RICCruisers

3 hours ago, oneputt18 said:

From additional term: All cover charges are per person. Restaurant reservations are subject to availability, and reservations are non-transferable. Additional items such as beverages, menu supplements, food and wine pairings and gratuities are not included.

There are a couple of ways to read decipher this. It could be that gratuities are not included on the cover charges OR gratuities are not included on the additional items mentioned - beverages, menu supplements, food and wine pairings. I know they add the 20% gratuity to any drinks if you don’t have a beverage package or if you exceed the maximum allowed in the package. Read the description however you want. It can go either way IMHO. 
 

Celebrity could have cleared this up if the changed the description to ALL COVER CHARGES ARE PER PERSON AND DO/ORDO NOT INCLUDE GRATUITY. 
 

The way it is written leaves it open to interpretation. 

Here’s a question for everyone. Celebrity is quick to add a gratuity on the Spa Treatments, Drinks at the bars, Drink Packages, Bottles of wine and the automatic gratuities to our cruise price. Why then do they leave Specialty Restaurants up to the guest to figure out what is the right thing to do???  Could it be that part of the extra charge is actually a gratuity?  I’m going to have to reread the description on Specialty Restaurants but my recollection is the gratuity mentioned in it refers to any drinks you get at the restaurant. 

I’m not sure this is my problem to solve. If I add a tip to the check I receive in a Specialty Restaurant and Celebrity decides not to give it to the server, then that is between the staff and management. 
 

I might also add that paying an additional $50 per person to eat in Murano should be more than enough to cover a gratuity to the staff in that restaurant. 

I just like garlic butter. 

7 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I see suggestions of tipping $10 pp pd.  How does all included factor in?  Is this too much?  Too little?

If you are talking about $10 pp pd  for you cabin attendant, that is too much IMHO. If you are thinking of spreading around the extra $20 per day to include wait staff, bartenders, room attendant and others around the ship, it’s probably OK. In might even be a little low. Just depends on who you want to include in your extra tipping and who you interact with. And remember the special cards that are available at Guest Relations where you can compliment staff by name. They receive special recognition that can include extras from their management. They go a long way in addition to extra cash. 

33 minutes ago, canderson said:

Yes, we're seeing $139 pp, without mention of wine anywhere for or against.

See no other option to include/exclude it on the packages page.

The last line in the description of the Chef’s Table is “Wine Pairings are available for purchase onboard”.
 

No price is quoted which allows them to change it based on which wines are selected. From what I have seen from various posts, $60.00 has been stated a few times. It’s not required but it likely adds to the overall dining experience. 

1 hour ago, canderson said:

Sorry to hear that.  Given all of the relatively intimate activities not canceled, odd the ones that are.  Stull offering to take my OBC for 11/12 cruise for advanced booking for one, though.  Hope that's a good sign. 

1 hour ago, Solon said:

We have done a few Chefs table but not for awhile.

 

Always found them enjoyable.  The wines are included in the fee and specially paired by the sommelier for each course.

 

The venue varies according to the ship, but you will usually see an extra large table in one of the dining venues where it is held.  If memory serves, I think there were around 12/14 guests at the table.

 

Unfortunately, this specialty meal is suspended due to covid for our cruise next month.

The Daniel Boulud Chef’s Table is $139 pp and does not include the wine pairing. That is the only Chef’s table I see on our next two cruises. A few years ago the pairing was included, but the price pp was significantly higher than $139. 

We were booked for an 11 night ABC Island cruise on Edge in November 2020 departing 1/24/22 in an S3 for $4499 pp. It was changed to an 11 night cruise on the same dates on Silhouette and the price for an S2 (lowest Sky Suite on S Class) is currently $7969 pp which is almost double what we are paying. Fortunately X allowed us to Lift and Shift. They also gave us an additional $400 OBC since we “downgraded “ from an E Class to an S Class ship. The only change was taking off Bonaire and adding an overnight in Curaçao. 
 

My answer to your question is a resounding YES the pricing on Sky Suites are definitely higher priced now than they were pre-COVID days. 

I’ve read several reports from passengers on this cruise that X “abandoned “ the testing at some point this afternoon. I haven’t seen exactly when or how many passengers were not tested. Anyone have the details on this? Plan to test while onboard?

9 minutes ago, KKB said:

ALL PASSENGERS ARE BEING TESTED BEFORE BOARDING…per email from last evening.

Heard some found email in junk mail.

Things r a bit of a luster here in ship & at terminal (where my 76YO mother has been outside for an hour.

 

@KKB Sorry to hear about the difficulties boarding, but totally expected given the timing of implementing the new testing protocols. Are you allowed to wait with your mother or would that be viewed as a break in the boarding procedure?

12 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

The text specifically says "unable".  Huge difference between "unable" and "unwilling" as in "Hey X, I'm canceling because you changed the rules again and I can't trust you anymore".

No difference in my mind. I’m unable to get the test because I’m unwilling to do it. Either way you get a refund or FCC. 

4 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

This is absolute BS.  We've done everything asked of us during our government's knee jerk reaction.  The goal posts continue to move on a whim.

 

I see X offers refund or FCC if you are "unable" to get the test.  How about "unwilling" to be jerked around?

 

 

Same deal. Refund or FCC

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

Thank you! Must make decision before we board to save extra $60/person.

It is my understanding that the $60.00 additional fee for the wine paring is the same if you add it in advance or on board. 

A quick note - It Does Not cover anything from the Mini Bar in your cabin or alcoholic beverages ordered through Room Service. 

4 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

Even when these groups had priority boarding or check in, it was only a separate line, often the regular lines were shorter. By the way, in Celebrity’s pecking order Aqua has always been higher than Concierge.

This is not quite true. Concierge was able to board prior to Aqua on our 2019 Edge cruise due to the special embarkation lunch. There was a bit of grumbling from Aqua passengers when Concierge was called before Aqua. 

Here is my guess and it truly is a guess. There is a limited amount of space in the terminal to separate people. Once inside the terminal, knowing how some people can get, they would be pushing toward getting on the ship even if their time had not been called. That is certainly what I have observed at Terminal 25 on the cruises pre-COVID.  It is probably easier to keep them outside separated than giving them closer access inside the terminal. 

Jim, I hope this is true. I didn’t want to take the chance on past cruises of the right person getting paid so I gave cash. I’ll use your method on our next cruise and follow up with the staff member. 

From what I have been told and have done in the past, you can only designate additional gratuities for your cabin attendant. I’m not sure about butlers. You do this by going to Guest Relations and filling out a form. I have been told if you do this for a server the extra goes into a pool for all F&B staff. It is also recommended that you let the individual that you are doing this so they can look for it in their pay. Also, check your online account and make sure it is charged to your account. It may take a day or two. 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I just bought a couple waterproof cover so should be good with protection. 

Jim, I had to chuckle when I read your post. Was the cover a Trojan brand?

4 hours ago, helen haywood said:

No charge for Eden Cafe for breakfast or dinner…which is all it served.  Eden the dinner restaurant is a fee specialty option.

I believe you meant to say no charge for breakfast or lunch at Eden Cafe. Dinner in Eden is a Specialty Restaurant. 

11 minutes ago, jg51 said:

That does make sense, @RICCruisers.

Thanks @jg51  

My guess is that X offers the 30% discount for the 1st night specialty restaurants. There is no need for a package on that night. In other words on a 7 night cruise you buy the 1st night special 30% discount and the 6 night package if you want to eat in a specialty restaurant each night. 

Have at it @jg51. Get it off your chest. It slides right off my back. 
 

Turtles, I agree the make up lunch is no big deal unless they are serving filet and lobster. I haven’t heard what the meal is. We have had the E Day lunch a few times and sometimes it was very good - Lamb Chops, other times it was very pedestrian. We have occasionally skipped it for a relaxing meal at the Spa Cafe. 

I totally understand the fact that the Port Staff is contracted by Celebrity. What I don’t understand is why there is not enough Celebrity Staff out there to make sure their guests are not treated well during the embarkation process. For many cruisers this is their first impression of Celebrity and while Celebrity will have the next 7+ days to improve their impression, some will always remember their first impression. 

The reason for eliminating the Embarkation Lunch is due to the adherence to specific boarding times that are selected when you check in for your cruise. It is all as a result of the new protocols due to COVID-19. There is no guarantee you will be able to board in time to dine at the luncheon. From what I have read about the cruises that have already taken place there are no longer priority boarding times for cabins other than suites and a few other VIP cruisers. Hopefully this benefit for Concierge Cabins will be reinstated once we get closer to “normal “ cruising life. 
 

You may or may not agree with how X is handling the boarding process, but they are the ones responsible for the well being of all passengers and at the present time this is how they are doing it. You of course have the option to either cruise with them, another cruise line or not cruise at all.