whitbob

7 hours ago, Ashland said:

So you do get a confirmation from US Gov that it is being processed...even if it was sent 1st class?

Yes, as others have mentioned you can look up the status from the US passport website.  I did get an email with a link to the govt website, and it had a locator number but you can also look it up with your name, Birthdate...  It took 6 weeks from the time I mailed everything in to get that email.  The website only told me that they received the application on Oct 26th.  I received another email in January saying the passport was approved, and what day it would arrive.  It was reassuring to get the confirmation notice in advance.

On 1/14/2021 at 7:42 AM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Does anyone have more recent information on length of time to have passport renewed?

Received my renewed passport last week.  Here are the details:  

Chose standard service ($110).  Mailed using certified USPS for tracking on 10/19/20 to Philadelphia from Georgia, cost was $4.95.  It arrived per tracking on 10/26/20.  Received email confirmation from US Govt that they were processing on 12/5/20.  In took almost 3 months including USPS shipping.  
 

Anxiously waiting to be able to use it.  

We arrived for dinner at 8 and I think we had to wait for a table.  The waiter was not sick, he just went off shift "thinking" he was done.  There were several other tables dining when we arrived.  I think they stop taking tables at 9 so we were well within the time open.  Without fail, we always had to wait for a table.  The hostess was very snooty as well.  This was not our first cruise, we have been on several and 3 years ago spent our 2 week honeymoon on Eclipse.  This is by far the worst service we received on the ship.  Main dining room was great!

We were on the Eclipse sailing just before you last year, San Diego to Vancouver and felt things were a bit off. First, the embarkation was delayed because of a big inspection. The staff said it was a result of returning to US waters from South America. We noticed things were missing, like limes and other fairly common fruits or vegetables. The Blu staff said they didn’t get some supplies while in San Diego. I don’t recall service issues like you experienced, but found there were small gaps. We don’t ask for a certain waiter or to be seated in the same location, but typically the hostess will get to know you, and place you with the same wait staff. We were seated all over, and the staff didn’t really ever learn our preferences. I think this was the cruise that the Maitre D was leaving the ship to open or run a restaurant, so it felt like the crew was a bit disjointed.

We have been on 7 Cruises in Aqua, on 4 different ships, and this was the only time that the Blu experience wasn’t superior or memorable in a good way.


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Haven’t thought about it, but it would probably depend on the ship crew size. If they lower the crew by 50% to handle the lower guest capacity, the tips/crew pay should remain the same.


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I didn't want to start another "cancellation thread", but I'm curious about something.
 
For those of you who had cruises in May and June, how did you find out the cruise was cancelled?  By email or were you called?  And how far in advance were you notified?

KTB,

Some of the May and June cruises, were not all ‘cancelled’ at the same time, as Celebrity was attempting to still sail, working around the various country and ports closing. We had our May 28 cruise to Canada amended, and were told on March 24th that the cruise would now be to the Bahamas. It was on April 16th that we received notice that Celebrity cancelled global cruising until June 11th.

We did request a refund on April 17, and are still waiting. The TA followed up with Celebrity yesterday, and said our refund was to be processed today. :)


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Based upon the price and length, I would Go with Oceania.  We have sailed on 7 Celebrity ships in the past 5 years, but all in Aqua, so I can't assess Retreat/Suite benefits and compare.  We sailed Oceania Marina in a Penthouse Suite which was nicely appointed, with a walk in closet and good size bathroom.  There was a lounge, but I think it was limited to snacks, concierge services and non-alcoholic drinks.  The food was overall better, and the (price included) specialty restaurants were all very good.  I can't remember what we did on the drinks package, but recall drinking nice wines.

 

Oceania entertainment is not big Broadway or production shows as Celebrity, but the enrichment activities were superior.  They had guest speakers, food/wine tastings, Cooking Classes (not just a demo), bridge groups, art classes, and a really nice Afternoon Tea service.  The itinerary was very port intensive, but we booked tours independently, so I can't comment on their excursions.

 

We have really enjoyed Celebrity, but we cruise them because of price. It is typically far less for a similar cruise on Celebrity, than Oceania, Silversea, etc...  When it comes to tendering, touring smaller ports, finding a chair at the pool in warmer climates the smaller cruise lines are a luxury experience.  Good luck making your decision, and planning your trip.

We have been on the Solstice twice, once in cabin 1562 and again this year in 1566. We have never had noise issues under the Solarium, and could not hear the Jacuzzi running while in 1562, which I think is right below.




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37 minutes ago, jmbklj said:

Besides typically on higher decks, are the Aqua cabins also primarily more forward?

Not really.  They are mostly on Deck 11 on the S Class ships, but are located in the front, middle and back.  We have never sailed aft, so Not sure if Any of those are AQ.  

26 minutes ago, Muffinz said:

I've not read all the posts in this thread, but can someone explain what the differences are between a balcony stateroom and aqua class - apart from the Blu restaurant?

to me it looks like everything else is the same - same size stateroom...etc...

I'm just curious as to what the other big differences are

 

thanks

 

Hi Muffinz,  

 

I might miss a few things, but the AQ rooms and balconies are the same size as Concierge and regular balcony rooms.  They have changed the additional amenities over the 4-5 years that I have cruised on Celebrity, but generally that difference are:

 

Blu Dining room (any time seating), limited to AQ guests, and Retreat guest if space is available (that is handled differently by ship.)  They serve Dinner and Breakfast

Free access to Persian Gardens

Ice Tea (bottled water was dropped a few years ago) delivered daily

Expanded breakfast room service menu (we haven't ordered room service in a few years, so maybe someone can articulate the difference)

A fancy shower head with more jets

Personal Spa Concierge (have never figured out who this is)

Plushy robes (they are typically longer, and Terry cloth, so thicker that those cotton ones)

Priority check in line

Foot stools on the balcony

The cabins are typically on the higher floors, but this is debated as an amenity, as not everyone likes the rooms under the pool deck.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Yes, we love Aqua Class. Our first large ship cruise was on Celebrity in the Baltic.  We saw a sale, and booked into AQ not really knowing what it was, and have now been on 7 trips, all Aqua.  We enjoy Blu and use Persian Gardens, usually when returning early from shore excursions, as it is not as crowded on port days.

 

We also like the cabin placement on the ship. Many people have made negative comments about noise from the pool or gym, which we have never noticed.  We enjoy the overhang, as it protects from the sun and rain, giving us more balcony time.

Ken,

you are on vacation, put the tie back in the drawer and relax.  😊. No one will notice.

Cruisestitch,  thank you for your explanation.  We were on Solstice last month, and received a refund on the itemized statement a few days before the end of the cruise.    DH asked guest services, and they said it was for port taxes.  As we hadn’t missed any ports, it didn’t make sense, but it does now.

 

 

We are booked 9048 on Summit in May, so interested in your question.  We chose that location as we have cruised 6 times on various S ships under the Solarium, starboard side, with no noise issues.  In fact, we have observed that the Solarium typically clears out by happy hour/early dinner, and frequently we have seen the staff hosing it down, and setting up for the next day during dinner hours, so by the time we are in for the evening, it is all quiet above those cabins.  The Solarium is open till   10pm (it was on our cruise last month) so even if their are people still using it, it isn’t late hours.  Good luck, enjoy your cruise.

Just returned from 12 night Solstice, and there were 2 chic nights.

We took the Pacific Coast cruise on Eclipse last April, and the arrival time was 7am.  Just looked at the pictures I took, and we arrived under the bridge and into the Vancouver harbor at 6:15am, we were still coasting around, as the last pictures I took were around 6:45am and we were still pulling up to the pier.  We normally take the early walk off, but disembarked regular closer to 9am, and recall the luggage pick up and catching a cab to be easy, without lines or waits at that time.  We did have breakfast in Blu, and as the ship had NOT yet been cleared, there were mobs of people on the fifth floor queued up to exit the ship around 7am.  We recall having to wiggle thru Ensemble Lounge around all of the people and their luggage.    This said, if you are going to walk off with your luggage, you will be ahead of the timed groups, and should not have any trouble getting to your shuttle.  

 

Enjoy your cruises.

On 2/25/2020 at 7:20 AM, juliet said:

Is the room service in Aqua Class any different than any other room service items?  Can someone post a room service menu if possible.  TIA

On Solstice in AQ now.  Here is the door tag for breakfast items, and the room service card.  I agree with Jelayne, breakfast in Blu is such a wonderful experience, we have not tried room service yet on this trip.

We were in Port Chalmers on Saturday traveling on the Solstice.  The buses were available right At the cruise port.  They were $15. One way to Dunedin, or $20 return.   Dropped you and picked up right downtown.  Cash only, they accepted Any currency,  but still $20, so best to have New Zealand.  

We just returned from a Rhine cruise of the Christmas Markets on AmaPrima, with the Pre-tour of Zurich/Lucern.  This is our 3rd AMA cruise (Bordeaux and Danube), but the first time we took the AMA extension trip, as we enjoy booking and traveling on our own before cruises.  There have been a few questions asked over the last few weeks, that I might be able to answer, or have an opinion.

 

The hotels AMA booked were:  Zurich Marriott.  Standard business hotel, with a great location.  Nice, clean, well maintained.   It was an easy walk to the train station, which was a bouncing off spot for touring the city.  Our luggage was lost at CDG airport, so we got to know most of the staff at the front desk, checking in about the courier arriving.  Every employee we interacted with was exceptional.  The breakfast was included, and a notch above the standard buffet food you see at Marriott and Hilton here in the US.   In Lucerne we stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof.  It is right on the Lake, across from where the boats/ferrys dock, which is how you arrive from Zurich.  It is an easy walk to most of the sites in Lucerne, and they give you a transit pass, which works on all of the buses.  The hotel was beautiful.  We were traveling with 2 other couples, and we all received balcony rooms, overlooking the lake.  One couple was given a suite.  The rooms were the largest I have stayed in while traveling in Europe.  Buffet Breakfast was included, and the wait staff was attentive and quick with bringing coffee/tea.  One other comment about the Pre-tour is, the Cruise Director travels with you.  AMA typically has their Cruise Directors working two weeks on and then two weeks off.  They staff a desk at the hotels, so you meet them upon arrival, and if you are on the Pre-and Post tours, they are with you until you depart.  They hire local guides for the day trips, but the cruise director did attend several of the tours, to be able to stay in touch with the tour guides and the guests.  Ours was also very involved with our lost luggage issue, and working with AMA back in the US, to see if anyone could nudge Air France Lost luggage to get the suitcases to us, which by the way showed up 4 days later, as we were leaving Lucerne to Embark in Basel.  As others have mentioned, the extension tours are expensive, but when we calculated the cost of the hotels, tours, bus/luggage transfers we were happy with the decision.  

 

Someone asked about noise on the boat.  As I recall, there are 12 locks on the trip from Basel to Amsterdam, and more than half were during the night, or late evening.  We were on the middle deck about 2/3s of the way to the back, and did notice a creaking in the ceiling several times during the week.  I can't really tie it to the locks, and seemed to be when the captain had the boat going full speed.  The times we were awoke  was more often when slowing down or speeding up, it wasn't as much noisy but riverboats have a gentle movement, compared to ocean cruises, so the stopping was a pulling motion, and we could sense it.  

 

The time in each port was provided on the sailing schedule (Itinerary Guide) that we did not receive until a few weeks before the trip.   The length of time was different for each port, and I suspect it matched to the tour times, and amount of time needed to get to the next town.  The ship didn't always adhere to the schedule.  If everyone was back onboard, the captain did take off early a few times.  

 

 

 

We took advantage of the per bag option a few times when it was $25. Per bag.  An alternative to the packing tape is lining the flimsy paper bag with a hotel plastic laundry bag.  It will reinforce and allow you to Roll and stuff more into the bag.   I learned this trick from someone here on Cruisecritic.  Just made Elite, so we are going to be exploring the 20-30 items on our next cruise.  Thanks for that tidbit.

We did this cruise last August on the Silhouette.  We did not find the either crossing to be rough.  We did have high winds and rain one of the days while in Iceland, but the ship was docked.  We may have been very lucky on the weather during the crossings, but that was our experience.  We really enjoyed the cruise, it was a first time in Ireland and Iceland.  

We did a B2B in Southampton last September.  As stated, we were not required to leave the ship.  We had breakfast, and then went to a designed room (I think the movie theatre) to trade sea pass cards.  We expected to have to wait in there, or some other space while they cleared, and cleaned the ship, but we were allowed the run of the ship.  The hallway doors were closed, but our room attendants told us we could push them open to come and go, if we wanted to return to the room.   We ended up relaxing in the solarium to stay out of the way.  It could not have been more organized.   

2 hours ago, paphosbabe said:

my next sailing will be on the Silhouette so looks like I maybe out of luck. Sorry should have stated that in the first place.

We sailed Silhouette in September, and the Lawn is there.  The middle section of Lawn is flanked by the Lawn Club Grill and the Cabanas.  We never saw anyone on the lawn or cabanas,  but this was a colder climate cruise.  I suspect no one would care if you sat down on the lawn with drinks.  There is also lawn on the starboard and port side of the sunset grill.

You will be very happy with 1561.  We spent 3 weeks in 1566 on Silhouette last year, and the rooms are parallel, port and starboard.   As mentioned the room is under the solarium, so you don’t have much movement of chairs, like the main pool deck.  There is a sliding glass door, and I had reservations that we might hear noise fromy  that or the whirlpools, but we never heard anything in the room, or while on the balcony from above.  

 

We we love the overhang, but as you, avoid the sun, and have enjoyed the Protection from rain and wind in the colder climate cruises.

 

We were so happy with 1566 that we booked it again for a cruise next year on Solstice.  Enjoy your trip.  

As you mentioned those special hotel and airline elite-type services usually have a separate line to queue up in.

 

 

 

I was referring to "it being wrong" when there is only one queue for everyone. I was picturing a long line going up the gangway and the MC rep saying "excuse me, please step to the side as we have elite passengers coming through". That extreme example just seems wrong. But hopefully that is one that would never happen.

 

 

 

Ken, your description wasn’t off base from what we experienced in Iceland in August. Numerous excursions returned at once, and we were in a very long line waiting to get to the gangway. It was windy and cold. The Celebrity staff was handing out the tiny cups of coco and soup to warm people up, and making the best of the moment. All of the sudden someone walked the line asking if anyone was Suite Class, and pulled them Out of line to the front. It suddenly felt colder than before. [emoji846]

 

We paid closer attention, and there was almost always a Zenith/Suite boarding line at each port. It was a separate gangway most of the time, and they were herded off to the left or right, so it was much more subtle than this particular day in Akureyri.

 

It didn’t surprise us either that Celebrity offers that perk to frequent customers and those in suites.

 

 

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