RICCruisers

24 minutes ago, oregand said:

I just received an email from Celebrity offering a full refund PLUS a transfer to another cruise.

 

Has anyone experienced this before?

 

I assume it means the cruise is completely oversold  - what happens if nobody takes them up on the offer?

Which cruise?

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

You have two people.  One with more money, one with less.   Maybe the person with the VIP pass worked overtime for a year to afford that once a year treat for their family while the person at the back of the line goes to three amusement parks a year?  Or maybe the person at the back is just happy to be there?  That used to be me.

 

On Celebrity what used to be free that is now an extra charge?  

We have done few Cooking Demonstrations on past cruises that were free of charge that Celebrity now has listed in the Shore Excursion category. Also, Painting Classes that were free but now that they have added a glass of wine they can charge for it. You used to bring your own wine. 

Revenue enhancements are the way of the world. Every business is looking for ways to either charge for something that used to be included or creating offers that make you feel like a VIP, sometimes to the detriment of a person or family that cannot afford it. VIP/Fast Lane/Skip the Line offers have been added to almost every theme park in the US over the past 15-20 years and Parks are making millions of extra revenue. Too bad if you saved money to go to a Park and couldn’t afford what many times cost the same or sometimes even more than your admission ticket. Just stand in line and wait your turn. 

Definitely a new way to fill up options to spend more money on a cruise. Why offer something unless you can make more money. I remember a “How to cook Salmon” demonstration on our cruise to Alaska. That was a Free class and we all got to taste the salmon at the end of the class and received a print out of the directions. 

11 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Why not? Will the panel not close if the window is open? That seems odd.

You can certainly have the doors closed while on the veranda, but you’ll probably have to have them facing each other. The veranda area is quite small and to face the sea would make you feel like a sardine being smashed inside of a can. 

Sounds to me like they are trying to get Lobster twice without paying for it the second time. 

I’m racking my memory but I think I might remember seeing it at the Mast Grill where they serve the hotdogs and hamburgers. 

20 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

Don't really need a new Rolex or more jewelry for the wife but the chance to travel is as they say 'priceless'. 

Maybe not, but you do need more starting pitchers and a better defense. Go Cubs!  LOL. 

6 hours ago, RK-NC said:

 

We were on Beyond 10 nights in April and thought the crew amazing too...several who were "beyond amazing"!  Did your stateroom have creaking, popping and banging? Ours did and if that were not such a big problem with the ship, we would book Beyond or another e-class ship without hesitation. I guess the smaller Celebrity ships are quieter/calmer? I think that's what we liked about Beyond - the energizing atmosphere. Eden was a nice quiet spot when we needed that. Cafe Al Bacio was relaxing and quiet in the morning. 

Which cabin was creaking. We sailed on Beyond with no issues but have another cruise booked on Beyond with 3 cabins on Deck 8. Hoping to avoid this problem. 
 

thanks for your reply. 

6 hours ago, RK-NC said:

 

We were on Beyond 10 nights in April and thought the crew amazing too...several who were "beyond amazing"!  Did your stateroom have creaking, popping and banging? Ours did and if that were not such a big problem with the ship, we would book Beyond or another e-class ship without hesitation. I guess the smaller Celebrity ships are quieter/calmer? I think that's what we liked about Beyond - the energizing atmosphere. Eden was a nice quiet spot when we needed that. Cafe Al Bacio was relaxing and quiet in the morning. 

Can you please let me know which cabin you were in?  We cruised Beyond last October in 9284 with no issues. We just booked a family cruise on Deck 8 with 3 cabins and hope to avoid the creaking. 
 

Thanks for your reply. 

1 minute ago, doghog said:

Based on this thread, his workload may just have increased. 😉

Just called RW at ext 4418 and got his voicemail. Said he was on the line with another guest. Sure hope that means he is still with the company. 

7 hours ago, Pear33 said:

I  still have a CVP.

Great planner... local 44148

We also used RW at 44148. Excellent CVP. Very responsive. 

One of the benefits of Blu on E Class ships is that you will likely have the same waitstaff for each dinner and likely the same for breakfast. If you change dining rooms to sample all 4 you won’t have that. 

We did a B2B on Beyond last October in the Mediterranean. Ship was full and we never felt it was crowded other than the Martini Bar. We were Aqua and ate both breakfast and dinner in Blu other than a couple of specialty restaurants. We had the same table every night in Blu early (about 6:15) and never had a wait. When we left at 7:30-7:45 there was a short line a few nights. 

Wi-Fi upgrade on our 8/16 Eclipse cruise is currently $5.99 pp/p/d and Premium is $15.99. We watched it almost on a daily basis and caught the Premium upgrade at $10.99. Drink package is always +20% gratuity. For us the $10.99 makes sense because DW always has a pre-dinner drink at the Martini Bar and we like the upgraded water at dinner. I’ll keep an eye out for a lower Premium upgrade. We got $6.99 on our B2B last October. 

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

Not saying this is wrong, as I genuinely dont know, but when on Celebrity Beyond last year, the drinks menus just had a price next to them, for example, one cocktail in Eden was $18.

 

I ordered two, and when the drinks were made handed my passcard over to pay, or check against drinks package. They didnt ask to see which package I had prior to choosing the brand of alcohol to put in.

 

Seems a rather complicated way of organising drinks to be honest.

 

Was different when ordering from a waiter. Obviously.

 

But I prefer to go to the bar. Its the british in me.

Eden is a unique restaurant. They have their own menu of drinks and all are priced over the Classic and almost all are priced over the Premium package. And in my opinion, all are not worth drinking. In addition to the ones listed, you can receive any type of drink you prefer. Most regular cocktails like martinis, cosmos, gin or vodka and tonic, rum and coke etc can all be ordered from the Classic package as long as you request it to be made with brands available in the Classic package. If you choose “top shelf” liquors then they will be over the Classic. You should always tell the bartender which liquor you want and ask if it’s included in whichever palate you have. 

We were on Beyond for a B2B in October. No reservations were needed. If you arrive at a similar time each night you will likely have the same table and waitstaff each evening. It’s not exactly a reservation, but kind of works the same way. Let them know if you plan to eat elsewhere so they don’t hold your table that evening. We found Blu had great service and didn’t notice any loud noises other than one evening an older gentleman was watching something on his phone with the sound turned up. I looked at his wife and signaled to her to turn it down or use headphones. She got the message and took care of the issue. We actually sat near the most nights and he was apologetic. 

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

I have had that issue for 3-4 days on my IPad.   When I go my laptop no problem.  

I’ll be home in a couple of days and try on my desktop. Been trying on my phone. 

For the past 3 days I have been trying to search on the X website for cabins on a couple of cruises. I can get to the actual cruises without any issues. My problem arises when I click on a different deck to search. It freezes on the deck that is loaded when the category comes up as a suggested cabin. I know cabins are available on other decks because when I ask for a List View they show up. Anyone else having this issue or a suggestion on how to correct it? I figured when it happened it was due to some site maintenance going on over the weekend, but it’s still happening today (Monday). 
 

And no, I don’t want to flip between sites to check cabin location. 

There are 2 chairs on the veranda in IV, Aqua and Concierge cabins of E class ships. My reply was addressing the comment that was requesting foot stools to be added. 

On 2/15/2024 at 1:50 PM, doghog said:

Agree for DPVs but not for SVs or SSs. 

I was referencing the Infinite Veranda cabins. Sunset Veranda and all Suites have actual balconies and are much larger than the small verandas. The majority of the cabins on E Class ships are IV’s including Aqua, Concierge and IV. 

On 2/12/2024 at 6:08 AM, cruise47 said:

Will footstools be added to the E-Class ships? 

 

How many years have footstools been on balconies on cruise ships?

There is no space for footstools on E Class verandas. You would need to move the chair into the cabin in order to use them. 

Finding a “Good” Aqua Class cabin on M and S Class ships takes time to check out the location. Most cruisers agree that a good cabin is one that has staterooms above and below. It is actually easier to select a “good” veranda cabin with that type of criteria. @zitsky may have overstated their case by saying Aqua cabins are the worst cabins, but they are correct that there are a lot of poor locations especially since X is getting more money for these locations. I seem to recall when Aqua was created that there were many comments that those locations were selected because they were less desirable and adding Blu and the Persian Gardens as perks allowed X to sell them at a higher price. Not many cruisers would choose a cabin under the pool or buffet if other cabins are available. 

Maybe yes or maybe no. Most everything is for sale if the right price is offered. 

We just did a B2B in the Med on Beyond in October. We were very fortunate with weather. No rain from October 9-20 and visited Crete, Santorini, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, Naples. Temperature was great. 78-82F each day and mid 60’s at night. If you have the flexibility to cruise then I recommend it. The second cruise was Italy, Adriatic October 20-30 and was a couple of cooler days but mostly high 70’s. Crowds were still there, but not what mid summer brings.