pennychipps

What company did you use? This was out of Seward, right?

Will do. I'm also following a thread called Hubbard Glacier on the Alaska Ports of Call boards. Several cruisers are booked on this excursion and have promised to report back. None so far this season but the season just started so perhaps we will hear soon.

We bit the bullet and bought this tour for our August cruise on Millie. From various posts, it looks like this excursion was offered last year and then cancelled for the entire year for some reason. Based on reviews like DKJRetired's above, we decided to shell out the big bucks and watch for reviews from earlier cruisers to see if they thought it was worth the investment. I haven't seen any on the Alaska thread yet. When do you sail?

On 5/19/2019 at 9:20 PM, PRH said:

We were just in one of these deck 10 cabins on the Summit.  The hotel manager told us they were very disappointed in these cabins as they are barely the size of veranda cabins.  They were not aware of the problem until they saw the new cabins three weeks into dry dock—too late to modify.  The balcony is the same depth as other balconies, just a tad bit narrower as the cabins are both a little narrower and definitely shorter by 2 to 3 feet.  He was forthright about these not being A2 let alone A1 cabins they were being sold as.  They are not the square footage of an Aqua cabin no matter what someone might say.  A couple of pluses is that you are right at the spa/fitness center, close to the spa showers (our cabin had a problem with getting hot water), and the hallway is quiet.  We did get bass vibrations from midnight to 1:30am but with ear plugs, I was fine (husband snores so I always have them) from the Sky Lounge above so noise wasn’t a problem for us.

 

The hotel manager met us in the cabin and said it had been too late to reclassify these cabins for April and May because sailings were full and there would be many upset people if there was musical chairs at the last minute—they are reclassifying some deck 9 concierge class to aqua to make all this work.  Obviously these cabins are brand new to the core, have the new AC/Heating system controls; however, the bathroom lighting is definitely poorer than the regular aqua cabins (we ended up moving so was easy to compare) and floor space is definitely tight.  Lots of storage.  If size of the room doesn’t bother you and you have written verification that you will get aqua benefits, go for it!  

 

PRH, thanks for your feedback - very helpful. I think we've decided to stay put in a deck 11 AQ cabin. The one assigned to us is portside and that is disappointing but as I think through the itinerary, we will be in ports (and off the ship) almost every day during daylight hours so will it really matter?

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

There are a few threads discussing these cabins and the reclassification, have you looked at them

Yes, I have read the threads and have seen the pictures that you refer to. I guess I'm hoping for some more opinions from those that have stayed in the cabins. I don't think we will be bothered by the noise as we're both pretty heavy sleepers.

After painstakingly, deliberate consideration we chose one of the new deck 10 AQ cabins on the Millie for our upcoming Vancouver to Seward cruise. A lot of thought went into this decision. First and foremost, we wanted to be on starboard to watch the coastline as we travel north. We did not like the idea of the overhang on the deck 9 verandas so our choices for AQ was deck 11 or the new cabins on deck 10. Celebrity's specs on the cabin showed the exact square footage as the other AQ cabins, so even though we hadn't had the opportunity to hear anyone's real life experience, we made the choice. That was February. Fast forward to May and these cabins get re-classified to C2. A week in GTY limbo and then Celebrity gives us a port side cabin on deck 11! Celebrity says "no open starboard AQ cabins". TA complains on our behalf and I shook the tree as well. After much hold time, they put us back in our deck 10 cabin and agree to give us AQ perks. One might think I'd be happy with the resolution but now I'm reading that these cabins are significantly smaller than the other AQ cabins. We love spending time on our balcony and am wondering about the size of that too. I'm also worried that X is going to mess things up since we'd be the only AQ guests on deck 10. Not sure what to do now but I would love to hear from people that have stayed in these cabins since both ships were revolutionized. 

Were you happy with the cabin? Did the size matter to you? Did the location outweigh the size difference?

2 hours ago, stines said:

I don’t recall how many plugs/ports, but there were many - incl at desk and at both bedsides. Always had 4 or 5 things charging simultaneously.

 

The balcony was fine. Standard size with new chairs (that recline a little if you want) and small round table. Nice shade/weather cover from deck above but no large overhang.  All totally adequate.

Good to know about the balcony size. I'd read in one of the threads that these balconies were smaller than other AQ staterooms. I'd been considering moving because of that but now think DH and I will stay put!

Thanks!

What is the fastest/easiest way to keep an eye on the cruise you've booked to see what cabins are available? If you decide you want to switch to a different cabin, how do you go about doing so?  

For those of you who have done both, what is the better experience? It seems to me that sight lines may be better on a helicopter and if the idea is to see the wonders from above, I would imagine this is an important factor. 

10 hours ago, hvbaskey said:

We have one booked on the Millennium in May (Alaska) and one on the Summit in October.   Since May is only a 7N cruise, it will be a good test run.  We will either love it or not - LOL!  if not, at least it gives us time to change gears (cabins) for October.

When I return, I will be writing a full review on the M-Class Cabin Info thread. 

I'm not worried about the space in BLU, we don't eat when the big rush is on and have always been seated without any wait time, what-so-ever.  We're also not prone to motion sickness, in fact the better the roll, the better the Zzzzzzz's for us.  

I have read that the lower # cabins (1000 - 1010 for example) can hear the Lounge above (Disco Fever); so we have chosen cabins from the far end (beneath the gents loo) - will see how that works out for us!  stay tuned 😉

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts about the new cabins. I'm hoping you get some pictures to share as well. Like you, DH and I aren't prone to motion sickness and we've always liked being higher than lower on a ship. One of the reasons we chose this cabin instead of deck 11 is that per pictures of the ship, it looks like there is a bit of an overhang above the veranda on 10 but not 11. Important to us for shade and light rain. 

I have read in other threads that these cabins are smaller and veranda smaller but I don't know that it's an educated opinion or something heard. 

We're not super picky and just excited to be cruising again after a few years off and it's our first time in AQ and I'm getting excited about Blu! Alaska here we come!!

5 hours ago, hvbaskey said:

If you use the “search” feature in this thread:  

There are photos, initial reviews, etc.

Thanks Jim. I believe I've read every page but I don't recall seeing pictures or reading a review from someone that stayed in one of them. I'll reread in case I missed it.

I've been trying to find information and pictures from anyone that has been in one of the new deck 10 AQ cabins on the Millie since she's been Revolutionized. DH and I will be cruising Alaska in August in cabin 1014 and are very curious about these new cabins. First time in Aqua Class and really looking forward to experiencing Blu. TIA!

Thanks so much everyone. We will get ourselves to the RR and check our bags early.

Disembarking from our Celebrity cruise in Seward early in the morning and catching the train to Anchorage that leaves at 6pm. We are hoping to do some sightseeing in Seward area and are wondering if there is an option to store our luggage somewhere so we don’t have to lug it around. Thanks for your feedback.

For those folks that have experienced both, how do I choose? I've been a faithful Celebrity cruiser with a couple of strays into Norwegian and RCL. Was slightly underwhelmed with our last 2 Celebrity cruises (mostly food and service quality) and thought I'd decided on HAL for an Alaskan cruise this summer. My sticking point is that HAL is only offering a small cash back incentive and Celebrity is offering their sail beyond event where you can choose 2-4 perks, including a beverage package which my DH and I would get regardless of the cruiseline. Comparing similar itineraries, HAL's base price is lower but when I add 2 beverage packages it puts it significantly higher than Celeb. I've read so much about how great the food is on HAL though and that's compelling. Can you feel my pain? The indecision is crippling me! Your feedback is most appreciated!

Does anyone know if the Explore 4 Promotion is going to come back and if so, when?

We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on the Reflection and are wondering if Celebrity does anything special in the MDR for the "holiday"? :)

I was not aware the specialty coffee in the oceanview, very good to know! Our room was right outside the door of the hideaway. I frequented that coffee station many times.

 

 

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We're in 8252 sailing on Saturday! How was the coffee in the Hideaway?? How was your cabin?

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive review. I appreciate you taking the time to give us your thoughts. My DH and I are sailing on Saturday on the Reflection and I just can't wait! My question is about the robes! DH is a large fellow and I'm wondering if you were successful in securing a larger robe than is normally in the cabin? Three years ago the robes provided just didn't work for him!

Has anyone else experienced a lack of communication from Cozumel Cruise Excursion Tours? I "booked" the 3 reef snorkel tour 2+ weeks ago for my upcoming (Feb 13th) cruise and my deposit was charged on PayPal but I haven't received any kind of information from the tour company - no confirmation, no details! I've called and got a generic "not in" message with no ability to leave voice mail and I've emailed and not received a response.

They've generally received good ratings on TA and CC but now I'm wondering.

We're looking for something scenic and chill for our stop at OR. We've done DRF twice and swam with dolphins. both great, but looking for something more laid back and scenic. Can anyone recommend Cranbrook Flower Forest or Coyaba Gardens?

I've emailed both Courtney Taylor and Liberty Tours but haven't heard back from either one. It's only been 3 days though. Any other recommendations for tour companies or scenic, "local" things to do? :cool:

I understand that the owner/operator of Mystic passed away in December :( I've seen a few posts since then from people that went out with Cuchi, a man that worked for the company. Does anyone know if he is still operating a snorkel tour? When I emailed the address on the Mystic website I got a response that Rosie passed away and couldn't answer my email! I don't want to be disrespectful but would love to give them the business if they are still operating.

Don't know about Grand Cay but definitely Cozumel over Falmouth in my research. Leaving tomorrow! Have booked a 4 reef tour at Cozumel.

Who did you book with in Cozumel and how was it??

Hoping someone answers your question because I'm considering that one as well!

Thank you pennychips. We just signed up and used your promo code.

Thanks Bo Bandy - hope your Uber experience was as good as mine have been!