lifeisrealygood

We have been on Celebrity cruises each March or April for the last fifteen years.  We always have a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago O'Hare leaving around noon.  We do the early walk off carrying our own luggage, take a taxi to the airport, and have always been at the airport by like nine at the latest.  Sometimes we get to the airport by seven thirty or eight, depending on how quickly we get off the ship.

We have never had a problem.  The people that say you can not make a late morning or early afternoon flight are wrong.  Just carry your own luggage off.  Taxis are never a problem.  And yes, our last March cruise was on the Edge, and no problem with taxis.    

okay, I see when I call up my reservation I can make reservations for each day for whatever time I like.  Let's assume that I make a reservation each day, but for the same time.  Would I still probably get a different table with different servers each night, or will they just set us up like traditional dining? 

Does anyone have experience with this exact scenario?  

We have been on many Celebrity cruises, but have always had traditional dining.  On our next cruise, we are trying "select" for the first time.  This would give us the opportunity to meet other guests during dinner.  We still would like to eat between six and seven, probably a busy time for Select diners.  Is it possible to reserve a set time for "select" dining, but still eat with other people each evening?  If you can make reservations beforehand, can they be done pre-cruise or reserving for futures nights while already on-board?

Any comments would be appreciated.  Again, we do not need to sit with the same people or have the same servers each evening, which is what traditional has done for us in the past.  We just would like to make sure we can get seated rather quickly, and not be given a pager to wait for 45 minutes or so.  

After hearing the CDC Director speak yesterday with her expression of "impending gloom and doom",  what is the possibility of a twelve day Caribbean cruise in November, let alone a seven day cruise out of a US port?  I realize whatever we say is speculation, but to me it appears that a lot of these people in power still believe the old adage that cruise ships are petri dishes, and one should never set foot on a ship.  These people have probably never cruised, call  the ships "boats", and really have a negative attitude. 

I just miss cruising, and would just like the people in charge to look at this with an open mind.  People's livelihoods are at stake here, whether it be cruise crews or supply chains for the cruise industry.

I realize this is a tough time, but maybe we should never leave our house, as you know it is a dangerous environment out there.  So much lurks outside the home.  Come on, let's get back to (or how about starting to) laying out the rules for cruising and give it a try.

Just letting off steam.    

I would overnight in Jerusalem.  We took a cruise a few years ago that stopped in Haifa for the day, then continued to Ashdod overnight.  Many passengers got off the ship in Haifa, stayed overnight in Jerusalem, then returned the next day to Ashdod to reboard the ship.  This was perfectly allowed by Celebrity.  

We did not stay overnight in Jerusalem, which we  now would probably do.  The first day, we got off the ship in Haifa, and took a day long tour over to the Sea of Galilee and visited many sites that followed Jesus in His heyday.  Then visited Nazareth before returning to Haifa to reboard  the ship.  

The next day, we got off the ship in Ashdod, and spent the day going over to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  It is a long bus ride to Jerusalem from Ashdod.  

If you spent the night in Jerusalem , you have many more hours of sightseeing available to you.  And you get to experience an evening in Jerusalem.

Either way is okay.  The first day, we got to see the Sea of Galilee and Nazareth, and the second day we got to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem.  But, an overnight in Jerusalem would have been a broader experience, in my opinion.  

We know that now,  Did not know that when we first experienced it.  

People sure are bummed out.  There has been very little postings on any roll calls.  

Even though the spread of gloom and doom seems prevalent all over the media, it just feels that things are turning around.  Vaccinations are becoming more available every week.  And when two weeks ago, people I had been talking to were discussing how hard it is to get the vaccine, those same people all seem to have found a way to get vaccinated.    

I am booked on two caribbean cruises. One in November, and one in March, 2022.  I am still skeptical about the November cruise.  But, I just booked three catamaran excursions for the March, 2022 cruise. as I am looking at my glass being not just half full, but maybe three-quarters full.  I booked catamaran sailings in Antigua, Grenada, & St Kitts.  Come on people.  Are you not getting optimistic? even though the CDC has not done anything to help the cruise industry.  Shame on them.  I still believe in free enterprise, and the way things are turning around, I see cruising in the future, even though it seems government and bureaucracy are against us.  Positive things are just around the corner.  

Looking forward to drinking the champagne on those catamarans, without wearing a mask.

Celebrity using Barbados as a Home Port may be something they must do if they still want to cruise the Southern Caribbean.  You can't do a seven night cruise to any of the Southern Caribbean ports out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale.  Eastern or Western Caribbean, yes, but, Southern Caribbean, no.

In the past, San Juan has been used to go to the Southern Caribbean for seven nights.  Since the CDC is saying seven nights is the maximum one is allowed to cruise, Celebrity must find a port in the southern Caribbean to use as their home port.  San Juan being a US port may not be possible.  So, St Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, Barbados, St Vincent, Aruba. Bonnaire, Curacao, etc are all possible home ports to use for seven night Southern Caribbean sailings.  

So, in my opinion, this is Celebrity and Royal finding a home port that they can utilize to do seven day sailings from.  I believe if the 7 night restrictions were lifted, they would go back to using Miami or Fort Lauderdale, and resume 9, 10, or 12 night cruises as in the past.  

We have been on 27 Celebrity Cruises over the years.  Five times on the Eclipse and five times on the Equinox.  The Equinox is our favorite ship.  We chose the Eclipse for a few as that ship did the 14 night Southern Caribbean while the Equinox only did 10 nights.  (Equinox now does 12 nights, as the 14 days have been removed from the Southern Caribbean).  And the Eclipse did some nice European sailings out of Southampton and Rome.

We enjoy both ships a lot, but for some reason, maybe just the "feel", we like the Equinox best.  We have been on her two times "post-revolution" and found little noticeable changes.  We stay in Concierge class.  

We also have had several cruises on Reflection, but do not like her as much.  We also like the Silhouette.  

All five "S" class ships are pretty similar, so it just comes down to a "feel".  Subjective, yes, very much, but you cannot go wrong with any "S" class ship.  If you have been on one, it is very easy to navigate your way around on the other four.

The "M" class are just getting a little old, although many love that class.  We have taken several cruises on the Connie, and liked that ship, "back then."  Not so much anymore.

We also cruised on the Edge.  Did not like her at all.  We did not like the layout, having too much scrunched into the Grand Lobby Centrum area, or whatever you want to call it.  We also did not like the "Eden" concept.  And the "Infinite Veranda" idea is awful, in my opinion.  Maybe we do not use the balcony much, but we love opening the balcony door, and standing or sitting by the railing and watching the world go by.  You know you are on a balcony.  With the Infinite Veranda, you know you are still in your room, with the window open.  You do not "feel" you are on a balcony.  

The Club was pretty nice on the Edge.  Really a night-club feel, but for the week we were on the Edge, it was empty most nights.

In conclusion, any "S" class ship is terrific.  They are all good.  We just like the Equinox, and the reason is all subjective, as the layout, activities, food, etc is pretty much the same on all five "S" class ships.  

We also cruise every February, and are very depressed.  We have several "bucket list" cruises remaining, and we do not know which will come first:  Taking our "bucket list" cruises or "kicking the bucket."

My wife and I have been on 27 Celebrity Cruises, and a taste, one or two cruises each, on Royal Caribbean, Regent, Holland America, Princess, and Tauck (River). We continue to like Celebrity, maybe just because we know the product, which gives us what we need.  We are in our mid-seventies, so we are pretty much done with the European, South American, Far East, Australia and New Zealand cruises, the ones where there is a lot of sightseeing.

We pretty much now stick to the Caribbean sailings, and our shore excursions each day consist of getting off the ship, and getting on a Catamaran.  We are not suite people.  We always get a concierge cabin mid-ship, the 1205, 1207, 1209 cabins on the "S" class, and we are pretty much done with the "M" class.  We also were not crazy about the Edge.  Did not like the "Infinity Balconies" at all.  

We normally take 12 to 14 day cruises, which seem to be becoming fewer and fewer.  We like the Southern Caribbean, so doing two seven day back to back, Eastern and Western caribbean, do not do it for us, as they do not go far enough South.  

So, we are staying  with Celebrity as we know the product, know the layouts of the ships, are comfortable with the activities and the islands, the food is okay, and the dance (house) bands in the Caribbean are normally pretty good, mostly. My wife likes to dance, so our evenings are spent in the Sky Lounge or the Foyer for the dancing, when we are not in the casino playing blackjack.  

Our next three booked cruises are "free", as we have used the FCC's and "Lift & shift" options for our booked and paid for cruises that were cancelled.  

So, we can decide after those next three cruises, but we probably will still stay with Celebrity.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it!.  Many on here are not at all happy with Celebrity, but I doubt the experience on any other cruise line is much better.  

We took two Regent cruises and decided after the first one that the "luxury" lines were too stuffy for us.  But, we did it a second time to give them another chance.  We still did not like the Luxury experience.. So, we stayed with Celebrity.  

My wife and I always seem to receive the classic beverage package as one of our perks when we book our cruises.  We have three upcoming cruises, one at the end of 2021 and two early in 2022.  We always upgrade to the premium drink package a month or two before we sail.  With all the changes to pricing being made, does anyone think you can still upgrade your classic drink package to premium?  Or, since so many of us have cruises booked, will they honor our perks when we cruise, as the new pricing is just for new cruises being booked?

I have three cruises  booked for late 21 and early 22 on the Equinox.  Given the uncertainty of sailing, I have not yet booked any excursions or packages.  Both my wife and I have the classic beverage package as a perk.  We always upgrade to premium before sailing.  Can you still upgrade from classic to premium with these new "RULES?"

I'm sure this has happened to someone before, just not due to the Coronavirus.  Here is the question I need answered.

I have booked a November 20, 2020 cruise for nine nights on the Explorer of the Seas.  Final payment is due in a month or so, but I booked this cruise with a $500.00 non-refundable deposit.

I know that if I cancel, I am out the $500.00.  I understand that.

But with Princess today just canceling pretty much all their cruises through at least December 15th, maybe RCCl will cancel this one in the next month or so.

If RCCL cancels, do I get my non-refundable deposit back?  Or do I just get a future cruise credit for the $500.00?  Or am I out the $500.00.  What has happened to someone who in the past has had their cruise canceled for some reason, maybe a charter, for example.

For those of you using Amsterdam as the beginning or ending embarkation/debarkation port for a cruise, let me offer this suggestion.  If your cruise is to the British Isles, Celebrity will usually have an overnight in Edinburgh.  In August,  Edinburgh has the Military Tattoo, an unbelievable event.  Google it, the "Military Tattoo".  

You can get tickets on your own, or as a "shore excursion" through Celebrity.  It is an unbelievable show, but only takes place throughout the month of August, and sells out fast.  It takes place on the palace grounds, and has great music played by the military bands throughout the British Isles and beyond.  While we were there, military bands from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United States performed, as well as many from the European continent. 

The Military Tattoo is one of those bucket list items that should not be missed in one's lifetime if Edinburgh is on your itinerary.    

Stayed in Amsterdam for five nights pre-cruise in August 2018.  Cruise was a 12 nighter on the Celebrity Equinox, I think, cruising the British Isles, beginning and ending in Amsterdam.

We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria which just opened that year.  Pricey, but fabulous.  Great location, can walk anywhere. Over the first four days, my wife and I walked 46 miles, a great walking city.  Just walked the four canals over and over, and got to see everything.

The Waldorf Astoria is close to the museum district, and an easy walk to Anne Frank (West and North of the hotel) and the City Center, Red Light District (North of the hotel), the flower district (on the way to Anne Frank), and everything in between.

A great central location, a more upscale area of Amsterdam, with great evening entertainment and food/wine. 

They have a transit system to get you around, but no need for that.  It is easy walking.  My wife and I are in our early seventies, and had no problem getting around and felt safe the whole time.  (Except for the bikes which you need to watch out for.  In Amsterdam there are two bicycles for every resident.)

The many museums (we especially loved the Van Gogh museum), Anne Frank House, Red Light District, the many canal boat rides, the outdoor cafes, all wonderful.

I highly recommend Amsterdam.  It is truly a vibrant city, with many very happy people.  (Maybe the legalized pot has something to do with that, but...................)  

Hey NewYorkRay,

I know this may seem a little too inconvenient, but I wanted to cancel my Hilton Hotel and my United flights for a cruise that my wife and I were all set to take, but cancelled.

When I called both Hilton and United several times, I got the "your wait will be one hour and forty five minutes", or some other ridiculous wait time.  Of course , I just hung up.

But, I called at 2:00 in the morning, and had no wait time, got right through, and talked to someone here in the States, and had no problem getting the cancellations taken care of.  They must be working 24/7 given the current environment.  

I realize two in the morning is inconvenient, but there was no wait.  For my United flight, I was supposed to be charged $250 or so for both my wife and I for the cancellation and refund,  but she said no problem, she would cancel with no fees, given the current circumstances.  She did not have to do that, but she said she could.  Even at two in the morning, the person I was talking to said she was the shift supervisor.  

I also got right through to Hilton reservations, and cancelled with no problem.  

Just a thought. 

• I cancelled my March 15th cruise on the Silhouette using the "Cruise With Confidence" thing.  I received via e-mail my FCC in the amount of what I paid less the taxes and port fees, which I am waiting to be credited to my credit card.
• I then called Celebrity, and tried to apply my FCC to a similar Caribbean cruise next March (2021), this time on the Equinox.  Same itinerary, different ship. I had already booked this cruise previously.

I cancelled my March 15th cruise on the Silhouette using the "Cruise With Confidence" thing.  I received via e-mail my FCC in the amount of what I paid less the taxes and port fees, which I am waiting to be credited to my credit card.

I then called Celebrity, and tried to apply my FCC to a similar Caribbean cruise next March (2021), this time on the Equinox.  Same itinerary, different ship. I had already booked this cruise previously.

I was told that I could not use the FCC on an already booked but not yet paid for cruise.  I told the agent that I would just cancel the cruise, and rebook using the FCC.  

CAN'T DO IT!!!!!!  Read the small print near the bottom of the "Cruise with Confidence" document.  It specifically states you can not use the FCC for a cruise originally booked,  then cancelled.  So, if you cancel a cruise, you cannot use the FCC to book the same cruise.

You must book a new cruise.  Totally new and different.  The cancel and rebook thing will not work.

So I was told.  Yikes!!!!!   

If you have extra nonrefundable OBC, just go to the casino cashier.  She will give you house chips to use at the tables.  That is, they are, for example, five dollar "fake" chips that you can bet.  If you win, they pay you in real money.  So, you convert "fake" money given to you via the OBC and walk away with real money, assuming you win anything, of course.  Just play blackjack, where your odds are maybe 52/48 in favor of the house, but you certainly will walk away with some money if you just follow the blackjack rules.  Remember, if you just break even, and start with $100 in "fake" chips, you walk away with $100 in real money.  

My wife does this all the time with some of our nonrefundable OBC.  When she uses up the casino "no value" chips, she goes to  the cashier and cashes in her winnings.  

She is always excited and says "look at all this money I have won", even though she may have just broken even.  Just converted the fake money to real money.

Thank you for the info on the music.  So nice to have a couple of bands.  And other quieter stuff.  We had Nu Image last year on either the Edge or the Equinox, probably the Equinox.  I remember them as being very good.  

Additionally, who is the party band and who is the dance band, if they have both?  Thank you.

For anyone on the February 14, 2020 Silhouette cruise, first voyage out of dry-dock:  Who is the Captain and the Cruise Director?  

Information please!!!

My wife and I have been on 28 Celebrity Cruises.  We are US citizens on Medicare with a secondary insurance plan.  We always take the Celebrity Vacation Protection Plan and that, combined with what medical benefits come with our credit card, we believed to be adequate medical coverage.  

With this Coronavirus thing, I thought it would be a good time to look at just what coverage we have.  We are on the March 15th Caribbean Cruise on the Silhouette to the Southern Caribbean.  Let's assume that we need to be airlifted or transferred from the port to the nearest hospital to be treated.  With our credit card, we have unlimited coverage to get us to the hospital, including medical supplies and procedures en-route.  With our credit card, once we get to the hospital, the credit card medical coverage ceases.  With the Celebrity Vacation Plan, we get medical coverage up to $10,000.  That is really not a lot of money if you have something serious.

If we die, both plans I think ship "the box" back to the States.  We don't want that to ever happen!!!!

My question is this.  What additional insurance coverage do you United States Citizens purchase to cover what could be a huge medical bill at a hospital not in the United States, say in Grenada or St Vincent?  

We have been very lucky thus far on our many cruises.  

The Celebrity Summit has been doing the winter season with Southern Caribbean cruises out of San Juan for the last several years.  Then, when the Caribbean season ends, the Summit sails from New York to Bermuda.  Then, in September, it sails the New York, New England, Quebec round trip, before it goes back to San Juan.  Something like that.

Something very different is happening in 2020 and 2021.

In August of 2020 and August of 2021, the Summit is leaving either Boston or New York and sailing for fourteen nights over to Dublin (2020) or Southampton (2021).  Then, it immediately leaves Dublin or Southampton, cruises for fourteen nights,  and returns to New York or Boston.  It is called a transatlantic cruise, but it is not the normal repositioning cruise.  It just takes the month of August, and goes to Europe, then returns.  Then it does its normal New England/Quebec cruises.  

This itinerary is appealing because it stops for three days in Iceland (two ports), and one day in Greenland.  The 2020 tour stops in Cork Ireland on its way to Iceland, with the 2021 tour stopping in Kirkwall Scotland on its way to Iceland.  

Both cruises I believe have seven sea days.  

Now my questions.  First, I was led to believe that transatlantic cruises were normally of the cheaper variety, because they were repositioning cruises.  These cruises are pretty expensive, just like other European itineraries, and not of the cheaper variety.  

Secondly, for the August 2020 cruises, which I know is still six months away, there are no excursions listed for Greenland yet, and the excursions for the two ports in Iceland have few excursions listed.  For the 2021 cruises, there are also no excursions listed for Kirkwall Scotland.

Can anyone shed light on why the celebrity excursions are scarce, or shed light on which excursions once offered are terrific if you have been to Kirkwall, Iceland, or Greenland before?

Very wordy, I know, but what should we do in port in Iceland, Greenland, and Kirkwall Scotland?  

We went on the Edge last March.  We also like to listen to music and dance, more of the rock & roll, not the ballroom stuff.  

We were very disappointed with the Edge.  The central area where the martini bar is kind of replaces the Rendezvous Lounge on the M class and the Grand Foyer on the S class.  And, there was NO DANCING in that area on our cruise.  And, other than the DJ or piano player from time to time, no music.  

We like listening to various types of music and dancing in both the Rendezvous Lounge (M) or the Grand Foyer (S) in the early evening hours.  Could not do that on the Edge.  They do not exist.  

There also is no Sky Lounge on the Edge.  Nowhere up top of the ship for late night dancing.  We like the various types of music and dancing at the Sky Lounge (or top deck lounge) on both the M and S class ships.  However, I will admit that when the house band or dance band or DJ played up in the Sky Lounge after ten in the evening, there often times were not a lot of people up there on several of our cruises.   But the people that were there had a great time.  

The Edge did have THE CLUB, which was more of a, well, club setting.  Kind of like a club that our twenty something children would have gone to in downtown Chicago.  It was okay for late night dancing, but we still liked the Sky Lounge or Grand Foyer better. Brighter and seemed more energized than the Club.   

The edge also had Eden on the aft of the ship traversing three decks, maybe decks three, four and five, but even when music was playing in there, no one was dancing.  There really was not a dance floor per say.  

Now, we were on the Edge shortly after its debut, and hopefully things have changed relative to their nightly music and dancing.  

We have been on 28 Celebrity Cruises.  We now just seem to cruise on the "S" class, and enjoy the Grand Foyer, pool deck (on theme nights), and Sky Lounge for late night dancing.  And a nightcap in the Ensemble Lounge is a nice quiet end to an evening, if it is still open when we get there.