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lhsail

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    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, P_and_L said:

     

    How much was the JS minimum? We're looking at a $250/pp from Balcony to JS (on Symphony) and can't decide how much added value there is. When we booked, ocean view balcony was $600 and JS was over $2000 - I feel as though I'm missing something if people are willing to pay 3x as much for the difference.

     

    $120 is the minimum bid for a JS for a 5 night cruise. Since all you really get is more space and not the suite perks, not worth it in my humble opinion. 

    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, RachLovesSteak said:

    I did a Royal Upgrade from a balcony to a Grand Suite on the Freedom of the Seas 8/30 - 9/3. This is the Suite Perks letter that we received - 

     

    51438342338_7da12ae31f_c.jpg

     

    The perks we enjoyed the most were the cocktail hour in the Suite Lounge from 5pm-8pm (no voucher use required), breakfast in Chops, and the In-Suite Dining Room Service.

     

    I know you mentioned your minimum bid is pretty high - try doing a "ghost booking" of the Grand Suite you want to bid on and see what it would cost if you were to pay for it in full. Then you can decide if the savings you'd get from your balcony fare + bid are worth it to you! For example, we saved almost exactly half off the full-price Suite fare. Considering I would likely never book a Suite on my own at full-price, I thought this was a great way for us to get to experience it. Good luck with your bid if you choose to place one, and enjoy your cruise!

    Hello fellow Ausitnite. Thank you so much for passing this along. I did do a mock booking and the going price is considerably more. Although we would almost double our cost, we got such a great deal on this cruise that if we got the upgrade, it still would be a good deal for a suite. There are still 11 Grand Suites available. It’s very tempting. We’ve spent 3 1/3 weeks on the Celebrity Summit this summer and fall and were able to get a family veranda for all sailings. Hard to go back. 🤦‍♀️

    • Like 1

    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    13 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

     

    Well, then, the seated breakfast (typically in one of the specialty restaurants each morning) may be up your DH's alley. It can be pretty nice (and there's plenty of it). It takes a little more time than the Windjammer, of course, but not a whole lot usually.  It's more than worth it if you're not in a huge hurry. 

     

    And, yes, that Summit crew were (are) outstanding! I only got 11 nights, but I'll treasure them! 

    Is there any outside seating for the Windjammer on the Adventure?  We eat breakfast and lunch outside on the back of the ship almost every day. 

    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    4 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

     

    Hey there! I apologize for not noticing. I'm on my phone and didn't really even look at who posted. Sorry about that! 

     

    To expand on the above excellent explanation about the lounge, they also sometimes have a bit of breakfast buffet in there, but that might not be going on right now. 

    No problem. A “bit of a breakfast buffet” would not suffice for DH. However, extra drinks on top of our Diamond status allotment would. 😁

     

    Still feeling so blessed to have spent 3 1/2 weeks on the Summit with the current crew. They are about to reach the end of their contracts and disperse. 

    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, AustinCruise said:

    The suite lounge is open all day for hanging out. During the evening (approx 3 hours) they will have appetizers out (served by crew with covid). Mostly light snacks. Think Asian skewers, crab cakes, veggie / cheese plates, fruit, choc covered strawberries, small desserts. 
     

    it will also have an open bar during this time. 

    So this is in addition to the drinks we get based on our status?

    Should I do a Royal Up Bid

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I’m sure if I had a lot of time for searches and research, I could gather information, but I’m short on time. We’re booked in a very nice balcony cabin for a 5 night cruise on the Adventure. Looking at a Royal Up bid for a Grand Suite. We got such a good price on the cruise, the minimum move up bid is almost as much per person as our initial price. Please help me understand exactly what we would get by moving to a Grand Suite. I don’t believe there are any special restaurant perks. Appreciate any guidance. 

    Summit - 10-4 (good buddy) & Live(ish)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On 10/9/2021 at 12:40 PM, Speasda said:

    Late to the game on this - did either of you happen to take any pictures of MDR menus?

    I almost hate to comment on food as it can be so subjective, but we found the food in the MDR to be very, very good. Even on nights when I didn’t see anything on the menu that really stood out, I was very happy with what I ordered. One exception to that was the salmon. I ordered it twice in three weeks and both tasted fishy. Could be due to the provisioning for the cruises out of St. Maarten. 

    Summit - 10-4 (good buddy) & Live(ish)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    6 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

    I'm sorry to say that I'm now reporting from Miami International Airport, having left Summit about an hour ago.  Before I go any further, let me just say again how wonderful the Summit crew are.  I would sail on nastiest rustbucket ever known to mankind if that crew were aboard (although I certainly hope they never have to endure that)! In fact, I might've only been half joking when I told Connie and Noemi (Retreat Concierges) that I would scrub the deck to stay on board.  After all, they did say there might be an opening for that position!

     

    That's not to say that Summit is a rustbucket, now.  Far from it!  Even with the convenience issues I've mentioned, she's a fantastic ship, and I do hope to return soon.

     

    Back to the report . . . .  

     

    Lunch was wonderful.  I dined alone and finally got around to trying the world-famous Luminae Burger.  Oh, baby!  Where have you been all my life?!?  I get the hype, now.  That was a great burger!  Anyone who enjoys a good burger needs to try it when given the chance.  I look forward to my next one almost as much as my next cruise!

     

    After lunch, it was back to the room to pretty much finish packing. I had intended to get a little more quality balcony time when the phone rang.  It was Darwin, the Cellar Master on aboard.  In fact, he was calling from Cellar Masters because the World Wine Tasting was starting, and I wasn't there.  With the time change over the previous night, my calendar was off by an hour.  I really do appreciate him calling (and I was glad I was in the room to get the call), or I would have missed a very enjoyable event.  It's not often you get to try a dozen wines from different regions while often getting to discuss them with a few very skilled and knowledgeable sommeliers and the Cellar Master, all of whom also are wonderful folks and fun to talk to.

     

    After the tasting was over, a few of us hung around just to talk for a little while, and then I was off to my Himalayan salt massage.  It sounded a little hokey (and expensive) when it was first pitched to me, but I gotta to do something with that OBC.  Once again, I was very glad I did.  That was a fantastic massage!  That could have gone on for hours without me complaining.  It was both relaxing and restorative.  I'd be back in there for another one if I were still on board.  After all, there's nothing like a good massage after a long day of scrubbing decks.

     

    All refreshed, I had to yo-yo back down to Cellar Masters for the Macallan tasting.  Unfortunately, they require 4 guests to sign up for that, and I was the only taker, so it didn't make.  That was something of a blessing, really, as I wasn't really in the mood for a bunch of whisky at that time.  The bartender still insisted on pouring me a bit of the Macallan Lumina, and I'm not one to pass that up.  Very tasty stuff, even if I didn't finish the drink!

     

    Back up to the room to make sure everything was squared away except for the clothes I needed for dinner and travel and my toiletries and then change for dinner before kicking off a brief "gratuities" tour around the ship to make sure I caught everyone that I wouldn't see at dinner.  Daniel in the Retreat Lounge wanted to make me one more negroni (how could I refuse?) which I took back to the Rendezvous Lounge. 

     

    I enjoyed the music there until they went on break and then scooted just over to the Martini Bar for the show.  Those guys are some of the craziest, most entertaining bar crew I've ever seen.  If they can't get a smile on your face, you may as well just hang it up.  Another treat was getting to see the singer from the previous night, who happened to be over there setting up for a set she would do later that night.  She's a lot of fun to talk to.  Between her sense of humor, the wackiness of the bartenders, and the jovial dispositions of everyone else around, the amount of laughter we packed in that small area for the roughly half-hour I was there was downright staggering.

     

    Then it was back to Rendezvous lounge to enjoy a before-dinner cocktail with my dining companions.  We enjoyed the Ray Charles set for a little while and then into Luminae for one last dinner that was at least as wonderful as the others.  I had asked the Luminae crew the night before if there was something special we could do, and Danilo said he would work on it.  The something special turned out to be Grand Marnier souffles for three of us (unfortunately, one of my companions cannot have gluten).  Those were a treat!

     

    Something I don't think I mentioned before is that, at the beginning of the cruise, they also had made a special batch of lemon sorbet so that we could enjoy it every night.  Man, that stuff is good.  One of my companions discovered that they were keeping it up in Oceanview with the other ice creams and what-nots.  Apparently, other guests also had been raving about it.  I hope the ship listens and keeps it around all the time.  Folks love it!

     

    I did have to have one more nightcap with Eugene in Cellar Masters.  I mean, it's on the way to the room, so how can I pass that up?  Likewise, I spent another good half-hour or so on the balcony enjoying the magical night before double-checking my alarm, putting my bag outside the door, and heading to bed.

     

    Getting off the ship was as smooth as could be (especially with so few on board).  I swung by Luminae one last time for some more thanks and farewells.  I arrived at the Retreat Lounge having just missed those that were walking off with their luggage.  I was sorry to hear that because that meant that I missed the chance to give me good wishes to some of those whose company I've enjoyed over the cruise. Perhaps we'll meet again and pick up where we left off.

     

    The last thing that happened before I hit the gangway was that Sue (Cruise Director) again expressed her sympathies for me losing my friend while aboard.  I cannot express how deeply that touched me, and it is perfect evidence of the quality of this crew.  They are the best.

    Always sad to leave. I’m not at all surprised by Sue’s gesture. She had me in tears just saying goodbye when we got off. The last few days the crew joked with my husband about the various jobs they could give him so we could stay on for the trip to Miami, but Captain Matt said it would require a six month contract. 😉

    • Like 1

    Summit - 10-4 (good buddy) & Live(ish)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    1 hour ago, DCPIV said:

     

    No, she was in Cellar Masters and also served us at the wine tasting where they break out the really good stuff. She's a lovely person in every respect. 

     

    While DW and I were enjoying Cellar Masters last cruise, we noticed that she took a champagne cage and worked it into the shape of a chair. She was making that for another passenger. We remarked about how cool that was (and it was!)  While at the wine tasting (that included a champagne), she presented DW with a "chair" of her own (from the bottle opened at the tasting). It is and always will be one of our very favorite and treasured cruise souvenirs. 

    She might have been making that for us. 😉

    • Like 1
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