phoenix_dream

I disagree somewhat with the thought that you can always find availability if you wait to book onboard. The appointments for days at sea can go very quickly, particularly if there are few days at sea. If there are many days at sea and/or you don't mind missing part of a port day then you can always find what you want. But if there are few days at sea, and ports you really don't want to miss, I recommend booking ahead of time if you can. There are indeed deals onboard, but they are usually for either very expensive treatments, or appointments during less desirable times. So it makes a difference what is important to you.

In our 20+ years cruising Celebrity that is one thing that has never changed for us - we have never had a problem with that request. Our last experience was last September. The only change has been that they used to remove the beverages from the cabin completely - now they put them somewhere else in the cabin. I can't speak for this year, but would be surprised if they changed this.

I notice you have only posted a few times on these boards, so I'll try not to flame too much:). No one should really be advocating doing what you are suggesting. Can you imagine if a lot of people read this and then decided to try it? The crew really scrambles in-between sailings to get the ship back to being in excellent condition for the next passengers. How could they possibly do this if a lot of people were still lingering around past their departure time? It is really unfair to them, not to mention walking a fine line on the honesty scale. I am not sure if it is even possible (if they even clear the ship for new passengers until they confirm all have left) but it is certainly not something that should be done for so many different reasons.

We love sitting by the window! not to nervous about a once in a million of a window breaking :)

 

CelebrityDining@celebrity.com

 

Make sure you include all the sailing info

thank you!

Personal email should be protected by anyone who has been given direct access by a host or hostess. There is a generic email but many do bother to respond to any passenger's email. Try contacting Captain's Club to pass on a message from you to the ship.

I can do as you suggest. I was not implying someone should pass on an email given them directly by a host/hostess. It seemed from some of the postings that when contacting the generic Customer Service line for Celebrity, they were given a more specific email. That is what I was asking about.

Agree with all the above as important considerations. Also, you will get a 'probably' or 'maybe' answer in most cases. Anything earlier than the cruise lines suggested departure time is not a 100% guarantee no matter what some posters will tell you, as stuff sometimes happens (usually delays with Customs). So whatever you decide, if it is prior to the ship's recommended time make sure you know what your back-up alternatives are before finalizing your decision. Depending on the port and airline there may be many; or there may be very few.

I would be interested to know if anyone, anyone at all has ever had the same luck that the OP did? I can see Celebrity matching deals up to the amount they would lose to a TA by paying commission, but certainly not over that - why would they? I have never been a TA so I don't know the answer to this question, but how much do you think TA's get in commission in general? I have to think it is not a very high percentage of the total so I am pretty skeptical that they would match some of the extra perks I have received through the years by using an online TA. But then again I am naïve about the actual percentages they pay as commission. I would love to think Celebrity would do this as I would much prefer handling my own transactions (and being able to reach a live human being 7 days a week, which is not true of my usual online TA). Not to mention the extra cancellation fee:(

I tried to see if I could search this thread to find out an answer to this question, but cannot do so, so please bear with me if this has been answered somewhere in the past.

Is there any way to contact the CC host/hostess via email prior to cruising? On our upcoming cruise we are going to be taking our aunt on what is likely to be her last cruise (she is elderly and has more and more difficulty getting around). She is a loyal Celebrity cruiser and I would love to see her get some sort of small recognition from the host/hostess.

Can you share the email address you were given to request a specific table location? We have had no luck doing this in the past, and limited luck in changing tables while onboard as most cruises are pretty full these days.

Been traveling with my now 27 year old son on cruises since he was 3. He rarely used the kids club anyway, and has grown up absolutely loving cruises (and spoiled by Celebrity). So no worries. The solarium pool is heated, although it is not real warm like the t-pool on M class ships. It is usually adults only, but often on colder cruises like this they will open it up to children during certain hours of the day only. The kids can always use the hot tubs in the main pool area whenever they are open provided they are no longer in diapers (not implying your kids are:), just making the point)

As has been said, look at the available cabins in that category and if any are not acceptable to you then do not take guarantee. But be advised, even some cabins that now seem booked could open up and if they are less desirable you could end up in one. I understand when you receive your cabin assignment you can request a change to any other open cabin in that category. But as a guarantee, there is no guarantee that they will keep you in that cabin (although I think they usually do). It is really luck of the draw. If there are not a lot of CC cabins left, then you even have a chance of being upgraded to a higher level cabin. Not likely, but possible (seems to happen most often to cruisers new to Celebrity whom they are trying to impress IMHO).

I am not clear on your question as one cannot book a table per se. All you can do is request a specific table size. Once you are onboard you can see where your table is and request it be changed if you are not satisfied. You may or may not be successful depending on how crowded the ship is. Ideal location varies based on personal preference. Some like being in the center of the room where they can see 'the action' all the way around. Some like being by the window, although for late seating there is not much to see out the window. Some like secluded tables in a corner somewhere where it is more quiet.

I notice your title says select dining as well. For that dining you will have a different table every night (unless a favorite happens to be available when you arrive). For the regular MDR you will be at the same table each night.

I would suspect that any unfortunate cruiser who contracts Norovirus will do their level best to stay healthy on subsequent cruises.

 

I fell ill from Norovirus on Carnival Freedom in 2012. I'm 42 years old and I have never felt so poorly. I wanted to die. I'm being serious.

 

Now we hope for the best and plan for the worst. EVERYONE should carry packs of powdered Gatorade/Powerade with you. If anyone in your cabin falls ill, they're convenient and will save you $$$. Plus, you won't find yourself running around the ship looking for the one bar that stocks Powerade like we did on Carnival Freedom. Oh yeah, it's also handy for anyone nursing a hangover.

 

Also, be sure to carry Phenergan and Immodium. Both are inexpensive, easy to acquire and could quite literally save your cruise. My son and I were laid up for a day but these meds got us back on our feet well enough to enjoy Aruba the next day. They also helped us enjoy the rest of the cruise and not be stuck in the cabin.

 

Finally, do yourself a favor and pack several sets of food handler gloves. I suppose you could use them at buffets, etc. But if anyone gets sick in your cabin, using these gloves can help you keep from getting sick or going insane from repetitively wiping surfaces, knobs, etc. down to keep from getting sick.

 

Create a little "crash bag" with these items in it and throw it in your suitcase. Don't let fear ruin your vacation; prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

You might not be aware, but norovirus is contagious for up to TWO WEEKS after you are sick, so by going out the next day you were likely spreading the virus all over the place:(. Phenergen and Immodium may help the symptoms of the virus, but they do not cure it any faster unfortunately.

But that said, considering that it can be transferable for up to two weeks, there is really very little an individual or the cruise line can do to totally stop it's spread; it can only be minimized. All one can do is take reasonable precautions and cross your fingers. I really dislike posts where the implication is that if everyone suddenly started practicing good handwashing hygiene and so on that the virus would no longer be an issue. If only. I am extremely diligent about washing my hands, using my knuckle to press elevator buttons, not holding handrails (unless the ship is a rockin':)), using the Advanced Purell hand sanitizer right before I eat anything, and on and on. Yet despite these precautions, I have caught noro once on a cruise ship, and on my last two cruises I caught a very nasty cold (once mid-cruise and once the last day). There is only so much that can be done. These viruses (especially noro) are extremely contagious and will always be an issue until which time as a vaccine is developed (which is now under testing and hopefully will be ready to go in a couple of years). It is not a 'cruise line disease' as it is often called, it just gets so much publicity when a cruise ship is affected. I had it at home a week or so ago. It is everywhere.

I have sailed all three, and here are my thoughts. On an M class ship, I would be willing to pay a small amount more for CC due to the bigger room size. On S class, I would only pick CC if the location was significantly better, the balcony much bigger, or the price was comparable to a regular balcony. I honestly see little value in most of the other 'perks' that come with CC - they are definitely either "nice to haves", or "I couldn't care less" - not worth much extra $$ to us. On our upcoming cruise we picked CC because our TA was offering an upgrade from the classic alcohol package to the premium for CC and above cabins. The price difference was minimal, so we felt the value was there.

As for Aqua Class, I would pay a small upcharge over a regular balcony but not a lot more. We liked dining in Blu, especially for the breakfasts. We got very little use of the Persian Gardens - there are so many AQ cabins these days that area can get pretty crowded which more or less defeats the purpose. I am not one to drag myself there at 6:00 am just to secure one of the few beds looking out over the ocean. We have only stayed in AQ once, so that is all my experience is based on. The ship was so crowded that we could not even get into BLU during peak dining hours in the evening without a minimum of a 30 minute wait. Was not happy about that. Service was so-so; sometimes good and sometimes horrible. I liked the food and loved the breakfasts and since so many rave about it, I would try it again for the right price.

I go bonkers when some posters tell people that when sailing on these bigger ships you will feel no motion. Either they have never been on a cruise with anything other than smooth seas, or they did in fact feel motion but did not remember it because they were lucky enough not to be bothered by it.

One can absolutely feel motion on these ships! It all depends on the seas at the time - the type of waves and the direction. You can have 7' seas that barely move the ship at all, or 7' seas where it is rolling back and forth - it all depends on the direction of the waves and how the ship is interacting with them - following them, heading into them, or being hit sideways by them. Where you are on the ship of course has a lot to do with it (lower mid-ship being the best) but if you encounter seas as high as 30' (which I have, and by the way it was on a Western Caribbean cruise in the spring), then everyone will feel that motion believe me! Some lucky ones may not be bothered by it (like my DH) but every single person on that ship will feel it - crew included.

BTW, unless it is Alaska, your 18 year olds will likely be allowed to drink - not sure if they need your permission or if they automatically can. Also not sure if it is all drinks, or just beer and wine. But you might want to check into that:). They will be able to gamble as well. When mine was that age he made sure to bring his laptop onboard and when all else failed he amused himself with video games or movies.

Just as a point of interest, if you do your own land tour, you can stay at the Princess lodges - we did that several years ago. We wanted to ride the Alaska Railroad (awesome!!) so did not rent a car, although I would do that next time. A local (meaning, from Alaska) TA did our arrangements and we saved about 1/3 over the ship's prices.

In my experience, the actual population that you'll experience on your cruise will be absolutely nothing like the population of people that post to this message board or enter reviews on this site. Frankly, if they were, I doubt I would like cruising as much as I do.

 

First the population on this board much older and a much more seasoned cruiser. We've been on a few Celebrity cruises and I can count on one hand the total number of "Elites" that we've encountered. More proof of the relative lack of "Elites" on cruises can be seen at embarkation where the lines for Elites are nil while the line for the rest of the lowly masses stretches around the block.

 

Why does that make a difference? Many of these extremely seasoned cruisers seem burned out on cruises. So, they constantly complain about the most insignificant things. They complain about ridiculously trivial things like the music, kids onboard, the clothes people wear on formal night, and whether their room steward left mints on their peoples. In addition, they ache for their glory days back when Captain Stubing and Julie McCoy were running the show.

 

Second, the proportion of people that actually enter reviews on this site is ridiculously tiny. Consider the current reviews on the Silhouette -- there are only 420 reviews for that ship. That ship has been sailing for over 2.5 years -- based on its 2,800 passenger limit, there have probably been 350,000 passengers on board that ship. That means that an minuscule 0.12% of the passengers bothered to write a review on the ship.

 

And who writes online reviews? Have you spent much time on Yelp or this CC sister's site, TripAdvisor? I have been to restaurants with 3 Michelin Stars and received flawless service with the best meal I've had in my life. Yet, if you got TripAdvisor you'll find folks that somehow find lots of fault with the restaurant. The same goes for hotels.

 

When you combined anonymity with wildly unrealistic expectations and a grand sense of entitlement, you're bound to see the reviews you've been seeing.

 

I'm not saying that Celebrity (or anyone else) is flawless. But, you have to take all these online reviews with a bit of context.

I would put money on a bet that you encountered a bunch of 'Elites' on most of your cruises and never knew it. Contrary to what you apparently believe, we do not all go around wearing our status on our sleeve, talking about how entitled we are, complaining about every little thing, or sitting in our rocking chairs lamenting the loss of the Love Boat days :).

There are certainly the snarky comments here and there on these boards, and some people want to blow off steam. But overall, I think people seem way too loathe to give people the benefit of the doubt - it is automatically assumed that intentions are bad. Let's think a minute about how this goes. If I dare to mention I am Elite (even if it is pertinent) I am likely to be accused of being 'Elitest' and thinking I am better than anyone else. If I mention that something has changed for the worst, I am old, inflexible, and of course not the crowd Celebrity wants to attract. If I mention something that went wrong on a cruise, I am too 'entitled', I am a big complainer, my expectations are too high ('wildly unrealistic'), nothing will satisfy me. If I mention Celebrity treats well, but does not cater to, children I am a child hater. Of course the opposite doesn't go over too well either. If I say how much I love Celebrity (which I do, despite the occasional fault) then I get labeled a cheerleader. I think overall people need to chill a bit. I have been on 24 Celebrity cruises to-date and it is very, very, very rare that I encounter anyone who exhibits any of the bad attributes many on these boards get accused of.

I do agree that the reviews and posts on this web site represent a small percentage of actual cruisers. But I disagree strongly with your generalization of the posters on this board, and most especially of their intentions and beliefs.

Approximately 25% of the passengers took ill. That means that approximately 75% of the passengers did NOT get ill. Don't get me wrong, I would not want to be one of the 25%, but this stuff happens this time of year no matter where you are. Last Christmas, it went around my immediate family. Out of 8 of us, 5 got sick - an even higher percentage than this outbreak, and believe me I cleaned my little heart out, and we all washed our hands until they were practically raw:).

Provided they are doing all they can (and my experience has been that they are very diligent in these situations), then I think cruise lines really get the short end of the stick with this stuff. It is not their fault passengers bring it onboard. (sometimes a crew member, but as they are a 'captive audience' cruise to cruise I suspect it is more likely to be a passenger). It is not their fault that it is super contagious. And yet they are the ones who get stuck with major financial set-backs. And then there is the vicious press with their constant headlines about the 'cruise ship virus' - as if.

I am absolutely not without sympathy for those impacted on this cruise, but I think the cruise line is doing all they can in all likelihood.

IMHO it is a WAY different situation to sail with a cold (even a bad one) than with noro. Noro is much more contagious, and in most people's opinion is much, much more unpleasant to suffer through than a cold. To expect people to cancel cruises because they have a cold is silly I think. The average adult gets a couple colds a year and the average for a child I think is four or six or some other high number. Now, if there is a concern about having the flu (not the stomach/noro flu, but the respiratory one) then of course that is a different story as it can be quite serious.

This is not a judgment in any way of the OP - I am giving my opinion in general.

Absolutely love the southern itineraries. We have been on a couple of 10 days that went to Aruba which we absolutely love. Unfortunately, until retirement not all of us can afford to take the two weeks+ off of work that 14 day cruises require. Wish Celebrity would add more 10/11 day deep southern cruises:)

I've always loved the Connie - she is a great ship. Some people who love the larger, newer S class ships just don't like the older and smaller M class ships (of which Connie is one). Unless you have to have everything brand spanking new and more entertainment options, you should like Connie just fine. The t-pool is wonderful - many of us just do not understand why that feature did not transfer to the S class ships. Blu has good food, although Celebrity in general is known for good dining so eating in the main dining room would probably suit you as well. There are also specialty restaurants on Celebrity which are another notch up in quality and service. I personally don't think the whole Persian Garden thing is worth much at all - some like it but I don't think that would influence my decision to pick Aqua Class. Same goes for their other perks, with the exception of Blu. That is a nice experience, and I particularly like eating breakfast there.

I'm going against the flow here. For that amount of money for a five day cruise there is no way I would change cabins. There are advantages to the aft cabins, but for just five days, no way. For that money you could have a couple of specialty dinners for the same cost. If I had a longer cruise with a lot of sea days, different answer.

Welcome to cruising - you have picked an awesome first cruise!

I believe the forts close around 4:00 or so (you can check the SJU website) so that is probably not an option. From the pier, you can easily walk into Old San Juan and look around. There is shopping and restaurants in walking distance (although I am guessing the shops will close around 5:00 or so). Walking around is safe in the daylight hours. I would not suggest you wander far from the dock at night on foot. If your family is into that type of thing, you might want to catch a cab to one of the nicer casino hotels - you can gamble for a bit and catch a nice dinner. Alternatively, you could catch a cab to a nice restaurant as well.

Your best bet for very specific information on this or any other port is to go to the ports of call boards and post your question there. When you go there you will also find a lot of information already posted about each port of call. :)

I also highly recommend handling the land portion on your own. We saved 1/3 of the price that way. We contacted an Alaska based travel agent and had them help us out. It worked very well.