Jim_Iain

I think sometimes the rush to get off the ship is also to get to immigration, especially if the PAX isn't a U.S. Citizen. While some ports have sped up the process with Facial ID for U.S. Citizens - I have seen some huge lines for non-US passport holders. It can be similar it to being on an airplane and arriving at gate a little late. As soon as the seat belt sign dings people jump up and clamber for the exit.

A quick way to determine fare is to go into Uber or Lyft and do a mock booking. I just did a dummy Uber booking and get UberX 27.94 and Uber XL 35.37 It is possible with surge pricing the price could go up but seems reasonable. I'm making an assumption that you are cruising out of Tampa Cruise Terminal. You can always also google and find a site like - Tampa Cab Estimator https://www.taxi-calculator.com/taxi-fare-estimation They are estimating $28.00 the distance is approximately 16 KM

On Min and Max bids you are correct there is a different Min and Max amount dependent on the class of original booking. I've also noticed that the min and max may also be adjusted when they have lots of cabins in a class that they are trying to get filled from lower classed cabin. When post pandemic cruises first began they were trying to get everyone in OV and above and were offering very inexpensive minimums. They were also giving away many many gratis upgrades. On the smart side I think they were also offering some pretty good deals for AQ an Suite Class. I think you will often read from first time Retreat Guests that it is hard to go back to a regular cabin after experiencing Retreat Class. A really good place to get a feel to the min and max is to take a read of the sticky.

Yes that is correct you will still have Basic Wife and if you upgraded one to Premium you will still have that upgrade. You will get the Room Perks.

Yes you could do it but personally don't see any advantage unless you need your belongings immediately upon boarding the ship. Your room is NOT available when you board the ship. Your room is available to pick up your room key and drop off your luggage but they ask you to remain in public areas so they stateroom attendants can complete cleaning and setup. Room are generally available about 1:30 -2:00. They have porters at the curb and drop off takes less than 1 minute. Your luggage will arrive at your door usually in the 2-3PM time frame but could be slower.

Update - I submitted for 8 cruises going out as far as April 2024 on 10/6 and today at 3:30 PDT I just received 8 Guest Invoices showing the three credits. I used the On-Line submission portal. Looks like they are doing a good job of processing regardless of how you submit. First time in a long time that I will say I"M IMPRESSED. From the previous reports looks like they are processing withing 3 days 7 days a week.

Thanks... I had assumed they would charge the surcharge. We are not big eaters and often try to get 1/2 portions instead of some of the larger portions. I read somewhere of the fantastic fresh Wasabi prepared table side in Sushi on 5 and a rather high surcharge. Do you know if that is included?

From your app you can choose to upgrade a single user account or you can purchase 1 day or 1 hour Premium Internet but very expensive. Yes it is charged to your online account and thus your OBC. You ca also go to the Internet store and have them do it for you. Depending on your CC status you may get Free Internet Premium Minutes (used incrementally but remember to log off or they will disappear.

That is true. If you upgrade to Aqua or Retreat class you get the corresponding dining rooms but not the perks unless they come with the room like a RS - Free Specialty, Laundry and Bar Setup but you don't the the Drink Package, Tips and Internet

I have the full set of Lumine Stock Menus on my Blog at the link below. These menus don't have the Chef B's special daily offering at the bottom. Recently they have been changing them when the specific item is not available due to Supply Chain Issues - https://cruzinjim.blogspot.com/2022/03/luminae-dinner-menus.html I'm not really good at blogging and mostly use it as a repository

They have Fleet wide menus that come out of Miami but changes will be made occasionally due to product availability and the order of the menu may vary at the discretion of the Chef or/or Captain.

We were tested and both B2B's on our B3B. Initially they didn't plan on testing but near the end of each cruise we went above the 3% rate and had to be tested. On our last one at 9:00 AM they told us we would not be tested and then 3 hours later there was an appointment time on our door. I believe going forward it will be dependent on how many cases of Covid pop up. All of the cruises were over 11 days so more chance people will test positive while still on the ship.

About the only semi difference is that if you win an Upper Suite (RS and above) You get perks with the room e.g. specialty dining, free laundry and a bar setup. On an upgrade you get the room perks but would not get the Drinks Package, Tips and Internet.

I would have to agree with @canderson logic. In my simple mine if I paid 1,000 for my room and you paid $500 for yours. We both bid $500 . The increase in revenue to Celebrity is only $500 regardless of which bid they accept.

While I don't know how the algorithms work and the backbone is done by an outside company I don't believe they would complicate the equation by considering original purchase price. The objective is to increase incremental revenue - It probably takes into consideration the classification of original cabin type as by upgrading say a RS to a PH could trigger a whole chain of upgrades.

I can understand the request of some consideration but from what I've observed all of the walk off's are completed in the first 15-20 minutes. If someone planned their transportation so close that 15 minutes makes a difference I feel they booked way too early. I've done regular departure (albeit in a suite where i can disembark at any time) and am usually at FLL by 9:15-9:30.

I believe it has always been similar. I was able to put one on hole past final payment and have my agent call in the next day and pick up the hold and ticket it. I had to call in to give my agent permission to take control of my hold. As for transfer to agent after Final Payment - I believe it has always been that way.

We both tested positive for 11 days after having covid. We were tested positive on a B2B so had to use a Certificate of Recovery to assure we could get back to the U.S. At that time the airlines still required testing. I used Montique Clinc in UK they accept from anywhere in world and issue certificate within about 2 hours for 35 pounds. https://montagueclinic.com/covid-recovery-certificate/ They just need a copy of your proctored Positive Antigen or PCR test results showing you tested 10 days prior to request, a copy of Passport and payment. I used mine again on a cruise and celebrity just looked at it like any negative test and said ok.

Yes. If you have no drink package or internet you will have the same if a bid is accepted to AQ. They only change is the room and the addition of Blu. Points accrue at original booking rate.

No temperatures taken and the health check are the same questions you fill out in the App. For some reason they still go down the list and fill in again (at least for us on all of our recent cruises and B2B's).

The shuttle is available just off the ship and take you to a parking lot near town. We took it in and found that walking back to the ship was about as easy as walking back to the parking lot. We just started at the main strip near the parking lot and walked down the ship making us much closer to the ship. One thing you will want to do is when back at the port walk down and take a look at the Sea Lions. They are very animated and noisy but fun to watch. They have them fenced off from the parking lot so you can get pretty close.

Yes it's available but one thing I have been noticing more and more people are using it. On Summit last month there were about 300+ lined up even before they announced that walk off had begun and were asking people to remain in the lounges until called.

I was told the same on Equinox but when I mentioned to the Retreat Host she pulled out a stack and gave me a couple. On the next cruise (B2B) Iain asked at the front desk and the agent reached down and gave him one.

What is incredible to me is the seats on the right are not part of the Cabana they are open to any guest who choose to sit there and look straight at you if you are using the Cabana. Also the walkway is the entrance to the Magic Carpet and the route to the Hamburger Grill. This whole design was a real miss.

Yes - Also one can have a package and one none. They are independent.