mhlcanada

2 hours ago, Cruisernewbie44 said:

Please report back

Will do. My cruise is not until May 11.

My OBC is non refundable. I intend to play through all $350 of it on slots but if they charge 5% transaction fee during the download, I am afraid I will be left with only $332.50 to use. Anyway, I will need to clarify with them before I use it.

That’s what I thought but their write up is clearly referring to obc, which I believe is unfair! You can use full value of obc to pay for other things like gift shop purchases, excursions etc. so why charge 5% for using on slots. I will be on Celebrity Edge May 11 and will definitely challenge that onboard.

This is from their website in Cruise101 articles (was updated in late 2023)

I read in Celebrity’s Cruise 101 blog that to use OBC on slots, insert seapass and select OBC as the preferred credit method. However, a 5% transaction fee will automatically be added to your seapass.  Is there any other way to avoid the transaction fee? For example, with my $350 obc, can I charge $350 to my room when I play and at end of the cruise apply the obc to the outstanding room charges to avoid the 5% fee?

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. This community forum is great!!

14 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

 Seattle has a free valet service for flights after 11am. Depending on traffic, the drive could take 30-45 minutes. Seattle has light rail that goes to Seatac airport.

 

https://www.portseattle.org/page/port-valet-enjoy-seattle-luggage-free

Is the light rail stop close to the Pier?

Can anyone recommend a reliable shuttle from pier back to airport? Our flight is at 3pm. How long is this trip? What is approx cost? This is our first time arriving in Seattle. We departed from a different city.

Thanks all for the advice.

We are thinking of purchasing the Cheers drink package. I read that taxes will be charged when ship is in US. Does this mean if you order a drink when the ship is docked in US (e.g, prior to sailing, and docked in a US port such as Catalina Island), you will be charged taxes on the drink? 

Thank you for the clarification. That's a relief.

Yes you can order premium drinks, they will charge the difference in price and associated gratuities.

it is a rip off...basically forces you to upgrade unless you are soley a beer drinker.  I was on the Celebrity Eclipse last year, with the Classic drink package but was able to get some wine and cocktails without having to pay extra. 

I read on Celebrity's website that the Classic Drink Package only includes drinks up to $10 on the menu.  I thought it was a little more than that.  Aside from domestic beers, there are no cocktails $10 or less when I took a quick look in the Celebrity App of a current sailing.  This is a rip off.  They already excluded gratuities from their All Inclusive pricing.  Can someone validate that it is drinks up to $10 only?

It’s our first time sailing with Carnival (Firenze Aug 2024). We were told by TA that they do not have all inclusive packages at time of booking. Beverage pkgs can be bought after booking, either pre cruise or onboard. Currently price is $69.99+18% service charge pp/day for a 5 day or less cruise.  Do they ever have sales on this? I was reading the fine print in their policy - if you use the program within US waters, you have to pay the state and local taxes, so all drinks upon embarkation prior to ship sailing will be charged taxes on your guest folio, is this correct?

Can anyone comment on any success with the slot machines on the Eclipse? I see Celebrity is offer 10% discount on the slot freeplay pkg.  I heard in general hit rate is not good on Celebrity ships.

Can a travel size clothes steamer be brought on the ship? It is prohibited on HAL ships. I recall bringing on Celebrity before and not a problem.

28 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Don't let the others beat you up over their opinions of cruise line classifications.  There is no standard verbiage these days and according to some sites, your classifications are correct.  

 

Anyways, to answer your question, I've cruised all 3 of those lines several times and Celebrity has consistently been my favorite for the same reasons you mentioned.  And yes, my HAL choices were due to significantly lower costs, even on a brand-new ship.  

 

Princess is just sorta average to me.  I like them but nothing really stands out as special or unique.  What I do not like about them is their small standard cabins.  

This is how I feel about Princess too…standard balcony is a bit small, room decor less modern (still shower curtains) but price is attractive.  If Celebrity is not materially more, that would be my first choice, then HAL and last Princess (comparing Celebrity Edge class to HAL Pinnacle and Princess Royal class).  

I agree with the groupings of the cruise lines.  Luxury is your Silver Seas, Regent and in between the higher end big ships like HAL and the Luxury is Oceania, Azamara etc. you need to compare apples to apples. For a similar itinerary and room, age of ship and just compare base price, wonder which of X, HAL, PCL is cheapest? I think X is the higher of the 3.

I like Celebrity for modern decor, more refined food presentation and broad entertainment but I think it is priciest of the 3 lines, so value for money, I tend to favour HAL.  Interested in learning other viewpoints.

Thinking of rebooking from Prime Veranda to Prime Concierge. Thoughts on concierge class anyone? Priority access to dining, restaurants, embarkation, disembarkation, and concierge help maybe worth it. Lineups are long otherwise.

Is HAL still giving out a collectible gift to Mariners, as mentioned in their Loyalty Rewards? We received the Mariner Cocktail voucher but no collectible gift.

22 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

12 - 1 pm.  It was the exact same menu that the MDR offers every day for lunch when I was on in December - January.  3 of them - exactly the same - nothing special at all.

 

Good to know. Many thanks!

Can anyone comment on this from a recent Koningsdam cruise? What time is this available until? 

2 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

You should receive a boarding pass that indicates "Priority" and you can board any time, even though you will also receive a boarding time that is not related to your priority status. 

 

Otherwise, technically, no, you can't change your boarding times. However, it has been widely reported here that the boarding time rarely matters.

Thanks for the info…very helpful.