the penguins

no need to cheat - you can afford to treat a friend (someone who deserves a break but can't afford it) to a free cruise (they can pay their own tips) and still be ahead on the solo supplements being quoted.

To be clear: 1) for us one of the great things about cruising is sharing tables at dinner in the MDR - we eat as a couple every night at home. 2) With set dinning once you have been allocated a table be it for 2, 6, 8 or whatever those people are your companions for the rest of the cruise. 3) Any Time gives us the opportunity to share with different people which we enjoy. Normally this would mean moving tables but, because of my wife’s mobility/pain issues , X kindly allows us to have the same table of 6 (in fact the same seats) which works out well for us, the servers and the other diners. 4) the time we choose fits neatly with not having to rush if we have been ashore and yes when you are managing pain/mobility/medications 30 minutes can make a lot of difference. On our first few cruises after the restart we accepted all the restrictions including not sharing tables, only being allowed off the ship in organised groups etc but those days are long gone. There is no right or wrong we choose what works best for us and everyone else should do the same.

Thanks. Suites are completely out of our price range. Nothing will get us on an E Class ship. S class is our number 1 choice. Only time will tell if X’s next generation of ships will revert to real balconies and sensible seating but I still expect S class to survive long after we have stopped cruising.

My question was does X charge at check-in? From the other answers it would appear to be no which makes the "no show passenger" the easy solution.

On a typical sea day we use the balcony for 3 to 4 hours a day (we cruise mainly Transatlantics) including having our lunch out there. My wife has mobility/ pain issues and clearly the chairs which have no neck/back support and no recline are not suitable for us. Add to that the tiny table and the lack of space for 2 footstools and you have at least 3 reasons why we will never book an IV cabin. Suites of any sort are beyond our budget.

I assume this was just for a few passengers a bit like an invite to the Bridge or for Sail Aways on the Helicopter Pad both of which we have done although the latter is now impossible due to mobility issues.

We weren't discussing the price of Speciality Restaurants however since the restart the restaurants always seem to be pretty much full - whatever the cost Elite etc still get a discount. Never seen a dinner in the MDR with an Officer as a Captains Club perk. AI did include tips however I believe the basic price of the Internet/Wifi package was reduced when the tips were removed - if they weren't I'm sure these boards would have lit up with the price comparisons and I don't recall that happening. Choice is always good

we will continue to cruise based on itinerary just as we always have. To date we have cruised with X, Royal, Cunard, Princess, HAL, and Hurtigruten plus 2 river cruises. Which perks on Celebrity have been changed to match Royal? I can't think on any.

thank you

in which case I would suggest/recommend RCI changes to the Celebrity system as that works much better for us - See Post 23.

Internet: 4 days may be good if you do short cruises. We generally do minimum 12 days so RCCI leaves us without internet for 8 days whereas X's minutes can easily be spread over the whole cruise. X includes a discount on all Speciality Restaurants. Priority Seating is hardly necessary as the theatres on X generally easily accommodate the number of passengers who want to see the show - Unless Jayne Curry is performing in which case get in early If you want Royal benefits, book Royal, if you want X's book X - choice is great.

Happy Hour was recently extended to include the first day. Of course you are right about Suites but the price is way, way outside our budget.

The simple truth is that X has different rules in different markets. Book in the UK and the base price has to include all port fees and taxes. Deposits are now back to being non-refundable Book in Australia/New Zealand and the base price includes port fees, taxes and tips. Book in the US and port fees, taxes and tips are extras Now wherever you book the conditions that apply are based on your country of residence. In our experience X has always honoured it's "Price Drop" Guarantee it's just that this was not offered on the booking the OP made. Also in the UK any money you have paid to a Travel Agent is not yours (or the Travel Agent's) it is Celebrity's - that is from the moment you pay it is held by the TA for the cruise line. We have a foot in both camps as our son is an American citizen living in Texas whereas we are English.

then you have been very lucky. There are always complaints about the extra "single supplements" and how even after having paid the supplement the hotel allocates a much inferior room.

Depends a lot on your drinking habits and internet usage We don't drink any alcohol and don't need unlimited wifi so for us the Elite + benefits are very good as the benefits include: Unlimited speciality coffees - hot and iced. Unlimited speciality teas and chocolate Enough water/sodas/juices during the Happy Hour (5 to 7 pm every day) to get us through the next 24 hours. 240 minutes internet per person - more than enough to last us for a 14 night cruise - if not share the first 240 then use the second as a discount on a full package. 2 bags of laundry per person plus a couple of items pressed and 1 dry cleaning. Elite breakfast - the perfect start to the day. Priority tendering - not used much but has helped on some itineraries.

Plus the + on the OP's status gives them unlimited speciality teas/coffee/chocolate which on Royal would come out of their 5 drinks a day allowance.

My question is this. What happens if you simply book for 2 people and one is a no show at the port/check in? If the cabin doesn't get repriced at the port then that seems the simple solution to your issue.

The chairs look so uncomfortable- low backed, low to the ground and with no recline - I can't imagine anyone sitting in them for long enough to enjoy the window being open so the cabin might not have enough time to get very hot/cold.

Drinks not available in the MDR nor after dinner unless you eat very early.

thanks clarifies everything: On M and S Classes opening balcony doors does not turn off the aircon. On E Class opening the windows in IV cabins and balcony doors in other cabins does turn off the aircon.

Too late to do that now.

Just curious. With the balcony doors shut you control the temperature so why didn't you just turn down the room stat? Second question did opening the balcony doors in your suite turn off the aircon as it does when you open the window in an IV cabin?

There is a huge difference between M/S classes and E class. On E class open the window and the aircon goes off hence no other cabin is affected. On M and S open the balcony doors and the aircon stays on. The aircon is connected in pairs so when you have your balcony door open it affects your neighbour as the system struggles to maintain whatever your room stat is set at. The instruction on the balcony door is very clear. The wind/pressure created by the balcony door being open is huge just open your cabin door when the balcony door is open and you will instantly feel the affect.

having shared tables with many Americans on numerous cruises including - 2 US Presidential Elections and the UK's Euro Brexit Referendum - we have many very interesting "political" with a small "p" discussions. All discussions around the differences between the systems in our respective countries. All very amicable.

As this is a Celebrity thread I sort of assumed your comments were directed to Celebrity ships.