TeeRick

Not trying to alter this as a smoking thread- but we gambled quite a lot less on our last Symphony cruise because of the heavy smoke odor in the casino.  Celebrity is smoke-free in all casinos.

2 hours ago, dazey said:

Good info.  Have to see what pricing is and decide.  WE are at a point where Celebrity is perfect for us.  Just thought a change might be nice but maybe not.  Appreciate all the help.

We are E+ /D+ on these two lines so we sail each of them often.  We like to switch it up too.  We sailed a lot recently in The Retreat on Celebrity but then they started messing with it, raising prices dramatically and cutting services and suite amenities.  So we strayed!  We did O-Class this year (Symphony) on RCCL and very much enjoyed the CL suite we had.  The ship is huge but has everything imaginable.  Entertainment far better than Celebrity.  Loads of restaurants and bars.  Yes more kids, noise, and less of a serene experience but we don't mind that on occasion.  Service and staff were outstanding.  We did not do the MDR but mostly Coastal Kitchen and specialty restaurants (Hooked, Jamie's, Wonderland).

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

The suite sun deck is on the opposite side of the ship.  We walk outside across the deck then go up one flight of steps to enter the suite sun deck.  The suite lounge and coastal kitchen are on deck 17 near the CLS.

I mentioned all of that in my previous post #7.

On 4/12/2024 at 5:24 PM, 1025cruise said:

There used to be the ability to search based on ship, but it was removed due to technical issues. 

At the top of the page on this Celebrity Cruises Board.  There is a drop down menu "See Posts About: - Select Ship".  The most recent posts come up first.

In the past, I sometimes used a lanyard in the casino (only).  Sometimes I forget my SeaPass card in the slot machine so a lanyard helped with this.  

AARP Gift cards with 10% discounts.  That is something new I learned today.  Thanks!

18 hours ago, cusematt4 said:

Hi all,

 

We are trying to figure out what ship to recommend for first time cruisers.  We think they would love an oasis class ship.

 

From an entertainment perspective, does one ship stand out show wise?  I feel like allure and momma Mia would be great but the ship is due for a refurbished?

 

Would Harmony with hairspray be the next best?  How are the ice and diving shows?

 

What about symphony?

 

Thanks so much.

 

My two cents- all subjective of course based on my tastes.

We cruised Symphony a couple of months ago.  Our favorite show was the Ice Show called 1977.  I personally thought Hairspray was too long and dragged in spots.  I prefer Mama Mia and Grease on other O-Class ships.  

13 hours ago, CSHS1979 said:

The variety of ways Royal can grab your money is mind boggling

HaHa yes so true.  But that is the business that they are in, right?

Early in our cruising days with RCCL, we would book a Jr Suite and an interior cabin across the hall and our two kids would sleep in that cabin.   Or we would book two adjacent connecting balconies as you mentioned.  Either worked for us.  A Jr Suite is more spacious but has little in the way of suite benefits.

This is an older thread but the answer still applies.  In Feb on Symphony we went to the Suite Concierge and got a reservation to the comedy show in The Attic.  No problem.  It was not available on the app at all.

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

I think there is just curiosity about the fact the the OP has asked this same question on at least 6 different boards.  Perhaps they are just covering their bases to try and find and answer.  

Honestly it would take less time to do a google search on the topic than to post the exact same question on 6 or 7 boards here.  Seems a bit fishy to me.

6 hours ago, gvgseg said:

My wife and I just booked our first Celebrity cruise on Solstice to Alaska later this summer including our 12 year old daughter and 9 year old son. We got caught up in the excitement of booking another cruise and the urgency of locking in a dwindling supply of available cabins, but we are now having buyer's remorse about whether Celebrity/Solstice is a good line/ship to take the kids.

 

Our kids are experienced cruisers, who love a good buffet and typically enjoy cruising, but they only know the world of larger Norwegian ships (Escape, Joy, Encore) that are filled with water slides/parks, a wide variety of specialty dining options (that don't require cover charges,) and many other areas for entertaining younger passengers. Neither of them are very fond of going to the kids' clubs and we try not to drop them off there unless there is an activity or evening show that isn't appropriate for them to join us. This will also be their second Alaska cruise, so there isn't the novelty of the Alaskan scenery/wildlife either. 

 

Should we be worried that they are going to be bored on this ship? Help put our minds at ease now that our $1,000 non-refundable deposit is paid and final payment is a mere 2 weeks away.

 

Signed,

 

Concerned Cruiser w/ Kiddies

They are your kids and you know them best,  Nobody here knows them and can only post about their own kids and experiences.  Given that, how can anybody truly put you mind at ease?  If you are really concerned enough to post here on this topic, then maybe your gut is telling you something about your situation?

12 hours ago, mrecc said:

I am preparing to book my first Celebrity cruise. I just realized that in three short weeks, final payment will be due. Should I wait and hope for some price drops? I realize I am playing with fire and may lose out as prices may just increase. I also know there is no way to know for sure what will happen. Right now there is a lot of availability. Should I gamble and wait or bite the bullet and book now? Looking for your experiences in this dilemma

What is the availability for the specific cabin type and deck location that you want?  You need to decide how important that factor is vs a  "possible" decrease in prices.  

How old are the three kids?

8 hours ago, rncruiser said:

I have never had a problem with the regular coffee that is served. As far as I know they serve Seattle’s Best, which is owned by Starbucks. I much prefer it over Starbucks as it is not bitter. 

I thought the "urn" coffee in the WJ was Lavazza on my recent cruise, but I might be mixing it up with Celebrity.  Anyway it was fine.

18 hours ago, mafig said:

Thank you for your response, TeeRick.

 

We'll be in a CLS and it looks like the Suite Sun Deck is close by.😆

We were in a CLS.  You will love it.  The CLS-only area on deck 17 is adjacent to the suite lounge and CK so very convenient.  But the suite sundeck on 17 requires that you go down to deck 16, cross the ship. and go through a card access gate, then up the stairs.  

We recently sailed on Symphony in a suite.  Assuming you are referring to the Suite Sun Deck?  Yes it is quite nice and has a hot tub and very nice bar with service.  There is plenty of quite comfortable seating in the shade.  Some of it dependent on ship's direction and time of day.  You need card access to get up there.  It is adjacent to water slides on one side.  Some days it can be windy.

14 hours ago, jamon said:

Cigar King......the point here is to have a snack before dinner. Why should one have to go to their dinner late and not enjoy a snack before dinner. And of course 3 hours is plenty of time, if you want to go to the lounge after you eat. That is not the point. Why should that early dinner time be the only one that is affected??

 

Seems important to you to have a snack before dinner.  As I mentioned before, go to dinner a bit later.  Or switch from the 5PM dinner to My Time Dining and you can snack then dine.  Lots of options for you.

2 hours ago, jamon said:

We recently got off the Adventure of the Seas where the lounges new times are from 5pm-8pm. Which means if you have 5pm dinner you can't partake  in the evening snacks before dinner since they are not available till 5pm and you have to go to dinner. My understanding is that this is fleet wide. Doesn't seem that they did not think this out by eliminating those that have 5pm dinner. Anyone else have this happen or concerns.

If you are really eager for the snacks in the Suite Lounge then just go have some at 5PM and go to dinner a bit later?  Maybe 5:30?

22 minutes ago, ScubaCat3 said:

This is from the welcome email from last weeks cruise in a Grand Suite on Symphony of the Seas. 
 

“Bar service is available from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm in the Suite Lounge for  Beer, Wine, Soda & Water.

 Hors d'oeuvres, petit fours and complimentary bar setup with a selection of wine, spirits, beer and soft drinks every evening from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.·”

 

So have I been misunderstanding this? I have always taken this to mean beer and wine are complementary when the bar is open but spirits are only free (no voucher) between 5:00 and 8:00 pm. 

This is kind of a gray area.  Technically it is beer and wine only.  But twice recently we stayed in a CL suite (same suite class as a GS).  We got various mixed drinks in the SL without using our coupons outside the 5-8 timeframe.  Also no coupons asked for CK dining.  Others have reported on here that they needed to use their coupons.  I guess it depends on the ship and bartender's discretion.   We have not bought drink packages, because the drinks in the SL plus our 5 coupons each are plenty for us.  By the way, we were asked for coupons at the bar for mixed drinks on the suite sun deck, same cruise.  And coupons were taken in the suite area on Labadee.

5 hours ago, arealcheapskate said:

A few points to make here - I don't need an excuse. I'll let someone else pay my way. 

 

I will flat out just tell you that each cruise (if it's a USD booking) we go and have them removed from the account. I don't even do it at the end of the cruise to try to get the "benefit" - just straight at the beginning or perhaps Day 2 to get it out of the way. 

 

No shame and no guilt. If the cruise line can't pay a fair wage - it's not my job either. If the employees aren't being paid fairly, they will speak with their feet and if they don't that's okay too - I'm not going to lose sleep. Same reason I don't lose sleep when I buy cheap clothes, or an overpriced Apple product made in China with less than questionable labor sourcing. 

 

Just because I spend x amount on the cruise doesn't mean I want to tip a certain percentage. 

 

I always find these threads so amusing because they always devolve into some sort of lecture on ethics and morals. I'll be the first to say if not tipping makes me unethical or some sort of pariah, I'm happy to wear that label. After all, my username checks out. 

Curious about the country where you live.  Is it cultural to tip or not tip?  Restaurant dining, take out delivery,  private transportation, etc.  Now in the US, where we have a tipping culture galore, everything you buy with a credit card at a store or wherever, now a box pops up for an additional tip.  We are made to feel guilty if we don't tip.  This happened during the pandemic and carried over.  Time to stop over-tipping IMO.  On the other hand, on a cruise, I know the deal going in (for decades) and tipping is simply one of the known cruise costs.  I would not stiff the hardworking crew.

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

“ personal expectations “ :

I was making a snarky remark because while it’s none of my business, it bothers me that people ( too many) look for excuses not to tip .

Service “over and above “ is an excuse to not tip a few $$ extra and/ or remove the Gratuities completely.

We spend $$$$$ to go on a cruise—a few $$ extra is no “ big deal “.

( We’ve been on many cruises— never once had poor/ bad/ less than personal expectations service ).

C’est tout— that’s all .

 

Snarky?  Oh not Pinboy!  I generally enjoy your good-natured snark!😄

Slight nuance here to mention.  Sometimes you and your cabin mate have different amounts of vouchers remaining on a given day.  So you might tell the bartender which voucher to use, or to use two from the same person.

Won't Get Fooled Again by the Who.

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

21 hours ago, Pinboy said:

 

LOL--- When CCers post " I tip depending on the " over and above " service"--- What does that mean, " over and above what ??

 

Here is what it means I think.  Over and Above, Above and Beyond (service, not the ship!), anything describing service, like food, is in the subjective category.  And it comes from an individual's personal expectations.