Salt Lifer

With a group that size it might be in your best interests to switch to a reserved seating time. Our last cruise we had anytime dining and made our reservations well in advance, and even then it was hard to get the times we wanted (for just the two of us). If eating together is a priority for your group you will want to have a set time reserved.

My email confirmation came today, four days after submitting via the online form. Not a bad turnaround time. Now my question is, how long until it is applied to Cruise Planner? Just checked and it wasn't there yet.

I submitted my request via the online form three days ago. So far nothing, but it is early. I'll give them another week and then try a different route if no luck. I'll report back here once it goes through. I have to say, the online form was very easy to use and made it clear what information needed to be submitted.

Yes, same problem here. We have been thinking of booking a cruise to Alaska, and this webinar sealed the deal for us.

Thanks, everyone. I will try a different browser.

I have been trying since last evening to sign into the cruise planner. The site just keeps re-routing me to the main page without letting me enter my username and password. Anyone else experiencing difficulties?

The ramp in Eden during the day is the best quiet hangout spot with the best views.

I am dealing with this now. How can we use the OBC if it doesn't show up on the Cruise Planner? I wanted to use mine for an excursion.

Last April on Apex, one of the couples on our FB roll call got their door decorated - someone kept putting an upside down pineapple sticker on their room number (I know they took it down at least once and it kept reappearing)!!! They were VERY confused by it, why it was there, and who was doing it. It certainly added some levity to the group discussions on Facebook during the cruise, though! Other than that I didn't see any door decorations that week.

I personally prefer the app as it is always up to date, and updated when new items get added at the last minute that were not on the paper copy. I don't care about the cost savings (because we know that we - the customer - won't see a penny of that savings) but the environmental impact would be significant and something I could support.

I am not a drinker so I can not comment on the alcohol aspect. I AM a foodie and I cruise for the food! I didn't find anything disappointing in regard to food. Everything I had was delicious and good quality. Supply chain issues will pose a problem at times (for instance, on our cruise they could not get the escargot) but that applies to people's vacation experiences on land, too. Entertainment was top notch. On our cruise the production show entertainers got hit with Covid but Celebrity spared no expense in flying in entertainers on short notice to fill the gaps - I personally thought we ended up with a better entertainment experience, as a result! They could have cheaper out here and would have been justified considering the circumstances, but didn't. Bottom line, Cruising now verses 2019 is different, but not so much so that it should dissuade anyone from cruising.

Steve is an awesome entertainer! You will enjoy his show. Be sure to check out the late-night adults-only show he will likely do later in the week. I have found his late-night show is actually in good taste (not overly raunchy like some comics get) and very funny. I have been enjoying your write-ups. Thank you!

For our initial departure we like to be on a top deck, with the crowds of others who are excited about starting the voyage. For arriving and departing regular ports we tend to just view from our balcony or wherever we may be in the ship if doing an activity. However, on Apex (and I assume all E-class ships) we found a "secret" spot we found we loved - on deck five just outside of the theater there is a walkway outside. We go as forward as we can. We really like this spot because we are low enough that we can watch what the crew is doing on the dock, see what is happening above us on the wings of the bridge, and even see where the pilot boat guy (I am sure there is a proper name for this person?) comes and goes. Best of all, other than occasional crew members there is almost never anyone there so we can watch in peace.

Not everyone knows they get seasick. Or has never experienced seasickness in the past and is suddenly impacted. OP may be in such a situation now?

I think it was Frigate Bay. It had a bunch of restaurants and there were bathrooms. The beach, itself, was probably the least impressive part of the excursion, to be honest. The drive through the city and then up to the rainforest and all the history and facts we learned was the best part.

I took one last April on Celebrity that was excellent. Truly the best, most informative excursion I have ever taken. If it is the same one you won't be disappointed.

If the rainforest adventure is the same excursion I took last April (ride in open-air vehicles and stop at a beach at the end) it was truly the best, most informative excursion I have ever taken. Highly recommend.

Has anyone done the "Authentic Countryside Experience" excursion in Puerto Plata? Celebrity offers this, and RCCL may as well. Is it worth the time and money?

I'll give a shout out to Giuseppe as a memorable CD. He may come across a bit like a class clown but he is personable, funny, smart and a very hard worker. He is everywhere, everyday, seems to have unlimited energy, and his positivity is infectious. I've sailed with CDs who seem very snooty, so I appreciate when they are approachable.

Guiseppi is now heading to the Reflection. He was CD on our Apex cruise last April and I found him to be a really nice, personable guy. His happiness was contagious. But having two different CDs on a B2B would make for a really good, diversified experience for you, I would think.

My husband and I are considering booking an Alaskan cruise for May 2024. These are not yet available on the Celebrity website but we periodically checking for when they get scheduled. We also have a Caribbean cruise booked for next April. My question is, based on your experiences, would we be financially better off booking the 2024 cruise as soon as it is available or would we be better off waiting until we are on the April cruise so we can get the added OBC? Are prices known to increase much once posted or do they typically stay consistent. We don't want to hold out for the extra OBC if the cruise price would likely increase. Thoughts?

Thanks for explaining and much of it makes sense to me. Your point about the Retreat taking over the bow of the top of the ship is a pet peeves of mine, too. I miss not having an area where "regular" passengers can experience the front of the ship as it is moving.

Sovereign of the Seas was my first cruise experience and I will forever believe the Sovereign-class ships were the best ever made. I sailed on all three multiple times. You don't forget your first love! That 'flying saucer' was a really neat lounge and probably my favorite place to hang out on the ship day or night. Ahhh, memories.

Just out of curiosity, what is it you don't like about the E-class ships? No judgement from me, just curious as E is the only Celebrity design I have experienced first-hand.

Haha. As cruise lines go I think Celebrity is one of the best. But their IT is a disgrace. That fact that a website can be non-functional for multiple days and there isn't even a "we are experiencing technical issues" pop-up box added to the site is shocking. And don't get me started on the fact that for multiple years now passengers can not always access luggage tags and travel docs. There is no excuse for these types of ongoing issues. If their current IT team can not facilitate a fix they need to hire someone who can. In most cases the first interaction any customer has with a cruise line is through their IT presence. Non-functioning elements cause stress to the customer (not to me tion sometimes countless hours on hold with customer service as a result). It is a bad look for an otherwise pretty great line. Rant over.