Cruise it or lose it

I don't fill out the cruise surveys anymore. I try to take care of issues as they happen.

The last two cars I bought at different dealerships, the salesmen told us to give them all 10s. If they got less they said management would be all over them.

I told both of them to hope I didn't get a survey. I bought a car in good faith and made a deal I felt acceptable. I felt no obligation to give someone a 10. I find that when this happens I think less of the person doing the asking.

Thanks again for taking the time to make your journey feel like ours. It will take some of the chill away from this cold wet mountain autumn.

Well the ad has people talking about Celebrity...good or bad. Years ago when learning marketing,  a prof showed us commercials and asked us which ones were our favorites. Many of us picked the warm fuzzy one or the popular one but could not name the product the ad was trying to sell. 

I believe it was more like a take on Alice in Wonderland. That book also had a pill that made one either big or small. I always believed it was a bizarre tale. Maybe they were aiming for comparing a cruise with Celebrity to making all your fantasies come true?

Todays commercial makers may not understand what the song really stood for like some of us older people. That said, it was weird.

Someone on Facebook said there was an issue with a lifeboat last cruise. An On board person said captain called for a delay but didn't know why.

9 hours ago, Langley Cruisers said:

 

Our local news recently had a segment that said the so-called "flushable wipes" are absolutely not biodegradable. They do not fully break down. We are supposed to throw all wipes in the garbage.

An employee of mine was using flushable wipes and it cost me $4000 to unblock the line.

31 minutes ago, calicakes said:

I forgot to mention the most important item: ........ 2 rolls of really soft Toilet Paper.  I do not like the toilet paper that feels like cardboard. 

I'm surprised no one has said that the toilet paper on board is made that way not to plug up the system and the comfy stuff is what causes the overload and the smell.

3 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

Why?

Because I think Celebrity is moving their ship from NJ to Boston. I can drive easily to NJ. 

I will be checking. Worried about cruises out of Port Liberty. 

We ended up with onboard credit we needed to use. Another cruiser we met got a big percentage from the place from where they bought the cruise. She was able to buy her two daughters a gift from the expensive jewelry store. We had much less but were able to buy daughter and DIL a lovely piece of Swarovski and it was actually on sale and less then I could get it on the net.

Off topic but I keep wanting to post. 

Many years back I lost a friend and the funeral was on the coldest day in years in our mountains. I bundled up in a  floor length black wool coat to get thru the below zero temps and wish my sweetheart goodbye.

After all was said and done, I realized I had lost the watch that my husband had given when he met me so many year prior. I had lost a good friend and a watch I had worn every day.

Next fall I was cleaning closets and I saw that coat and tried it on  to see if it still fit and needed to be cleaned.

I put my arm in the sleeve and out came the watch. It had unhooked and attached to the sleeve.

It's way too much money for what you get. Who comes up with this stuff? (New cruisers beware).

I think we will all run out of money before Celebrity. LOL

What I do. I'm always happy to meet them. I shake their hand, I ask them what they can do for me.

Basically they tell me more than I could ask! I tell them what I want. And they always surprise me with something added.

I thank them every day. 

I tip them well if they follow thru.

I wish them well when I leave,

They are very nice people who have come up the ranks to be butler.

I don't often comment....but I googled "worst burger on the planet" and I have never eaten anything like it on a Celebrity ship.

My husband and I hate those bathtubs. 

48 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Look forward to meeting you.    This is shaping up to be a fun cruise and we know a number of fellow cruisers already.   BTW -   My partner's name is Iain (with an I) which is the Scotch version of Ian and pronounced the same.   He get's called Lain often.

 

Thanks for letting us know how to pronounce Iain's name. I wondered about it.

15 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Unless you are in a RS or PS you just give you bags to a regular porters.  

And if you are in a RS? 

Do you give your bags to any porter? Or something else?

10 hours ago, Cruizinggirl said:

The maitre’d was aware the first night. He spoke to me during dinner, sent me a glass of wine, and told me he’d take care of the situation.  He moved me to a different table for the 2nd night only to have no one show for THAT table ! 

I apologize to the maitre'd then. 

I think if you want the Royal or Penthouse you need to bid the max. I got the Royal at the max and if was a fair deal. Not a great one. I saw the PH open one day and went in and bid the max and then thought better of it and took back the bid. It was another grand over what I bid on the Royal but I have to wonder if we would have gotten  it. I checked everyday to see what was available from the day I booked.

I am happy with getting the Royal. When I did the math I may have saved less than $2000 from the prices when I booked a Sky guarantee with 4 perks. But not any where near the prices after final.

I don't get to sail often since it is not my husband of 46 years favorite vacation.  I am just praying that nothing happens between today and next Sunday.  When I was young , people would say to me  "Don't get old". And I would say "What's the alternative?". Well , fellow cruisers, don't get old.😘 just kidding.

10 minutes ago, Cruizinggirl said:

I don’t fault the maitre’d. Passengers are assigned to the main dining room.  If they choose to take advantage of dining options (speciality, buffet, or cabin service) there is no way for the maitre’d to know that in advance, or even on a nightly basis.  Perhaps Celebrity can investigate adding an opt out choice to the registration page.  

Maybe a server could have told the Maitre'd that there was a lone woman at a large table...two nights in a row. Maybe as I have become accustomed, as he was walking around he might have noticed. It took until the 3rd night for a guest to ask the Maitre'd to move the lady to their table.

1 hour ago, Cruizinggirl said:

Hmm. . . It could be that the calls were to help determine seating in the main dining room.  I traveled solo recently.  Upon boarding I went to the dining room to to verify I was assigned to a large table.  That evening I sat at the large table - alone.   Same thing the second night, but at a different table.  The wait staff were very attentive, but sitting alone at a large table in a large venue was uncomfortable. The third night a lovely couple at another table asked the maitre’d to assign me to their table which also held 2 additional couples.  We all had a wonderful time and were the last to leave each night.  Yes - the other 2 tables were empty or only partially filled for the remainder of the cruise! 

Good for you! Happy you met some great people Bad for the maitre'd of the dining room. Not professional. Unseemly.

On 5/11/2019 at 6:20 PM, texswamper said:

Yes, all 3 of us had the monogrammed bathrobes waiting for us in the suite.  A really nice touch!  

Were you able to keep them?

Are the specialty items an extra cost?