RICCruisers

I lent my wife $50 so she could play the slot machine next to me. She got down to $8 and then won over $1000!!!!  Think we may be signing over the voucher to the future cruise desk. 

Congratulations on the big slot 🏆 

I hope the remainder of your cruise was enjoyable. We board Edge on Saturday after you get off.  Are you taking the train back to NOVA?

Up to $35.00 is covered with the dining package. It’s probably not the best use of the package. They sometimes run a special all you can eat meal. 

1 hour ago, Oville said:

Who was the Captain on the Eclipse that couldn’t dock in Chile and spent a long time at sea before finally docking in San Diego.  I’m not asking this to be sarcastic but I thought it was Tasos.  It didn’t end well as I recall. There were Covid deaths and spread from that cruise.

 

The Captain was Leo. 

6 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Aged.... On The Millennium we had a 15 yo double cask and an 18 yo sherry cask on hand for the tasting.

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Bo - That might be worth doing the tasting. It sure beats the Macallan Quest and Lumina they try to pour in the bars if you’re not specific in what you ask for. 

Super Bowl has taken place in the theater. We were on Edge in 2019 and Eclipse in 2018. They set the theater up with one side rooting for each team. There was “tailgate” type food at the back of the theater and of course drinks flowed - not FREELY - but for regular charge based on drink packages. The theater had very good crowds and people were quite vocal in their support. You should have a great time and if your favorite team is in the game bring along your team gear to wear. 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Good to hear.    Sorry for the erogenous information.   I thought for once that Celebrity might be consistent.

Jim - Better watch the autocorrect, it might get you suspended from CC and we would really miss your great posts from your B2B. 

59 minutes ago, canderson said:

@RICCruisers

This counting strategy has been discussed in other threads.  What it gives you is a rough % for availability, but for a variety of reasons, a count of unavailable cabins cannot accurately predict % occupancy.

Agree especially since X has been blocking off and moving people to new cabins to account for taking on new crew that needs to isolate for 2 weeks. I do however feel that it gives an indication of how many passengers may be onboard. I’ve been doing mock bookings on many cruises that I have no interest in and when I read about the numbers that actual passengers report on these boards I’m able to get a feel for what type of capacity a given cruise will have.
 

As an FYI, I retired after 30+ years from a business where I could look at our parking lot and make a pretty good guess on how much attendance we were doing. This was making estimates ranging from 10,000 on a slower day to 35,000+ on a busier day. Figuring out 600 passengers to 1,800 passengers after looking at all “available” cabins is not that tough, but certainly not an exact science. Simply too much time on my hands and not enough time cruising. 

I have been checking our Silhouette cruise on 1/24/22 using mock bookings and it appears the numbers are looking pretty good (for Celebrity). Concierge is totally sold out and Suites are getting there. It could be due to the fact that this cruise was a L&S from the original Edge ABC cruise for the same dates. 
 

I don’t know how this specific cruise compares other January cruises.
 

We are on Edge next Saturday, 10/16 and my guess is it will be about 1,100 passengers. 

40 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Are you quite certain this was on Celebrity? End it was concierge class? That sounds like a suite Class amenity.

Yes, several years ago we were in Concierge and they had a special waiting area and they came around with water bottles. Don’t recall anything to eat and certainly not what the OP via the Cruisemapper website described. It was better than nothing but nothing real special other than a place to sit. 

Here is a screenshot of Deck 3 on Millennium. There is a Captain’s Club Office and a Destination Concierge Office but no Concierge Lounge. Sorry for the misinformation. 

18 hours ago, canderson said:

(Cross-posted from another thread)

 

Actually, who's in charge can be of far more impact than you might imagine, but not necessarily in the manner you might think.

 

The demeanor of the captain, specifically with regard to his/her approach to crew matters and their welfare can change the entire tenor of a ship.  Not that we've ever had a bad X cruise with respect to service, but there have been certain ships at certain times where it was apparent that the crew felt more appreciated and were truly happy to be working for a particular captain. 

 

Granted, there are a few layers of management in between, but a caring captain's wishes are clearly communicated to those that report to him, and as the captain, has the discretion to directly support and encourage the crew in a myriad of ways to make their time aboard ship a better experience.

 

When the crew is really happy, it shows clearly on the customer-facing side of things, and the captain has a lot to do with that.

I agree 100% with @canderson  The captain sets the tone for the entire ship. While he/she may be several layers from most of the crew we deal with on a daily basis, how the captain works with and treats his/her direct reports filters down for the good or bad. 

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I would recommend the Southern Loop to start.   If you aren't tiered or had enough for the day you could also do the Northern Loop. 

Jim - We will be in Bonaire on 2/1 and I just sent them an email to reserve a golf cart. I asked them to send you a commission for your great recommendation. Will let you know their reply.
 

Thanks for your help with this. 

One important point if you are booking a suite. Silhouette has received its full Revolution update, but Equinox was only partially updated. Silhouette would be my choice. 
 

I’d be a little bit concerned if the balcony breakfast is important. X has changed the furniture on the balcony post Revolution to a small balcony table good for a cup of coffee but not a full breakfast. 

1 hour ago, fstuff1 said:

 

and how does the meal package work on sushi on 5 since it's ala carte pricing?

 

It doesn’t. Sushi/Raw on 5 is up to $35.00 per person on the package. Not a “good deal” to use it at that restaurant. 

59 minutes ago, taylortime05 said:

Sounds like a great deal.  What's the ship and date?  

Please add in cabin category and if it is AI or Simply Sail. 

I suggest you look closely at Princess. 

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

What about martinis and wines for those on the CBP? Didn't see anything listed under $9.00

You can order a regular martini at  most of the bars using the gin or vodka that comes with the CBP. You can’t order any of the specialty martinis at the Martini Bar unless you are willing to pay the overage plus 20% on the amount over $9.00. There are also.several wines you can order that are $9.00. Again you can order any wine if you are willing to pay the overage. 
 

if you are ever in doubt simply ask the bartender what you want and if it’s included in the CBP. They are always willing to help you stay within the CBP. 

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Norma -

 

I'm so excited for you.   We really enjoyed the ABC cruise as we had never been to B and C.   We really loved them as they are so different than other islands.   

 

No talk of removing the Glass Blowing show.    Maybe it was planned before the revolution was cut short due to an accident at the shipyard.   Also the forward deck that is used by Retreat on other ships is still open to all.  

 

I would really recommend the Curacao Cruisers Golf Cart rental.    We had a blast and it is really reasonable at $95 for a cart for 2.    Only warning is to book early as they book up quickly.    Really nice folks that own and run the business.     All of the ships tours took the same route and the buses were packed and only had occasional stops.

Jim- I think you mean Bonaire Cruisers. Thanks to your original post about your day in Bonaire we have already emailed that to reserve a golf cart for our ABC cruise in January. 

2 hours ago, RichYak said:

And I simply don't trust that CVS will not cancel the appointment at the last minute. The home test puts the onus on me and I'll have a CVS appointment for later in the day as a backup.

We are doing the exact opposite. Made our appointment at CVS for 10/14 today and have the at home test as our backup. Might even get an appointment at Walgreens to have a third option. 

2 hours ago, dkjretired said:

I was asked about beverage ackages.

I have never purchased a full beverage package, but the upgrade from Classic to Premium definitely includes a 20% gratuity/tip to the cost. 

3 hours ago, dkjretired said:

That is your interpretation, that is not how it’s always been. Go back and see how many people on this board have said they returned their bills without a tip. Common sense dictates that the servers and Celebrity will not allow the servers to receive no tip.

Not sure exactly what you are saying.  Are you saying the Cover Charge does or does not include the tip/gratuity?  This topic pops up every couple of months and the comments are always mostly the same as this thread and divided. Some say yes and some say no to the question of the tip being part of the Cover Charge. Celebrity could clear this up with a simple answer that the Cover Charge Does or Does Not include a gratuity.  They are very clear on items where a tip/gratuity is automatically added, but on this one they leave up to the customer to decipher their intent.

I agree that Celebrity would not leave their servers with no tip which is another reason I personally feel the Cover Charge does include a tip. It would be beneficial if the amount was made clear as to how much of a tip is included.  Without that information I have to assume that the server is receiving a minimum of 20% since that is the standard charge for drinks.  

As was posted earlier from the Cruise Planner:

"all cover charges are per person.  Additional items such as beverages, menu supplements, food and wine pairings and gratuities are not included."

I read this to say that gratuities are not included for beverages, menu supplements, food and wine pairings.  The Cover Charges in this case includes a gratuity. 

I am American and need help from my fellow cruisers from abroad on this one.  When I have gone into a restaurant in some countries in Europe, a cover charge is sometimes included in the bill.  It was my understanding that the cover charge took the place of a tip/gratuity.  If I wanted to add more I can, but it was not necessarily expected.

On 9/26/2021 at 3:32 PM, fstuff1 said:

marketing worked, i guess.
i like the chilean sea bass MUCH better

You should like it better. The cost is usually 2-3 times more than branzino. 

@Jim_Iain That sunset picture is so popular you may want to make a bunch of prints and sell them at the next Art Auction. 😀Double the price if you sign them. 

FYI - I do agree it is breathtaking. Well done sir!

Never have I seen any description of the dining package that states you cannot select the same restaurant for all of your meals onboard. My assumption is that most people would like to try a variety of restaurants. 
 

Here is a description from the Cruise Planner:

Book Your Specialty Dining Package Now to Enjoy the Best Value

• Experience as many specialty restaurants as your appetite desires and enjoy savings. 

• Package provides flexibility to book different restaurants for lunch and dinner. 

• A Day 1 courtesy time reservation can be made prior to sailing. 

• Your restaurant location will be confirmed in your cabin on embarkation day. 

• To make any changes and to plan remaining reservations, please visit the specialty dining desk which is open during embarkation day or speak  

to

the Maitre D’ any day throughout your sailing. 

• Specialty dining packages and restaurants are based on availability and may not be offered on every voyage.