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Hi Cruisers

I just booked a cruise around Japan on Millennium in Apr 2019.

I wanted to book a balcony but they are not availability. I therefore had to settle for an inside cabin which I hate. I really want to do this cruise now due to limited time because of health issues. I really have no choice in this matter.

What's is the best way to stay on top of the possibility of a balcony opening up?

Thanks all.

Your cruise is still a long way off, so the odds are highly in favor of balconies opening up.

In addition to continuing to check for availability yourself, I would suggest checking with several travel agencies and asking them to notify you when balconies becomes available.

When you say "balcony" you will have more options if you also consider concierge and aqua class.

If those categories are available, even if currently out of your price range it would be a good idea to keep watching them, especially as the cruise date draws closer.

While they are usually higher priced, there are times when prices fluctuate wildly and occasionally we see concierge or aqua class cabins priced lower than regular balcony cabins.

As for booking an inside cabin, I am among those who didn't even realize that I had claustrophobic tendencies until I tried staying in an inside cabin with the door closed for the first (and only) time.

I found the experience to be uncomfortable and unpleasant, so am mentioning this as something to consider if you have never stayed in an inside cabin before, especially because you stated that you hate the idea.

While there are lots of passengers who have no problem with inside cabins and save a lot of money by booking them, that is not an option for those of us who are even slightly claustrophobic, or even for those who avoid inside cabins simply because they enjoy having a balcony.

We just sailed on Solstice to Alaska in Aqua Class, and Blu was definitely Smart Casual every night. We saw men in everything from sweatshirt and jeans to suits. DH wore a collared shirt and Dockers pretty much every night and fit right in.

There used to be yet another (unofficial) category for chic nights, chair jackets.

Do they still have indecisive men who carry a jacket into the dining room and never wear it, but just hang it over the back of a chair?

We saw some men do that on a cruise right after they first introduced evening chic, like none of them wanted to wear a jacket, but decided to bring one along anyway, just in case. ;p

That is something we haven't noticed recently.

Then there were a few who would wear ties without jackets.

Once time we were seated at a table near a group of men wearing ties without jackets, and somebody asked why they were wearing them.

The reply was that they serve as a safely precaution. In case of emergency, they can tie all their ties together with trusty Boy Scout knots and use them as as an escape ladder over the side to climb down to the deck below.

Their leader asked what other good reason there could be for wearing a tie without a jacket, and nobody could come up with an answer. :D

Hi. Planning a Baltic cruise next summer. What excursions are available for a person with limited mobility due to ankle and spinal surgeries? Can walk up to a mile but slowly. Can climb stairs...just not too many. Just wondering what the options are. Thanks in advance

Here is a link: SPB Tours

Down near the bottom of the page, there is a form to use for contacting them.

Viktoria is great to work with and responded to our questions very quickly. They provided a folding wheelchair (at no charge) for a member of our party who needed one. It folded up and went right into the back of the van.

The driver pulled it out and unfolded it at each stop, then folded it up and stored it again when we were ready to move on.

The tour operators also offer an optional slower paced, more limited tour of St. Petersburg. But by having the wheelchair provided, all of us were able to enjoy the regular, full two day tour together and our party did not need to split up.

The wheelchair was wonderful for going through the long hallways in palaces and museums, and especially appreciated in the Hermitage.

SPB really goes above and beyond to accommodate their customers.

From talking with other passengers, I understanding that you can't go wrong using any of the major tour providers for St. Petersburg. They all give great tours and get glowing reviews, although there are some differences between them as to the ways that they run their tours.

So for purposes of comparison, you may want to contact a few of the tour operators in advance, describe what you need, and see what responses you get.

That was what we did, and how we came to choose SPB.

Does anyone know where it is on the summit? I know we will find out on the ship but I was trying to help my bf’s parents figure out where to go. They are in a handicap balcony on deck 6.

The muster stations are typically on deck 4, right below the lifeboats on deck 5.

They try to assign passengers to muster stations located in the same general section of the ship as their staterooms, so they only need to go up or down to get to their muster station, not across from one end of the ship to the other.

If the parents are in one of the accessible staterooms in the middle of deck 6, close to the central elevators, I am guessing that their assigned muster station may well be the casino.

But before you start to get their hopes up, they should know in advance that all gambling is shut down during the muster drill.

We have noticed some passengers with disabilities being seated in a small lounge type area right at the entrance to the casino.

If you yourselves are assigned to a different muster station, there is absolutely no need for concern as the crew will take very good care of your bf's parents.

There are always lots of crew members stationed all around the ship who are very willing and eager to assist any passenger who may need help.

They are even eager to assist the passengers who need no help at all.

I've never seen the elevators stopped. However, there is crew urging you to use the stairs if you can.

 

Do get there early.

They just have crew stationed by the elevators to prevent people who don't need them from using them at that time.

I called Captain's Club today to check if the B2B discount was applied to our Jan 2019 B2B and to our Jan 2020 B2B. The answer was that the discount had been automatically applied - no need to request it. I was told that a 7-9 day B2B get $50 per room per leg ($100 total for a B2B) and if over 9 days gets $100 discount per room per leg ($200 total for a B2B) . We are in the U.S.

It is very nice if the discounts were automatically applied, but you should still check your invoices for both cruises to confirm that fact (if you have not already done so).

It is the form you receive from Celebrity that says Booking Confirmation - Guest Copy at the upper right, and you should have received one for each cruise.

The B2B discounts are listed down under the Booking Charges section.

Our B2B discounts were never combined. We always had a separate deduction for each cruise.

I don't know if they still do it that way, but just as long as you receive the correct total discount, that's all that really matters.

I am going to be in a Sky Suite for the first time. I have all 4 perks ..but is the mini fridge in your suite included with the pkgs or does it cost if you take a drink from there?

You will only be charged if you consume the items that are already in the minibar when you arrive.

Easy solution: just ask to have your minibar emptied on the first day.

Then you can stock it with whatever you choose and consume whatever you want from the minibar any time you like.

No problem and no charge.

Really? Not the Concierge/Aqua afternoon things?

 

Honestly I think some heads need to roll, lol.

 

Seriously, you got them because you were Elite, no other reason? Delivered to your cabin? We've been Elite for many years now and never got anything.

Once many years ago we had 2 mysterious bottles of wine delivered to our cabin.

When we questioned the guy who delivered them, he just replied "They are from the ship" and immediately left.

We never did find out why we received them.

I don't even remember which ship it was, but if anyone reading this ever ordered two bottles of wine (one red, one white) and did not receive them, now you know what happened to them. ;p

We have received bottles of wine, chocolate covered strawberries, and other goodies delivered to our cabin on many cruises since then, but on all the other occasions we knew why we were receiving them and who they were from.

We know that the roses we always get on evening chic nights are from the captain's club hostess, even though there is sometimes a card with them and other times not.

Has anyone noticed if there is a "Do Not Disturb" feature on the stateroom phones on Equinox?......

Our experience has been that the captain's club host will give the roommate his/her own special card for admittance to all the captain's club events, or sometimes will put a special stamp or sticker on the roommate's seapass card instead.

I think that is a better way to do it than just assuming that the captain's club host is always going to be present in person at the entrance to all captain's club events whenever you happen to arrive.

Us Canadians call it Loo-min-EH

But isn't that a requirement for all passengers and crew when cruising through Canadian waters or docked at Canadian ports?

People frequently complain about how long the embarkation process takes at Vancouver, undoubtedly due to the port authority's insistence on having the pronunciation drill administered right before the muster drill.

Anyone who seems surprised at finding inconsistencies on the Celebrity website is most likely a newcomer to Celebrity.

Happy Cruiser, where are you hiding now that your famous words of wisdom are needed yet again?

As one of the most knowledgeable regulars on this board, she periodically keeps reminding us that the only consistent thing about the Celebrity website is that it is consistently inconsistent.

I’ve heard of only a few times that a ship held up a departure for a late flight that wasn’t Celebrity ticketed passengers. We had friends flying the day of a Transatlantic and connections were late. There was a relatively high number of people on that one flight going on the cruise....

That is the key right there, the relatively high number of people involved.

They will hold the ship (when and if they can) for a large number of late arriving passengers, but not just for individuals arriving on their own,

(unless you are LLP, or a VIP, or maybe in a penthouse suite). ;p

I’ve never heard of the ship holding a departure for those that only signed up for the airport shuttle and not on a Celebrity fight.....

When using the term "airport shuttle" there is a significant difference between the type of airport shuttle available to the general public at almost any hotel or airport, and the special shuttles that are chartered by the cruise lines specifically for the purpose of transporting their own passengers.

Now I certainly am not claiming that they will always wait for late passengers who purchase their transfers.

There can be many different variables involved in making the decisions of when to wait and how long to wait.

But they do try to wait when they can, especially if there are many people who will be impacted. The people who run the transfer bus do not care (and may not even know) how you booked your air fare, or if you even bought an airline ticket at all.

All they care about is that you bought the ground transfer and your name is on their list.

This is why we find it better to be among "many people" if we must arrive late, instead of trying to wing it on our own.

But when arriving early with plenty of time to spare, we take exactly the opposite approach because we would much rather take a taxi or rent a car than sit around waiting for them to fill a bus.

Like you Denny, we also try to avoid flying in on the day of departure, but on rare occasions a situation arises where that becomes necessary.

Now that I think about it, I cannot recall ever being asked to show an airline ticket when boarding a transfer shuttle. All we ever needed to show was the transfer ticket or voucher.

Ok, this is one possible example. Does this also require the air line tickets to be booked with Celebrity?

Although some passengers do buy a package that includes both air and ground transportation.

I agree 100% with all of the previous responses. Can anyone suggest a situation where it is better to take the Celebrity booked transfer instead of arranging transportation on your own?

It is better to use the ship's transfer if you must fly in on embarkation day and have a tight connection time for getting to the port before sailaway.

In such situations, they are likely to hold the ship for their own transfer bus, if they can, but they are not going to hold the ship for peons like us if we are arriving independently.

They have a list of which passengers they are supposed to pick up and which flights they will be on. So when and if they are able to do so, they will wait for late arrivals.

They can easily check flight schedules so they know when flights are delayed.

This is why people complain when their bus keeps them sitting around waiting for more passengers to arrive.

Your attitude will depend upon which side of the fence you are on.

If your flight arrived early and there were no delays in picking up your luggage, you are eager to get to the ship. So you may get very annoyed if you need to sit around waiting for the bus to fill up with other passengers.

But if it is your own flight arrival that is delayed, then you are very relieved and happy to know that the bus waited for you (even though upon boarding you will get dirty looks from the other passengers who needed to sit there waiting for you). :o

I know it’s best to stay away from the buffet area before you are allowed to go to your cabin. Where is your favorite place to be before you head to your cabin?

We prefer to board the ship after the cabins are available so we can check in and head right to our cabin with no waiting around.

Hard to answer this for someone else as it depends on which features are most important to you and how much having your privacy matters.

With 2 boys, that second bathroom may not matter as much as it would with girls.

But in 2018, when we are all so spoiled and accustomed to having our own bathroom, many of us dislike having only one bathroom for the entire family when we are on vacation,

(even those of us who grew up with the entire family sharing one bathroom).

Would you consider 2 connecting Celebrity Suites instead?

It is just my personal preference, but I think the living rooms of the Celebrity Suites on the M-class ships are much nicer than the living rooms of the Royal Suites.

Best way to use on board credit? Will be on Reflection. We already have perks - premium beverage package, gratuities paid, wifi. Usually on our own or private tours at port, happy with main dining but might try Murano and Tuscan Grille. Dont care for the casino or spa.

For one person the "best way" would be to buy jewelry, for another clothing, for another cosmetics, for another acupuncture treatment or spinning class or photos, and so on.

It is like asking for the the best way to spend cash.

The main differences are that onboard credit can only be used on the ship, and non-refundable onboard credit is spend it or lose it.

However, if you have refundable onboard credit, then you can cash it out at the end of the cruise, or have it refunded to your credit card.

I am in the US and booked a B2B but when I called for the discount I was told since I booked a "discounted" rate (senior rate), I could not get the B2B discount.

We had been given similar excuses in the past as well. One agent even claimed that we were not eligible for it because we already had the maximum number of perks allowed.

Then someone (I don't remember who or I would be very happy to credit that person) told us to call the Captain's Club, and so we did.

Ever since then we have been calling the Captain's Club to get our B2B discounts applied, and have never again had a problem with getting them, no matter which category of discounted rate we had used for the booking.

It is certainly worth a try.

Their toll free US number is

1 800 760 0654

....... I asked if I could have the Waldorf salad that was being served in the MDR and was told that it wasn't possible. REALLY? Something about the two kitchens couldn't accomodate my request.

They can do that much more easily on M-class ships than on S-class ships.

On M-class ships, Blu and the upper level of the main dining room are side-by-side.

Looking at a short cruise on Infinity. We were wondering what AQ and dining at Blu is like on this class of ship as compared to Solstice class. Is it worth it or should we stick to CC or standard verandah categories? Thanks!

Like most types of dining, opinions on Blu are very subjective. I would say to try it at least once, if the price is right, and form your own opinion.

We like the food in Blu and prefer the smaller dining venue to the large, noisy main dining room, but of course there are others who feel differently.

There are also important differences in Aqua cabin location choices as far as sun or shade, privacy issues, noise issues, balcony size, obstructed or unobstructed views.

There is really no ideal Aqua cabin location on an M class ship. They all have advantages and drawbacks.

The best that one can do is to pick a cabin that offers whichever features matter most to you.

Has anyone been able to have chairs only placed on the verandas instead of lounge chairs. We are not much of a sun worshipers but would like to have breakfast on the veranda.

 

Thanks in advance for your time and answers.

The veranda furniture varies depending mainly on the size of your veranda.

But you have no need for concern as they all have at minimum a table and 2 chairs, so you can have meals out on any of the verandas.

Many of the suite veranda chairs recline and can be used in combination with a footrest or a large, partially inflated ball to make the equivalent of a lounger.

Many of the sky suite verandas are really too small for a lounge chair (although people do manage to squeeze them in anyway), while several of the sky suites have verandas that are quite large.

(I am thinking of 6145, 6146, 6131 and 6132, if I am recalling the numbers correctly.)

The higher level suites all have good-sized balconies of varying kinds.

If you should get a veranda with a lounger that you don't want, you can certainly ask your butler or stateroom attendant to have it removed.

They will do just about anything you want to make you happy.

Many of the people reading this who are not in suites are probably already jumping up and down, waving their hands in the air, volunteering to take any lounger that you don't want.

Yes, I remember those days and am really glad that the rules have changed and the dress code no longer applies throughout the ship.

 

It was really cumbersome in the evenings back in those days trying to swim in the pools wearing those tuxes and gowns.

That was always included in the announcements back in the days when they had formal nights and wanted everyone to remain properly attired throughout the entire evening, everywhere on the ship.

Those tux shoes can get very heavy when they are wet, but it would be inappropriate and discourteous to remove one's shoes in a public area on formal night.

Thankfully there are still a few of us on cruise ships who know how to dress properly.

We take great pride in doing our civic duty, swiftly reporting any and all violators to the fashion police.

They're welcome to put in separate tubs, but I haven't taken a shower in a tub for 30 or so years EXCEPT when I'm in one of those M class sky suites. Come on, Celebrity, get with the program. That is SO outdated. And yes, definitely an accident waiting to happen.

The accident is no longer waiting to happen. It already happened.

I know someone who had a bad fall while taking a shower in one of those tubs.

IMHO, the tubs in the M Class Celebrity Suites are even worse than the tubs in the Sky Suites.

If you have a balcony, my suggestion would be to request a copy of the main dining room menu for that evening and order your dinner delivered to your stateroom, so you can enjoy it out on your balcony as you are cruising along.

That is what we like to do whenever we are cruising through a scenic area at mealtime.

We have tried it sitting at a window table in the dining room, but the experience is not nearly as good that way.

The same for viewing wildlife and scenery on Alaska cruises in the summertime when it stays light out very late.