rbuenger

Thanks for the report! Which itinerary were you on? We sail on the Western Mar. 29th!

Ours was Eastern Caribbean with stops in San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Maarten

To the OP, did you get any indication of how long the Captain and cruise director would be on board? We are on the April 19 TA, just curious!

Sorry Cathy, I did not. We had the same Capt. On our August cruise on Silhouette, so based on the 3 month on / 3 month off rule for Celebrity Captains, he may be due to leave in March....

Can you give us more detail about the smoking problem? We had an issue once and it was dealt with so quickly although it took me using a high liter and the daily taped to their door for the smokers to really "get it". Who did you contact and what was their response? Did you escalate the issue? For those of us that loath smoke - letting this slide will only contribute to a growing problem.

We initially raised the issue with guest services in day 4, the person I spoke to asked that I call when there was active smoking going as they needed to actually witness the smoking themselves in order to do something about it. . Our stateroom attendant was much more proactive about it when we mentioned it to him and said that he would look into it and was more than apologetic about it. The level of smoking went WAY down after we spoke to the attendant but did not stop completely.

"Witnessed one scooter passenger insist that everyone get off the elevator when it stopped on her floor already full."

 

So, what happened? I would have told the passenger to wait his/her turn.

No one got off... Lol

Any chance you would have a copy of the daily activity list for the first sea day. We are on in a few weeks. Trying to decide whether or not to rent an alcove!

Unfortunately, I did not save any if the dailies, they were pretty beat up by the end of the day. . I will say that Richard Spacey does a fantastic job as CD, as does Charlotte as the Activities Manager

I wil be posting a more in depth review when time permits but here are a few things.....

Pros - Service and food in Blu was outstanding, We would book Aqua Class again! Capt. Averopoulos runs a well oiled machine, the ship looked fantastic. No issues with getting a drink at any bar or finding a cocktail server in any venue, including the pool. We rented Alcoves for our 3 sea days and be late port day and enjoyed the space, it worked well with us and the Alvcove server made sure we had everything we needed. We love the Silhouette and will cruise on her again!

Cons - Food in Tuscan Grill was not as good as it was this past summer, when we were aboard from Venice. There were a lot of motorized scooters on this journey, many driven by incredibly rude passengers, scooters left in the middle of the stateroom hallways. Witnessed one scooter passenger insist that everyone get off the elevator when it stopped on her floor already full. Surprising number of passengers treating the staff rudely, clearly feeling the staff were their personal servants. Staff in the Spa is again giving the hard sell at the end of treatments to buy products, I thought this was going to stop when Canyon Ranch took over. Our neighbor kept smoking on hs balcony, even after we raised the issue with the staff

All in all it was a fantastic trip!

How do cruise lines handle selling bottles of alcohol on board, since you can't take them on airplanes anymore? Do they ship the bottles for you?

They do not ship them, they are packed in a protective box so you can put them in your checked luggage for any flights.

In a different stream there was a long debate on how difficult it would be to fly back to the US in case of emergency if someone needed to from a closed loop cruise where they did not have a passport or if someone lost their passport.

Some said that it would be easy, as you implied.

 

So I wrote the consulate in Bermuda to find out the process and if what the consulate would give someone to fly. The following is the answer I received:

 

"One should always be in possession of a passport when leaving the continental United States although it is not required for closed loop travel. So, if something happens and a traveller must return to the United States by air, they will be required to purchase a U.S. passport, no other document is valid for this travel although there is room for some deviation in life and death emergencies."

 

The rules listed on the State Department web site also indicate that getting such a passport is only done during normal business hours, unless there is a life or death situation.

 

So I do not expect that the airlines would let you fly without one.

This is correct, no airline will let you on an international flight without a valid passport or "emergency travel documents" issued by your country of citizenship. I am not sure how that process works with other countries, but for Americans, if your passport gets lost or stolen while out of the country you have to visit an US Embassy or Consulate office in the country you a visiting to get a replacement passport. Mind you, the nearest embassy or consulate office can be hundreds of miles from where you are, so you will need to travel to the place where they are located.

All US Embassies and most consulate offices have the ability onsite to produce passports once your identity has been validated. This is why it is a god idea to have a photo copy or electronic copy of your current passport as it greatly speeds up identity validation. If you in a place where an on-the-spot passport can't be provided and immediate travel is required, you can be issued Emergency Travel Documents that will satisfy travel requirements to get on a flight back to the US.

A number of years ago I was in Paris and one of my travel companions lost their passport and they were issued a replacement within 4 hours once they got to the US Embassy in Paris. The replacement looked just like the original and was a permanent replacement for the one that was lost

In the Caribbean we never take our passport off. The reason why is that we usually do water activities and don't want to take the chance of it getting wet and will not leave it on the beach!

Now on our cruise out of the Med we did take them off with us as we were not doing any water activities and was told it was required by law in Italy to have it on you. So between that and long port days that we were on our own figured we would rather be safe than sorry if we missed the ship.

We are the same, on Caribbean trips, passports stay in the safe but on trips to Europe, we take them with us always

Hi Everyone!

 

We've never sailed out of a US port in prime-time spring break rush hour. Well, we will this year... when our March cruise leaves out of Miami, the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Regal Princess, Independence Of The Seas, and Allure Of The Seas are all in as well. Rounding DOWN that's approximately 15,000 passengers making their way to the port.

 

We fly in that morning... any counsel on best way to get to the port from MIA airport?? Should we reserve a car service, go for a taxi (the lines must be epic!!)?

 

This one pice of logistics is pretty stressful... I'll be so very happy to be on board once we're there!

 

Many thanks.

If you're on Silhouette, you are leaving from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, not the Port of Miami. Port Everglades us about an hour ride from MIA....

I will be purchasing insurance for our trip and I'm comparing costs. I usually get quotes from one of the more popular internet sites that compare various companies (don't know if I can mention it here). I enter the price of our whole vacation (airline, cruise, car rental, hotel, etc) and get a price. I was also looking at the RCI insurance, but I was wondering if their insurance only covers the cruise itself, because that won't work for us, even though it seems cheaper. I can't find where I can even get a quote from RCI for their insurance, so I don't know if I can even add things to it.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Melissa

As others have mentioned, RCI's Insurance does not cover flights if you book them on your own and the coverage values are not very good so not worth it IMO. I have used both CSA and Travelguard and have been pleased with both. insuremytrip.com is the best resource for comparing the different options. DW and I choose to have a policy that has a "Cancel for any reason" clause, so I like looking at various options when we buy a policy.

What we missed in MC was the chance to have a frozen drink. Their drink menu is very limited. We never had any appetizers brought out and asked for nuts twice. Finally just went down and got a drink to take to dinner. Would much prefer flexibility to choose any bar. Why sit in a closed in room looking at each other so we could have a free drink?

 

 

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Our MC bartender was more than happy to have a Strawberry Daiquiri brought in from another bar when DW wanted one. Surprised to hear that you never saw appetizers in the club, we had them every night in Silhouette this past summer. There was a great continental breakfast every morning and a spread of cookies and brownies were laid out in between breakfast and when the appetizers came out mid-afternoon.....

I realise this topic will have a limited and possibly not sympathetic audience, but having recently spent a couple of weeks on Infinity in a Royal Suite (I know, poor me) it seems that while Celebrity is making industry leading steps to enhance the experience for its high-end guests (we're spending the kids' inheritance) it hasn't thought the subject through where alcoholic drinks are concerned.

 

In our suite we were entitled to two litres of spirits. You could change the standard offering but only for other bottom-of-the-range brands. I gave ours away (please don't anybody mention charity) and went to drink pre-dinner each evening in Michael's where I could enjoy decent whiskies, brandies etc. So no saving to Celebrity.

 

My wife isn't a spirit drinker. Well ... but we won't go into that. She likes wine. In Michael's she could have Californian (?) champagne, Italian Prosecco - which was better - or a very limited selection of red and white wines. To have the wine she wanted, not super expensive, we had to go to Vines. Why?

 

I can't complain about the spirits in Michael's, but other than that we were living in a gilded cage that missed the point. Suite guests, for whatever reason, have more disposable income. They drink brands and wines they like, not gut rot or cheap imitations.

 

Whoever is responsible for making these beverage choices for Celebrity on their behalf needs to be educated to understand the needs of suite guests.

 

And as a post script can I ask why in our suite I have to pay for anything I take out of the fridge but can pick-up the same bottles of water or coke etc. in Michael's and take them back to our cabin? It doesn't make any financial sense but is a burden to the guests Celebrity really wants to retain.

DW and I had no issues in getting the 2 bottles of Spirits in our RS this past summer replaced with a bottle of Belvidere Vodka and a bottle of Makers Mark, the MC host was more than happy to make sure this happened. The MC bartender was also more than happy to bring in whatever Spirits and Wine we requested, all we had to do was ask and from there on out, he had it a the ready....

We may, and I emphasize MAY, have to cancel our future cruise due to timing of a medical procedure. If we have to cancel, does Celebrity ever offer a voucher of some sort for a future Celebrity cruise? Our cruise has been fully paid. Thanks.

You would need to make a claim to your trip insurance for repayment due to cancellation, provided the reason for cancelling is covered. Celebrity wont refund or offer a credit

Got an email this AM that my Edocs were issued and when I logged on my account, the Link to order Luggage Tags was now available. For whatever reasons, Celebrity has tied the ability to order tags directly with Edocs being issued.....

What about my idea of sharing this w another couple? Is this practical Comfortable?

There are 2 chairs w/ foot stools and a couch, so there is plenty of space for 4 people, anymore that that and it would be very crowded.

That's the excuse people use but it doesn't hold water. The alcoves are only around the perimeter of the main lawn; there's a huge lawn area in the center, with no alcoves, that anyone can use, not to mention the side lawn areas. It's huge, yet it was never packed with people so always plenty of room to spread a towel out on the grass. Far more than "a few" people can use the lawn, virtually any time they want to. But the haters continue to rant about how the lawn is only for a few. :rolleyes:

 

And you're right- different strokes for different folks. For us it's a lot more than "a few quiet hours in the sun."

We love being outside in the breeze and fresh air, in seats that we know will be waiting for us to return if we leave for a bit, and that we have that access to those seats all day long (more than "a few hours") and that we don't have people 3 inches away on either side of us, and that we can usually choose canopy up or down for sun or shade, and that we can keep the ipad plugged in and charged while listening to music, and that we can have lunch delivered from The Porch and the bar is just a few steps away...

We realize not everyone appreciates those same things and that's a good thing.

:)

Could not agree with you more! We love the Alcoves and the ability to come and go without having to fight for chairs and being able to have a private space. Our attendant this past summer on Silhouette was happy to setup dinner for us in our Alcove, served from the Lawn Club Grill, it was a beautiful dinner under the stars!

I'm thinking about reserving one... I am interested if I should get it for a day or the whole week and what your thoughts are on these...

 

Steve:cool:

Just booked Alcoves, on Silhouette, for our 3 Sea Days and one Port Day when we don't arrive in Port until 3:30pm (San Juan). We had Alcoves booked on our Silhouette trip this past summer and LOVED them!

I was told that when you book for 3 or more days you can get an 20% OBC issued as a discount, but you need to do that on the ship once you board. We only had 2 days booked this past summer but now with 4 Days booked for our upcoming trip, I will go straight to GS when we board to inquire about the OBC.

I must be missing something....why are e-docs even necessary; they are nothing more than a statement of dates, itinerary, cabin, etc. as well as the "contract of carriage" (which I doubt anymore than 2% of the guests read).

The important (but not crucial) document is the Express Pass, as that expedites check in at the pier.

So don't worry about edocs!

I agree with you on the Edocs not being necessary at all, but according to Celebrity, Luggage Tags can't be ordered until the Edocs are issued, so that was the reason for my question here.....

We are on the same cruise, doing the 8th and the 15th. We were booked from last year though. Our edocs came directly from RCCL.COM, we received them on Jan 9th. We also use a TA, this time they came straight from the cruise line. Can't you order the luggage tags by using your booking number?

Thanks! I spoke to our TA after posting this and they mentioned that Celebrity always used to send them the Edocs and their Document Dept would then send to the client, but she had heard lately that some clients were getting them sent directly to then by the cruiseline. TA estimated, now that our room has been assigned, we should be getting our Edocs in the next 24-48 hours and can then order our luggage tags from Celebrity. Having always booked directly through the cruise line, I am still unsure how this TA process works!

DW and I have booked a last minute cruise on Silhouette (2/15 sailing) and for the 1st time used a TA (big "club store"). We have paid in full and our AQ Guarantee was assigned a room today. I have filled out the Online Check-in and printed out our Express Pass. Having never booked this close to sailing, I am trying to figure out when my Edocs will be issued so I can order our Luggage Tags, or is this something that happens through our TA?

TIA

I agree totally with what the other poster said, read the policy and know what you are purchasing for your circumstances.

 

I'll just say I usually purchase their Luxe policy that covers pre-existing medical if purchased prior to final payment. I have filed two claims with them that fell within the guidelines of my policy and I was very happy with the results and the company.

Thanks, the Luxe policy is what I have purchased as it provided the covered for pre-exisiting and a "cancel for any reason" clause, as well as the coverage amounts that I was looking for. I am glad to hear that you had good experiences with CSA when filing a claim.

We have always used TravelGuard for our past cruises but I am thinking about using CSA for our upcoming trip. Curious is anyone has used them in the past? We you satisfied with them?

Thanks.....

I have 2 upcoming cruises booked from UK with an online US based TA. I was able to add the cruises to My Celebrity and manage the reservations exactly as one booked direct. I have booked online dining packages and excursions with no problem. It seems if it is bookable online it makes no difference how the cruise was booked.

 

One thing you definitely can't do online is upgrade a prome classic drink package to premium. I asked the Celebrity rep who is dealing with both my direct booked cruises how to do this for the TA bookings and she said to phone her and she would pass me to the correct department.

Thank you, that is what I was hoping for!

We have always booked directly with Celebrity but DW and I are booking a last minute cruise for February 15 in Silhouette to get out of Chicago for a week and if we book through certain "Club Store" we can get a sizable OBC when booking a AQ room.

My question is this...I know that when you book through a TA, they control the reservation, so they need to contact Celebrity on our behalf. Am I allowed to contact Celebrity, primarily the Cruise Enhancement desk, for things like booking an Alcove or booking an Excursion or does my TA have to do that for us as well?

Thanks for the assistance