jagoffee

On the Silhouette in October, the LPC offered three different shows/menus.

Based on the first post, I believe the OP booked the cruise with the TA from the start.

It depends on your definition of Elite perks, right?

Then you should get the same price and perks that you have if your transfer is successful. There might be a TA cancellation fee of around $100 a person, but I have not experience. What is your objective by transferring at this stage? You can get a new TA for your next booking.

I always get an individual quote (not advertised) from my TA before I book or transfer a booking. Hoping that a TA gives you some perks is not likely to maximize your savings/perks. In my case I am referring to commission sharing with full refundable OBC. Good luck. Maybe in your next cruise, someone can give you some names of TA’s to use for getting a quote.

Never knew that there was such a lunch. I woukd have loved to try it.

You may be surprised to know that it has never worked that way for us in Celebrity. There is a relatively small section of seats in the first couple rows on the Starboard side of the Balcony section. They open up the seats to everyone around 10 minutes before the show. The seats are far from the best seats in the theater. It is only on Chic nights (Princess’s formal equivalent). We have never had to let someone know, although we are sometimes asked. Your butler try’s to escort you. More marketing than anything else IMO. Even when staying in a suite, we seldom use this “benefit”. Of course Celebrity has much larger theaters and finding a seat for a show is not usually an issue. We like other seats better and usually arrive early if we attend a show. It may work totally different for Princess. Perhaps they will require a reservation. Although I suspect it is marketing base. They are probably trying to find ways to attract people to the high level package that offers questionable value.

I would guess it will not be your last cruise on an Edge Class ship. Let’s circle back in a few years.

Appreciate the confirmation,

Could also be a different form. Happy2cruise reported that Luggage Valet also applied to MIA.

This form does not indicate that it applies to flights out of MIA.

Hip Hip Hooray. Thanks.

Perhaps they have eliminated the signing? Covid or a permanent change? If it is a permanent change then that advantage goes away. Although I would be a little concern about being charged something without some kind of receipt. As I reflect back to October on the Silhouette, I did purchase a large premium beer and I did not sign a receipt. But I was charged.

For many (us included) the Classic package wine choices are very limited leading to Premium wines or even higher. With sodas, coffees, and teas it does not make no difference.

I will have to check that out. Glad you mentioned it. I did not realize the difference between the Cruise Only rate and the rate with the AI bundled changed that much. Just to confirm what you are stating. The Classic drink package retail price is $69 plus 20% a day, so $83 a day? The difference between the Cruise Only and the fare with the AI built in is more than $83 a day per person? One advantage for the TA is that they earn a commission on the higher cruise rate. For many of us that means more refundable OBC for those that share their commission. It sure does complicate getting price reductions after booking, especially if the cost of the any of the packages increase. I wonder what % of the non casino bookings are actually Cruise Only bookings.

Wouldn’t it be less expensive to book with the cruise only rate and then buy one each of the packages that you want? I am not sure that it is any less fair than requiring both people book in a cabin to pay the same rate that has the AI bundled in the rate, when only one of the two people get much value out of the AI. One is not allowed to book two people in a cabin with one person paying the rate with the AI built in and the other paying a Cruise only rate. As we all know the AI is not an add on (like on Princess), it is built into the rate. It reflects a significant discount of buying each element separately. Perhaps Celebrity could reduce the supplement for solo passengers to 75% instead of 100% to make it look fairer. I would also assume that a solo booking a cabin designed and built for one passenger does not pay a supplement and does not have that issue. It only becomes an issue when a solo wishes to cruise in a cabin designed and marketed for two passengers minimum. The bottom line is that a solo passengers can: 1. Book a cabin designed and marketed for one person. 2. Book a cabin designed and marketed for two people or more with the Cruise Only rate and pay for one person and each of the non bundled items that they desire. 3. Or purchase the cabin with the bundle built into the prevailing rate and pay the current supplement. Easy for me to say, since I do not cruise solo. If my DW and I want twice the space in our cabin, we have to pay a big premium and book a suite.

Do you drink wine? Do you prefer Pellegrino for your sparkling water? Do you typically drink the cocktails at the WCB? Those are also some factors to use in your decision. Is not signing a check after ordering a drink over the Classic limit important to you? We value the convenience of not signing. As others have suggested, you can try the Classic for a day or so. Then decide based on your drinking preferences. The answer for us is to get the Premium package. Since you are asking the question, I assume you are not eligible for the Elite upgrade discount?

Unless Celebrity has changed their policy, this will not work with the Martini flight in the Martini bar. You had to pay the full price. It would seem logical that it would work the same with your examples, but I have never asked.

Just curious. Why didn’t you book with the AI initially? As you probably know, the AI is not a package you buy. It is built into the rate you select. You may be able to take advantage of some discount when buying each item individually. Keep checking your booking on the Celebrity website and watch your e mails. Even with a few individual discounts for some of the packages, it will still cost significantly more than the AI booking bundle guilted into the prevailing rate. Are you Elite on Celebrity or Diamond on Royal? If yes, you can get some discount. Good Luck. P.S. You might want to check and see if there are cabins still available that would be an upgrade. Book a higher level cabin with the AI built in. At least compare the cost between the upgraded cabin with the AI and your current cabin. it would have to pay the difference. Might be worth a try. the Move up bidding will not work as your perks follow you to the new category.

Obviously it has been a political issue. Good that every state at least offers it has an option. In IL it is not difficult to get one.

Seems like someone owns Princess an apology.

Does it include MIA or just FL. Thanks

IMO, it is Princess doing the gaming. They want you to book ASAP, which is one of the reasons they announce the increases in advance. Princess does not want you to wait. I am confident that the additional (minor) enhancements will apply to those that booked before the price increase.

We were on the first Apex TA in October 2021 after the restart. Perfect? No. Outstanding and amazing? Absolutely. She is an amazing ship with so many beautiful and awesome features. You should be enthused without any hesitation.

Very much appreciate the article. Great summary of what you previously taught me and things from Google search. Silhouette’s internet might just be a little different as I could not get the Captive Portal to come up. Unless I was in port and I used my IPhone as a cellular hotspot. I will be armed with whatever I may need next time. I am hoping not to need them, but just in case. One more question if I may. Which VPN AP do you like best for your Fire Stick? I noticed that there are many different ones. Thank you for your help. As the Solstice was our first few Solstice Class experiences, she has a special place in our hearts. We are doing the Iceland to Boston portion of your recent Summit cruises next August. We will be studying your live from very carefully. Spending three nights pre cruise. Also, thank you for sharing your experiences and excitement on these cruises. They are so enjoyable.