dcbiker97

We routinely are able to make an 11:15 flight out of Miami when docking in Fort Lauderdale. I usually arrange a private transfer (Larry’s Limo) and not a Uber simply because it might take additional time for the uber to Arrive and find you.  

1 hour ago, goofysmom99 said:

Unfortunately, couldn't book thru choiceair myself because my B2B cruises were linked.  So called choiceair again telling lady that I could see one-way MIA-FCO for $1500!  She got snippy and said choiceair website wasn't updated anymore and those prices were wrong; I HAD to book thru celebritycruises flightsbycelebrity. 

I think we had the same agent.  I got the same attitude and information about the site being wrong. She also told me that she could see seats being bought as we were speaking and that I’d better book quickly.  This is for a cruise 11 months away. Sounded very odd so I ended the call. 

Am also finding choice air with very low and different prices from the other Celebrity ways of booking. Just booked DC to Rome. Choice Air was $2400pp business while the flight search within the celebrity booking was $4700. And depending on how I spoke with, the call center was $4-6k per person for the same flights.   I was able to call the airline to select seats so I should be good to go with the lower fare.  

We’ve bought iPads over the years on our cruises.  We only do so when we have a ton of Nonrefundable OBC. I wouldn’t buy one on the ship if you’re spending your own money.  They may be a version prior, but that’s ok with us.  If we don’t need iPads, I use the OBC for Johnny Walker Blue.  

Hello.  We were just in Aruba on the Celebrity Edge and I wanted to give a review of the Riu Palace Antillas Hotel, which we went to after purchasing a pass from resorts for a day. The cost of the pass was $130. I would not recommend going to this resort for this price. We have  been to numerous places like Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and Maya Chan in Costa Maya.  They Riu couldn’t be more different than these amazing places.  

First with the good. The staff generally were very pleasant and seemed to want to help you. The grounds were nice and the beach top notch. However, these were not overcome by 3 major failures. 

1. We we got to the resort at 9am and got our bracelets and headed out to the beach. We got the last few available beach chairs. (or so we thought). After sitting in them for 2 1/2 hours a lady and her husband appear stating that they put hotel towels down to reserve them at 6:30am (5 hours prior). I told them we would not move and she called an attendant.  He got their towels from us and found them another spot after I refused to move  This place makes Cruise ship chair hogs look like novices 🙂 

2. The bars all served liquor that were below well drink quality. For the price we paid, having at least well quality should have been standard.   In addition, a number of the mixes were in old liquor bottles with the name of the mix handwritten on the bottle on tape. That did not seem like a good idea given the recent attention to liquor issues in the Caribbean. 

3. The buffet was clean and well kept, but the quality of the food compared to what we paid for the day pass was significantly different.  

Had the hotel charged $50 instead of $130 my expectations would have been greatly reduced from what they were going in. Happy to answer any  questions.  

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for the pictures and the explanation.    It was one of those things I was thinking about after I got home.  

You’re welcome. Thank you for doing your blogs.  I had followed your them because we were boarding the following week and also had several friends on the TA.  

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

Thanks! It’s probably like the Sky Suites - not much room between but can get into bed easily on the outside?

It would be a bit tight but you can still get out in either outside. 

Here are a couple of pics. There’s room to move the beds apart about 12-14 inches (moving each one so that it’s touching the nightstand).  That might be enough for some who want them separated.  Or it still might not be enough for some.  

Will do when I see them in the morning. 

We are currently in a CS on Edge and I can’t see a way to move the cubes or drawer.  They seem to be permanently attached. In addition, there the lights that are permanently mounted right above them.  There are indeed two separate beds pushed together, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to separate them in the space. 
 

It’s the second time we’ve been in one. Love the room, but that sofa sure is hard as a rock.  

Are there any recommended stops on the way from Rome from Civitavecchia? We’ll be in Rome for four days prior to our cruise and wanted to do something outside of Rome the day we transfer. I know that Rome cabs offers a stop at Bracciano Castle and lunch in Ceri.  We will have private transport so we can be flexible. What would be some other options?

4 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

After seeing this, it seems more than fair to me, I don’t get the OP’s issue, maybe I’m missing something. 

I’m guessing they also want refunded the cost difference for staying 2 nights in the £1000 hotel. 

Been following your cruises because we have some friends on the TA.  Who is replacing Priscilla For suite manager? We board the day you arrive in FLL. 

We only do ships tours for those that could involve multiple modes of transportation over long distances. For example, for Tulum, Mexico it would involve a taxi to the ferry, a ferry ride, and an hour bus ride.   That’s a lot of chances to have problems. However the ship’s excursion takes you directly to Playa Del Carmen right from the ship’s pier.  

The bathroom in the Signature Suite is also a bit bigger and features a rainfall shower with a huge window that looks out into the bedroom. The window can be made frosted with a click of a switch. There's also a shower and tub out on the balcony.

34 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

Like I said, this was a couple of years ago but sources are a long-time HD (who was hesitant to talk about it) and several servers that we got to know well enough.  It was in simple conversation....there was no intention by the employees to play the "woe is me" card. 

Whether it is $50 a month or $100 or any minimal amount now, the gratuities ARE their income.  And when pax play around with those grats, it directly affects the employee.

Thanks for the clarification.  In total agreement about the importance  of providing for tips. 

2 hours ago, ECCruise said:

Unless it has changed recently, the "salary" for those with designated gratuities (stateroom and restaurant)  is $50.00 per month. .

Hi. Can you provide the source of your statement.  We’re you recently working in a ship? Were you “told” this from a crew member? It’s not really any of our business what they make, just like it’s not our business to know what any other tipped person makes in our hometown.  

I’ve done the Macallan tasting you’ve described. A group of us did it together, which was a lot of fun. I wouldn’t have enjoyed it had it just been me. I would have rather ordered a single malt off the menu with the premium package and enjoyed.  

You are right about the Retreat. Celebrity needs to up its game significantly.  We were on a few weeks before you and had to have a long conversation with Priscilla (who is fabulous) about the lack of service  (both bar servers and concierges). We were significantly disappointed with all 3 concierges.  I told Priscilla that this was the first cruise since Michaels club had been in place for suites that I did not know the name of a concierge because they always seemed to be on their phone or in their own world.  One night I had servers pass me by 6 times before being offered a drink.  I am hoping that she takes to management all of the feedback experienced cruisers are providing.  

Other than that the ship ship is gorgeous and am looking to see what changes in the suite area are made when we cruise in November. 

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

We were in a Celebrity Suite on Edge Jan 20-27 sailing.  Luggage Valet service was definitely free (no fee).  Did that change?  By the way it was definitely worth it.

Interesting. The only consistent thing about Celebrity is it’s inconsistency. Maybe they figured it cost too much with so many more suites than M and S class ships.  

Agree with the above poster. We were on Edge in March in a Celebrity Suite and it was not free (Celebrity fee). Maybe for the suites above Sky and Celebrity. On other Celebrity ships, I believe it had been included as part of our suite amenities.

Also, sometimes it’s not marked well so you might have to walk around to find it. When we left out of terminal 18 at Port Everglades it was a standing sign which we only found after walking back and forth twice. At Miami there’s a specific numbered column you go to beside the special delivery sign. They longshore staff handling the luggage weren’t aware of the special delivery sign in case you need assistance finding it. 

If the Segway tours office is still where it was a few years ago near Tijuana’s and Subway, it’s right by the pier you’ll be docking in.  Easy and quick walk there. We’ve done it several times.  

VT thank you for all your observations. You’ve been amazing.  Can you comment on Luminae? We always sail in suites to get access to Luminae. One of the things that really appeals to us is to be able order off the MDR menu. I understand that because of logistics that’s not possible.  My partner is allergic to a number of things and access to the MDR menu has been a life saver.  Do they at least have the every day favorites and will continue to do special requests if you give a days notice.   

Which site do you use to see the schedule? On the Port Everglades official site, all I can see is the next 7 days.