kannna

First thing I noticed were slots were 1pt for $1 spent now they are 1pt for $5. So even though they say they adjusted the required points down to level up, they are exactly the same. 

My first July offer included the Ascent in January 2025. 1/5, 1/12 and 1/26. It also had the Apex 1/25. So you maybe have a chance of seeing it on yours eventually. I always call to book. You can get the cabin you want or find out about upgrading etc... 

7 hours ago, spunks said:

excellent....and thank you all for answering. This is close to what I am asking, but not exactly.  I guess RCCL has 2 types of point calculation. The "point year" goes from April 1 through March 31 of the following year.....this is how your Tier level is set . RCCL will give free cruises based on this, but frankly, one never knows how many offers one may get. the best offers come from the calculation of points accumulated on a single cruise. If one gets 2000 to 12000 points on a single cruise one will get a list of  hundreds of cruises to choose from,  from 3 day cruises to trans Atlantic offers. There are about 10 levels of cruise point levels that anyone in the casino can scan the Q code for....These cruises can include Trans Atlantic or Pacific.

 

My question really is does Celebrity have a similar program?....If so. great!....If not...well w will still enjoy the Celebrity experience.

Hi, So the short answer is yes. They offer free cruises. If you do a search Blue Chip Club offers a page will come up to put in your name and blue chip number. Your blue chip number is your Captain's Club number. It will bring up all your offers. If you don't have any offers, you can sign up for them on that page. Your offers depend on your level and other things they take into consideration. Hope that helped. 

Hi there, 

The Island bus system is great. A One Day Pass is $8 or $5 if you are over 65. Bus Route Schedules | Vineyard Transit Authority

I would only rent a bike if you are super fit. People tend to think the island is much smaller than it is. We have 6 towns. The distance from Ob to Edg is 6 miles along the beach, which can be a lovely ride, but not fun if the wind is against you and it will be at least one way. 

7 hours ago, sunonfire said:

Thanks for both responses. Were the waffles at the buffet?

Waffles can be found premade on either side of the buffet

BUT

The best waffles are waaaay in the back of the buffet at the grill where you can get them fresh out of the waffle maker. They also make fresh toast and eggs there 😉

25 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

Were the cabins refreshed? Did it have new carpet, drapes and duvet on the bed?

The decor seemed the same but nothing was worn or ratty.

45 minutes ago, sunonfire said:

Did they have the concierge class lunch in the main dining room on embarkation?

We had a fog delay and didn’t board until 6pm.

The buffet and room service coffee is lavazza. There’s cream and milk and several sweetener choices. 

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

What cabin or cabin category were you in?

Thanks! A C3 starboard aft on 8

7 hours ago, sdnich said:

Since we are doing our first cruise without a bev. package this is good information. 
We just became elite plus and am unsure when I read the benefits about the 20 % off wine purchase? Can we use it on multiple bottles on our cruise? Or only 1 time only discount ?

We bought two bottles on our recent cruise and they both had the discount. We are E+ 

Hi Everyone, We just got off Connie on Monday and I thought I'd leave my first ever review. After reading all the grumbling lately, I was a bit concerned. So I thought I'd throw in our 2cents. A little about us. We are in our 40s. This was our 16th X cruise, but we hadn't cruised since 2017. We bought a house in 2018, covid happened and we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. People come here to vacation, so we were making do (hehe). Then X sent us a blue chip cruise and how could we say no? All the options were 10-14 days and this one fit in our work schedules. We prefer cruises over 7 days. Seven day cruises are always too short. 

Our fellow cruisers were mostly older. There were exactly seven children onboard which is how we like it. We met a lot of career cruisers on B2B or once a month in the winter etc.. There were also quite a few first timers either to cruising or to X. 

In general we really had a great time and this cruise reminded us why we love cruising. The crew is fantastic. They really want you to have the best possible time. We saw so many people speak down to them and mistreat them. I wish more guests would treat them like the hard working people they are with a little respect. 

To cover some of the more controversial things: 

• Main Dining - The menus in the Main Dining room have become very creative. I feel like they are in the kitchen with what corporate has found on sale that week like the baskets in that food show. "We will give you a turkey, some celery root and a bag of apples. Make a three course meal." There was a lot of celery root and apples in many different ways. However, we never went hungry and everything we did have was delicious. The bread and choice of dips was always great. We live near the sea and I don't eat frozen lobster so I cannot weigh in on the lobster debate. 
• Buffet - The buffet always looked plentiful. The pizza was good, waffles fabulous and the ice cream station always had great options. The pizza station is an eggs benedict station in the mornings which I thought was nice. The crew was always cleaning and friendly. The presentation was a little less wow than I remember. Never saw an ice sculpture or much vegetable art. Some root veg flowers was about it. What I was not a fan of was being approached at our table trying to upsell the special restaurants every time we sat down. Once in a while would be fine, but every time is not. 
• Room Service - It's sad that they do not offer the evening menu to eat on your balcony any longer. One of my fonder cruise memories is sitting on our balcony in Turkeye having dinner after a busy day sightseeing listening to the evening call to prayer. We ordered hot breakfast once and it was a very pleasant experience. They called a little while after it was delivered to make sure we got everything and were happy with it. I don't remember that happening before. Maybe now they have more time to do that. 
• Drink Packages - Didn't have one. We are Elite+. There are enough perk options for us to be happy. Plus, I've been known to spend a fair share of time in the casino where the drinks are free. If they mess with my perk lattes though, we may have an issue. 😉 
• Internet - The app is free to use on the ship. It has a messaging feature to reach other passengers which was handy to message the husband. We each received 240 free minutes as our E+ perk. This was plenty to check email and social media. It always worked when I wanted it to and was fairly quick. No problems. 
• Tampa and the Fog - We had fog on embarkation day delaying docking. The port of Tampa needs to find an acceptable option for somewhere nearby for passengers to relax and wait to board their ship with proper accommodation and communication. Turning people away at the port and having people who flew in wait at the mall with no communication is not acceptable. There were elderly, infirmed people without sweaters or jackets outside standing in line after dark waiting for buses that came one at a time achingly far apart. Never knowing when the next one would come and who would get to go on it. Some were there for 6+ hours. We will think twice about booking a cruise that boards in that port again. 

In closing we really had a lovely time. This may be my fourth time on Connie and she looks great. Perfect size. I love the old school promenade deck of the Millenium class with the loungers to feel the breeze and watch the sea while not in the pool deck energy. There is always an option to join in the fun in one lounge or find a quiet nook to read a book, watch the sea or work on your latest knitting project in another. The crew is always always cleaning and spiffing up and it shows how much they care for the ship. Never too busy to say hello though. There was a crew of electricians changing all the lightbulbs throughout the ship while we were there. They were even super friendly. Maybe I just have a penchant for talking to strangers. My mother is to blame.  

Hope this was helpful to whoever reads it. Happy to answer any questions. 

Oh PS. Thanks to the lady who did the live report in January. The little $10 transfer bus to the airport was so easy and great! Walked out and they were right there. Super tip. 

If you are Elite+ you can also get free espresso drinks and tea anytime at the Cafe. 

We just got off today! Had such a wonderful time. The crew is so great. Enjoy!

28 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Bot it gets old reading the "warm water lobster is crap" over and over. Yes, it's not cold-water sweet lobster -- get over it. But it can be delicious nonetheless when prepared properly. 🙄

 

I suppose this snooty crowd also would never touch a hamburger because it is not filet mignon.... Never mind that it can be delicious on its own merits.

 

I'll take a warm-water lobster (especially delicious in dishes like mac 'n cheese where the stronger flavor is a plus) over scallops any day. Not to mention that scallops are notoriously difficult to cook properly, even more so than lobster. Just ask Gordon Ramsay.

 

 

Scallops are best when you catch and shuck them yourself.  I'm not a fan of any frozen lobster but if someone else enjoys them I'm not judging. Enjoy! 

Ours are gone, but I'm not worried. They will show up again eventually. Minutes after I logged in CC sent me an email offer that mentioned our E+ status and our points so they know. Their web prowess is notoriously not the best. 

3 hours ago, Travelexpert35 said:

Just wondering, once you submit the form on the email, how quickly did they respond to your request. Was it days later or did you have to call them?

I submitted the form, but got antsy after a day or so and called.

Ours came by postcard. As the others have indicated, the code is specific to you. Find that email or postcard. 

We got the offer and were so surprised! I called. I booked. Huzzah! We are going on a 10 night cruise. 

As your room mate on this cruise, I find this a very accurate and lovely review of a fabulous girls cruise. And I mean lovely in the New England sense not the southern sense. :cool:

PS. I enjoyed the sushi so much I went back for lunch twice.

We went to Elite Cocktail hour a couple of times and there was always someone there quickly to take your drink order and replenish if needed. This is better than previous cruises where it had been hard to find cocktail servers. It would however be nice if the nibbles were more plentiful.

I saw them on the Equinox last week.

6135 has a very large balcony. big enough for a table and chairs and two loungers. We have stayed in it but I can't tell you what deck furniture will be there for you. . cabin size is the same. It's nice to be mixed in with the suites.

We have tried all the different ways to get there and from there. The train would be the cheapest but a pia when it comes to luggage. We've taken the cruise line transfer, but you feel a bit like cattle and it takes a while to get the bus filled and get going.

We've had someone in our rollcall once arrange a big bus. That was a luggage logistics nightmare for those with multiple bags. People were told one bag + one carry on ( which is reasonable) but it was a two week cruise with apparent fashionistas and there were lots of extras. The bus company had to supply a box truck and I had real sympathies for the nice lady who originally arranged the transfer.

What is best I've found is to arrange a small transfer maybe with some people on your rollcall.. 10-12 people staying in the same area that want to leave about the same time. It will keep the cost more affordable but be manageable and pleasant company on the long ride.

I think our record is 8 cabin changes on one cruise. Usually at least a couple for rate changes/ upgrades and such. It pays to keep an eye on price, deal and availability.

Just off Constellation. BLD every day.

Since it now takes about 50% longer to get to Elite than it did 2 years ago a change is not likely. Also the current people that are Elite or Elite Plus are getting older and the demographics suggest the "problem" will take care of itself over time.

Excuse me. Elite+ and under 40. Don't put me in my grave yet.