SoberJulie

Hmmmm....

We sail on Jan 2 for the first time. 

I was/am really hoping they are cognizant of type 1 diabetics (sugar/carbohydrates) as my husband has to calculate insulin doses based on whatever info is available 🤷🏼‍♀️

3 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Personnel covered by the pre-paid tips or the standard auto-tips:

 

Housekeeping 

Waitstaff

 

 

Not covered by the pre-paid tips:

 

Wine stewards

Bartenders

Bar Servers

spa staff

babysitters

Wait....so they charge an 18% gratuity on my massage.....and give it to cabin stewards and wait staff?

somehow I don’t think that’s accurate 

7 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

We currently have 3 perks through Celebrity and our TA and are Elite Plus and will never make Zenith, so those aren't issues. The location of the sky suite is the only issue.

 

Are there undesirable sky suites? Or obstructed balconies?

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

 

You may want to read the details of the Move Up program on  celebrity website.  For example. If you currently have just 1 perk on your existing booking and you bid on a Suite you do not get the 4 perks associated with a suite, nor do you get the Captains clubs points.

Thank you. I’m ok without additional perks and I don’t particularly care about the additional points (although I might if I decide to book again!)

we are first time cruisers. We’ve always traveled to an all inclusive resort, so a cruise seems like an exciting way to see more than one destination and ...well the FOOD! People’s descriptions have me dreaming about meals 😂

I suppose another drawback would be once you’ve travelled in a suite, it would be hard to book anything less in the future 🤷🏼‍♀️

4 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

No, probably not. There are just a number of cancellations after final payment.  I know of one person on our sailing in 3 days that cancelled yesterday.

Ahh, ok. 

Well....fingers crossed. I bid on all 3 in the hopes of getting one 👍🏻

I was just sent an upgrade offer. We are currently Aqua and only booked a couple weeks ago. 

When we booked, there were no suites of any kind available....but now there’s Sky suite, and 2 above that level (I forget the suite names) available to bid on. 

I dont understand how how this works ....did celebrity hold back rooms for the purpose of the move up program? 

49 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Always happens on dress codes...

Betcha when people ask about smoking/smoking sections it devolves into something akin to throwing a hand grenade in here 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

1 hour ago, hrhdhd said:

"Smart jeans" (whatever that means) doesn't sound formal to me.

I think Celebrity has used a ‘smart’ word choice to appeal to a younger crowd. 

For many younger folks with enough disposable income to travel, dressing in a suit and tie or high heels doesn’t equate with a relaxing holiday. 

I love that people have the freedom to decide: dress in a tux and sequinned gown if you choose....or dress in chinos and Jeans  if that’s how you want to spend your vacation. 

10 hours ago, anectar said:

I am worried about what type of bag to bring to ports and how to keep it safe when snorkeling. I have waterproof phone pouches but what about towels, clothes, sunglasses & souvenirs. Should I use dry bags, backpacks or a small carry on type? I've read a little about a dry bag that you swim with but that sounds like it would be annoying. Visiting Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya & Cozumel. 

 

Suggestions appreciated!

We’ve bought a pac-safe backpack. It has the ability to lock to a tree/fence/fixed object. 

Hubby carries insulin and glucagon on him at all times and having it stolen would be pretty dreadful. 

If you could only choose one specialty dining venue, which would it be and why? 

4 minutes ago, Duanerice1 said:

Yea Julie, I was curious too.  Shows up fine.  BTW I took the exact cruise this year but on Oct 5th and it was one of the best we've been on.  Love the itinerary!

 

Have fun

Hubby and I are doing the Southern Caribbean/ABC islands on Jan 2 on Silhouette. First cruise ever ❤️

5 minutes ago, Loanrngr said:

Odd question, we booked the Oct 4, 2019 ABC cruise through "Club Store" But the same cruise is not even being offered by Celebrity direct??  Just curious if anybody has thoughts or explanation... Thanks

 

Ron

This one? (This is direct from Celebrity site)

5 hours ago, Expat Cruise said:

You are confessed, it is not cheap but educated and understand the meaning of words, terms and contacts. And since only 52% of the CC board members polled agree with DSC I am in good company with the smarter half of the members.

 

Your rationale might have more legs if you didn’t use the service. If you advocated for better wages for crew by not traveling on ships. 

But...you travel and enjoy all the amenities, knowing full well that the crew aren’t all paid a living wage....and your form of protest is to punish the little guy?

This absolutely translates to ‘cheap’. Among other things. 

7 minutes ago, Mr Beans said:

We travel with glucose tablets, gel and glucagon shots.  I always have at least one of these  with me on our excursions including maybe a small bottle of coke and some candy.  I will also grab an apple or some other fruit from the breakfast buffet and keep it with us. For river cruises I also have made sure we had some fruit, candy and soda in the cabin since he generally has a snack before bed or if there was a low sugar problem during the night.  Not as concerned about the food on the ocean trip coming up since they serve snacks, there's 24 hour room service and there's a stocked fridge in the room.    The time changes and excursions can mess up my husbands numbers and I've had to deal with low blood sugar more than I care to think about

Great info, thank you. 

Hubby was only diagnosed T1 (LADA) so in many ways we are still learning to incorporate it into our lives. It affects EVERYTHING. 

I think we’ll use one of our phones for his basal alarm, and not change the time to match the ship/ports. Then the other phone we’ll set to port times so we don’t miss our ship! 

We don’t drink alcohol so thankfully that’s not an extra puzzle piece to deal with. 

And bonus: I was at a bulk food store yesterday and they were handing out little packets of honey and maple syrup! I sweet-talked myself into a pile of them. 🙂

Any T1D’s that have any helpful tips I may not have considered?

This is our first time travelling with the Type 1 diagnosis in tow. 

-I’m not concerned about insulin and supplies, we’ll pack double what is needed and split it up between 2 carry-ons. I’ve purchased frio’s and cold packs. (Not on a pump, but do have a Libre flash Glucose monitor)

-We’ve purchased travel health insurance, have a list of all meds/supplies from the pharmacist and plan on carrying a Dr’s letter just in case. 

-Not concerned with food on the ship, it’s just like figuring out carb counts at home, only more delicious. 

-Slightly concerned about what kind of food/beverage supplies to take for port days. Do y’all just pack a couple granola bars and your candy/glucotabs just in case? I like the look of taking a water taxi to Klein Bonaire....except NO facilities on the island. How can we take a lunch? Going without just isn’t an option. 

Im sure there’s things I haven’t thought of. 

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

just be aware that while Klein Bonaire is a perfect snorkeling place, it's an uninhabited island with no amenities.

But I hear it's beautiful. Our friends went there with their kids - they love snorkeling.

 

We went to Lac Bay on Bonaire and fell in love with the place. Shallow, calm water for about a mile, perfect for walking through, or bobbing on an inflatable, or just leisurely floating. Perfect for kids as well.

 

All the beaches in Aruba are free and public, no charge for chaises or umbrellas. We went to the Butterfly Farm first, and then simply walked across the street, walked through the hotel to the beach, got a couple of chaises in a palm tree shade and it was glorious and free. The water was great, sand was white, it was quite beautiful.

The butterfly farm is in my list!! 

Im so happy to hear the beach is close enough to walk to after visiting the butterflies 🙂

Thanks for the knowledge about Klein....hubby is a type 1 diabetic so we’ll need to pack lunch/snacks to bring with us. 

3 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

that is my dream itinerary, and that's your maiden voyage! All 4 of these are great beach destinations. Make sure to do your research by going to Ports of Call, Caribbean subforum and checking out all of them for the best beaches.

 

We usually grab some Fruit loops for the kiddo for a snack, but we usually come back to the ship around 1-2 pm, so we have no need to pack any food for ourselves. Some destinations don't allow fruit or veggies, but for others some pastries and a bottle of water was a good hold-me over snack.

I’m incredibly excited! 

Ive just been researching all our ports and making notes....I think we’ll likely try and take the water taxi to Klein in Bonaire, it looks lovely. I’m really looking forward to some snorkeling. Nothing too intense....just from the beach. 

28 minutes ago, bebob said:

Thank you!!!  I had assumed it included the piece but then read something that made me think it didn't.  Can't wait to do this with my daughter.

I’m booked on Silhouette and sadly they don’t offer glass blowing. 

Thats totally something I would do!

Looks like you choose your piece to make, and after it cools they wrap it for you to take home 

We typically bring our insulated Yeti travel mugs when we go to AI resorts. 

First time cruisers here. 

Do people bring/use these? 

I too am I first time cruiser. We’ve always booked all inclusive resorts, so when I began looking for a cruise, I was seriously overwhelmed with the vast amount of choices!

A travel agent helped tremendously! 

With just a few questions (budget/length of cruise/potential destinations/things that are important to us) she was able to narrow it down to 2 cruise lines. 

From there, I was able to compare the 2 and decide. 

I pilled the trigger on a 9 day Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette, on Jan 2. 

If you are semi-serious about yoga, I’ve read that you’d be terribly disappointed with the quality of the yoga classes. 

Im thinking of taking a towel or borrowing a mat and finding a quiet place to engage in solitary yoga. 

Spinning might be fun! 

Thank you. 

Ill contact my TA with my request. 🙂

My TA booked for us, Aqua class. I noticed that I was mid-ship but my preferrence is the aft. It appears there are still Aqua class cabins available where I would like to switch.....is it just a simple request?