Aug 7th W-E-W Caribbean Edge Cruise - B3B

[Ken the cruiser]

7 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

Ken, Just curious if that German Riesling is Selback “Trutta Fario” Kabinett (fish label) by any chance, as that is my wife’s favorite on board when they have it. Thanks! 

Yes! I used to enjoy drinking Jam Jar from South Africa when we sailed on the Reflection a few years ago. But I guess their contract expired because of the pandemic, so when I specifically asked for a German Riesling, they offered me this one and I’ve  been drinking it every night at dinner, except when I bought the wine pairing at The Chef’s Table and last night at Le Petit Chef. It’s definitely a tasty Riesling! 😎

[Ken the cruiser]

42 minutes ago, luvthebeach703 said:

Which deck are you on? are you forward middle or aft?

Deck 10 forward

 

[luvthebeach703]

nice. we were recently on deck 11 port side forward. you mentioned shade on the balcony which we would enjoy. any wafting smoke from the approved smoking areas?

[RICCruisers]

Ken - You finally got me. We booked the Western cruise on 10/16 today. Whoever mentioned that X should comp you a cruise for posting your 3 live reports was absolutely correct. We realized we couldn’t hold out until our January 24th A-C ( no Bonaire) cruise. Thanks for all of the great information. 

Edited August 23, 2021 by RICCruisers
Correction

[countess5]

Ken

I have been repricing our Sky Suite cruise for this up coming Saturday and I never get a lower price than I have paid as you did for all this on board credit! 😩

All we have is a measly $600! 

 

You have been outstanding sharing, thanks!

 

 

Cheers! 

[CruisinBanka]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Yes! I used to enjoy drinking Jam Jar from South Africa when we sailed on the Reflection a few years ago. But I guess their contract expired because of the pandemic, so when I specifically asked for a German Riesling, they offered me this one and I’ve  been drinking it every night at dinner, except when I bought the wine pairing at The Chef’s Table and last night at Le Petit Chef. It’s definitely a tasty Riesling! 😎

Thanks Ken! Didn’t think my wife could look forward to our upcoming B2B anymore until now! Lol

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, luvthebeach703 said:

nice. we were recently on deck 11 port side forward. you mentioned shade on the balcony which we would enjoy. any wafting smoke from the approved smoking areas?

No. But there is a character a couple of balconies upwind when we’re moving this leg that likes to light ‘em up. But, they’re pretty good about putting them out when I make a somewhat loud remark for them to please stop. 😎

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, countess5 said:

Ken

I have been repricing our Sky Suite cruise for this up coming Saturday and I never get a lower price than I have paid as you did for all this on board credit! 😩

All we have is a measly $600! 

 

You have been outstanding sharing, thanks!

 

 

Cheers! 

I’m sorry. Our biggest OBC gains from price reductions were back in early July. It seems the prices have pretty much solidified this past month, especially for the Aug 28th cruises and beyond. 
 

[asctony]

2 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I’m sorry. Our biggest OBC gains from price reductions were back in early July. It seems the prices have pretty much solidified this past month, especially for the Aug 28th cruises and beyond. 
 

Yes, they give you an OBC to ensure that you spend it or loose it. Why not credit your credit card or however  you paid for it? You cannot use an OBC towards you Final Payment either. 

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, RICCruisers said:

Ken - You finally got me. We booked the Western cruise on 10/16 today. Whoever mentioned that X should comp you a cruise for posting your 3 live reports was absolutely correct. We realized we couldn’t hold out until our January 24th A-C ( no Bonaire) cruise. Thanks for all of the great information. 

Cool! I’m glad I was able to inspire you to take the step. I have to admit we’ve had a blast on this cruise, and more importantly, just being able to have fun cruising again has been such a wonderful feeling for both of us! One of the best parts has been being able to clown around again with the crew, especially with the dining room servers, our cabin steward and butler. We are so happy to be here and so are they which makes for a great fun time combination!! 😎

 

[lakette3]

On 8/18/2021 at 8:29 AM, TeeRick said:

Once you start sailing suites you are hooked.  Particularly if your spouse enjoys them.😀

You got that right.  

[Ken the cruiser]

51 minutes ago, asctony said:

Yes, they give you an OBC to ensure that you spend it or loose it. Why not credit your credit card or however  you paid for it? You cannot use an OBC towards you Final Payment either. 

True. But the key to remember is that in normal times when X would drop cabin category prices after final payment, they were doing it to attract those last minute shoppers in an attempt to fill their remaining less than desirable cabins. However, if you already had a cabin, like we usually did, and it was past final payment, you were out of luck. That’s just the way it was.
 

However, you could get the price reduction applied IF you discovered the price had dropped prior to final payment. That’s why I have always performed fake bookings on an almost daily basis just in case a deal pops up. But then I’m fully retired and have plenty of time on my hands to do that kind of stuff. 😎
 

But when Celebrity introduced the Best Price Offer promotion in June, they decided to allow those folks who had already booked cruises prior to the FP deadlines to now reap those same last minute price reduction benefits in the form of OBC. For us we averaged between $300-600 in OBC per cruise depending on which leg we booked. Not a lot, but add an additional $600 per leg for booking a SS along with $100 in shareholder OBC, it became enough to book all of our excursions, some specialty dining restaurants, buy an iPad (which I needed) and some luggage, and sill have enough left over to give out extra tips when our cruise is over.

 

I know. Poor us. But my point is with Celebrity, you have to ”play the game”. With other cruise lines, that’s not the case. The price is what it is and pretty much stays the same throughout the booking. With Celebrity the price sometimes fluctuates on  daily basis, depending on the cruise, and playing their game is just part of the cruising experience when dealing with Celebrity. 😎

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[goofysmom99]

Just to add to this, my short 4-night cruise dropped $1132 after I'd made payment.  Didn't need/want OBC so Cruised with Confidence and canceled for a FCC.  Rebooked at the lower fare.

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by goofysmom99

[Ken the cruiser]

56 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Just to add to this, my short 4-night cruise dropped $1132 after I'd made payment.  Didn't need/want OBC so Cruised with Confidence and canceled for a FCC.  Rebooked at the lower fare.

 

Nice move. Now that’s playing the game!

[goofysmom99]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Nice move. Now that’s playing the game!

X wasn't happy about it but they made the rules. If it had been a couple of hundred, I would have taken the OBC.

[Gracie115]

8 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

 I know. Poor us. But my point is with Celebrity, you have to ”play the game”. With other cruise lines, that’s not the case. The price is what it is and pretty much stays the same throughout the booking. With Celebrity the price sometimes fluctuates on  daily basis, depending on the cruise, and playing their game is just part of the cruising experience when dealing with Celebrity. 😎

 

 

Royal is also doing this right now for price reductions after final payment.

 

You're right about the fluctuation in prices on X.  Our last X cruise we upgraded to a Royal Suite after final payment because the price had reduced down to just a couple $$'s above what we were paying for a CS.  Called our CVP and he moved us up immediately, for $20 or so it was a wonderful upgrade.    It definitely pays to watch the pricing!!

[Ken the cruiser]

We have arrived this morning in Roatan and are scheduled to go on a 4 hour “Discover Roatan” bus tour. I know, hard to believe we’re passing on all the beach and snorkeling tours this time too. Something tells me we won’t be seeing as many animals as last time, but it’s a beautiful day and that’s the main thing! 😎

 

 

[Gambler458]

44 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We have arrived this morning in Roatan and are scheduled to go on a 4 hour “Discover Roatan” bus tour. I know, hard to believe we’re passing on all the beach and snorkeling tours this time too. Something tells me we won’t be seeing as many animals as last time, but it’s a beautiful day and that’s the main thing! 😎

 

 

Have a great day!  By any chance do you know anyone on the cruises who has gone on the Little French Key excursion?  I'm looking at it and it looks nice, but a little feedback could help make my decision.  Thanks....

[CruisinMama2003]

3 hours ago, Gambler458 said:

Have a great day!  By any chance do you know anyone on the cruises who has gone on the Little French Key excursion?  I'm looking at it and it looks nice, but a little feedback could help make my decision.  Thanks....

We have been to LFK twice and it is amazing! Well worth the price. Food is great and the grounds are beautiful! 

[Gambler458]

1 hour ago, CruisinMama2003 said:

We have been to LFK twice and it is amazing! Well worth the price. Food is great and the grounds are beautiful! 

Thank you!!  Booked it!

[CruisinMama2003]

33 minutes ago, Gambler458 said:

Thank you!!  Booked it!

Your welcome! Enjoy!

[Ken the cruiser]

5 hours ago, Gambler458 said:

Have a great day!  By any chance do you know anyone on the cruises who has gone on the Little French Key excursion?  I'm looking at it and it looks nice, but a little feedback could help make my decision.  Thanks....

I just read someone has given you some positive feedback on the excursion. Great!

Edited August 24, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[kebrown]

6 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We have arrived this morning in Roatan and are scheduled to go on a 4 hour “Discover Roatan” bus tour. I know, hard to believe we’re passing on all the beach and snorkeling tours this time too. Something tells me we won’t be seeing as many animals as last time, but it’s a beautiful day and that’s the main thing! 😎

 

 

Ken,

 

How was the "Discover Roatan" tour?  Did you get to see much of the island and would you recommend it for someone who has never been to Roatan?

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We have arrived this morning in Roatan and are scheduled to go on a 4 hour “Discover Roatan” bus tour. I know, hard to believe we’re passing on all the beach and snorkeling tours this time too. Something tells me we won’t be seeing as many animals as last time, but it’s a beautiful day and that’s the main thing! 😎

 

 

Man was I wrong with regards to probably not seeing many animals on this excursion. On this 4.5 hour “Discover Routan” tour we saw plenty of animals to include monkeys, iguanas and butterflies as well as a couple of 3 toed sloths and a few wild Central American rabbits!! What a great excursion that we would recommend to anyone! 😎

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Looks like the Norwegian Gem is sailing out of Miami again as she joined us this morning in Roatan.