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Personally, I think this policy in Celebrity's FAQ make it pretty black and white. Parents with children with a different last name are asked ahead of time to bring further documentation making it very easy for Celebrity to follow up on cases where the last names don't match regardless of the race of the child or the family. If the last names match, it is incredibly unlikely we are talking about human trafficking. Family Legal Documents Should the last names of the parent and minor child traveling with them differ, the parent is required to present the child's valid passport and visa (if required) and the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy). The name of the parent(s) and the child must be linked through legal documentation. Adults who are not the parent or Legal Guardian of any minor child traveling with them are required to present the child's valid passport and visa or the child's birth certificate (original, a notarized copy or a certified copy) and an original notarized letter signed by at least one of the child's parents. The notarized letter from the child's parent must authorize the traveling adult to take the child on the specific cruise, must authorize guardian to sign legal documentation/waivers for participation in any activities requiring them and must authorize the traveling adult to supervise the child and permit any medical treatment that must be administered to the child. If a non-parent adult is a Legal Guardian, the adult must present a certified certificate of Guardianship with respect to the child.

Same last name, same address, has a US passport that required permission from parents to obtain (along with documentation they are the child's legal parents) - this wasn't about preventing human trafficking. (On another note that has come up in this thread, it is also my understanding that port staff are not cruise line employees. They just wear the shirt of the cruise line they are serving that day.)

Would they have made the same issue with an adopted child of the same race as the parents? If so, is there guidance provided ahead of time so that all parents of adopted children come prepared with their adoption paperwork?

In this post from a thread last summer someone posted a screenshot of the acknowledgment related to perks and a move-up bid to an upper suite. I thought there was a more recent thread with actual reports from people who had successfully moved up to an upper suite that I'm not finding quickly. I guess my question to @Joker54 is whether this same acknowledgement is part of the move-up bid process.

This just looks like a (maybe overly) simplified explanation of the current drink packages. I don't think it reflects any changes in the packages themselves. And the prices shown are the full price (before the pre-cruise discount) I've been seeing in the cruise planner for quite some time now.

Agree that language has always been there. It is most relevant when bidding to any category except upper suites as in those cases you keep whatever drink package and wifi-package you may or may not have had with your original booking. Upper suites actually have a premium drink package and 4 device wi-fi package that are a room amenity (not a perk) and so a bid up to a penthouse would give you those benefits plus all the other room amenities (specialty dining, 2 bottles of liquor, Retreat and Luminae access, etc.).

Has he cruised Royal Caribbean at all? Platinum on Royal Caribbean matches with Select on Celebrity.

Classic and Select are both loyalty levels (Select is above Classic so he probably has cruised more than you). The beverage package should be a code somewhere on the Xpress pass.

The brochure you linked does not have a window within when the flights must be booked. It only lists a window within the cruise must be booked. As long as the booking has the FLYGALAPAGOS promo code on the invoice, there shouldn't be any issue booking the flights and getting the flight credit when flight options open up. There was not an active Flights on Us promotion going on for Galapagos cruises when we called to book our flights (almost a year after we had booked our cruise).

We were in the Galapagos on a 10 day package Celebrity Xpedition, Northern Loop in November and had the $750 pp flights credit promotion with our booking. Flights by Celebrity is handled by a separate department than the people you book your cruise with so I wouldn't completely trust airfare numbers quoted by the booking people as it relates to flights. When I called Flights by Celebrity to book our flights, I had done my research and knew what it would cost to book on my own and which flights I wanted. I told Flights by Celebrity exactly which flights I wanted and was pleasantly surprised when Celebrity quoted me rates that were cheaper than what I was seeing online. I was seeing rates of about $1,100 per flight and through Celebrity we paid $189 each (plus the $750 promotional credit). Our $750 flight credit might have covered it completely if we had been willing to have two layovers and go through Miami so I would expect your fares out of FL to be cheaper than mine were. For us, it was definitely a good deal to take the flight promotion. It also was a very seamless experience so I am very happy with our decision. And yes, you should be able to re-fare the cruise if the price goes down just like any other Celebrity cruise but I'm not sure the price goes down all that often.

When did you book the December 2024 cruise? They changed the deposit policy in the last year. Currently, non-refundable is truly non-refundable. The only time the $100 per person fee comes into play is if you want to change the date of your cruise. They are no longer issuing FCC for a cancellation. But if you booked before the change in policy, then you would be entitled to FCC in the amount of the deposit less $100 per person. You will likely have to specifically ask for this FCC when you cancel to remind them of the previous policy.

Who asks to see it if not the port agent at check-in? Do they wait until you board the ship? Otherwise, you are just disagreeing with the frequency of how often they ask for it. Regardless of how frequently it happens, it is smart to have that letter because all it takes is the one time you are traveling to be the time they require it.

Many passengers do not pass an envelope on the last day as some just stick with the auto gratuities. Others add additional tips to their account at guests services. And some may slip them a tip at another time. So that last day will only be awkward if you make it awkward.

No, because I assume you will not be the one presenting the child's passport (or required documents) at check-in. The parent of the child will be with you. The parent of the child should be the one to check in the child. The only letter of permission that might be needed is from the non-traveling parent for the traveling parent to have ready if asked by a custom/port agent.

I understood that one custodial parent is going on the cruise (just officially booked in a different but adjoining cabin). But I agree there is some confusion on that.

There is absolutely no need for a legal parent sailing on the same cruise with their minor child to sign a letter regardless of which room anyone is sleeping in. Sleeping arrangements have nothing to do with a letter of permission. The only reason a letter might be necessary is when a legal parent is NOT traveling on the cruise with their minor child. When only one parent is traveling with the minor child, it is possible (although probably not common) that someone would ask for a letter of permission from the non-traveling parent.

Check your invoice from Celebrity. I just pulled up one of mine invoices and it also has a statement about the latest you can be checked in and onboard. It is on the page with the itinerary under Important Information.

When you get your cruise docs (about 30 days out), on the Cruise Summary page should be a section called Ship Check-in with details about the latest you can check in. It usually is 90 minutes although this can vary by port. Keep in mind that is the absolute latest, so give yourself a little extra time.

Princess isn't known for their suite benefits and once you get above a mini-suite, they don't distinguish between lower and higher suites so this would surprise me. I look forward to hearing what package this might be. Your earlier reference to $17 pp/pd sounded like the premier package that is available to anyone (and does have restrictions on what it covers).

I’m not aware of a Princess package with no restrictions at all that includes everything. Their higher end drink package definitely covers a lot more but it isn’t without restrictions.

I use Shipmate. Once you add your cruise(s), there is an option to turn on a price alert for any of the major cabin categories you want to track. It will then send you an e-mail anytime the price goes up or down. It's not perfect as it doesn't track all the subcategories and sometimes the promotions change but it is enough to let you know when to go to the website and do a mock booking.

I wasn’t trying to say one was better than the other. I just don’t think they are direct competitors because people’s preferences vary.

MSC Yacht Club is quite a bit less expensive than Oceania in my experience. Additionally, you are talking comparing a small ship to a large ship which won’t be the same experience.

Any bottle of wine you buy on the ship (through the online cruise planner ahead of time or once on board in a bar or restaurant) can be carried with you anywhere you want on the ship (you suite, another bar/lounge, another restaurant, etc.). I have done this many times.

I can't recall ever getting a reminder e-mail about final payment from any cruise line we have sailed including Celebrity. We create our own reminders and pay a week or two early so we can make sure it goes through. Maybe that's why we haven't ever gotten reminders?