Zenica

Thanks, I figured as much since I couldn't find anything on the Celebrity site. I recall NCL allowed me too but its been a while since we sailed NCL. I'll reach out to our TA...

Thanks

Can this be done via the Celebrity web site?

Or do I have to go through TA?

OP may not be back, so I'll chime in. We sailed on Viking Sun for 15 days last month in a PV cabin. Out first impression of the ship was that it is stunning – classy, luxurious, and very well laid out. [Four Seasons, rather than the snide claim of IKEA.]

 

The basic cabins on Viking Ocean ships (V and DV) are 270sf + 46sf balcony; by comparison Celebrity S-class verandas are 194sf + 54sf. The next step up on Viking (PV) is 338sf + 58sf; Celebrity Sky Suites are 300sf + 79sf.

 

Viking cabins are very well laid out and the PV category has lots of storage space [there have been complaints that V and DV are short on storage].

 

The bathroom was wonderful, and the heated floor was as advertised [note that on the first Viking Ocean ship the bathroom floor heater is either on or off and only the cabin attendant can change it; on the newer ships including Sun there is a switch in the bathroom itself that has several settings so you can find just the right temp for you]

 

Our itinerary was go-go-go, but I can definitely imagine staying in a PV stateroom all day long and veging.

Very helpful post and reply, thanks!

The hounding about the survey is about as bad as the hounding to upgrade alc / diniing packages, but it's the cruise line that causes it with their operational model.

 

My understanding is:

For the alc / dining upgrades they sell, they get $ added to pay.

For the survey results, they get extra days or half days off and counts for promotions and better assignments!

 

We do our best to rate fairly, knowing how much is at stake!

OMG, On the Summit there is a guy who looks DEAD that every time he saw us, tried to get us to dine at Tuscany a second time. If he didn't seriously look like this guy ↓ I might have said yes, the restaurant itself was good but I couldn't talk to him for more than 10 seconds!!

On the Summit a few weeks ago, we were told about the survey and asked to fill in 10. I understand the reason for this from having worked for American Honda many many years ago. As a Service Advisor (even in the 1990's) Honda would sent questionnaires to every registered owner that had warranty work performed. The raking was 1-10 but in essence it was just two numbers, 10 and all those below it. Meaning 1-9 were treated as a failing grade and 10 was treated as a passing grade. Honda never cared for the comments and if just one metric was a 9 then the entire survey was marked as a fail. The Advisors "Customer Service Index" was based on the percentage of pass to fail. This related to the % that advisor would receive from work sold. If it was low enough, employment was in jeopardy and at a minimum, so was the paycheck.

If Celebrity uses that same formulae and I have no reason to doubt they don't, I know Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Honda, Toyota and Audi all do, then these people do have reason to be concerned. Not because they are not doing a good job but because there are people that don't understand that ranking system. For example, I have a close friend that use to always rank the highest number as one less than the ranking system. So if it was a 1-10 scale, he would mentally omit the 10 and use the 9 because for his way of thinking, 10 is the pinnacle and thus is unobtainable. In his mind, this left 9 as the highest achievable score one could attain in that ranking. It took years and countless bottles of wine to adjust and correct this flawed way of interpreting a survey system.

Go easy on the ship's crew, the crew of 2,000 deal with over a hundred thousand passengers each year.

OP, can you describe the stateroom and specifically the bathroom? Was it as clean/modern as they advertise with a heated floor?

My wife and I are in our 40's but we've been looking for a cruise where we won't feel guilty if we just want to stay in the cabin ALL DAY and veg.

This sounds like it might be perfect!

We liked Blu! over MDR simply because it was quieter, the menu more to our liking and the staff more accommodating. On NCL my wife swore every single meal from every single restaurant, those included in the base fare and those not were all serviced by the same kitchen. At times, I agreed with her but our single experience on the Summit felt as though Blu! was a stand alone restaurant until something snaps you back to reality like a gelatin based zabaglione dessert. If cruising has taught us anything, its that breakfast and desserts are the cruise industries culinary Achilles heal.

That table is in a curved balcony overlooking the fourth floor dining. So it is only relevant if you have the specified time dining and not open dining. Open dining is on the fourth floor and it does not overlook any other floor. In my drawing, crude as it is, the lines to the right of the table represent the stairs down to the fourth floor. It is used by the staff and dinning guests alike. It has zero "privacy" and is really very close to the larger round table next to the wall. People will bump your chair passing behind you. I'm 165lbs and tucked my chair in as much as I could and it happened. It is a very bad spot for a table. A cart for the wait staff to access extra napkins? it's a perfect spot. A table for guests? Not so much. The table overlooking the balcony has a cool view I suppose but it is also cramped.

I'd go with 6. That leaves you with 8 for Blu!, MDR or if you are in port and dining off the ship.

I will be in first Aqua cabin on14 night Reflection sailing in December. I hope we love it! I also purchased 4 night specialty. I will report back after our cruise.

I agree, with a 14 night cruise, you are going to want, no scratch that---need---to dine outside of Blu!

We enjoyed Tuscan and Sushi on 5. We didn't try Qsine because the menu didn't really appeal to us over the other offerings.

Don't forget or dismiss MDR. Just make sure they don't seat you here:

We're doing the ABC in 2019, this is very useful info, thanks!

OP, I wondered the same as we were on the Summit last month. To alleviate the boredom, we'll bring some games and our au pair is fantastic at improvisation! The ship does have a kids area although we didn't explore it as we didn't have them with us on that trip. We were too interested in breaking the bank with the premium beverage package.

Nice & Congrats!

I might have agreed with you on the service in Blu a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the last couple of years we found that this is certainly not that excellent anymore.

We only have the one cruise thus far with Celebrity but for those 6 days dining at Blu!, we experienced only one night that we didn't enjoy and that was due to the table. It was entirely too close to the adjacent table, nearly as bad as I've seen in NYC. So close, I could literally dust that couples food with salt, from my seat. Without getting up.

We made sure to request certain tables from then on and were accommodated each time. If there was a wait, we spent it at al Bacio and Vladimir or another Blu! staff member would come to let us know our table was ready.

Once seated, none of what you mentioned was ever the case although we did only ever see a single sommelier. She was efficient, professional and available. Even getting a wine only carried at MDR for me. It's a sweet wine from Hungary, Tokaji.

The waiter was just trying his best to please someone and it is wonderful that he remembered what that person enjoyed the night before. This is service at its best and one reason we love cruising. How can anyone take this as to have "a waiter foist and undesired item" on you? Foist is a very harsh word to use. We are talking about a piece of watermelon and only wasted if not eaten. Not sure I would enjoy having a dinner with someone this offended.

Well foist is actually not a harsh word nor is it improperly used however the modifier "undesired" is repetitive as the meaning of foist itself is self explanatory.

That said, I see both sides. Declining an offering should not result in the waiter taking it upon himself to bring an alternate.

That level of presumption requires a level of intimacy which clearly was not present.

For me, if that rapport exists, I welcome that level of pre-cognizance as I did with Rosemarie at al Bacio.

I also enjoy it at a small family owned Italian restaurant near me. We walk in and immediately there will be minestrone soup for 3 and salad for one which 99% of the time, we are happy to have!

We always book Aqua as we much prefer Blue and are very happy with their service and food, despite noticing that standards are slowing going lower than they used to be a couple of years ago.

However as a European, travelling a lot and having chances to dine in some very fine restaurants, I must fully agree with the above quoted poster.

I have dined at numerous 1,2 and 3 star Michelin restaurants. While there are some truly exceptional ones such as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Plume, Le Bernardine and L' Ambroisie, there are the mediocre ones and the bad.

I was not suggesting Blu! is on par with any of the above but we've dined at countless 1 star restaurants that left us questioning the validity of the rating. More often than not we were on vacation or traveling and not able to dine with that restaurant a second time to know if it was a fluke. One in particular stands out as one we wouldn't return to under any circumstance, Claude Bosi at Bibendum. Every aspect of our dining was a colossal fail. We should have known when we walked in and found it was decorated with the GIANT Michelin tire company logo. Yes, the Michelin man, he was in the stain etched glass, the artwork, the plateware, the glasses and if I looked, I'd bet the tiles as well.

My point is, the service at Blu! was no less than at countless single star Michelin restaurants we've dined at across the US and Europe. I was not comparing the food. Cruise lines use "creme brulee powder" for god sake, so attributing that to a Michelin star would be a , laughable exaggeration.

Yep, that was us, and we did get consulted on the best day, received a note, etc. The steward and the maintenance team went above and beyond to make sure that we weren’t inconvenienced. I thought it was a great way to handle it.

Where is the problem? A guest gets a new bathroom with in a day/few hours, (kudos to the maintenance Team) while the guests are out all day not even using it anyway.

From my point of view they could have remodeled the whole cabin if they wanted to, if they are finished and it is usable up on my return.

 

If I understood correctly they were asked if they are ok with it and were advised how long it would take and got a note.

 

Or is it better to complain on a board like this that ship so and so has dated bathrooms, hand rails at the balcony needs repaint, etc. and nothing was done about it?

When we cruise, we do it more for the ship experience and less so for the port experience. As we have been to many places by air, the port is one we've already explored. Bermuda was an exception as it was out first time so we were off the ship more than past cruises.

This means we would not have been off the ship as in the case with the OP. We return to our cabin many times, whether to change clothes, access the safe, retrieve something forgotten or for any other reason we need to. I am also uncomfortable with so many crew being in our stateroom. You may be fine with it but this is a subjective opinion and we are each entitled to our viewpoint. There is also the possibility of odors that linger long after the maintenance work. If they had to use a caulk and it wasn't a low VOC product. Even if it was, it will release chemicals into the air as it cures irrespective to any odor.

A reference could be made between a stateroom and an apartment. My rentals all have contracts which state tenants must allow access for repairs. The difference is that my tenants are there for year long contracts, not weekly ones. If they were weekly, for most maintenance, I could easily schedule them in between tenants. The cruise line could do the same and maintenance is something you can plan. A pipe leaking is something else entirely and no one would fault the cruise line for the unexpected, unless due to a lack of maintenance.

I have a similar opinion as your about the healthy portions and the excellent service at Blu, but have to absolutely disagree about it being at par with a Michelin 3 star restaurant! In my opinion it is not even remotely close to a M3 star. But thanks for the laugh.:D

I was referring to the service. Not the food. Our experiences with Michelin restaurants are as varied as experiences reported for Blu!

I will agree with Cangelmd, seats are too close together. We dined in MDR a few times and for lunch one day we were at a table that was literally perched on the top step of the staircase at the mouth of a crescent landing.

Ridiculous.

As an example

We dined at a Claude Bosi in London.

We wouldn’t have agreed with it being recommended never mind a Michelin star recipient. The fact it is suggests our experience was unusual for them.

I'm still waiting for someone complain that the price went up and their fare wasn't adjust accordingly. To be fair, the price shouldn't be locked in until final payment is made. If they made the fare nonrefundable it would make it even easier.

If the fares for cruises and airlines were not so ...Oh I don't know.....reminiscent of used cars in the 1970's then perhaps people would buy a fare and leave well enough alone. I can tell you with absolution that I do not monitor pricing when I buy a TV or a mobile phone or milk. I don't even pay attention to air fares because if you see it went down, you really have no recourse so in that regard, at least this does have that option.

If pricing was more transparent or consistent, it would be better for the industry image. I always knocked Chanel for locking the prices of their merchandise but in the end, it preserves their product reputation as well as the value for those that buy their product. Even car buying in 2018 is leaps and bounds above this sort of charlatan practice that the travel industry is clinging onto. Any time you book a hotel or an airline ticket and cruises, the wonder is there, did the guy next to me get a better price and for no other reason than his TA or his search engine. Seems a bit unjust.

OP;

Email replied to.

Thanks Dutchclogs, good to know.

OP, I was going to PM you but soon discovered this forum has no messaging function.

If you’d like help, email me at glenn18073@aol.com

I have that address for such occasions where I am posting it in a public forum.

Have at it bot.

No. In my experience it depends on when the price drop occurs; in the US after final payment you can’t get a price drop but can upgrade to a higher category cabin if it costs more than you have paid. That amount could be $5 more could be much more.

 

Before final payment if there is a price drop you can get the lower price but if the lower price has fewer perks or no perks then to get the lower price you would have to give up the perks associated with your original price. Example, you booked with 2 perks and 2 months later you see the price is $250 lower with 1 perk you can have your reservation repriced to save the $250 but will lose 1 perk.

Thanks for the info. I’ll keep an eye out since our perks are from Future Cruise and can’t be retracted.

OP;

I have sent you a PM

We enjoyed Blu for dinner, for breakfast meh... Never used the Persian Gardens since it was on an M-class ship. The persian gardens are like a dark cave on those ships.

Loved Blu restaurant. That’s the only reason I go Aqua class. never used the Persian garden and ask for tea not to be delivered to the room.. do enjoy the afternoon snacks.

This reflects our first and only Celebrity experience thus far.

I've come to the conclusion that breakfast on a cruise as a whole is not up to my standard. I will say that it is entirely my doing as I have a very high expectation for breakfast. I blame the chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Every time I am in Vegas I stay there for just one reason. Breakfast. It has totally ruined me to breakfast anywhere else except home where I can replicate his recipe (since he gave it to me!).

The Persian Gardens is nothing more than fluff. Anything useful like massage or a facial is of course, not included.

We also asked for the tea service to be suspended. It was just so flavorless for all of that color that it got me wondering, what the heck is in it! I prefer Evian if it isn't going to have caffeine or alcohol.

Blu! was exception for dinner. The service impeccable. Easily on par with many 3 star Michelin restaurants we've dined at.

They keep the portions to a healthy size although you can order additional entrees if you so desire.

We're booked for Aqua in two more cruises and we may try a suite if the opportunity presents itself. Any class of stateroom above is cost prohibitive for us. I'd rather take multiple casual vacations a year than just one grand one.

So, it is a prerequisite that taking advantage of a price drop results in lost perks and a fortified deposit?

Useful information as we've been thinking of doing the same.

I wonder, can this be done if a passenger is late and misses the ship? Just fly to the next port and board then?

My first time on Celebrity and at the Tuscan Grill I left 20%. Oh well, got me once. I didn't realize 18% was already factored in.

That said, I did tip for great service at the others but at a more commensurate percentage.

It was pretty easy, actually. Our cabin steward told us that our shower floor and part of the main bathroom floor were scheduled for re-tiling. He asked us if we had any plans for really long days in port coming up, because the tiles would need about 6-8 hours with no one walking on them. The ship had an overnight in Kobe, and we knew we were going to go ashore early, take the Shinkansen to Kyoto and get back quite late. The re-tiling was done when we were out, and our steward left a note telling us what time they had finished, and what time we could step on the floor again. We were back well after that time, so it was no inconvenience at all. The floor looked fantastic afterwards, too!

You're more forgiving than I would be. I would not be accepting to having the ship perform that level of maintenance with that degree of intrusion without knowing in advance of the booking (and I accepted it then) AND it came with a stateroom discount.

When I vacation, I pay for what ever space it is to call our own. I expect to leave the worries, concerns and realities of every day life at the airport, cruise terminal or parking lot. Having to schedule a tile repair falls outside of this purview.