rowingmachine

I am amazed that anybody has the appetite after a few days on board to even consider spending any more on food or eating it, so for us refusal should be very easy.  We were looking for a 2 day  St Petersburg tour without a lunch, but they  are thin on the ground  Drinking is another matter.  I think that on holiday  everywhere you have to be thick skinned enough to withstand most demands for money because being generous can make your life more difficult. You are right Luvcrusn and others. Never been on a Celebrity Cruise yet but this sounds like well heeled begging.

As a first timer for Celebrity I thought I would share our uncertainties about the Select Dining option and drinks upgrade.

We booked a May Baltic cruise through a travel agent last October and had not specified Dining Arrangements.   On the Celebrity confirmation, we recently noticed that it said, Dining (Waitlist) CEL SLCT ( ).  Assumed we were on a wait list.  Anyway some months later (Jan)    I trawled though Cruise Critic and gleaned the info that we could choose our dining times but not until we had fully paid up.  Not so. We have only paid the £150 pp deposit so far, but I went in as advised by your correspondents  and  booked our  choice for the first night   You have to click on save to basket although it looks like you are inviting other guests.  That has gone through fine, but it’s not obvious   We shall decide on other times as we go.

I presume that part of the dining room is reserved for the first and second sitting times and the other is for the select diners.

We also managed to upgrade our ‘free’ Classic drinks package to Premium  in the sale back end of last year thanks to going on Cruise Critic, seeing the info and ringing Celebrity.

The point I wish to make is that getting the deals right (and they are good deals) is not obvious or easy for a first time Celebrity cruiser.  There is no way I would have seen all this if I hadn’t been retired with the time to waste thinking about it.

Looking forward to our cruise immensely and enjoying the forum . Makes a change from Brexit.

We have a Premium drinks package for May Silhouette cruise - first time Celebrity.  Has anybody spotted Pernod or its like in any of the bars on board? Can't see it on any of the lists and little else satisfies that particular slot in the evening .  Our only previous experience is with Costa and NCL where it was available.  Have the option to carry on board a litre bottle of non-alcoholic Pastis which we buy in France and drink at home, but don't know if that is allowable and don't want to lug it with us if not necessary.  I reckon that for 14 nights with two of us having one aperitif per night we would get through it. 

Thanks everyone.  As our cruise is not until May I hadn't been in Cruise Planner or seen the email. To upgrade our Classic perk package was not possible online but a phone call to Celebrity - I was not rerouted to US - quickly sorted it out and it costs @ £6.44 per day (I presume this includes gratuities).  Not only is that good value but it saves hours of shall we/shan't we dithering and I can look forward to trying drinks I would never dream of buying in UK.

Wow. Thanks for sharing that. You are oh so vulnerable on a cruise type holiday and there are so many things that can go wrong. It's especially difficult when you have to try and explain in a foreign language quite complicated arrangements and needs. We have found Costa great when things went well, but difficult to persuade when things were going amiss. We too had to sign an inappropriate disclaimer when my wife needed quite urgent medical diagnosis and treatment beyond the capability of the ship doctor. I am glad you dug your toes in - we should all do this when being bullied. You seem pretty resilient and I am sure you will enjoy many more enjoyable cruises, indeed appreciate them even more.

No singing/dancing waiters any more on Mediterranea

We last went on the Mediterranea three years ago and I thought I would point out the changes we experienced on our cruise from Venice (just back).

When we last went most of the inside was rank with tobacco smoke or effects of same. Smoking is now restricted to parts of deck 9 and your balcony, so much pleasanter . The ashtrays on the balcony are much improved. We are not heavy smokers and found the arrangements satisfactory.

Dining arrangements were completely different. There is now an evening buffet on deck 9. For our evening served meal we were assigned neither 1st sitting nor 2nd, but were assigned open dining on the deck 2 part of the restaurant; any time between 6:30 and 9:30. As the lower floor of this vast restaurant now had people coming and going all the time, the trademark Costa conga etc did not happen – or we did not see it. A pity really we thought and even less incentive to dress up. However the service was very efficient and well overseen.

Ice cream no longer features on the menu, but there is an ice cream trolley for which you pay 1.50 for one scoop, 2.50 for two scoops etc. Its location and timings were variable.

An authentic burger restaurant (10 euros extra) has been introduced alongside the ‘superior’ pizza restaurant. Judging by the number of people patronising this (we saw nobody the whole cruise) it would appear to be a mistake of gastronomic proportions.

The timings of the meals were much more adaptable and better suited to the docking times than previously. Somebody had actually thought out when customers were likely to return and made sure that enough places were open to eat.

There seemed to be very little live background music in the bars.

The drinks Piu Gusto package is still good value especially as it includes water and specialty coffee even if Strega is no longer on the cast list. The beer and wine choice remains poor. The bog standard coffee is the buffet was vastly improved as was the choice of tea bags.

The gym equipment all worked well and had had an overhaul since our previous visit. On other Costa ships you have to pay extra for the steam rooms etc. Surprisingly few people used this haven. I tended to have an hour before breakfast to do a few exercises, have a soak and a sauna freeing up the cabin facilities for the DW to do her thing.

Definitely not I'm afraid Bob. It was the singers and dancers of the Afro Arimba Dance company. I think they were dispersing in Hamburg. Rather good (apart from the aggressive lighting) but not Ballroom - mostly S African.

It appeared to be Tomvet. I don't know if it was on the menu every night as I only had it once and wasn't looking for it, but our American companions had it as they wished most nights sugar free or otherwise. There didn't seem to be any problem.

Some observations.

Make sure you have some proof of your Costa Club status when you are trying to activate Priority boarding. We didn’t and had to wait well over an hour. I couldn’t access the Internet in the Savona waiting area.

The evening buffet is up and running as MDR intimated. It runs for 90 minutes usually 19:00 to 20:30 although it was adapted to fit in with late excursions. It's quite a small affair but well enough for the number of punters.

We found the Samsara pass at 225 euros for a couple for a 10 day cruise excellent value. It would have been even better value had DW not been tempted by the oils and unguents.

The Hop on Hop off buses in Lisbon and Cadiz had very poor commentary.

The information via the on board on line (free) and app was very useful especially being able to view ones bill right up to the minute. You had to pay for normal wifi of course.

Costa appear to have discontinued one of my favorite holiday drinks - Strega, but I managed to find a bottle in the deck 5 Bar Fantasia. It was not on any list, but it was charged as zero on the Piu Gusto package.

I can’t imagine enjoying a cruise without a drinks package. We were nearly half way there on the coffee and water alone. A good number of the complaints we heard were about having to pay for water.

Unlike previous cruises you don’t get a receipt if your drink or anything else is zeroed as part of a package, so no need to bring a stapler to keep a daily record. Even on the final bill the zeros don’t show, so you can tell yourself porkies about how much you have drunk.

Be aware that the Theatre shows and entertainment in general may use strobe or violent lighting directed at the audience which you would be warned about certainly in an British environment.

Got that wrong. I meant Hamburg card which is mostly transport based 43.90 euros for 2 people for three days as I read it. Point taken though and I am sure DW will agree. I shall print it out before we leave. Many thanks.

http://www.hamburg-travel.com/search-book/hamburg-card/book-online-now/

We dock in Hamburg (Costa Pacifica) on 18 May. Our package includes two nights in Hamburg at the end and are intending to buy the Hamburg group pass for two persons for three days which looks like excellent value at about £40 and will get us to the airport on the last day.

As we disembark from 08:00, we want to get our luggage to the hotel asap. and go exploring. Is there anywhere to buy this ticket at disembarkation, should I buy it beforehand on internet and try and make our way by waterbus and normal bus, or (boring but prob wise) just take a taxi to the hotel and go on from there. I have a working smattering of German. We are elderly but mobile.

We dock in Hamburg (Pacifica) on 18 May. Our package includes two nights in Hamburg at the end and are intending to buy the Hamburg group pass for two persons for three days which looks like excellent value at about £40 and will get us to the airport on the last day.

As we disembark from 08:00, we want to get our luggage to the hotel asap. and go exploring. Is there anywhere to buy this ticket at disembarkation, should I buy it beforehand on internet and try and make our way by waterbus and normal bus, or (boring but prob wise) just take a taxi to the hotel and go on from there. I have a working smattering of German. We are elderly but mobile.

Are on the Pacifica from Savona to Hamburg from 8 May 2016. I shall make a point of letting GMT and others know if the evening buffet is indeed functioning. It would be good if it were, as it would make the MDR less busy. We have been lucky enough to have been given an upgrade from Classic Balcony to Samsara balcony. Don't know what practical benefits this will give us, but we are certainly tempted to purchase a Spa pass for a few days to go with it - probably do that on the ship. I use the gym anyway so it will be great to be close - i.e not too far to walk.

Admittedly not very experienced cruisers, but we always buy the all inclusive drinks, and after we have embarked and had our first cocktail one of us disembarks and buys 6 large bottles of water at the nearest supermarket or equivalent. We make sure we have a couple of small empy bottles to decant into. Otherwise, the ice provided in the cabin translates into water. The lack of freely available and drinkable water is a real indictment of most cruise lines

Admittedly not very experienced cruisers, but we always buy the all inclusive drinks, and after we have embarked and had our first cocktail one of us disembarks and buys 6 large bottles of water at the nearest supermarket or equivalent. We make sure we have a couple of small empy bottles to decant into. Otherwise, the ice provided in the cabin translates into water. The lack of freely available and drinkable water is a real indictment of most cruise lines

Namwicha

If you are used to being served in English you will find most of the staff have a basic knowledge which should be adequate. They certainly understood my English better than my Italian. The problem is that if anything does go wrong you can find yourself having to work quite hard to get anywhere. On our first ever cruise on the Mediterranea the DW slipped a disc and was in agony - in the end could not lie down and hence we had to abort the cruise. The Costa medical team spoke no English and communication with our Insurance company was difficult. We had to arrange everything back to England ourselves; they did not even tell us there was a shuttle bus from Savona to Nice airport, so we did that ourselves by two taxis and two trains (just). Got the slightest impression they thought we were faking it.

Even so, it was a marvelous cruise and we did not hesitate to revisit Costa when the insurance paid us back after DW's op. It's lively, very friendly and great if you can go with occasional disorganisation. What's not to like about being fed all day and, if you get the All Inclusive drinks (which includes decent coffee), watching and listening to the world go by in a benevolent haze. Take a few phrase books and have a go.

I agree, you won't get much usable info from the Costa site.

We leave coathangers (always take a few), books (get some potboilers for 10p at the library), a pair of old slippers or trainers; it's always worth taking a few small envelopes for tips and a thankyou card or two. We try NOT to leave anything in the safe but haven't always succeeded!! If you take some things you know you are going to jettison, you know that your weight allowance for the plane home should be OK.

We rolled up at 12:30. Cases taken away then, time for a bit of duty free and boarding started at 13:00. The letter we got stated that boarding started at 14:00. Barcelona embarkation is modern and quite pleasant.

Robes? Coffee machine? Never saw nor expected any of that for the price we paid. There was a bowl of rather crumbly fruit.

A wealth of clean towels whether you wanted them or not and sheets changed at least twice in 7 days. Had to prompt for ice this time.

Overall we enjoyed it, heck who couldn't enjoy being in the sunshine on a cruise and not at work in the gloom? The ship was very clean and most things apart from signage were very well organised. Your questions prompted me to finish my review which will doubtless appear in a couple of weeks. Mike

Just back from a week on Serena Premium. We got the late sitting we wanted (21:15)- we did not specify numbers. A Swedish couple on our table for 6 changed to a table for two after the first night as they found keeping up with the others' English rather difficult. They had no problem with that and enjoyed their new location.

There did not seem to be many tables for two upstairs Ceres but there was more room than downstairs.

Wine and water service especially quick.

The aft balcony was bigger than on the Mediterranea, but the cabin itself was slightly smaller than a Classic one on that ship. Would not do premium again as the coffee they bring is dire, the same as in the MDR for breakfast. You are much better off using your all inclusive at the bar for a decent coffee.

Gary,

We wondered that on our first cruise. No need to worry, the cards will be there on your bed in your cabin on arrival, so you can find said cabin, pick up the cards and go and choose your first cocktail. Check that Costa have got it right and that 'extra extra' is printed on the cards, otherwise you will annoyingly have to queue at customer services with some proof of purchase of the package. Hasn't happened to us! Hope you managed to beat the price rise and enjoy paying the 19.50 deal, 4 euros less than you would if you bought it now. I think that deserves another cocktail, to leave time for your cases to be delivered to the cabin.

I would guess that the dining room bit refers to your cabin steward picking up the card, but I am guessing. The package is amazing value even at 23 euros. Enjoy.

Mike

Probably depends on the waiter. Our wine and water was not left on our dining table, but on a table abutting a pillar nearby.

We only tested the system once by drinking more than a bottle between us, but there was no problem and offers of refills were frequent enough. They let us take the remaining water away one night - but reluctantly and we did not ask again.

Whoops! Didn't realise there was a 19 euro transfer and went taxi to Savona station, train to Ventimiglia, train to Nice and taxi to airport at about 100 euros between us and not much change out of 4 hours - nearly missed the flight.

Iconic rail journey, though I think it must have been market day in Ventimiglia and a heck of a step down to the platform at Nice.

I agree kwoinst. The wines served with the evening meal were fine and refills quick; the wine at the bars were less agreeable however. Would choose the white over the red.

Just back from our cruise on CM. We had to leave early as wife's sciatica became unbearable - could not lie down. We had a hairy journey from Savona to Nice airport and made the flight with 25 mins to spare. More if you wish in my review which I will start once I have done all the laundry.

The drinks package was all and more than we could have imagined. It was great at our age to try things we would never normally contemplate or afford. The one drawback was the water availability. Perhaps I did not understand the system, but we found it not possible to get enough water to the cabin without paying extra. Despite my fears there seemed no problem in bringing water (or wine) onto the ship, just that with wife's immobility we did not go ashore often. No big bold Aussie reds or sharp French Muscadet, but the wine with the meals was very quaffable. Eventually managed to to make it understood that we wanted lots of ice and extra jug of water with the Pastis and Strega. Liked the little tray of nibbles that was served with the drinks in certain bars sometimes without asking for them.

You can surreptitiously fill your empty bottles of water at the meal points, but cold water was not always available and the water fountains mostly did not work. We left the ice bucket refilled fairly regularly in the cabin to defrost.

Lots of coffee and tea choice. You will soon find a location and type that suits you.

Fantastic cocktails, even the non alcoholic ones! Adequate beer although I am as usual looking to a decent pint of warmish ale.