Xport

Oct 2017 on Equinox.

 

We have been on some cruises with the small plates and others with the buffet table, all have been in the Caribbean. It depends mostly on how many elites are on board, have also heard the health inspector, port it left from, carpet, to eliminate waste and etc.

Thanks for your response... Ironically, I spent a week aboard Equinox--also in the Caribbean--beginning on 2 December and the Elite Continental Breakfast was, at least for that sailing apparently, back to plated service... As noted in my earlier post, I've periodically read reports here of a return to buffet service at the breakfast but that hasn't been my personal experience since April 2013; that's nine Celebrity cruises--five in the Caribbean; four in Europe--ago!

Several Hotel Directors, Food & Beverage Directors, and Captain's Club Hostesses have explained the CDC [specifically, carpet] and/or minimization of food waste angles as the basis for the service change but I've never been told that the number of potential attendees is a rationale--it weakens the others and, as a bonus, they sound better--for the differentiation... I think you've nailed it; I'll keep watching!

As we were walking pass the little buffet table to leave a group was hovering over it picking stuff out of the display with their fingers and more or less sampling everything. Sad thing is that Elite must make many think that they are and etiquette or common sense no longer applies to them.

Guessing that your experience with etiquette/common sense lapses may have occurred some time ago...

Though there are still occasional reports to the contrary [not in my personal experience], Celebrity changed the format of the Elite Continental Breakfast from a buffet to plated menu/waiter service several years ago [roughly coincident with elimination of the Grand Buffet--ostensibly for CDC compliance reasons (it was another line that had been cited)--that had been staged once per cruise in the Main Dining Room]...

Tim and I are on the celebrity eclipse mar 4. We are getting excited. It is only 3 weeks before we leave. The itinerary is great. Hope to meet many of you on the cruise.

Louise

I note that you are a relatively new Cruise Critic member...

The Roll Call thread for your specific sailing [started nearly two years ago; it's a large and active group] is the place to "connect" with others who will be sharing your cruise [same ship/sailing date] prior to embarkation... Stop by and introduce yourselves to your cruise mates/join in the discussion by responding to the following thread...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2334187

This sub-forum is intended to discuss the Celebrity experience/ask questions of a more general rather than a social nature...

Eclipse is a wonderful ship; enjoy your trip!

Grand Cayman is always a tender port...

In my experience, the place at which your Celebrity Tour group convenes will vary based upon tour departure time... For early morning tours--when tender demand is at its highest--you may well meet aboard and tender as a group [Celebrity Tour groups that start early get priority]... For tours starting later in the day--after tender demand subsides--you may well meet on the pier after tendering independently...

Your excursion tickets will outline the tendering procedure and meeting place associated with the excursion you have booked...

This thread is a year old!

There will be meet and mingles on shorter cruises, as well as other cruise lines, but they are not arranged by the ship.

Sister lines Celebrity and Azamara both host Meet & Mingle get-togethers for Cruise Critic members in the same way that Royal Caribbean does... In fact, Azamara does so without requirement that 25 or more pre-register to attend and often stage them like small cocktail parties.

Thanks. Wasn't sure if I read a while back that they changed that policy.

If important to you, I'd suggest that you ask at Murano before you dine there... I'm not certain that ordering multiple entrees [best I know, no problems with other courses] is permitted any longer...

I am filing a travel insurance medical clam for $156 to the Travel Insurance carrier that I purchased trip insurance from. The claim is for Medical Center billings from the cruise ship. Why would the travel insurance carrier require that I submit an EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from my primary health insurance carrier when the main reason we all buy travel insurance is because none of our primary health insurance carriers cover any international medical expenses?

Sorry but your assertion is not necessarily true...

• Prior to my retirement, my company's health plan provided world-wide coverage with full benefits...
  
• And now that Medicare is my primary health care carrier, my Medicare Supplement ["Medigap" Policy; I happen to purchase Plan F (it's the most comprehensive and is the most popular choice among those who purchase a Medicare Supplement; there are others with varying provisions)] covers certain medical expenses incurred while traveling internationally on a cost-sharing basis subject to a plan maximum...
  
  • If appropriate, following is a link to the Medicare website in which there is a summary of Medigap benefits--including those related to claims incurred internationally--by Plan [if offered for purchase in your home area, the policy terms--but not the premiums--are identical from supplemental carrier to supplemental carrier]...
    
    • https://www.medicare.gov/supplement-other-insurance/compare-medigap/compare-medigap.html
      
    • If curious, you will find additional information relative to international medical coverage by Medigap Plan type via web search...
      

    [*]As someone who travels extensively and has a pre-existing condition, I still purchase private travel insurance [not, for instance, through a cruise line; there are better options at similar cost] with substantial medical coverage to further supplement both Medicare and my Medigap Policy so as to "kick in"--on a tertiary basis--in the event of a substantial claim...

While the claims process can be cumbersome, I fully understand why your Travel Insurance carrier requires that they receive an Explanation Of Benefits from each of your insurance carriers before considering your claim... At any age, there are no universals as to one's health care coverage; an EOB trail determines your entitlement...

Suite guests are usually given elite status as part of the suite. We were on our first ever cruise :)

To the best of my knowledge the practice to which you refer was at the discretion of the Hotel Director [as Don noted] and then--if extended--was limited to guests occupying only the top-most suites... It is my understanding that the practice has been discontinued since Michael's Club was repurposed as a lounge for Suite and Captain's Club Zenith guests [expanded to include Sky Suite guests starting in December 2015] and the Go Big/Go Better/Go Best pricing model has been implemented for most cruises [suite guests are generally provided with all four perks]...

They did feature Silent Disco while I was aboard Equinox last month (7 night Western Caribbean) and it was wildly popular/lots of fun...

Cruise Director tends to set the activity schedule—Rich Spacey (aboard my trip) disembarked for home leave on 9 December—but Silent Disco seems to be a crowd pleaser and has become a fairly routine offering on Celebrity for the past 18 months or so...

Have fun!

Also a general question, we have the internet package this time, how do you get your codes etc.?

Don't believe that all of your questions have been answered...

When you initially turn on your device [or sit down at one of the laptops in the iLounge (Deck 6 midships)] and access Celebrity's Wi-Fi network [redirect should be automatic], a screen will come up inviting you to activate your internet package [or, if one didn't have a package, to purchase one]...

• You will be asked to enter the unique folio number printed on your SeaPass Card [eight digits; found below sailing date]...
  
• Upon entering the folio number, the specifics of your internet package will appear...
  
• Choose a user name and password--be sure to remember them; you'll need them every time you log in--and you're good to go...
  

Only one device may be used at a time but the same user name and password will work on other devices upon accessing the log-in page for Celebrity's Wi-Fi network...

-----

Enough has already been said about food--I happen to really like Blu; some don't--but just wanted to add that...

• As others have noted, Blu features an array of menu choices nightly which are among the most popular selections in the Main Dining Room...
  
• As others have noted, it is unlikely--based upon logistical considerations; the galleys are not remotely proximate on Solstice-Class ships [Eclipse, Equinox, Reflection, Silhouette, Solstice] whereas they are shared on Millennium-Class ships [Constellation, Infinity, Millennium, Summit]--that you will have access to the full nightly Main Dining Room menu in Blu while aboard Equinox...
  
• But I don't think that this has been mentioned...
  
  • AquaClass guests may have dinner in the Main Dining Room--rather than in Blu--on an ad hoc basis if they choose to do so...
    
  • AquaClass guests choosing to have dinner in the Main Dining Room will be accommodated in the "Select Dining" section... On Equinox last month--it may change--"Select Dining" was staged on the upper [Deck 4] level of the Opus [Main] Dining Room...
    
    • Within hours, you may simply show up at the "Select Dining" Host/Hostess podium and ask to be seated when you are ready to dine... Based upon demand at the time, you may--or may not--encounter a wait to be seated...
      
    • Alternatively, you may ask the Maitre 'D in Blu to make a "Select Dining" reservation for you in advance [which tends to mitigate the wait, if any]... Generally, he/she will have the following night's dinner menus--in both venues--available for your review...
      

AquaClass cabins located on the slant--with the larger balconies--are Category A1 staterooms... They are my favorites--I like the proximity to the elevators along with the oversized veranda--and have never noted them to be noisy...

I also hoping they might have an elite section in the main dining room, like Royal has. Was so nice to not have to wait in along line for a sit down breakfast.

Celebrity does not offer a dedicated section in the Main Dining Room at any meal based upon loyalty tier...

The ships are generally far smaller in terms of double-occupancy guest capacity than are nearly all of those operated by Royal Caribbean [Constellation will have ~2200 guests]... With so many breakfast options for full or continental breakfast [The Oceanview Café (the buffet with custom-order stations; somewhat equivalent to Windjammer) for all guests, separate menu-based restaurants for Suite and AquaClass guests, the Coffee Hour for Elite/Elite+/Zenith Captain's Club members (continental plated service--occasionally a buffet--with specialty coffees and a number of alcohol-based "Eye Openers"), the Spa Café--available to all guests--for light/healthy options (nothing cooked), Room Service (full breakfast menu; no service charge between 11:00 PM and 6:00 AM], it is not my impression that Celebrity needs to follow Royal Caribbean's "loyalty-based separate line" practice...

Though surely there are peak times/non-peak times associated with all dining venues based upon personal preference and ship schedule, I've never seen a particularly long line for breakfast seating in the Main Dining Room on any Celebrity ship... The process moves along quickly...

Hope you enjoy your first Celebrity cruise!

What time is the Elite breakfast dining room open thank you Aussie

Typically it’s 8:00 AM until 10:00 AM with no variation on port vs sea days...

We are sailing on the Summit class ship in 1615.

Don't want to come across as argumentative, but there are no staterooms in the 1600 cabin numbering series on any Millennium-Class ship [summit is a Millennium-Class ship]...

As noted in my earlier post, I very strongly suspect that you are instead sailing on one of the Solstice-Class ships [as enumerated above] and that my comments relative to downward view stand...

After more than 400 cruise days on Celebrity, I know their ships inside and out!

Are there any lifeboats below the balcony. We have heard that the are below and could obstruct your view looking straight down.

Are you certain that you have the ship name and/or the cabin number citation correct? I'm not aware of a 1600 series of cabin numbers on any of the Millennium-Class ships [Constellation, Infinity, Millennium and Summit]...

The Solstice-Class ships [Eclipse, Equinox, Reflection, Silhouette and Solstice] do have a 1600 series of cabin numbers on, interestingly enough, Deck 11 and some of those cabins are suites... On Solstice-Class ships, the lifeboats are on Deck 5; there is no obstruction of view [or virtually no obstruction of view; from that distance you would be measuring it with a micrometer] looking down...

Don't know the suite category associated with 1615... Photos on the Celebrity website--for your selected suite category--should be quite accurate [perhaps, mirror reverse]...

Just curious about the atmosphere in the cafe? On HAL the tables are set with tablecloths, cutlery, etc.. in the evening, so the only difference is that the meal is "self-serve"...

The atmosphere in the Oceanview Café {Celebrity's version of HAL's Lido] is pleasant and quiet [no crowds at dinner] but is informal... Celebrity does not set the tables in Oceanview with tablecloths or cutlery; it is truly self-serve...

Edited To Add: Sorry cruisestich; your reply popped in while I became preoccupied with a phone call... Hope you are well/happy!

If I had to give a negative about Equinox it's that they have one fewer specialty restaurant than the other S-class ships and a Gastro bar instead of a wine bar.

Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse have four specialty restaurants each [Murano, Tuscan Grille, Silk Harvest and Sushi On 5 on Solstice and Equinox, Murano, Tuscan Grille, Qsine and Sushi On 5 on Eclipse]... The last two of the five Solstice-Class ships--Silhouette and Reflection--added a fifth specialty restaurant [Lawn Club Grill] in the space that is used for the Corning Hot Glass Show on Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse...

Last January we were on the Summit and they did have the meusli cart. We were also told that it was discontinued because of the health code, really? How do they then allow the buffet?

As Jade13 and excitedofharpenden have both noted, the issue seemingly comes down to Center For Disease Control inspection implications and considerations... It took me some time to find it but the following post--dating back to April 2015--addresses the same general issue...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2197922

An onboard Food & Beverage Director provided me with the same explanation as to floor surface and, though not mentioned in the link referenced above, the need for "sneeze guards"...

I've done nine cruises with Celebrity [some Florida-based, some international; all of them with access to Blu] in the subsequent time frame and--though others have periodically reported different experiences--I've not seen a rolling muesli cart since... And on a related basis, nor have I seen a self-service buffet at the Elite Coffee Hour [since replaced by menu-driven plated service] or a Grand Buffet in the Main Dining Room in almost three years...

Truth told, several Maitre D's in Blu have confided that they have not been personally disappointed by the elimination of the rolling muesli carts in Blu--recognizing that they were a popular novelty with guests; the menu offering continues but the delivery is different--for other reasons... Given the floor plan/table layout in Blu, the cart/server/guests who needed to step to an aisle to make ingredient selections obstructed the flow of wait staff and guest traffic along Blu's primary walkways... Apparently, mishaps sometimes occurred...

I'm sorry that your recent experience aboard Silhouette disappointed you... Fortunately, I was very satisfied with my time aboard Equinox last month as to food [i dined at Blu, each of the specialty restaurants (other than Sushi On Five), The Oceanview, Mast Grill, and Aqua Spa Cafe] and the cruise in general; for now, I plan to be back... Should that change, I'll need to assess whether or not ocean cruising will continue to be my favorite way to vacation...

I do happen to think that the onboard Food & Beverage Director, the Executive Chef, and the Head Chef in each of the dining venues can matter--just as one's personal tastes/preferences can matter--when one formulates an assessment as to food... In that respect, I'd like to think that some of your experience as an unfortunate "one off"... But I also suspect--as is so often the case throughout our economy/markets these days--that past can no longer be considered as prologue in terms of our expectations...

Have there been changes at Celebrity since I started to sail with them in March 2009 [400+ days]? Absolutely; I haven't liked them all but all one need do is read other sub-forums here on Cruise Critic to know that the trend is hardly unique to Celebrity [a thread on the Princess board recently noted a rationing of butter on one ship; a member quipped that Princess ought implement an "unlimited butter package" as a discretionary purchase]... But I also understand that competition among cruise lines has stepped up significantly [capacity; differentiating bells/whistles] in recent years, pricing sensitivity from guests is intense [some forget that we are no longer recovering from the economic collapse with depressed cruise prices of the last decade], Corporate quests for more profitability and sustained growth [each generation--the future--has evolving values as to what is/is not important; creating a balance between the expectations of established customers (who often lament the way things were), their potential replacements (who can't miss what they don't know), and increasing performance pressures from Wall Street/investors is a challenge] have escalated...

By nature, I am not a pessimist but I am a realist; the dynamic is extremely complex... May your next cruise--with Celebrity or a competitor, if you choose to do one--be more pleasing to you and your wife...

Writing to Celebrity OneTouch or calling Captain's Club to secure a Win/Loss Statement will result in your being referred to Celebrity's Blue Chip Club [centralized casino operations are staffed at Miami Corporate Headquarters]...

Strongly suggest you accelerate the process and instead either...

• Write to BlueChipClub@celebrity.com
  
• Call 866-481-7170
  

In addition to your name and address it will be helpful if you provide them with information relative to all ships you sailed and played the casino during the prior year [winning and losing trips], the dates of those sailings, and--if you have them--your booking numbers for each of those sailings for validation purposes...

During the past few years, it seems to me that Blue Chip Club has substantially improved their tracking of all casino play [earlier, they needed to contact each ship for play information upon request]... That said--and I don't know their data collection process--it occurs to me that it might still be a bit early to request a Win/Loss Statement that includes gaming activity/history from December [and perhaps, November] 2017...

At tax time in 2017--and I certainly didn't wait until the last possible moment to make my request [i did so in early February]--I had my 2016 Win/Loss statement [consolidated for multiple sailings] via return e-mail within less than a week...

I believe that if a new-to-Princess guest has Elite status on another line, then they get upgraded to elite for this one cruise. I think Celebrity does this as well.

Prior to the very significant upgrades to Celebrity’s Suite Class benefits a few years ago, Celebrity did—on occasion—provide Elite loyalty benefits (middle tier of their five tier program) to those who occupied one of the few topmost suites (ie; Penthouse or Royal)... Best I know, that discretionary practice has been discontinued for quite some time...

For sanitary purposes, there are no microwave ovens aboard ship for guest use...

You might consider looking at the Salonpas line of "heated" medicinal patches--no microwave and no electrical connection required--to the same result... They are widely available at pharmacies [including Walgreen's and CVS] as well as Walmart...

You will be advised of time differences--if any, destination port and date of port call can matter [and then, Equinox has multiple itineraries]--via the daily newsletter [Celebrity Today; time change information is always highlighted on page 1] which is delivered to your cabin during turn-down service by your stateroom steward each evening... During the same service, your steward will also likely enable a time change message on the screen of your in-cabin TV [lots of Celebrity cruises; I've never seen it to fail] that you will see immediately upon entering your room [the TV will be turned on]...

The time to change your watch or personal alarm clock [don't rely on your mobile phone; service is not always reliable/exacting in accordance with ship practice and can be expensive] is prior to retiring for the night... The clocks aboard ship and the time displayed on your in-cabin phone [which provides the capability to set a wake-up call] will be adjusted overnight...

As you disembark the ship there will be boards at the gangway that specify all aboard time for crew, all aboard time for guests, and departure/sail-away time... The times posted on those boards assume that you've made any adjustments to your watch in accordance with the prior evening's advisories...

During a week-long Western Caribbean cruise on Equinox last month [Key West, Puerto Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman] there were no time changes relative to Eastern Standard/Miami time... That said, your experiences--even if doing the same itinerary--may differ based upon when you are sailing...

Elite + discount is 35%. However is you use any of your Elite+ minutes then you lose the discount.

Thanks so much for the correction... It's been awhile since I've had occasion to use the loyalty discount against purchase of an unlimited internet package...

I do recall that one couldn't use the free minutes loyalty allowance and subsequently claim the loyalty discount against purchase of an unlimited package... During the cruises in which I used the discount, the price of unlimited internet never varied regardless of when the package was purchased [ie; no proration of cost based upon cruise days remaining]... If needed--at least as was the practice at the time--it made sense to purchase unlimited access for effect on embarkation day...

The related section of the website has been incorrect for some time... 240 minutes is correct...

Alternatively, Elite + members may avail themselves of a discount--I believe it is 30% at your loyalty tier--should you decide to purchase an unlimited internet package...