fleckle

31 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Personally I think this should be one of the things that should be part of the pre cruise requests through the shoreside concierge.

 

I agree.  But either way, we are paying for them regardless of whether or not we want or use them, rather like all those unwanted and unused slippers they provide that many of us keep leaving behind cruise after cruise.

It would be better if they would provide a list of amenity choices and let us pick the ones we want, as they do with the perks. 

Or better yet, include a "none of the above" option at a reduced price.

One consideration not yet mentioned is their plan for coping should any of them become ill and need to be confined in the windowless cabin for several days.

You always think it won't happen to you, but that is the sort of thing that occurs when you least expect it.

42 minutes ago, joseph123 said:

There was a major price drop for my upcoming Infinity cruise on Jan 13 and Celebrity let me update to Aqua class for the same price that I booked a standard balcony cabin even though I had already made my final payment, so I am really happy about that. The cabin I chose is #9114 on deck 9 which has the very large overhang above the balconies. The cabin is in the area below the buffet restaurant in one of the indented alcove areas in between the bays above. Can anyone comment on how this cabin compares to any of the others on this deck?

The answer depends on whether you are a shade lover or a sun lover.

The overhang is great for shade lovers, and the cabin is in a relatively quiet, convenient location between the central and aft elevators. 

You can sit out on your balcony and stay dry even when it is pouring rain. 

You may need to duck down a little to take photos if you want to avoid the overhang.

But if you are a sun lover, you would probably be happier moving up to one of the Aqua cabins on deck 11 as you are unlikely to get sun on the balcony of 9114, except perhaps late in the day if your cabin happens to be facing west.

We signed up for the "Inside Access Behind-the-Scenes Ship Tour"  because we had non-refundable OBC left to use up.  We had previously taken all the separate tours that Celebrity used to  provide free of charge (such as bridge tours, engine control room tours, galley and restaurant tours, backstage theater tours).

The "Behind the Scenes" tour for a fee seemed rushed as they tried to cram it all into just over 2 hours, so we kept being told that we needed to move on.

It did not even include the backstage theater area, which they were now selling as a separate tour for an additional fee.

It did include the laundry room, and some storage areas that we had not visited before.

People who had taken the same tour previously reported that they also got to visit some of the crew quarters, so we were expecting to do the same.

However, we were disappointed to be informed that crew areas were off limits to us when we took it.

By comparison, the free separate ship area tours that Celebrity offered in the past were much more leisurely and comprehensive.  They used to offer a beverage of choice (alcoholic or non) and snack (often chocolate covered strawberries) at each location visited. 

On the free galley and restaurant tours, we would be offered several foods to sample.

That did not occur on this latest combination tour, for which they charge a hefty fee, considering that it costs them nothing at all to provide.

10 minutes ago, cruise kitty said:

BTW:  Still hope you'll get a passport ;)

Glad that it worked out this time for the OP because leaving the country without a valid passport book is always risky. 

There are too many possibilities for things to go wrong and there is no way to predict what may happen in advance. 

Even on a cruise where a passport book is not a requirement, it is well worth the price of obtaining one,  if only for peace of mind.

Just a couple of examples from personal knowledge: 

 A friend missed the ship at the embarkation port due to circumstances beyond his control and needed to fly to a downline port to board. 

If he had not had his passport book with him, he would not have been allowed to do so and would have missed the entire cruise.

When a family member needed to take her child to a medical facility at a port for treatment after a fall, they were unable to return to the ship in time before the ship's departure.

Fortunately, they had left their passports in their cabin safe.

So before the ship left port, their passports were retrieved from the safe and left for them with the port agent, who made arrangements for them to fly to the next port, stay at a hotel overnight,  and re-board the ship the next day.

18 hours ago, glynden76 said:

Hello I’m in cabin 6035 on the celebrity millennium ship in February and was just wondering what the sweet 16 cabins are only I’ve read that this is one?? Can anyone help please.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here is the classic photo that is typically  re-posted on this board whenever someone asks about these cabins.

6035 is on the opposite side of the ship, at the corresponding location to 6030 shown here.

Notice how the labeled balconies 6016 - 6030 are deeper than the balconies of the cabins on deck 7 right above them.

The cabins themselves are no larger than others in the same category.

16 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

Currently this is the subject of negotiation at the moment although having all the expense on the one account is easier. 

No need for concern in advance because you can always change the arrangements once you are on board.

A few examples:

    Switch from using a cash account to a credit card account, or vice versa; 

    Change to use a different credit card for your account than the one you originally register;

    Move another person's account on or off your credit card;

    Move OBC from one person's account to another person's account.

      (This can be very handy when several people want to pool their onboard credit to make a major onboard purchase.)

3 hours ago, hopeless holiday booker said:

OK.  Just had celebrity on the phone.  You do have to get off the ship, find your luggage and clear immigration and customs and then you get back on - apparently they have somewhere special to hold your luggage and you can use all the facilities, can drink as if you have a classic drinks package.  Any extras like speciality dining for lunch you can pay for on your credit card but the buffet is all yours!

But unless things have changed recently, you lose the use of the most important facility of all -- your stateroom.

When we inquired about this program (granted, it was a few years ago), we were told that we would be restricted to the public areas of the ship only.

That totally killed its appeal for us, as what we really wanted most that day was the use of our own private stateroom and balcony.

Essentially, we wanted the equivalent of a late hotel check-out time, which this was not.

It was more the equivalent of checking out of your hotel room, but then hanging around in the public areas of the hotel for a while, which just about any hotel will let you do after you check out of your room without charging you an extra fee.

1 hour ago, LSKC said:

Can someone please document and share how this goes for them? We fly out of FLL to Toronto at 2:30 so we will likely  need to be at airport by 12 noon i'm guessing. So we only have a few hours to burn but don't want to do it sitting in the airport.

Maybe you can find an excursion with airport transfer that will fit your schedule, either through the ship or privately.

5 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

im currently on the silhouette and saw a lady with a cat carrier.

there was something moving inside, so im assuming a cat.

 

i know seeing eye dogs are allowed for the visually impaired but Celebrity now allow cats??

 

That is interesting.  Here I had been thinking that Captain Kate was the only one with a cat on board.

On 11/22/2019 at 7:15 AM, Darspurs said:

Definitely good value for me - We are going from Dubai to Singapore in March and our flight home is not until around 11pm as the cruise doesn't depart from Singapore until 8pm this will be ideal and far better than going to a day hotel.

Guess it depends on what you want.

For the price they charge you to stay on the ship a few hours longer, we would much rather get a day room at a hotel where you have your own private bed where you can stretch out and nap,  your own private bathroom, desk and TV.

9 hours ago, Pickels said:

We usually request luggage tags to be sent, why?  Because when they arrive, it means we're getting close to cruise departure time,

We used to order luggage tags years ago when we first started cruising.

But one time we were busy with other things and forgot to order them.

Amazingly, we managed to know when we were getting close to cruise departure time, even without having luggage tags. 😉

The porters quickly tagged our bags and took them away.

So ever since, we have had the porters at the pier tag them for us. 

We are going to tip them either way, so it is fastest and easiest just to let them do the tagging.

3 hours ago, Tkristop said:

 What would you more seasoned cruisers recommend—stay with 1111 or move down?  I like to relax on the balcony some in the mornings and afternoons, and should it rain do the balconies get really wet on 11?  Oh, and this will be after the ship has been revolutionized if that matters. Thanks in advance for your help! 

Both have pros and cons, so it is a matter of personal preference.

Deck 11 if you prefer sun and don't mind your balcony getting wet when it rains.

There is very little overhang.  You get unobstructed views for taking photos from those  side balconies on deck 11.  But they can get quite hot on warm weather cruises.

Deck 9 if you prefer shade and want to be able to sit out on your balcony and stay dry in all weather, even when it is pouring rain. 

Some people complain about the large overhang on deck 9 getting in the way when taking photos from their balcony.

2 hours ago, Mark_T said:

I see on the celebrity website the following for men's 'smart casual' : Pants or jeans with a short sleeve sport shirt.

 

Yet I've seen on a few posted copies of the onboard material a reference to 'long sleeve sport shirt' ...

 

So which is it?

 

Either is fine.

In the evenings you will see a mixture of both, and even some men wearing jackets of one kind or another; the entire spectrum of dress from extremely casual to formal.

For the women, just about anything goes.

The way the current dress code was described by the officers when it was first introduced, about 4 years ago, was for passengers to express their individuality and wear whatever makes them happy, not for everyone to dress alike.

9 hours ago, ozark74 said:

Boarding will still start about 11:00 am as long as there are no problems. The lifeboat drill is at 4:45. As someone already said you have to use a taxi to go anywhere. Better to board later and stay onboard.

I agree.  Much better than wasting your time traveling back and forth just to drop off luggage.

For sailaway, be out on the port side of the ship to catch the wonderful panoramic views along the city's waterfront as the Summit slowly backs out of the bay. 

It is really attractive, cruising past the buildings and docks and boats, seeing them all illuminated at night.

Then after the ship turns around and starts moving forward, cross over to the starboard side for a glimpse of El Morro  as you sail past it, although lately it has mostly been in the dark as they haven't been doing a very good job of lighting up the fort at night.

2 hours ago, anniedave said:

We also want to record our adventures ourselves and are hoping to purchase a new camera in black Friday or Jan sales. We dont want to spend loads but want something that can be used underwater and will take a decent photo without too much effort of changing settings etc. Any recommendations?

Thanks is advance for any help and advice.

 

Just a suggestion:  you may want to post this question on the Photo & Camera forum.  Here is a link to it: 

           Photo & Camera Discussions - Cruise Critic Community

       By the way, it has been our experience that many guides on excursions will even take pictures of you with your own camera.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise and find out that you enjoy cruises as much as we do.

12 hours ago, EatonDoolittle said:

 

Why in the world would one bother the steward with this simple task? Maybe it is difficult for some to bend down and remove the items? 

 

I simply toss an empty  grocery bag in my suitcase and empty the minibar into it myself.  

Let the steward know where it is stashed (usually in the closet somewhere) and I don't get charged.

I put it back on the last night, takes all of 90 seconds out of my vacation time.  

What am I missing here?  

Apparently you have been very lucky so far in not incurring any charges for missing minibar items.  Many other Celebrity passengers have not been so fortunate.

We ask our stateroom attendant to remove everything from the minibar at the beginning of the cruise and would never empty it ourselves simply because we don't want to be responsible for the minibar inventory,  whatever may be in there or whatever may be missing.

If there is a discrepancy in billing at the end of the cruise, we can honestly attest that we never removed any items from the minibar.

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

 

Lights on the balcony can be disturbing to the passengers next door.   DH and I took a cruise in May and the passengers in the cabin next to ours had lights that shown bright into our cabin all night long.  Light came through every crevice.  😞

We had that same problem on our very first cruise, only it was the bright light on our  own balcony that stayed on all night long.

We grumbled to one another about how annoying it was, but naively figured it must be some kind of safety requirement to leave the balcony lights on at night to make the ship visible in the dark.

Apparently our neighbors did not complain (although they were probably cursing us privately), so it was not until we were several days into the cruise that we discovered the switch to turn off the balcony light was right there in our own cabin.

We had never noticed it before because It was hidden behind a curtain.

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

 

wait.. what?

u left the ship at 6am and got to the airport at 9am?!

 

um.. my flight is at 9:45am. (ship docks at 6am)

should i change it???

(im doing walk off and 1carry-on  luggage)

 

Under normal circumstances, you should be fine.

Even if the ship arrives at 6 am, they won't start letting passengers off until the ship has been cleared.

Do online check-in and get your boarding pass the day before .

That way when you arrive at the airport you can put your bag through the agricultural scan, then go directly through security and out to your gate, without needing to stand in a check-in line.

If you have pre-check, that helps to speed things up going through security as they do have a pre-check line at SJU.

Many passengers who self-disembark have reported being seated at their departure gates by 8 or 8:30.

But remember Murphy's Law, so do know your backup options, just in case......

34 minutes ago, MaggieAtSea said:

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  We already typically pack the indoor and outdoor lights to make it more magical on the veranda.  Someone talk me out of fa-la-la-ing our lovely digs... but, on the other hand, it might be just the thing.  Thoughts???

It is not something that I would want to do, but if it something you would enjoy, as long as it does not negatively impact anyone else, why not go for it.

Do consider how the lights work, however.

If you need to plug into the ship's electricity, it would be a good idea to contact them in advance to find out whether or not that would cause any safety issues.

In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact them and get approval in advance regardless of how they work, even if your lights are battery operated.  They would need to be secured to eliminate any risk of anything blowing overboard.

There may be restrictions on what items are/are not allowed out on the balconies.

The location of your cabin may also be a factor.

For example, they don't want  lights from passenger cabins on at the front of the ship at night and ask the passengers in those cabins to keep their curtains closed at night.

7 hours ago, LibrarianBecky said:

 

Our flight out of San Juan does not depart until 3:45.  I would love to explore Old San Juan, instead of sitting at the airport.  What do you do with your luggage while touring, though?

If you take a commercial tour on the disembarkation day (either ship sponsored or private) the tour operator will take your luggage and transport it to the airport for you, either in the same vehicle with you,  or in a separate vehicle.

AFAIK Celebrity offers a tour of San Juan and a tour of the rain forest that day, as do some private tour vendors.

When they took our luggage to the airport in a separate truck, they gave us a claim check for each piece that we needed to show to retrieve the luggage when we arrived at the airport.

Our bus dropped us off at the airport right by the place where our luggage was stored.

Or just pack earplugs.

That's what we always do, realizing that we may get a noisy hotel room, where we typically don't get to pick a specific room. 

Then there are the crying babies or snoring passengers on airplanes as well, and some music venues where the sound is too loud -- even in the Celebrity theater from time to time.

1 hour ago, Highpeaklad said:

There’s a new U.K. website and it’s just awful. 

Before you could easily see all the prices for the different categories and now you can’t. 

 

Thanks for letting us know.

Many of us here in the USA liked using Celebrity's UK website to look up stateroom availability because it was so much better than their poorly designed US website, which is inefficient and cumbersome to use.

I guess the UK web people chose to ignore the old saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Oh well, it looks like we will now just need to use a third party site instead.

On 9/29/2019 at 12:12 PM, Lgfraser said:

Can you advise what the key differences between Celebrity/Royal Caribbean are? Any top tips or advice would be very welcome!

 

We agree with the   12 Special Touches That Will Make You LOVE Celebrity Cruises

but would like to add one more very nice Celebrity touch.

On other cruise lines,  our own stateroom attendants and waiters treat us well, but other ship employees we pass around the ship pretty much ignore us, unless we happen to address them directly.

On Celebrity cruises however,  it seems that almost every ship employee you encounter, even those who casually pass by in the hallways,  will greet you and appear genuinely happy to have you aboard. 

If you seem puzzled or have any question or problem, they will go "above and beyond" out of their way to assist you, even if you are not one of "their" passengers or if what you need is not within their area of responsibility.

On 10/3/2019 at 7:08 AM, charlielinda said:

If you are on a 13 day cruise as Elite do you get an extra bag because of duration.  

 

 

When we take two 7 day cruises back-to-back, we receive all the Captain's Club perks again for the second week (including a second set of laundry coupons).

But if we take a 14 day cruise, we only receive one set of perks, the same as for a 7 day cruise!