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Water709

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  • Posts

    145
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About Me

  • Location
    PA
  • Interests
    cruising, travel, reading, needlepoint, sewing, gardening, research, technology
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Celebrity, RCL
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Bermuda

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  1. fantastic photos! I've enjoyed reading all of your posts! We will be on the Eclipse in May
  2. We do tip the Retreat lounge staff that serves us drinks there. We also thought it was not expected to tip officers such as the Hotel Manager, Cruise Director, etc.
  3. Of course we tipped our butler. We realize we have always prepaid gratuities but we always tip above that to our butler and room attendant as well.
  4. that was my thought as well. Thanks for your input.
  5. It was definitely an envelope full of cash.
  6. DH and I have cruised on Celebrity multiple times. The last several times we have sailed in a suite, including as recently as earlier this month. We noticed on our last morning onboard the Summit when waiting to disembark in the Retreat Lounge, that a few passengers were slipping the Retreat Hosts envelopes with tips. Are we supposed to tip the Retreat Hosts as well?! I had never seen this before. I thought the Retreat Hosts were at the same level as the Cruise Director etc., whom we have never considered tipping. Please share your thoughts.
  7. Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of having to cancel a cruise less than two weeks before sailing? My husband and I purchased CruiseCare when we booked and paid for our cruise which is sailing two weeks from today. Unfortunately unexpected circumstances have come up which will require us to cancel this trip. We understand that cash refunds are only provided for specific medical and other catastrophic reasons, which do not apply in this case. The CruiseCare contract says that if a passenger cancels a cruise anytime up to departure date, they will be given 90% future cruise credit to use on another cruise in the following 12 months. Has anyone here had to do this, and what was the procedure like? How soon did you get the future cruise credits applied to your account? What is subtracted from the 90% refund amount? Obviously the CruiseCare cost is probably not refunded, but what about taxes, fees, port charges? We are going to have to cancel this trip in the next couple of days, so we would like to know the answers to these questions BEFORE we call to cancel, if possible. We did not use a TA, but booked the trip online thru the Celebrity site. We have sailed on Celebrity several times and will have no trouble finding another cruise to use our future cruise credits for. Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please don't bash us for having to make this decision; the family situation presently could not be helped.
  8. I'm so glad to hear a fellow passenger giving an objective commentary about this particular voyage. My husband and I were also on this particular sailing. We have sailed on Summit several times and have been to Bermuda as a port several times as well. Coincidentally we too are celebrating our 40th anniversary this year. We also followed all the health protocols and did the hand sanitizing, hand washing, etc. We did our best to avoid the largest crowds (did not attend any of the shows except for the magician which was around half full) and we did not attend any shore excursions. We noticed that there was not much attention regarding keeping common areas of the ship consistently clean and sanitized as there has been as recently as last year on this same sailing. We also drove to and from Bayonne for this sailing and did not fly to or from the ship. On Tuesday after debarkation we both tested positive for Covid. We both have had all vaccines and boosters (five shots in all, each) prior to this voyage. I was hit much harder by the Covid virus than my husband who only has cold symptoms. I have had severe flu-like symptoms; severe body aches, a deep terrible cough, shortness of breath, nausea. We contacted our family doctor and she prescribed Paxlovid which we are both taking. I am starting to feel somewhat better but for the deep and painful chronic cough, but this virus can still hit very hard, and without the Paxlovid I have no doubt I would be hospitalized at this point, or worse. We enjoyed the cruise very much, our cabin was lovely (a Celebrity suite) and the staff members were all very dedicated and helpful. But feeling as awful as I am right now, I am hesitant to sail again anytime soon on this cruise line (or any other) as the Covid related precautions have been relaxed or nearly eliminated. Clearly the virus is still around and very contagious.
  9. I wish you congrats on your marriage! My hub and I will be celebrating our 40th anniversary of marriage this year (on Celebrity just FYI, but not Equinox, lol).
  10. For the most part my husband and I have sailed on Celebrity ships, but we have also sailed on RCI several times. Last September we sailed on RCI's Enchantment of the Seas (our third time on this ship) for a 6 night cruise to Bermuda. We had trouble with the plumbing in our Grand Suite from day 1. We reported it and had maintenance come by several times to "fix" it. Anyway on our final night on this cruise, the water started flowing BROWN from both the faucets and into the toilet. It was disgusting, and we felt we could not use it to brush our teeth. We did not complain (though I know we should have, but so many other things were poor on this cruise (maintenance-wise and general upkeep) that we just wanted to get thru the night and get off the ship. My husband has worked for years in the plumbing industry in the US and said there is NO excuse for water running brown in any system. We will not sail on RCI's Enchantment again, and now we will surely avoid Equinox. Thank you for being honest about your experience on this ship.
  11. My husband and I were sailing last July on the Celebrity Summit, when the first of the WGACA stores was having its grand opening on this particular cruise. They had a few LV items displayed in another of the shops before the grand opening, and I asked a salesperson about them. The salesperson was very helpful and told me that the items were "gently used, some only once or twice, or in print ads or on the runway." She let me take a peek in the store a couple of days later before it opened to the rest of the passengers. I was treated like royalty and I bought a small Gucci purse which looked like new. And before the end of the cruise, my husband bought me Louis Vuitton small purse, which was described as "pre-owned" and I was well aware of it. It was not in immaculate condition (strap showed some wear) but I was made aware of it, and I felt the prices were much better than Gucci or LV items brand new. I am very happy with my purchases, WGACA definitely authenticates what it sells, as authentic. And I look forward to shopping in the WGACA shop a month from now on an upcoming cruise back on the Celebrity Summit. If you think the prices are too high or the merchandise is not to your liking, then just don't shop there! I personally love that Celebrity has added these shops, and WGACA is very upfront that their products are pre-owned. As is Celebrity.
  12. Good to know! I checked the deck plans and it looks like 9098 on Summit is beneath the pool deck, so presumably a lot of foot traffic noise all day etc. One time we stayed in SS 9111, (it was the last cabin available when we booked) and the room was SO HOT. The a/c never worked right, and when we complained the butler just kept coming in and closing the curtains, saying it was because we had them open too much. Hmm no, it was because the AC did not work. Also it was noisy from above. We have stayed on Deck 6 a few times and have been very happy with that Deck. We usually book SS 6131 or 6132, but going forward those two cabins (which have larger balconies than other Sky Suites) are going to be "Aqua Suites" (new category) with a higher cost than when they were Sky Suites. Our butlers on Deck 6 have always been fantastic too. I love hearing other people's viewpoints, so thanks!!
  13. DH and I have sailed on Summit seven times, so obviously we love this ship. We have sailed in Aqua class, and also in Sky Suites. For our 40th wedding anniversary in 2023 we were hoping to book a CS on Summit. I have actually booked two cruises (not the same month) and one is in CS 9098, and the other is in CS 6104. Which one would be the better cabin/room? We have not stayed in a CS before. Earlier this month we sailed on RCI's Enchantment of the Seas in a Grand Suite. We really missed our Celebrity Cruise experience/service, but the Grand Suite was indeed grand. Just wanted advice on which deck CS/location on Summit might be preferable if anyone has experience in either 6104 or 9098. Thanks in advance!
  14. Can you give me the hotline number? My husband has received approval as of today, and we both sent in our applications on May 22. We sail on June 19th. I have heard nothing about mine.
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