Random questions from a newbie!

[TruRed76]

We are leaving on our first Celebrity cruise (and dh's first cruise) soon. We are sailing on the Summit out of San Juan doing the Barbados-St. Lucia-Antigua-St. Maarten-St. Thomas itinerary. I have a few random questions before we go! Well, more than a few but these are the only ones I can remember right now ;)

 

Attire in buffet- I have read where it says no swim suits. Does this mean "no" on just a swim suit or can I put on a sundress over my suit and dh wear a shirt? We were planning on going to breakfast at the buffet in the morning and then just getting off the ship right afterwards. Obviously, we would then be wearing our clothes that we would be going to the beach/excursions in. Is this okay or do we need to wear different clothes and then go back to our rooms to change?

 

Water/Soda- I have read where we can bring unlimited water and soda on board. Is it ok just to put a luggage tag on it and have it delivered to our rooms? I don't really want to be hauling it everywhere after embarkation. Also, I know if we buy alcohol in the ports, the ship will take it and deliver it before we leave. Can we bring non-alcoholic beverages back on board? Do they need to be sealed or can it be something we are drinking?

 

Gratuity- We have Select Dining so we have pre-paid gratuities. In my one previous cruise experience, we also had pre-paid gratuities. We tried to tip bar staff and room stewards and were told they could not accept it. From what I am reading on these boards, we can still tip service staff even though we have pre-paid gratuities, correct? I see now that RCCL has gone to pre-paid gratuities as well. Do you think this will affect their policy?

 

Luggage- Is there a limit to the number of bags we can give to the porters when we first check-in? Again, I don't want to be lugging all our stuff around if we can help it! Also, what time could I reasonably expect it to the room? We made dinner reservations for 6 so we could be done by muster and we wouldn't miss sail-away. I just want to make sure we have our clothes in time to change for dinner.

 

Pool lounges- Obviously on sea day, these fill up early! But what is "early"??? 7am? 8am? Later? Just trying to plan on if we want to try to get up and snag two (dh hates to be hot so sitting by the pool to cool off is a plus for him!) or if it is way too early for us then we will plan on doing some other things.

 

Ok, that is all I can think of right now. I may be back later to add more! Thank you so much in advance for all your help and suggestions!!!

 

Laura

[Kevnzworld]

You can bring non alcoholic drinks onboard.

Yes, it's customary to tip the cabin steward/ attendant. Some tip their waiter and wine steward extra.

Wear casual clothes to the buffet, swimsuit with coverup is fine.

There aren't luggage limitations

The pool area fills up on sea days earliest, often by 9:30.

Have fun!

[prim8keeper]

We are leaving on our first Celebrity cruise (and dh's first cruise) soon. We are sailing on the Summit out of San Juan doing the Barbados-St. Lucia-Antigua-St. Maarten-St. Thomas itinerary. I have a few random questions before we go! Well, more than a few but these are the only ones I can remember right now ;)

 

Attire in buffet- I have read where it says no swim suits. Does this mean "no" on just a swim suit or can I put on a sundress over my suit and dh wear a shirt? We were planning on going to breakfast at the buffet in the morning and then just getting off the ship right afterwards. Obviously, we would then be wearing our clothes that we would be going to the beach/excursions in. Is this okay or do we need to wear different clothes and then go back to our rooms to change?

 

That should be fine.

 

Water/Soda- I have read where we can bring unlimited water and soda on board. Is it ok just to put a luggage tag on it and have it delivered to our rooms? I don't really want to be hauling it everywhere after embarkation. Also, I know if we buy alcohol in the ports, the ship will take it and deliver it before we leave. Can we bring non-alcoholic beverages back on board? Do they need to be sealed or can it be something we are drinking?

 

Yes you can just put a luggage tag on water, etc. and it will be delivered to your stateroom. We brought back on water bottles that we had that were open and no one ever said anything. Also they stopped taking the alcohol on our cruise as well. In our last port we bought three bottles and they never took it. Others said they had done the same at other ports. We were not sure why. I did see them taking it from people though at check in, in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Gratuity- We have Select Dining so we have pre-paid gratuities. In my one previous cruise experience, we also had pre-paid gratuities. We tried to tip bar staff and room stewards and were told they could not accept it. From what I am reading on these boards, we can still tip service staff even though we have pre-paid gratuities, correct? I see now that RCCL has gone to pre-paid gratuities as well. Do you think this will affect their policy?

 

Yes, you can tip extra. We had prepaid gratuities and tipped our favorite waiters and room steward extra in cash at the end of the cruise last week.

 

Luggage- Is there a limit to the number of bags we can give to the porters when we first check-in? Again, I don't want to be lugging all our stuff around if we can help it! Also, what time could I reasonably expect it to the room? We made dinner reservations for 6 so we could be done by muster and we wouldn't miss sail-away. I just want to make sure we have our clothes in time to change for dinner.

 

There is no guarantee you will have you luggage by then.

 

Pool lounges- Obviously on sea day, these fill up early! But what is "early"??? 7am? 8am? Later? Just trying to plan on if we want to try to get up and snag two (dh hates to be hot so sitting by the pool to cool off is a plus for him!) or if it is way too early for us then we will plan on doing some other things.

 

On our most recent cruise it was 7 am to 8 am, but I would also say it depends on your cruise.

 

Ok, that is all I can think of right now. I may be back later to add more! Thank you so much in advance for all your help and suggestions!!!

 

Laura

 

Answers above in red. Hope it helps!

[MicCanberra]

Agree witht the posters above.:D

[Northern Aurora]

 

Luggage- ...... Also, what time could I reasonably expect it to the room? We made dinner reservations for 6 so we could be done by muster and we wouldn't miss sail-away. I just want to make sure we have our clothes in time to change for dinner.

 

 

 

 

Laura

 

The first night many people haven't received their luggage, and the restaurant staff understands.

[TruRed76]

Thanks for the responses! They are what I was thinking; it is just nice to have it confirmed. Interesting about them not talking alcohol purchases at port. We plan on buying some rum from the distilleries in Barbados...it would be cool to be able to drink it on the cruise. If they do take it, no biggie. It is what we are planning on.

 

As for the restaurant staff understanding about luggage, does that mean you can dress less formal or you can be late for your reservations? We have select dining so we will be eating in MDR that night. I just wanted to make sure we were done well before muster so we wouldn't feel rushed. Do you recommend calling to cancel reservations if we don't have luggage, showing up in our day clothes, or just showing up late? We can always eat at the buffet that first night, too, if we don't have luggage.

 

Again thanks for all the help!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[prim8keeper]

Thanks for the responses! They are what I was thinking; it is just nice to have it confirmed. Interesting about them not talking alcohol purchases at port. We plan on buying some rum from the distilleries in Barbados...it would be cool to be able to drink it on the cruise. If they do take it, no biggie. It is what we are planning on.

 

As for the restaurant staff understanding about luggage, does that mean you can dress less formal or you can be late for your reservations? We have select dining so we will be eating in MDR that night. I just wanted to make sure we were done well before muster so we wouldn't feel rushed. Do you recommend calling to cancel reservations if we don't have luggage, showing up in our day clothes, or just showing up late? We can always eat at the buffet that first night, too, if we don't have luggage.

 

Again thanks for all the help!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

For us it was Barbados where they stopped collecting it. I'm not sure why though since that was the midway point in our cruise. Some of our other cruisers went to the Mount Gay rum factory and were able just to bring their rum back on board.

 

On both of our cruises we had a delayed boarding and the end result was no dress code on the first night. They seem to be pretty understanding about everything. If you are doing select maybe just go with the flow and see what happens. You could easily have your luggage by then, it just really depends. On our first cruise it took forever, but on our last cruise we were the first of all our friends to get it.

[Northern Aurora]

 

As for the restaurant staff understanding about luggage, does that mean you can dress less formal or you can be late for your reservations? We have select dining so we will be eating in MDR that night. I just wanted to make sure we were done well before muster so we wouldn't feel rushed. Do you recommend calling to cancel reservations if we don't have luggage, showing up in our day clothes, or just showing up late? We can always eat at the buffet that first night, too, if we don't have luggage.

 

Again thanks for all the help!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

Laura: You can show up for your select dining reservation at the MDR in the clothes you wore when you boarded. Don't worry about canceling the select dining reservations. If you arrive for dinner wearing shorts, just tell the hostess that your luggage hasn't arrived. And enjoy your cruise!

[TruRed76]

Thank you so much! It is appreciated :-) If you can't tell, I like to plan. I am even starting to plan contingency plans for our excursions in case it rains! I know I need help but it helps pass the time until we go - 45 days until we fly out!!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[roothy123]

I hope you don't mind me jumping on as another newbie going on the same itinerary March 9 on Summit, and have a few questions.

 

How is the little cafe in the spa? I haven't read much about it, although I DID see the menu in the FAQs section on Celebrity's web site.

 

What kind of stuff does room service have? Also, what's available from room service for breakfast - any hot stuff, or just cold? (We're in an inside stateroom, so no special benefits apply!)

 

Does Celebrity have a web cam at the front of the ship that you can view on the TV in your stateroom?

 

Has anyone done the "luggage valet service" that Celebrity and some other cruise lines offer, in which your bags are taken to the airport for you, and you pick them up there? I think Celebrity charges $20 per person for that. Can you get it for the San Juan airport? Is it worth it?

 

What's the best place to take pictures on the ship of things on the shore? Someone suggested the Sunset Bar, which sounds good? Comments?

 

Is there a self-service laundry room on board?

 

I think I read something about showing an ID with your Sea Pass. What do you have to take with you when you go off-shore? Is it just your Sea Pass card or something more?

 

Does the pesky photographer just want to photograph you when you board, or at every port?

 

The Summit looks beautiful. Does anyone have any tips for where to take some nice pictures of the ship, inside or out?

 

Has anyone taken the shore excursion to Turtle Cove in Charlotte Amalie? Was it good?

 

What kind of sports "things" are there on the ship? I think I read that there's basketball and table tennis - anything else (golf tees?)

 

By the way, TruRed, I like to plan, too - in fact, I'm a bit compulsive about it! I even write down emergency info for getting to the next port in case I screw up! I haven't missed a cruise ship yet, but if I do, I want to be prepared to catch up!

[JanineM]

See my responses in red below.

 

I hope you don't mind me jumping on as another newbie going on the same itinerary March 9 on Summit, and have a few questions.

 

How is the little cafe in the spa? I haven't read much about it, although I DID see the menu in the FAQs section on Celebrity's web site.

 

It's good - very healthy and "right" sized portions.

 

What kind of stuff does room service have? Also, what's available from room service for breakfast - any hot stuff, or just cold? (We're in an inside stateroom, so no special benefits apply!)

Limited to continental items.

 

Does Celebrity have a web cam at the front of the ship that you can view on the TV in your stateroom?

Yes

 

Has anyone done the "luggage valet service" that Celebrity and some other cruise lines offer, in which your bags are taken to the airport for you, and you pick them up there? I think Celebrity charges $20 per person for that. Can you get it for the San Juan airport? Is it worth it?

Can't help you on this one ...

 

What's the best place to take pictures on the ship of things on the shore? Someone suggested the Sunset Bar, which sounds good? Comments?

It depends - sometimes the most interesting views are off on the side of the ship, or the sky bar. Wander around with your camera :)

 

Is there a self-service laundry room on board?

No self service laundry on any Celebrity ship. Laundry, pressing and dry cleaning services are cheaper than here in Atlanta.

 

I think I read something about showing an ID with your Sea Pass. What do you have to take with you when you go off-shore? Is it just your Sea Pass card or something more?

At several ports you need a driver's license or other photo id. I just carry my driver's license. Check Celebrity Today for details before you head ashore.

 

Does the pesky photographer just want to photograph you when you board, or at every port?

Yes, there are photographers - but I've never found them to be particularly "pesky". A quick "no thanks" will suffice if you don't want your picture taken.

 

The Summit looks beautiful. Does anyone have any tips for where to take some nice pictures of the ship, inside or out?

 

Has anyone taken the shore excursion to Turtle Cove in Charlotte Amalie? Was it good?

 

What kind of sports "things" are there on the ship? I think I read that there's basketball and table tennis - anything else (golf tees?)

That's about it - plus everything in the fitness center. Celebrity tends to be more sedate than some lines.

 

By the way, TruRed, I like to plan, too - in fact, I'm a bit compulsive about it! I even write down emergency info for getting to the next port in case I screw up! I haven't missed a cruise ship yet, but if I do, I want to be prepared to catch up!

[TruRed76]

I hope you don't mind me jumping on as another newbie going on the same itinerary March 9 on Summit, and have a few questions.

 

Not at all!!! I figure the more we ask, the more we learn, and the smoother the vacation can go! :o

 

The luggage valet service sounds good - I would definitely take advantage of that! So nice when they do that for you at Disney World.

 

And I plan on adding to my phone the ships phone number, scanned copies of our passports, birth certificates, and my marriage certificate, and the contact for the local embassy/port authority if needed! I also plan wearing a separate watch that is set according to ship time versus local time (but I think it will be the same when we are there in April) so I don't confused if I look at my cell!

 

Happy cruising!

 

Laura

[CathyCruises]

Not at all!!! I figure the more we ask, the more we learn, and the smoother the vacation can go! :o

 

The luggage valet service sounds good - I would definitely take advantage of that! So nice when they do that for you at Disney World.

 

And I plan on adding to my phone the ships phone number, scanned copies of our passports, birth certificates, and my marriage certificate, and the contact for the local embassy/port authority if needed! I also plan wearing a separate watch that is set according to ship time versus local time (but I think it will be the same when we are there in April) so I don't confused if I look at my cell!

 

Happy cruising!

 

Laura

 

Ship time will be local time. You can save yourself a lot of trouble and worry by taking the 'daily' with you ashore--it will have info about the ship's agent in port and will serve as your point of contact in case of an emergency. Can't imagine needing a scan of birth and marriage certs (if you have passports scanned), but I would scan my driver's license and front and back of credit cards in case I need to contact the banks.

 

And for the poster concerned about late luggage arrival, why not pack a change of clothes in your carry-on just in case? Just some slacks and a nice top would be perfect and would relieve any stress. Also many pack bathing suit for that first pool outing.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

What kind of stuff does room service have? Also, what's available from room service for breakfast - any hot stuff, or just cold? (We're in an inside stateroom, so no special benefits apply!)

 

Limited to continental items.

 

Sorry, but that's incorrect. You can get hot items from room service for breakfast. Check the blue book in your cabin for the hang tags to order breakfast and the room service menu.

[gagirl7143]

We are leaving on our first Celebrity cruise (and dh's first cruise) soon. We are sailing on the Summit out of San Juan doing the Barbados-St. Lucia-Antigua-St. Maarten-St. Thomas itinerary. I have a few random questions before we go! Well, more than a few but these are the only ones I can remember right now ;)

 

Attire in buffet- I have read where it says no swim suits. Does this mean "no" on just a swim suit or can I put on a sundress over my suit and dh wear a shirt? We were planning on going to breakfast at the buffet in the morning and then just getting off the ship right afterwards. Obviously, we would then be wearing our clothes that we would be going to the beach/excursions in. Is this okay or do we need to wear different clothes and then go back to our rooms to change?

 

Water/Soda- I have read where we can bring unlimited water and soda on board. Is it ok just to put a luggage tag on it and have it delivered to our rooms? I don't really want to be hauling it everywhere after embarkation. Also, I know if we buy alcohol in the ports, the ship will take it and deliver it before we leave. Can we bring non-alcoholic beverages back on board? Do they need to be sealed or can it be something we are drinking?

 

Gratuity- We have Select Dining so we have pre-paid gratuities. In my one previous cruise experience, we also had pre-paid gratuities. We tried to tip bar staff and room stewards and were told they could not accept it. From what I am reading on these boards, we can still tip service staff even though we have pre-paid gratuities, correct? I see now that RCCL has gone to pre-paid gratuities as well. Do you think this will affect their policy?

 

Luggage- Is there a limit to the number of bags we can give to the porters when we first check-in? Again, I don't want to be lugging all our stuff around if we can help it! Also, what time could I reasonably expect it to the room? We made dinner reservations for 6 so we could be done by muster and we wouldn't miss sail-away. I just want to make sure we have our clothes in time to change for dinner.

 

Pool lounges- Obviously on sea day, these fill up early! But what is "early"??? 7am? 8am? Later? Just trying to plan on if we want to try to get up and snag two (dh hates to be hot so sitting by the pool to cool off is a plus for him!) or if it is way too early for us then we will plan on doing some other things.

 

Ok, that is all I can think of right now. I may be back later to add more! Thank you so much in advance for all your help and suggestions!!!

 

Laura

 

Buffet attire..... fine for hubby to wear shirt over swim suite. Sundress over yours is ok too.

 

You can give tips to anyone at anytime.

 

Luggage..... bags can come anytime from 2:00 pm til 1 or 2 am. so you would be wise to pack in your carry on a change of clothes for dinner the first night. You want to keep your roll on with you when you walk on board and keep it with you til you are allowed in your room around 1 or 1:30 .

 

Pool chairs fill up very early but you should be able to find one if you look hard any time of day but 2 together u need to snag by 8 am!

[roothy123]

Laura, I think you're going quite a bit later than we are, so this may not be relevant, but for us, U.S. time springs forward on our first full day on the cruise. However, none of the ports you will visit are on different time zones (they're all on Atlantic Standard Time), so you won't have to change your watch (or keep two) on the ship.

 

I second the suggestion to take port agent info with you. We always do that on our cruises. If one of us is going out and the other staying on the ship or very close by, I go get a second copy of the daily ship's paper for the person going ashore (almost always me) so the other person still has a copy in the stateroom. Of course, you can always just write down the info to take - it's not long! There will be phone numbers for the port agent. Question for past Celebrity cruisers: Does anyone know if you can get extra copies of the ship's "dailies" - Guest Relations desk, maybe?

 

Also, as to the room service breakfast. Can I assume that the room service is the same for all cabins? (I know some lines have preferential treatment for suite owners. We're in an inside cabin, so I thought I'd ask.)

 

Also, as to excursions: I know Celebrity, like other lines, likes you to sign up early. However, if I wait to sign up when I get on board the ship, or even two days before, is it likely that most excursions will still be available? We're talking the Caribbean here, so most are local excursions and not too terribly involved. Then again, with so many ships visiting the Caribbean, and with Summit being a relatively large ship, I wasn't sure if I should wait too terribly long to sign up.

 

Laura, I am not the kind of person who likes to carry a purse while on board a ship (even a small one) or have something dangling around my neck, or having a card that I am likely to put on the dinner table and spill stuff on. Therefore, I take a little wrist thingy that's meant to hold a small cell phone and put my sea pass there. That works for me, so thought I'd pass that on. It also ensures that you always have your sea pass close by when you return to the ship and have to whip it out.

 

I usually like to pack light, but in the Caribbean I plan to pack more things in case I sweat or dirty stuff up. I have been spoiled on past cruises, as the cruise line we normally use has a DIY laundry and you could wash/dry/iron to your heart's content for $2 per load. I'm going to miss that free ironing and cheap washing, and my husband will have to do without washing all his clothes before returning home! Oh well...this cruise was a little cheaper than the ones offered by our favorite line, so I guess it all evens out in the end...maybe.

[JanineM]

What kind of stuff does room service have? Also, what's available from room service for breakfast - any hot stuff, or just cold? (We're in an inside stateroom, so no special benefits apply!)

 

Limited to continental items.

 

Sorry, but that's incorrect. You can get hot items from room service for breakfast. Check the blue book in your cabin for the hang tags to order breakfast and the room service menu.

 

Thanks for correcting me! I had it in my mind that there was a limited breakfast menu in most cabins.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for correcting me! I had it in my mind that there was a limited breakfast menu in most cabins.

You can get a full breaky bacon, eggs etc.:D