Scottygirl1

I'm quite surprised that dressy shorts with a nice polo top and closed in shoes are not allowed in the MDR (on non-chic nights) on a Caribbean cruise.  In the summer here my partner always wears nice shorts and shoes to a casual dinner. Oh well, all I can say is the buffet is looking more attractive because we simply can't be bothered with all the dress rules while on holiday.

1 minute ago, villauk said:

 

You probably won’t be able to post photos on the surf, you can’t in WhatsApp on that plan.

Thanks - maybe I'll need to spend more.  I can't get over how expensive the internet is on Celebrity compared to other cruise lines I've sailed on.

Perhaps someone can answer this - I like to keep an online travel blog and post photos on this.  Would the surf package be enough for this?  No video, just lower resolution photos.

I phoned Celebrity and upgraded from balcony to concierge - I was told at the time that all the conditions and perks of my original booking remain.  I'm glad I didn't do this online as the OP did!

10 hours ago, davekathy said:

Have you contacted the Captains Club? It is a big deal to have his tier level documented correctly. 

Yes.  They just said that it was on the webpage correctly and I should try re-entering his details etc.  I did all that they said but nothing has altered his Xpress pass or cruise documents.  I might have a chat to the Captain's Club desk onboard.

My issue is that my partner's Xpress pass and checking documents etc show he is "preview" when he is the same status as me which is "Select".  When I look at his page online it shows the same membership points as mine and same sailing history but try as I might, Celebrity can't fix it!  I mean it's not a big problem but I've phoned and been transferred from one person to another, I've emailed and had dumb replies.  It's kind of just the principle of it all (and my OCD nature) 🙂

On 10/3/2019 at 1:34 PM, DiamondSuiteCruiser said:

Went on an 11 night cruise Dec 2017 at the start of the cruise (1st wk in Dec) it was like this example of the central stair case. Then it looked like this by the end of the cruise. Each day more and more decorations showed up. Elves were busy as we slept. Decorations were everywhere! Beautiful. This ship was the Eclipse. 

We use the stairs on cruise ships - what do people do in this situation!  How can the block an entire staircase?

I'm so glad to read this.  We embark Reflection on 29th for 10 nights so I'm assuming it will be either decorated or in progress.  That will be be fun to see it all transformed.

10 minutes ago, DENIE said:

On our past cruises we first, and foremost, leave the standard gratuities "as is", and make no adjustments.  We tip our cabin steward about $20 on the first full day at sea, and then a bit more in the middle and a bit more at the end.  We know how hard they work, and love how wonderful they keep our stateroom

 

We also tipped the server in the Martini Bar on our last cruise in similar fashion.  My wife and I upgraded Classic to Premium with him, and my SIL bought the Premium package outright.  Considering we were there every night (sometimes 2x), he always seemed to find us before we even saw him.  Made excellent suggestions, and of course, if something wasn't made right, he immediately tried to figure out why (even found out that one night the olive juice was bad!).  Amazing service!!

 

We also gave our favorite server in the Rendezvous Lounge a few dollars along the way.  Again...we NEVER waited for service.

 

In addition - if they are not super busy, we like to ask questions about where they are from, etc.  We find they love to chat, and we really enjoy getting to know them!

 

We do not feel we go "overboard", and this kind of money means a lot to them.  Grateful to all of them for making our experience wonderful!

 

That seems more reasonable to me.  I don't think we've ever spent time at any one bar so haven't tipped a barman.  I'm sure we will tip our room steward after our next trip and maybe a few others but just smaller amounts than others have tipped.  It's hard coming from a complete 'non tipping' culture - it really doesn't come naturally to us.  We know we have to tip for service while in US and that's not an issue... you never know - we might tip our barman on the next trip 🙂

OK, I am absolutely gobsmacked (astounded) at the additional tips mentioned by some here. We always pay the auto-tip but that's it.  We've never tipped a barman or a waiter etc.  Mind you we hardly eat at the MDR and if we do we never get the same staff.  We did tip a butler years ago when he did go over and above for us and also a room steward on a recent short cruise.  I'm blown away by the amounts given over and above the auto tip.  

On the Celebrity webpage for Concierge Class they no longer state Tote Bags as part of the room amenities.  Mmmm... hadn't noticed that until now.  Actually only suites state that you get a Tote bag now.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/nz/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/concierge-class-stateroom

With all this talk I've upgraded to premium for both of us.  I just decided that it would make everything easier - my husband can try all the different beers, we can have nicer wine with dinner and I can get a few yummy cocktails 🙂

We recently sailed on Emerald Princess and I have never been so disappointed with a buffet before.  It had the new "World Fresh Marketplace" setup and was relatively small for a ship's buffet - I seriously struggled to find anything that I wanted to eat that was tasty!  Sure it looked great but it completely lacked delicious hot food selections.  Compared to other lines I've cruised it would put me off ever sailing Princess again.  We found the MDR food to be good but we are very casual cruisers and find we'd rather just eat in the buffet for the majority of our cruise.

1 hour ago, Beth_55 said:

You can board whenever .  

Thanks 🙂  We will!!

OK, CC question.  I had a boarding time of 11.30am but then upgraded to CC - can I just board at any time now or do I still have to wait until 11.30am?  Do you get a set boarding time when you are CC?  Thanks.

And the tiny balcony tables?  I hope they order bigger tables as well 🙂

Slightly off topic but what water is available on the classic package?  Is there a water similar to a Pellegrino?  

Hi, there is also a forum here for Rome - you could try asking there as well.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/464-italy-ports/

Another option for you is to join the roll call for your cruise on here.  You can meet others on the same cruise and you can organise a group shuttle/bus which cuts the cost down.  We have done this in the past and it has worked well.

40 minutes ago, hcat said:

The movies are back!

Yes - the power of Cruise Critic !!  Excellent.  

On 9/15/2019 at 9:20 PM, haptrav said:

Yes, we have footstools on our cc balcony. I’m finding the cabin and especially the bathroom feels more spacious than usual. 

Thank you for that - fingers crossed they leave them there for us!  Sadly they are taking them away from other ships.

50 minutes ago, azalice said:

I assume I can buy a Surf package single device, and then my DH and I can take turns using a device. And the device can be either our IPad or IPhone? 

Yes 🙂

9 minutes ago, azalice said:

Thanks Marelaine, we cruise Oct.1but leave for Europe Sept. 24. We will wait a while longer to book. Being Classic tier, I expect the 10% is likely all we will get but I will keep checking.

If it's any help I'd just buy it at the 10% off now.  I am classic tier as well and have watched the specials for months and the surf package hasn't got cheaper than that the entire time.  The full internet package was cheaper a couple of times but not the surf.

12 minutes ago, azalice said:

Thanks, Scottygirl1. I went over all the choices as you suggested and found more than I had before. I think we will purchase the surf only, one device to keep costs down. I guess we just have to take turns with our two devices, using only one at a time.

That's what we are doing - I also got a discount for Captain's Club so if you are a member phone up and get that.  Don't take no for an answer if they say it doesn't cover the Surf package too!!

Can I ask if there are still footstools on the balconies of concierge class?  Thanks.  We are on Reflection soon.

18 minutes ago, azalice said:

I think we will be purchasing some kind of a package. I do not see one that says one device, without it also saying credit for excursions and one specialty dining. We do not care about the excursions or specialty dining. I was finding the choices under cruise planning on the website. 

 

Am I missing something that allows one device, period - no extras thrown in?

You must be looking under the added perk packages.  Go to  the "Internet and More" tab and you will see lots of options.  If you can't find it, phone Celebrity and book it through them.