drakes2

I was in Martinique a few weeks ago and no euros onboard. Best to buy before you leave home.

The WCB does not have any drinks up to the $9 limit therefore you would not qualify. The wines and martinis are extremely limited with Elite HH. You can order a Cosmo and apple martini. I was not able to use the Spa in the Edge during a sea day as they are under a different contract to the S class ships. Not fair but thats how they market it. She offered me 10% off a massage but I declined and they don't care. I found them unfriendly.

I would have thought the PC points offers would be the same across Ontario. I love collecting the points and my hubby gets different offers so works out in our favour. I even gets extra points for Esso gas.

I live in Southern Ontario an hour from Buffalo NY and used to go shopping quite a bit across the border but with the exchange rate upwards of 1.40 its not worth. Actually we get better bargains right here plus I collect points for just about all groceries I buy which makes it so worthwhile.

I don't mind a food thread either; always something to learn from others

There's always something but who knows how great a sale it will be. Maybe reduced deposit or extra obc?

My local supermarket marks down a lot of fresh veggies a couple days prior to expiry so pick up for fresh salad what is left goes into a shrimp stir fry. Never have any food waste and save money

I agree the food on my February Edge cruise was excellent in all the MDR's especially the French restaurant. Looking forward to our April 2023 15 night Western Europe TA on the Apex. Its almost a brand new ship as inaugural sail date was last November.

Me neither but I do cruise for the drinking. 😆

@cruisestitchI think you've misinterpreted my post. What I meant is even though people spend thousands on a cruise they still like to find ways of saving money where they can. I didn't mean one has to resort to theft and cheating in order to do so. What about the person with a drinks package who orders a martini and doesn't care for it then offers it to a friend without a drinks package. Seen that happen also. Shoplifting!!! Oh, please.

Well I guess people like to save a buck where they can. Its human nature.

Doubt you will be banned or kicked off worse that will happen is you will lose drink privileges.

Yes they are in a lot of debt and need to make cuts in all areas without compromising the cruise experience for their guests. So far they have done that. I have taken 4 cruises since covid and have another 2 booked. Had wonderful experiences on all of them. The food quality has declined somewhat but all the dishes I've tried have been tasty and well presented. If there is anything not to one's liking they are more than happy to offer a substitution I don't go on cruises for the food as I make tasty meals at home but I enjoy the ambiance and the various ports of call and countries I can visit and have a relaxing vacation.

Last November on the Silhouette they ran out of bananas at the spa cafe also no bananas foster for dessert that night. A few days later they showed up onboard. At home when I cook green beans I fry them in a skillet right from freezer in a little butter. Then toss with fresh lemon juice and toasted almonds. Yummy.

Luminae would not be any different than any other restaurant onboard. Frozen veggies just need a few seconds to a minute in boiling water basically just to refresh any more and you lose all the nutrients.

Exactly. Fresh veggies last a couple days at most whereas frozen are picked at their prime cooked and flash frozen. If they taste mushy then they are overcooked.

I still would not pay $250 for 4 nights just to get to Elite status. Another way of earning points is by power up points or by going green on your sailing.

I would not pay $250 extra for a 4 night cruise in a concierge. The size of cabin is the same as a regular balcony cabin. The bubbly and awful canapes are just not worth that kind of money. I would cancel and rebook As I stated previously I've only upgraded from a balcony to Concierge if the price is the same or a few dollars more for a better location. For example I went from a 2D obstructed veranda on deck 6 to a C2 concierge on deck 10 on the wake for $100 for a 10 night sailing. Well worth 10 bucks a night extra.

On my very recent 10 night Equinox sailing I asked the wine be delivered the first evening so that I could enjoy mimosas with breakfast the next morning. My stateroom attendant made a point of saying I would only receive the one bottle. Not sure why he said that perhaps previous guests were asking for it to be replenished. Not a big deal as plenty of opportunities to get sparkling wine for the entire duration of the cruise.

There are many reasons for a bottle of wine to be off tasting. They did the right thing by opening a new bottle for you.

We booked West jet direct from YYZ to FLL and return with AA chose to fly via Philly rather than Heathrow as Heathrow is a nightmare plus its during the Kings coronation. Paid $708 CAD each.

We got an excellent price on our flights from Toronto to FLL then AMS back to Toronto for next April. Granted the return is a short stop in Philly but saved several hundreds of dollars doing it that way.

We used FBC for our January 2022 Edge cruise after the flights we booked independently were changed two weeks prior to sailing. They just changed the return flight by one day which would have been a sea day for us so we cancelled the entire itinerary and got flights with Celebrity without connections at half the cost. For our upcoming 15 night TA also used FBC at a fraction of what we would have paid if booked outside. You really need to do your homework and research to see what is more cost effective.

I've just booked a 15 night Western Europe TA for next April without the drinks package. Would I be able to just purchase the premium package for the second week of the cruise mainly for some good cabs as the supply I bring onboard will be gone by then.

The embarkation lunch is one of the main reasons I choose concierge but only if the price is the same or very close to a balcony cabin. For me its just not worth hundreds of dollars more. I make use of the debarkation lounge but not a fan of their coffee or pastries. I make sure I have a full breakfast before getting off the ship.