Georgia_Peaches

Rules won't let me name the site but search around for sites that allow multiple TA's to vie for your booking. The one I use now allows me to put my desired booking out there for TA's to bid on...for lack of a better word. They will tell you their pricing and also how much OBC they are offering. Often the pricing is the same from one TA to the next so the savings is in the OBC. I just booked a 10 night cruise on Beyond. The list price for the category we chose was going to be just over 5K with classic drinks and basic wifi. Not a bad price for 10 nights but the TA I ultimately went with offered a group rate of $3800 and also included basic wifi and Classic drinks. Their OBC offer was $350..so a little under 10%. It was a site I stumbled on when just doing a random internet search for TA's that specialize in cruising.

The only OBC I'm getting these days is from my TA. And my usual go-to TA has reduced the amount significantly...to the point that I now shop around much more than I did in the past. It's out there, you just have to find it.

Completely agree! In fact, we just booked a deluxe ocean view room on Beyond for a 10 night southern Caribbean in November. I'm not a fan of the IV category, the PV was booked and the Retreat prices were ridiculous! We looked at YC but could only find a 7 nighter...

I would not cough up the dough to cruise Regent in the Caribbean. I prefer a larger ship with a less stuffy (?...I don't really know if it's stuffy..) atmosphere...and if on MSC, it's definitely going to be in the YC. Having said that, we are booked on the Grandeur for next April in a very port intensive Med cruise embarking in Venice. The fact that the fare included business class air and ports not usually accessible by larger ships, not to mention included excursions...it seemed like a no brainer to give them a try. My guess is, since we will be off the ship more than on, I will not miss some of my usual hang out spots available to us on our go-to cruise lines. I understand the casino is quite small...hopefully I will be too tired from the day's activities to miss it! I am very much looking forward to your report on the Grandeur! Bon voyage!

What class of ship? If e class there is no set dining time. Reservations can be made but are not required and there’s often a short wait despite the reservation time. If S or M class you either have early, late, or select. If select, you don’t make a reservation…you show up at desired time and they seat you as seating becomes available in the Select area of the dining room. Assigned dining is 6 or 8:30, I think…we usually do Select. Also, you can check in with the M’d on embarkation day to sort out your time.

Raw is definitely open for lunch and in my opinion is more of a lunch venue than dinner…though dinner can certainly be had! It’s a la carte so you can order as much or as little as you like if trying to stick within your obc budget. Having said all that, I agree that Eden is worth considering as the food and dining experience is simply amazing.

No parental consent needed for 18 and over. You're good to go.

Thank you for this review! We just booked a 10 night Caribbean cruise for November. It will be our first Ocean View category and it's nice to hear that the stewards are attentive, regardless of category. Does Beyond have a World Class bar overlooking the Martini Bar like Ascent? It was one of our favorite places to hang out.

Hair dryer is in the desk drawer. It’s the kind that you have to hold in the button while in use. The shampoo is in a wall dispenser in the shower. I think there is also conditioner in a different dispenser and body wash as well. I usually bring my own hair products and dryer.

I booked on line via the planner.

The discount is 5% whether you book ahead of time in the cruise planner or when on board as a Captain’s Club perk. Something to note is that the price you pay in the cruise planner is entry level, meaning it covers the least expensive item(s) available to make…a paper weight and maybe something else. The price increases with the complexity and size of the item and therefore, there may be an up charge depending on what you decide to make. In my case I made a vase. I was up charged the difference for the vase but given a 5% discount on that difference.

Thank you for this explanation. Really appreciate it!

Yes, they do demos and you can either sign up for a class ahead of time in your cruise planner for a 5% discount or you can sign up on embarkation day. Time slots fill quickly. The first time we sailed on Equinox I poked around and didn't get a slot. I made sure to sign up early on Solstice last year. Well worth it!

OMG @DingoMom! Thank you for sharing...Glad you made a full recovery and I'm certainly sending out positive healing vibes to @calicakes. How dreadful.

Can someone please elaborate further on Club Orange? is this an added perk or an add on pass available on all ships? Advantages?

Yes! I don't recall if I could see the water looking downward but I wouldn't consider that an obstruction bc I don't do a lot of looking downward.

Extremely helpful and just what I needed. Very much appreciate this and your insights about the category as well. Thank you!

Whenever I've booked anything in the cruise planner, regardless of using OBC or my own method of payment, I've received an emailed invoice that indicated the price. Maybe go back in your e-mail? With so many SPAM emails from Celebrity, it can be easily missed.

Quite agree. OP was hoping to reach the Elite level so that they could status match to another cruise line.

We experienced English only out of Miami as well as PC. I believe the other languages were offered on the stateroom television. Perhaps they have toned this down for US departures although, our Miami cruise clientele was very European centric. Had a ball meeting new friends in the wine bar from France and Holland...before too long it was like a game of Pictionary as we drew out pictures trying to communicate...then someone got smart and whipped out their translation app on their phones.

In doing a general search for any cruise line going to interesting ports in the Caribbean for a milestone anniversary cruise, I came across a HA option on Nieuw Amsterdam. In reading the categories of suites available, it seems all are Neptune suites with different letters, which I assume indicate location on the ship. What isn't clear to me is what's included as a part of a suite vs. what's standard in every room. What are the automatic inclusions for booking a suite, ie. drinks package, wifi, grats? etc. And how would you rate your suite experience compared to lower categories? We currently have a 10 night southern Caribbean cruise on hold with Celebrity in a non-suite category because their rates are just more than we want to pay for a cruise to the Caribbean...hence, the shopping around. Thanks in advance.

On a side note, several respondents to this post have indicated they sustained the same type of injury as OP. Curious how this sort of injury is sustained so that I can make every effort to avoid. Sounds dreadful...not to mention extremely disruptive to the normal routine.

Just curious, what steps should one take in the off chance they sustain an injury such as OP's? Besides insurance, I mean. Genuinely curious and not meaning to be confrontational. @calicakes, I'm so sorry about your injury. My hope is that once you fully recover, you plan for this bucket list cruise once again. It will be even sweeter. As for the elite perks, it's frustrating but stick with it and you will get there. Have to agree with another who alluded to the fact that the allure of becoming Elite is greater than the actual benefits. The most important factor here is that you make a speedy recovery and recoup as much of your cruise cost as you can. Take care!

I never thought I'd consider an ocean view category but these rooms seem very spacious and a nice alternative if you don't want to go for the IV's and above.

We just booked cabin 9111 for a 10 night cruise in November. In light of recent threads regarding banging and popping noises (non-anchor related) I wanted to ask if you heard any such sounds during your cruise.