dunedinmaiden

On 6/7/2024 at 8:15 AM, smokeybandit said:

It's really not that elaborate of a thing to need tips or tricks. 

My mother taught me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything!"

I've never had a problem getting diet tonic on any Celebrity ship.

Definitely the Martini Bar

I usually review our upcoming cruises daily.  I'm thinking the loyalty discount is a bit of a marketing ploy.  The day before the loyalty discount verbiage showed up, the same discount was advertised as a pre-cruise rate.  

5 minutes ago, OrtonPark said:

In looking at the daily schedules, I see lots of “free” wellness offerings, like a massage sampler, an evaluation of your stride/posture, wrinkle removal seminar, etc.

 

Are these legit or merely opportunities for a hard sell? 

Opportunities to sell for sure. 

Shorts during the day, pants at night.

I've seen most of them and enjoyed Mama Mia the best -- hands down!  We even went to see it twice in one week 😍

In addition, other people may opt in to the Move Up program creating empty cabins if their bid is accepted.

We were just on the Adventure for Christmas and New Year's.  Early dinner was most definitely 5:00 and I wasn't happy about it.  Dinner at 5:30 was already a challenge for me, let alone 5:00 when I got on board 🙄

19 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Thanks!  I just checked a couple of TA websites and it looks like on their inventory it only shows 1 cabin rather than the "only 2" remaining on RCI's website.   

I've seen that multiple times on RCI's website.  I chalked it up to their infamous IT department 🙄

We have used our D+ BOGO for Chops lunch on two different cruises.  So based upon our experiences, the anwer is yes.

16 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

You are 100% correct.    It is a good warning to all of us to read - even the fine print to make sure we know what is being offered.

 

Back to the OP.    Recently they no longer offer the 1 year to make a future booking and have only offering a 6 month period to book.

To clarify further, I personally went to the Future Cruise Desk while on board in December.  The rep specifically told me that after the New Year, the Future Cruise Certs would be non-refundable 😞

We just got off the Adventure of the Seas for both Christmas and New Year’s. Other than the ship being decorated, there wasn’t a big difference. However, there are a lot of kids. Not all were well behaved, which is actually a reflection on their parents.  

44 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Your deposit has never been automatically refundable just because you used a book later certificate. Or are you saying if you don’t use the certificate the deposit is eventually forfeited? Either scenario conflicts with what the flyer says in cruise documents I just recently received. It says if you do not pick a sail date within 1 year the deposit is refunded. If that has changed I will use the book later form in my edocs instead of the ones they have available onboard and see what happens. 

Yes, if the certificate is not applied within the specified time, it's forfeited.  This was a recent change in the New Year.  The Future Cruise Desk specifically told us this.

13 hours ago, Lastdance said:

As long as you are not booking a suite, the $200 down and extra OBC is most likely the best way to go.  If you do not use your FCC, the money is refundable, but you most likely need to make sure that happens.  We have never had an issue either way, but do what is best for you.  I would not suggest becoming a shareholder either, at this point in time.  The stock is very high and you need to purchase 100 shares minimum.  This also gives you more OBC after you submit the required information.  Additionally, purchasing insurance without needing to worry about pre-existing conditions needs to just cover your downpayment, but you only have 15-21 days to do that after you book!  Maybe I am sharing more than you were asking, but also wanted to share important information just in case.

 

Happy Booking!

I just got off a ship for Christmas and New Year's.  The Future Cruise Desk advised us that after the New Year the Future Cruise Certificates would no longer be refundable.  Use it or lose it!

3 hours ago, rollie said:

About myself, we have done over 39 Celebrity cruises.  In the last few years we have been able to afford the Retreat.  We really liked the experience on Edge class in the Retreat.  That being said, we feel that Celebrities prices have gone through the roof and the Retreat experience is not the same as it once was.  So, we decided to give MSC Yacht club a try.  I think that the only area that Celebrity still excels is service.  I don't think any other cruise line, other than a luxury brand, can beat Celebrities service.  Luminae food is not what it once was.  The service is still top notch, but quality and choices are not what the once were.  The Retreat sundeck is nice, but the Yacht Club is awesome.  Yacht Club is much bigger than the Retreat sundeck.  I liked the buffet there and had breakfast there everyday..  I was surprised with how good the food quality is in the Yacht Club.  I thought this was an area where Celebrity would still be tops.  Not so.  The lounge is another area that MCS out shines Celebrity.  The bar area is bigger and the whole area is more opulent.  

 

In summary, with the prices Celebrity is now charging for the Retreat, I think I well stick with MSC.

 

Thanks so much for your insight.  We have been considering the MSC Yacht Club as well.  Unfortunately, not all travel agents work with them. The only thing that discouraged us from booking was their horrible, land-side customer service reviews.  How was your booking experience, accuracy, any issues?

It's my understanding that the Apex and Ascent are sister ships.  Therefore, any differences would be minimal.  If you enjoyed the Apex, I'd save the $800.

16 hours ago, hcat said:

thank you.. we will try to catch her after that..would like something from Tampa that includes New Orleans

We just booked a 9-night on Connie 11-21-24 that stops in New Orleans!

Hello All,

My husband and I are contemplating our first MSC cruise (Yacht Club).  We have sailed most all major lines and normally book using our travel agent.  Our regular agent advised that AAA is not an MSC travel partner, so I reached out to a different travel agent who's a personal friend.  After a few calls to MSC, she stated it appeared the line would just prefer dealing directly with the cruiser instead of an agent.

For those of you who book with MSC, do you use an agent or book directly?  If you book directly yourself, how is their customer support if you have follow-up questions or concerns?

Thanks in advance!

On 9/21/2023 at 8:29 AM, Floridado2020 said:

No response yet from Royal , sadly . Multiple emails and calls have been attempted . If we don’t hear back from next week I will then email the ceo as well . 

Be sure to keep a detailed history of all your attempts to obtain a response from Royal.

26 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Not if it happened weeks later with no explanation.

And no legitimate receipt.  Royal hasn't been able to provide one!

If you cannot resolve this directly with Royal (which is the first step), you could dispute the charge with your credit card company.  I would think the hospital letter would help prove their case.  Good luck!

We have cruised most all main cruise lines (50+ cruises overall).  We are Diamond Plus on Royal and Elite on Celebrity.  While I prefer Celebrity, I'm holding off on any future cruises until what I determine is a "good deal".  I want to be an educated consumer and get the best value for my money, whatever line that may be.

20 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Alright ladies and gents !!  Let’s get this 5 nighter started on Liberty of the Seas!  So the intinerary was intended to be a 5 nt Bermuda sailing however Hurricane Idalia had a different plan for us.  We are now heading north to Portland ME and Halifax Nova Scotia.  We love Bermuda but we have no issue with the change.  Wasn’t particularly looking forward to sailing through a hurricane anyway.  Royal was kind enough to provide $100 pp OBC for the change.

 

It’s just DW and I sailing.  We had intended to go with my parents but their planned had changed and we are now rolling solo.  We booked a JS GTY a little while back.  This will be the first cruise in a long time that we don’t have the unlimited dining or at least a 3 nt package so we will be MDR’ing it or … god help me… The Jammer.  😳  At least we have drink packages 😃

 

We made our way from Pittsburgh PA to Allentown PA last night after logging off work for the LONG Labor Day weekend (Hallelujah!)  Stayed at the Renaissance in downtown Allentown which was a very nice room.  That was around a 4.5 hr drive that felt like 10.  Crazy traffic and construction what felt like the whole way.  🤬🤬
 

This morning we checked out around 8am and headed toward Bayonne.  Drive wasn’t as bad and took just under 1.5 hrs from the hotel to the parking garage. Our boarding time was 11:30.  We showed up at the suites check in line at 11 and was on the ship in under 10 minutes.  The Cape Liberty parking garage was for Handicapped parking & we were directed to the open air lot.  $150 for the 5 day cruise.  Luggage drop was very smooth with almost no wait at all.  Much much less congestion compared to the busy FL ports.  

 

Liberty is an entirely new class of ship for us.  Not sure how we managed to never be on a Freedom class up to this point but we did it.  

 

Excited for a new itinerary to us and a new ship.  Also I must note …VERY VERY excited to NOT fly to port.  Especially after our last adventure to Alaska (Southbound on Radiance) that was a ton of flying for us.  Welcomed change.

 

Already checked off the Colonel Mustard station and in need of a cold beverage.  

 

Cheers 🍻 

Mark

Enjoy your cruise --let's go Steelers!

A day or so ago a Celebrity employee posted that they were leaving the company and that we should too.  I cannot find the post now, but people were doubting the OP regarding additional upcoming cutbacks. Well it’s true!  Gratuities are no longer included within their All Inclusive pricing 😞