Dar & Bob

We ar platinum cruisers with Princess but in the past I've just always booked directly with a cruise professional at Ptincess. Due to a lousy cabin on our last cruise ( a mechanical/banging noise every 20 minutes 24/7) we ended up with a FCC and we also put down money for a FCD. I have been looking for a cruise this fall to use those. I am looking at a cruise on the Sky in November and the prices seemed a little steep. I did some checking around and I can get the same cabin, same perks plus OBC on one of the travel sites. I took a screen shot and put the cruise on hold with Princess. I have emailed my CVP but just wondering has anyone been successful in getting a price match?

We were on a cruise (not X) in July. I saw some cute indigenous looking ornaments. Glad I looked at the back "Made in Indonesia and/or China" 😞 I tried to look for geniune items

We had the Pub fare in the dining room for lunch the last day of the cruise on the Grand in July. It wasn't publicized at all.

And how much extra did you pay for Premier? For us to have upgraded to Premier $250 wouldnt come near to break even - even with our upgraded drinks.

Bella Glos in January was an upcharge of $3 per glass now it is almost $6 and we were told by the person at Vines all of the wines took a jump at the beginning of July with the Premier program. There are still decent wines included on Plus

We were just recently on the Grand. The ship itself was okay, we had issues with water on our balcony - no way for it to drain. With the Sapphire being a sister ship, I am assuming it may be the same. We had booked the Sapphire orginally in 2021 after our 2020 cruise was cancelled. Several months before Princess took Sapphire to do an alternate itinerary and with no comparable cabins available on the other ships we moved the cruise to 2022 on the Sapphire. Again, they took the Sapphire to do another itinerary so we moved to the Grand. We found many things lacking on the Grand but I think it was due to a smaller ship. The buffet was limited, the entertainment was more like a high school production, the menu in Alfredo's missing items we loved on the Regal. The staff was fantastic, including waitstaff, bartenders and room attendant. Our stateroom showed a bit of wear in that the sofa was really hard and the cushions didn't cover the pull out bed. The carpet was clean but worn. IMO not sure if the Sapphire is better or not.

Same wine was a couple bucks more a glass. Sounded like the entire wine menu had increased. With inflation on everything else we buy I guess it's to be expected. We still enjoyed the wine we always do and it didn't break us 🙂

We got charged the difference only plus 18% gratuity. On our January cruise the difference was a little over $3 - on the cruise this month it was 5.90 a glass

If you booked prior to the Premier program and booked a Plus fare, you will get the Plus drink package. We sailed just after the program started and it was the Plus fare - we got charged for drinks over the covered price. The only thing not covered were the wines and the bartenders indicated that the wine prices had increased recently.

Well this was us that had the water, in addition to the bumps problem. What happens on the Grand is that there are no openings on the floor of the balcony - We were in D425, which is at the end of the group of cabins so I think the balconies sloped our way. They know there are issues with the balconies not draining since there was a mat similar to a bar mat. However the water on our balcony was deeper than the 1" mat. We thought about asking for them remove it somehow but we were getting so much rain it would have been futile.

We did not find out, the head of housekeeping (who sat there to hear the bumps) said it may have been something with the lifeboats below us. They had conducted a "drill" a number of days before and maybe something was not reset correctly. There was a note in our cabin the last night that there would be maintenance going on our balcony fro 8 to noon on our disembarkation day. Timing the bumps was something we had to do. Otherwise they would send someone up and unless they sat there more than 15 minutes they likely wouldn't hear it. The look on the face of the supervisor when it went off finally was priceless.

Just off the Grand on July 13th. First, the majority of the staff is top notch and friendly. Only had an issue with one bartender at the Outrigger bar with a bad attitude, not once but twice. First of all, I think some of my issues on the ship may personal preference. However, many of the areas, including our CC cabin were tired. Our couch was like sitting on cement and the cushions didn't cover the whole hide a bed. Our bed was not as comfortable as those we have had in the past. Due to some circumstances, we slept in another mini suite one evening and it had a much better bed. For us the entertainment was lacking. The violiinists in the Grand Piazza, while good musicians lacked variety. For me the hearing the same music over and over is just tiring. The production shows were like a high school musical. The one comedian was good, the comedian/magician was terrible (we walked out) The buffet was very unappetizing with few alternatives on a port day. The Alfredo's was not as good as on the Regal and had a very limited menu, again comparing to the Regal. The dining room in the evening was good, but I think they did not have enough seats since we had to wait one evening for dinner and once for lunch and were seated in what I will say was an annex area. For us I would not book on the Grand again. We received very good service and it was Alaska so it was a very good cruise. PS The problem we had was a one off - noise from below our cabin, every 19 to 22 minutes 24/7. We reported the morning of day 5 after no sleep and timing the loud bumps since you can't just say there's a noise in our room. We thought it would stop but hadn't been resolved yet when we left, but we were compensated. Again the staff when notified did a good job.

Our last New Year's cruise was quite bad due to the number of unsupervised children. It was a 10 day cruise on the Regal with many Europeans. Many of the young children, toddlers to about 8 years old were up late into the evenings. Most nights kids playing tag in the middle of the Piazza running between the people dancing. Children crying in Crooners while the piano player was performing. One staff member did finally stop the kids running through the Piazza one evening. We vowed no more holiday cruises since many evenings in our favorite places were disturbed by the lack of parental control We had done one cruise a couple of years prior on NYE and it was a blast but it was only 7 days and hardly any children or hardly any that were noticable 🙂 Children should be allowed but the parents also need to know when to remove them from the adult venues.

Quite certain they were 7 and 9.

@PhotoGal07 What are the temps like on the inside of the ship, MDR, buffet, theater etc. I am bringing base layers and sweaters, but I am one of those who is always cold and it's gotten worse now living in Florida !! I had read earlier that the buffet was freezing but didn't hear much about the rest of the ship

Sapphire was originally supposed to do Alaska. On our NB cruise they swapped the ship about 18 months ago to the Royal. We wanted the smaller ship so we moved over to the Grand. This was the second time we were booked on the Sapphire and Princess took it for another itinerary. For 2021, there was no replacement so we went to 2022. This is one of the frustrating things with Princess, you book an itinerary on a particular ship and just supposed to accept them changing any of it. We have several Celebrity cruises booked due to Princess not having late 2023/2024 cruises not being out yet. As for the the extra $$$ our ABC island cruise is much less on X than similar cruise on Princess.

You can't equate the two. Have to compare to your same class (M1) They don't all necessarily drop the same amount or % Basically if you wanted to refare there is nothing available.

I am with you. We wanted to do a Fjord cruise in 2023 they have a couple but IMO Celebrity had a much better itinerary. Booked a Retreat on Celebrity for about the same fare as Club Class on Princess (and no comparison of the amenities on Princess even in a Suite) Also wanted to do all 3 ABC islands, which Princess only has during Christmas and New Year's???? so again looked at Celebrity and got Veranda with upgraded drinks for 9 nights for 2,500 less than a mini suite on Princess (same week and only 2 of the islands). We might have considered 2024 sailing but Princess has yet to put them out. So will we stick with Princess? They are making it very difficult to stick with them. Just my opinion at present. Looking forward to Alaska in a week and see how it is. Regal in January was quite good so we will see.

So there are other benefits other than the OBC for the bonus 10,000 miles. The way it reads there is no minimum on the purchase. However for the $300 off of a cruise you must charge $5,000 in the first 60 days. Plus you would get double points towards if the payment was paying Celebrity. We may have to look into it before paying off our next cruise 🙂 Bonus Points Offer. You will qualify for 10,000 one-time new cardholder bonus points if you use your new credit card account to make at least one purchase, balance transfer or cash advance transaction (exclusive of any fees, including the annual fee, returns and adjustments) that posts to your account within 90 days of the account open date. Limit 1 bonus points offer per new account. This one-time promotion is limited to customers opening a new account in response to this offer and will not apply to requests to convert existing accounts. Your account must be open with active charging privileges in order to receive this offer. Other advertised promotional bonus points offers can vary from this promotion and may not be substituted. Bonus points are credited to your account approximately 6-8 weeks after you qualify and they will count toward your maximum yearly points earnings limits. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither we, Celebrity Cruises, nor our affiliates, provide tax advice. $300 Discount off a Future Cruise. Valid only for sailings on Celebrity Cruises 7 nights or greater and in a Concierge Class stateroom or above. Cardholder must make at least $5,000 in purchases (exclusive of any fees, including the annual fee, returns and adjustments) that post to your account within 60 days of the account open date. Cardholder will be eligible for this benefit approximately 4-6 weeks from the date the $5,000 threshold is met; upon which, the Cardholder will be able to apply this to a booking by calling a Celebrity representative at 800.760.0654, and selecting option 3. Applicable to all price programs except Interline, Travel Agent Reduced rate, Individual & Group Incentive, Employee, and net rates. Applicable to individual and group bookings to cruise component only. Not applicable for: shore excursions, tour packages, or any other personal charges. Applicable to new accounts only. One discount per booking and valid only for the Cardholder noted. If credit is applied to a booking of lesser value, the difference will not be carried to another booking and it will be considered as used. Cruise must be taken 18 months from date of discount issue (discount issue date is based on when the discount is available in Celebrity's reservation system, which is usually 4-6 weeks after the qualification criteria has been met) and is not redeemable for inaugural, holiday, Galapagos voyages, Transatlantic and Transpacific sailings. Offer is subject to stateroom availability. Certain restrictions apply. Non-transferable and may not be redeemed for cash. Discount may be used in conjunction with coupons and promotions. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither we, Celebrity Cruises, nor our affiliates, provide tax advice. Buy One Get One 50% off Specialty Dining offer. Must be booked 7 days prior to sailing by calling a Celebrity representative at 800.760.0654, and selecting option 3. Buy one cover charge at one of our specialty onboard restaurants at the regular price and get the second surcharge at half price. Discount applies to restaurant cover charge only; all other charges will not be included in the discount. The offer can be redeemed once per voyage, unlimited times per year. Reservations are subject to space availability and are assigned on a first-come first-served basis. This offer cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers for Specialty Dining. This benefit is not transferable and has no cash value. Must be booked using the Premium Celebrity Cruises Visa® credit card and is only valid on Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Anniversary Points. 10,000 anniversary MyCruise points will be posted to your account when you spend a minimum of $10,000 in purchases (exclusive of any fees, including the annual fee, returns and adjustments) within the anniversary year with your Celebrity Cruises Visa® card. The value of this reward may constitute taxable income to you. You may be issued an Internal Revenue Service Form 1099 (or other appropriate form) that reflects the value of such reward. Please consult your tax advisor, as neither we, Celebrity Cruises, nor our affiliates, provide tax advice. 10% Discount on Private Journeys. Must be booked 30 days prior to sailing by calling a Celebrity representative at 800.760.0654, and selecting option 3. A 10% Discount will be applied to the Private Journeys reservation at time of booking. Additional purchases made while on your Private Journeys excursion will not qualify for the 10% discount. Discount is applicable up to 4 people on the same tour. No refunds or changes to the booked Private Journeys excursion within one week of your sail date. Can be applied to an unlimited number of Private Journeys excursions per voyage, unlimited times per year. This benefit is not transferable and has no cash value, and cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers for Private Journeys excursions. Must be booked using the Premium Celebrity Cruises Visa® credit card and is only valid on Celebrity Cruises. 10% Discount on Premium Beverage Packages. Must be booked 7 days prior to sailing by calling a Celebrity representative at 800.760.0654, and selecting option 3. Offer is valid for alcoholic and non-alcoholic premium packages, and for all individuals in your stateroom, unlimited times per year. This benefit is not transferable, has no cash value, and cannot be combined with any other discounts or offers for Beverage Packages. Must be booked using the Premium Celebrity Cruises Visa® credit card and is only valid on Celebrity Cruises. Visit celebritycruises.com/beveragepackages for complete package details. Flights by CelebritySM $50 Discount. Cardholders receive $50 off an airline ticket purchased through Celebrity's Flights by CelebritySM air reservation program. The discount is issued upon approval of new Visa Signature® or Platinum Plus® accounts and on each anniversary thereafter, for accounts that are open with active charging privileges on their annual account anniversary. A letter will be sent to you by mail upon qualification with instructions on how to redeem. The discount will expire 18 months from issue date. The $50 discount will be credited to your reservation after final payment on your cruise reservation (which is typically within 45 days of your sailing date). Flights by Celebrity air travel must be booked in connection with a Celebrity Cruises cruise reservation. Visit celebritycruises.com/flights-by-celebrity for full Flights by Celebrity terms and conditions. Federal law prohibits students from receiving a premium. The Flights by Celebrity benefit applies to Visa Signature® or Platinum Plus® accounts with an annual fee.

Was the cabin an accessible cabin?

We were on the Edge in April - our first Celebrity cruise. We went for the Sunset Veranda on the Aft of the ship rather than the infinite veranda. After reading @Cap_D review above I had to respond. We absolutely loved the Edge. We barely got off the ship, which was our intention to make the ship our vacation. We had 5 days on board. We really enjoyed everything about it. We we never bored. We loved Eden and after we discovered they served breakfast and lunch there - we ate there many times. We also had dinner there which was fabulous and worth the extra. We had a crab cake that I have no idea how they even kept it together as it was just loaded with crab and lobster casserole which was a lobster without the shell on top of the casserole. We loved the Magic Carpet bar especially while sailing. You could hear the music from the Resort deck pool area but it wasn't overwhelming. We spent a few hours in the Solarium and the attendants in there were clearing towels, glasses etc as soon as they were left. As far as needing a library, with everyone with electronic devices I don't understand why. There were plenty of nooks everywhere to read. There were games going on in Eden, the Club and music in the Grand Plaza later in the afternoon. We did trivia, archery, a chipping contest and several other activities. Most found us where ever we were some we sought out. The schedules on the app and easy to find. We actually even toured the Retreat which is very nice. IMO not sure if we were missing out on anything as we tried both Le Petit Chef and Eden, and got reservations at 3 of the 4 dining rooms. I love that they have the 4 dining rooms each with their own themed part of the menu. We only had one issue on a dinner and it was that pasta came a little cool and dried out (as if under the lamp too long) but everything else was very good. Not like a chain restaurant at all. All of our meats came cooked as ordered. The theater on the Edge is basically in the round. The shows were wonderful and not something we usually do. As you can probably tell we are very sold - in fact we booked the Apex for next May while on board. If you have any questions, just ask.

For reference this is the link for the above info https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/before-you-board And a few questions below the other list. Looks like Celebrity isn't consistent

So under FAQ Before You Board - No mention of Sodas or beverages Weapons, illegal drugs, and other items that could interfere with the safe operation of the ship or the safe and secure environment of our guests and crew are prohibited. The following are examples of items that guests are not allowed to bring onboard. These and other similar items will be confiscated upon being found. Alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned. Prohibited Items: Firearms & Ammunition, including realistic replicas. Sharp Objects, including all knives and scissors. (Note: Personal grooming items such as safety razors are allowed. Scissors with blade length less than 4 inches are allowed.) Illegal Drugs & Substances CBD Oil / CBD Products Candles, Incense, Coffee Makers, Clothes Irons, Travel Steamers & Hot Plates. (Items that generate heat or produce an open flame. This includes heating pads, clothing irons, hotplates, candles, incense and any other item that may create a fire hazard. NOTE: The only exception to this policy are curling irons and hair straighteners. Matches and normal lighteners are allowed onboard. However ""torch lighters"" and novelty lighters that look like guns are not allowed onboard. Torch lighters emit a powerful concentrated flame, and therefore are prohibited. Hoverboards Martial Arts, Self Defense, and Sports Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks. Flammable Liquids and Explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks. Hookahs & Water Hookah Pipes. HAM Radios Baby Monitors Electrical Extension Cords Dangerous Chemicals, including bleach and paint. Perishable Food & Meat Products Alcoholic Beverages (Note: On boarding day, each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the two permitted bottles on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day onboard for enjoyment once home. Alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day will not be returned.) Exceptions can be made for the following sporting goods; however, the item must be stored in the guest’s stateroom and cannot be used onboard. Baseball Bats, Hockey Sticks, Cricket Bats, and Golf clubs Skateboards, Surfboards, and Bicycles

What fare did she book ?

Never noticed that and we are on the same cruise. It appears that the ship has to go by Glacier Bay to get to Hubbard? We booked this itinerary specifically for Glacier Bay so we won't be happy cruisers with a substitute. At this point though we just want to get there after waiting 3 years 🙂