phoenix_dream

I have never, ever heard of OBC being able to be used for upgrades. Maybe it's being confused with FCC?

Not being rude in return, I prefer people not telling me how to feel. Like any gamble, one always hopes they win even if they know they might not. Vegas was built on that concept. Yes I could change my booking but if I could have afforded it I would have done it in the first place.

Yes and no. I have b2b cruises in October and they are both almost sold out. The lower cabins were priced cheaper but certainly not Aqua or above! I'm very sad to see them stop them as they are wonderful! But then after all the changes I am considering other options anyway.

My guess is that it will drop slightly when the change happens then rise again within a few weeks for just this reason. The real test will probably be to check again a month or two out. I'll bet by then it's back to where it was, if not higher

Interestingly I just read an article that Cancun resort bookings are really dropping. Maybe more people are cruising instead.

One of my all time favorite Celebrity shows. I've probably seen it a dozen times or more. Love the music. It also happened to come out about the time my youngest son was starting college. The point of not keeping someone in the nest so to speak to try to protect them really hit me emotionally.

I didn't realize the minimums changed. Interesting.

Thanks for pointing this out for folks. Would it sound too grumpy of me to say that the multipliers are really pretty meager? For example, it takes a heck of a lot of points to go from Elite Plus to Zenith and that gets you a whole 1% more, whereas it's pretty easy to go from Select to Elite and that also gets you 1% more. But at the end of the day, at least its something so I'll stop griping now.🙂

You know what would make it interesting - if it truly is only by who bids the highest, why not make the bids visible to everyone (without names attached of course, and adjusting how they display the amounts based on whatever algorithm they use, or even tell you what position you are in the bidding). Kind of like on Ebay. That way if you knew you were only a few dollars short of winning a bid, you could up your bid if you wanted to. It would create some stress of course, but it would make the whole thing transparent and people would know if they had a chance in you-know-where and could adjust their expectations accordingly. For example, right now I have a bid that is "pending" for which I bid way over mid-point (something I usually don't do). So I am hopeful I may luck into it this time as there are cabins still available in the category. I confess I check my account regularly even though I know I probably won't be told one way or another until right before the cruise. So at the end of the day if I don't get it I will start my cruise disappointed and wondering how the heck much I have to bid to win! (yes, I'll get over it, and yes, I'll do my best to have a great cruise anyway, but still, not a good way to begin the vacation). Honestly, I would rather know now if I am even in the running and then I could adjust my expectations.

One of them is Topper. Not sure of the others.

IMHO Celebrity puts all the best production shows and best guest entertainers on their newest ships to the detriment of their S and M class. Those of us who cruise regularly generally skip the production shows which have literally been the same for years and years. And it is my opinion that the guest entertainment is really going downhill unless you’re on E class. Same for lounge entertainment. Fewer options, shorter sets, and often (not always) lesser talent.

For the first time in more than 20 years and over 75 cruises (save for a couple on Royal with the kids), we are seriously looking into other options. Obviously I love Celebrity and it really hurts to have to look elsewhere but given recent cuts and especially pricing, we are open to other lines. I also really dislike the Royalization in so many ways - adding shorter cruises and changing my favorite ship to a different port to appeal to a younger crowd which will no doubt result in more children onboard (LOVE kids - just prefer not to sail with lots of them), adding visits to a beach amusement park which will do the same, testing vaping, testing selling cookies. Ugh! I have several cruises booked and I will keep them and hope for the best (especially since they are non-refundable deposits). A couple are in Sky Suites, and the rest in Aqua Class. Hoping for the best with the butler team approach and changes to menus, but we'll see how it goes. Very disappointed with the direction Celebrity is taking. Had really hoped to spend the next 10+ years sailing Celebrity but now that is all up in the air as far as I'm concerned.

There's a lot on these boards about Move-Up so I'm sure my question has been touched on here or there, but wanted to address this specifically. Does anyone really know the logic behind who is awarded Move-up bids and who is denied? I don't mean speculation - we've all been doing that since it began. But is there anyone with some true information from a knowledgeable source that knows something about this? Is it strictly based on who puts forth the highest bid in that category? Or is it related to who is paying the most total cost for a cabin (original payment price, plus Move-Up bid)? Does preference go to cruisers new to Celebrity like it often did in the old days before Move-Up began? Is there perhaps preference, particularly with suites, to award cabins to people who have never sailed in one before with the hope that once they try it they won't want to go back? Does anyone understand why if I bid on multiple cabin levels some of my bids get cancelled quickly while some remain as pending? Is this strictly a matter of a lot of people already outbidding me? I confess I may be giving the IT systems way too much credit here, but if I'm not mistaken I think this is managed by an outside source? I confess I am a frustrated bidder, as I've bid many times and never won even when I've bid considerably over minimum. I understand all of it is based on availability first and foremost - obviously winning a bid from an inside or ocean view to some kind of balcony is often easiest as there often are more of those available than suites. I also understand that during the early post-shutdown cruises it was much easier to obtain one due to lesser capacities on ships (although I never won then either). And finally, I understand that knowing the logic behind the awarding at the end of the day won't necessarily change anything, but more clarity would be nice.

I would certainly hope that would not be the case!! Hope we can find out for sure soon as I would cancel my bid if that is the case.

But what about those of us going from Aqua to a Suite? If they are going to remove the gratuities that would cost us a lot of extra $$ beyond our bidding price.

On most ships you will have a selection of free as well as pre-paid movies. I have found the Edge class ships seems to have the most options. On our Constellation cruise we had no movies, but I don't know if that was an issue with our cabin TV or how all the cabins are.

I would honestly be shocked if they allowed you to do that, especially the part about boarding another cruise going back. Essentially you would be taking cabin space on two separate cruises but only paying for one. Even if it were technically allowed under the law (which I doubt) I can't see the cruise line, especially in these days of sky high prices, letting people do that.

On our March b2b cruises they ran all night, but at less frequent intervals. Can't guarantee it is always like that, but it is common for them to handle it that way.

There are pros and cons to each. Other than the awful view on some E class ships in Blu, that doesn't really factor into my opinions. Others might feel differently. Overall, I prefer the menu in Blu as Luminae is a little too fancy for my tastes. On S and M class you can (usually) order off the main dining room menu when either in Blu or Luminae so that helps. On E class they just about always discourage ordering from any other menu in Luminae. Not sure how they handle Blu as I've never sailed Aqua on E class due to the infinite verandas which are anything but. I am not a fan of the Luminae dining rooms on E class (haven't sailed on the newest where they changed the location). The rooms are large and IMHO very loud as there are no separations at all - it's like a big cafeteria dining room to me. On S and M class they are more quiet. Service is good in both, but I'll give Luminae a slight edge on that. Also, I think the tables in Blu are a little closer together than those in Luminae for the most part.

For entry level suites it was never the policy that you could take whatever was in the fridge (and there are still fridges in all cabins). Sometimes butlers would empty them and fill them with your desired pop or beer but that was never official policy. It does seem silly as they are all part of the package but technically this is not a change. You just might have gotten lucky before. Of all the changes, and there are many I don't like, this really isn't one of them.

Sounds like your issues go way beyond internet problems. You are not alone in that.

I'm Zenith. Woo hoo. You're right - nobody cares but me. I think though that sometimes it is appropriate to mention it as it is pertinent to the discussion at hand in various ways. Sometimes it is simply a way to tell people I am very experienced at cruising on Celebrity so if I am agreeing or disagreeing with a point I have some creds. All too often I have seen misinformation shared by those who think because x,y, or z happened on their cruise that is how it is on all of Celebrity. Often not the case. Or it might be a discussion about how the various changes do or do not impact various Captains Club levels. I honestly can say that it is very rare, IMHO, that someone is posting about their Retreat or Zenith or Elite Plus status just to brag or be entitled .I think sometimes people get a little too thin skinned about these things. As a general rule I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt that their intentions were good.

Exactly. Interestingly, I've been accused of being both a complainer and a cheerleader (by inference and post responses at least). I say it like it is. I'm happy to defend the cruise line when it is appropriate and equally willing to call a spade a spade when they fail to meet their promises. I think a review of my posts would confirm that.

I understand your point. At the same time I can't imagine any business advertising a product like that and then telling you it might not work really well in remote locations. I think their defense would be that in this day and age where we have had internet for years, people should be knowledgeable about how internet reception works. Not saying it's the most customer friendly defense, but .....

You will get a ton of conflicting answers. I prefer Tuscan because they have a lot more choices on the menu. I do like the Dover Sole and Strawberry crepes in Murano, but find their choices of starters, soups or salads to be very, very limited and often not very good (to my tastes).