Oskial

Don't see a problem here, but if you're a little bit unsure of anything, then a call to Celebrity isn't a bad thing to do.  If there is a mix-up then it's easier to fix it now rather than wait until it becomes an issue later.  Have a great cruise!

8 hours ago, pete_coach said:

Thanks for the info. Sounds similar to the one on NCL. Sometimes works and sometimes not.

Does it work with all types of phones? Android and Apple??

it won't work on Apple 6 and below that.  My DW had to change her phone.  The IOS that you need will not work on those phones.  

12 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Should be

We are in Ontario Canada.  Three hours ahead of Vancouver.  

6 minutes ago, anastasia3939 said:

It's the time for whatever port the ship is leaving from.

So Vancouver is 3 hours behind us.  That means 3 a.m. here correct?

Hi all.  According to the app for our cruise, our check in time is this Thursday (Wednesday) at 12:01. Is that ship time or our time?  I guess you can tell I'm getting excited.  TIA

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

When you book flights by Celebrity , you can have the price in CAD

, been booking with them for over 10 years I never paid in in USD 

I paid the flights in Canadian dollars but not the baggage fee or the seat selection.   

We booked our flights with Celebrity for our Alaska cruise out of Vancouver.  We are in Ontario and are flying West Jet to Vancouver and Air Canada back to Toronto.  West Jet the bags are included and Air Canada there is a charge for the bags in U.S. dollars.  The reason for the price in U.S. dollars is charged is because the flights are being done through a third party (Celebrity) that is based in the U.S., therefore the price for the bags is charged in U.S. dollars.  The same goes for booking your seats in advance.  We were charged in U.S. dollars for the seats.  You can save the cost on the seats all together if you don't book your seats until you do your check-in for your flight.  They will show you what seats are available for you.  If you don't care where you are sitting or you don't mind not sitting with your partner, then wait and choose your seats when you check-in for your flight.  Check-in for the flight is usually 24 - 48 hours before your flight is scheduled for take off.  Hope this helps.  

Lots of Utube videos available for viewing.  We just watched one that has a 25 minute tour of the ship from top to bottom that was very good.  We haven't been on the Solstice and are going on her to Alaska this May.  We have been on the other three S class ships.  You can also just explore the ship and all that it has when you board her and find out stuff on your own.  It can be fun to explore and uncover things that are new and exciting.  Have a great time!

On 1/27/2024 at 7:49 AM, awhfy said:

We purchased a monucular to attach to our iPhone (probably on Amazon)  we’ll see in a couple of weeks if it actually works!!  
 

the included binoculars have never been very good

That's what I was looking at too.  Could you please get back to me and let me know how the monocular worked out for you?  TIA 

Thanks for all the advice.  We are going to Alaska by the way.  I was told on the other CC board that the question might be better asked on the Celebrity forum because we are sailing Celebrity.  Sorry if this question is a little redundant.  The obvious answer is to bring my own.  Thanks for proving to my wife that I was correct.  This doesn't happen very often.  

Hi all.  We are sailing on the Celebrity Solstice this May and I have two questions.  #1 are there binoculars available in all the rooms that we can use?  #2 If not, is it worth it to purchase a pair before we sail?  Any helpful advice would be appreciated.  TIA

We booked a walking tour that was not part of a Celebrity excursion a few years ago that was very informative and we met our guide in a piazza not too far from the ship at 10:00 a.m.  Maybe do the same and meet up with them that way.  Just a thought.  

At dinner in any of the restaurants I always refer to the sommelier when choosing a wine with my dinner.  Make sure he or she knows you have the premium package and they will suggest a wine that will be paired with your meal.  I also ask for Decoy red wine before dinner and Macallan whiskey when I'm in the mood for it.  I seem to be in the mood for one a lot.   

1 hour ago, martincath said:

It's not where I'd choose to be for either convenience to the pier or most sightseeing, though it does have the obvious benefit of being close to several on-campus attractions! The Japanese, Rose, and Botanic gardens are all top-notch; and while the jewel in UBCs museum crown (MOA) is closed for extensive renovations the Beaty Biodiversity and Pacific Museum of Earth are both worth a visit if you're into bones & stones.

 

You're actually more like a half hours drive to the pier as there are no routes from UBC that do not clog up with traffic pretty much any time during the day. Food out there is a mix of mostly-local chains, but every now and again something unique opens there - literally just in the last few days the first Sports Illustrated Resto opened for example, although personally that's my idea of hell! UBC isn't a notorious 'party school' but everything about SI just screams frat-boy ****-baggery - so my view is that it might actually improve the vibe at all the other campus eateries if it pulls that particular demographic in!

 

I'd be inclined to leave campus for any serious eating - there's some decent Greek and Japanese food particularly as you pass through West Point Grey into Kitsilano - but there's more on campus than you might suspect because many of the better options are hidden inside the various food courts! It's very rare I eat on campus, but every now and again there's an event at Thunderbird Arena I attend and the good parking choices fill up early so I might have an early dinner pre-game. Biercraft is by far the best place for a beer on campus, unsurprisingly, but their food's not bad; however for a cheap & tasty meal almost next door is Wesbrook Village food court which has a branch of Chef Hung Beef Noodles. Nobody disagrees that the best Chef Hung is the original in the Aberdeen Centre, but UBC entices enough foreign students from Asia who pay a fortune compared to locals to attend that Asian food in general there is decent, so this is probably the second most consistently good branch.

 

If you've visited Vancouver before and done the main sites for tourists, UBC could be a pleasant change of pace from downtown hotels - there's just a massive expanse of green space around, ocean views, etc. that mean if you don't need to go anywhere else it's great... but if you're planning to do things downtown, or especially the North Shore attractions (Grouse, Capilano, Lynn) your commute time back & forth will add significant time and hassle to your day - airport hotels are a much better bargain on that front thanks to SkyTrain, which at least avoids traffic so has a very consistent travel time. Until the UBC SkyTrain extension eventually opens the rather limited roadways are just as bad a bottleneck as the bridges to the north shore are for regular workie commuter types - even 'Summer School' season is pretty busy at UBC, although you might find it a little easier to find seats on buses.

Thanks for all the insightful ideas and advice.  We are cruising next May 26th (Sunday) so I would expect the traffic Might be a little lighter.  Does the new extension to the Sky Train plan to be complete by next year?  Anyway thanks again for the information.  

On 8/13/2023 at 6:49 PM, martincath said:

YWCA Hotel is almost always the cheapest good hotel in the entire metro area. If your cruise is next year, good chance of rooms being available - this year, very likely sold out as they often do.

 

Don't mind schlepping your bags upstairs (no elevator), AC etc. and there are a couple of options - the Buchan in the West End downtown is about as cheap as it gets while being in a decent area, clean, safe etc.

 

Some seriously dodgy SRO 'hotels' try to part tourists from their money by selling through Expedia etc. - there is not a single hotel on Hastings Street EAST (West Hastings does have several) in Vancouver that's worth considering for a tourist, no matter how cheap you will regret such a booking!

 

Given the ever-smaller number of hotel rooms and demand being back up the deals on hidden hotels via Priceline and similar bidding concepts may not be as good as they used to be - but given how compact our downtown core is you can 100% guarantee that the 'secret' hotel will be in a great location if you restrict bids to the core and 4* or better. There are some 3* and 3.5* hotels which are perfectly nice, but in our entertainment zone (i.e. drunken buffoonery happens every night in the wee small hours, especially weekends) along Granville St - if you're hard of hearing or comfortable sleeping in earplugs expand your search to 3* and up and you'll be fine, the party zone isn't dangerous just annoyingly loud!

Looking at your signature, it looks as though you are living in Vancouver.  If so, maybe you can help us on a choice that was just made yesterday.  We have booked 3 rooms (three couples) at the UBC campus Carey Centre.  The price was great but it does put us about 20 minutes by cab away from the port.  Any thoughts on our decision?  Just wondering if we made a good one or not.  I see that there isn't much in the way of restaurants in the area but we done't need anything fancy or high end.  Any advice?  

Thanks everyone for your tips and advice.  I will bring these up with our travel companions and we will have a better understanding of what we want to do in May.  

Just wondering if anybody has a recommendation for a hotel in downtown Vancouver that is close to the pier and won't cost more than the cruise.  TIA.

Thanks for the information everyone.  I will pass it on.

Just a quick question.  What are the hours that the casino is open on an Alaskan cruise?   I noticed that the ship is not that far off the coast and wondered if there are any restrictions (other than when in port) when doing an Alaskan cruise.  Mostly asking for my wife. 

We used viator for a tour around the city and they were great.  We were also on the Jazz fest cruise and did the WW2 museum.  If you are curious or interested in that, I would highly recommend going to it. It's about a 15 or 20 minute walk from the port.  Lots to see and do within walking distance to the port though.  

Didn't know you could have the rib eye AND the lamb.  But I do now!

3 hours ago, GenerationX said:

I’m another ribeye fan, with a couple of the lamb chops on the side.  
 

And yes, I’d  skip the salad bar and flatbread to save room for that cookie dessert!

 

 

 

How much does it cost?  I can't find a price for dinner or lunch. 

We have the Lawn Club grill booked for our first night on the Reflection and I was all set to get the steak.  Now you are all confusing me and I don't know which one to have.  Will they give me a lamb shank to share with my son-in-law?