AliceS

4 minutes ago, Esprit said:

I downloaded the app but wasn't happy so I applied for the OBC the old fashioned way!

 

I completed the Princess Benefits claim form and emailed it to them with a copy of the Carnival share certificate.

 

Received confirmation of the OBC added the next day and my Cruise Personalizer confirmed it, so I removed the Stockperks app. Simples!  

Thanks.   When I did the download, it asked for my birthdate and income?   I’d rather fax, email or snail mail.    I just received the email today and haven’t seen the discussion before.   Maybe I need to try it again?

Now what is this?    They want way too much information.   I’m not comfortable with this.   
 

to be more specific, I received an email that you have to apply for shareholder benefits via an APP

https:/www.carnivalcorp.com/shareholder-information/shareholder-benefit

39 minutes ago, CanadianBurger said:

Yes and yes. Maybe things will change once the ship gets out of Europe. They definitely need to fix the ventilation since the smoke can be smelled in the forward stairway on deck 17. 

I love the casino…..but, can not deal with smoke.   Usually Princess has a smoking area in the casino.   I can cruise with no smoke?   Why wouldn’t I?    Hello Celebrity!   Very sad, I was getting pumped about Sun Princess.   Could be a deal breaker?   Pickelball is something that I can do without on a cruise.   If there, I go.   The casino with smoking permitted EVERYWHERE…..NO DEAL.   

4 hours ago, 555 said:

I've heard that there is a non smoking section.

I've also heard that there's a problem with smoke being sucked in the ship from smokers outdoors and many people have been complaining. I hope it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. I can avoid the casino but would hate it to be smoky in the hallways. Again this is only hearsay and I'm saying tuned for more info. 

Thanks….hoping for smoking to be limited.   I have options to sail and casino with no smoke, thank you, Celebrity.

So, there is no pickelball and there is smoking everywhere in the casino?   Please say that they aren’t both true.   Especially the smoking.   Everywhere in the casino?   I haven’t seen that for many years.

On 3/16/2024 at 2:10 AM, Cdude said:

Anyone with an upcoming sailing, I suggest packing light clothes for onboard. This ship is very warm. We left the casino early because it was just too damn hot. It’s nice opening our balcony door and getting cool, fresh air. I would pay extra for a balcony for that reason alone.

I’ve read about smoke in the casino…..do they permit smoking everywhere there?  That would be a deal breaker for me.

On 3/13/2024 at 10:26 AM, CanadianBurger said:

Park 19

 

The only things you can do up here are use the walking/jogging track, the hammocks and seating, play ping pong and some other games. I asked one of the staff testing the ropes course when it would open, and the said definitely not this cruise, but wouldn’t commit to next cruise either. Nothing happening around the Rollglider, or any of the younger kid’s stuff like slides or what I assume is the splash pad. Just closed signs. 
You’d never get me on the ropes course…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know if the sports court will have pickelball?

Beware private tours?   Have done many and get back way before the time to respect.    
Do you expect anything else when you miss departure time?   Especially in such a foreign port of call.   Come on….

So, you can’t make dining reservations for the different restaurants on the Edge class?    
I thought that we had done that before.   What if you have set dining, say at 6….how do you know which restaurant?

On 3/25/2024 at 6:23 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might ask as we are booked on the Eurodam next year. What exactly did you do for entertainment in the evenings?

Listened to Rollingstone a bit….casino….tried the theater?   There were folks who liked Billboard.   I really enjoy the production shows or a good comedian.   
 

I feel that the service and food are wonderful on both Celebrity and Holland.   Celebrity is my favorite for entertainment.   

There are no production shows on Holland that compare to Princess.   I miss Lincoln Center and I miss BB King even more.   I love the food and the service on Holland….but for entertainment…..they are weak

Just off Eurodam.   Billboard….not appreciated by the casino and the casino is not appreciated by Billboard fans.   NOISE to both.   Way too close for comfort.

there is no BB King….sad.   Rolling Stone had a following, but they are no BB King

Holland lacks entertainment and losing BB King does not help.   Production shows are not to be compared with other lines and there is no Lincoln Center on Eurodam….just left there on 3/16.   Boardwalk was not good and Rolling Stone was just noise.   Love Holland for everything else, but entertainment?????

8 hours ago, Djptcp said:

This was our 76th cruise and let's just say that DH and I can't wait for our 2 booked HAL cruises in Nov. and Feb.! We debarked from a 12-day Central and South America cruise on the Constellation on Sat. Our complaints are really not related to the 22 year old ship as we knew ahead of time it was an old ship.

 

Our complaints are that service was non-existent, the crew was unfriendly even the officers, the food was mediocre at best. The friendliest person was our cabin stewardess. Bar service was spotty - DH finally told several of the bar waiters on Deck 10 who had completely ignored us and the other guests to please come around and their responses to us were snarky. No one asked for our names during the whole cruise. I mentioned to other passengers that the after cruise surveys on HAL ask if crew called us by name?

 

Food is subjective, but after HAL's great food in our estmation the Constellation's was bland and boring. We tried one of the specialty restaurants, supposed to be Italian,  but most of the selections were not Italian. We ate in the MDR once and service was awful. I did have room service breakfast every morning and it was pretty good, but on HAL the plates with hot items are placed on heated things to keep the food hot, not so on Celebrity. 

 

So, we tried Celebrity only because it sails out of Tampa and we live 45 minutes from the Port of Tampa. It was supposed to be on par with HAL but not even close.

 

 

Give them another try.   Was just on Silhouette and the service was excellent and if you like shows, try one of the Edge class ships.   The balcony thing there is odd, but the ships are beautiful and food and service are great…..shows are outstanding.

i am also 4 star on Holland and love the line.   The food is great and service is amazing, but ….shows?   Was just on Eurodam and no BB King?   Boardwalk was awful and there is no Lincoln Center and production shows are non existent.

celebrity also has the wine stewards 

Has anyone stayed in this cabin?   Any information would be appreciated.   Thanks, Alice

23 hours ago, NetworkGuy said:

@AliceS The cruise was fantastic. I created a picture book from the photos we took and the title is "Best Vacation Ever!"

 

There were a number of people on the cruise who has cruised with Avalon before. They ALL said the our cruise director was the best they had ever had on any cruise. Having a great cruise director makes all of the difference.

 

Only 12 couples did the add-on excursion, so we had the cruise director all to ourselves. He did a fantastic job of arranging all of the transfers and tours.

 

In Como, we stayed at the Hotel Barchette Excelsior with a lake front balcony room. One of the best locations in town.

We are in the same hotel in Como.    I would love to have a balcony room.   I hope.      Just found out that we will not take the train from Lucerne to Basel…..coach.   Thanks for sharing.

On 3/23/2023 at 2:28 PM, NetworkGuy said:

We are doing our first River Cruise in May. We have done other cruises, but this is the first time on a river cruise.

 

If anyone has done this tours, we would appreciate any recommendations on the excursions, which would you recommend and which to avoid. We are also staying in Amsterdam for a few days before the cruise. Any suggestions for there would also be appreciated.

 

Now for a new first time river cruise questions:

1. On most cruise ships, you need to put your cell phone in airplane mode to avoid charges. Is that also true for river boats?
2. What time will your cabin be ready? We were told that we can board at 8am, but will the cabin be ready? (It looks like the ship arrives a few days before, but the previous tour debarks that morning.)
3. Do they do laundry on the ship? Or can you even do it yourself?
4. Is the mini-bar included or extra?
5. How good (or bad) is the WiFi?

 

Thanks for the help and suggestions.

Where did you stay in Lake Como?   What was your overall experience on the cruise and add on?

we leave on Sunday 9/24.   Would love to hear your thoughts.   Thanks!

Was on Holland this year on St. Patrick’s Day and there was an Orange Party….there were some of Irish ancestry offended.   Timing?   Oh well

On 2/1/2022 at 8:07 PM, Charles4515 said:

 

They know on the Oceania board. There may be some on the Celebrity board who think they are getting great extras for being Elite +, extras and don't have the info that other cruise lines include them in the base fare..

On 2/10/2022 at 6:36 PM, LuAnn said:

Thanks Charles!!

The base fare is a good bit higher on Oceana!

13 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Yes.  Those are exactly the items I brought on my cruise, as well as my sister.  When we boarded they took our bags and carry-ons while we had lunch.  When they showed us to our room they insisted on carrying our totes and raincoats.  It was a very refined embarkation.  Enjoy!

Thanks, Miss G……I appreciate your comments.   

So, I’m OK with a checked bag, a carry on and tote?   I need the carry on for personal items and a few things in the event that the checked bag is lost.     

On 8/8/2023 at 2:48 AM, Stateroom_Sailor said:

1.  Reasonably priced, especially suites

2.  Excellent service from crew

3.  Best food in the mass market

4.  Exotic itineraries

5.  Spending adds to loyalty points

6.  Relaxed atmospher

7.  Great live music

 

 

8.  Minimal number of Negative Nancies, or cheerleaders.

I totally agree….don’t know about the suite pricing, but the rest?   Amen!

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

@kazu thank you for your helpful information. I think I would probably be happy to pay the extra for a lunch in Pinnacle. Unfortunately with my non existent and probably never much "status" we would have to pay full price 🥺. How does this burger compare to the "included in your fare" Dive in burger.

On our next cruise we won't be ordering lobster on the ship. It's a New England/East Coast Canada itinerary, we'll get our lobster ashore.

Both burgers are amazing.   I don’t eat meat that much at home, but on Holland?….I can’t pass up those burgers.

Thank you so much, Daisi!   It looks like a village under a Christmas tree.   Looking forward to it.

On 5/21/2023 at 4:08 PM, Daisi said:

 

 

I would highly recommend the Colmar and Alsace trips. If you go to the same town we did in 2018 for the Alsace trip, it's a beautiful town like Colman.

 

Of course, if you like biking, the tours in the countryside should be great as well. We didn't have the option for the Basel trip, so can't fill you in on that.

Daisi,

I just signed up for the Alsace Tour.   It looks so nice and my family origins are there.   So happy that you said that it’s worthwhile.