miguelmia

22 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

Thanks. Interesting as one would think those locations would be ideal for Podium talks.

Maybe not in July but there were a couple on the August Italy/Croatia cruise. In fact, the couple that gave the talks were on the same Pompeii excursion as me. Guess it just depends on who X decides to book and when. 

1 hour ago, SoloAlaska said:

Thank you for posting this. The comments on CC have made me less want to cruise on Celebrity. I’m in my 30s, single, no kids and just want a relaxing vacation with a little pampering. My presence on board the ship does not negatively impact anyone else’s vacation but they complain that advertising is encouraging women in their 30s to cruise. What is so wrong with women in their 30s?

I'm in nearly the same boat as you (no pun intended), except I'm a dude. While my experience with Celebrity is a grand total of 1 cruise, I've found that the folks on board are very welcoming and friendly. CC definitely isn't a total representation of all Celebrity guests. I liked it so much, in fact, that I'll be taking my second cruise with them next week and I can't wait! Yes, I know I'm below the median age of the passengers onboard, but to me that's more of a feature than a bug. 😁

1 hour ago, SoloAlaska said:

If anything we have a lot in common. Just like them I like that celebrity isn’t covered in children running around. Just like them I enjoy good food. Just like them I want to sip my drink (mine is scotch). Just like them I don’t want to see water slides on the ship.

Amen! If I wanted to go to a theme park full of families, I'd rather make the 3.5 hour drive to Orlando than take a cruise. Actually, I did that two weeks ago lol.

Yeah if you're sailing out of Port Everglades then that changes everything. Driving from Bradenton via I-75 gives you a much shorter and more direct route (via I-595, could not be simpler) to the FLL airport and then the port than you'd have to MIA. If your embarkation day is a weekday then you'll be sitting in terrible traffic trying to get to/from MIA from the north. Fort Lauderdale traffic isn't great, but it's much easier than Miami.

1 hour ago, WhiteSoxFan said:

Personally I would skip the drop at the port, drop the car off and get an Uber XL for the group and save the time going back and forth.It will be a good 50-60 minutes to drop the car, go to the taxi/ride share pickup spot and get back.

This is the best option. Depending on the drop off location and South Florida's temperamental traffic, having your husband go back and forth will waste a lot of time. Unless you have a ton of luggage, you should be able to manage sticking together.

How was embarkation in Ravenna? What time did you arrive and how long was it until you were onboard the ship?

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm on Connie in just over two weeks out of Ravenna so quite intrigued on your feedback.

As someone new to Celebrity I wasn’t aware of such a flyer’s existence and I find it quite interesting. So thank you, @mahdnc, for posting it. 

13 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

Thanks for sharing. It was on my cruise. My husband doesn’t drink at all. I may get 2 drinks per day so it is still not worth it for us. I do love a sale!

I'm in the same boat as your husband. If the sale extended to the zero-proof package then I'd probably go for it, but my preference is to just refill my water bottle as I go and occasionally buy a la carte so I'm gonna pass.

3 minutes ago, poffles said:

 

Bang on ... I keep looking at the European cruises and flights just kill the thought.  Not only the cost which is in the thousands per person from Nova Scotia but also that airlines are streamlining so much that most flights have you fly across country in the wrong direction first before flying back past where you started. WestJet, a major Canadian carrier, is now the worst as Calgary is their home base and they now primarily operate by bringing things back to base to 'fly from' ... 5k miles in the wrong direction to Europe from where I live so 10k extra flight miles ... good grief.

You have my sympathy. Aviation is a hobby of mine so I know how lacking the Canadian market is in terms of competition. Throw in the fact that NS' only flight to Europe is on Air Canada and you've got the perfect recipe for nonsensical routings with exorbitant fares. Good grief, indeed!

4 minutes ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

Thank you so much for the info! My kids have been off the hard liqueur for a couple of years now 🙂 No seriously I never drink at all when I am on vacation with them, with MY sons I have to have all senses super sharp! So it would be just soft drinks and juices.

 

Generally I will be using the wifi to make calls, pay bills and some work emails, no streamimg stuff. Would basic wifi be ok for these tasks?

Thank you,
Mitch

Not sure about calls (I assume voice-only) but basic wifi is fine for email and general internet browsing, especially if your ship has Starlink onboard.

3 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Those are different cabins.  They are Concierge Class cabins but are considered Ultra Deluxe because their cabin and/or balcony is very large compared to normal CC cabins.  And so they are more expensive.

 

Thank you. I was looking at deck plans but missed those.

Thanks for the post and the response. I'm currently booked in concierge so I'm seeing "Ultra Deluxe Concierge" on my Move-Up selection. So, I assume these are the same cabins, just with the additional concierge perks (daily snacks, etc.). I'll be on Constellation so those photos are doubly-helpful.

In the app, the Equinox menus are only showing upcharges in the MDR, Blu is status quo.

Let's not jinx anything!

2 hours ago, neversink4 said:

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone know if whatsapp works on basic wifi?

 

In my one Celebrity Cruise, WhatsApp worked but I couldn’t send pictures. Pictures and videos could be sent through iMessage. 
 

Chat in the Celebrity app also worked, but notifications were unreliable. I’d get them on my work phone (iPhone 11) but not my personal phone (iPhone XS max). 🤷‍♂️ Also, you lose access when you’re off the ship. So if you make new friends and exchange numbers through the app, make sure to save or screenshot before disembarkation!

When I cruised solo on Celebrity Reflection in January they did have a solo table (a 10-top) in the MDR. For the most part people arrived around 6 or so. I'm not sure if there's a final cutoff time for being seated there, but definitely ask if it's available. I also can't recall if you need to have "select" dining (i.e. not a set time); that might be worth asking the maitre'd once you're onboard.

There was just one solo meetup advertised in the app/planner on the first day. One of the asst. cruise directors hosted a meet and greet and also told us about the solo MDR table while there.

Not sure if your cruise has passed or not, but on my first Celebrity cruise this past January, there was a 10-seat table reserved every night for solo cruisers to meet and dine together. Most people usually came around 6 or so, though of course that will vary for each cruise. That might be worth looking into. I took advantage a couple of times and enjoyed it.

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

 

Two possible reasons:

 

1. Unusually high demand--like the self declared "unusually high call volume" that we are greeted with every time we call Celebrity.

 

2. IT could not figure out how to turn off the sale (and restore the original lower base pricing back into the system).

3. They were always going to extend it and wanted to create a (false) sense of urgency to get people to buy.

Just cancelled and rebooked 4 excursions, saved $150. Thank you, @RichYak!!

2 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

I am sure.  The T&Cs do not look to be correct unless the word "bookings" is referring to Cruise Planner transactions.

That's how I'm interpreting it. I booked my cruise a few months ago and flash sale pricing is all over my cruise planner now.

12 hours ago, CTSandy said:

One couple that we met on an excursion stressed that they were not a cult (although we thought they sounded like they were).

On my January sailing, movies were both outdoors on the Lawn Club (both during the day and at night, usually late in those cases) and in Celebrity Central (not the main theater). I don't think they did any screenings in both venues at the same time.

As for entertainment, there were two production shows that I can recall but I only saw "Broken Strings"; I can't remember the name of the other one I didn't see but it was more elaborate/artistic. The singers/dancers in "Broken Strings" were very talented but the show itself was OK at best in my opinion.

There's no desktop version of the app. Some things, like reserving shore excursions or purchasing drink/wi-fi packages, can be done on Celebrity's website with your reservation number (and/or Captain's Club login) as well as the app. Other things like MDR menus and your daily calendar are app-only on your phone.

Thank you for your review and my condolences on the loss of your husband. With so much attention being given to the newer, shinier E-class ships it's nice to see the older members of the fleet get some love! I'm boarding Connie for the first time in August and I'm really looking forward to it.

Have you considered taking a train from Rome to Pisa? It will require a connection or two starting in Civitavecchia, but it would be a relatively inexpensive option. For my upcoming cruise departing from Venice I'm actually flying into Rome and taking the train to save about $600 instead of flying into VCE.

This concerns the end of a Celebrity cruise, so apologies in advance if this belongs in that subforum.

For my cruise ending in Civitavecchia, there's a shore excursion that visits St. Peter's Basilica and the Colosseum. One version drops you off at Ostiense station but it's sold out. The other version drops off at the airport. Since I'm staying two nights in Rome post-cruise, the former would be preferred but isn't available (and I'm not sure if I can join a waitlist). For the latter, would it be an issue if I don't have a flight reserved or can I just book it anyway? I don't mind taking the Leonardo Express to Termini station, which is right by my hotel anyway.

Do it, you won't regret it. I highly recommend the goat cheese souffle appetizer.