luckybecky

Yes, do not miss this. It is free and just steps away from the ship. There are many fascinating birds, peacocks, and parrots. It was wonderful. The narrative was definitely informative and very helpful. Started early and continued throughout the day. In some areas, it could be hard to hear because of people talking or whatever, so make sure you choose a good spot. Of course can be heard clearly from your TV in your cabin, so if you have a balcony this could be a good option. Also can see the forward camera from your TV. Yes, you are correct. I should be more clear. The observation lounge is actually a lovely space. We love the decor. Lots of comfortable seating; but again, it gets crowded and prime spots go quickly. I was thinking of open decks where you can view the scenery and take photos unobstructed, without glare or reflections of glass, and where you can see/smell/hear the flora and fauna. There are no forward open decks on Bliss except for Haven guests. No worries! We got two laundry package fliers on the same day, I think it was about day six or so. It was $29 for all you could fit in a bag. It said that all you can fit in the bag -- and we were able to fit a lot! You need to fold your clothes very neatly, don't just stuff them in there. If folded and packed in carefully, you can fit a lot. We got numerous blouses/shirts and pants/shorts. I wash lingere and light blouses in the sink. The instructions said that you just have to pack the laundry bag, then include the flyer to get the $29 price. Since we got two fliers, I assume that you could use the service twice, but we only have used it once.

The bow was open for the canal transit. One thing I do not like about this ship is there are zero forward viewing areas, unless you are Haven. So at least they opened the bow. It was crowded. They had some juice and water available. There was a very informative speaker who started making announcements at 7am. He continued through the entire day, coming on the speakers at various times to discuss what we were seeing. As someone else pointed out, the transit took pretty much all day. The speaker was on board during that entire time. Not constantly talking of course, but coming on often with information.

Sorry I have not been online much for a couple of days. Thanks to others for helping to answer some of the questions. 🙂 We did an NCL tour in Cartagena called Amazing Cartagena. It was OK. The walking tour portion was limited. We covered a small amount of ground in the old town with a friendly guide but I felt the tour could have been better. We were there in the early morning and nothing was open yet. Our tour continued with a boat ride though the harbor which we really enjoyed. We had a very engaging guide who talked a lot about the local culture, with dancers who demonstrated traditional dances, and free flowing rum punch. 🙂 Our tour did not go to the castle. We drove past and saw it from a distance only. We also did not do any shopping. There were quite a few people approaching us during the walking tour trying to sell trinkets. This got much worse in Guatemala; there, it was relentless! There is of course a shopping area at the port but we did not do any shopping so I can’t really comment on it. They do have an amazing aviary there at the port, which anyone can see just by getting off the ship. You do not need to do a tour to see this. The parrots were incredible. Dozens of them.

Yes, we booked all the shows that require reservations on day 1 including all the comedians. The buffet has been quite crowded every time we have gone, usually at normal lunchtime. Noonish. I don't eat breakfast but I'm sure it's very busy before or just around docking time on port days. You're welcome. We just docked in Guatemala. It's been a great cruise so far

Sorry, I just realized you were asking about MDR reservations. In my previous answer I was talking about specialty dining. I didn’t know you could reserve MDR. I was just talking to a lady tonight who told me she made reservations on day 1 for one of the dining rooms at a specific time for the entire cruise. As I mentioned before, they were taking reservations for dining at I believe Teppanyaki. I thought it was only for specialty dining but apparently you can reserve dining for the entire cruise at MDR also, according to the woman I was speaking to.

Arcade prices: most games were $1.99. A few were a little less, $1.66 I think, and a few were more, up to $2.66. The arcade is a pretty good size, and there are a few games near The Local. There are also a couple of mini bowling lanes near the Local, they were $6.99 You are right, there is a screen showing all the officers. I had seen that before but forgot about it. Here ya go: Captain Robert Lundberg Chief Engineer Rolf Isaksson Staff Captain Robert Hammerin General Manager Zdravko Kojakovic Chief Executive Engineer Ivica Bresan Staff Chief Engineer Claudio Skalamera Assistant General Manager Marites Sonza Cruise Directo Paquito Fuchs Food and Beverage Manager Sreekanth Sundaram Senior Doctor Adrian La Rosa Chief Officer Heriela Castillo Chief Refrigeration Engineer Kjell Ake Erissson Chief Financial Accountant Windel Tormis Executive Housekeeper Jojo Orofino Guest Service Manager Manuel Japson Executive Chef Jacob Sarkar Beverage manager Haide Balon Restaurant Manager Ana Maria Malata Casino Manager Norman Punzala There were a few more like shops manager or whatever but I didn’t get them all.

No sign, but opening times are always listed in the Freestyle Daily schedule. Looks like Food Republic is only open for dinner every night 5:30-9:30pm I'll look for it! Also will check on the arcade.

I'm sorry, I don't know who they are and not sure if this info is posted anywhere. Do you know where I might find it? I don;t think they are doing a lot of music in the Brewhouse. On today's schedule, a sea day, I see only one thing listed: Piano and Vocals with Anthony. The Nashville Tenors have performed in main theater. They are outstanding! The Beatles are in the Cavern club often and a couple of shows in theater. Donni Troy will be in the theater later in the cruise. There's Archie on the Piano in Atrium. The Temperature Band performs often and they are very good. Duo Estrella also performing often. Sorry, I have to run for now but will check back again later.

We spoke to the barber himself (Kip, I think) who was very proud to sell his $129 shave! But it's not just a shave, he said, it's a full facial and head massage and I don't know what all! However the price list shows an express shave for $79

3,919 on board. Approximately 60 children. Not sure if that number is exact but it's what our cruise director said. The average age on this cruise is over 60, in my estimation. Lots of retirees. I think that is because it is a long itinerary (15 days), and kids are in school at this time. Yes, closes at 9:30pm. The only thing after that is the Local which is open all night (slightly limited menu after 10pm) Paquito. I'm going to say he's just OK. I've cruised with directors who seemed much more active, all over the ship, with lots of energy. I haven't seen quite that amount of energy from Paquito. Observation Lounge. It was great! Light fare, limited choices, but the lounge is beautiful and was very uncrowded at noon. They had quiche, sandwiches, fruit, a few desserts, etc. I think they were doing dinner reservations at Teppayaki. We had made our reservations for our 3 specialty dinners a few months ago, and even then times were relatively full. Someone told me that only 25% of reservations are opened for booking prior to boarding so you have to do that early. We made show reservations for the entire cruise on day one at the Social. Do this early because they fill up early. We aren't using the spa. We didn't want to pay the extra for access to that so I can't really say how crowded. We toured it on day 1 just after boarding and it looked amazing! You're welcome! 🙂

On the Bliss now. We have a limited amount of internet access but I will try to check in a time or two. I'm working on a very detailed trip report which I will post with photos later, but in the meantime, if anyone has specific questions I can try to answer them while onboard. So far we are having a great cruise!

Hello all, Just one last update. I just got off a lengthy phone call with Celebrity Engagement Center and at last, they agreed to refund the hotel in full. Hooray!! It took several phone calls, many hours on hold while reps consulted with their supervisors and "reviewed" the problem, and multiple emails, but we got it done. It shouldn't be this difficult to get something done that according to their original cancellation notice should have happened automatically. Anyway, many many thanks to those of you who followed along and offered suggestions. You all were very helpful and I appreciate it very much! This is the only time I have ever booked a hotel through the cruise line. I'm pretty sure it will be the last! LOL One last comment about the Priceline connection: as mentioned before, I booked the hotel on the Celebrity website. I have never used Priceline for any reservations. The confirmation of the hotel that I received came from a Celebrity email address, has the Celebrity name/logo in a huge font right at the top, and does not contain the word Priceline anywhere. Jagoffee, I'm not sure where you found the Terms & Conditions posted above. I searched all over the Celebrity website trying to find information pertaining to the hotels program and couldn't find anything. But it's a moot point now anyway. All's well that ends well. 😀 Thanks again!

Well this has turned into quite a saga. Jeremiah, I called the number you provided for Hotels By Celebrity -- thank you for that! Initially the rep sounded like she would be able to help, but kept putting me on hold to speak to her supervisor, coming back to ask questions (such as, did I have insurance from a private company), etc. Incredibly, she said she could not confirm that my original cruise had been canceled. Are you kidding me?!? She actually insisted that I forward to her the email I had received notifying me that the cruise had been canceled because she said she could not document the cancellation otherwise. WTH Celebrity? You don't know that you canceled ALL of the Japan cruises for fall 2022 through spring 2023? OK, whatever. I sent her the email documenting that we had been canceled and confirmed that we had lifted and shifted. I was on the phone with this woman for one hour and fifty minutes. She actually was very pleasant but ultimately did nothing whatsoever to help. After almost two hours, the final word from her was that I need to call and/or email someone else -- Celebrity Engagement Center. Meanwhile, I was reviewing my old emails regarding the cancellation. This wording stood out to me: "Additionally, if you have pre-booked any shore excursions, beverage, internet, specialty dining or other onboard packages, through Celebrity Cruise Planner, you will automatically be refunded in full to the original method of payment. Guests with air travel and hotel booked through Flights by Celebrity will be refunded automatically. You will not need to call in to initiate the process." So that seems very clear. But this automatic refund did not happen and it is turning into a huge headache to get this resolved. I feel like my position is very clear cut -- given the quote above from the email they sent me, and the FAQ screen shot that Jeremiah provided stating that Celebrity would cover hotel cancellation fees. The problem seems to be getting them to live up to that promise.

Thank you Jeremiah. This is extremely helpful. I have looked all over Celebrity's website trying to find info about the hotel program and you are correct: radio silence. I cannot find anything at all, including the FAQ you posted above. If I click "manage my trip" on the Celebrity website, the drop down menu lists "Hotels by Celebrity" but it just circles back to my cruise web page. There no longer seems to be a way to book a hotel. I guess the program is defunct? So I really appreciate the screenshot and phone numbers. I'm going to try to call the numbers listed to see if I can make any progress. I agree with you jagoffee! Something isn't right!! I booked this hotel through the Celebrity website and my email confirmation came from Celebrity, with the big blue Celebrity X logo right at the top. However, the charge on my credit card appears as "PRICELN*COURTYARD BY M" So I can only assume that Celebrity partnered with Priceline to manage this program. Recall that a Celebrity rep gave me the number to Priceline (I didn't realize that the time, thought he was giving me a number within Celebrity to call) when I called to inquire about this situation. This presents a new problem. I'm not sure if disputing the charge with the credit card company would work. Priceline would just say, look, she booked a nonrefundable rate, so it will not be refunded. I think that to get this corrected, there is no other way around it than to go through Celebrity, the same way I booked the hotel in the first place. I'm going to try again in the morning to see if I can make any progress. Thanks again to everyone who has offered suggestions. I greatly appreciate it. I'll let you know if I have any success.

Hi all, I'm just bumping this thread to ask if anyone has any further advice. I contacted Celebrity customer service. A very nice gentleman looked into it and ultimately said I needed to call the hotels department, and he gave me a phone number. I thought I was calling a different department within Celebrity Cruises, but it turns out it was the number for Priceline. That representative also was unable to offer any assistance. She suggested that I call the hotel in Tokyo directly. Frankly I do not think that will help; it is not their problem since they aren't the ones who cancelled our cruise, the cancellation policy says I can't cancel, and I seriously doubt they would do it retroactively. I am stuck in a situation where everyone is trying to pass the buck. I know I should have recognized the problem and acted in a more timely manner, but honestly I feel that Celebrity is responsible. The hotel was booked directly with Celebrity and therefore I feel that they should be able to service the reservation. I assumed that it was linked to our cruise reservation and would either be cancelled when the cruise was cancelled, or "lifted and shifted" when the cruise lifted and shifted. Anyway, I just sent an email to Celebrity One Touch. Aside from that, does anyone have ideas as to how I might proceed? If it was just a La Quinta in Galveston or something I would just let it go. But this was a hotel in downtown Tokyo, 2 rooms for 2 nights and cost almost $1300. That's a lot of money to just let go. Thanks for any suggestions.

Oops, sorry... I think access to the mini bar was part of our "Drinks And More" package -- not related to Concierge class.

Agreed!! When we booked our first concierge cabin one of the perks was "champagne on request." We thought this meant they might bring us a glass of champagne. To our suprise they brought a full bottle with an ice bucket and glasses. Nice! We enjoyed this perk several times. 🍾🥂 Yes, I know, it is cheap wine. But we always drink cheap wine LOL We don't have the budget to be picky. 😆 On our cruise, concierge also included unlimited mini bar and we made liberal use of this, including not only alcohol/ mini bottles of wine, but also sodas and Kind bars. All this along with the pillow menu and nice cabin made it very worthwhile for us.

Hello cruisers! I just realized I may have made a very expensive mistake in not staying on top of some travel details. Hopefully someone here has experience with this. Some time ago, we booked a Japan cruise for Oct 2022. In Feb 2022, we added a Tokyo hotel through Celebrity for 2 nights pre-cruise. A couple of months later, we received word from Celebrity that the cruise was being cancelled. We elected to Lift and Shift to Oct 2023. And since, the new cruise date was almost a year and a half away, I just sort of put it on the back burner and haven't thought much at all about it until now. As I was recently pulling up our cruise info, I rediscovered the hotel reservation. Frankly, I had totally forgotten about the hotel. It was billed directly to our credit card and paid in full at the time I reserved it with Celebrity in Feb 2022. And it wasn't cheap. Two rooms, for two nights came to almost $1300. Here is the cancellation policy: If you fail to arrive or cancel the booking, no refund will be given. For the room type and rate that you've selected, you are not allowed to change or cancel your reservation. If you cancel your room, you will still be charged for the full reservation amount. Sounds pretty cut and dried and not good for us. We had not yet purchased trip insurance at this early date. However, since the hotel was booked through Celebrity, I'm hoping that it would be linked to our cruise reservation. Since WE did not cancel, but the cruise was cancelled by Celebrity, do we have any hope of recovering this cost? Would the hotel reservation for 2 nights pre-cruise also "lift and shift" to the new cruise? Or shouldn't the hotel automatically be cancelled when the cruise was cancelled? I've checked my credit card records. The hotel was billed in full at the time it was booked. It was never refunded when the cruise was cancelled. According to the cancellation policy, we did not have the option to cancel it ourselves. But from my point of view Celebrity should either have refunded it or shift it to our new reservation when the original cruise was cancelled. I'm planning to call Celebrity Monday morning, but meanwhile, I'm wondering if any of you have experience with this sort of situation. Any thoughts or suggestions? If all else fails, would it be too late for us to do a chargeback on our credit card, and could that even work? Thanks for any help.

Reviving this old topic. Today, we finally received full payment on our policy. It took a truly ridiculous amount of persistence on our part. I had to call and email OVER and OVER to get this claim paid. I don't know if the insurance company was just hoping I would give up and go away or what. It just seemed completely nonsensical to me that two people purchased a policy, but they were only paying for one person. I kept pressing that point and today they finally reimbursed the full amount. This was for a trip that happened last summer. It took months to get paid. What is worse is that this is for a small claim. It's not like we were trying to recoup many tens of thousands for a medivac or repatriation. It was just several hundred dollars for a couple of days of delay and lost luggage.

That's good. Hopefully they will add some for our cruise in February. We usually like to do tours on our own, looking for smaller groups and better prices than we typically find on ship tours. But in this case I think we will stick with a ship tour or just stay onboard.

I'm concerned about Acapulco as well. Our Feb/March cruise itinerary was recently changed to drop Nicaragua and add Acapulco. It kind of bothers me that the cruise line (NCL) would add a port that is deemed dangerous enough by the US State Dept to be on the "do not travel" list. And they currently are not offering any excursions in this port. It's creepy. I am thinking we may just stay on the ship, which is disappointing. We cruise for the ports.

Thanks GeezerCouple and klfrodo for your comments. Yes, I did ask to speak to a supervisor. He's the one who gave me this bizarre explanation for not paying. Before speaking to him, I had a long conversation with a woman who first could not understand the math: two people times 2 days times $125 per day (2 x 2 x 125= 500). She kept insisting that we had been paid in full. Then she said we hadn't been paid the full benefit because they don't cover taxi cost to and from the airport. The taxi was just a small fraction of our total expense. Klfrodo, you are correct, our policy states it will pay UP TO $125 pp/pday. Our total cost was over $800. Unfortunately booking a last minute hotel near the airport in one of the most expensive cities in Germany turned out to be very costly. Around $300 per night -- and it was a very ordinary hotel. Nice enough, but nothing special at all. Not the Four Seasons. We know that the policy limit means we won't recover the entire amount we spent during the delay. But we do think it should be covered to the full limit of the policy. Thanks for the link and the suggestion to escalate to our state insurance commissioner. I have emailed an appeal of the decision to pay only one person on the policy. I'll wait a few days to see if they respond, and if not, then I'll follow your suggestion.

We had a missed flight, causing a two day delay in Munich. Our trip insurance has trip delay coverage of $125 per person, per day. The math is not hard: $125 X 2 people X 2 days = $500. Insurance paid only $250 for one person on the policy. No coverage for the spouse. I called to ask why (after they failed to respond to my email). I was told it was because only one of us incurred expenses; there were no receipts showing expenses for the spouse. There were no receipts for the spouse because we paid for everything jointly. We didn't ask the hotel staff to divide our bill in two and have each spouse pay half. Likewise, we paid for our meals jointly. We shared a taxi to and from the airport so have only one receipt for that, etc. It seems completely bizarre to me that we purchased a joint policy, for both of us, but they are refusing to cover both people on the policy, simply because we paid for things jointly. The conversation I had with the insurance rep became truly nonsensical. He insisted that the spouse had no expenses. I said, I don't know any married couple who travel together yet divide and pay separately for their shared hotel room. I said I wished someone had told me that was a requirement to maintain insurance coverage. The rep replied, "ma'am, it is not our responsibility to tell you how to pay your expenses." Anyone run into this before? It seems crazy to me that we paid for two people to be on this policy but they will only pay the trip delay for one of us. This was with IMG insurance, purchased through Insure My Trip. Any suggestions?

There are a few rooms in that category that are set on sort of an angle, which gives you a slightly larger balcony. (Bliss 10784 is one example) I saw a video on a cruise deck plans website and it does appear noticeably larger. One of those rooms became available and I was hoping to snag it, but not if it means a $1500 price increase!!

Well that's a bummer but it's not a big deal. We will still be happy with the room we originally chose. Thanks for the info!