jan-n-john

I saw that there is an extra $5.00 pp charge for the seafood tower at the Porch. If you want a second seafood tower, do they charge an additional $5.00. Usually you can order seconds (and thirds) of any dish in the MDR. My husband loves seafood towers. Also, does Celebrity offer discounts of the stated prices in their specialty restaurants? I thought I had heard of people getting reduced prices for Tuscan Grill, Murano, etc.

The seafood "tower" is more of a seafood bowl, at least on Silhouette when we had it recently. The seafood is similar to what is normally served in a tower, and not bad for the $5 upcharge, but not a huge amount. We didn't ask for a refill so I can't help with that question.

Celebrity often offers reduced prices for the specialty restaurants, but everything depends on demand on your particular trip. I have had good luck in the past, but on the aforementioned Silhouette trip (Med), it was very difficult to get any deals and we generally paid full price.

Hi All,

 

I was just wondering how annoying/noticeable/obstructive are the support beams on S Class ships on deck 11 and 12? From what I can tell from photos they are on the cabin I have booked on my next Solstice cruise and just wonder if they are going to partially obstruct the view from the balcony.

We have had AQ cabins on the lower of the two decks with struts (11) and for my money it's no biggie. You can see whatever you want to see just fine in my opinion. Can't say about the upper deck (12) since I've not had a cabin up there.

FWIW, I read an article today that indicated there are 64 different species of fish that can legally (in the US) be sold as "grouper." Most common fish names as sold retail actually encompass a range of species, but that is quite a long list. Anyway, I imagine that one might find many differences among them.

We will be taking our first holiday cruise next December, on the Equinox. I understand they perhaps do special menus, or at least some special things, for Xmas (Xmas eve.?) and maybe New Years (New Year's eve.?). Is that so, or are the menus pretty much the usual? We have been advised to book specialty restaurants early for those days. Can anyone fill us in on what to expect at the MDR, Murano, Tuscan, or other choices, and what might be a good booking strategy (this is also our first trip not in AQ, so Blu won't be an option for us this time).

Thanks in advance.

Check the deck plan/photo near the bottom of these posts:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=36359177&postcount=17

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=39909361&postcount=907

 

(These are from the thread referenced in Post #4)

Ah yes. The post showing the photo of the hump with the part of the deck plan superimposed on top is clear. It appears whomever created that thread/post lifted the deck plan segment from a web site that shows the type of accurate deck plan drawing I'm looking for.

BTW, I wish I had the computer skills to do what that person did in that thread.

And here is a thread that shows what you are referring to. I think there is also a diagram and more photos on some of the other pages. Post #906 has some good pictures.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1751328&page=46

Yes that's a great thread and I'm glad you resuscitated it for me, but I'm looking for a deck plan drawing.

Actually, the cabins you are referring to are "off the hump" - either forward or aft of the hump. 1st & 3rd counting away from the hump are the largest.

 

I personally have never seen a "to scale" deck plan.

Well yes, it's the cabins in the intermediate zone if you will -- but my impression is those are the cabins most folks are talking about when they talk about hump cabins, certainly in the context of a larger balcony. The cabins on the true hump of the ship have balconies that are not different from the regular cabins. And yes the 1st and 3rd when counting away from the hump are the ones with the larger balconies. I wanted a diagram because it makes it easier to explain to someone else (picture worth 1,000 words).

All the hump cabins on the "S" ships have a bit of extra space on the balconies, but they are not the same -- the hump cabins are actually arranged in pairs, and in each pair the one closer to the wider part of the ship has a larger balcony than the member of the pair closer to the narrow part of the ship. Most deck plans that are available on-line don't depict this quirk in the layout accurately, including Celebrity's own. I did once find a deck plan somewhere that shows it accurately, but now I am unable to find it again. If anyone out there knows what I'm talking about and can post a link to an accurately drawn deck plan, I'd be grateful. Thanks in advance.

I put a pink hat in the sink and ran water over it on the Summit because it got dirty at port. The hat cam out of the sink with white spots, telling me bleach was in that water. I would not dream of drinking that water. I rinse with toothpaste and have never tasted a heavy chlorine taste, but I have smelled it on and off on that ship.

 

 

The hat is all the evidence that I needed that the water, at least on that ship, in that room, on that day was not safe.

Two things:

1. There is bleach in much, perhaps nearly all, the water you drink. Unless you have your own well at home and drink exclusively out of it and never drink water elsewhere, or you live in NYC where the water is captured rainwater, then the water you drink has usually had chlorine (bleach) added to kill pathogens.

2. Chlorine (bleach), when added to water, is dissolved in the water and disbursed uniformly through it. Consequently, it could not under any circumstances cause "spots". If your hat was spotted then something else is at the root of it.

Here is some information about the source of your water, including the addition of chlorine: http://www.roslynwater.org/faq.html

You can choose not to drink the water on the ship if you wish, but it's perfectly safe.

How much could it have cost them to give away the perks if revenue is only down 5%. Looks like they made it up in profit. A 70% increase in profit is a damned good number. Apparently the promotions are filling the ships at a better rate than the usual last minute deals that fill the ships with those on a fixed income who don't spend on board.

I haven't looked at the numbers, but it's likely that most of the increased profit came from reduced fuel costs, not from marketing steps. If anybody has made the comparison it would be interesting to hear.

We have sailed on Celebrity once before (Reflection 7 nights), and will be on a b2b trans Pacific next Spring. Over 30 days on Solstice. We are in Aqua, so will be dining in Blu a lot, but enjoy dining as well in the specialty restaurants. I'm trying to decide whether to buy a package or just play it by ear.

I recall reading in the past that the specialty restaurants sometimes run short of guests and start to offer discounts. Is that still happening these days? If so, can anyone offer an opinion on whether it is more or less likely on a long trip with limited port days?

Is it still typical that aqua class guests get an opportunity for half-price dining on the first night?

If you buy a package, must you book your meals at that time or is it flexible? If flexible, must you use it until it's gone or, if you get a deal on a particular night, can you take the deal and "save" the package for other nights?

Thanks in advance for all help.

We did Aqua on Reflection last Winter (one of the typical 7 day trips out of Miami) and Blu was fine.

Seems to me the best way to view things like this is to keep in mind that everybody is in the same boat (pun intended). Everybody has to attend the same muster and everybody will be affected more or less the same as you will. Go with the flow. Be happy, don't worry.

How does one's use of the beverage package get reflected in the statement one receives at the end of the trip. Is there no accounting at all of what we drink? Does the statement show what we ordered but with no charge? Does the statement show the normal charge and then an equivalent credit?

We are planning a number of future cruises, and have one coming up shortly where we have the package. Just this once I'd like to keep close track to see how much value we actually get out of it, for future reference. To do that, do I have to do it manually or will my statement at the end of the trip give me what I'm looking for?

Want to find Van for 4-6 people ..with tour of towns on way to Santiago from Valparaiso...want to see interesting scenic places. I know its wine country...but we are not that into wine...will do if others really want to. We want a nice pleasant tour and then to our hotel where we will be for two days.

Belive Christian the Van Man is booked...so who else? Also

any suggestions as to well located hotels in Santiago...would prefer large chains ex: Hilton, Mariott , Intercontinental but would look at others. Location is Paramount.

thanks.

With regard to hotels, and not being sure about what aspect of "location" is important to you, unless things have changed since I was last down there, the big hotel area with international chains is not strictly speaking in Santiago (downtown area) but out in Las Condes which is the "new" commercial area. It's the "better" part of town, with stylish restaurants, etc. The metro is very good and it's only a 10-15 minute ride downtown in any case. Plenty of taxis as well. I've never been there as a tourist but suspect most tours start from Las Condes anyway.

Not something that I would do because I am sure it is a big inconvenience.

I don't see it that way. On a cruise ship, typically everything is prepared according to canned instructions from Miami -- the recipe cards are literally posted on the wall and must be followed exactly. No serious chef, or even line cook, is particularly fond of working exclusively that way. Cooking is a creative pursuit. No question in my mind that any them would be eager and delighted to get an opportunity to show what he/she can do. And if the customer shows interest in the cook's native cuisine, big bonus points.

No inconvenience at all.

In other threads I've noticed that some folks have mentioned they have sometimes been able to order things that are not on the menu; Steak Dianne in Murano is one I've seen mentioned. Sometimes this apparently involves ordering in advance.

I'd be interested to hear of anyone's experience getting access to the "secret menu," if it really exists. Is this rare or common? Does it vary with the restaurant (MDR, Blu, specialty restaurants), the ship, the voyage, the time of year? What sorts of dishes you been able to order this way? What can be done if you order in advance? Can you talk to the chef and come up with something?

I did something like this on Regent once. We were a group of six; the head chef was Indonesian and he did up a fabulous Indonesian dinner for us, but I hadn't really heard about it happening on X.

In the banner ad at the top of this forum on my screen it says that Vegas has a new leader in modern luxury.

 

Curious if everyone has the same ad in that banner?

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

If I understand it correctly, in many or most cases, the ads that appear on web pages that we visit are targeted based on our browsing history, the so-called tracking that google and others engage in. Nearly any ad can appear on nearly any web page; it depends on where you have been browsing previously. The web page owners get a little something out of the deal from the advertisers, typically based on the number of clicks they get from that webpage. That's how they make money for going to the trouble to create the web page that we all use "for free." Like "free" TV.

Seems different to me, aqua always inferred healthy option etc, not a class orientated option, as they eat a different menu but sectioning off part of MDR for people eating same menu, or not allowing non suite guests into michaels club seems little class orientated. Maybe its just me.

 

Noticed they scrapping the aqua suites, they will be sky suites - that obviously didnt take off...

My understanding was that the new suite dining would be its own menu, with its own different level of service, and the possibility would even exist for suite passengers to order things custom-made just for them, at least up to a point. If so, and if that's still the plan, that would explain why the suite dining room would need to be separate from the MDR.

It would make sense for the new SDR's to be carved out from the current MDR's, since most of the suite pax would currently be dining in the MDR anyway, so its simply a reallocation of the same amount of space.

Thank you jan-n-john for your initial question. I hope you have been able to make sense of all this throughout the thread and that you get to enjoy your trip down-under.

Well, I have understood some, but certainly not all. This thread, not to mention this trip, have been and promise to be a continuing educational experience, and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

In thinking back, I now recall that during my time working in Europe (I was with the UN in Geneva) I had two bosses from Australia, not just one as I earlier posted, but neither of them filled me in on any of this. So a big thank you to all who have chimed in.

From one jann and john to another...

I think you have been reading too much into this.

We are just like you....dress like you would on any other cruise...

if you don't want to wear formal, don't go to the formal restaurants..easy.

we are not Barbarians...I have seen worse types on your Caribbean cruises.

You may find you are offending a lot of Aussies with this thread.;):p

Well, no offense was intended, and I hope the full range of postings in this thread, and the various links to other material, indicate that by and large little was taken. To the extent that it has been, I apologize.

Call me naive, but I do think that customs vary in different places, including formality in dress. I recall a thread here on CC in which an Australian was quoted as saying that he considered his shorts to be formal enough for any occasion (OK, it was tongue-in-cheek, but still....) I know that in Silicon Valley and other high-tech places the dress code for business was/is strictly informal, to the point that if someone were to wear a suit for a job interview he will have reduced his chances of being hired. The opposite is true on Wall Street. The point of mentioning this is only to indicate that different standards do occur in different places. I have lived in Europe (where dress is very formal and coincidentally where for some of my time I had an Australian boss) and worked in places in Asia where dress is highly informal and jackets are seen only on the rarest and loftiest occasions. These differences are real, and occur at all strata.

Since I'd like to reduce the extra stuff I need to pack to a minimum, I was genuinely interested to know whether the dinner dress on this particular cruise would be less formal than it might be in other regions. Why not? I see absolutely nothing wrong with that nor with keeping dress informal generally -- I personally much prefer it. And I certainly don't think better or worse of any group of people simply because of their preferences regarding formality in how they dress. I don't view anyone as being "better" because he puts on a jacket and tie. And I don't view anyone or any group as "barbarians" if they choose to wear polo shirts to a fancy dinner. In fact, I recently attended a special $200+ per person dinner at a very high end restaurant, where the diners even included two chefs who had come in from other important restaurants hundreds of miles away. There was not a jacket or tie in the room.

Perhaps it is more a sixties-something vs. thirty-something thing. I'm past even the sixties, but often find myself in agreement with the attitudes of the thirties group. For me, skip the jackets and the tuxes. In another ten years nobody will be wearing them, and the content this conversation will seem extremely quaint.

Oh, and "bless their hearts" was one of my Dad's favorite phrases, and he certainly didn't use it as a preface to saying something pejorative about anyone.

End of seriousness. Back to letting the good times roll!

Just an fyi, if he's a foodie he might get some entertainment out of the chef's showdown (not sure what it's exactly called) that they do on the same morning as the galley tour usually after or before. They have two of the ships chefs compete to prepare a dish for three contestants (picked from volounteer audience members) to decide a winner. Each chef is assisted by a passenger, also picked from the audience. It's a lot of laughs with lots of friendly bantering by the chefs and it all takes place in the theater. Check for it in the daily if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.

When they did that on Reflection with us (December) they billed it as a contest between the two passengers selected, whom were "assisted" by the two chefs, and IIRC the head chef was the judge. I think the truth is, however, that it was closer to what you described -- the two chefs did the heavy lifting while the contestants went along for the ride. But everybody had a good time so what the heck.

I don't see any doubt in the wilfulness of your responses.

 

 

There you go again. Of course my responses have been "willful." What they have not been, and yours have, is misreadings and mischaracterizations, as I said. Your approach now is to claim that if I didn't happen to give a particular example that you like in support of my basic point, that the basic point was wrong or that "it isn't clear." Sorry it's not clear to you. I think it's acceptably clear for most readers for the level of discourse expected in an internet forum; this isn't a courtroom. Looking at it another way, while I do appreciate your thoughtfulness in "expanding" my point to cover other categories of employees, it wasn't necessary, since they were already covered in the original statement, but unfortunately, since this was implicit and not explicit, apparently you missed it.

Say whatever you want. Further commentary from me is obviously futile. I'll not be responding to this line discussion any more.

I did read your post. It did not refer to either childcare, nor entertainment workers. All you wrote about American workers was "You will find the occasional American in the upper-level executive or navigation ranks on a ship". I do not consider the childcare department, nor entertainers to fit in within either "upper level executive" nor "navigation". Your statement gave a slant that implied only the most senior officers came from America, which is not evidenced by the facts.

 

I also only quoted a fragment because it was the relevant statement being replied to. The rest of your post was not relevant to the point nor context - unless you wish to claim that childcare and entertainers fall under "upper level executive or navigation".

You continue a pattern of mis-characterizing what I have said, to the point that your misreadings seems willful, not just mistaken.

I 100% stand by what I said that post (#104). Reread it again. It in no way gives any such "slant." It specifically says that, in addition to Americans who may be found in upper level or navigation posts, there are jobs where understanding of the culture is important and you may sometimes find Americans in those posts as well. Here are the exact words: "For some slots, it's appropriate to have a native English speaker, someone who grew up in the culture of the pax, i.e. another American or close analogue (Brit? Canadian? Aussie?), or at least someone who spent years in one of those places and is comfortable in the culture."

While I didn't specifically mention childcare, childcare would certainly fall under the rubric of such a "cultural" post, since some parents of whatever nationality are obviously more comfortable leaving their kids with folks of the same nationality and the cruise line will respond to that preference. Similarly, posts covering such jobs as directing entertainment include the necessity to for example go out on stage and tell warmup jokes, something that requires deep involvement in the culture of the audience. So yes you will find Americans in such posts, and what I said earlier includes such employees.

The bottom line remains that very few shipboard employees of cruise vessels are Americans. The vast preponderance of exceptions, as I said previously, would be an occasional officer, a few executives on board, and a few in jobs where only an American or "near-American" has the cultural and linguistic underpinnings to carry out the required function. While it is true that many entertainers are also Americans, entertainers, by and large, are NOT employees and I have made it clear in several posts that they are outside of the scope of my remarks, although you continue to drag them back in.

This exchange has gone on long enough, and has become rather pointless. I think it's time to stop.

That sounds about right. The 20% not covered would be management, ships officers and the entertainment staff etc.

 

 

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I'm not certain. Officers may well be unionized -- they certainly are on US merchant ships, right up to masters (the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots is one of the important maritime unions). Entertainment staff are for the most part not employees, so they don't count. It would be interesting to get hard information. I'll ask around the next time I have the opportunity.