canderson

Not to book, but in the past, I've upgraded FBC tickets with miles on United.

That's not what was meant, I don't think. You couldn't break them up this way, creating a third and sorta separate leg on the outbound part of the trip. The assumption here is that it's three tickets instead of two for some reason. Ralengh-JFK-SFO SFO-Tokyo Tokyo-SFO-JFK-Raleigh

Definitely a by-airline question. I selected my 787-900 DEN > FRA seats on United for a cruise we won't be taking until November 24. Lufthansa, on the other hand, is more of a PITA, and won't let me select seats for FRA > BCN until the tickets are paid for by X and issued. So in this case, it's more of a question of when I can pick them, not if. I do hate codeshare flights, especially with Lufthansa on the far end. As for baggage and boarding group, isn't an issue depending upon how you choose to travel.

I wouldn't be happy with it, either. I've culled the lists, and here's some details about what I find currently for by-the-glass options on one of the ships. Just remember, you effectively get a $17 discount per glass on the 'Elevated' selections if you have the 'Premium' package. Premium Package Wines BTG Whites Selbach Riesling Kabinett ($27 at home) 90/93 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc ($18 at home) 91 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc ($14 at home) 90/91 Avivo Vermentino 91? Reds Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 88/90 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon ($10) 88/90 Kendall-Jackson Pinot Noir Vintners Reserve ($18 at home) 90/92 Alta Vista Malbec ($18 at home) 89/90 Avivo Sangiovese ($20 at home) 91? Torres Ibericos Tempranillo ($16 at home) 92 Jean Luc Colombo Les Abeilles ($17 at home) 90 Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon ($20 at home) 89/90 Elevated Wines BTG Whites Opulance Celebrity – Grgich Chardonnay $25/glass, $80/bottle Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc $25/glass, $110/bottle ($43 at home) 92/93 Tenute del Cabreo, La Pietra, Chardonnay $22/glass (varies widely with vintage) Fume Blanc, Grgich Hills $22/glass, $90/bottle ($35-40 at home) 91/95 Reds Belle Glos Pinot Noir Las Alturas, $25/glass, $90/bottle ($45 at home) 91/96 Emmolo Merlot $25/glass, $90/bottle ($60 at home) 90 Penner Ash Pinot Noir $21/glass, $100/bottle ($67? at home) 91/93 Hartford Court Zinfandel $25/glass, $106/bottle ($47 at home) 93/94 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon $25/glass, $110/bottle ($69 at home) 93/94 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon $40/glass, $225/bottle ($90 at home) 90/92

Not part of any package, just a BTG list where all entries are outside the Premium limit.

Not to say one can't find a hidden gem now and again, but it's rare to find a wine in the Premium Package that would sell for more than $20 at home. Perhaps the most extreme example on the list would be the 2021 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon which can still be had for $7.99 a bottle if you know where to look - more typically $9.99. Hard to have too high an expectation there, but surely not one on the Premium list is worth $17 a glass in any venue, no matter how bad the usual markup. I guess one way to look at this is that for higher priced glasses of wine, they're spotting me $17, a whole lot more than a glass on the Premium list is worth. The Elevated by-the-glass list, OTOH, can be a decent deal. For an advantaged example, take a glass of Penner Ash Pinot. They want $21 a glass for it (or $100 a bottle). What I'd wind up paying is $4.80 per glass with tip (Premium Package comes with the cabin). Figure 6 glasses to the bottle and it's costing me $28.80 a bottle instead of the $100 a bottle that X charges for this wine. Heck, the price at home is just under $70. So as you note, bottles don't always make sense, but it's hard to do anything with just the Premium list. Pays to pay close attention to the pricing on the Elevated list.

Or lunch time bargain? Guess it depends upon your perception of the overall value and which meal you're eating!

Yes - current sailing for Constellation - believe it was yesterday's 'menu'. Understand that things may change before we arrive - just getting a feeling for what's still available now.

Yes, wasn't recommending the Opulence for its price, just noting the price disparity for those that might be interested in it. Love your 'aging' reasoning, though. 😁 I don't believe that the "Opulence" you're price quoting is the same as the one by that name co-branded by Celebrity and Grgich, though. Yours is more likely the one made by Opulence Wines https://www.opulencewine.com/ I don't believe there's any relationship between them. Have never seen the Celebrity-Grgich branded wine sold outside of a Celebrity ship. Your price for the Barolo is pretty much what we see here as well. Makes it a value onboard compared to many others, and it's a very nice bottle of wine.

The Michele Chiarlo Cerequio is going for $135 a bottle on the ship.

First, was perusing the wine list aboard a ship we'll be sailing soon, and noticed for the first time that Celebrity seems to be practicing some 'dynamic' pricing with wine. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention? But if you have any inclination to buy the Opulence Celebrity-Grgich Hills wine by the bottle, best to buy it during lunch and tell them to hold it for dinner! The following screen shots are from a lunch menu (top), and from the same day's dinner menu (bottom). What's up with that? And just wanted to note that the Michele Chiarlo Cerequio Barolo is still an excellent deal by the bottle. Unlike just about everything else in the X by-the-bottle list, and similar to Silversea pricing, this one is a good value vs. shoreside retail. One other that I noted was the Penner-Ash Pinot Noir **Yamhill*. Your choice here has to be nuanced. They're also offering a Penner-Ash Pinot Noir **Willamette**. For the same price, take the Yamhill which is a little nicer wine and also a good value vs. shoreside retail.

Glad to know it isn't just us!

Our experience has been that sometimes only 3:00pm time slot are shown initially, so being online at 12:01 EST may not help buy you an early embarkation. Only after a time did the earlier slots open up. What's odd is that those of us who don't require a slot are obliged to pick one. I always pick 3:00, avoiding using up an earlier slot.

They do not 'stack' discounts. Take whichever of the online offers or your CC discount is better for you. Once in a while, the online offer is better.

There's a "New Topic" button on THAT page that you'll want to use.

Be aware that the online offerings are shown without respect to your CC status or cabin class, so what is shown often won't make any sense. Why Celebrity IT can't tie the two together is a bit of a mystery. The planner knows both your CC and cabin situation. For example, the online planner presents and would be delighted if I'd opt for a premium drink or WiFi package --- both of which already come as part of my cabin class. So to receive your 15% CC discount, you'll want to have your TA make that purchase on your behalf, or if you're working with Celebrity, call them direct to make the purchase.

That depends upon how you received the OBC. If it shows up online in your cruise planner, then yes, you can use it in advance for any of the items you mention. However, some OBC does not appear in your folio until you board the ship. Again, it depends upon how the OBC was obtained.

First, to the OP and others, these new questions to the CEO need to be placed here - individually: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/454-qa-with-laura-hodges-bethge-president-celebrity-cruises/ Second, there won't be an opportunity to comment on others' questions.

... a few of which would be considered by some to be completely tasteless, no matter the designer or the cost. But if you'll note, the vast majority of the red carpet extremes are on the female side, often with the apparent objective to pay as much as possible for as little fabric as possible. 😄 Nearly all of the males come dressed to an awards banquet dressed just about as you would expect, with only a few tweaks (e.g., collar shapes) over a great many years. Few wear their baseball hats and jeans to collect their awards, even though baseball hats, for whatever reason, seem to be the thing when in the director's chair these days. Yet it seems it's the men here who put up the most fuss about 'dressing for dinner' -- anywhere -- but especially on a cruise. And the standards for men are far more easily written, and hence, more easily followed if one is at all interested in doing so.

Since your father very nearly managed it for me, let me take your first paragraph to reductio ad absurdum, and suggest that there are clients and cultures who would have no issue with topless dining - or possibly beyond. It's only a matter of time, I'm sure, until the Bliss cruises offer topless dining. In 99% of these posts, the real difference is the extent to which any given poster is personally willing to go in their tolerance of dining attire. Just because they haven't reached their limit yet in Atlantide doesn't mean there isn't a limit. And that said, many already have reached that limit while others have not, and you hear them both here.

Or perhaps https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/CEL-Special-Needs-Form-Revised-062221.pdf I can't remember which is more current. This second one leaves space to provide hand-written additions.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/Celebrity-Guest-Special-Needs-Form.pdf

Better than wearing them over your head, I suppose. The relative importance of a comfortable veranda lounger is a function of a whole host of things, including the itinerary (HUGE difference in the visuals between our annual TA where it's sea, and more sea, and the Inside Passage on an Alaskan cruise, which is nonstop gorgeous), the style of cruising one prefers (martini bar or listening to the waves late at night), and so to some, it's a worthy topic. That their absence didn't concern you just indicates that unlike others, you didn't find a good use for them. I'm sure those who don't drink coffee didn't miss the Lavazza units in their suites, either, when they disappeared. Does that help? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Which brings me round to the topic at hand. Of interest, I note that all suites may have the Lavazza coffee (espresso, really) makers available? For a while, not even the Royal suites had them, then they returned. But I have no recollection of them in, say, Sky Suites 7 years ago. @DaKahuna reported this recently >>> If you were enjoying Bistro on 5, note that it's become Sushi on 5 somewhere in the last 7 years. Whether that's a good or bad thing will depend upon your preferences. Qsine changed from whatever it was when it started out to Le Petit Chef, a combined presentation of food and video on your table. Space has been created or converted for the new Craft Social, a sort of pub experience with a good variety of beer. It's a standard on the newest ships, but I believe for Equinox and Silhouette, it occupies what was once Cellar Masters space. We don't find that X is using talented crew members for music much these days. One could often find a three piece string ensemble in the area of Al Bacio in the afternoon on an at-sea day, or before dinner, or occasionally in the Retreat lounge in an evening. Not so these days, and we do miss that. There seem to be more individual entertainers, and the 'production' shows are more often Broadway or rock musical compilations. Shows like Elysium & etc are fewer in number, and not shown at all on many ships. Add to that some tributes to one performer or group or another.

You'll also have access to the Retreat lounge whenever you like where drinks are also free.

? 4 levels, not 3 in the CMS (Court of Master Sommeliers) program. #4 is the real ball buster. 1 is Introductory 2 is Certified 3 is Advanced 4 is Master