phoenix_dream

In addition to other points mentioned,  if there is motion to be felt, it is felt more all the way aft or forward. With a lot of sea days that could be a consideration for anyone prone to seasickness.  

Honestly I'm kinda put off by the title of your thread. Most suite passengers would never in a million years do or say something like that. They are no more or less rude than any other group of passengers.  Is it possible that perhaps he was trying to be funny? Obviously he was not, but sometimes especially with a few libations people think they're comedians. See it all the time on these boards as well as other social media. Not appropriate for sure, but perhaps not meant as ill intentioned as it certainly seemed. 

15 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We wouldn't pay for it either but if they are charging $79 I would expect a buffet and martinis from the martini bar at minimum.  Not just cheap sparkling wine and mimosas. 😁

For sure!

The medicine is meclizine and the cheapest place to get it is Walmart.  They have two kinds so make sure to pick meclizine.  The other kind works but makes you much more drowsy and you have to take it more often.

21 hours ago, CTSandy said:

I was on the Summit August 30, 2023 New England/Canada cruise.  I was invited to the sailaway from Prince Edward Island.  I have done many of the sailaways and skipped it, but was surprised to see they offered sailaway from Quebec for $79 pp.  Apparently some ports are more desirable for a sailaway and can generate revenue.

$79 for a sailaway!?!? That is just plain crazy. I don't care what the port is I would never pay to do that. It's not that great to begin with. We've done it, but often skip invites as it's more comfortable on our balcony or an outside deck.

6 hours ago, netpj said:

On the subject of Uber or taxi, can someone please advise approximate travel time to Terminal 6 LAX from harbour on a weekday morning?  Thanks!

I agree plan an hour. On our March cruise it took about 30 min to get to the airport and then 30 more to get to the gate area. It was madness. Bumper to bumper to bumper.  And that was without any accidents or major issues on the roads

8 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

No it won't be double and it isn't even very likely that they'd do surge pricing, since not that many people off the ships in San Pedro use Uber. The cruises out of San Pedro tend to be an older crowd and a lot of them stick to the old methods.

And yet on our cruise out of San Pedro this past March there definitely was surge pricing. I agree it tends to be an older crowd that doesn't use Uber as much. All the more reason for Uber to try to get as much $$ as they can. I'm not claiming it always happens,  but it doesn't hurt, and very well may help, for people to book ahead of time. Since it costs no more, why not pre-book to be confident you are getting the best price.

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Yeah no kidding. I recently booked the Beyond for March and return flights from Pearson  are just under $800.  Thinking of booking with Celebrity and flying out day of cruise. Any advice?

My advice is no way in you-know-where would I ever fly in the day of, especially these days.  For one thing, these days flights are almost always 100% full.  So what happens if your flight gets cancelled?  You may not be able to get on another that day, and certainly not in time to make the ship.  Or maybe not even the next day.  Will Celebrity ultimately hook you up with your cruise?  Yes if they can.  But it may be mid-way through it.  Not a chance I would take after spending thousands of dollars on a cruise

On 9/17/2023 at 4:49 PM, princeton123211 said:

You are docking in the middle of a major city. As negn mentioned, Fishermans Wharf is just down the street from where your ship docks and is easily walkable. 

 

Alcatraz does require a ferry, but more importantly it requires reservations for that ferry which can sell out in advance. There isn't really a need for an excursion but I would book and reserve the tickets for Alcatraz well before your cruise date-- you'll avoid the markup the cruise line has on it. If they were sold out directly then I would consider booking the cruise line excursion. 

Completely agree with your advice.  Reserve Alcatraz ahead of time.  Easy to walk down to Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39.  The area is reasonably safe.  These days wouldn't venture too far into the city, but along the embarcadero it is mostly tourists, with an occasional homeless person here or there.

On 9/16/2023 at 11:30 AM, scottca075 said:

 

Los Angeles isn't Fort Lauderdale. FLL can have 5 ships in at the same time with another 5 at MIA. LA it is usually one ship, sometimes two, but seldom more.

I'm completely aware of that.  Long time cruiser.  But Uber still will get an extra buck when they can.  Having fewer ships doesn't necessarily prevent them from surge pricing.  Will it be double?  Can't say that for sure, but definitely can be more expensive.

I don't have the answer to your question.  But we have gone to the sports bar in Pier 39 to watch games and it was very nice.

15 hours ago, CruisersTimesThree said:

They don’t ask for your social security number to join their loyalty program. They ask for a drivers license or other ID. 

Agree.  And I was wondering where the social security number would come into play.  And then it occurred to me - if you win a $1200 or more jackpot, they have to fill out a form which includes your social security number.  I wonder if they then enter that number somewhere into their system?  I hope not.  It's been years since that's happened to me, but it has happened in the past.

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

The Aqua cabins are about 20 sq ft larger than a regular veranda.

Agree.  That's another good reason to book Aqua or Concierge on M class, price permitting.

Celebrity is not consistent with these things.  You might have a full moon party on deck one night on a Caribbean cruise.  They don't call it a white night party anymore (at least on sailings I've been on) but some do wear white.  

3 hours ago, tigervixxxen said:

What is subjective is how much the difference matters to people. 
 

To me what is not subjective is the fact that there has been a pretty noticeable change in the MDR menu and the disbelief at times that it has occurred is what I really don’t understand. 

Totally agree.  People can choose to like or not like the current menu and quality.  That is subjective.  But much of the so called "whining" is stating facts, not opinions.  The menu choices have been reduced.  Fact.  Some things that used to be free (on at least one day) are now costing quite a bit of $$ now.  Fact.  The quality of the food has declined overall.  Fact.  The menu is now laden with much less expensive and creative dishes.  Fact.  And the prices have risen substantially from a few years ago, well beyond the amount of inflation, often as much as double what they were.  Fact.

14 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The majority of my posts were before the cutbacks and therefore were positive.  Rather than write a BS novel, you could press the ignore for all those that both you

I know.  I was often accused - directly or by inference - of being a Celebrity cheerleader.  Now I guess I would be considered one of the whiners.  Am I supposed to just sit back, pay huge prices, and suck it up buttercup?  Not gonna happen.  I'll continue to tell it like it is - both good and bad.  If not for boards like this I would never even know about many of these changes and attempted tests as Celebrity certainly won't tell you ahead of time.  I usually like to book way ahead - in fact have 7 upcoming cruises on the books.  Before I invest more with these outrageous prices they are charging now I would like to know what the current experience is like.  When I board, I will do so with a positive expectation as I have always loved Celebrity (for 75+ cruises over 20+ years).  If the value for the money is just not there anymore I will be looking at other lines as possibilities for the first time in that 20+ years..  And I will be happy to report back on my experience - telling the truth of the good and the bad so others can weigh that opinion when making their own decisions.

50 minutes ago, rmedistro said:

Because the whiners don't enjoy the menu, and assume no one does. Or because they don't, YOU shouldn't either. It's past ridiculous.

We cruise four times a year. I am always in a better state of life on a cruise 

The mdr menu has been considerably modified and not in a good way. That is not whining, that is fact. Quality and enjoyment of food is subjective.  This board is called Cruise Critic, not Celebrity cheerleaders. People rightly post both the good and bad.  No one says what you should or should not do. That’s your choice. But because someone is stating a negative point does not make them a whiner, any more than stating a positive point makes them a blind loyalist ( like some have been called). 
 

If not for these boards and other social media we wouldn’t even know about some of the changes until we already paid our high price and boarded. Agree that all reviews of opinions should be taken as such, one persons opinion, and given credence as such. But I for one want to hear what people are thinking and experiencing and I have the intelligence to evaluate trends versus mindless ranting, as most people do.

35 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Perhaps the banner across the Carnival website page concerning system upgrades and management this week end could be a clue?

The Carnival website?? 

8 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We got special order filets in Muranos by requesting it a day in advance.  We were celebrating our anniversary and it probably did not hurt that we bought some expensive wine several times in Muranos.

Are you talking about the specialty restaurant Murano? That would be a whole different scenario than Luminae

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

 

 

It's probably just me but if a holiday company started with any of that nonsense about putting in bids to upgrade to a higher level I'd tell them where to shove it.

Doesn't anyone have any self-respect these days ?

The more you indulge these grifters the more they're going to rip you off.

 

I think it is just you. The move up program gives you a shot at sailing in a cabin you may not have been able to afford before.  What does that have to do with self respect?   If I want to gamble and try to attain a better cabin that I couldn't afford or cost justify at original booking you disrespect me?? And how do you figure that's ripping anyone off?  Someone gets a nicer cabin at a better cost and Celebrity gets a little more $$. Sounds like win-win to me.

3 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

In the past suite guests could special order a filet mignon any night without an upcharge. Since they cannot get the $20 MDR filet for free, can they still get a special order filet for free? Would seem not !!!

That would really make me unhappy for the amount we are paying for suites! Not a big fan of Luminae menu so we often ordered a filet instead. If I now have to play $20 for it that may be the last straw for my sailing with Celebrity in the future!

On our September cruise last year it was also at hurricane time.  They re-ordered our ports.  We had to skip two ports due to hurricane damage, and we added overnights in Quebec City and Portland.  Surprisingly (to me) the seas were some of the calmest I've ever experienced in 20+ years of cruising.

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

The size of the Solarium crowd is as unpredictable to predict as the weather😉

I'd give a yes and no response to that.  If the weather is bad, and it is a sea day, the Solarium will be crowded.  I've never seen otherwise in many, many cruises (unless perhaps the seas are really rocky).  If it's nice outside, the outside pool area will probably be the worst.  

I don't like the new butler situation, but the main thing for me right now is cost.  They are taking away gratuities from all included, as well as taking away suite OBC.  Each of those add up to a considerable amount of $$.  Will the prices come down?  Stay the same anyway?  Rise even more?  We have a couple of weeks to see.

1 minute ago, beijing said:

Thanks everyone

We booked a 920am flight and it should be no problem

Provided of course there are no issues 

Wow, you are very brave.  I would definitely have a back-up plan just in case.  These days flights are usually 100% full (especially on cruise port days) and getting another flight could take awhile.  Hopefully you have some type of priority like TSA precheck or something.  And aren't flying international.  I would also recommend getting in line very early as the early passengers line can get very, very long.