Helpful Hints for Newbies.....

[VitaminSea53]

You guys/gals are a wealth of information and I would like to tap into that. I cruise every other year or so and have tried most of the major lines but this will be my first Celebrity adventure. I am not a total newbie to cruising but feel like I could be more efficient and organized to make the cruise /cabin experience more comfortable.

 

This idea was sparked from another thread where someone suggested the battery operated tea lights (like from Michaels) for a bathroom night light. Genius!

 

What else have I not thought of ??

[Luvcrusn]

You guys/gals are a wealth of information and I would like to tap into that. I cruise every other year or so and have tried most of the major lines but this will be my first Celebrity adventure. I am not a total newbie to cruising but feel like I could be more efficient and organized to make the cruise /cabin experience more comfortable.

 

This idea was sparked from another thread where someone suggested the battery operated tea lights (like from Michaels) for a bathroom night light. Genius!

 

What else have I not thought of ??

The S-class ships have no pull across clothes line in the shower to hang wet items. We bought a set of 4 strong magnetic hooks from Amazon and take some twine. Since all the cabin walls (including the shower) are metal, we hang two in there, tie the twine and there is the clothes line. We use the other two in the cabin to hang purses, etc.

[Shadow9612]

You guys/gals are a wealth of information and I would like to tap into that. I cruise every other year or so and have tried most of the major lines but this will be my first Celebrity adventure. I am not a total newbie to cruising but feel like I could be more efficient and organized to make the cruise /cabin experience more comfortable.

 

This idea was sparked from another thread where someone suggested the battery operated tea lights (like from Michaels) for a bathroom night light. Genius!

 

What else have I not thought of ??

You are sure to get a lot of valuable information in responses to this post! Good luck and enjoy your first Celebrity cruise.

 

On S-class ships, the bathrooms are automatically lit dimly so you won't need a night light :) having said this, I've only stayed in concierge and Aqua class staterooms - I assume all stateroom bathrooms are the same, but I may be wrong.

[crusingnut]

Wait to reserve specialty dining till on board. They set up tables near elevators, dining rooms & the pool to sign up and they usually will give you a discounted price if you don't jump on it right away. We have always gotten a good deal when on board, never full price.

[miched]

There are many threqds on tips that have pages of replies with a ton of info.

 

Here is one

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1173887&highlight=Helpful

 

The best is to do a search and then when you do a cruise make your own list.

 

You are the only one that knows what you need or like.

 

You will never be fully prepared or have everything you need. If you try to pack everything that others suggest you will find that most is not needed or it didn't make it any better.

 

If you really do need something you can always purchase it on board or in a port.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[Cruise Raider]

You are sure to get a lot of valuable information in responses to this post! Good luck and enjoy your first Celebrity cruise.

 

On S-class ships, the bathrooms are automatically lit dimly so you won't need a night light :) having said this, I've only stayed in concierge and Aqua class staterooms - I assume all stateroom bathrooms are the same, but I may be wrong.

 

No ... you are right. All cabin bathrooms are dimly lit at night and act as a nightlight ... on the S-class ships.

 

For the OP, because you've cruised in the past, you may already know this but the cabin walls are made out of metal. We take clip magnets to put our schedules, tour tickets, dailies and invitations out on the wall so we're hunting all over for them.

All rooms have umbrellas for use during the cruise. These have come in handy in Alaska.

There is no charge at the Aqua Spa Cafe in the covered pool area on the S-class ships. I've seen it before on the M-class ships as well ... just cannot remember where it is.

On the S-class ships, there is storage above the bed....2 large cabinets without any dividers. I take a couple of those pop up folding cube boxes to make it easier to keep my clothing that I put up there organized. You will not need those for the M-class ships.

If you have the beverage package included for your sailing, you only pay the difference between the cost of a drink and package limit now for both classic and premium packages. It used to only work like this for the premium but now includes both.

If you purchase any future cruise certificates while onboard, be sure to apply it to a specific sailing for maximum benefits and flexibility. The ones that are applied to a sailing are completely refundable and transferrable to another sailing if you are using it as a place holder. The open sailing ones are not. And, you can transfer these to a travel agent (or they will book with a specific travel agent for you) but this must be done within 60 days of purchase. You can also book Royal Caribbean and I believe, Azamara, as well while onboard.

BTW ... if you've cruise a number of times with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity will recognize that status and offer you reciprocal Captain's Club benefits up to elite / diamond status between these two lines. Same with Azamara, I believe.

If you do gamble a lot in land based casinos here in the US, MGM/Mirage corp has a relationship with Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. Check out the benefits under their page using the link to their casino dept. I think they also have a relationship with Hyatt. And speaking of casinos, if you would like to gamble onboard using your OBC, they will give you promotional chips (tables) or credits (slot machines). You can only cash out your winnings. In other words, they don't want you to use your OBC in the casinos for taking out cash anymore. It's actually a fair way to conduct business, IMO.

There is very limited smoking on Celebrity ... absolutely no place inside to smoke, including your balcony and a few designated smoking areas outside. One of these areas is on deck 5, midship on the port side. Some passengers on deck 6 balconies right above this area have complained about the smoke wafting up to their balcony. Not trying to start a smoking or non-smoking thread here, just attempting to let you know that if you are sensitive to smoke, you may want to avoid these cabin choices. This applies to the S-class ships.

There are cabins on the slant of the hump, forward and midship, that have extra large balconies. The 1st and 3rd cabins off the hump offer the largest balconies and these are very much sought after cabins ... mostly designated as 1A cabin categories. There are also a few in the 2D and 2C categories on deck 6 and are fine choices with some obstruction. The 2D cabin categories have the top of tenders that will reach your balcony railing, whereas, the 2C category cabins, the top of the lifeboats will be level with the floor of your balcony. With both of these, you will be able to see straight out but not down into the water. We've not found them to be that obtrusive ... but some people hate these cabins. I like being on deck 6 as the coffee place is just one level down for me to grab an expresso in the AM. This is at Cafe Al Baccio and the coffees are covered under the packages or are for purchase but all the little desserts and danishes are free of charge for anyone.

Well, I could go on and on ... but you will find that others will also chime in.

[VitaminSea53]

Thanks. Great tips! - keep 'me coming. I had not realized that the walls are metal.

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

Thanks. Great tips! - keep 'me coming. I had not realized that the walls are metal.

 

 

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Oh good ... glad I mentioned something helpful. Someone even mentioned that they take the real heavy duty ones that have a j-hook on them with a shower curtain and hang it between the sofa and bed areas at night if they don't want to disturb their cabin mate that is trying to sleep ... like a room divider. I don't think I would go to that extent but have found the magnetic clips to be more than helpful.

[cb at sea]

I find hanging damp items on a hanger from the air vent in the cabin dries them MUCH faster than in the bathroom.

[Shadow9612]

Cruise Raider - what a great summary of items in post 6. Thank you!

 

I have never thought of bringing magnets - I willing try this - great idea...

[Shadow9612]

You guys/gals are a wealth of information and I would like to tap into that. I cruise every other year or so and have tried most of the major lines but this will be my first Celebrity adventure. I am not a total newbie to cruising but feel like I could be more efficient and organized to make the cruise /cabin experience more comfortable.

 

What else have I not thought of ??

 

I can't say this next suggestion will make your cruise experience more efficient, but something you might like to try is an AFFOGATO!

 

I had never heard of this until someone on cc recommended it (sorry I can't recall the original poster at this moment), but I tried it at Cafe al Bacio and I was instantly addicted. Beyond words.

 

Google: "An affogato is a coffee-based dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped or "drowned" with a shot of hot espresso. "

 

So, after you've collected all this wealth of information on how to be efficient, you can go and relax on Deck 5 at Al Bacio with an Affogato! [emoji12] Hope you enjoy!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Wait to reserve specialty dining till on board. They set up tables near elevators, dining rooms & the pool to sign up and they usually will give you a discounted price if you don't jump on it right away. We have always gotten a good deal when on board, never full price.

Well then I totally messed up :(

[Beejay4016]

I can't say this next suggestion will make your cruise experience more efficient, but something you might like to try is an AFFOGATO!

 

I had never heard of this until someone on cc recommended it (sorry I can't recall the original poster at this moment), but I tried it at Cafe al Bacio and I was instantly addicted. Beyond words.

 

Google: "An affogato is a coffee-based dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped or "drowned" with a shot of hot espresso. "

 

So, after you've collected all this wealth of information on how to be efficient, you can go and relax on Deck 5 at Al Bacio with an Affogato! [emoji12] Hope you enjoy!

 

They are very popular in Australia, and, in licensed premises, usually come with the option of a shot of the liqueur of your choice. An affogato with Amaretto or Frangelico is to die for.

[Beejay4016]

Well then I totally messed up :(

 

I've messed in the past also. We've always sailed with HAL in the past and pre-booked dinner packages. We're on Celebrity for the first time in February - the Solstice out of Auckland - so I'll hold off on specialty restaurant bookings until we're on board. I am so glad the OP started this thread. I know that there is so much info contained in previous threads, but it can be daunting to scroll through page after page after page after ...

[VitaminSea53]

I appreciate all the helpful tid-bits. I too am booked on the Solstice for our first time on Celebrity from Auckland to Sydney. Good to know about the Affogato at Cafe al Bacio. What is the best place to get a morning cup of Jo (strong black coffee)?

 

 

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[miched]

I appreciate all the helpful tid-bits. I too am booked on the Solstice for our first time on Celebrity from Auckland to Sydney. Good to know about the Affogato at Cafe al Bacio. What is the best place to get a morning cup of Jo (strong black coffee)?

 

 

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Wouldn't be set on getting the Affogatto. When we sailed in March on the Equinox it was no longer available. They also eliminated the Igus. I think the Affogatto was eliminated because too many passengers were writing on here about the loophole of getting a free scoop of gelato.

If you really wanted one you can purchase the gelato and then get a shot of espresso to pour over it.

 

Things always change and it may have been on a trail basis and just on that ship.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[VitaminSea53]

So they charge extra for a scoop of ice cream? What other foods are charged extra for?

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

Cruise Raider - what a great summary of items in post 6. Thank you!

 

I have never thought of bringing magnets - I willing try this - great idea...

 

Glad to be of help. I got all these helpful hints from others on these boards ... they are invaluable! Just sharing as those before me have done.

 

In so far as the magnets ... I try to find the kind with strong magnets and clips on them whenever I am in one of the ports of call. They are not always the easiest to find but then I have a useful souvenir rather than some junk I will never look at again. I've had an Alaska one that has been to so many different places in the world like the Travelocity gnome!

[ChucktownSteve]

So they charge extra for a scoop of ice cream? What other foods are charged extra for?

 

The ice cream/sorbet made on the ship is free. It's in the buffet area. They usually have five or six different flavors.

 

The gelato has a charge. However if you are a captains club member, they give one scoop free coupons based upon your Captains Club level.

 

After 11pm at night room service charges a delivery surcharge however it's free before 11pm.

 

I bring about six strong bulldog magnetic clips for all the papers and invitations that I sort in the various clips on the cabin walls. One holds the Celebrity Today. I also bring a yellow highlighter so that I can mark the items in the dailies that I want to attend. It makes it easy to find them fast to see what's next on my agenda.

[blueboro]

posted by cruiseraider..."If you have the beverage package included for your sailing, you only pay the difference between the cost of a drink and package limit now for both classic and premium packages. It used to only work like this for the premium but now includes both."

 

 

Is this actually true? When did it change because I know previously if you had Classic you paid the full amount if it was over the classic package limit. If true this is great!

[mmacdcc]

I bring about six strong bulldog magnetic clips for all the papers and invitations that I sort in the various clips on the cabin walls. One holds the Celebrity Today. I also bring a yellow highlighter so that I can mark the items in the dailies that I want to attend. It makes it easy to find them fast to see what's next on my agenda.

 

I am so stealing this idea. Solves my biggest cruise complaint - where to put all the paper. I usually want to keep them for reference/souvenir value (well, most of them) but they wind up taking over at least one surface. This will keep them out of the way but still handy. Thanks!

[geospyder]

We use the "push pin" type magnets. You can get about two dozen for around $10 on Amazon. We also decorate our walls with signs made with craft paper. Each sign is the name of a port on that cruise. At each port we take a photo of that port's sign - that way we know where all the pictures are from - in theory :D

[krb1000]

YES! This. And if you enjoy the affogato, by all means try a "Mudslide"...-like a milkshake with chocolate syrup and vodka :D Enjoy your trip❤️

I can't say this next suggestion will make your cruise experience more efficient, but something you might like to try is an AFFOGATO!

 

I had never heard of this until someone on cc recommended it (sorry I can't recall the original poster at this moment), but I tried it at Cafe al Bacio and I was instantly addicted. Beyond words.

 

Google: "An affogato is a coffee-based dessert. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped or "drowned" with a shot of hot espresso. "

 

So, after you've collected all this wealth of information on how to be efficient, you can go and relax on Deck 5 at Al Bacio with an Affogato! [emoji12] Hope you enjoy!

[grimace95120]

Is this actually true? When did it change because I know previously if you had Classic you paid the full amount if it was over the classic package limit. If true this is great!

 

 

Totally true, recent( 2017?) change for this policy.

[VitaminSea53]

YES! This. And if you enjoy the affogato, by all means try a "Mudslide"...-like a milkshake with chocolate syrup and vodka :D Enjoy your trip❤️

 

 

 

Yumm. Now you're talking!

 

 

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