bbappel

Thanks McC. Ordering drinks in the MDR (even 2 or 3 times) does not insure you will get them! My recommendation to others is to wait until you RECEIVE your bottled water and drinks before placing your food order. Super irritating for this to be the case night after night. If you are hungry or wanting to be somewhere at a certain time, this is inconvenient as well as irritating.

 

I suspect it is Select dining, rather than the MDR that is the issue. With Traditional Dining, the waiters get to know your pace and you - that you want lemon/lime with your Pellegrino - that you want Pellegrino. We had a similar issue with Select Dining on the Eclipse, until we found one of the assistants who would recognize us and bring us our bottle & 2 glasses no matter where we were sitting. The upside of Select Dining is you choose when you wish to dine. The downside is it is like going to a new restaurant every night.

 

Beth

OK folks - I get it. My post wasn't clear. The obviously hidden point of my post was to say that Celebrity was great and responsive to issues. I figured I had to give some background, but it caused that message to get lost in the static. The take home message is that if you have a problem or even better a positive review, you can e-mail Michael Bayley and someone will read the message and do something. Hooray Celebrity.

 

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

 

@The_Big_M - a big THANK YOU - you got the point of my e-mail to Celebrity. Initially, I just hit reply, but in the end decided the RCCL e-mail might not be monitored and added Mr. Bayley's office, thinking his office might need to be made aware of the issues, since every time we called the agents seems surprised that we had website problems.

 

@jagofee - I know what the problem is with My Celebrity for me. I didn't want to bore you all with the details. It isn't my husband's name, though that was an interesting suggestion, it is my name and a lack of communication between Captain's Club and Booking. My parents used my middle name so I use my first initial and middle name. Originally I used "H Elizabeth" as my first name and all was well. Somewhere along the line, the programmers decided not to allow a space in a name, causing me to be H - on my sea pass and on my booking. But in Captain's Club I was either "H." or "H Elizabeth" and the names didn't match. I had completely given up trying to have access to My Celebrity because it was fixed at least 6 times, maybe more, and each time would take about an hour. And within a week, I would lose access.

 

@others - a few days after sending the e-mail, we did call and get our luggage tags, but thanks for the suggestions.

 

@cathy - I absolutely agree. Celebrity agents are so cooperative and easy to talk with.

 

@bfson - maybe this wasn't a serious problem - I save the words serious for the big illnesses or disasters, but it was a major waste of our time and a rather serious irritant. We had been trying for weeks to get into our booking (through my husband's log-in) and add a beverage package, and into another booking and link with friends. We spent quite a bit of time trying to do this ourselves. It was a major thorn. So I was frustrated when the e-mail came, tempting us to try one more time, and I felt like Charlie Brown with the football. Once again Lucy snatched it away as we tried to kick it. The e-mail was a response to my frustration.

 

Since then, my log-in has worked for several days, and maybe it will be OK. We've been able to access our bookings and add our friends, buy a beverage package, etc.

 

Beth aka "H"

Since I've posted my unhappiness with the Celebrity website, I feel I should also let you know about the positive response to my e-mail to Mr. Bayley's office. Our next cruise is in January. We got an e-mail from RCCL telling us:

Dear XXXXXXXXXXX,

Thanks again for choosing Celebrity Cruises. Your electronic cruise documents for Reservation Number XXXXXXX are now ready at the link below. You will need to enter your reservation number, last name, ship and sail date to access your documents.

....

SHIP LUGGAGE TAGS

If you enter the online check-in section at least 14 days prior to your sailing date, you may also request that we mail you your personalized ship luggage tags before you leave home. Otherwise, you will receive your ship luggage tags from our porters at the pier.

So being responsible travelers, we did as requested. No results. So I responded to the e-mail with a copy to Mr. Bayley's office.

Folks - this is frustrating beyond reason. You send us this message, and we should be able to request our luggage tags, but instead, when my husband logs into his account and tries to look at this cruise, he gets this message.

We are unable to handle your request due to system maintenance. Please try again later.

AND Invalid Loyalty Number

This seems to be caused by a lack of cooperation between the Captain's Club portion of the website and Celebrity overall website. ... several sentences of discussion about problems with my name ...Sadly, this has caused me so much trouble that I no longer have a log-in of my own, since I've given up. This has been changed more times than I can count and it has never been corrected for long. If other cruise lines had the same smoking policies and itineraries as Celebrity, I would be tempted to transfer my loyalty, but I love the Celebrity smoking policy and ships and staff and itineraries.

The saga continues...

We decided to try the online checkin method and to request our luggage tags and we get this message:

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we re unable to process your bag tag request at this time. Please try again later.

What's up with this? Not only do we have to go through online checkin rather than logging in, but now we can't request our luggage tags.

 

Too bad you can't get the website together. I'm certain this has cost you revenue from people who aren't loyal to Celebrity through good and bad. When the website is as ineffective as this one, people who are trying to decide between two cruises on two separate cruise lines, will take the path of least resistance. I want you to be financially successful so you can continue to take me to wonderful ports.

 

Rather than trying to fix the website, maybe it is time to build a separate one, then transfer over.

Just my opinion,

And I gave my name, address, and phone number.

 

I was very surprised when I received the phone call and although I don't know that it resolved anything, it was nice to feel I was heard.

 

Beth

We took a 7:00 pm flt in December and rented a car from the port (actually at a hotel) and had a late lunch and strolled on Las Olas. It gave useomewhere to keep our bags. The only flaw in our plan was when our flight was delayed 2hrs.

 

 

PS_ is there a way to edit thread title? Should say Not getting off ship

 

Look for the moderator and send an e-mail requesting it. Give the current "Any One...." and the requested one and he/she may be able to change it. Though it seems to have gotten a lot of traffic even without the "Not"

 

And we cruise primarily for the ports, so we generally get out as early as we can, booking private and/or ship excursions. We are going to the Southern Caribbean in January for the first time, so when we go back the next year, that may change, and we may be much more low-key.

 

Beth

I'm not a litigious person, but could they sue Celebrity for neglect? It wouldn't be worth it, likely, since who knows what court they could sue in. US, since it is a Miami-based company (though not a US registered company). Italy, since it was in Italy that the neglect occurred? Breach of contract? My legal knowledge is limited to Law & Order (all its variations) and other legal fiction on TV and in books, so I have no clue. I'm just wondering "out loud."

I also have 2 PacSafe bags that I love, one in burgundy purchased from REI and one beige one from eBags. I bought a Travelon one for my most recent trip and I don't love it. It is very small (my intention) but it isn't secure.

If you are going to Barcelona or Rome or Naples, you may well want the PacSafe slash resistance, and yes, the straps are a bit heavy but I'm sensitive and wasn't bothered by them. The Piazza bag is great, but it doesn't have the slash resistance. Mine doesn't even have a lock, it is just a cross body bag. Baggalini - same thing, no locks, no safety measures.

My husband has 2 Pacsafe bags (one Metro-bag sort of smallish) and one backpack. Both have the "locks" that mean a pickpocket would have to work to get it open, and both have straps that can detach and wrap around something stationary to keep someone from snatch & grabbing it if you aren't paying attention.

My 2 PacSafes will hold a water bottle on the end, my camera inside (locked away, and I don't have one of the little cameras either), a small book - travel guide or novel - and my sunglasses in an easily accessible zipped side pocket. There are other safety measures, but I'm not sure about the RFID because I have an RFID wallet.

A bar inside the buffet? No, but if you walk all the way aft and go

outside, there are tables, chairs, umbrellas and you will see a bar

out there:).....one of my favorite places on SUMMIT:)

 

So even though the Summit was solticized they didn't put a bar in the area?

On the Solstice ships we often get beverages from the guysinthe buffet.

We were last on an M ship in 2004 so I don't remember much.

Beth

If you use the Command Hooks on solid surfaces such as the bathroom door, the stateroom door, the mirror, or the closet door, you should have no damage. If you use them on the walls, you might risk damage.

 

We take 4 suction cup hooks from Bed, Bath & Beyond: one to put on back of cabin door, one on mirror (my husband hangs up his ties), and two (my pool wear, nightgown, etc.) on closet door. Off topic a little, I also take peel & stick "Magic Squares" poster hangers cut in half to use to hang up the Captain's Club notice, a calendar I've done for the cruise, and any other info that we want at our fingertips - and a map of where we will be when we have one.

I've used some little hangers that are part waxy and part plastic. They are reusable but small so I usually just throw them out. I got them from Staples. They don't bear much weight though. I use them on the back of the door to hang our sea pass holders or my mini bag that I use in the evening to hold my sea pass, some cash, pills, and a lipstick. When your sea pass is visible on the door it is less likely that you will leave without it.

 

I didn't realize the walls were magnetic. I'll have to consider magnets since they are reusable where the Magic Squares really aren't. They are removable but not reusable. I would have loved the boxes for over the bed on the S-class cabin but I was at the weight limit and had to give some of my stuff to my husband as it was. Stacks of tee-shirts, etc. worked fine, and the packing "cubes" I use in my suitcase can just be stacked up there as well. If you have room in your suitcase and can stay under the weight allowance or are driving to the port, the boxes would help keep the cabinet tidy. I admit it got jumbled as the 2-week cruise went on.

I agree with Allis154 about the bathroom storage on the S-class - there is ample room. So much we didn't even use it all.

Beth

Thank you for the narrative and the photos. It is quite an experience, even simply following along with you. We will be on this cruise in 2014 - same bat time, same bat channel - if you remember what I mean. ;)

 

Why don't you also join us on the January 11, 2014 Caribbean cruise on the Eclipse? I know we don't know you, but I'm a fellow mid-westerner (though I've been a New Yorker for 48 years) but the Ohio still runs deep in my veins.

 

Beth

We really do not care about your cat, dog, hamster, rat, mother-in-law, etc!

 

Hank

 

Hank, I hope you know you are speaking for yourself (and some others) but there are those of us who do care about fellow passenger's cats, dogs, hamsters, (maybe not so much rats), mother-in-laws, illnesses, adventures in packing, etc. To each his own, but for some of us, that caring is just part of friendly behavior. For others it is intrusive. Along that line, long e-mails bug some people, others relish them. It's an interesting old world, innit?

 

Beth

Hi Beth,

 

I'm unsure if you are suggesting creating multiple threads, or otherwise.... but I'd like to offer my insights about multiple threads for Roll Calls :

....

I hope this helps clarify. Thanks very much for your understanding.

 

Not at all - I was suggesting that up above in our reply where it says "Title" that you could say Important Info if you were giving that, and then others could skip the other posts. Of course, there could be a disagreement about what someone considers important :rolleyes:

Thank you for all the work you put into this. It does help keep everything flowing well.

Beth

I'm one of those who likes to chat on roll calls, and get to know fellow cruisers. Our Adriatic cruise roll call resulted in friends that I still communicate with. These folks were very supportive when I was having a particularly bad week and reached out for some support. Louise1809 (above) was a strong contributor to that cruise. When you are traveling alone, it is comforting to find you recognize people in port because you've met them on the roll call. For those who are more reserved, that is fine, please don't begrudge us our collegiality though.

 

We did organize a lot of it off line and rather than using a website, used dropbox to provide additional information such as tours being organized, personal photos and other info that folks might not want to put in a public forum. Organizing the roll call in the way we did, allowed those who merely wanted information on shared excursions, to skip to that section of the files and read.

 

One solution might be to put "Cruise or Transfer or Tour info" in the Title, then those who don't like to chat could search for the posts that were critical to them.

 

I firmly believe that roll calls should be more than one thing - chat room for some of us, source of travel info for others. If I'm going totally off topic, I tend to communicate via e-mail, but not everyone is willing to share their e-mail because of the risk of spam resulting from the public aspect of the forums and I just skip past posts that don't apply to me. What's more if you subscribe to the roll call so you get an e-mail, you can keep up and just delete the messages that are irrelevant to you.

 

I'm trying to remember to remove my signature when I post a second post - like now. Thanks for the advice. I also hate it when someone quotes a lengthy post - but I suspect that they just didn't realize they could edit inside the brackets. It took me a while to figure out and I'm pretty computer savvy.

Happy Travels,

Beth

Could you really have not found a better word for a roll call that's not active than stillborn? :(

 

Debbie - I think Cruisenut didn't want to use "dead in the water" :D and I'm sure didn't realize that it could be a sensitive term.

 

Beth

I am one who travels using a Debit Visa Card, I have two on different accounts. I rent cars & hotels with them with no problems. I do now have a credit card from my credit union that has a low limit on it (all they would give), that I carry for emergencies.

 

US Traveler's Checks are now issued on a Prepaid Visa or Mastercard Debit Card and can be an option for someone traveling rather than carrying cash.

 

1) Debit cards have different liabilities than credit cards. My sister-in-law was using a debit card to buy gas in Miami. The card was compromised and she became liable for $10,000 that she had to fight and prove were not her expenses. With a credit card, your liability is limited and you still have money in your checking account to pay your bills. In their case, she couldn't pay anything until this was settled and it took months.

2) Living with paid up credit cards is much more stress free. I sympathize with those who can't resist the next credit card purchase and are financing a life style that they were used to, or want to be used to, but as one who is now credit-free (we have credit cards but pay them off), it is worth doing without for a time to be in this place. I once hated the sound of the telephone for fear it would be about a bill I hadn't paid (this was before there were internet methods of payment and some of it was my inability to mail a payment in time not my inability to pay) now I only hate the phone because it is often some telemarketer.

I also knew what you meant about costume, even though I'm from the states:D.

 

When you are considering the drink package, I hope you will also consider the non-alcohol package even if you decide the alcohol package isn't worth it. We got the premium non-alcohol package in 2010 and in assessing the value, found that we drank considerably more non-alcoholic beverages than without the package - resulting in a better-hydrated cruise. Aside from the alcoholic beverages (wine with our meals, drink before dinner, mimosa or bloody mary on sea mornings, pina colada by the pool, after-dinner drink with the show), we had Pellegrino with our meals, cappuccinos or lattes for breakfast, freshly-squeezed OJ, Evian to take our pills and to brush our teeth (the height of excess to me), espresso after our meals, and in the afternoon I would occasionally get an affogato at Al Bacio. We picked up water whenever we walked past a bar, so we were able to take 2-3 small bottles each off the ship on our excursions. We don't drink soda (pop, tonic, whatever), but we could have had cans of soda in our fridge as well. We also aren't much for smoothies or red bull, but they were both available. We still are undecided as to whether the alcohol portion is worth it for us, but the cost of the non-alcohol one is well worth the relief from angst - and the "do I really NEED that afternoon espresso"? If it is close to being worth it for you, you might want to calculate a little addition for that freedom.

 

Do enjoy the Equinox - and take time to find all the art. Some of it is strange, but some of it is stunningly beautiful. There should be a book in your stateroom that tells about it and has pictures, so you can know where you must look.

 

Beth

We were on the Equinox in December and participated in the Riedel wine tasting and got $20 wine card to use. We didn't have the drink package and I don't think we used the machine without the card. This isn't as much help as I'd like it to be. A year ago, we had the drink package and my husband was able to get us wines to have in our room (not in the good glasses, mind you, in the joker glasses) from Cellarmasters. He couldn't use the enomatic, but as others have mentioned, they would "sell" him a glass.

 

I think the Enomatic is a really cool idea and wish more people used it, so we wouldn't have LSimon's experience. I'm too much of a novice to buy very expensive wines, so it is nice to broaden my experience a bit with tastings of wines I wouldn't want to risk buying. It did give us the chance to compare two wines without much of a commitment.

 

As usual, on Celebrity, it seems the way things work varies from ship to ship and even from sailing to sailing. It does make it more of an adventure. Otherwise, what would we have to look forward to? Easy days at sea and knowing everything? ;)

 

Beth

We took the ship tour and think it was well worth it. We were able to enjoy both towns and the winery, but made an error in timing and didn't get in line in time to get back in time for our dinner reservations, so we walked down as the sun set. We were too busy enjoying the tomato fritters in a restaurant near the cable car. One warning - the spacing of the steps pushed me to step down on my right foot every time. My knee was swollen and I could hardly walk the next day in Athens and had to use a walking stick. I'm in my 60s though and not at my ideal weight (understatement that), so they were a factor, not just the step spacing.

 

Beth

It will be nice to have the escargot back on the menu. I hope that is true on our next cruise in October.

thanks! Also, do you know if you get to use Riedel during the cruise if you do purchase the glasses? If you pay the 87.00 charge? It seems to be up for discussion. Some say yes and some say no:)

 

On our cruise in the Caribbean (Dec '12), once we signed up for the tasting with our sommelier, we got better glasses with our wine at dinner.

 

Beth

Another advantage of your location --- The Tree House coffee cart.

You can get coffee or tea just about any time you want right outside your door. When we were on Silhouette though we noticed that the sliding doors were left open, so we could sometimes faintly hear the music from the atrium. This wasn't a problem for us, but then I can't hear very well, so it could affect others. We were in 7262, one of the cabins on the slant.

 

You will enjoy your trip - Silhouette is a lovely ship with a fantastic Bacio crew when we traveled. Our morning routine often involved coffee from Bacio and then freshly squeezed OJ from Ocean View bar. We did have a drinks package.

 

Bon Voyage - after the summer.

If you are referring to the capital of Pa, it's Harrisburg and it is about 240 miles from Pittsburgh.

 

Mary Lou

Maybe Jackdiamond is confusing Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

It happens.

B

Thanks - today I'm wearing my white linen J Jill pants (full length) and I think these will make the cut. They can be laundered or dry cleaned. Even if I lose weight - I should be saying when, but I lack the necessary confidence in when, so I'll say if, they should be able to be altered and will simply fit more loosely. And since I'll be retired, I'll have time to alter them, right?
Maybe this is one thing I can do - wear and assess. Then when I'm doing my serious closet purge in October, I will have an idea. And when I review the CCF history I'll get more ideas.
I would love an excuse to own a bunch of summery floral dresses. I own one. I think that is going to be my reward to myself if I lose enough weight to warrant it. Dresses require more alteration so it would be easier to get new.

Beth

We are taking our first Caribbean cruise in December. We will be on the Celebrity Equinox from Ft. Lauderdale making stops in Cartagena, Panama, Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica.
Short of reading back 77 pages - and I'll do that I promise once I retire in October, any quick suggestions of what I need to keep out of storage for the trip (or links to previous pages will work just fine). Maybe I should say what can I go ahead and put in storage. :) I have one swim suit from Lands End - print top, plain bottom and just ordered a second set-all print and I think the top will match my existing bottom. Not bikini - skirt styles with halter tops. I have one hat - but reading the past few pages, I'm thinking maybe I should take two.
We aren't beach people and will likely take tours - both of us are fair, so we sunburn easily. Shorts, Long pants or Skirts for the tours? I don't usually wear capris - they just don't look right on me. I just ordered a white linen shirt for my husband to wear on the tours to keep the sun off and keep cool. Is there a men's fashion page too?
How dressy is dinner on Caribbean cruises? We are accustomed to European cruises and they tend to be fairly dressy. All advice is welcome. I'm young at heart but not in truth and there is more of me than there should be - I'm hoping retirement in October helps with that when I don't have to spend 7 hours a day sitting in front of a computer and 3 hours a day sitting on a train etc. though I will miss the walking in Manhattan from the bus stop to my job, and to lunch.
Anyway, now that I've found this group, I hope to check in often, and hope I can get some much needed fashion advice, but not like the lady on TV who chides you for your choices. I need kind advice.
Beth

I'm looking at the deck plans for the Reflection on Celebrity's website. We are wanting to book a C2 cabin and in the deck plan the stateroom we are looking at is located in the "hump" I believe. Mid-ship where the ship juts out to accommodate the elevators I believe, what is benefit of these cabins over any others. We want to be centrally located and the price point on this cabin is about where we want to be. Just looking for some information about these particular cabins on the Solstice class ships.

 

thanks

If you get an end one, either end - you get a clearer view.

Otherwise I agree with everyone else.

Beth