IDL

Your last paragraph is the key which is the reason we stuck with one restaurant on the Beyond for consistency of having the same waiter. Unfortunately for newbies the fact that you can order the speciality items from the other restaurants is not in any Celebrity literature I have ever seen (like the desserts are included at the coffee bar though they charge for the coffee).

We just sailed on the Beyond and the key for us was homing in on one restaurant at the same dining time in order to secure the same waiter and the same table. As has been stated, you can order the speciality items from any of the four restaurants so having a waiter that knew our general wants and could speed up the meal when we wanted to catch a show was the difference maker. Some shows require securing a seat at least 30 minutes early so don’t always have 2 hours for dinner.

How far in advance does Oceana publish the pricing of the shore excursions for a specific cruise?

Like it as it extends the room and provides extra storage space.

The Cruise Critic editorial ship reviews must have been written directly after Covid reopening as it is inaccurate relative to what is currently included in the standard cruise fare: Inclusions Included with your cruise fare: Meals in the main dining room, the Oceanview Cafe buffet, Continental breakfast room service and select other eateries All theater shows and most entertainment options Most daily activities, unless otherwise noted Use of the fitness center Gratuities Wi-Fi Beverages, including carbonated drinks, bottled water, juices, premium coffees and teas, and beer, spirits, cocktails and wines by the glass up to $9 per serving

The pricing paradigm for Celebrity and other main cruise line is charge whatever the market will bear and pricing a water park for a captive audience is on a different scale than a water park accessed when not on a cruise (prove your home wi-fi service vs. what Celebrity charges). The bottom line is they are focused on their bottom line and there is obviously no ceiling to the price they will charge for anything.

The volume of the music has been a complaint for years so I assume at this point Celebrity is well aware and has made a conscious decision to ignore complaints. I was the only person in the gym one afternoon and the music was blaring so loud that I could barely hear my music through my headphones; I complained they were very reluctant to adjust it even though I was the only guest impacted. As others have stated they are instructed to pump up the volume.

Yes the delta/upcharge is $75 per day for an Aqua class cabin vs. a regular veranda cabin. The size of that price delta is how I decide whether to book Aqua class or not.

Just to frame the issue; checked the price of Aqua vs. veranda on an 8 day Beyond cruise and it is $75 per day, per cabin. I, as many others, consider the only tangible benefit of Aqua class to be dining at Blu and $75 a day is certainly substantial enough to decide if the food and ambience of a smaller dining room is worth the upcharge. No right or wrong answer but price creep on everything related to cruising is the reality.

We did concerige We had a concerige cabin on Vista last year and the We did a concerige cabin on Vista last year and there was not much added value for me. Did take advantage of the laundry perk as well as the lounge but those two perks are not worth the additional money for me. Loved the ship but will probably just book a veranda cabin next time.

It’s completely illogical but certainly is aligned with the continued business objective of charging whatever the market will bear.

As stated the value proposition for Aqua class is predicated on how one values meals in Blu as the other benefits of Aqua class add no value for me. Therefore as the $64K question is how much extra over a veranda cabin one is willing to pay for Blu as the price delta is different for every cruise. I would not pay more than $50 a day per passenger above the veranda cabin rate. Celebrity seems very focused on testing price elasticity on everything with the guiding principle of charging what ever the market will bear.

I’m looking for a copy of the current Beyond MDR menus.

Great info JB and others as well. Will probably take an Uber to the cruise port based on all the input and look forward to enjoying a relaxing day in Southampton on the day prior to the cruise.

Not only charging for the second lobster but charging a gratuity for dining room service for which the gratuity is already paid.

Looking to find out if the Leonardo grand harbor hotel in Southampton offers transportation to the cruise port.

The overarching point is that there are exceptional/extraordinary/atypical situations that the cruise should take into account on a case by case basis and in the interest of good customer service take care of affected passengers accordingly.

Agree the is poor customer service and the apparent unwillingness to carry through with a verbal commitment made onboard is concerning as I would definitely file a complaint to senior Celebrity management. We have an upcoming Panama Canal cruise and though a certain amount of ships are doing full and partial crossings I would not be shocked if the water levels decrease to the point that they cancel the Panama Canal crossing portion of the cruise but if they do certainly expect some consideration whether they are contractually obligated or not.

We use a term in business- “revenue enhancement”. The whole cruise industry is definitely in the mode of charging for items that used to be included as well as charging more for items that currently are an extra charge for if people are willing to pay X then they may be willing to pay Y (or at least some people will).

You can pick up a loaner cruise ship at the service shop.

Also ample time for Celebrity to jack up the price again. Additionally not interested in having dinner at 8 PM or later because the more desirable times are booked or someone else has more priority, more pull or tipped the Maître d'.

Celebrity is certainly taking a whatever the traffic will bear approach to Specialty Restaurant as opposed to a cost + approach for instance. Price it high and snag as many as you can and then lower the enough to keep restaurant capacity and profitability high.

An image of the Golden Arches is the logo of McDonalds; go on their website and it will probably ring a bell.

Is the Eden Cafe on Beyond open for lunch on embarkation day?

Bartender does not participate in the gratuity pool and the point is moot as the Bartender tip is added automatically on a per order basis.