PBTravelBug

2 hours ago, llawrence said:

Do you think this will have an impact on the First “Connie” sailing after coming out of dry dock..?  My TA sent a message to keep an eye on this sailing….

Is the first Constellation sailing after coming out of dry dock the November 7, 2021 cruise?

We are booked on that sailing. 

Had our Summit 9/2 cruise cancelled yesterday. Have been wondering about our November Constellation sailing.

I just got off the phone with my TA.

I re-booked my Summit cruise - I may just be kicking the can down the road.

A heads up to all who may do the same...at first Celebrity wanted to charge the difference between my 9/2 fare and the new sailing (about $100 pp). Please keep your emailed notification from Celebrity on hand. We directly quoted the letter and then Celebrity said - ok we can do that. Now re-booked same cabin grade etc..

If the refund option was the choice - it can take up to 90 days for the refund to show and there is nothing the TA can do to expedite the refund.

2 minutes ago, markeb said:

Selling cruises you know you can't operate is on Celebrity. And then cancelling them this close is even worse.

Exactly! 

5 minutes ago, Host Anne said:

As for the lack of communications from Celebrity.... well, let's start with the fact that all the cruise lines cut a lot of reservations and customer service staff over the last 18 months.  Just like the airlines and every other business has done.  There is no way they can be back to having sufficient staff to handle the amounts of emails and phone calls they get in a day when they are dealing with constant flux thrown at them by the CDC and governments aroud the globe. 

 

 

I completely understand and appreciate your point however...I expected at least an auto response to my emails to know that the email had been received. I receive on a daily basis, if not multiple times per day, emails from Celebrity trying to sell me a cruise. They certainly know how to mail blast me - they can set up an auto respond to the emails that come in.

Just now, canderson said:

Curious ... please describe "funky" in additional detail.  Could serve as a clue to others.

First time I tried to check-in I received a message along the lines of - we are not ready for you. This was about 10 days ago. I was not able to move to the next screen.

I tried again a day later and received the same message and was able to move to the next screen but was not able to enter any information.

Third time was the charm this week! Still received the - we are not ready for you message - but was able to enter our information along with credit card information. Was not able to select a check-in time.

I repeatedly emailed Celebrity (email b/c I wanted a written response) asking about the check-in process as well the specific COVID testing requirements for the 9/2 Summit sailing.

Hope this clarifies.

55 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

I think it is definitely a part of it. We are still VERY early in the restart of the industry, and I expect the inputs  to  making decisions on which ships and dates can sail are many, and constantly in flux.

 

Agree!

I have always had a fond spot in my heart for Celebrity. I booked two cruises in the Spring. Rather than cancel my Edge 1/2021 sailing I moved it to 1/2022. We were booked for the  Summit 9/2. We are fully vaccinated and more than happy to cruise in September (Summit), November (Constellation, January (Edge).

At this point I am very disappointed with Celebrity - not b/c of Covid or the CDC but because of things within their control such as returning emails.

The Summit 9/2 sailing has been funky for a bit - the check-in was wonky. I was trying to get Celebrity to respond to emails about the check-in and the COVID testing requirements. They never responded. The only email I received was the email this morning announcing the cancellation.

Writing this here within this forum in case Celebrity representatives read these posts!

Received the same letter this AM.

I am actually rather disappointed with Celebrity.

1- Letter is poorly worded 

2- It has seemed something was "up" with Summit for a bit now b/c check-in was funky

3- I have emailed Celebrity several times about the "glitches" with check-in as well as the exact COVID testing requirements. No response - not even an automated "we received your email" response.

I understand that times are different & difficult due to the worldwide pandemic however I do not believe intangible concepts such as manners/customer service/decency are able to catch COVID so I expect, since Celebrity has my money on hand for the Summit cruise (and a Constellation & Edge sailing), to respond to a customers correspondence.

19 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Wow, hat is off to all of you prepping to get on board, for may it seems stressful, others not so much, but either way bon voyage and be safe.  Just back from a few weeks in Scottsdale and 1 week in La Jolla, easy peasy compare to what many of you have to deal with.

Starting to think land based US travel may be the way to go!

Have three cruises book (September, November, and January).

100% vaccinated and 100% stressed out about this Covid test within 72 hours of boarding.

100% vaccinated.

Looking for suggestions for the Covid testing in Palm Beach or Broward County within 72 hours of September 2nd departure date. Not flying in so can not go to the FLL airport.

Looking through the Celebrity Web site and they appear to have conflicting information as to the testing requirement. There is a chart which I assume is out of date b/c it only shows Millenium - Alaska and Edge/Equinox US- Florida. In other sections of the site there is information as of August 5, 2021 which indicates all US sailings.

 This is stressing me out 😞

Following this topic with great interest! We are booked for the Summit four night leaving Miami on 9/2.

Have not been able to move forward with the online check in - less than four weeks from sailing - has me a little concerned 

Have reached out to Celebrity and have not received a response - about the check-in as well as an answer regarding the Covid testing protocol (ie. do we need a negative Covid test within 72 hours of sailing for this ship/cruise).

On 1/2/2021 at 8:50 PM, sanger727 said:

 

I find it interesting how pre-always included there were tons and tons of threads about the good, better, and best promos that were always around and the number of people who commented about always upgrading their drinks package to premium or getting the better/best. The number of people who did not get drinks and internet included in their bookings before and will now is likely negligible. Especially if they do offer the simply sail rates after final payment. 

 

These aren't "extremely wealthy" folks or celebrity employees. Simply people who were already taking advantage of the good, better, best promos that have been running for years so were already aware they were getting drinks and perhaps wifi included. Or people who disconnect on vacation and don't really even use wifi. Believe it or not, many of the people who enjoy going to a happy hour also enjoy drinking at other hours of the days so a drink package is still a benefit. 

 Not a Celebrity Employee nor an extremely wealthy person - whatever that really means because in the grand scheme of life & the world we are on a cruise forum chatting about perks on a vacation so I think that makes all of us well off.

We are Elite+, in our mid-50's, been cruising for 30 years etc.. Fell in love with Celebrity 19 years ago  on a Thanksgiving week cruise. I finally found a place that just felt right and have not really been interested in going elsewhere. Love the Celebrity vibe. Love the beautiful ships. I have always felt that Celebrity is dependable & consistent. Can not wait to get back on a cruise ship!

We are not big drinkers but we have come to enjoy the beverage package vs the loyalty perk because we enjoy sitting at Cafe Bacio and ordering specialty coffees, we like grabbing a bottle of water whenever and wherever, I like my glass of Proseco kept full at dinner, my husband likes to try different bourbon, scotch, whiskey, and so on. We are on vacation and the beverage package just makes it feel more carefree and vacation like!

We have enjoyed the 5-7 happy hour in an area designated for Captain's Club because we like meeting fellow travelers & seeing the same people each night. We have learned a lot about various itineraries, met interesting people, and had some great conversations! 

I do not particularly care about the internet and am fine with the minutes we get as a perk. We still work so as long as we can check in on business from time to time we are good (actually great) not being plugged in while on vacation. Would prefer gratuities over internet - just our preference.

For us, if Celebrity is listening, we like the perks that make life easier - special lounge for boarding and debarkation (I like to be the first on & off the ship), the morning breakfast lounge (perhaps expand this to include lunch & tea/snacks), wine tasting (perhaps do more with this), cabin upgrades, and I am sure I can think of more.

We have always found the Classic Beverage package to be perfectly suitable for our needs. We happened to have the Premium package one time. We certainly enjoyed it but would not pay to upgrade to it.

As for veranda staterooms - we always compare veranda, concierge, and aqua class. If there is not a huge mark up for aqua class that is they way we like to go because we enjoy Blu and the access to the Persian Garden. 

Veranda vs Concierge really comes down to location of the cabin. Other than that we have never seen the value in Concierge.

21 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Right there with you, PBT!  Got an Aug 2021 Med (??) and a late April 2022 TA, feel much better about this one.  Either way, nice to have something to possibly look forward to.  Good luck!!!

Good luck to you as well!

Agree! It certainly is nice to have something to look forward to :)!

Our last cruise was March 2020. It was a last minute trip. A four night on Infinity. Arrived in port on March 9, 2020. 

We were scheduled to sail on the Edge this month (01/2021). Trip was booked around April 2020 when we thought for sure life would be normal again in January. We all know how that has worked out.

When sailings were cancelled through end of February we mulled over our options and decided to lift & shift to Edge January 2022. Once again saying - certainly life will be back to "normal" again by 2022!

We miss cruising. Today, booked a November 2021 five night on Constellation out of Tampa. Deposit is refundable. Plenty of time before final payment is due. Figured it was worth it if only for the dream.

I think it is for the best. Not surprised. Some wishful thinking on our end that our mid-January 2021 sailing would happen. Just worked on the lift and shift option so we will look forward to sailing on Edge in January 2022!

We have had Covid. Still wear a mask as it is required where we live to enter businesses. Have made final payment on a January 2021 cruise with Celebrity. Will gladly adhere to whatever rules and regulations Celebrity requires.

Even though my husband and I each have had Covid we are not sure if it is possible to contract it again and we are not sure if we could still pass along the virus to someone else. Under these different times if social distancing and wearing a mask make others feel  comfortable and protected then I am good with adhering to the new rules.

Have enjoyed reading this thread.

Just (within the last hour) booked a January 2021 cruise on Edge.

Have wanted to try this ship - price was too good to pass up.

For now we are booked - will see what happens before nor and then.

Hoping 6 months will yield many positive changes in the world!

I love to cruise and I love Celebrity.

On my list -

Equinox 12 night New Orleans & Mexico - February 2021

Bermuda

Panama Canal

Transatlantic

South America and Antarctica as a B2B

We are just off Infinity this morning (3/9/2020). 4 night out of Miami. Enjoyed the ship & cruise. Crew was wonderful. Food was excellent. My last cruises have been on Equinox and Eclipse. This trip reminded me of how much I enjoy the ships such as Infinity. 

One of many reasons that we like Celebrity is that their ships have always seemed cleaner than others with a much bigger staff presence. Purell stations have always been present and crew have been at the buffet restaurant entrances with Purell as well. No different on this cruise - same high level of Purell availability.

This cruise the crew seemed to be  washing the hand rails much more frequently. The hall around our cabin - deck 7 port forward - the cabin stewards were constantly washing down the hand rails with a disinfecting solution more so than I recall on past cruises. I recall on prior cruises that the rails would be wiped down. This was different in that they constantly had buckets of solution around and were using color coded cloths and getting the rails heavily coated with solution and letting it sit before wiping off.

Our observation - We felt that the ship felt quiet and a bit empty even though we were told that the ship was full (I would not expect the crew to say anything different). 

On 1/16/2020 at 4:01 PM, PBTravelBug said:

CELEBRITY MOVE UP TRACKER (effective April 19, 2019; but can back-fill data, if available)

• Ship:  INFINITY
• Length of Cruise: 4 NIGHTS
• Cruise Sail Date: MARCH 5, 2020
• Date email offer received: January 16, 2020
• Captain’s Club Tier: ELITE
• Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA
• Current Cabin: INSIDE GUARANTEE
• Bid?  Yes/No: YES

If YES -  Bidding Details:

• Cabin Category: 
• Bid Offer: Aqua Class - we bid $90 pp AND Family Veranda - we bid $65 pp
• Notification Date: JUST PLACED BID
• Accepted / Rejected

General Comments (offer details, etc.) 

First time ever bidding. Will post the results when I hear back from Celebrity.

They had Aqua Class (range of $60 - $300 pp), Concierge (range of $60-$300 pp), Family Veranda (range of $50-$200 pp), Veranda (range of $50 -$200 pp), and Oceanview (range of $20 - $150)

 

We leave out of Miami on this cruise this Thursday (3/5). Heard this afternoon about our Move Up Bids ( detailed above). We did not get either bid. Totally ok with it as this was a last minute cruise and a heck of a deal with perks and price.

We have a short cruise out of Miami in March. We will definitely be on it and will visit the Future Cruise desk to book more cruise trips!

Have not done a cruise the actual week of Christmas. Did one the week of Thanksgiving and really enjoyed it. I do not recall any special events or activities but they(Celebrity) did have a turkey dinner on the menu for Thanksgiving day - it was delicious (more so because I did not have to prepare/cook/clean).

Have done a few cruises between Thanksgiving and Christmas - one of my favorite times to cruise. The ship(s) are decorated for the holidays. There is a happy & festive vibe.

We were on Eclipse for the Coastal California cruise back in November. Port intensive cruise so we opted for an inside guarantee. We were incredibly pleased with the cabin they assigned. We were on Deck 9 (so sorry I do not recall the exact cabin number). Loved the location. The cabin was large - larger than any inside cabin we have had before. We slept really well - cool & dark.  We have been sailing in either Aqua or Concierge the last few cruises. We forgot how much we like an inside cabin.

Going on a quick cruise in March on Infinity. Chose the inside guarantee. They have assigned us a cabin on Deck 7 - looks good to us. We made some bids with the move up program but we are perfectly happy with the inside cabin.

We went on a tour through the cruise line when we were in Barbados. There seemed to be a good amount of private guides around the terminal. We enjoyed the tour of the George Washington House and then a bus tour around part of the island. The GW house was interesting.

We ran into this problem on our last Equinox cruise. On that cruise we were in a Concierge cabin and we are Elite with Captain Club so I emailed several times (3 in total) about reservations for specialty dining. Never heard back from anyone until an email came through while we were on the ship. By this time we had made a visit to the dining room and were able to make a reservation for Tuscan.

I mention this because we are taking a cruise on Infinity in March. Had the same issue with specialty dining - all that was available was 9pm. I emailed and this time I politely & diplomatically mentioned that I was disappointed with how my emails were handled on the prior cruise. Voila! I received a phone call within 48 hours and they had availability at Tuscan on the first night of the cruise at a decent time.

Not sure if they block some times but it might be worth an email or call with your request(s).