CRZR58

Set up a reservation online for each night at 6 PM if that's what you want. Way better than just showing up and expecting that they will have room for you right away.

Before our first Celebrity cruise we read the complaints about the 'Chair Hog' situation.

We show up around 8 AM on sea days to get a couple of good chairs and we use them for most of the day. Are we gone to be in the pool for a while? Sure. Do we grab lunch? U bet. Sometimes it's a burger we bring back. Other times it's at the Oceanview, but we're never gone for more than 30 minutes at a time, because that's what Celebrity says is the limit. Do we hold chairs for others? Nope and we don't take more than 1 chair each.

On our last trip, we had a couple of chairs in front of us that weren't used from 8 AM until noon, when the staff removed the books and towels. A while couple quickly put there stuff down and went to the pool. 5 minutes later a big guy with attitude started yelling that someone had stolen his book and his chairs and that he'd only been gone 'a few minutes'.

The poor pool attendant came right over an told him that an officer had moved his stuff because he hadn't been there for more than 30 minutes. Big guy told him that was a lie. I stupidly chimed in that he'd been gone at least since 8 AM and that an officer had removed his stuff 'a while ago'. He came over and told me that I didn't want to get involved and to shut up in no uncertain terms. Everyone else who was around knew I was in the right, but not one of them backed me up, so the bully got his chairs and book back.

Dude kept giving me the evil eye for about half an hour then came over to apologize for his behavior. The couple who went to the pool, who could hear everything that was going on grabbed a couple of new towels and found different chairs.

A few realities:

There are going to be chair hogs. It's part of cruising and you can't do anything about it.

Some folks will grab more than 1 good spot so they can rotate among the saved chairs.

It's unrealistic to expect chairs by the pool on sea days after 10 AM (Maybe even 8 AM).

Taking someone else's saved chair means you might have to deal with a real jerk, possibly fueled by alcohol, which no one wants to do, not even the staff.

On Equinox in December, you got snacks if you asked for them, but most folks don't even know that they can ask.

Chichen Itza is wonderful, although I do miss being able to climb the pyramids like we used to be able to do. Yes, it's a long bus ride each way, but well worth it for us. Take as much bottled water as you can. It can get very hot.

You would be fine. In fact, you could be one of the better dressed. I have seen cruisers with frayed shorts, baseball shirts and baseball caps in dining areas in the evening.

I didn't see that in the MDR in any of the 3 Celebrity cruises I've been on in the last year. I did see staff sending folks in shorts away from the MDR on several occasions,

We actually had waiters around the pool make eye contact with us and then look away and walk past. One waiter took my order and walked away before my daughter could tell him what she wanted. I realize this waiter may be an anomaly and possibly having a bad day, but in general, the service was not up to the standards we've been accustomed to with Celebrity.

I agree that the level of service has gone down drastically even when I compare the level in Dec 2015 to Dec 2016. I think it has to do with reducing the number of staff (Bar, MDR, Room Attendants, etc). Add in the reduction in the number items and quality of the food and you get a watered down product that likely makes more money for Celebrity.

We've been on 3 Celebrity ships (Reflection, Silhouette, Equinox) in the last year and haven't seen anyone wearing shorts to the MDR on Evening Chic nights. In fact, we have seen several people being turned away for trying to get in without putting their big boy pants on.

If you want to get all dressed up, by all means go for it. Lots of folks still do. Personally, I'm not bringing a suit and tie, but I'm not wearing jeans and a golf shirt either. I'll never understand why some folks get upset that others aren't dressing the same way they are.

We found the lack of snacks in the Oceanview cafe after a day at port a little strange. We ended up going to Cafe Al Bacio for a coffee and a treat... problem solved.

We also noticed the lack of 'chair service' around the pool and counted 3 servers for the entire area. We mostly went up to the bar and ordered there which wasn't a problem for us. We saw a few people who tipped for every drink delivered. They didn't seem to have any problem getting drinks when they wanted them.

We've never opted for a drink package but got the classic package as a perk when we booked this cruise last year. DH & I enjoy having a nice glass of wine with dinner - would you say the classic package could cover that or did you find the premium package was necessary?

 

 

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Depends on what you consider a 'nice' glass of wine. We found that the Prosecco in the classic package was decent and that the Carmenere was the best red.

BTW: With the Classic Package, you pay the full price for any drink above the maximum, not just the difference like you do with the premium package.

We are also on this cruise and our dining experience has been totally different. My lobster last night was the best I've ever had on a cruise and my husband was still raving about his about his Beef Wellington this morning. We are also Select Dining and have had excellent service. Tuscan was very good. We were disappointed with the menu changes but our filets and ribeyes were tasty and cooked perfectly. The filets at Lawn Club Grille were even better. This is cruise number 51 so we're not new cruisers and we honestly don't have a single complaint.

This shows how inconsistent the MDR's food can be. On Equinox last month, my Wellington's pastry was sopping wet and uncooked on the inside, so I pulled it off and just ate the meat. My wife had a pork tenderloin dish that was the best meal of the week. Perfectly cooked and wonderfully seasoned. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes, not so much.

We were on Equinox last month and I'd strongly suggest that you pre-reserve your times, especially if you want a table for 2 between 6 and 8 PM. Note that with select dining reservations, you can't reserve a specific table/server every night or one by the window. You take what they have at the time you choose.

The first 2 or 3 nights had very long lines for select dining and most folks without reservations being given pagers. I don't know how long it took for them because we always showed up at our reserved time. Once the non-reserved folks understood that you could make reservations, the lineups got significantly shorter. My guess is they made reservations on board.

Aren't coffees included with the classic package?

Yes they are.

I'm doing that 4 day cruise in about a week. I have 2 questions since this is our first celebrity cruise.

 

1) what's the dress code? I've read about the chic night but am I ok with just wearing khaki shorts and t shirt to mdr??

 

2) what time do most people arrive to port??

 

Thanks

 

 

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Your going to need to put your big boy pants on after the first night to get into the MDR.

They are 2 different things. The only limit on the premium package is if you order a drink over the package limit. For example, the Premium package covers wines up to $13 per glass; if you order a $15 glass you will be charged the $2 and 18% gratutity on it so a $2.36 charge.

That's different from the way the Classic package works. Order a $13 glass of wine and they charge you the full $13 plus the 18% gratuity. Same for Martinis etc. We've always thought that we should just get charged the overage, but alas, it's never happened that way.

Insurance is still available over age 70, it is just more expensive because the reality is that there is more risk of a cancellation or medical bills due to health reasons. It is no different than paying more for car insurance if you park on the street instead of in a garage, or paying more for your homeowners if you live in an earthquake or hurricane prone area.

 

It affects others because it affects the bottom line, and enough freebies and they will raise rates for everyone across the board--no different than retailers charging more to cover shoplifters or credit cards charging higher fees due to deadbeats who don't pay their bills.

 

 

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Over 70... Yup you can get it, just costs more.

Over 80... Yup with a clean bill of health and no changes in any prescriptions for a year. (BTW: Last trip for my in-laws, the insurance was more than they cost of the cruise)

Over 85... Nope.

Gotta say the original post seems too good to be true.

Celebrity didn't offer to do anything for my in laws a couple of weeks ago.

Supposed to be a 90th birthday trip, but my mom-in-law got sick and her Dr. told her she couldn't travel. Not only did Celebrity not give them their money back, they wouldn't even move us from our OV to their balcony which was fully paid for. They didn't do anything at all for us or the in laws. Just took the money and rebooked the room.

At 90, trip cancellation insurance isn't an option.

BTW: Carnival got it right when my wife got sick on a cruise. Offered to give us a credit for the full amount towards a different cruise usable for the next couple of years.

We've been on Reflection, Solstice and Equinox. We'd choose Reflection hands down. Solstice is very slightly in 2nd. Equinox is a very distant 3rd in our opinion.