acstall

2 hours ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

f you are in an upper suite, you can also order from the Specialty Restaurants.

Could someone verify this was their experience? We were on Summit in a royal suite and were told by our butler that he would see if we could order from Tuscan Grill, but that it was not typically allowed.  I didn't try the second time we were in the royal suite.

1 minute ago, md80fan said:

I just got off Silhouette on Thursday and they put the stools back about halfway through the cruise

That is great news!  Thanks for posting this.

Not surprised they are claiming safety issues as that is something harder to refute.  But it is absolutely ridiculous, especially on the larger balconies.  If you remove everything that is a tripping hazard, we'll have a mattress on the floor at best -- maybe.  As others have said, this takes away from the experience of sailing with a balcony. So disappointing and unnecessary.

On 1/25/2024 at 8:21 PM, markeb said:

 

Sorry, Jim. Those aren't upscale beers. Most of them are pretty pedestrian. Yeah, you can get a college dorm suitcase beer in the classic package, but even cheap 12-pack beers are $11. And then there's insanity like Salvator for the same price as Blue Moon! I haven't bought a Coors since I graduated from college. And that was decades ago...

"Used to be" beer and wine on Celebrity were close to the price you would pay in a restaurant or even a little less, because you already "paid" for food and beverage as part of the cruise or in buying a beverage package.  We typically see premium draft beer in restaurants these days at $7 or $8.  Not buying at $11 on a cruise.

Entry level suite, Aquamarine. Slightly smaller suite than Regent but not by much. Price comparable.

On 12/29/2023 at 10:57 AM, klkaylor78 said:

We did not find the crew helpful with "finding us" when we forgot our number and we were not the only passengers having that issue. May have been variable by ship.

Agree that all ships have a process but our feeling was that the process was more important than the passengers.  

Not really an issue in the long term as if you like the processes on Regent stay with Regent. We on the other hand will vote with our feet/$. I do think that as knowing and joining the process is more important on Regent and perhaps a newbie FAQ might help or even a handout so that we know our roles on the ship. It was a rough few days  figuring out our role in our own happiness.  

I do have to say the ship was beautiful so and the room and butler wonderful.  

I so agree with your assessment but have hesitated to share my thoughts about our cruise on Regent.  In our case, the server taking the special eggs order was very rude about indicating we should get our table first.  Even when we did that, there always seemed to be an issue with our orders.  Although I did a lot of research prior to our Splendor cruise, I did not learn about this "process" until our first morning for breakfast.  On our cruise in December 2022, we did not feel that key staff leaders were open to feedback about the uneven experience both in food quality and service in the restaurants.  Our cabin was elegant and our butler was also wonderful - that side of things couldn't be better.  However, the overall feeling of being dismissed kept us from booking another cruise on Regent, although if there's an interesting itinerary in the future I would consider it.  We cruised for the second time in December 2023 on Crystal and it was as wonderful and welcoming as ever.

On 12/9/2023 at 11:41 AM, ryndam said:

Use Pan American Pier as the drop off address. Be aware that the luggage drop off is in front of the RCCL ship, not in front of Serenity. 
 

Also, the Uber drivers cannot pick up immediately in front of the terminal. You’ll have to meet your driver by the street in front of the parking lot. Very strong taxi union here.

 

Rob

Very helpful! Thank you. We’ll plan on taxi at end of cruise.

What pier is Serenity docked at today? I’m having trouble finding valid address for Uber. We embark today. Thanks!

18 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Do you have the invoice that comes from Celebrity, not the big box invoice?  Can you ask for it? It would show what you do/don't have.  My experience is that you downgrade to classic bev & wifi but not sure about the tips since you booked onboard when they were included.

Well, this is a new one on me.  Here is the response from my TA.  "Since this is special discounted rate, I cannot forward you the invoice from Celebrity."  Heard anything like this one? 

9 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Do you have the invoice that comes from Celebrity, not the big box invoice?  Can you ask for it? It would show what you do/don't have.  My experience is that you downgrade to classic bev & wifi but not sure about the tips since you booked onboard when they were included.

Good idea. I do not have that but will ask. Thank you.

We did an onboard booking last year for a 10-day cruise in a Sky Suite on Equinox in January 2024 at a refundable rate.  I knew when I booked it that I would not keep this cruise/cabin as the price was so high.  At the time of booking, all perks included were premium beverage and wifi, tips and a lot of OBC.  I was hoping that suite prices would come down, but they did not, so I moved this booking to a non-refundable fare in a deluxe veranda, April 2024 on Silhouette.  As expected, my OBC was reduced significantly, but my invoice from my TA is still showing premium beverage, tips and wifi.  Is this correct?  I thought my premium beverage and wifi would drop to classic.  I'm getting conflicting answers from Celebrity and I don't have full confidence in the big box TA.  

Roy, just a thought. My husband forgot his cane on a cruise and guest services had one he could borrow. Enjoy your new adventure.

12 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Jim,  I am looking forward to reading about your experience with a new cruise line.  

We are also thinking of jumping ship and after reading Charla’s post about her experiences on MSC, that may be where we will go next.  We still have our 13 day Best of Japan cruise on Millennium next May.  However for the first time in years that is the only cruise we have booked. 
 

We also had only one cruise booked until today, which is so odd as usually we have at least three to look forward to.  Our experience on Beyond and Summit in suites this past spring was fine, but in addition to the changes, I'm tired of the same ports.  This week I moved our very expensive January Equinox cruise in a sky suite to a March cruise in a deluxe veranda on Silhouette.  The port stops include Barbados, which we haven't been to since before Covid. The deluxe veranda with perks is quite a bit less than half the price of the sky suite. I would have booked an aqua suite, but I'm using some of the $1500 price difference between DV and AQ to book a few specialty restaurants.

In recent years, we have typically booked sky suites (or Royal on Summit) but one of the best cruises we've had recently was in a veranda last August on Equinox.  The Main Dining Room staff were wonderful and the food was good to very good.  We also just booked a December 7-day on Crystal Serenity.  I'm getting excited again.

Jim, I hope you love Ponant and that you have a wonderful cruise.

14 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I have cautiously looked at Crystal.   I had a booking with them when they went belly up and wasn't pleased how difficult they made it to be reimbursed.   KInda left a sour taste in my mind.

 

I heard from some friends they were on Equinox with you either last week or this week.

The same thing happened to us with Crystal and we canceled before they declared bankruptcy. I had to get a refund through my credit card. However, we did cruise with Crystal once in 2019 on a Mediterranean cruise and it was magical. I didn't think I'd go back to them after the issues a couple of years ago, but I'm feeling good about the new ownership -- and it was a lovely ship.  Crystal has a great price right now on their December sailings in the Caribbean and we are trying it again!  Think about it...

My husband and I were on Summit the first week of March and splurged on a Royal Suite.  On the last night, I could not find my watch.  Our butler called the housekeeper and made a report, but it was not found before we left the ship.  After we got home, I contacted our shoreside concierge (nice benefit of upper suite!) who contacted the ship and let me know within days that it had been found!  She indicated that Chargerback is the company that would be in touch about mailing it back to me.  For three months now, my claim on Chargerback still says I will be getting an e-mail soon about shipping it back.  Our shoreside concierge, Kyra,  promised to escalate the issue regarding contact by Chargerback until she stopped responding in mid-May.  Last week, not knowing what else to do, I sent a message asking for assistance to Lutoff-Perlo@celebritycruises.com.  No response.

Any other thoughts on who to contact to get help on getting my watch returned?  Someone who will respond?  Thank you!

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

In FLL you really do not need the priority suites luggage drop. 

You’re right. I didn’t see it anyway and it was so easy to drop our luggage where we pulled up. We’re on Beyond today and the embarkation was so easy and just wonderful. Saw Charla sail out yesterday!

Were you able to use the priority luggage drop or is that only for upper suites?

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

"Where are the appetizers?" is another legitimate question. I see 2 soups and 3 salads, but no actual appetizer unless you go with the escargot or shrimp cocktail from the classics.

And two of the soups have apples, which usually means a little sweetness.  Also had to laugh that a pretty good sounding pork dish is called Pork and Beans.  Misspelling arugula.... c'mon Celebrity. 

One more question. If we arrive earlier than our scheduled time, will we have to wait?

Thank you all! I appreciate the information and your perspectives.  

What is the process with carry on luggage when boarding?  Can it be dropped in the cabin or do you keep it with you until cabin is ready?

6 minutes ago, rotoal said:

I am insecure enough that I keep checking the tsa website - Global Entry is on the list: https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification 

Found it! Great information. Thanks.

18 hours ago, rotoal said:

Global Entry is also a Real ID, it is easier than carrying a passport for domestic flights.   But for a cruise that goes anywhere outside of the U.S., I would still want to have my passport just in case.

Really? i didn't know that. So no new driver's license needed just to fly if I have the Global Entry card?

On 11/27/2022 at 9:41 AM, vacruizer said:

I’m on the Apex next week for my first Celebrity cruise and that selection makes me sad. I’ll report back what I find there.  I actually cancelled my beverage package upgrade and will wait until I’m onboard to see if they have any decent bourbon. 
 

Makers and BT are drinkable and ok for mixing, but would have expected some better selections for sipping.  Even a short Carnival cruise I took in May had Blanton’s and NCL often has Bookers at their whiskey bars. I’d even settle for some Knob Creek. 

 

Had to laugh at “settling for Knob Creek”. That’s my husband’s go to bourbon. A few years ago during our second suite experience, he was told at Michael’s Club bar that they stopped stocking it because the higher proof is too flammable. Haven’t stopped laughing at that one.

On 11/24/2022 at 9:40 AM, vacruizer said:

Ughh…I cancelled that St Kitts Catamaran tour to do Jost van Dyke instead while in Tortola. Thinking I should change it back! 
 

I wanted one boat/beach day and booked the rainforest hike for st Kitts instead. 
 

Thank you for taking time to review…I’m counting down to December 3rd!

Don't cancel Jost. We went on this tour from the Equinox in August and it was awesome.  For us the drink tickets included beer. But here's what you do to make the best of the day. The White Bay beach is one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. Think of this excursion as the easiest way to get there. Once at the beach, claim a chair with your towel and then walk down the beach to Soggy Dollar then to Hendo's for the best painkillers (traditional at Soggy, but the best at Hendo's), enjoy lunch on the deck at Hendo's, have fun in the water, have another painkiller, then return to your chair for a couple of beers. Transportation back to the ferry is easy. One of the best days!