Jim_Iain

You can bid on as many categories that are offered. I've had up to 3 on many occasion.

My recommendation is to ask the server at point of order. There should not be a surprise. Simply asking is this covered under my *** Package?

I was initially looking for something in February on one of the premium lines but they all appear pretty well booked out at this time. I did end up booking November 2025 Lisbon to Buenos Aires - I've had it cancelled 3 times now so this one may just happen.

It is nice to be home. As much as we love cruising nothing better than being home and visiting the GrandKids. My oldest is now towering over me at about 6'3"

It was incredible approach into SFO. 100+ mile visibility and nice mild temperatures. Turned a little nippy today down in the Valley.

Yes. Just go to front desk and ask for additional gratuity form.

Not uncommon. I"ve been assigned Guarantees anywhere from right after booking up until not finding room until at the pier.

And spend the rest just reading the arguments of total strangers. That's what we do in Retirement.

In general I would have to both agree and disagree. Airline fares are very elastic. we don't shop for the "lowest prices with the least perks" in flying as we only fly Business class and First. I do shop the airlines as well as keep track of prices which much more volatile that some believe. Example is a graph of the one way business class fare from SFO to SYD for April 4th 2024. I saw a big drop yesterday and booked at the dip. The fare over the last month has had a $900 swing over the last 3 months. I will still get every amenity regardless of the price I chose but they got my booking as oppose to a competitor.

To be honest I don't like to discuss how to get around the casino limits --- Celebrity often read the posts and then are prone to block tricks some find.

I'm now an Onyx Level in Blue Chip which waives Credit Card Cash advance so didn't have any trouble pulling off my Refundable. I like to pull it off so it doesn't come back as a credit and loose Chase 3X points on transportation. I know you can go to front desk on last day and take it out but too much waiting on line.

We had to do that also on Solstice (non-revolutionized). Their old Slots didn't have the ability to log onto the slot. They would give you in $100 chits.

You can cash out immediately without even spinning if you wish. The only thing is you would be frozen out from additional withdrawals. I at least spin a couple times on a penny machine to not look too obvious. Our friends did that on Edge but they had a small OBC and each of them took our 1/2 and just cashed out after playing about 50 cents on a penny machine. They were definitely not gamblers.

My experience has been if you booked prior to the new non-refundable credit rules You would be charged $100 pp and receive a credit back to your credit card of the remaining $800 if cancelled prior to Final Payment . The only time the 25%, 50% etc come into play is if you cancel after final payment. If I recall correctly the FCC's were issued during the Covid Rules if you cancelled at anytime prior to 48 hours. To make sure of your options I would call Celebrity or ask your Agent.

I would say that the food was impressive on Ponant. The Venison was incredible, the Octopus tasty and tender, the Foie Gras was buttery and perfectly cooked. One thing I liked was that they had a Salad, Soup, Cheese, Desert buffet every day. You ordered your main dish but served yourself from the buffet area.

Here's a wine list from Edge - about 2 weeks ago. Please note this is an Australia / New Zealand Cruise and prices include the 20% Gratuity due to law that require full price instead of price and then hit you with a 20% Tip.

Same to you. We had a wonderful time at an Annual Xmas Eve Party and planning on going down to visit all the Grand Kids in a couple hours. At home we are Bahh.. .Humbug and no longer even decorate for Christmas. Good luck on you upgrade bid if you choose to make one. Lately they have been outrageously priced.

Thanks Paul. I've really enjoyed your pictures and dialogue. Looking forward to you final comparison. I have a feeling Iain would never agree to Yacht Club due to the total number of passengers on the ship. We have gotten to the point that we think that Edge Class ships are suffering due to the large passenger count. We look forward to going back to an S-Class ship in April and hope the experience is much better than our recent Edge Class. I'm convinced it is just management issues on Edge.

The general restrictions I've seen is that if you take out OBC in casino you will receive promotional chips. If you play one say 5 dollars and win 5 dollars they give you a regular cash chip that can be redeemed. On slots you can transfer a certain $ amount to slot. Differs on each ship Max amount. You have to play at least 50% or will be locked out from further withdraws. When I say play it means churn - it isn't the amount you win. So if you took out $300 you would have to at least use $150 total in the slots to be locked out. e.g. If you bet $50 and won $300 you only bet $50 of the 150 to be unlocked.

LOL --- I thought that was a High Chair at first....

Paul Looking forward to you comparison. I'm way behind in reading CC. I'm up to page 5 and anxious to find how you enjoyed Yacht Club. Iain is very apprehensive and I haven't made much leeway in changing his attitude so far.

Interesting to read all these reports and suggest you each write Laura at lhodges@rccl.com. On a Facebook thread a user had written and received a call back from her office. The agent said Laura had told her there should not be any up charges for wines ordered in Retreat. It sure doesn't sound like the message has filtered down from the top.

Yes. If you move the slider slightly you will see the minimum bid and if slid all the way to right the Max bid. As you suggested yes for all including singles it is per person for the first two passengers. I have found that on occasion you can purchase the room on the website for lower than some of the bid amounts.

You should be ok going cashless. Since we were going to be in Singapore for 5 days pre-cruise I got $50 exchanged at one of the street exchange banks. Actually the rate was really good. After 5 days we hadn't spent an of it and I ended up exchanging it in Bali and used it to tip private tour guides.

Thanks for doing a live post. I look forward to following along. Have a wonderful cruise. Jim