As my cruise draws near, I do have a couple of questions for a first time Celebrity cruiser

[kywildcatfanone]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

And there's now a mandatory 18% gratuity making $49 almost $58/person or $116/couple.  Used to be included before so many think it was a sneaky way to increase the price.

Yeah, I guess we won't try it at those prices.  I thought $29 was high especially after you have "paid" for your DR meal.  And I guess I'm comparing to what I know with Princess, but I am surprised everything it seems on Celebrity is significantly higher than I am used to.  Not complaining per se, just my observation.  I am looking forward to trying Celebrity, even thought we wont' be eating in the DR or the Specialty Restaurants.

[wrk2cruise]

9 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

And there's now a mandatory 18% gratuity making $49 almost $58/person or $116/couple.  Used to be included before so many think it was a sneaky way to increase the price.

 

A sneaky way to increase the price after increasing the base price about a month earlier.

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Yeah, I guess we won't try it at those prices.  I thought $29 was high especially after you have "paid" for your DR meal.  And I guess I'm comparing to what I know with Princess, but I am surprised everything it seems on Celebrity is significantly higher than I am used to.  Not complaining per se, just my observation.  I am looking forward to trying Celebrity, even thought we wont' be eating in the DR or the Specialty Restaurants.

 

Just curious, why not the DR?  And do you plan on eating in the buffet all the time?

A couple X pro tips:

1)  During MDR hours you can call room service and have MDR dinner delivered for free (I always tip them)

2)  If you order room service you don't even need to be in your room and they'll leave it for you

[kywildcatfanone]

26 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Just curious, why not the DR?  And do you plan on eating in the buffet all the time?

We have 24 cruises with Princess.  We went to formal nights twice and decided we just didn't want to dress up on vacation.  We stopped going to the DR altogether probably 10 cruises ago because we didn't want to sit through an almost 2 hour dinner. 

We are probably the worst cruisers ever, lol, we don't want to take long pants or dresses for my wife, just be able to go eat in 30 minutes in the buffet, and be free the rest of our evenings to watch TV or entertainment, etc.  I do miss some of the  food options in the DR, but not enough to want to deal with the hassle.

 

And yes, we eat most of our meals in the buffet or the Pizza/Burgers area, or the International Cafe (not sure if Celebrity has something similar).

26 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

1)  During MDR hours you can call room service and have MDR dinner delivered for free (I always tip them)

2)  If you order room service you don't even need to be in your room and they'll leave it for you

Okay, I did not know this at all. When you say delievered, do you mean to your room for item #1?  That might be really interesting, I don't think Princess offers that.  Order what you want from that night's DR menu?  Do you have to order far in advance?  Is there somewhere on board you can see the menu earlier in the day?

That interests me greatly, thanks for sharing!

Edited September 18, 2022 by kywildcatfanone
Additional Info

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

My only experience is with Princess, but everything seems higher.  Princess charges $29 for their steak house, and it looks like Tuscan grill is $49 "on sale".

Our opinion for what it’s worth and many here will disagree but you don’t need to go to the restaurants that charge, the free ones are more than adequate.

[kywildcatfanone]

 

21 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Our opinion for what it’s worth and many here will disagree but you don’t need to go to the restaurants that charge, the free ones are more than adequate.

We always liked the main DR,  but just didn't want to sit through what became a 2 hour dinner each night, with all the courses, and the waiting in between. 

[kywildcatfanone]

One more question if I may.

 

If I log onto the website, I can find my trip and I see an option to "Manage Reservation", but in there I do not see any of the package information that I have assigned to the trip.  Should you see it somewhere?

What I mean is we booked something called Elevate, and it is supposed to contain the classic alcohol package, the wifi and tips.  Should I see that somewhere on the website?  It's on the confirmation email from my TA, but I don't see it showing on the account anywhere else.

 

Okay, two more.  Can I change the Classic Alcohol package to the Premium non alcohol package if the premium non alcohol package has items I want, and I really don't care about the alcohol?  Do you call a number to get that changed?  I assume they would change it because it's a cheaper package, but wasn't sure if that could be done before the cruise, or if i would go to guest services once onboard? 

[wrk2cruise]

First, no the Elevate package doesn't appear in your reservation online.  If you go to the plan my cruise section (blue button) and then look at order history you should see the drink and wifi packages listed as zero cost.  The OBC from Celebrity should also be listed in the cruise planner.   Any OBC from a TA won't show up until you are onboard.

 

Second even though the premium non-alcohol is less expensive the policy is that they will not substitute it for the classic alcohol package.  Others have reported success at guest services.

[bama4cruisin]

2 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

And yes, we eat most of our meals in the buffet or the Pizza/Burgers area, or the International Cafe (not sure if Celebrity has something similar).

 

Okay, I did not know this at all. When you say delievered, do you mean to your room for item #1?  That might be really interesting, I don't think Princess offers that.  Order what you want from that night's DR menu?  Do you have to order far in advance?  Is there somewhere on board you can see the menu earlier in the day?

That interests me greatly, thanks for sharing!

Re:  International Cafe.  Unfortunately, Celebrity ships do not have a venue that compares with this.  To be honest, that is the one venue I miss on Celebrity.  We’ve only sailed once on Princess in the past decade after several cruises in the previous decade. Cafe al Bacio is one of my favorite spots on all Celebrity ships; however, there are no savory items served, only delicious sweet treats which are basically aligned with the time of day.  Cafe al Bacio is a much, much more comfortable venue than the International Cafe.  The Spa Cafe does offer light, healthy fixed plates, but the hours are breakfast and lunch only.

 

 All menus for the entire cruise will be on the app, even before you board.  In fact,you can select your ship on the app and see typical menus for the MDR, some of the other complimentary venues and the specialty restaurants now.  The order may be slightly different, but they will become much more accurate as your sail date approaches.

[sfvacation]

6 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Our opinion for what it’s worth and many here will disagree but you don’t need to go to the restaurants that charge, the free ones are more than adequate.

 

[sfvacation]

I haven’t cruised in a good number of years and never on Celebrity, so my thought is  I hear the food is excellent and will have restaurant meals when in ports so I’ll pass on the specialty restaurants this round.

[kywildcatfanone]

15 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

First, no the Elevate package doesn't appear in your reservation online.  If you go to the plan my cruise section (blue button) and then look at order history you should see the drink and wifi packages listed as zero cost.  The OBC from Celebrity should also be listed in the cruise planner.   Any OBC from a TA won't show up until you are onboard.

Thanks for the reply.  I am not finding the blue button you mention on either the app or the website.  I  go to "Manage Reservation" on the website, and don't really see anything about the packages.  It seems they make this very confusing.

15 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

Second even though the premium non-alcohol is less expensive the policy is that they will not substitute it for the classic alcohol package.  Others have reported success at guest services.

I wonder why that would be, but will check.  I wish their online information about their drink packages were a bit more clear on what is included and what is not.

[dlh015]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks for the reply.  I am not finding the blue button you mention on either the app or the website.  I  go to "Manage Reservation" on the website, and don't really see anything about the packages.  It seems they make this very confusing.

I wonder why that would be, but will check.  I wish their online information about their drink packages were a bit more clear on what is included and what is not.

When you first log into the cruise planner, do not click on Manage My Reservation. Directly below that is a large blue square saying 'Plan my Vacation'.   (well, there should be...)  THEN, in the upper right corner is a circle with your initials in it. Click on that, then in the drop down menu is a Order History choice...that will display orders...like the drinks, and wifi...which should be zero...

 

ETA: Alternatively, you CAN click on Manage My Reservation, then click on Book Excursions, THEN the circle in the upper right corner, etc...

Edited September 19, 2022 by dlh015

[asnaleah]

I think there are first night discounts for the specialty restaurants, so you might want to look into that if you want to try Tuscan Grill.

[kywildcatfanone]

37 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

When you first log into the cruise planner, do not click on Manage My Reservation. Directly below that is a large blue square saying 'Plan my Vacation'.   (well, there should be...)  THEN, in the upper right corner is a circle with your initials in it. Click on that, then in the drop down menu is a Order History choice...that will display orders...like the drinks, and wifi...which should be zero...

 

ETA: Alternatively, you CAN click on Manage My Reservation, then click on Book Excursions, THEN the circle in the upper right corner, etc...

Thanks.  Now when I log in it says my reservation is "locked" whatever that means.  Will try later.  Celebrity's website is worse than Princess, which surprises me.

[dlh015]

2 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Thanks.  Now when I log in it says my reservation is "locked" whatever that means.  Will try later.  Celebrity's website is worse than Princess, which surprises me.

If you've recently gotten off the phone with a rep, your account will be locked for a little while...usually around 5 minutes or so...or you could call back...(JUST KIDDING!!)...

Edited September 19, 2022 by dlh015

[kywildcatfanone]

1 hour ago, dlh015 said:

If you've recently gotten off the phone with a rep, your account will be locked for a little while...usually around 5 minutes or so...or you could call back...(JUST KIDDING!!)...

I did find it finally, thank you!  Wow, they sure do bury information.  And to boot, when I looked at the orders listed, both our wifi and drink packages were marked as "cancelled", so I did call in and talk to someone who told me the were still on what she was looking at and didn't know why they were showing as cancelled on the order history.  Gee whiz, why is this so hard, lol.

[dlh015]

23 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I did find it finally, thank you!  Wow, they sure do bury information.  And to boot, when I looked at the orders listed, both our wifi and drink packages were marked as "cancelled", so I did call in and talk to someone who told me the were still on what she was looking at and didn't know why they were showing as cancelled on the order history.  Gee whiz, why is this so hard, lol.

There's another long thread about those cancellations...mine shows cancelled, too...but it's still on my guest invoice...

 

If you haven't already, the next time you contact support (?), be sure to ask the rep to send you your most current invoice. Then print it out and bring it with you just in case...

 

 

[canderson]

1 hour ago, kywildcatfanone said:

I did find it finally, thank you!  Wow, they sure do bury information.  And to boot, when I looked at the orders listed, both our wifi and drink packages were marked as "cancelled", so I did call in and talk to someone who told me the were still on what she was looking at and didn't know why they were showing as cancelled on the order history.  Gee whiz, why is this so hard, lol.

Not to worry on that count.  Our WiFi and drink packages come with our cabin, not ordered separately or as part of an AI package, and even OURS show cancelled.  Just Celebrity IT's crack staff making their usual hash of things.

 

[dlh015]

5 minutes ago, canderson said:

Not to worry on that count.  Our WiFi and drink packages come with our cabin, not ordered separately or as part of an AI package, and even OURS show cancelled.  Just Celebrity IT's crack staff making their usual hash of things.

 

Thanks for completing my incomplete reply...LOL...

[NutsAboutGolf]

22 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

We have 24 cruises with Princess.  We went to formal nights twice and decided we just didn't want to dress up on vacation.  We stopped going to the DR altogether probably 10 cruises ago because we didn't want to sit through an almost 2 hour dinner. 

We are probably the worst cruisers ever, lol, we don't want to take long pants or dresses for my wife, just be able to go eat in 30 minutes in the buffet, and be free the rest of our evenings to watch TV or entertainment, etc.  I do miss some of the  food options in the DR, but not enough to want to deal with the hassle.

 

And yes, we eat most of our meals in the buffet or the Pizza/Burgers area, or the International Cafe (not sure if Celebrity has something similar).

Okay, I did not know this at all. When you say delievered, do you mean to your room for item #1?  That might be really interesting, I don't think Princess offers that.  Order what you want from that night's DR menu?  Do you have to order far in advance?  Is there somewhere on board you can see the menu earlier in the day?

That interests me greatly, thanks for sharing!

 

You should try the MDR, it won't take anywhere close to 2 hours and you can tell them you'd like it quickly and they'll bring out everything about the same time, well under an hour.  I will say usually the 2 hour is when you're at a shared table and despite everyone having 5-10mins to look at the menu, someone wants more time.

 

With ordering room service, if you order anything and are not in the room, they will enter the room and leave it on the table.  I once tried to order in advance, the food never came so I order "on demand".  Timing depends on a lot of factors including staffing and what time you call, generally 20-45mins and they'll give you a range on the phone.

 

Room service is free up until I think 11pm

[kywildcatfanone]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

With ordering room service, if you order anything and are not in the room, they will enter the room and leave it on the table.  I once tried to order in advance, the food never came so I order "on demand".  Timing depends on a lot of factors including staffing and what time you call, generally 20-45mins and they'll give you a range on the phone.

 

Room service is free up until I think 11pm

We have already decided "no long pants" on this cruise, but I am thankful for the comment about ordering DR food from room service, I had no idea  that was even an option.  I will have to check as well on my next Princess cruise.

 

On that note, is everything available to order, even  things like salads and other "non entree" items on the menu?  I will absolutely try this out, and might order it every night.

[DCPIV]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

With ordering room service, if you order anything and are not in the room, they will enter the room and leave it on the table.

 

I encourage folks to double check that when they call to order.  As much as I hope you are correct, I've had an experience that was inconsistent.

 

I assumed that was the case on one of my sailings last year, so I was happy to just hang out on my balcony while waiting on the order.  I went back in well after it was due to show up, but nothing was there.  I called again, and they said that they tried to deliver, but no one came to the door.  They also said they were not allowed to come in even if I gave permission when I ordered.

 

I don't know if that had something to do with covid (as this was not terribly long after the restart) or what, but it's worth checking when you call.

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

I encourage folks to double check that when they call to order.  As much as I hope you are correct, I've had an experience that was inconsistent.

 

I assumed that was the case on one of my sailings last year, so I was happy to just hang out on my balcony while waiting on the order.  I went back in well after it was due to show up, but nothing was there.  I called again, and they said that they tried to deliver, but no one came to the door.  They also said they were not allowed to come in even if I gave permission when I ordered.

 

I don't know if that had something to do with covid (as this was not terribly long after the restart) or what, but it's worth checking when you call.

 

That's valid.  However, which ship and how long ago?  Equinox, Infinity and Reflection have all done this in the past year.

[DCPIV]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

That's valid.  However, which ship and how long ago?  Equinox, Infinity and Reflection have all done this in the past year.

 

It was on Summit back in October (so about a year ago).  I'm glad to hear that things may have changed since.