abbydancer2003

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Emails have been sent to booked passengers and travel agents.  I would not expect a power up activity on this news

I guess our December cruise is still on.  (Xpedition).  It's been moved 4 times.

2 hours ago, cbfb said:

We are doing a b2b in a concierge SV keeping the same cabin. Do we need to be out of the cabin at 7:30 since we are not switching cabins? I will, of course, talk to the room steward and see what they say but curious as to others experience. 

Nope.  You can stay as late as you want, as long as you don't want breakfast (all venues close early).

On our last B2B where we kept the same cabin, we told the steward to do our room last, since we'd be out all day on a private tour, so he didn't need to worry about it until after he did all the turn around roooms.

1 hour ago, Alakegirl said:

Celebrity is dropping two Galapagos ships, but I don’t think we’ll see a power up webinar with that news, and meanwhile there are three points for the last webinar due in the next few days

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

 

They kinda indirectly announced it during their June Galapagos webinar which we all are waiting to get our points for.    The webinar marketed Flora only and the other two ships were not mentioned--not even in passing.

Have either of you heard that?  Or is it just conjecture?  What are you basing it on?

5 minutes ago, miched said:

We were in a Suite and had the same suite for both.   The Retreat Lounge gets jammed packed.   We had a rather “late” breakfast in Luminae and then went back to our suite.  We stayed there as long as possible.  Ask the hosts or butler when you really  need to be there.  
 

Even though we been to Luminae many times for embarkation it beats the lunch in the  MDR.   We did that on a B2B in Aqua.    The MDR can be very crowded, with slow service and a very limited menu.  Nothing special.  I would take the Celebrity burger without a bun or the Lobster roll with double lobster and no bun.   We have done that. We have also asked for and got different sides.  If you are doing a B2B, ask for the same server if you liked them and greased their palm a little extra on the first cruise they will really accommodate you. 
 

On the last day during breakfast I seen a lady sitting next to us have a lobster roll.   I am sure that she requested it the night or day before.    Ask and you may receive 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Good points on the main dining, assuming Concierge menu.  I usually get the salad with romaine instead of kale, and the steak.  On Apex in December on most nights I ended up with a small filet with bernaise sauce and a baked potato.  I've changed proteins and done all kinds of menu tweaking.

If I'm not mistaken, I think one of my favorite waiters and maitre'd are now on the Luminae staff (they joined in March).  I'll ask for that waiter, a former waiter we saw on the Beyond in February that we'd loved before, or the excellent waiter my sister and I had in February).  

We have to be out of the room by 8, since we're not staying in the same room.  (We booked too last minute for that) We'll linger at breakfast, and head to the lounge.  Hopefully it will have emptied some by the time we get there.

Thanks for the good advice.  I'm just a bit tired of the first day lunch menu.

13 minutes ago, miched said:

The coordinator will get the whole group together.   Those in suites or changing to a suite have been in separate groups.   After the ship has cleared of those that are leaving you will proceed off of the ship.  You will walk that very long walk off of the ship and then thru the terminal.  We were staged in that long hallway waiting for ???    We then proceeded thru the luggage area and thru the custom walk thru area and back to another holding area.  There were chairs for everyone.  We sat there and seen about 1/2 of the crew go thru customs and then back on.   I don’t know the reason but that took some time.  While waiting we were give our sea pass cards.   We had to wait until the ship was cleared and got the Ok to board.   We now walked thru that long maze again to get back on board.  Then there was another wait.  I guess for the check in scanners to open up.  Getting back on board there is no one to greet you or tell you where to go.   There is no need as you should know as you just got off.   The staff is very busy trying to prepare for the new guests.   We just tried to stay out of their way. 
 

If in a suite you can go to the retreat area and get some refreshments and etc.   if not you can also get a drink as soon as the bars open and sit near the entrance of the boarding area watching the expressions of those that think they are the  “first” passengers seeing you already sitting there with a drink 
 

Or you can go to the buffet, get a nice table and be the first to dig in and mess up the trays.  Or just pick out a nice place around the pool, or any other area, relax,  and avoid the hectic first day because you are already settled in.  

In the past the consecutive cruisers were offered the embarkation lunch in the dining room.   if in a suite it isn’t needed.   It is a limited menu but relaxing as you are served.  
 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Thanks for this, we're in sky suites, so I'm sure the Retreat staff will take good care of us.  

Although, maybe we'll go to the b2b lunch, since it will be my 5th embarkation day lunch, and probably 7th or 8th for that particular suite menu. 

6 minutes ago, Blueseas109 said:

I have a gty suite booked for next January on Ascent and have already been assigned a MC suite deck 11.  I’m fine with that but then Celebrity had a sale and the price of the sky suite was the same as the gty rate. I called to inquire and was told I could book it but I would lose all the OBC I received for booking on board.  I don’t think the change is worth giving up $250. 

 

 

 

 

I thought you could refare without losing the book on board, just maybe any perks you booked with, for example, tips.

15 minutes ago, jamacka said:

12 night NewZealand on April 5 - 17/ 2025

18 night Tahitian Treasure (Hawaii) April 20 - May 8

9 night Hawaii (Vancouver) May 7 - 18 


And so yea.. we have a few days between New Zealand and the cruise to Hawaii.

Weird that the date on the ticket info has the cruise to Vancouver leaving the day before the ship arrives in Honolulu. The paperwork says differently though
 

It's because you cross the dateline and repeat a date. Ours did.   And by the way, you'll probably have to contact Captains Club after getting to Hawaii because they will not credit you for the repeated date automatically.

16 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Yes.  Was not originally part of the plan, but when hearing of 12 nights around beautiful NZ it seemed like a great use of the long flight down (or so I told DH).

We're on that as the second of our B2B.  We did Singapore to Sydney to Honolulu to Vancouver on the Solstice earlier this year, so we'll fly back from Sydney.

2 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Looks like we will be sailing with you if it is the Edge though not in the Retreat.  Are you staying on for the 3 night sailing between NZ and departing on the transpacific?  We are going to stay in Sydney for those three days, an extra treat for this trip.  

Is that the 4/5/25 NZ cruise?

2 hours ago, jamacka said:

Just to follow up on more details.
The reason I'm nervous about not knowing where we'll be is because we're on a B2B2B.

12 night New Zealand, 18 night Sydney - Hawaii, 9 night Hawaii - Vancouver 

 

39 days is a long time to be in a cabin we're not happy with.  The reason I don't want a Magic Carpet suite is because I like to be able to go out on the balcony and look forward and back and I believe the orange tracks for the Magic Carpet will obstruct our view. 

What I don't understand is if Magic Carpet suites are so wonderful why are they delegated to the people who pay less? Shouldn't they sell those Suites at full price and give us regular Sky Suites elsewhere? To me, this process make me feel like Magic Carpet suites are not as desirable and don't sell as quickly as regular suites so they unload them on us cheap folk.

Just curious, would you have been able, for a bit more money, book the same room for all three?  

On our first B2B2B we had three different rooms.  The first was an AS the other two were SS.  I was able to move the 2nd and 3rd to the same room, but I couldn't move the first without losing tips and OBC because it was in a different category.  So we moved once.

On our upcoming cruises, by the time we booked, we couldn't get the same room, so we went with the guarantee for both.

4 hours ago, miched said:

You don’t need the cruise ticket either.  
 

They will take your old seat pass card when leaving the ship and give you a new one. They don’t want you to confuse the cards.   You can request the old card back if you want it. 
 

Make sure that you have used all of your OBC as it doesn’t carry over.

You will also have to change your password and reconnect to the ship’s internet if you have a package.  
 

If you are doing this in Ft Lauderdale prepare for a lot of walking, standing, and waiting in the terminal. .   From about 9 to 11 you will be in Limbo as everything shuts down and doesn’t get back onto operation until around 11.   

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Thanks for this.  We're doing a B2B at the end of the month in Fort Lauderdale (Beyond).  Good to know we'll have a couple of hours to kill.  

26 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

A downside, for sure.  I guess one could always look at what accessible suites are showing as available on a mock booking before going the guaranty route...if none appear to be available then perhaps the risk is lower...but it definitely is a risk.

I wonder if those are just assigned at the last minute, since it's always possible that someone later will need one.  I have no idea.

In April, we booked two cruises on the Beyond in June.  On one, the only option was the Suite Guarantee, and on the other we saved some money.  Within a week we had S1 on Deck for one, and an AS on Deck 10 for the other.

The AS is the most forward room on 10, and is technically listed as obstructed, because it's just below and behind the bridge.  We had it on the Apex (fairly last minute booking there too and all that was available), and we were happy with it,   So happy with both.

The biggest issue is changing rooms, but we'd have to do that anyway.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

When we did B2B in HNL it was pretty easy.    Unlike many U.S. ports we were not required to leave the ship.  Immigration for all passengers was done on-board the ship.    Once you went through you got a sticker on your SeaPass and could leave the ship.

 

It may be we had an overnight in Honolulu.  

Of course when we (and you did it), immigration was done, as you say on the day before turn around day.

We had an all day tour on turn around day, and by the time we got back, the muster stations were closed.  Retreat concierges told us to wait for a letter to tell us what to do.  Still waiting ....

If you have a turn around in Sydney, you will have to get off the ship most likely.  It really depends on the port.  

I’ve done it twice now with a room change and am about to do it again.   No luggage tags needed for the second cruise.  Just advise your steward. 

On 6/6/2024 at 9:45 PM, Ducky_01 said:

Departing from Southampton.  One of the many reasons we chose this sailing is because we live in the UK, about one hour north of the port of Southampton.  I have long envied Florida locals who can just jump on a cruise from Miami or Fort Lauderdale, without having to deal with the hassle of flying.  Turns out, if you live close to any other departure port, you can do the same!  This cruise attracted a very British crowd, more so than on any other X cruise I've taken: we encountered many groups and families who traveled by car from across the UK.  

 

We also met some who booked this as a back-to-back - I believe the following cruise was a 7 night sailing to Scandinavia, which would have extended their holiday to 11 nights with a "port day" in Southampton. Has anyone ever sailed a back-to-back?  If so, I wonder what you would do on that changeover day in Southampton?  If it was me, I'd probably do an "excursion" to IKEA, which is walking distance to City Cruise terminal (Celebrity currently departs from there, and I think Apex is based in Southampton this summer).  Who doesn't love IKEA meatballs?  And since we parked our car at the terminal, I suppose you could even order some flat-pack furniture to take with you on the ride home!  All told, this was a convenient embarkation point and fair play to Celebrity if your intention was to attract more UK guests - this sailing was well-timed to take advantage of the bank holiday.

 

How to get to the port of Southampton and where to park (if by car).  It was incredibly convenient to arrive by car - we chose to park with ABParking, the official car parking provider in the port of Southampton.  From their website, simply select your ship and sailing date and they give clear instructions on how and where to go.  Terminal staff were friendly and welcoming.

 

Southampton is easily accessible by train from London, expect an hour or so journey and then a taxi from the central train station to the cruise terminal.  If arriving by plane, I suppose Heathrow would be the more convenient option, but you would likely need a bus or car service/taxi from there as there are no train options between LHR and Southampton.  Gatwick airport (LGW) is even farther away.  On embarkation, we spotted a few passengers lugging luggage along the sidewalks into the port (I can only assume they were coming from the train station and wanted to save the cost of an Uber?)

 

.

Very nice review - we're on the Apex (2nd time) in August, for the 7 day Norway, then 4 days in Lymington, then back on the ship for Scandinavia, so we'll miss your intinerary.

And it's unlikely (but of course possible) that the people with luggage were coming from the train station.  Both the Holiday Inn and Moxy hotels are right by the terminal.  We walked from the Moxy last time, and will likely do the same in August.

3 minutes ago, Ellaleah said:

I will have $200. That was given because of a canceled cruise and an additional $300 from the Celebrity credit card. Can I use this in the casino?  Can I play a slot machine and cash it out without running it all through?  Thank you for your advice.

You can, but in general you have to spend 50% to be able to download more.  For example, let's say you download 100.00. You then bet 1.00 at a time.  You have to do 50.00 worth in order to download more.  If you spend less, but want to stop, hang on to the cash out ticket, and put it in next time.

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 If you are in the Retreat there is no shipboard charge, only any charge your airline imposes.  We have free bags with United so we received it for free in FLL.  

 

Thanks, I thought that might be the case, but it wasn't spelled out.  Hopefully still good the next time I need it, on the Ascent in January.

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Is it the same exact type of service?  And is it complementary like in Seattle?  We may consider it for FLL...

I think they charge 29.00 for it, plus any baggage fees from the airline.  When I used it, I don't know if they charged it, since I don't recall seeing it on my account.  In our case, I bought it for me, and I checked both of our bags, since I get two free.

4 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Somehow I hit Onyx and you are correct there were no fees.

 

I only know that because I just hit Onyx (boarding pass for next cruise) so I looked it up.  Pretty sure I'm not anywhere near "free cruise" level.

On 5/7/2024 at 2:24 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure if BlueChip Status matter -- but I have taken money against my card as a Room Charge and was billed to my Credit Card at the end of the cruise.

Apparently if you have BlueChip Onyx or above there’s no fee. 

Just now, DaKahuna said:

 

 We love this program and have taken advantage of it  every time we've sailed out of Seattle.  I am glad that it has also returned to FLL.  We normally take a 1 PM flight from FLL to IAD and that works perfect for Luggage Valet.  

 

 Thank you again for taking us along on your journey.  Thoroughly enjoyed your review and looking forward to your next one. 

 

In FLL, usually the only nonstop we can make is 6pm.  If we use Luggage Valet, we can go straight through security and hang out at the United Club, instead of pre security (UA has a 4 hour limit).  Last time in December with 7 ships in (that I counted), the line, even for Premiere was at least an hour, so we took our overnight bag through, and DH went out mid afternoon to check it.

11 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

This is our next cruise ...

Not our next, but in August of this year.

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

 

 

And now a bit of a rant…

 

We love Celebrity for the wonderful service and this cruise has been no exception. We’ve had a great cabin steward!  He was extremely efficient and personable.. never intrusive. Our butler was equally exceptional, though we didn’t use the service for more than the delivery of coffee and pastry on a few of the mornings. Our service staff in Luminae were also excellent. Everyone we encountered went the extra mile to ensure we were taken care of all week!  
BUT starting on Wednesday we began to get peppered with reminders about the survey at the end of the cruise. “10 10 10…don’t forget to give us a 10.” “Our salaries depend on getting a 10.”  “You can make comments but we need a 10. Nine or eight is no good…”. We got this from our Luminae team and butler every time we saw them. In fact, our butler called us in our stateroom on Thursday while we were napping to give us the same pitch as the day before! Is that a 10? The Luminae hostess called after us as we were leaving, “ Have a good night and don’t forget 10-10-10”. Each time we gave assurances that we understood. 
But here’s the thing… if everything is a 10, then there’s no room for improvement. And continuous quality improvement is key to any business in my opinion. Though I would not ding our steward for missing the open bottle of water on our counter from the previous cruise or the cocktail server in the Retreat lounge for bringing me a bourbon and peaches when I’d requested a spicy passion, or our sommelier for trying to up charge for wine that’s within the package in other venues on the ship…these things are not deal breakers… but no experience is a perfect 10. 
 

I don’t blame any of the crew. Celebrity corporate is responsible for creating a culture among its employees that suggests that any rating less than a 10 is unacceptable. This breeds fear for job security among service employees that manifests itself in perpetual pestering of passengers for a score of 10 on the survey. The pressure for a 10 on the survey was more intense on this cruise than we’d ever experienced in the past. How does one grow in their personal craft or as a company at large if everything is already perfect?  And if everything is a 10 then isn’t it really amounting to just an average experience overall?

 

I plan to take care of the crew who bent over backwards for us this week but will let Celebrity know what I think of the culture they’ve created for their employees. 
 

End of rant…

 

Final thoughts to follow…

The first time a staff member mentions it, I tell them they have a 10, but going forward, every time they ask again, it will drop by 1.  That seems to work.

On our last cruise, we were invited to a friends Zenith party.  It was very nice.  We'll have ours sometime next year.  I hope the friends who's party I went will be able to join us.