JJPacer

It was Pier B in Dec. at least until we moved to the Navy Pier to do major engine repair. Pier B is in the heart of town.

This is what I have noticed. It may not be the case every time, as I don't check every cruise. It seems to me, after final payment, they lower the price for a guarantee in specific categories. If a certain category of cabin is sold out, then the guarantee price is high. If there are cabins still available in a category, the guarantee is priced lower than the cabins where you can choose your cabin number. Thus, if you want a specific cabin, you don't really get much of a price break by waiting until after final payment. This did not used to be the case. We were able to get a very low price after final payment and book the cabin of our choice. This, unfortunately, hasn't been the case for a couple of years. I agree with jtl513. If they raise the price in a category it's because they don't want to sell any more cabins in that category.

Princess and HAL have malt shop cruises too.

 

A majority of passengers on X are in the age group who would enjoy this type of music. It is odd that X doesn't think this age group is their 'target market'. :eek:

Look at the Ports of call under Curacao and you will find reviews of most excursions. Good luck. We love Curacao.

It sounds like you have made your decision and prefer the Eastern itinerary. We've been to all the islands you mentioned. If you want to scuba dive, Curacao is a divers dream. Great snorkeling too. I agree with DiversLikeMario comment about Titou Gorge and the cave waterfall in Dominica. We also did river tubing in Dominica that was very fun. Awesome! Aruba is a great beach day. If you want to snorkel in Aruba, go to Baby Beach. Great snorkeling.

 

If you go to the Caribbean in mid Feb. keep in mind this is Carnival season. You can go to each islands website and check out the date you would be there to see if they are having Carnival that day. These are Mardi Gras type Carnivals. Fun to watch, but they go on for hours. Also, everything closes during Carnival, including the roads. So you are pretty limited on what you can do and where you can go. Check it out to see if this will make a difference in your decision. You can't go wrong with either cruise.

On our last X cruise (Dec. 2013) there were as many 'elderly folks' with wheel chairs...walkers....etc. on the ship as we've ever seen on HAL. It does not bother us one bit. The 'elderly' demographic appears to be a significant segment of X clientele. It would be a marketing disaster if they attempt to exclude this vital group.

No skin in the game- ha!

I’ve read most of the posts on this and the other Captains’ Club forum. My initial reaction was that some of these folks just do not understand why many are so ticked off with the changes. Then, I realized some posters, led by a handful who cannot stop regurgitating the same nonsense, are unhappy with the old program because of apparent overcrowding at the on board CC events. They either have reached or are close enough to the freebee level and do not want to share when others attain that tier. So it is onto the soapbox shouting their support of Celebrity for the changes; instead of asking the cruise line to fulfill their commitments by providing adequate facilities, i.e., additional venues or whatever, for the rewards they promised their loyal customers.

 

You can argue the legality or ethics of what Celebrity did, defend them to the hills or bring in superfluous issues; but how many times are you going to repeat the same arguments ad nauseam? Whether it is legal or not is missing the point because it is not an issue of legal magnitude. The forum is a way of protesting the actions of a company for those who feel wronged in addition to their complaining directly or even getting the support of organizations such as the BBB. Companies are in business to make money and they need customers to achieve that end. When their actions upset the customers, we protest and if more do so, the better the possibility of a positive response. If we remain mute, or support them to further our self-interests, they do whatever they want and it spreads to the rest of the industry. Then we wind up with the short end of the stick. Of course, we could stay quiet and eventually reach our limit to stop buying the product which could result in the company going under. In that scenario, everyone loses as happened to Renaissance Lines several years ago as well as other companies.

 

Most companies want dissatisfied customers to come to them with a complaint rather than broadcast publicly. You can be certain that Celebrity and other lines scrutinize these forums closely. The more negative reaction a company receives, the greater the chance of their making changes or offering redress to those affected, regardless of whom is right or wrong. Obviously, if the complaints are limited, the company reacts accordingly with no action warranted. However, posters repeating the same things accomplish nothing constructive. In the end, it is about the whether the bottom line, perceived or otherwise, will be affected.

 

Celebrity initiated the program, which they have an obligation to administer fairly. The fact is it is now harder to achieve reward levels. While no one is questioning Celeb’s right to make the changes, the underhanded way it was done is the issue and leaves a bad taste with the majority. My feelings are for those who were paid in full, expecting to make the next tier, whatever their reason for booking, and were left without recourse due to the timing of the changes as well as lack of reasonable advance notice. A business which does that and expects loyalty is making a big mistake. The program was their idea to increase sales and profits. They should have foreseen the costs and potential problems and we should not be penalized for their poor judgment.

 

Those posters who don’t want to share the rewards with fellow cruisers should quit crying in the extra beer they feel they’ll miss and stop arguing other irrelevant items like ports or cabin changes, etc. For that handful monopolizing these threads, as nicely pointed out in posts 176 & 186 by Putterdude, have a ball with your future thumbs down comments to this and other posts which go against your personal interests in the program. However, please give the rest of us a break by posting new thoughts and leaving room on these boards for others opinions to be more visible.

 

You hit the nail on the head. Thank you for saying it so well.

All ships anchor in the bay and tender to St. Barts. If the weather is causing unsafe conditions for tendering, you will miss this port. We have been there 3 times, and we were able to go ashore all 3 times. St. Barts is very expensive, including taxi fares. We have found that renting a car is less expensive. It is a small island. Narrow, steep, very winding roads. If you feel comfortable driving under those conditions, check into renting a car. The views are spectacular, and there are some great beaches to enjoy. You can make arrangements to pick up the car at the tender drop off, and return it to the same place. Very convenient.

 

When are you going? Our first trip was in mid Feb. Many of the Caribbean islands have Carnival around that time. They close the roads, so renting a car would not be a good idea. You won't be able to get the car back.

 

Continue to check the itinerary of your sailing. If it changes, you can cancel your cruise prior to final payment. The cruise line has to schedule their ports far in advance, so I wouldn't worry too much about a port change.

Great idea. Thanks for sharing.

Obviously not for some. It seems to be all about getting the points and perks to them.

 

OP only wants what Celebrity advertised as the perks. They did not dream these perks up, nor did they demand them. They want what Celebrity said they'd give. If you paid in full for a cruise before the change was made, or you completed a cruise before the new program went into effect, you should get the points under the 'old' loyalty program which was in use at the time. People on cruise critic repeated over and over that "no one would loose anything with the new program." By repeating 'entitlement' and 'it's all about the points and perks' is very offensive to those who are expressing a legitimate feeling that they did loose something in the change. They have a right to be upset and to express it in this forum.

 

Celebrity's website is notoriously poorly constructed and maintained. Most likely Celebrity made the decision they did, because they do not have the talent to write a program to include points for the old system at the same time as the new one. As a result, they have alienated a significant number of their customers. Celebrity could have, just as easily, made announced the change and made it effective at a future date. If you are not upset, good for you. Allow those that are upset to express their opinion without implying they feel they are 'entitled" to something Celebrity offered and created.

Sadly, cutbacks are the norm on HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. HAL is no different than other lines.

We planned on buying the coke package on board, but the Caribbean Princess didn't have coke zero on board. So, we bought some in the first port. No problem at all getting thee coke zero on the ship.

The guest ticket booklet is the same as eDocs. Only thing is, I usually only print the first page, with the pertinent information it. You did everything right. Relax and enjoy your cruise.

Disembarkation was delayed due to fog by 3 hours. My advice is to walk off with all your luggage. I believe a cab from Bayport to Hobby was about $50.00 for 2. We missed our flight. If you don't walk off with your luggage, you have to wait for the ship to unload it and make it available in the cruise terminal. That was another delay (consequence of the fog) I would rather be on the safe side and wait at the airport than worry about making my flight. We took the Princess shuttle, (There were 3 buses that left within a few minutes of each other) and that caused a long line at the airport... Southwest check in... and a long line at the security check point. If you take a cab you will have a short cut through all those delays.

How many people out there have made final payment on upcoming cruises BEFORE the new Captains Club changed on Nov. 25?

 

We have 2 cruises booked, both paid in full. Payment was made prior to the announcement on Nov. 25. We booked those cruises under the "old" system, and expected to be Elite after we completed our Feb. South America/Antarctica cruise. Now we will be 55 days short of Elite.

 

How about you? There has to be other's in the same situation.

 

I think they should give the points per cruise....once the cruise is completed...for all the cruises that are paid in full prior to Nov. 25. X Should have thought about this scenario during their planning stage. That would make it more equitable for those in this situation.

 

The new program came out and was effective that same day. Time should have been given for their customers to decide how they want to proceed under the new plan. Once you make final payment, you are locked in, and no options are available to you.

I understand how upset the OP felt. We had a similar incident on our last Princess cruise. Just putting up the Privacy Please sign is a less than perfect solution. The CS gives one quick knock or does not knock at all then walks right in, not giving you time to respond. There is no respect for privacy. They should not do that and Princess creates a culture of tolerance for that behavior . Those of you who think this is the answer has not had this intrusion on your privacy, YET.

We were on CB Nov. 9 - 16. We reserved the Super Shuttle in advance. When we arrived at Houston Hobby, the Super Shuttle counter was right next to the Princess Transfer counter. There were quite a few people sitting around waiting for the Princess shuttle. We waited maybe 10 min. for the shuttle. There was another couple on our flight that took the Princess Transfer. We saw them arrive at Bayport about an hour after we arrived. We felt it was quicker because the Princess Transfer waited for several flights to arrive before leaving the airport.

 

We were delayed by fog in Houston Bay. I would suggest walking off with all your luggage and taking a taxi to the airport from Bayport. If we had done that, we would have made our 1:10 flight. As it was, we had to wait at the airport for 6 hours for a flight home. You never know when fog will cause a delay.

You should be able to cancel the south american cruise and get a full refund, it far enough out that it shouldn't have reached final payment date yet.

 

We made final payment on the South America/Antarctica cruise last week. It was due Nov. 18. We bought our air line tickets already, as well as paying for a side trip to Iguazu Falls & our hotel in Buenos Aires. We wouldn't cancel that cruise, even if we could. However, if we could cancel the Dec. cruise we would.:(

Celebrity created a sliding scale of bonus points to correct inequities in the conversion system, so that people nearing Elite status would be in roughly the same relation to achieving Elite as they were before the conversion was done.

 

In the case of people who booked and fully paid for cruises before the rules changed, under terms that would have brought them to Elite status at the end of those cruises, Celebrity should just have created the option to convey the necessary bonus points to bring them to Elite status. It is only fair to give them the status that they would have been under the terms that existed when they made final payment. Isn't that the very basis of how we negotiate contracts, even verbal ones, in North America? Celebrity changed the rules on November 25th, but the cruisers cannot cancel the cruises without financial penalty.

 

The cut-off point of final payment is concrete, intuitive, and understandable....once people make final payment, they only cancel under unavoidable circumstances. This avoids the problem of the "fuzzy grey area" of cruises that are only booked, but not fully paid.

 

This fix would not have been rocket science to construct (involving a bonus of very minimal points), would have been eminently more just than the current system, and would have avoided a lot of sturm und drang for everyone.

 

This is our situation exactly. We made final payment on 2 cruises before this change was announced. We cannot cancel either one. We booked a 14 day South America/Antarctica cruise in a C3 cabin about 1 1/2 yrs. ago (3pts). We have 5 credits & that cruise would have given us 8 points. We decided to take a Dec. '13 5 day cruise in a C1 to get the 2 additional points we needed to be elite. Under the newly announced system, we will have 245 points, not the 300 needed for Elite. I plan to call the Captains Club and ask them about our situation. I hope they will decide to give us credit for the 2 cruises we have paid in full. There was a lot of speculation about a new loyalty program, but I didn't think they would make it effective the same day they announced it. I thought, at the very least, it would be effective Jan. 1 2014.

Thanks for the review. We were on that cruise too. We did not take the Princess shuttle from Houston Hobby to Bayport. We made a reservation with Super Shuttle. Their booth is right next to the Princess transfer booth at the airport. It got us to the Bayport well ahead of the Princess bus, and before the gang plank went down. Our wait wasn't nearly as long as yours. We used Super Shuttle on a trip to San Francisco and it worked out great, so we tried it in Houston. It was quicker than the Princess bus for about the same price.

 

One of the employees told us to sit in the back rows of seating for our color (for boarding the ship) because we would get on faster. That was true.

 

Due to fog when we returned to Houston after the cruise, we missed our flight home. My suggestion is to walk off with all your luggage, and take a cab to the airport. If you get delayed because of fog, this will increase your chances of making your flight.

 

I apologize for not making myself clear. :eek: I was talking about the Bayport cruise terminal. After you check in, you get a color & number for orderly boarding of the ship. If you sit in the back rows of your color, you are closer the doors where you enter the gangway area. LOL I can see why you'd be confused! :D

 

Great pics & review. Enjoying every minute of it!

Thanks for the review. We were on that cruise too. We did not take the Princess shuttle from Houston Hobby to Bayport. We made a reservation with Super Shuttle. Their booth is right next to the Princess transfer booth at the airport. It got us to the Bayport well ahead of the Princess bus, and before the gang plank went down. Our wait wasn't nearly as long as yours. We used Super Shuttle on a trip to San Francisco and it worked out great, so we tried it in Houston. It was quicker than the Princess bus for about the same price.

 

One of the employees told us to sit in the back rows of seating for our color (for boarding the ship) because we would get on faster. That was true.

 

Due to fog when we returned to Houston after the cruise, we missed our flight home. My suggestion is to walk off with all your luggage, and take a cab to the airport. If you get delayed because of fog, this will increase your chances of making your flight.

Most cruise lines have gone to no trays. No trays on the lines we have sailed. There are large plates, big enough to carry normal portions of salad, fruit, entrée, veggies, etc. If we have dessert, we make a second trip for it. I haven't mastered carrying the large plate and a drink. So, either the waiter gets it for me, or I make a separate trip for it. It is what it is. :)

Another passenger sitting next to me was on his cell phone trying to change to a later flight. The airline rep told him he would have to pay a $200 change fee plus the difference in prices between the tickets. When the airline rep told him what the new ticket price was, he said

 

WOW!!

 

Ticket prices can jump up hundreds of dollars on the day of the flight. So it is better to plan ahead, than to be at the mercy of the ticket agents.

We just returned from Belize. We snorkeled with Seasport. Very easy walk from where the ship tendered. They take you by boat to a little (maybe 25 ft. across) island. Kind of a sand bar. You snorkel from there. We did about a 1.5 hr. snorkel in the AM, then ate lunch on the little island. Then snorkeled on the other side of the island for about another 1.5 hr. in the PM. Returned to the port in plenty of time to shop & catch the tender back to the ship.

 

The reef was beautiful. The day was cloudy, so the colors weren't as vibrant. There is quite a strong current. It rained in the afternoon really hard. We snorkeled through it. It was warmer in the water, than on the boat or island. Of course, as soon as we were on the boat returning to Belize City, the sun came out.

 

If you are a serious snorkeler and a decent swimmer I would recommend Seasport.

We returned Nov. 16 on the Caribbean Princess to Houston. We were scheduled to start disembarkation at 7:15 AM. However, when we awoke, there was zero visibility in Houston Bay, due to fog. The Captain said we were a little over a mile from the dock, but had to drop anchor and remain where we were until the fog burned off. Other ships in the bay did the same. There was a ship in front of us, that had to move, before the CD could move. We had to vacate our cabins by 8:00 AM. Needless to say, there were people & luggage everywhere. We finally docked and began disembarkation 3 hours late. They went by the assigned disembarkation schedule. Priority walk offs first, etc. We had Princess transfers to Houston Hobby, but didn't get any kind of consideration or earlier disembarkation because of it. If we had been able to disembark soon after it was allowed, we would have made our flight.

Many people missed their flights. If you had a 3:00 flight or later, you had a chance of making it.

My advice for those sailing on CD. The fog is a frequent occurrence. I would schedule a walk off with all your luggage, and plan on taking a cab from the dock to the airport. That will be about your only hope of catching your flight.