late2cruisin

Yes, all of the wines you see for $11 on your sailing are covered by the Classic package, as are cocktails in that price range. I think I got confused too when I sailed on an Australia cruise years ago.

I think the OP was talking about not having ANY drink package (as opposed to not wanting to upgrade your classic package to premium.) Also, I'm not sure where you're getting your $7.38 figure from...

We are in exactly the same situation- just recovered from Covid and sailing on a transatlantic on Oct. 22. If you haven't done so already, get a proctored (preferably PCR) test and print out the results. Assuming the results are positive, go to your doctor or other healthcare professional and get a Certificate of Recovery (the Celebrity website specifies what has to be included in the letter). With those 2 documents you will be able to board and be exempt from testing.

What nobody has mentioned is that they ALWAYS equated satisfaction with food in the MDR with service in the MDR. I have been told by many waiters, on many cruises, that even if I say the service was a 10, if I give the food quality any less than a 10, it will be considered a bad mark on their record. I guess the idea is that they are somehow responsible for making sure that you enjoy your dinner, even if it means taking back food you don't like and replacing it with food that you may or may not like any better. I really resent Celebrity for doing this (if indeed they do) and I refuse to give high marks to the food if it isn't that great. I usually rate our servers a 10, but the food rarely gets more than a 7 or 8, even on a good cruise.

This is only if your OBC is from Celebrity. If it's from a travel agent, you won't be able to use it until you get on the ship.

That is already happening, unfortunately. When we sailed on Princess last year, they assumed we would use the app for menus and I had to ask for a menu in the MDR. And when I asked for menus in the bars, they had to go hunting for one (grudgingly).

We were on a Royal Caribbean cruise last month (Quantum) and they expected everyone to use the app for everything. There was a tiny printed notice near Guest Relations saying that if you prefer a paper copy, you can ask your cabin steward for it. So I asked him and he gladly provided it every evening in our room. I too enjoy going through it the night before (or in the morning with my coffee) and highlighting the things that interest me. I also use the info on the app when I'm around the ship and don't have my paper copy with me (I always have my phone because it's my camera). So it's nice to have a choice. I hope Celebrity will give us that choice... I also hope they still have actual menus at the bars (Royal expected us to use our app for that too!)

This thread made me check our booked excursion for our upcoming cruise. I was surprised to see that the one we booked for $56pp was now $72pp! Glad I booked when I did. I also noticed that an excursion that had been sold out for a while was now available to book, at the same price as before. So it pays to keep checking...

Then maybe you should try cruising on HAL or Royal Caribbean- they tell you the day of the week in every elevator!😁

I very much doubt that the Elegance chard and cab would be offered on the Elite Happy Hour menu. Those are in the "premium" category. Think "classic" wines. Probably Columbia Crest for the merlot, likely a Chilean chard or cab.

Not on the Allure, but on the other ships we've been on this year it was always from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

We enjoyed reading your review and were onboard this past week. Did you happen to see the show called Sonic Odyssey (I think it was night 6)? We thought it was the best entertainment we saw all week! We also enjoyed the comedian (he did a show on the last night and also an R-rated late night show earlier in the week) and Peter at the piano bar in Schooner. Also Monique (Goddess). I'm sorry we didn't get to see the Las Vegas Tenors though, like you did the previous week. On a less happy note, my husband started feeling sick on the last night of the cruise, came home and tested positive for Covid (I'm still negative as of yesterday) This is our first Covid experience (and we were on 4 other cruises since the re-start). We wore masks everywhere, avoided crowds, didn't do any excursions, etc.etc. I guess no matter how careful you are, eventually your luck just runs out... Anybody else come home with a case of Covid?

Was "Goddess" the show with a singer named Monique (from the Philippines, if I remember correctly)? If so, we saw her twice on 2 other ships and thought she was really good. According to the app, that show won't be on for the next cruise.

I never went to WJ at dinnertime, so I didn't know that. But that still means I have the choice of basic flavors in MDR or at WJ, only at dinner. I might try checking out their flavor of the day... How late do they serve in the WJ?

So I guess no ice cream for Quantum class ships...Boooo!!

I also booked and paid through a TA. Celebrity DID have my credit card details.

Is this different for every ship? We were on Ovation and Anthem late last year and will be on Quantum in a few days. We found NO ice cream in the WJ (there might have been gelato or something that you had to pay for) so the only choices were in the MDR (generic vanilla/choc/strawberry were the only flavors available) or that horrible (IMHO) soft-serve chemical stuff. Not even any frozen yogurt!

That could be a problem. Our government USPS sent tests are sealed and have the FDA emergency use authorization logo. I would call onpoint and ask them about the specific test kit you have.

Be careful when attempting this! I booked an excursion on the page that showed how much OBC I had. It did not ask me how I wanted to pay, so I just assumed it would take it out of the OBC. Wrong! It charged my credit card (the one I used to pay for the cruise) without asking me. I had to call up and get someone to book it again using the OBC, but only after I cancelled the first credit card one.

Very true. I stand corrected- we haven't ever tested positive for covid, haven't had any symptoms, and haven't been prevented from taking any cruises because of covid. (And I'd like to keep it that way.)

Glad to hear this, since we'll be on Quantum next week. We plan to mask also (well, except when we're eating and drinking!) We haven't had Covid yet, and not even a cold for almost 3 years...and I'd like to keep it that way!

We are on next week's Quantum cruise. I was planning on reserving at least one dinner at the Solarium Bistro, so I will be very disappointed if indeed it has been removed as an option for us. We ate at the Solarium Bistro on Anthem and on Ovation and it was a nice change. The lunch buffet (no reservations) is just a MUCH smaller version of what is available in the Windjammer. The dinner is completely different. There's a buffet of appetizers (like hummus, baba ganoush, and other middle eastern specialties.) Then you order from a limited number of main dishes (including lamb, my favorite). For dessert, there's a buffet of items including baklava. I hope someone will let us know if they open it up again to the rest of us (non-suite) guests.

Good to know! I've considered bringing on sake but wasn't sure if they'd make a fuss about it...(Although some sake has a much higher ABV than that!) Also, doesn't some sake come in 1 liter bottles(which is supposedly not allowed)?

And as I'm sure you well know, corkage fees have nothing to do with whether they have to remove a cork or not. It is a fee for bringing your own bottle to the dining room instead of buying an overpriced bottle from their wine list.😁 Also, I didn't think sake was permitted to bring on board, since it's higher in alcohol content (like sherry, for example, which is not allowed.) t