lreinstein

Hi,

My wife Anne and I are doing our second cruise ever ... last year we cruised on the Celebrity Silhouette out of Venice.

We have signed up for the #3B ground package from Anchorage prior to the May 20 sailing on Millennium

I would appreciate it if some of you more experienced cruisers could answer a few logistics (perhaps dumb) questions... or at least direct me to the proper forum if this isn't it.

Thanks in advance,

Larry.

1. The first night of the package is at the Anchorage Marriott (May 16) prior to the Denali tour. Is it OK if we arrive from the East Coast that same day, that is on May 16 (around 2PM). Or is it advisable to arrive a day before?

2. What is done about baggage.? We will probably want a small bag for the pre-cruise excursion but larger bags for the cruise itself. Do we need to drag all the bags on the pre-cruise ground tour or will Celebrity take care of them and send them to the ship?

3. Are there any must-do/must see excursions that you can recommend?

4. How do we sign up for the connections party?

Thanks again

I am feeling frustrated and don't know exactly where to post this.

I am a second time cruiser ... my wife and I went on a 20th anniversary Adriatic cruise last year on Celebrity Silhouette and really enjoyed ourselves. SO now we would like to do an Alaska Cruise in May 2016.

I looked at the Celebrity Millennium which departs May 20 2016 from Seward and when I requested to book a Concierge Class room it showed me that only 5 rooms were available!!!

What gives? Can this be true? I also looked in other categories such as Aqua Class ... and it always seems to show about 5 rooms available. (None by the way on the Port Side which is what i thought i preferred ... despite the posts that there is no real advantage ... I guess port is booked up first)?

What am I missing?? How far in advance should I be looking? Or, are more rooms released later? Or perhaps other rooms are reserved for folks who book the land tours as well?

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Thank you.

Larry

All of these are best researched on the Celebrity board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

On the Port vs Starboard issue, a little reading down the board would reveal this is a common question. Answer: It doesn't matter. Scenery is 360 degrees and "big picture". You don't need to be in one magic spot to see the important stuff, and besides you aren't locked in your cabin- you will be watching the scenery from all over the ship.

Thanks, Though of course I have read through many posts on the port/starboard issue and I do not necessarily buy the "it does not matter" opinion. Although I agree that we will be watching the major scenery up top on deck, ... there is still some pleasure to be had having breakfast on the veranda and seeing interesting scenery pass by rather than open water.

Hello,

My wife and I are planning our second cruise for May 2016 on Celebrity Millennium and would appreciate any tips and advice from those who have done this. (our first cruise was the Adriatic on the Celebrity Silhouette). I also have a few general questions.

- I am thinking of a Concierge class cabin. Is it worth the extra $$ over a Veranda room?

- I was thinking of deck 7 or 8 and somewhat midship. Is this a good choice?

- I was leaning toward port side for this Southward journey, but read on these boards that it does not make a big difference. Any thoughts on this would be helpful.

- Am I better off going through the Celebrity website of an independent agent or online agent to get the best deals? The Celebrity website has a "pick your perk" Special which seems pretty good but I have to book prior to May 31. Seems to be only a few rooms of each class ... and they don't seem like particularly good ones. Any advice for us would really be appreciated.

Thanks

Larry and Anne

If you look over on the Alaska board you will see this asked almost daily. Answer: it doesn't matter! The scenery is 360 degrees, it is big picture scenery (you don't have to be in one magic spot to see things), the ship doesn't move that fast, and most importantly, you aren't locked in your cabin. You are out and about, all over the ship.

 

Again, reading on the Alaska board you will see HAL and Princess have 80 percent of the Glacier Bay permits. You do the math, that doesn't leave many for anyone else. They also have move ships there than any other line.

 

If sea sickness is a problem, you need to be prepared every day on a ship. If I tell you my experience is calm seas (which would be untrue), and by some fluke it's rough on your cruise, that doesn't do you any good right?

 

Big ships might move a little less than big ships, but I certainly wouldn't use that as a criteria for selection of a cruise.

THanks,

And, I will look at the Alaska board. I was just looking for some quick answers and I was tired.

A followup if you don't mind:

I am not sure what the implication of "permissions" in glacier bay is. Does that mean the other cruise ships (e.g., Celebrity) may not be able to enter the bay even though it is on their itinerary?

Larry

10 day cruises in Alaska are pretty rare. 7 day is probably 95% of cruises. HAL has a 14 day route, Princess 10 day from SF.

 

Some reading on the Alaska board would reveal a lot of info about the significance of Glacier Bay, and the differences between round trip out of Seattle or Vancouver, as opposed to one way Seward-VSeward - Vancouver or reverse.

Thanks. I will check the Alaska board.

A few more questions.

Does a one way cruise mean one side of the ship is preferable for better views?

I have been sea sick on Ferry's in the past. However, I was perfectly fine on a Celebrity Solstice cruise on the Adriatic last year (my only cruise so far). Will I have problems on the cruise to Seward or Anchorage? Would I be better off with the mega-ships than mid size?

I have read that HAL has most Alaska experience and thus more "permissions" to sail in certain bays ...how true is this? Is one line better than another for Alaska (Princess, Celebrity, HAL are what we are considering).?

Thanks again

Larry

I am looking for a cruise to Alaska in May 2016 and could use any tips or advice.

My wife and I have been on only one cruise on Celebrity which we enjoyed, so are partial to that line. I was thinking of a 10 night cruise departing from Seattle and ending in Anchorage. I see Celebrity has one this May 2015 but NONE listed for 2016. Is it just too early or does this mean they are not scheduling?

We would also consider other lines like Princess or Holland America or?

Would it be preferable to just do the 7 night round trip cruises through the inner passage? We are not very energetic and are looking to relax and to enjoy beautiful natural wonders.

Thanks

Larry

I do not think the ATT does go through the ships wifi. Not sure. But as I understand it the ships package is per hour of use and not MB. So a slow connection would cost more. The ATT package gives a limited number of MB, and Texts (includes video texts I think). Also 30 minutes of talk. Seems like it would be easier to control the cost. Larry

My wife and I are about to depart on an Adriatic Cruise (Celebrity Silhouette) and would like to have some limited text/data while aboard ship. I understand the ship's wifi is expensive and not very reliable.

Does anyone have any experience with the Cruise Packages offered by the wireless companies, specifically AT&T, in terms of quality and reliability?

Thanks

Larry

Calling, Messaging, and Using Data

on a Cruise Ship

Now available while sailing aboard Royal Caribbean

International®, Azamara Club Cruises®, and select Celebrity

Cruises® ships.

Choose from three packages:

Calling only

Calling and messaging

Calling, messaging, and data

Someone in the forum posted about a promo called "pick a perk".

Can anyone explain this and whether it applies to someone who has already booked this cruise?

thanks

Larry

Anyone know why this is happening?

I have been trying to make the final payment on our Celebrity cruise for the past 9 days. I keep getting the same " please be patient... Website is having problems..." Message.

I have tried 3 browsers and 3 different computers. What gives???

It is now 4 days before deadline. I am trying to do this by phone and have been on hold for 20 minutes.

Don't they want my money?

What to do?

Larry

This is our first cruise, and I think we need a cruise agent who has a lot of experience and can talk us through it and help with all the choices.

Where do I begin? and what are most important attributes?

- CLIA member, hi ranking?

- Local who I can visit face to face vs by phone across the country?

- personally a lot of experience with the line we will be using (Celebrity)?

- Same age bracket as myself and my wife (just retired)

I appreciate any and all advice and even specific recommendations.

Thanks

Larry

Hi

My wife and I are planning to take our first cruise of the Adriatic on Celebrity to celebrate our 20th anniversary. I have some basic questions so hope I can get some advice.

- We have booked our Cruise already. When should we begin reserving the tours? Is there a way to get good deals on these through Celebrity?

- I reserved Spa treatments for the day at sea. How long are the reservations held without payment? What is the refund policy if I do pay?

- Any advice about specialty restaurants? Which ones are worth reserving in advance?

Thanks.

Larry