BytownMatt

The process seems to depend on the port where the turnaround is taking place. On my previous back-to-back sailings where the turnaround ports were Rotterdam and Rome/Civitavecchia, the process was very simple and there was no requirement to leave the ship. That wasn't the case on the Edge today in Sydney where everyone was required to disembark, wait for some time before going through Australian immigration and reboarding the ship. We also had to pack everything (no leaving clothes on hangers), probably due to the high number of consecutive cruisers. I suspect it is Australian immigration/border control requirements mainly dictating the process and I won't hazard a guess whether today's process is typical or not (others with more experience may have more insight). As others have indicated, wait for the back-to-back process to be announced by Celebrity and be prepared to be flexible on turnaround day. Enjoy!

So perhaps it can vary (e.g., whether the cruise is staying in Australia or ending in New Zealand) but that's not the case on the current Edge sailing. All guests are required to leave the ship and go ashore in Sydney by 9:30am. Consecutive cruisers can reboard between 10:45am (when Australian Departure Immigration opens) and 3pm with a 5pm departure.

In my experience over the past year and a half, the Future Cruise OBC can be combined with the TA OBC offer (if there is one) but others may have a different experience with their TAs.

So I have a bit of a different take on this which may (or may not) explain the comments by the OP's former TA. I certainly agree with the previous comments regarding the advantages with the reduced deposit and additional onboard credit. My issue is that the prices I have been quoted at the Future Cruise desk onboard have been consistently higher or much higher than what my TA can offer (mainly through group rates). On a couple of occasions the prices I was quoted onboard were even higher than what appeared on Celebrity's website. I know that lots of people book their cruises onboard so perhaps I have just been unlucky with the specific cruises I inquired about or I have been asking the wrong questions about available discounts, etc. Personally my approach has been to buy the future cruise certificate onboard to get the reduced deposit and OBC benefits and then work with my TA to find the best cruise fare.

Agreed. I looked for Dogfish Head on several cruises and only found it on one. I did have a Goose Island IPA on a couple of occasions (not on the menu and suggested by a bartender after my first three requests were unavailable). Think it was a dollar above the classic level at the time.

This was the beverage list (including beers) last year - it likely has changed but it gives a general sense of the offerings. They don't necessarily have all in stock and may have replacements. beverage-flyer-03_24_23_OB_SP.pdf

The US and Canadian websites have different layouts and options. A travel agent can arrange a hold/option on a stateroom.

I thought the closet with hangers was a decent size but there wasn't much in the way of drawer space.

Hello neighbour! Yes it was very early. For my other successful.bid, I was notified about 11 days prior to the cruise. I believe that the minimum bid was $1475 or $1495. Figured it was worth a somewhat higher bid given the good deal I had received on the original stateroom fare.

Ship: Edge Length of Cruise: 10 nights Cruise Sail Date: January 25, 2024 Date email offer received: October 28, 2023 Captain’s Club Tier: Elite Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: TA Current Cabin: Prime Edge Stateroom with IV Bid? Yes/No: Yes If YES - Bidding Details: Cabin Category: Sky Suite Bid Offer: $1745 CAD pp / about $1300 pp USD Notification Date: December 15, 2023 Accepted / Rejected: Accepted Just heard that my MoveUp bid to a Sky Suite for my next cruise was successful. Booking a similar Sky Suite on the same cruise today would cost about $17,500 CAD more than I paid (although that probably says more about current prices than anything else). Looking forward to trying out the Retreat for the first time.

Thursday...provided Celebrity doesn't change the date again.

Sometime yes but sometimes no. I had two bids this past summer that were "pending" and locked for a long time before being switched to "not upgraded". Hope you are one of the lucky ones.

Release date is now Thursday. Sorry to get your hopes up (and mine)...

I was told that this week's releases would be today and therefore still part of the cyber event, but I don't see them yet...

To be released tomorrow or so I've heard. Silhouette doing Bermuda/Northeast plus Iceland/Greenland in the summer.

I'm also seeing the Solstice from Vancouver.

sometimes there is a discounted upgrade option if you have All Included

Others likely have more experience and insight on this but I've found Celebrity's promotions for upgrades to be inconsistent and difficult to predict. From what I've read on this forum, different promotions are offered to different cruisers - it may be based on loyalty level, stateroom category, country, and/or some random algorithm thing... For my cruises earlier this year - including on the Beyond in August in a solo cabin - I was offered a discounted wifi upgrade coupon on several occasions. For my upcoming cruises I have been offered discounted drink package upgrades but nothing for wifi. I would suggest that you keep checking the cruise planner particularly around sales/holidays. Good luck! (And a call to Celebrity wouldn't hurt...if you can reach them.)

I would echo the thanks to @Norwaylady It was a great review and travelogue, filled with many wonderful photos. And it was a pleasure to meet you both during the first part of the journey. Already looking forward to hearing about your next adventures on Celebrity. Matt

You can get some good deals on the Edge class solo cabins but so far I've found that is the exception rather than the norm. I'm also a new solo cruiser and most of the time (7/9) I've opted for regular balcony staterooms with a group rate discount from my TA or a last minute deal from Celebrity.

I just used "Equinox November 2025" (for example) under "Find a Cruise" on the main Celebrity website.

Celebrity website is showing Equinox in Europe for summer 2025 and then heading to South America in November.

He said yesterday at one of the Q&A sessions that he starts his three month break at the end of January...so he may be back for the first part of the summer.

I can attest that they are as friendly and personable as they appear in the photos - don't be afraid!

And yes the Zenith/Retreat types were given the "priority access" process and spared the indignity of waiting with the rest of us.😐 (I'm mostly jealous, not bitter.)