KellyCz

On 4/10/2024 at 12:13 PM, Salt Lifer said:

More to come about our excursion to the Virgin Gorda Baths, but wanted to give a quick update on a very important topic... Chocolate tarts are back at Al Bacio today!  I stocked up on several extra and stashed them in my fridge to help with my 'fix' in case we don't see them again after this.

 

You're really making a case for these chocolate tartlets! I hope to see them on Ascent in December.

2 hours ago, Josie201 said:

Keep checking your bookings.  Mine didn't have any discount until today - 35% off.  Booked with OBC and will continue to hope/watch for the 50% off sale sometime.  I don't think about what I'm saving, but rather with the sale the upgrade cost for us is just under $10 pp/pd all in.  Well worth it to us. 

No discount on mine yet, but I will keep checking!

12 hours ago, Silent Penguin said:

Last year, during the Labor Day sale, we saved 50% on our laundry package and could have saved 40% on the drink package and the wifi package but we already had drinks and wifi included in our booking.  

Do the discounts also apply to upgrading from the basic to the premium drinks package?

Thanks for posting this...I had similar questions. Helpful responses.

On 3/12/2024 at 4:44 PM, PatandStu said:

Thanks. I thought I’d seen a deal on our last cruise, which we didn’t take advantage of, and regretted. 
I will purchase now & pray for a 50% off. I do check regularly so will hopefully catch a great sale. 
My travelling companions (daughter & daughter-in-law) love their fancy drinks. 

I can't help you with your pricing question, but I'll recommend your daughter & DIL try the Cherry Lane at the martini bar. It was my favorite on the Summit last year!

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

The South Beach Pool (Seaside) and the Infinity Pool (Seashore) are adults-only (16 and older, really) but enforcement can vary. 

Thanks. They were strict about enforcing it when we were on Divina, which was appreciated. More than once people tried to bring in younger guests, and the staff was right on it.

Hi Community. We cruised on the Divina a few years back, and really enjoyed the adults-only pool. Now considering either the Seaside or Seashore out of FL this winter. Do either have a pool for adults only (not in YC)?

On 1/27/2024 at 8:15 AM, leaveitallbehind said:

I would suggest talking with a travel agent who specializes in cruises and review your situation and expectations with them.  As a first time cruiser combined with the plan of a family reunion, which will make this a group cruise, they would be in the best position to sort our your cruise line options, preferred itineraries, on board activities, group cruise benefits, logistics coordinating your group's air travel, budget, etc., etc.. 

 

This is a pretty monumental task to undertake by yourself, especially as a first time cruiser, and not something I would suggest doing on your own.  While the cruise lines can also help directly with this, you would still need to select one first.  Leave this in the hands of a travel agent - and a "brick and mortar" one that has a person that you can work with directly, not an on-line entity.

 

All that being said, an additional cruise line you may want to consider with your family dynamics would be Royal Caribbean.  They're primary demographics is families with children, and they would be well suited for your multi-generational mix and requirements.

How do I find such a travel agent?

On 10/5/2023 at 6:56 AM, riredsox said:

I think Aureau guests dine in the MDR but in a separate area and it is anytime dining.  

We were Aurea on the Divina, and this was true for us.

On 9/26/2023 at 1:38 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

Nope. Not the case when booking a cruise with Princess, NCL, HAL, or Oceania (according to @patty1955).

 

But that's OK. We've made our decision and have booked our next 20 cruises through 2025, except for our upcoming Galapagos cruise, with Princess, NCL, and HAL. Maybe we'll book a Celebrity TA in 2026 if they decide to offer them at a fair price. We'll see. 

 

20 cruises booked! I'm so jealous. Dreaming of booking our next one for 2025.

4 hours ago, Langoustine said:

If you bought it at the right time, yes; mine is UP nearly 77% since my purchase.

Exactly. Bought in April at $9.

On 9/1/2023 at 6:28 AM, highway180 said:

Wow

What sailing were you on? We were onboard for July 28th, and it was exceptional, all the way around. We ate there  2 dinners and the lunch special. Everyone in our party of 5 enjoyed it thoroughly.

I will admit the lunch special was pricey.

 

Cheers

We were on the same sailing! I wish we'd had your luck. 
We waited at least 10 minutes for anyone to come to our table. When our waiter arrived, he said, "The sommelier has been here, yes?" He was quite surprised when we said no, not yet. It was maybe another 5 minutes before she finally did arrive. After that, service was fine, but not exceptional. Our MDR sommelier and waiter that week were far more prompt and attentive.
Our food was fine, but nothing special. Being from the Midwest, I know a good steak, so I admit my expectations for a thick, juicy steak are high! But mine was a thin piece of meat that I would expect from Chili's or some other chain...not from the specialty restaurant we had splurged on for our anniversary dinner.

We ate at Tuscan Grille this July (Alaska) and were underwhelmed. Other than the wake view (table for two right at the window), it was no better than the MDR in terms of food or service. Disappointing for the price.

Thanks for your input and discussion. As someone else said, it's helpful to get the perspective of many experienced cruisers.

Here's an update:

Yesterday I called Celebrity to ask if I could know the specific stateroom we'd be moving to before we accept the offer, and she said yes, certainly. She put me on hold (three times) and after about 15 minutes, she told me that unfortunately there were no downgrade offers available. Fair enough. Maybe they've resolved their issue.

An hour ago my husband got an email asking him to bid on a room upgrade.

Bit of a rollercoaster this week!

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

Did you book a guaranteed cabin, or did you choose your room by number.

If the latter it’s a problem with the IT system, as cabins shouldn’t be booked twice.😱

We chose our room by number.

18 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

If it’s cash or a credit back to your card, take the money. If it’s a no refundable obc, stay where you are.

It's a cash refund. Not OBC.

21 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I’d take the offer.  On an Alaskan cruise, the better views would be out on the open decks, Sunset Bar or Sky Lounge.

You wouldn't be concerned that you might end up in a less desirable location?

41 minutes ago, Bandman said:

What’s below/above the new cabin?

No way to know. They didn't give me the location of the new one. (I will call to ask, though.)

2 hours ago, CruisinBanka said:

I would call Celebrity to ask what cabin # it would be and what is the obstructing %. Then make decision based on that. Sometimes it is only a 10% obstruction and I would take the $

I'll try that, but I'm guessing they won't tell me. The form they provided just said I'd be willing to switch. Didn't give any details about the location of the new stateroom.

8 minutes ago, swigso said:

Change, obstructed is usually that you have a lifeboat below and your view is really not restricted. These cabins are usually on deck 6, unless you have a hump cabin take the $500

Interesting. You can tell I'm fairly new at this. What's the worst-case scenario if we change?

Departing for Alaska on the Solstice in two weeks, and I was excited to get what I thought was a move-up offer email. Instead, it's the opposite.

We're writing to let you know that, due to a rare inventory error, your scheduled sailing is currently oversold in certain stateroom categories.
If you would be willing to volunteer to move to a different stateroom type, you may be able to take advantage of a special resolution offer. 

The offer is a move from Veranda stateroom to Veranda stateroom with obstructed view for a $500 refund. Since this is our first trip to Alaska, we've decided to keep our original stateroom.

What would you do? 

26 minutes ago, Basketball wife said:

Quebecer here (still part of Canada 🥴). About 80 cruises over 30 years, different cruiselines, Elite+ with Celebrity. I always book with various US travel agencies because of  group rates or 10% kickback OBC (I have no loyalty to any TA). The exchange between USD/CAD usually works out to about the same cost to my pocketbook and sometimes (often) I have benefitted by watching exchange rates before final payments (if the CAD$ goes up, I pay down a bit or the entire balance). Strangely, not sure about now, but when Azamara was still part of the Royal group, booking with the Canadian site in CAD was extremely advantageous; rarely, did this happen with Celebrity. Bottom line, it has been my experience that the Celebrity site and travel agencies have identical prices but the TAs frequently throw in bonuses such as Grats/drink package upgrades/OBC, etc.

@Basketball wife How do you find the various TAs? Google search? Referrals?

Cherry Lane martini was my go-to on Summit earlier this year. Delicious!

On 7/5/2023 at 12:25 PM, 8420PR said:

On smart ships (Seaside, Meraviglia and World classes) you do NOT get a paper bill delivered to your stateroom - instead you can check on your phone, TV, information screen or at reception.

 

On all other ships (Lirica, Musica and Fantasia classes) you will get a paper bill delivered to your room the evening before disembarkation. 

 

I have never had any exceptions to the above, and I much prefer the smart ships where I can use the screens or app as it is always up to date.  But given the confusion here perhaps MSC need to explain it better.

This was not our experience on Divina last summer. No bill delivered to the room.

Cafe al Bacio

Martini Bar

Silent Disco