chemmo

We were on her in September. Our son and GF used the sofa bed, it looked bigger than a queen. If I remember correctly it is not the side that faces the TV that folds out…Certainly it was made up not facing the TV. We never actually saw it being made up/put away, our magical room attendant sorted it the minute we left the room…Our son has been a regular RS/PH sofa bed user for many years, is 6’ tall and had no complaints. They did have TV on some mornings/evenings and could watch it fine. It must have been comfortable enough because we have two further family cruises booked in October and next March! The only guests I think may struggle to use the sofa bed in the PH are those with bad knees or back as I think the bed is slightly lower than a standard bed. We found the suite to be even more light and airy than S PH suites we have enjoyed in the past. Our only comment is that they haven’t made the most of the space they have gained from getting rid of the piano. We had expected a couple of nice chairs, perhaps, but there was simply a rather useless storage unit. Also there are no drawers in the main bathroom. Lots of open storage areas but no drawers! As we wanted our room attendant to be able to easily wipe over the surfaces we left minimal stuff in the bathroom and put other things not in daily use (first aid kit etc) in a drawer in the walk in wardrobe or one of the bedroom drawers. As I said, we have booked further cruises in the PH on Silhouette. She is now our favourite S class ship! The Retreat Deck is a great addition and the range of speciality dining on board is also a real plus. Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

I need a bigger handbag next cruise to keep my marmalade sandwich in…

Much as I find it simply bizarre it does concern me that it could really mislead new cruisers. Definitely adds to the confusion…Summit and Millie done, Silhouette done, Equinox part done…Click on Constellation ship information, click on Retreat and see some lovely pictures of the Retreat Deck on Edge…Yes, it is labelled as Edge class but why show it when as a browser you have clicked on ship information Constellation? Definitely an area for Celebrity to improve.

Perfect description of the two experiences… Only additional information I would add is that we find the food on Celebrity at all venues from the buffet to the Speciality restaurants better. Also, if you are cruising as a family, there are more room option choices including several types of family suitable suites.

Sometimes one quote answers a full thread… When we were young, touring the world and spending every port day enjoying long excursions then we definitely would not have got value for money from a package… However, now we are older and the ship is more our destination we enjoy having what we want to drink when we want it, do use our WiFi and like not having to consider an end of cruise bill. Having followed many threads on similar lines I am thrilled that Celebrity is starting to offer choices again so that those who don’t want/need a package don’t have to pay for one.

As others have said this is the norm on cruising and I think fairly standard across all lines although it may be worth checking Disney…I guess many of us have got used to hotel/holiday deals with free or very reduced baby/child prices. Celebrity would not be our cruise line of choice with babies. For slightly older children there are the well recommended children’s clubs and they can obviously enjoy the main pool. There is no splash pool area on Celebrity ships. Another way to keep costs down (and possibly improve your cruise experience) could be to look at some of the family accommodation on some of the Royal Caribbean ships. They have some suites that are ideal for extended and multigenerational travel. Whilst initially they can look expensive if you add up the cost of a couple of veranda rooms as the alternative then they can become a good option. Suite perks, shared family space, easy to arrange babysitting sharing time. Most of their ships are far more family oriented too and have splash pool areas etc which your youngest grandchildren could enjoy, plenty of things for older grandchildren to enjoy too.

The when you booked comes into play….I can’t comment on other room categories but, like yourself we usually book suites… In our experience of booking the best price is often as the cruise is released. Once one PH has gone the other increases significantly in price and as RS drop in numbers the price increases again. Hence, move on a few months and a great offer comes up and the PH looks a bargain with $$$ off but that new price may still be more than the early birds paid for the first PH. We have a Caribbean cruise booked next year on Silhouette where a RS (with offer) is nearly as much as we paid for the PH as the cruise was released. As with all offers they can be a deal or a reminder you got a good deal months ago when you booked.

Agree. OP how near are you to cruising? If Celebrity has already paid for your ticket then they probably have little control over changes and change price. Trying to change flights after ticketing (even if you have booked direct with the airline) can become difficult and costly. The seats booked are usually categorised as ‘none refundable and none changeable’ (hence the low price Celebrity got them at enabling them to use as a marketing tool) and you are trying to make a change… Worth a phone call direct to the airline…nothing to loose. Alternatively…. I do understand your frustration but I think that Celebrity probably has little ability to make the change you want now…Personally I would try one more call to Celebrity and ask to speak to a supervisor, then I would call the airline direct then I would do the above…

I find it rather confusing that when you go to room details on the PH on the Edge class ships there is a picture of the Millennium living area and when you go to the RS on Edge class it shows you the Solstice RS balcony. Why? I am sure there are probably other anomalies, I just happened to spot these. When the Edge class first came out I could understand they didn’t have stock pictures but they have had plenty of time now to show the ‘real’ room you are considering booking rather than pictures that are of a different class of ship with a totally different layout. As the pictures I have referred to clearly state they are Millennium and Solstice then I don’t suppose it is misrepresenting but it must add to the confusion of an unseasoned Celebrity suite cruiser. If I didn’t know the ships well I could infer that the Solstice RS balcony they are showing is ‘similar’ as what I should expect on Edge class (especially as there is no Edge class RS balcony picture)…

You are offering to give them money, not trying to claim some back!

Not very inclusive…I am surprised that they were unwilling to cater for you. You would have thought when DB designed the menu he would have notated vegetarian and vegan options for each course.

No chefs table is covered by RS or PH in our experience nor are discounts usually offered.

I made my own scones this morning before watching the trooping of the colour, then served them with jam and clotted cream (on top) before drinking a toast to Her Majesty with a Queen Mother cocktail (Dubonnet, ice, lemon, gin). Anyone who serves her country for Seventy years deserves her scones to be perfect and to be toasted with an appropriate beverage. God Bless you, Mam.

In all the years we have experienced speciality restaurants we struggle to get through the standard courses…Like you we cannot see ourselves ever managing a second steak…

Thanks for the information! So if you are in a RS or PH is that $0 +18% of $0 = O…..or $0 + 18% of $50 per guest (Murano)? Or if you are sailing in an area where the price has been increased $0 + 0% = 0….or $0 plus 18% of higher price Murano price? My mind is beginning to boggle! That is our main concern too…

In our experience it is the direction the ship is heading rather than the deck that makes the difference on how much shade you get. However, a deeper balcony often adds to the shade options. May be worth you looking at the S class reviews then naming the ship you are looking at and the specific rooms you are considering…Agree that We love aft views but you can frazzle…

Advantage of pre booking individual restaurants. You can select the exact date and time. You board with the knowledge you are dining in the restaurants you want on the days you want and at the time you want. If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary probably worth pre booking for the peace of mind. Disadvantage, you have paid full price. Advantage of pre booking a package…You will pay a bit less than booking restaurants individually. Disadvantage, obviously those who have pre booked individual restaurants at full price and higher suite guests who may have pre booked through the shoreside concierge may have secured the most popular times. Occasionally on boarding you may have to compromise on date or time when booking certain restaurants. Hence, on boarding it is worth heading straight for one of the speciality restaurants to secure the venue, date and times you want rather than leaving it until the next day when others with dining packages have already filled many slots. Advantage of waiting until you board to book speciality restaurants is you can sometimes get discounts above the package discount. If you are not fussy about the day/time you have more chance of getting offers. Disadvantage, there may not be any offers on any restaurants or only offers on a specific venue. Often good offers involve dining early or late.

It looks like from the prices you are quoting that is the increased price so there will be no additional service charge added. In our experience when cruising from Southampton the speciality restaurants can book up fairly fast. We have seen less reductions being offered on board than when cruising in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean so a pre paid package could be a good idea. We were on Silhouette last September and loved her, back on board October. Hope you enjoy!

Your classic package also includes a wide range of lovely coffees and teas…

We board in October, hopefully someone will report before both of us!

My best guess is they are charging the 18% on cruises where they normally add a service charge on drinks paid for (Med and Caribbean) and are simply upping the meal charge on regions where there is usually a higher base drinks charge but no added service charge (Southampton and Australia/NZ). I could be wrong but that to me would be the easiest explanation…So if you cruise from NZ or Australia this year and we cruise from Southampton we would not pay a service charge but if we both fly to the Caribbean we may pay an 18% surcharge on a meal costing us $0!!!??? The mind boggles.

Many cruises ago when we were in RSs we used to ask for a slip at the end of the evening when dining in the speciality restaurants to add a tip. One waiter (very politely) did inform us that if we tipped on the slip the money went to the general pool, if we tipped in cash the speciality staff shared it. Since then we have always tipped cash…I do hope the new18% add on actually does go to the staff who earn it… To add another complication it could be different for RS/PH in different regions….In regions where the price has gone up no add on but in regions where the price has stayed the same the % slip…Definitely guaranteed to cause confusion! Hopefully we will find out on CC before our next cruise!

We find the chicken noodle soup reliably hot and tasty and we love the fries that come with the general room service turkey club sandwich! Not fine dining but a great lunchtime option to enjoy on sea days on the balcony.

Has anyone in a RS/PH with unlimited speciality dining had a slip for the 18% gratuity? We don’t mind paying, we always tip anyway, just interested in if the system has changed.

Totally agree! Over the years there have been times when we have arrived at hotels having prepaid for sea views which has been disputed on arrival, been offered a lower grade of rental car than we have pre booked, had OBC disappear on boarding…So easy when you can simply open your holiday folder and go to the section (flights, hotels, car hire, cruise…) pull out the relevant document and resolve.