Jeremiah1212

It really doesn’t matter. Is it on the same ticket or separate? They could have just added the return to your existing ticket. It has nothing to do with forcing you to go pay early so they can make a half cent in interest.

There are no loungers directly in front of a cabana on Apex.

Suite prices across the board for Sept '24 Alaska have fallen considerably since December. As of today for 9/1/24 Solstice a Sky Suite is priced the same as a Celebrity Suite.

It’s pretty easy. I eat basically as I would at home. Portion control, lean protein, lots of vegetables, clean carbs and minimal pastries, desserts and frozen drinks. I don’t really concern myself with butter or sauce on the vegetables. I skip things like the giant slab of fatty prime rib. The vegetarian entrees are usually a good option once you get tired of heavy meals.

No.

Right. However that’s not what I was addressing. Multiple payment methods and Apple Pay in the mobile cruise planner is new to the app. Though it does add a lot of complexity with handling and storing additional personal info.

If you complete a cruise planner purchase in the app like a shore excursion you now have the option for to add a default plus other credit cards that can be saved or can use Apple Pay.

What is your Retreat budget standpoint? Upper suite or Sky Suite level? Explora Journeys and Ritz Carlton Yachts are both worth a look if you (generally) can go a bit higher than the normal Sky Suite range. If you're sticking to mainstream ships with the ship within a ship concept, you just have to weigh your pros and cons. You've mentioned all of the semi-comparable lines. Yacht Club is likely cheaper but that comes with some cons, Haven is typically on par with Retreat prices but you'll find a lot more kids, the Royal Caribbean suite product varies significantly from ship to ship and class to class and generally isn't worth the money in my opinion. Princess offers a 'Suite Experience Manager' but it isn't a butler. Sun Princess is the only ship that would be close for now.

July 28 Eclipse? Nothing to do with groups. That inventory already went back to Celebrity. What happened was they opened triple and quad cabins to book for doubles. If you notice every single cabin except one that is now open can accommodate a 3 or 4.

It really doesn't matter which AQ Sky Suite you are in. The bridge wing has a full clear view along the side of the ship, especially first 2 dozen or so from the front.

I just tried them again, against my own judgement, and within 48 hours was fed up and canceled the tickets. Their price on a mixed ticket business class R/T to Europe was substantially cheaper than I could book on my own. Within 24hrs of booking I had a flight cancelation notice for a flight that was definitely not canceled and the fare had reduced even further by about $700. After nearly 2.5 hours on the phone, they quote their infamous "30 business days" to contact the airline to get approval for replacement flights. You also have to call back for the status and I find typically it's not handled correctly then they like to quote another 15-30 day window for resolution. I also potentially had $700+ on the line because of the flux in pricing that they cannot secure. The efficiency they operate with is really embarrassingly poor. Had the flight truly been canceled and I had booked direct, I would have had this resolved via the airline app in 30 seconds. I gladly paid more after popping over to Delta and booking within minutes, which took 1hr 19 minutes via Celebrity on the first call. That is just one experience but it is par for the course in dealing with them.

Unfortunately saw that one coming. The “policy statement” you keep referring to is not for AARP gift cards. What you’ve experienced is exactly what was to be expected. Your AARP gift cards have their own separate terms and conditions.

You'll always get polarizing answers to this question. A few people will surface to tell stories about how Celebrity is their kids' favorite cruise. There are generally very few kids on Celebrity and there is reason for it. If your kids are okay with generally nothing geared towards kid friendly activity, lack of multiple casual eating options and staying busy off the ship during the day, it may be fine. If they need entertainment and the RCL/NCL type attractions, it's not a good fit.

I read it. Your statement is still incorrect. The cabins do not “show as sold”.

I am the TA. You said the cabin would “show as sold” which is not true. The TA can sell any open cabin within the category they have group inventory. 120-150 days is the firm stop date depending in itin length, sometimes earlier based on demand. Never later.

Again, these are not the same as the AARP gift cards.

Not really. TA’s hold a specific number of cabins in a given category, not specific cabins. The inventory held goes back to Celebrity at minimum 4 months before the cruise date, or when Celebrity decide to pull it back. No one is holding Iconic suites in a group space. Celebrity often does offer all the way up to IC in MoveUps. In the off chance someone cancels they can double dip on the cabin. Your chance of winning is very unfavorable but technically not impossible.

The gift cards AARP sells and the new gift cards Celebrity is selling are two totally different things. You cannot buy Celebrity's gift cards and apply an AAPP discount. They both have their own unique terms and conditions in how they can be redeemed also.

There is no new gift card policy. There are now gift card available for sale through this link: https://celebritycruises.cashstar.com/store/recipient?locale=en-us https://celebritycruises.cashstar.com/self_service/v2/about/faq/ If you have any other type of gift card like once you received through an employer incentive, those still fall under the same parameters and usage rules as they always did.

To piggy back off this thread a little, Celebrity provided some insight on the new brand campaign (not a new brand...that would be a very different thing). The whole WonderFULL campaign in fall 2022 and in my opinion, it never resonated. They call out a few interesting tidbits in the direction they are moving and how the Celebrity brand is perceived. They admitted that the identity was muddy - to which I would agree. They named the competitors and what people see them as being known for. Royal Caribbean - adventure NCL - freestyle HAL - traditional Princess - love (weird, but okay) Virgin - revolutionary Celebrity - ????? pushing to be known as Elevated Silversea - luxury They clearly defined their target customer as 45+ couples who are experienced cruisers opposed to what was formerly "Aspirational consumers". That term in and of itself was perhaps part of the problem. What does that mean? I have no idea. There is a new look and feel with photography and video. It's pretty well done and more interesting than the former very staged photos they used in the past. More to come within the next few months which they somewhat suggested would be rolled out with additional Xcel details.

The US and GB sales are different. US is still 75% off second guest plus the rotating savings. That promotion will be in place until June.

Bimini and Labadee on the same cruise. A lot of people don't like Grand Cayman. If you're a stay on the ship person that is okay but that's probably the worst Caribbean itinerary they currently sell. Historically (pre-covid) between Thanksgiving and Christmas prices were pretty reasonable across the board.

Plenty. I’ve had 7am pickups and had to wait 30 minutes.

Long held unpopular opinion. The coffee at Al Bacio is not great. It’s typically some unknown mid ground between a latte, cappuccino or flat white. They pull a shot and dump in whatever ratio of steamed milk or foam they have ready, at whatever temperature. The pull itself typically isn’t that bad but it’s very inconsistent. If you get a drink to consume there in a proper mug it’s a bit better. If you like Starbucks you probably think it’s fine. For reference, we have a La Marzocco at home.

Heard from a friend yesterday that they may have rolled out the additional wine offerings on Beyond yesterday? Cannot confirm first hand. Although this is her fifth cruise since Christmas so I typically trust her feedback.