lifeisrealygood

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.  

The luggage tags we receive in the mail from Celebrity are of good quality.  When we order them through the on-board booking process, we noticed a few years ago that sometimes we get them and sometimes we don't.  

So, this time, I ordered the luggage tags, then three days later, ordered them again, to make sure I would at least get one of them.

Well, today I go to the mailbox, and, what is there, both sets of luggage tags.

Silhouette, March 15th, here we come!!!!!

We normally cruise in the Caribbean over St Patrick's Day.  Yes, it is hit or miss.  But, we have been on several cruises over St Patrick's Day when we were at sea (a sea day).  The duo on board (normally a singer and a guitar player) played a lot of Irish tunes.  The guitar player on board (solo) also played Irish tunes on that day.

I guess it just depends on who the entertainment is and what their repertoire is.

Just some basic information.  When you check-in at the pier and go through the boarding area, you will get the Celebrity Today for your first day.  That Celebrity Today will just be two pages, a front and a back, and is a condensed version of the entire "Celebrity Today", which is always four pages.

When you board, go down to Guest Services on deck three, and there will be two kiosks full of the entire Celebrity Today, all four pages, for the days activities.  Go get one.  At that kiosk near guest Services, they usually have the Celebrity Today in several languages.  

It usually lasts about a half an hour.  

It is not necessarily line dancing, but on most Caribbean cruises on sea days there will be a zumba type class on the pool deck around noon.  Sometimes as early as eleven and as late as 12:30 or 1:00.  Look at your Celebrity Today each night before a sea day, and look for the time and place.  It is a fun activity hosted by the activities manager, and sometimes the CD.      

My wife and I have cruised a lot on Celebrity.  Normally, it is just the two of us, and we always have traditional dining, early seating.  We always request a table for two, which is always honored.  

The first thing I do when I board the ship is go to the Maitre D on deck four S class and ask to see our table assignment.  Sometimes, we change the table assignment, and have never had a problem.  The Maitre D was always responsive.

This cruise, we are traveling with another couple.  This other couple just booked the cruise in January for March, and were only able to get Select dining.  For those who have experienced this in the past, what are the chances of the Maitre D giving all four of us early dining, table for four, starting the first evening.  I would request this change as soon as we board the ship. 

Anyone experienced this before? 

This is such a subjective thing.

I certainly am not a wine snob, but do enjoy my wine.  I do not enjoy cocktails, and an occasional COLD beer is great, but wine......oh my!!!  We live in the Chicago area, and have terrific bottles of wine available to us.  For those familiar with the Chicago area, "if you can't find it at Binny's, it just isn't worth drinking".

In my opinion, if you enjoy a good glass or two or three, you will be disappointed with the classic selection.  To put it into perspective, the wines in the classic package are mostly available at Binny's, and can be purchased for five to nine dollars PER BOTTLE.  Certainly, not your "premium" wines.  

The premium wines in the premium package are a little better.  Even some of the premium wines are of low quality, but there are some very nice glasses with the premium package.  

I recommend the premium package.

During your first day or two on the ship, peruse all the bars and restaurants, including the specialty restaurants, and look over the wine lists.  Find  the ones you would like, and even if they are not available in your dining room of choice, for example, the Main Dining Room, just tell your sommelier and have him get that specific wine for you on subsequent evenings.  The sommelier can get any wine as long as it exists somewhere on the ship.  Do not let Him/her tell you otherwise.    

I don't remember the maximum price you are allowed with the Premium Package, but it is like $15 or $16 per glass.  For that reason, there are some very nice wines available for $17 to $20 per glass, and please try these, and you will be charged for just the difference.  I imagine these are not included with the premium package, as they want to limit their usage.  People just don't seem to realize that there are some very nice glasses of wine available, above the premium rate.  Find out what they are, and order them.     

Just my opinion, but we have been on the "revolutionized" Equinox and on the Edge.  We usually just get a concierge cabin.  Same size as a veranda on the "S" Class, but better towels (bigger), robes (fluffier), toiletries (premium), hair dryer (hand-held), and, less importantly, a golf umbrella. We think the afternoon canapes' are horrible.  

We still like the main dining room on the S class, due to its openness. I guess we prefer that open space more than Blu, so Aqua is not for us.  We like the hustle and bustle.  We are not spa people.  Not being big food connoisseurs, the Main Dining Room is fine for us.  

The retreat deck on the top deck is a joke.  There rarely is a lot of people up there.  Maybe it has changed, but on the two cruises I referenced, the retreat sun deck was underutilized and VERY HOT.  

So just give me a concierge cabin.  We like to do or own thing.  We rarely ask our room steward for anything after the first day, verifying we have enough hangers.  We do not need a butler.

We arrange all of our excursions before we board.  

We have been on 27 Celebrity Cruises,  all of them in concierge class.  We have been on several back-to-back cruises, and we have used that turn around day to roam the ship and look at all the various suite cabins in person.  None of them appeal to us.  

This sounds crazy, but for even a little insignificant amount of more money, we would stay in a concierge cabin over both aqua and suite cabins.    

One more thing mamaday.

On our past cruises, which have stopped in Grenada, we have taken a celebrity excursion called "Shadowfax Lobster Catamaran Cruise".  It is six hours long, and is terrific.  We just did not want to do two six hour excursions on back to back days.  We plan on taking the Shadowfax excursion in 2021, when we are on the same itinerary on the Equinox.  

Hey mamaday,

Sorry for the late response, but I have been away from this forum for awhile.  We booked the excursion directly through Celebrity.  It is called the Bequi Retreat, it is six and one-half hours long, and it is much pricier now than when we booked it.  Which tells me it is popular, and must be filling up quickly.  

Thank you, barbette 165.

We have not been on Celebrity since August (Equinox Back to Back Eastern and Western Caribbean), and they were still incorporating the music in the body of the daily activities.  I did not notice the "live music" section, which is new to us.  

I am so embarrassed.  I looked in only one place, instead of perusing the whole document.   

Thanks for posting the "Celebrity Today's" each day.  Normally, music is playing in the Grand Foyer at dinner time.  Sometimes it is the party band, sometime the dance band, sometime the acoustic duo (trio), etc.  I noticed there is no music posted on the Celebrity Today's.  

Also, there is normally someone playing in the Grand Foyer, the Ensemble Lounge or the Sky Lounge later in the evening, but not listed on the Celebrity Today's you posted.  

The Caribbean cruises we have been on normally have a party band, a dance band, an acoustic duo or trio, a string trio or quartet, a guitar player and a DJ or two. 

I know you guys prefer the bar scene, but is there any live music on the cruise you are on?  

And, by the way, my wife and I love your posts!!!!!

How would you compare the two showers?

We have cruised on all of the M-Class and the S-Class ships over the years.  We really like the S-Class shower DOORS, and do not like the M-Class shower CURTAINS.  I have been "googling" every day, and cannot find anywhere if the curtains will be replaced by doors when these ships get "Solticized" or "Edgified".   

HELP!!!!  Does anyone know for certain that shower doors will be installed on all M-Class ships when they get redone.  

For the M-Class already "Solsticized", do the curtains remain, or have they been replaced with doors.  

A follow up to what I noted above.

Strange!!!!  When I looked at the website yesterday (Tuesday), all veranda and concierge cabins were sold out for the 3/15/2020 cruise.  Only guarantees were available.  And the cost of the concierge guarantee with three perks was around $6,000 for two people.  

When I look on-line today, there are many cabins available, and the price for a C2 specific concierge cabin has risen to almost $11,000 (with only two perks), which is what it was priced at before the "sale" last weekend.  

Can't figure it out.  Were there really rooms available yesterday, even though they said only guarantees, so they could book them, albeit a lower "sale" price, but since it is a guarantee, they could put you anywhere they wanted in that concierge category.

Just saying.  

I also saw a note on these boards to check excursion prices.  On Monday (Cyber????), I checked the four excursions I had previously booked on my 3/15/2020 12 night Silhouette cruise to the Southern Caribbean.  I canceled and rebooked all four excursions, identical to the ones I canceled, and saved $154 for my wife and I.  

We are taking the same 12 night cruise in March, 2021 on the Equinox, and the prices for those excursions remain at the regular prices, that is, no discount.

Everyone is correct in that you need to keep checking your booking to see if prices are being reduced.  That includes the price you paid for the cruise itself, as well as excursions, etc. 

The March 15, 2020 cruise is just a week or two away from final payment, so that maybe is why they reduced the excursion prices to generate interest.  Prior to last weekend, there were many cabins available on this sailing.  Now, everything is pretty much gone.  The cruise prices dropped pretty dramatically last weekend, so people must have jumped on the "sale".  However, even the sale prices were higher than what we paid when we booked this cruise more than one year ago.  

My wife and I always sail in concierge class, C2, deck 10 midship. We have been in cabin 1207 eighteen times on the five S-Class ships. And 1205, 1209, 1215, etc on other sailings.  We like the location.  Midship, cabins above and cabins below, near the central elevators, stairs, and library, and just two decks up to the pool, and two or three to the Oceanview Cafe.  

Why concierge class?  Well, I said the location is great.  We really are not fond of most of the benefits that come with the concierge cabin.  The afternoon treats over the last few years are just plain awful.  Just go up to the Oceanview Cafe at three or four, and get really good treats, or of course the treats always available at Cafe el Bacio on deck five.  The sparkling wine you get upon embarkation is also very very very very low quality.  We don't really use the other benefits.

HOWEVER, my wife LOVES the fluffy bathrobes that come with the concierge cabin.  May not seem like much, but to my wife, it is great.  The robes are much thicker and bigger than the normal robes in veranda and inside cabins.  Simple, but to my wife, the robes are why we book concierge class.  We also like the golf umbrella that comes in the concierge cabin. 

I guess we also like being able to board first.  Another nice concierge perk.  May not seem like much, but the higher deck 10 location,  the fluffy bathrobes, the umbrella, and getting to board first are worth it to us.   Before the "edgeification", concierge class also received better toiletries in the bathroom, but that may be disappearing.  

Thanks, elklemi.  Looking forward to the excursion.  Perhaps if more cruise lines add Kingstown to their schedules, the city may become energized.  

I am booked on a March 2020 Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Silhouette and a March 2021 Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Equinox.  Both cruises stop in Kingstown, St Vincent.  This is a new port for me.  I was wondering if this is a new port for all cruise ships.  Can anyone comment?

I booked a shore excursion from St Vincent called "The Bequia Retreat", which is a six and one-half hour catamaran sail over to and sailing around the island of Bequia.  It is an hour (8 miles) from where we port in St Vincent to get to Bequia.  I can't find any information about ship's excursions for St Vincent.  Help?  Where can I look for excursion reviews, or is this such a new port for cruise lines, that none exist?

I am taking these cruises as for years I have been taking the 14 night Southern Caribbean cruises, which were discontinued for 2020 and beyond.  These 12 night Southern Caribbean cruises are the longest I can find for the Caribbean.  No more 14 dayers.  

"Refreshment Package" question on Royal Caribbean.  Bottled water and sparkling water are included.  Can I get San Pellegrino, Perrier, or Evian with the Refreshment Package, or are the brands of lower quality.

I am relatively new to Royal (just two previous cruises a long time ago), but am Elite Plus on Celebrity.  With Celebrity, we always get  the premium package, which includes the premium waters noted above.  

By the way, I will be cruising on the Explorer OTS.

"Refreshment Package" question?  Bottled water and sparkling water are included.  Can I get San Pellegrino, Perrier, or Evian with the Refreshment Package, or are the brands of lower quality?  

I am new to Royal (just two previous cruises a long time ago), but am Elite Plus with Celebrity.  With Celebrity, we always get the Premium package, which includes the premium waters noted above.  

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!  Quiet please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of Celebrity's best kept secrets.  Celebrity does not inform you anywhere, in writing or by word of mouth, that the treats at Cafe Al Bacio are free.

We especially love the chocolate mousse, which is only available a few times during the cruise, but we take a look every time we pass.

Note that what is available changes throughout the day for "morning" treats, "afternoon" treats, or "evening" treats.