dcbiker97

We did this a few times in November but we were in a PH. You’ll be able to order dinner but agree that it may depend on the butler which restaurants you can order from. Definitely MDR.

I know that it’s my responsibility to procure the necessary visas well before a trip. However according to Celebrity’s FAQ (below) there are some ports where the ship handles them. I’m sure it also may depend on your own nationality, but is there a list of countries where Celebrity handles this for you? From their FAQ site: In some ports where visas may be required and may be purchased in-transit, the ship personnel will assist each guest to secure a visa and charge the guests' onboard account a one-time nominal fee. These visa fees include a small processing charge by the local representative.

Yes. They will keep the alcohol for you and give it back before you debark. I have done this before.

I don’t understand why anyone would think bringing “something from home” would be a good idea. It’s condescending at best. I don’t get paid in sweets, or hats. or local team tshirts so why should they? Agree with other folks that cash is king.

We are using a Tours by Local guide. Take a look at guides on that site for Cairo/Alexandria to see if you’re comfortable with any.

I eventually did, but it took several weeks. Like you, I had the same observation so I ended up going a different route.

That's way more sausage than I ever got. I always made it a point to get the dish once per cruise to see if they had finally made it as they should. The biscuits were always these sweet hockey pucks with some sort of white liquid and chopped up sausage links. It always was amusing for me at least.

While some additions seem nice, I will withhold judgement until I see the actual Luminae printed menu.I never trust the app as it’s notoriously unreliable.

Definitely not the Riu. Read here.

Accidental posting

Same here. I’d read on here and trip advisor about how great and amazing they are. I couldn’t get a response from them about setting up a tour. I think it took a couple weeks for them to get back to me. In the meantime, I found, what I hope to be, a great guide on tours by locals. Best I can tell is that they farm out inquiries to their various guides. I may be completely wrong but that’s how it appeared to me.

In all the years we’ve eaten in Luminae, I’ve never gotten the crepes. I think that may be my furry breakfast in April aboard Summit.

The free shuttle for Napier has two stops, the second one being the aquarium. That’s where we got off the shuttle this past a November.

You should get an email with any record locator numbers when you book. I had to call FBC to have them ticket right after final payment. I think they may wait closer to sail date, but I wanted mine done. When I called the ticketed the my flights with no issues.

Without specific examples, you’re just fueling speculation. Can you provide some of what had changed? Could it be that you had a different rotation of menus? I’m sure with what else is going in, a Luminae wouldn’t be exempted but would be great to see what those changes are.

Thank you for continuing to post. It’s super interesting to hear your perspectives because we’ve only really only sailed Celebrity other than 2 RC cruises. Do the menus change nightly on MSC and do they offer the ability to have anything made, given a days advance? That’s one of the key benefits for us because of some health issues my partner has. We almost always have to have a special meals prepared, which Luminae staff have been always been wonderful about.

Tuna salad (and salmon salad) is almost always at the spa cafe. I have that and some of the Asian noodles as a lunch at least half the time on a cruise.

Agree with other posters. I've never seen the option on Celebrity to preorder a case of water to be delivered to your room. I've read other lines do this, but Celebrity is not, and has not, been one of them. They did, at one point, have a "water package" as another poster said, but not the ability to preorder a case.

I agree with you 100% but some of us have valid reasons for doing so. My partner is allergic to all seafood and also has some other eating issues so I’d never be able to go to a place like Japan without being on a cruise.

That’s Gordon. We had sailed with him before and he remembered some health and food challenges that my partner had. He actually had a relative of his go shopping in Sydney to pick up a few items to have in our room before we even got on the ship. This is a the sort of thing you’ll never forget.

No, those first day tours are just an orientation to the public areas of the ship. That is an unfortunate picture selection by Celebrity's infamous IT department.

While I’m not a fan of the changes, we allow this by agreeing to the cruise contract. If you don’t like those terms, don’t book a cruise. Vote with your wallet to go find the biggest piece of prime rib you can find on the high seas.

Can you provide a link to the specific sections of Celebrity’s cruise contract showing where they are legally bound to provide prime rib? Also I’d love to see the Celebrity advertisements saying “cruise with us, we have prime rib” that they have have gone against. That being said, I too will be missing some of the “better” cuts. I hope they don’t take the 4oz filet from Luminae as it’s my go to backup.

You're in for a treat having Gordon as your butler. We sailed with him in November on our Sydney cruise and he was just fantastic.

Agree. See what a Royal suite or PH would cost. If it’s a difference of a few hundred $$, that would be worth it and you should see if they can upgrade to that since it costs more.