Torfamm

Does your card show as available to sect for shoreside purchases or as selected? When I compare the onboard and shoreside screens, I see my two payment methods on file available on both, only onboard shows a card applied though. It carried over as it was on the old app.

We had an amazing experience whale watching with Jayleen’s Alaska. I can’t say enough good things about her. https://jayleensalaska.com/

It works just like restaurants on land. If you want to eat at a specific time on a given day, you can reserve a table. Otherwise, you go wherever you choose and wait for an available table. It’s your choice.

Is it a single 31 day itinerary or also sold as shorter segments? They generally follow the scheduled number for each segment, but some evenings may be “dress to impress” rather than formal

There is no hard and fast rule but generally it’s between a couple of months and a couple of weeks before you sail

I’ve done one of these tours and really enjoyed it. We started early enough to spend time kayaking in the daylight then saw impressive bioluminescence. The late timing is a good reason to book this tour as a ship excursion though Not sure what time the sun will be setting that day, but that’s one thing to check. Odds are that the return could be awfully close to the all aboard time. A ship excursion would give you some breathing room

We find the staff and crew on Princess to be incredibly warm and friendly. They really seem happy to make your experience special. I sailed almost exclusively on Celebrity for a long time but enjoyed my first Princess cruise to Norway and Iceland so much that now it’s most often Princess. Part of that positive impression may come from the Medallion technology that lets everyone greet you by name and find you if they have a reason to reach out to follow up on or notify you about something. in addition to the Medallions we like self-service laundry (especially on longer trips), savory food in the International Cafe instead of just baked goods, and longer more interesting itineraries.

The difference is that tipping is optional and the amount decided by the customer. Service charges are a set fee that is a part of the total amount due. They also don’t necessarily go to the individual who provides the direct service. For example, the service charge in a restaurant in Italy is more of a “cover charge” not an amount that goes to the server. In theory it goes to pay for linens, dishes, bread on the table etc.

Those who book cruises in Australia and New Zealand from outside that region pay daily crew appreciation. If you book from that region, there is a different fare structure that includes them. If I recall correctly, gratuities were included in drink prices but not in the spa

Yes, service charges are compulsory and also a set amount. It’s very different from tips. I see it often in restaurants,

Tipping is never compulsory. Whether it’s a shore excursion or a tour I booked privately is irrelevant to me as is whether I’ve prepaid or am paying at the time of the tour. I tip based on the customs of the region I’m visiting, the service I received, the length of time involved, and the size of the group. In a region where tips are customary, I’d give a guide who provided a small group a terrific full day tour something more than a guide who narrates a 2 hour drive in a full motor coach.

I prefer the current system on Celebrity

This is exactly us on a port intensive cruise. We’ve found it works out fine.

There was at least one outdoor smoking area on the Grand this fall sailing from Australia. Deck 15 aft right outside the One Five where the PE lounge was.

Really? That’s amazing news. I get a lot of Waves surveys and they often address the issue of smoking in the Casino. Maybe Princess will take a step forward and eliminate all indoor smoking sometime soon. I hear they’ve gotten rid of Churchills on a number of ships.

You can get free drinks at almost any bar during those hours but not in the restaurants. You can take them wherever you want. Have a drink by the pool with friends who are not Elite, get a cocktail to bring back to your cabin, get a glass of wine to bring into dinner.

That is also my experience on recent cruises. There was one cruise on the Apex where I could get a latte and take it with me but otherwise, no.

It was right after the restart. We had a couple of cruises where there was no smoking allowed.

If you have applied for a visa for the wrong ports, my understanding is that you can just apply for a new visa. Here is a link to Celebrity’s sheet on applying https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJKiercTMrbzO6CsEDA6dudfaYU8VIkG/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks for the answer and yes, we'll have to get a visa on arrival. Cambodia asks you to upload confirmation of your hotel reservation on the evisa website. It's extremely annoying to me that Celebrity, or any tour provider, is unable to answer such a simple question.

Yes

I can’t say what will happen on the Ascent, but our reservations for Select Dining were honored on the Apex earlier this year

Regardless of nationality, as long as you don’t leave the transit area you do not need a visa https://www.mfa.gov.tr/frequently-asked-questions.en.mfa#:~:text=Do I need to get,required to have transit visa.

In my experience, medallions that are ordered through the app arrive in the color indicating the status shown in the app.

I just wouldn't want to stand in line, especially for 6 cruises as the poster had booked. One phone call would be much easier for me. I try to do as much as possible with Crew Chat when I'm on the ship.