May1cruiser

Money value of Elite seems to be parking/airport (est $150), 1 free excursion for 2 ($175ish) wi-fi, free room service, bottle of booze for both ($200), and some gifts. Our January Ultra was so packed, it was not worth the extra Freeplay. This will be our first Elite and I am hopeful the casino is much less packed.

All correct. Room and bathroom are smaller. Also had a cove balcony on celebration and noticed the bed was very close to the balcony and door. Had to climb in from bottom of bed. I know some rooms have couch near balcony which should be better.

We were on same cruise. the place we felt the most crowded was casino, which was hosting an ultra. It was excessive and not enjoyable in casino. Other venues seemed okay to us.

ironically, last week when boarding Celebration, they did not inspect our cases of soda, but had to see our rolled-up door banner and measure the size of our carry-on fan. Really gave us grief over the fan. It would have been easier to smuggle beer in the soda cases.

Only comment is Celebration has so many food choices, cannot enjoy offers within 7 days. It will take a longer cruise or two trips on celebration to take advantage of all offerings. I also prefer southern ABC islands as they are less frequent. Vote for 8 day horizon.

We are going to be back down there in august. I will try to park in the open lot for oversized. The three pay booths seemed very slow.

Great answers shown above. It is what you make of it. One thing has not changed. Open ocean views, ability to look of stern of ship and see reality slip off in the wake. And ability to un-plug from normal daily life. Great sunrise and sunsets and dark skies at night to look for shooting stars. It's still a great value for a vacation and escape from reality.

We were just off Celebration and witnessed a family order multiple everything from Cucina. It was ridiculous. Not sure if this is different since this is included in free meal choices? Glad they ate all of their food.

We were on same cruise. We parked in the parking garage. It took 70 minutes to get out of that garage. In car at 830 out of lot 940. Unsure if this is marathon traffic or slow parking attendants. Then traffic was heavy after pulling out of tunnel. A lot of construction along that stretch of roadway also. We are not big fans of driving into port of Miami. May be better with shuttle or carnival shuttle.

Mahogany bay is walk off to a beach. Belize is tender port. Probably need cab or excursion for all inclusive on both

They are smaller than you may think. I have seen these in fun shops

email notification and also on cruise manager,

The ships may dock on either side of the pier. My recommendation is to determine which time of day you prefer sunshine. If you have a room with a window or balcony (PORT side), you will have sunrise on journey south, then have sunset on trip north. Opposite for starboard side rooms.

once, a time long ago, I won some money in casino and used the kiosk to pay down on board charges.

Captain once told us they port on opposite sides of the ship if returning to same port. cannot confirm

Bring some tape or way to seal cardboard. They may open it and then you will have cans rolling everywhere. (bag idea is great!)

OP, will you please share your feedback after the cruise? It is easy to find fault when you are looking for it. We choose to look for wins and enjoy our time together.

two years ago on a diff ship, yes it was

Wondering if anyone has very recent experience with an Ultra cruise. We arrive on celebration in three weeks and are wondering about any details. -What are the U L T R A prizes / freeplay? -Drawings or games throughout? -Any giveaways or freebies in room.? -Midnight drawing? -Free Champaigne in casino during embarkation? Been two years since our last ultra and curious what has changed. thanks

Get ready for a LOT of food choices. This ship is loaded with options. I recommend not eating for several days before cruise.....lol

thank you all for these great tips. Looking forward to trying this out!

We are trying our first Spa room on Celebration in a few weeks. Curious about crowds and benefits of this? I understand steam and sauna rooms are part of package. How crowded? Are they co-ed or separate rooms? What other perks are included? thanks

The one time we were offered an upsell to jr suite, i thought the boarding pass just said priority, but it was a long time ago. I think I was too excited to hold back the info and told DW ahead of cruise. It was on elation, and just 4 days. It was nice, but we always enjoy our cruises, so not a huge impact to experience. I think the room steward was a little more attentive than in the past, so I am not sure if suite team is a little stronger??

In the past, we had different boarding times with family. We just went aboard and had a designated meeting point once all onboard. This includes one member that forgot their passport and had to drive back home (1 hour round trip). Needless to say, we may have started to enjoy adult beverages slightly earlier, but we all sailed away at the same time. Might be more of a strain to fight the crowds in the terminal vs. just meeting on board.

Debarkation is only at end of cruise and it does allow an earlier debark time if you are not carry off. Never understood the dinning reservations, no difference to anytime. Logo gifts change and usually simple gift. Ask room steward for laundry. Same process for all, however three bags are free. I would only send durable clothes. They use very hot water and it is not gentle.