helen haywood

There was a thread on this issue some while back and I suggested that if more people posted reviews of their cruises period, then the good would clearly outweigh the bad if people tend to post only to vent about the bad. I am as guilty of this as the rest as I think I've only posted two glowing Celebrity reviews and all my other Celebrity cruises were totally wonderful but I didn't think I had anything new to add so I did not post a review.... When I suggested this...I was bashed by people loudly pointing out that this was Cruise CRITIC....and they were using the second definition.

 

I agree that any newbie to Celebrity should relax and not worry about reading bad reviews.

I know on Silhouette doing Select we could check in with the hostess on the starboard side and be taken to a table on the port side...and vice versa. It seems both hostess stands have the whole floor dining plan on their computer. So take a peak and join the line that is shortest on either side.

The scary thing is they DID address the issues!! Awhile back their website was totally down while they were "enhancing" it!

As others said, their website is a disaster. Regarding shore excursions, I got tired of trying to even SEE what they were, never mind BOOK them on-line so I just called Celebrity and had them send me a file with the shore excursions for my sailing. Then I had to call to book.

Sailed Silhouette recently. Iphones with AT&T do not work on Reflection and Silhouette. Do on every other X ship.

Yes, but they charged my credit card on Dec 20 for the shore excursions I booked that day....but the OBC purchased the same day from the same website didn't process until Jan 16. Obviously shore excursions and OBC are handled by two different IT teams... Also, you can see purchased shore excursions on your reservation online. You will not see anything about OBC you have purchased thru the website in your reservation. So you really need to have a confirming detailed email.

I recently had the following experience. On December 20 I purchased OBC as a gift from the website. I received an email that day thanking me for my purchase. No specifics listed. I kept an eye on my credit card and by January 3 when I did not see a charge for the OBC but saw an immediate charge for the shore excursion I had also purchased on 12/20 I sent a reply email on the email confirmation from X saying that I had not seen a charge for this "confirmed" purchased gift.

 

On January 8 I received a reply that they apologized but had no order for my booking. At this point I decided to forget the whole thing.

 

Checking my credit card on line later I saw a charge from X on January 16. Of course on your credit card statement there is no information other than a charge by Celebrity Cruises. So I called Celebrity. First I started off with the Gifts Department # that I would have used if I purchased the OBC over the phone. Pulling up my reservation I was told there was no OBC purchased. I asked to be transferred to someone who could tell me what the charge was for in that case. I was transferred to the Enhancement Department who were able to confirm that it was in fact my OBC for that cruise. This person said the first person I spoke to was "wrong." I asked if he could send me a confirmation specifically listing my OBC purchase and he did so immediately. He had no explanation as to why a purchase I made on 12/20 that was denied as being received on 1/8 would suddenly get processed on 1/16.

 

So for anyone purchasing OBC online or by phone...I would make sure you get an email confirmation that specifically states how much you purchased and the sailing for which you purchased it.

Which category obstructed balcony are you looking at? 2D balconies are totally obstructed which means the lifeboats are directly in front of your balcony. Depending on which cabin you have booked you can see better around some lifeboats than others. A 2C balcony has the lifeboat on the deck below you so your view out of your balcony is totally unobstructed looking out, forward and aft. The only obstruction is you cannot look straight down at the water directly below you. I wouldn't have a problem with a 2C category.

 

I assume you are talking about S-class ships and there is a sticky at the top of the boards that has great information on lots of the cabins from actual cruisers.

There may be cruise lines that do tendering, boarding, etc. based on category of cabin booked....however, Celebrity is not one of them. It is true there are separate lines for check-in at embarkation for Elite, Suites, etc....but often the general lines are shorter. Once on board, Elite members have priority tender tickets, but I'll be an Elite in an inside cabin. I am referring to the poster who mentioned booking an inside cabin as being at the bottom of the barrel. There is no differentiation in boarding, etc, based on what category you are booked. You will not stand in longer lines if you book an inside.

Indeed, if you have an inside on Deck 3 you will likely be off the ship first!

Wine-O is right! Smoke them at the Sunset Bar while you still can!

I have had the exact same dilemma! Read my thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974243

 

I, personally, feel uncomfortable having a balcony GTY as I have wound up under the buffet and the noise starts at 3 am and never lets up and I'm a light sleeper. But you may feel differently. But with the price that much higher....would you really drink enough to make an extra $1400 worth while? Just kidding.

I would never buy an Open Passage again for the reason above; it is non-refundable. If you don't have a specific cruise in mind to book just pick anything under the sun. You can always transfer the booking as many times as you want to other cruises until you do find one you want. And if you don't or change your mind; its refundable. But I really do like the advantage of booking on board simply for the reduced deposits if nothing else.

Beach Bum, I did look into oceanview (what Celebrity has as equivalent to port hole cabins) and the price would be $600 more than my inside. I just don't think its worth it to me; I understand it would be for others. A balcony GTY is $800 more and I will never again do a balcony GTY because twice I wound up under the buffet and the noise kept me from sleeping. I'd rather forego all sunshine and risk claustrophobia than be under the buffet. The cheapest balcony after the GTY would be $1100 more than my inside.

I love Celebrity's S-class ships and I love this itinerary and if the only way I get to sail is in an inside cabin that's all right with me.

Perhaps I would be happy to pay the going rates for a balcony cabin if I had not sailed on last year's Silhouette east bound TA in a balcony cabin for far less than my inside is costing on this cruise!

BTW, I, of course, [I]have[/I] the money to book a balcony, heck, I [I]have[/I] the money to book a suite. I'd just rather use my money for something else on this cruise.

There are lots of fabulous evening dresses for your girlfriend that are jersey and will roll up into nothing with no wrinkling.

Its really nice that they have changed and now allow the vouchers to have a drink up to $8. Sometimes the special of the day is priced lower than $8 during the cocktail hours. We drank at the Passport Bar on our last cruise and even if it was standing room only when the band was playing a waiter always found us and got us drinks....of course my husband tipped him...

Go on the Summit again and have a fabulous time because once you sail an S-class ship you will be spoiled forever...

Oh, I'm not worrying. I was kidding. I feel better and better all the time!

You sound like the kind of person I'd like to travel with! Make lemonade instead of complaining. Glad you had a great cruise! Thanks so much for coming back and telling us how it went.

If the ship is sailing then the smoke will be blown away....even if it is in port I've been in cabin 6121 and never had it waft up in my direction.

I keep hearing that "best sleep I ever had" comment. I'll have to make SURE I bring an alarm clock so I don't sleep away my cruise! I think, actually, having an inside will force us to be a bit more social and outgoing instead of holing up in our cabin. I must say on some TAs my husband has been happily playing cards in an interior card room and I thought to myself...why did I buy a balcony cabin?

 

Also, instead of letting the light wake us up....our past cruise we got up earlier than we normally would to have breakfast in the MDR. Previously we'd been sloths and went to the Oceanview as we liked to sleep late. But the slight negative of getting up earlier was totally offset by the luxurious quiet elegance of being served breakfast at a table with a tablecloth and no food spilled on the carpet.

 

So we'll just have to set the alarm in our dark cave and go dine at the MDR in the mornings....and be out on deck with a drink in the daytime (although perhaps back to the Bat Cave for a nap) and then go to a show and stay up dancing at night....

 

I'm starting to really worry about this cruise....

I'm not worried about feeling claustrophic. If I don't feel that way in Celebrity's showers then I'll be fine. I'm sure I will miss a lot about having a balcony.....but the cheapest balcony is currently almost a thousand more than the inside. Considering most of the last TA we took we spent our time in the Sky Lounge or the Sunset Bar or the forward decks on 15 and 16 or elsewhere....I think I'll manage just fine. I don't want to lie out in the sun by the pool either, as one poster mentioned...but I've never had problems finding deck chairs in the shade.

 

I'll definitely come back and tell how it went. I wish I could talk myself into insides all the time as I certainly could cruise more often....even if I decide I didn't care for it, in this case, I really, really, really wanted to go on this cruise and an inside will make my dream come true.

I've always had balcony cabins but I realized on my last cruise (and it was a trans-atlantic!) that we rarely used our balcony. Instead, on Silhouette there were so many gorgeous outdoor spots we were really only in the cabin to sleep and shower. I had no plans to stop booking balconies....but an itinerary that I really wanted to do just never dropped the balcony prices to what I wanted to pay. Phooey. So I bit the bullet and we're going to do our first inside!

 

I'm actually looking forward to the new experience and of course I'm thrilled I'll be able to sail the Reflection's 16 night east bound TA!

 

Please refrain from telling me how miserable I'm going to be. I'm sure I'll be happy as a clam....and in the event I'm not I have a great hotel booked at the end of the cruise in Roma!

Reduced deposits as well for booking onboard.

I did it completely on the website. My husband tried sorting it out on board Silhouette with their IT guys, and on the phone with AT&T once home and got nowhere.

The Hideaway also has coffee. The specialty coffees at Cafe al Bacio are not free. Of course there is also room service for coffee!