

4. My daughters like to sleep late. The cabin attendant asked about 2-3 times every day if he could wake them up to make up the room.

5. Service at Bistro on 5 was hit and miss. One time both the steak and the potato dish were hot on the outside, completely cold inside. My daughter asked then for pasta instead which came after we all finished our lunch and when she asked for grated cheese, they did not have any.

6. Pool chair policy never enforced by the pool batlers.

7. Every night I had to ask in the MDR for an extra glass with ice - I like my drinks with much ice. Usually I had to ask twice, and one time I had to ask three times and eventually tracked down the other table waitress to get the ice.

8. Purchased 4 non-alcoholic drink packages (premium) and the description said fresh juice was included. In my country fresh implies "freshly squeezed" not "freshly opened plastic bottle". When I asked aboard the ship about it, they could not care any less.

 

I do realize that these are minor issues. But when you pay extra for a cruise line that is supposed to be one of the best mainstream lines, you do expect value for your money. Thank you all for listening to me (or reading this). Apologies for the wrong "vent" however, trust me this is the first time I deal with a cruise a month after the cruise has ended.

Was this your review of the cruise you're discussing now?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=43651623&postcount=1

While your review does touch on some points that you have mentioned in this thread there are things (such as the cabin attendant) that you seem to now have a problem with...

I'm not sure what to think here.