happy cruzer

Still no word when boarding will start.

Thanks for the updates. No official word yet😕

Anyone know the eta for serenade of the seas? Is boarding delayed? Thanks

Since you are cruising during a school holiday, any ship can be really crowded. Just prepare for some lines like at lunch time. Go with the right expectations and you will have a great time.

Nojito, a mojito with no liquor. And Virgin Mary.

Since you mentioned steak, will share that on Celebrity's kids MDR menu there is filet mignon. A very good option to pair with one of their seafood items for surf and turf. Also the buffet has a grill area at night and on sea days lunch, where you can pick a steak, fish, or chicken option and have it grilled while you wait. Celebrity's buffet is definitely much nicer. On Celebrity you can order from the dining room menu at night for room service at no charge. RCL's dining is good and Celebrity's is very good in my opinion.

We will have the 3 specialty dinner package. Don't really want to hold a table those nights. So I guess we will not be by-passing the line the other nights. Hopefully it will be a short wait; app currently show that we have MYD reservation for 6:45 each night.

Absolutely happens - which is why you start with the standard request for information like name and booking number if they will not provide it then that is in the recording of the call. Then you can give them an answer based on the limited info and request that they call back with the information so that a definitive answer can be supplied. Every call center person should be used to the fishing trips for info or customer who knows what they want to hear and tries every way possible to the get that answer. However some call centers are run with an extreme amount of turn over for various reasons so who knows? If I were placing a bet, I would not assume the original poster risked paying for the cruise and showing up in Barcelona knowing that they did not meet the requirements. I truly think that they were misinformed on the phone by staff who just did not know or research the requirements for a transatlantic cruise. Just what I think based on the limited information we have.

Having worked the phones for an organization, the caller rarely asks the question properly. It is up the service employee to help them. 1) get the details first such as name, booking number... 2) tell them what they need to know 3) do they still have a question. They don't know what they don't know - so they can't ask a specific question that will get them the help they need. There is a difference between providing customer service and answering questions...

The announcement just said he was moving to another ship. Nothing negative officially. It was a transatlantic. After about 7 days, there were a few very noisy complainers including a couple at our table who were in the food service industry. Two days before the end of the cruise they announced that he was joining another ship. Who would know why? Perhaps it got him closer to his family?? Any way, officially there would be another executive chef on that ship. So there can be issues, and the line does address them IMHO.

It is not a "paper" voucher. It is loaded on your pass and yes it starts the first day. You should have a letter in your cabin explaining your Diamond benefits. The coffee machine in the Diamond lounge was one of our favorite benefits. We got most of our points on Celebrity as well. We really enjoyed using the vouchers and did so mostly in the restaurants including the main dining room. Enjoy!

One quick google hit https://mygerman.recipes/boeuf-stroganoff/ I had it served with sliced pickles years ago in Germany. Always lots of versions of food. For example, Chili - I have friend that swears that if there are beans in it that it is not chili. Of course, there are versions that have beans... But you are right if it is not what you enjoy, no reason to eat it. We cruised Liberty a few month ago and thought the food was very good... To each their own preferences.

Maybe the chef was using a German recipe. There are a few versions of stroganoff that call for pickles. And the executive chef may be replaced. Years ago we had some similar issues and at the end of the cruise it was announced that the executive chef was moving to another ship (did not say what position he would have 😉 )

I think that I agree that this is an instance of horrible service. So what if the website says one thing? And a person representing the cruise line says another? Websites often have incorrect or out of date information too. It is debatable which is more trustworthy. Any thing that might deny boarding should not be miscommunicated. If the person representing the cruise line can't read the website, then why would the average cruiser be expected to? I think that if the original poster can prove that she was given the wrong information, she could get some compensation. And weasel words that state it is up to the cruiser to know the policies won't cut it because it many cases it the line's policy not a particular country's. She did try to find out the cruise line's policy.

The dress code changed. Don't have to like it, but it has changed. What is surprising is how many people do dress up on the cruise. In my experience many dress much nicer than what we see at restaurants in our local area.

If everyone wants to eat at the same time, there will be lines and a wait; the dining room is not big enough to hold everyone all at the same time. In other words the most popular time to go to the dining room is from 6 to 7, that is when there could be a wait. Wait until 8 or so and in you go.

Me too. I haven't pulled out the vaccination cards in months. Do people still show them at checkin? or just answer a question in the the health questionaire? I just looked at RCCLs website and did not see any mention of having to have any extra paperwork besides boarding pass and passport.

I understand that things change and do appreciate a notice of the changes. The length of the notice and the included lecture was annoying. The notice made a lot of assumptions about peoples behavior. Getting very tired of virtue signaling and being talked down to.

Pretentious snobs or pretentious slobs you can see them both on most sailings on any line... Neither right nor wrong just different and maybe a bit extreme compared to the average cruiser. The major cruise lines have room for all the various preferences. Back to the original question, Celebrity has fewer features that target the younger crowd like the rock climbing walls, flow rider, and mega slides so there will be fewer kids which makes for a less crowded (it can still have crowded areas like the martini bar before dinner) and generally quieter ship. Celebrity's buffet is has more choices including made to order grill. Both are nice experiences and more alike than different.

Thanks for the report. If you think they should offer something different than I would ask for it in writing in a short email/letter. Maybe good will OBC on your next cruise. Personally, I think I would make a case for a refund of both fares for the final 3 days.

The advice to buy what you want and the cancel and buy at the lower price is good. It was very easy to do for a dining package. The credit/refund showed up really quickly.

All claims are taking a long time. After you have given them a chance, collect your paperwork and fedex it to Carnival and the Insurance company. Then they know you will follow up with a complaint to: State Insurance Bureau Consumer Protection Agency Federal Trade Commission anyone else you can think of....

Looked at the website for TECO shuttle and it too still says masks required due to the Federal mandate. Surely not.

Insurance is a good recommendation but unless it includes CFAR (cancel for any reason) the OPs case may not be covered unless the doctor says no travel. There are reports of cases where the doctor oks going back to work or travel yet the patient does not want to go because they can't fully enjoy the trip and in those cases the cancellation insurance did not cover them. The devil is in the details.

Did the original question get answered? Do both discounts apply? What does NRD stand for? Thanks in advance.