tjc73

Wow! I have never been on a European cruise where VAT was charged on board. That’s crazy. Thank goodness I have a beverage package already and excursions booked already. I will save all of my purchases for when I am in port. 

16 minutes ago, Shadow9612 said:

I have found that people doing the self walk off start lining up much earlier than the posted time for a walk off. So I always go much earlier than the time I'm told to....something you could consider...

Thank you!! We will line up as early as possible 🙂 

9 hours ago, kerryincork said:

Where are you flying to? As it 2 hours before hand to Europe, but 3 hours if going to the US.

 

It is my experience that the check-in desks /bag drop opens exactly on the 2hr/3hr check in limit and not before.

 

Also just check the average travel time in the cab for the airport for the time and day.

 

Also Barcelona has a bit of a strange arrangement in that you go through security to where the shops & restaurants are and then you queue again to go through passport control. Be warned they don't let you skip ahead of the passport line even if it looks like you might miss your flight.

 

Also there are two official Barcelona airports one is close to the city and one is 1 to 2 hours away, make sure you know which one you are flying to.

8 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

You are really cutting it close- First of course you must do a walk off.  Sometimes the elevators are mobbed so you might have to use the stairs.  Good if you are on a low level.  Also, no guarantee that you will be off the ship at 8AM.  Sometimes, customs takes long to clear the ship.  Especially if other ships are also in the port.  While getting a cab shouldn't be a problem, last year we had to wait over 1/2 hour as somebody had a accident on the highway and most cabs couldn't come in the terminal.  If you have an 11 AM flight and must arrive 2 hours in advance- could be a problem.  I assume you have tsa or another rapid entry access so you do not have to deal with an airport security line.

 

Of course everything might be perfect- but you must be prepared if things aren't as you plan.  I would be much too nervous and either take a later flight or if I could, fly the next day.

Thanks everyone for the info!

we are flying to Canada and have confirmed 2hrs ahead for check in at the airport 1hr ahead for bag drop. Fingers crossed to check on online the day before. 

I also confirmed flight is at 11:45am and we are flying out of BCN which is approx 30 mins drive from the cruise terminal. We have done this flight before out of Barcelona when sailing with another cruise line and no issues as express walk Of was intended for those with early flights and those guests received priority. We didn’t have any issues but of course you have to be prepared for everything. I’ve also never had any issues at any disembarkation port in terms of customs on my previous cruises (except Russia of course which takes forever!) this has always been quick regardless of what country I have been too. The taxi lines are a different story! 

I will definitely check with Celebrity once on board. Thank you all for your help on this, much appreciated. 

Hi!

Im curious about disembarking procedures. I know each cruise line handles this differently and wondering if there is an express walk off option for those with early flights. 

We end our cruise in Barcelona and have a flight at 11:30am. We know we need time to line up for a cab, get to the airport in weekday morning traffic and be there 2hrs ahead. So hoping to be off the ship at about 8am. 

This is my first Celebrity cruise so not sure how they handle this. They also never asked for our flight details at online check in which I found odd. 

Any advise appreciated 🙂 

Celebrity and their pricing strategy and “sales” that aren’t really sales and constant price changes make me crazy! 

I have never seen another cruise line do this. It’s super frustrating and I know when we booked our cruise (before the non refundable deposit/refundable deposit options) the perks were there one minute and not and then back and then not. 

I find other lines either have a promo for an extended period of time (usually advance booking and sale is available for more than a few days) or no promo and not constant price changes. They are actually worse than an airline with their constant “deals” and price changes. 

40 minutes ago, arielle71 said:

We received our tags last friday, it took exactly 8 days to receive them here in Quebec.

Good to know. We are in  Alberta and ordered 21 days ago - 15 biz days and nothing. So I have re ordered. Also being sent to two addresses and neither of us have received. I know I can print them off, but paper bag tags seem a bit dodgy. I would expect them to get ripped off pretty easily. 

6 hours ago, MJSailors said:

I have been on several Celebrity cruises and as I recall, I didn’t notice many passengers with cruise cards on lanyards. Not that I was  taking an officially poll (LOL) ,but just something that I didn’t notice. Celebrity doesn’t provide lanyards probably because the demand for them is not great. So,of course you can purchase one pre cruise or at the gift shop if you choose. 

Just a note for safety,I do not think it is a good idea   when disembarking at a port  to wear the lanyards . Although most passengers on a cruise ship are easily recognizable in a foreign port, the lanyards are a clear mark that you are a tourist. Best to leave them in a secure pocket,tote or purse. iMHO.

Makes sense. I wouldn’t spend the money on a lanyard, as I would never use it for anything else and I imagine most people would feel the same. I’ve done several cruises with a Disney and they give out Lanyards. It’s just a convenient way to carry your sea pass around on the ship and not lose it or deactivate it if you carry it with your cell phone. 

I would never where a lanyard off the ship. Just not smart or safe as you mentioned. But once I’m off the ship and toss it in my bag the lanyard helps me locate it too!

i cruises HAL once, no lanyard, but it just seemed weird to carry my purse around the ship everywhere so I had a place for my card. I would also carry it with my phone and managed to demagnetized my card almost everyday! Oh well, we are in port almost every day in this cruise so shouldn’t have to worry too much about where to put my card.  

Thank you!

Hi! This is my first cruise with Celebrity and just wondering if they provide lanyards for your sea pass? I know some cruise lines do and others don’t.

I am sailing Celebrity for the first time in a few weeks. Just a basic ocean view stateroom. Someone mentioned in this thread that everyone gets a bag of some sort others have said no bags. My family was actually having a conversation today wondering whether or not Celebrity gives you a bag or not. IF we do get a bag can anyone tell me what I can expect? ( size, style, material) Thanks!!

My perks, aside from OBC don’t show up in my cruise planner and we sail in 3 weeks. They are on our invoice but that’s it. We had 2 perks included and then paid additional for 4 perks so I better have them! 

This is my first cruise with X and have just decided they aren’t as clear or as organized as other cruise lines. I get endless emails to buy beverage packages and internet when I should already have these but they don’t show up In My cruise planner. Very annoying and I am skeptical about whether or not we will get what we paid for. 

I’m in Canada and didn’t have any trouble ordering my luggage tags, but ordered them 3 weeks ago and they still haven’t arrived. Hope they arrive soon! I depart in 3 weeks!

So to me it makes sense (kind of) if exchange rates are higher for a cruise being booked a year or more in advance because there is nothing worse than being told you owe more money because the dollar tanked. However, if the exchange rate has gone down by final payment, so should the price! It also makes no sense that exchange rates would vary by class of stateroom. That’s crazy. 

I know in Canada, it is illegal to profit of currency exchange in the travel industry. Apparently in the US you can!

Perfect! Thank you!

Kind of an odd question, but I have read in other places (not these boards) that you only get basic amenities on your stateroom (soap, shampoo/conditioner, lotion) if you are booked In certain classes. This seems really odd to me. I’m in an Ocean view cabin on The infinity, which according to some, does not qualify for basic amenities. Please tell me that’s not correct. 

Also - I read on a recent review that none of the shops on board sell basic travel size toiletries like Advil, cough candies, toothpaste, sunscreen etc. Sometimes you forget stuff or run out. I’ve never been on a cruise ship that doesn’t sell the basics ( at a premium of course!). Again, seems very odd. 

Any info is appreciated as I start packing! Thank you! 

Hmmm. As I recall when we booked our cruise in December for this August (ocean view) the exchange rate was pretty accurate. About 1.35 which was the buy rate at that time (vs bank rate which is always a few cents less). 

Also, our onboard credit when we booked excursions was exchanged at 1.34 and was locked in at that rate. Again, in line with the buy rate on that day. 

Strange that the prices vary, but I have also never seen a cruise line that changes their prices almost weekly. 

I am about to cruise Celebrity for the first time and I think the evening chic is a bit odd. It’s formal or it’s not. I typically cruise another line and they have “semi formal” and “formal” and the rest is “cruise casual”. I like this format. It actually makes packing easier and people enjoy dressing up!  Evening chic is basically “wear whatever you want”. It’s too grey.  Still going to pack formal and semi formal. It seems wrong otherwise. I also don’t think jeans belong in the dining room, but that’s just me. 

The Bay Of Biscay is known to be terrible, so sorry you had to miss Vigo! 

We were on a cruise down the Pacific coast of Mexico a few years ago and had to skip Cabo San Lucas thanks to a hurricane. 30 foot waves - it was terrible. But once we got passed it the rest of the cruise was smooooooth sailing. Hope you have the same experience! 

I see some interesting wines on the 3oz destination wine flights, but don’t see any of these wines offered by the glass. Do you know if you can order any of these wines outside of the tasting flights? 

some great ideas on here! I always find a way to use OBC. We have used most of ours on a couple of shore excursions and I assume I will find something on board to purchase to use the rest. However, if I had lots of OBC I would definitely take a trip to the spa!! 

I’m referring to both medical and cancellation insurance. 

 You will not be covered by insurance purchased through any American operated cruise line. Sad that your Canadian travel agent didn’t know this!! That is a huge mistake on your TA’s part. My family used to blindly buy insurance through Disney Cruise line assuming we were covered, Until one time  an agent seemed to know this wasn’t valid for Canadians. Americans have no idea, so don’t blame Celebrity, they will blindly sell you insurance because they just dont know. 

fyi - as I am a former Canadian travel agent and sold US insurance to American clients, Canadian travel insurance is superior and covers way more, especially medical insurance. There are lots of options out there. I suggest Travel guard, they are very good and have great customer service. Avoid RBC insurance, they do their best to not cover any claims!

I sailed on Disney last summer, I believe they were the first cruise line  to ban  plastic lids and straws, so kudos to them. Not sure why anyone would not want to mention cruise lines that have done this and are concerned about the environment. The banning of straws and lids ( since they have a free for all beverage station open 24/7) wa a non issue. Loads of kids, no spilled drinks, no carelessly unattended “left” drinks or blown over drinks. The only plastic lids provided are for hot drinks for safety. 

If you are unable to drink from a cup/glass and require a straw take one with you. 

They definitely don’t allow you to book if there is an age restriction. We tried to book a bus & winery tour ( nothing extreme!!) and the max age was 75 so they wouldn’t let us book as my parents are over 75 but totally fit. With something like height, that’s a little different as they don’t have hat info on your reservation. I would maybe contact Celebrity and ask. 

On 7/16/2019 at 8:16 AM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We found the Caymus 2012 Special Selection quite enjoyable, and purchased a few bottles, however I agree about Duckhorn. We have the premium package so will most likely be drinking Decoy on our cruise. We also purchased a Caymus special Anniversary bottle which was quite good, but by the time we opened it and realized how good it was they were sold out. What, if any, whites would you recommend in the premium package. We rarely drink whites so I have no idea what’s good. 

I’ve not had the opportunity to taste the Caymus special selection, but I would expect that to be quite good! 

As for white wine selections in the MDR in the premium package, if you like an unoaked Chardonnay I suggest the Luis Jadot. They are a good producer from Burgundy and make good quality wines. I’ve personally not been a fan of the Mer soleil, but haven’t tasted in a while so will definitely try it again. As I recall it does have some oak, but not an overly oaked Chardonnay. Villa Maria is a decent Sauv blanc. I’m also interested in trying the Riesling if you are seeking something off dry to pair with spicy foods.

 If you class bubbles as white wine I’m definitely going to try the champagne as we don’t have the Mautadon where I live so am note familiar with it and I’m never going to say no to champagne!