DingoMom

Hi, Jim!

Am loving everything about your review! I especially love all the pics and the photos of Iain. He reminds me of an Adorable elf!! And your descriptions of him make me laugh out loud (in a Very good way)!
 

Do you and Iain do Annual Travel Insurance, or trip insurance, or no insurance? Because you travel the way that (I think) most of us would like to, your insight on this would be most welcome!

For others reading, I was in Singapore in 2003 on military orders. Through no fault of mine,  our short 4 day trip turned into 10 days, with no duties from day 3 - 6, and a very short duty day on day 7. My husband had just retired from the Air Force, so he tagged along with me. A local recommended the nighttime zoo. (It is so hot and humid there that the zoo is not open during the day.) Now, i love animals, but am NOT usually a zoo person, because I want the animals to have a bio-habitat. The only zoo I loved before this was in San Diego.

So, we went to the nighttime zoo. In a word, AMAZING. The animals are nocturnal because of the heat. We went through the zoo in a tram-like thing, and saw unbelievable activity from the animals! (And…I won’t lie…we weren’t sweating through our clothes because of the humidity.) It was VERY special. And although I understand that you can only do so much with the time you have, I promise this will be well worth your time and a very special experience!!

And, lastly, I ❤️ spicy food. (I know Jim doesn’t!) Down on the water, most restaurants had a dish called ‘Chili Crab’. It sounded interesting to me, because I like chili and I like crab, but the ‘mixture’ sounds gross, any way you look at it! IF you are adventurous, and you like (at least a) little spicy, and you like crab, this is a MUST TRY!  I got mine ‘Thai hot’. It was fabulous! It is Not chili con carne, but rather chili peppers.🌶️ I loved it! Such great taste, flavor, and so fresh!! My husband (nothing spicy for him, thank you very much!) was tearing up from smelling my food. I cannot wait ti go back to Singapore and get more chili crab! 🌶️

@indy406, I had the All In, just upgraded the drink package from Classic to Premium for $6.99 per day (+20%) and still have my ‘old’ gratuities in place.

Thank you, Jim, for sharing your story. You and Iain are such a wonderful match, and it’s terrific that you found each other and are living your best life! Thank you for taking us along. Have a marvelous cruise and let the adventure continue!

- Dawn

2 hours ago, Melissa at Mohair Meadows said:

I bought 3 card on the Apex for Feb. Sailing.  As I understand it, all 3 cards must be played for  one two-game session.  Can I prepay for another set of cards which can be used for another session later in the cruise?

Absolutely! And they are on sale for Black Friday! You would just use one order # for one session, and the other order # for the other session!

7 hours ago, MarKay525 said:

And since we had to cancel our TA from Rome due to illness..

 

I am very sorry you did not get to go on your TA because of illness. That is very disappointing, for sure. Like you said, though, following @Jim_Iain’s journey virtually is going to be fun! We have some GREAT “Live” reviewers on these boards, and it is such a pleasure to get to tag along!

We are booked, but we are definitely bringing good ear plugs!

Wow, Charla! A picture is worth a thousand words!! Thank you for sharing this, and for all the time you have taken for your review! Did your SS creak on the Beyond? 

I can’t figure out how to post the link, but U R page explains all the NEW changes to the BCC and explains about the certificates, which are similar to Royal.  Am attaching 2 snapshots:

Schedule:
11/4/23: Summit
11/8/23 or after: Equinox, Eclipse, Silhouette, Reflection, Beyond
11/15/23 or after: Infinity, Apex
11/22/23 or after: Ascent, Edge
11/29/23 or after: Solstice, Millennium
12/6/23 or after: Constellation

If you are a URComped player onboard and earn a certificate, you'll want to do the  "Pay now, Book Later" option. This way you can get additional benefits on your next cruise. Once you get back home you can reach out to your URComped host and let them know which sailing you decided on and we will try to negotiate a greater comp for you. 

Below are the tier points needed to earn each different offer:

@kwokpot, I think I get the same offers as you. How can I differentiate the offers that are AI and those that are not? Is there any way to tell without calling BCC? Thank you!

@Georgia_Peaches, I am in the same boat (haha) as @Oldsweets. How can I use ur on Celebrity when I am a frequent cruiser on Celebrity? For my offers, I have to sign that I haven’t cruised with X in the past year. Thanks!

@hcat I use cash. I want my server to get it. If s/he ends up having to pool it, I can’t control that. We also tip the sommeliers in the specialty restaurant in cash when they are excellent (which they Usually) are.

@Newdoc2002, thank you for the information!

So glad it worked out for you! Enjoy your family trip!

@wallysdtr, I understand completely. However, $13.99 at this point does seem like a great deal. Maybe consider purchasing the upgrade now, as you can always cancel and rebook if the price goes down in the future. More paperwork to keep track of, but I have saved a lot of 💰 using this method!

@Married90, please let me weigh in on something @bigbenboys stated, but his message seems to have been a bit hijacked, I think. You are correct that when you put the 2 ‘upgrades’ for your Aug 28 cruise, your cart doesn’t say anything about a 20% gratuity. It very likely shows a charge of $119.70 for each person (which is $17.10 per person per day for a 7-night cruise.) 

BUT, after that, when you hit ‘check out’, the cost increases to $143.60 per person, because it is for this screen that they add the additional 20% gratuity to the upgrade.

Hope this helps!

3 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

Two bathrooms😊 Two TVs🙏

And, oh boy, the extra storage!!

@rM3panno, yikes! From what I understand, the Move Up contract is separate from both Celebrity and the Blue Chip club. It is an independent vendor, so Celebrity shoreside is — once again — (ahem) worthless. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, and please do let us know how this works out. Best of luck!

@floralscent, so glad you are feeling better!! I am Very sorry that you cannot drink wine! I promise to do my best to consume your wine! As I lay on my bed at home with a triple ankle fracture (while I was supposed to be on the Reflection transatlantic right now) I am glad to hear that you got (relatively) promptly seen and treated. Maybe they can refund you the remaining days of your beverage package if you cannot drink?

@WatchHill, thank you also for the information! Hope DH feels better.

I appreciate from all of you the new knowledge that I have gleaned from this thread!!

For the current sale, I found the upgrade price to be only $6.99 (+20%) per person per day. Best price I have ever seen. I was able to upgrade one of my cruises in February (Ascent) but the sale price was not offered on my December (also Ascent) cruise. The upgrade for the December cruise is $20 per person per day (+ 20%).

I love sunset verandas. I don’t care for infinite verandas. For me, a sunset veranda would be the choice!

On 10/25/2023 at 10:38 AM, Cruiscs said:

Thinking about a regular balcony

Just remember that the Ascent ‘balcony’ would be, in fact, an infinite veranda and not a ‘balcony’ at all.

@cruisestitch, sorry that they are doing that on your TA. Maybe it has to do with the # of nights onboard? I really would not like 3 (or more)!!

And Santa will be on board on Christmas!

39 minutes ago, HSBC said:

I have All Included, this includes classic drink package.  Can I get soda (e.g Coke)?

Thanks!

Absolutely!

I have not yet been on a Japan cruise, but I lived in Japan for three years. I can’t remember exactly what it is called, but Japan does have a version of Diet Coke (that is NOT Coke Zero). It will be in the ‘traditional’ red and white can / bottle.
Also, on Celebrity, I have never had a problem getting Diet Coke. Hopefully someone here can help you with your ‘Japan’ cruise question.

Have a wonderful cruise; Japan is beautiful!