varoo

1 hour ago, tert333 said:

Has anyone been on the "Revolutionized" rooms 6145/6146(S1) on any M-Class ship?   I was in one earlier when there was a lot of dark woodgrain finish.  Was wondering if that has been removed.  It is a great room and has an excellent balcony, but a little dark for us.

 

Those rooms receive very little natural light and provide a narrow view looking out from the room because they have only a single door to the outside, instead of the usual double glass doors found in other cabins..

We were hoping that they would fix the problem with the "revolution" by installing double glass doors, or even a couple of windows, but apparently they didn't.

14 hours ago, shekirk7 said:

I've cruised Concierge level and used the services of the Concierge in the past. We're in a regular cabin this upcoming cruise. Is the concierge for all passengers despite where their cabin is located? Thanks.

We  seldom need to use the services of the concierge on cruise ships.

But whenever we have needed them, they were very helpful, and we were not staying in concierge class any of those times.

The difference appears to be that they are proactive, contacting and reaching out to  people who book concierge class, whereas the rest of us who are not in concierge class will request their services when and if they are wanted, but we usually have little or no contact with the concierge otherwise.

I remember one cruise where the concierge had an office in a room near the central elevators on deck 8.  He was usually sitting in there alone, playing with his computer, and was delighted to have anyone pop in to chat with him.  He never asked us whether or not we were in concierge class.

The next time we were on the ship, after the "revolution" the concierge was no longer there and that space had been converted to additional cabins.

4 hours ago, Alsmez said:

DH and I (early 40s) will be traveling with my parents (mid 70s) on an 8-day Alaska itinerary on Solstice this May. This will be my parents' first cruise! My mother will be turning 75 a couple of weeks after the cruise, but we won't be able to celebrate with her on the day of, so we'd like to do something special for her during the cruise.

 

We'll be in Aqua Class, and while I'm sure I can get them to arrange a cake, etc. in Blu, or go to Murano for a more special meal, I'd love to do something more creative. Thoughts? Would love to hear some stories from other cruisers about things they have arranged. Thanks!

You can get her cakes, flowers, decorations, fancy meals, gifts and such anytime, anywhere.

If you really want to do something special, memorable and out-of-the-ordinary for her on an Alaska cruise, I would suggest a plane ride (either helicopter or fixed-wing) over Glacier Bay from one of the surrounding ports.

2 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

If I read this correctly, I can get an S2 on Edge for the price of an S3? If so, that can be a big savings. One sailing I am looking at the difference is $700 pp. 

 

Unfortunately, the 1 category upgrade does not apply to suites.

See  " Upgrades available from categories 11- A1 on all Celebrity ships except Galapagos voyages" in previous Jim_Iain post.

7 hours ago, Harrylinden said:

Is it safe to make final payment online or should I call Celebrity and pay over the phone?

Yes, it is safe to make final payment online.

We actually prefer to do it online ourselves at our own convenience without needing to involve anyone else.

They had (maybe still have) a phone number where you could make automated payments over the phone, but we prefer to key it in ourselves while logged into our account and watching it update.

There is no waiting on hold or wondering whether or not the information is being recorded correctly as you can see exactly what you are entering and where it is going when you pay it yourself online.  You can see the remaining final balance due on your account change to zero, and it issues you an updated invoice that you can look over, save and print out, if you wish, before you even sign off.

But  when we use a travel agent, then that is an entirely different story as we don't have a choice and must rely on the TA to make the payment for us.

1 hour ago, DTL321 said:

....I am trying to do a Tuscan Grille first evening reservation but the earliest I can get is 9:30pm. Do you know if this benefit actually means I can get a better time? As in they save a few reservations for Captain's Club members? Or is this just fluff and has no meaning? How does one get in contact with the Loyalty Desk?

This is what they typically do to keep tables available to accommodate suite passengers who may want early reservations, even if they have lots of available tables.

If you are in a suite,  you should have no problem, especially so if you are in a high level suite.

Otherwise, You can try calling the Captain's Club

 1 800 760 9654  or 1 844 418 6824

But AFAIK they do not give any advantage to Captain's Club members.  Just about everyone who cruises with Celebrity is a Captain's Club member.

Or try for an earlier time once you are onboard.  That is easier to do on other evenings because they typically offer discounted prices for the first evening and it sells out.

2 hours ago, Guinness4me said:

First time Celebrity cruiser, we have sailed only Disney, did I read that the mini fringe is stocked?  Of so, can I request prior to sail to have it emptied free of charge?

 

I plan on bringing water and carbonated water, need the space.

Yes, just ask your stateroom attendant to empty it.

Many passengers do that.

They also may offer them to locals (people living near the departure port) at a reduced price.

In Icy Strait Point they can often be seen right from the ship or from the shore.

We have been there when they were right behind or beside the ship.

But it is not something you can count on always happening.

2 hours ago, countess5 said:

We will be on Equinox February 1st for a B2B and Concierge class, how do you even find out about this lunch? If I had not read it here I would not know there is even such a thing. 

 

It should be in the packet of B2B information you receive before the end of the first cruise and/or mentioned at the B2B meeting.

It's in the Conceirge Class description on the website too

  Concierge Class Cruise Ship Staterooms

Just get in there before 1:30 (or whatever the posted closing time is; the time when they close the doors) and you will be fine.  They will serve you even if you arrive just seconds before the posted closing time.

8 hours ago, Orator said:

I've been Zenith since a few months after the program was announced and I can tell you that Celebrity keeps the number highly confidential.

 

But why?

It is not like a competitor can come along and steal them.

5 hours ago, communication said:

Do they allow men and women to wear jeans in the dinning room at night?

Yes.  Here is the Celebrity dress code:

Nobody here has yet been able to define the difference between jeans and designer jeans. 😉

6 hours ago, DanaDanes said:

I love that ship! Don’t miss for us are:

1.  Springing for sushi in 5 lunch at embarkation. You’ll get 30% off probably!

2. Afternoon coffee/espresso and a sweet at cafe el bacio. 

3. Sail away at the sunset bar. 

4. Sauna in the spa area locker room (not co Ed) 

5.  Coffee on the balcony in the am 

6. Silent disco and a trip late to the martini bar to watch the bartenders tricks!

 

I would add to the list

   5. Coffee plus breakfast snacks on the balcony in the am.

     Put out your door hanger the night before to select the items you want and the time you want them delivered.

   7.  Thallasotherapy pool - wonderful 

   8. Waffles for breakfast hot off griddle at waffle station, with choice of toppings

   9.  Multiple flavors of ice-cream from ice-cream station on deck 10

 10. Enjoy  musicians in Rendezvous Lounge before or after dinner,  and dance (if you like to dance)

 11. While sailing along, enjoy  panoramic views in air conditioned comfort sitting in a big, comfortable chair up at front of sky lounge on deck 11.

 12.  The large, fully equipped gym.

 13. Add more nights, if at all possible.  2 are not enough.

17 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

It’s actually kind of annoyed me that when we get a last drink to take back to the cabin the bartender will ask my husband “A double?” whereas I still get a regular pour of wine...😩

Maybe the bartender read the CDC guidelines 😉

Drinking Levels Defined | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

  According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americansexternal icon,¹ moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.

Or you can have your photo taken when you board, which takes less than a minute,

actually faster for many than bothering with taking and uploading a photo in advance.

Yes, requiring your "guests"  to check out towels is really tacky, and we actually find it quite insulting to be treated as suspected towel thieves.

We would expect that practice at a high school gym, not on a cruise ship.

But we suspect that any cruise line needing to resort to such practices has probably experienced unusually high towel loss.  What does that say about their passengers?

We also dislike being bombarded with announcements throughout the day, reminding you that bingo is starting in 5 minutes.

As for  entertainment on a cruise ship, it just depends on what one wants. 

We all have different tastes, different expectations and different budgets.

We do not want ice shows or amusement park type rides on a cruise ship, finding them to be  much better on land. 

When we cruise with  Royal Caribbean, we prefer their  smaller Radiance class ships, without all the bells and whistles.

As the old saying goes, different strokes......

So even though in general we prefer Celebrity, we do cruise on Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines from time to time, for one reason or another.

7 hours ago, LzyCruiser_NWA said:

Have any of you rebooked your up coming cruise (booked prior to boarding) to get extra OBC etc?

 

Im currently onboard the infinity and was curious to see if it’s worth while to do so

Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't.

Easy enough to determine.  Just compare the price + perks you already have to what they are offering onboard.

Also, as Bo mentioned, take into consideration whether or not your original deposit is refundable, and if it is not, how much you would lose by making the change.

13 hours ago, texascruzer said:

Hello, please don’t blast me for asking a question that has been asked before but.....I am Elite and my cabin mate isn’t. Can she accompany me to the Elite lounge? Has been a few years since sailing. Tried looking  answer up but couldn’t find it. Thanks!

Yes.  At the beginning of the cruise, go see the Captain's Club host/ess to get your cabin mate either a special card or a stamp or sticker on her seapass card to use for admission to all Captain's Club events throughout the cruise.

Don't forget the daily elite breakfast/coffee (or whatever they are currently calling it) and there are usually  invitations to various special events throughout the cruise as well, such as  helipad sailaway, backstage tour and such.

Although I have not done this particular itinerary,  I think  they will  do the US immigration processing when you board in Vancouver, just as on your HAL cruise.

That is how they do it on the Alaska cruises that embark at Vancouver and disembark at Seward (a US port) and also how they do it for the coastal repositioning cruises that embark in Vancouver and disembark at a US port.

14 hours ago, LisaLeone said:

Hi all...I am looking at a cruise in September 2021 and, of course, am starting to price it out. My question is that I will be on the Summit in May of this year. Has it been your experience that you get more (ie, price and perks) if you book on board? Does it have to be a new booking or can I book a refundable now a switch it over? 

I appreciate the collective wisdom on this board. Thank you!

It just depends on which way turns out to be more beneficial to you at the time.

Sometimes you may get a much lower price on the initial booking, so even with the additional onboard booking perks, it may not be worth cancelling and re-booking.

But often it can really be advantageous to re-book onboard and cancel the initial booking.

Even then,  the procedure can vary depending on which agent happens to be doing the re-booking.

We have had the situation where we and the future cruise agent both got online at the same time;  we cancelled our initial booking and the agent immediately picked up the cabin as soon as the system released it.

We have also had the experience where the future cruise agent took care of the whole thing (the cancellation and the re-booking) so we did not need to do anything except give consent.

18 minutes ago, whitshel said:

Hey All,

 

Quick question, we are leaving on a cruise next Friday, Jan 3rd, one couple unfortunately will not be able to make it due to paperwork not received. My question is I know I can change the name of 1 pax on the reservation and the other will be a no show, they have 3 perks, drink pkg, $300 obc and gratuities, will the $300 obc be reduced to $150 since the 2nd pax will be a no show or will the cabin still get the $300 since its paid in full?  

The one passenger should get the full obc.  Once onboard, look at the account on the TV in the cabin to see how it is displayed.  If split between the 2 passengers, just pick up the phone to call guest relations and ask them to make the adjustment. 

Also ask them to remove the name of the second passenger  at that point. 

If there is no second passenger,  the first passenger can get double Captain's Club loyalty points.

By the next day when you look at the screen, it should just show the one passenger name with all the obc.

You should also get the taxes and port fees refunded for the second passenger, but that won't show on the TV screen.

On 12/26/2019 at 8:19 PM, Jim_Iain said:

I personally ask the Room Attendant to skip the evening "Treat" as well as the Ice Tea.   Just our preference as we generally would just leave them.  

We do the same.  Besides, we dislike needing to decide in advance what we will feel like having later.

We would rather take a little stroll around and see the wider range of selections  available for ourselves each day before deciding.

After all, there are the various flavors of ice-cream that keep changing and the different kinds of pizza to consider,  and all those baked goodies and beverages at Cafe al Bacio, in addition to the offerings available each day at the afternoon tea.

Occasionally one may even be in the mood for a hotdog.

The only thing is that if you are in a suite, do not let your butler catch you carrying any food or beverage items back to the suite.

Otherwise, you may find yourself engaging in an absurd conversation that goes something like this:

Butler:  Oh, you should have called me to get that for you.

Me:  But I didn't know I wanted it until I was standing right there in front of it.

Butler:  You should have called me anyway.

5 hours ago, dpemd said:

We were thinking of doing LPC. Was it worth it?

It was worth it to us only for the novelty because we had never done it before and we had non-refundable OBC to use up. 

The presentation was entertaining at first, watching animated characters projected on to your plates and table, but that soon wore off and became just more of the same.

The attraction there was the animation, not the food.

We were there on the steak night, and they seemed to have issues with quality control as there were mixed reactions to the steaks.  Some people received steaks that were tender and tasty while others got steaks that were tough and chewy.

The menu was extremely limited, in disappointing contrast to the wide variety of food choices that had been available there previously at Qsine.

We greatly prefer the food and service in Luminae.

So for us LPC was also once and done. 

 There are so many other, more tempting ways for us to throw away that non-refundable OBC.😀

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Many passengers pick up a glass of wine in the Retreat and bring it to dinner with them when they don't have a drink package.  The Retreat Bar is open most of the days with a bar tender and water and mixers are available for free.

Certainly that can be done, but for many it is not worth the hassle.

On the M-class ships the retreat lounge is up near the front of the ship and the dining rooms are at the back, so you need to carry your glass of wine almost the full length of the ship and through the casino. One bump is all it takes, so if you plan to do that, the best way is to get someone else to carry your glass of wine for you. 😉

Yes for all cabins, not just aqua class.

The cabins on the M-class ships do not alternate the way they do on S-class.