mdpa

4 hours ago, ARandomTraveler said:

What is HOHO?

Hop On, Hop Off Bus. Basically a bus for tourists with audio guides

https://city-sightseeing.com/en/106/singapore/130/hop-on-hop-off-singapore?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKCAiAuqHwBRAQEiwAD-zr3VkqBLJHK775E4_o2341pnXvHudmUK96mOTjx5J0gAOlTbbS4UZ9zBoCeAEQAvD_BwE

I'll just say that while modest, my family of 3 enjoyed nibbling on whatever little surprises arrived. My wife might have grabbed the olives, I might have had some hummus, and our daughter would have probably taken whatever was slightly sweet.

After all, we are on an "all you can eat" cruise so anything more would have probably been wasted.

Heck, on our most recent Oceania cruise we decided to take advantage of their generous rules with bringing on alcohol. I believe we took a bottle of bourbon and a box wine. We were always so full once back in our cabin that we struggled to drink any of it.

4 hours ago, Mark_T said:

Cash shows appreciation, candy and trinkets just go in the trash, as long as you are comfortable with that then gift away 🙂

A little over the top...you've never received or given a gift?

58 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

So true.

 

If it can't be banked or sent home it really is of little to no value to them, and frankly it is embarrassing to see it still going on these days...

I don't think this is an issue if it is above the built-in gratuities. In this case it is more about the gesture or showing appreciation.

That said, I still have always been more concerned about the behind the scenes people (dishwashers, laundry, etc.). IMHO customer facing people are generally paid decently in comparison. Example: A server at Red Lobster is always going to make more money than a cashier at a convenience store or someone restocking the shelves.

Personally, I don't do either. If a product doesn't include gratuities and service is provided (not walkup at starbucks), then I tip generously as it relates to local custom. If gratuities are "built-in" then I consider them built-in and my smile and a "thank you" are sufficient to show my appreciation for good service.

Thanks for the review and feedback about the ports. We are doing Hong Kong to Singapore next week and looking at a map it would have been pretty neat to add this itinerary at some point to "continue the tour" in this part of the world.

I think our SE Asia cruise has some of the same challenges with cruise ports being far from destinations (at least with larger ships) but since a few stops are multi-day it allows for overnight stays in hotels (which might make it more fun/interesting but also needs to be factored into overall cost).

Interesting to hear how your itinerary took the opposite approach of "fast stops" which allows you to see more places and travel further with other compromises.

Thanks, appreciate the great review. We did the same cruise as you the year prior and also enjoyed the itinerary. 

We will be on on 2nd Celebrity cruise in 6 days to SE Asia and looking forward to it.

4 hours ago, gordiej said:

 

 

Figured I'd just update my experience with corkage on Celebrity (Equinox, November). We bought two bottles on board (the allowed amount). One night in the MDR the sommelier notified us of the corkage fee, but never charged us.  On our last night in Tuscan, they also notified us of the fee, but we asked them to waive it since we both had beverage packages and could otherwise order "free" wine anyway. She said she'd have to check with the Maitre d'. A few minutes later she comes back and opens/serves the wine. At the end of the meal, we get the bill for the corkage fee. 🤦‍♂️

I should have addressed it there, but didn't want it to be awkward, so figure I'd just go to guest services and have them deal with it. Well, they ended up making the sommelier come down to chat again, so much for avoiding the awkwardness! After insisting it was Celebrity's policy, she got the Maitre d' (who she had to call again) to agree to waive the fee, and they credited it back on the account.

 

After the cruise, I wrote in to Celebrity to complain about the policy. I understand the corkage fee in general, but if we have the beverage package, it doesn't make any sense to charge us $35 to drink our own wine, but $0 to drink the cruise line's wine. 🤷‍♂️ Got a call a few days later, and had a follow-up discussion with a representative who said I made a good point, and while she passed it on to the operational team, there was "some pushback" and she couldn't guarantee the policy would change, certainly not in the immediate future. Fine. If only the airlines would at least pretend they are listening and consider passenger feedback! Lol.

 

Anyone else think it's stupid to charge corkage to passengers on a beverage package? 

Just some thoughts about potential conflicts....

- Did you have classic or premium? If classic, then Celebrity may perceive "lost upgrade" risk

- What if you shared a table with someone without the drink package? Variables might make it difficult to manage.

- I believe there are a fair amount of wine connoisseurs, that do pay Celebrity prices for wine by the bottle (discount offered if on plan) and they would lose this revenue with changed policy

Yeah, we had the classic package on our last cruise and very much enjoyed our 2 nights in Tuscan Grille. No issue with getting drinks and no need for additional gratuities.

1 hour ago, yorky said:

Sorry what’s M&M ?

40 minutes ago, Wineart said:

I'm asking because depending on the itinerary, I like to fly in a week earlier. For example, I'm taking a 2-week London/Ireland/Iceland cruise in May, and am flying in a week early to spend additional time in London.

Misunderstood your question. Easy to check online. I don't think a week or so is a problem. It gives you a suggested date based on the cruise and then you simply pick something earlier than that to ensure on time arrival. 

In our case we are arriving 2-days early in Hong Kong for an SE Asia cruise.

I'll also just add it is no more a marketing gimmick (or more properly; way to increase perceived value) than almost every upgrade available.

After all people using inside cabins get the same ship, same pool, same food, same ports, and same level of service. If we were all accountants we would only choose inside cabins and pocket the savings. These are the "best deal" on the ship.

Conversely, most people booking suites would be better off on a premium cruise line like Silversea where everyone gets butler service and airfare included as part of their fare.

7 hours ago, Moby Jones said:

Concierge class is a very clever marketing gimmick offered by Celebrity. The above is all my humble opinion of course..

Pros

Arguably some of the best verandah staterooms onboard will be the concierge cabins. 

With a regular booking, excluding move up, you will receive 5 captains club points as opposed to 3 for a regular verandah. This may be of interest for those wanting to achieve elite and above status etc.

You might be invited to a helipad sailaway or sailin subject to weather and availability etc. 

Meh

The concierge lunch served in the MDR has a very limited menu and is nothing at all to get excited about. Assuming you board early and can find a seat in the ocean view cafe whist avoiding the mad rush it isn't really worth bothering with. 

The canapes are pretty ordinary at best and can be terrible. You can request that the canapes be replaced with a cheese or shrimp plate but this is not guaranteed and varies from sailing to sailing. 

The concierge can't really do anything that the regular guest relations team can't. 

Cons

 

I have seen 14 night sailings where concierge class is £1000 or around $1250 more than a regular verandah cabin. In my opinion there's no way on earth it's worth that much more. Base your decision on a sailing by sailing case. If it's only $20 to $50 more or in rare occasions the same price as regular balcony rooms then go for it. 

So I'd personally think long and hard about booking it. If it's not much more and you can book one of the more desirable concierge rooms on a trip where you will spend plenty of time in your room them go for it. If it's a lot more on a port intensive itinerary then I'd ask why bother with the additional expense? Each to their own regardless...... 🙂

All great points but I believe you are downplaying the benefits a little too much....and I agree that it is primarily marketing (not much different than paying for different category rooms (2A, 2B, 2C, etc.)

On our most recent cruise it was only $100-200 more which is often worth it for the upgraded location alone (we had one of the better aft balconies). We also appreciated using the shorter line for dining, enjoyed the lunch, etc.

That said, in most cases the value for me would be $100 - $500 depending on room choice. I bid blindly for a move up bid for a family veranda or a concierge cabin @ $230 for our upcoming cruise. Most likely won't get it but either of these will be a good deal for our family of 3.

19 minutes ago, Wineart said:

Are there any restrictions on dates, i.e. can you book flights a week ahead or after a cruise, or does it have to be within a few days of the sailing?

Not that I am aware of...although it is designed to work in conjunction with a cruise. My favorite aspect is budgeting without locking in a commitment. Personally, I checked prices prior to booking (to ensure Asia was in our budget since flight costs would be a large %).

Once we confirmed that we could justify our choice, we booked the no deposit flights right after we booked the cruise. I can't come up with a reason to wait since there is no issue changing or cancelling.

No wrong answer. We enjoyed both our Baltic cruise and Mediterranean cruise very much and wouldn't hesitate to return to either destination again! Sounds like great port stops...

I think it is simply a backup plan to a backup plan. If someone cancels or if someone moves up they get more money.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I appreciate you sharing because the clarification of the rules in this thread is helpful.

We've never bought anything of value overseas so not enough experience to understand the ramifications.

Although the WSJ article is behind a paywall (interesting), there is a corresponding video that is accessible.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trick-to-making-a-180-000-ton-carnival-cruise-ship-feel-cozy-11576665000?mod=hp_lead_pos12

With ships, like planes, bigger size not only allows more features but also brings more restrictions. The size of large rooms or cabin layout on a ship is limited by requirements for fire doors, for example. More weight means it takes more fuel to move, and fuel represents one of the biggest costs. A big ship still has to be fast enough to complete voyages on time.

In addition, a vessel that’s too large can’t sail under some bridges or use certain ports. The Mardi Gras, for example, will be too big for its namesake port, New Orleans.

“You cannot put a ship in a copy machine and press size two,” Mr. Clement says. “If you double the size of the ship, you cannot double the size of the entertainment, of the dining room.”

Figuring out how to make a bigger area feel small and small spaces feel big are the challenge of many travel companies. Carnival let me explore Mardi Gras in the shipyard where, unfinished, she reveals some of the secrets of putting 6,000 customers on a single boat and not making it feel crowded.

So far I believe this is the most impressive reason to book Celebrity. Some of the more premium offerings include airfare in their costs but you need to pay almost immediately.

A definite cashflow/risk advantage. In my case, I booked a cruise while onboard with $100 deposits ($300 for 3 people) and could wait for almost an entire year before any real commitment (cash or otherwise).

Not sure what you are trying to accomplish, but I needed a price quote for a private car (in an area where rentals are not legal) and was struggling to find options.

Anyway, I reached out to Celebrity's "Private Journeys" yesterday and they were very polite and hope to receive a quote soon.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/shore-excursions/private-journeys

Thanks for the review.

Many of Oceania's smaller ships are identical and it was a nice experience for us in Bermuda this past August. I would like to try Azamara if the value is decent.

Also, don't forget about Silversea. Their small ships are very nice. More expensive, but there is value in their offering with airfare included. Nothing beats easily getting on and off a small ship in a great port. On that note, is there any reciprocal program yet with Silversea?

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

It sure seems like it.  Celebrity is the only place I've been where some people feel the need to tell others to be quiet.  And I've been on Norwegian and Viking also.

I wasn't going to say anything...but it is hard to ignore the irony of your post and the weird follow up comments.

No one is taking things too seriously. I think most people expect a reasonably quiet place to relax. This might be a library, retreat, spa, room, etc.

Now if you were ssshhh'd in the bar or at the buffet....

I'll just add that I've been on Silversea and Oceania too and never ssshhh'd on any ship. Not sure the point.

It seemed like a sale every few months over the last year but there is no advantage in waiting if you are booking a refundable flight.

OK, I will survive with wine and beer. 😁

Of course, just when I get excited....realized that on my Millennium in January I will be limited to the Martini bar and Cellar Masters. Looks like the World Class bar would be right up my alley.

This was in the last link but wanted to ensure you didn't miss the link:

https://eatsleepcruise.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/World_Class_MenuRS.pdf?b7c110&b7c110