girljerk

Unless you booked your flights through Celebrity, their emergency travel number is useless! San Antonio is a remote location. It is easier to get a ride there than a ride back. Celebrity’s emergency rep told us, in so many words, we were on our own. Send them receipts and maybe they reimburse us for part of the travel. This is atrocious. They have buses at the pier for people on the ship. They could have provided an additional bus to help those waiting for the cruise to get back to Santiago.

They are flying by the seat of their pants. No one is sitting down and rationally thinking of the logistics involved in displacing thousands of people. Even their offer of a full refund, which they already owe us, without a guaranteed percentage off a future cruise for our inconvenience is shameful. The only way you get a percentage off a future cruise is if they don’t refund your money. You don’t get any compensation for the loss of the cruise, their extremely late notice of the canceling of this cruise and being stranded in a city with few options. This is the poorest customer service I have ever seen with Celebrity and I am appalled!

On 1/13/2020 at 2:33 PM, NYTwinsMom said:

Another possibly 'stupid' question. Does anyone know if county Emergency Response dispatchers would be eligible for this discount? 

Here is the page advertising this. It looks like a pretty nice deal and includes dispatchers. My husband and I are both retired firefighters. https://www.celebritycruises.com/int/cruise-ships/cruising-for-heroes
 

On 2/24/2020 at 3:08 AM, farawayatsea said:

When this question was posed last week most cruisers said they are not worried and the outbreak will have little or no impact on their cruising plans.

 

I'm wondering if now with the spread to Korea and Italy and Iran if everyone still feels the same way??

Nothing has changed for us. SARs went worldwide too. The corona virus is on every continent except Antarctica at this point. Cruising won't change that. This will not stop us from cruising. We are heading out in a couple weeks!

Sherri

Cruise ships are not the problem. I've been following this closely. Italy quarantined several cities a couple days ago.

Travellers from those areas returning to the US have not been screened. There is no way to know if any of those people are positive for the virus. Add to that the fact, if a person has substandard medical insurance, they are less likely to be seen at the hospital until their symptoms are far advanced. I believe the Coronavirus is already here. Take proper precautions where ever you travel. Sanitise your airplane seats and trays, stay away from coughing people if possible and wash your hands often. 

My husband and I have been on several Asia sailings. As some other posters have related, the Asia trips tend to be mostly Australians, Americans and UK citizens in our experience. Yes, we will continue to sail. I have caught the extremely contagious norovirus  and a respiratory illness while sailing from China once. Many on the ship had it. I always carry a medical kit when we travel now. The ship board doctor has the basic meds I have, but, I feel it is much easier to come prepared with a basic kit including bandaids, ibuprofen, musinex, tums, etc. in addition to any prescription medications. 
 

Sherri

On 2/4/2020 at 4:42 AM, phoenix_dream said:

Ok, I know this will get some people flaming me, but here goes anyway.  IMHO it is time to stop the practice of letting suite guests eat in Blu on a 'space available basis'.  I am a regular Aqua Class passenger and now retired, sail Celebrity 7-8 cruises per year (some 10+ days).  My observations here are based on many, many nights in Blu.  I will also say that occasionally I do sail in suites and I have no issue with the changes I suggest.  I am a big believer that rules should be fair to everyone, and followed by everyone.

 

Why do I have that opinion?  With the revolutionizing of the ships, more Aqua Class cabins are being added.  Logically, this increases the number of passengers eating in Blu exponentially.  There is not room in Blu to add more tables (on M class at least, and little room on S class), so the restaurant is becoming more and more crowded.  On our last cruise on Reflection, which already had more AQ cabins even before any revolutionizing, there were extra tables crammed into Blu which made it less comfortable, more noisy, and still there were lines out the door 10-12 couples deep at all times before 8:30 p.m.  And yet suite guests were allowed in (I know this for a fact). 

 

Second, it has been our experience that most Maître d's do not follow the 'space available basis' rule (not saying it never happens, but we have yet to see it).  On our most recent cruise, the Maître d' actually told us that 1/3 of the suite guests were eating in Blu on a daily basis.  This did not sit well with us, as we had to wait for a table 6 out of the 7 nights of our cruise - getting a beeper and needing to go sit in a bar as there was no seating outside the M class Blu restaurant.  The wait times ranged from 15 to 45 minutes.  So much for the 'space available basis' rule. 

 

Third, when suite guests eat in Blu it has been our experience that extra 'perks' are offered to them that are not offered to everyone actually paying for the restaurant.   Specifically, at least on our Reflection cruise, they were allowed to order off the MDR menu which caused the waiters to have to make the long trek down to the MDR kitchen, meaning they were off the floor for as much as 10-15 minutes at a time (this info came from the waiters themselves).  This obviously considerably delayed service for everyone else.  It is not really an issue on M class as they share kitchen space, but on S class this should not be allowed.

 

Fourth, when in Luminae, the guests have the option of ordering off the MDR menu if they do not like their own menu (at least I know on S class they do).  So they already have two full menus to choose from.

 

Finally, AQ guests are not allowed to eat in Luminae, so why are suite guests allowed to eat in Blu??

 

On a more subjective level, it is my opinion that this is wrong, and is just not fair to the paying Aqua Class passengers!  I understand why the process was initiated back in the days before Luminae.  Celebrity created a special, nicer (than MDR) restaurant and suites (who paid more) were not allowed to use it.  So they decided to let them enter on a space available basis.  Ok, I can understand that.  But now there IS a special restaurant that is nicer than Blu and yet the practice continues.  They've added more AQ cabins, and yet the process continues.  This is just not right and it is time to stop the practice.  Suite guests sailing with non-suite customers have the option of paying for them to eat in Luminae with them.   If they will not completely stop the practice, perhaps rather than limiting suite entry into Blu on the not-usually-followed practice of 'space available' suite guests should be required to pay to eat in Blu as they are taking up space originally planned for AQ passengers.  That would at least slow down the practice.

I agree with everything you have said. We have eaten once at Blu, but, that was before Luminae. Since they introduced Luminae, we have not been back. It is not fair to take up the space in Blu, as a suite passenger, when we have our own dining venue. We tend to book Royal and PH suites, and that doesn't give us the right to take away space from someone else. I am glad you said something. If we booked an Aqua suite, Blu would be the reason we did and we would also feel upset if others were getting preference over us when we paid for that perk. I hope others will understand what you are saying.

Sherri

28 minutes ago, JFontaine said:

With respect to the first photo above, we had the same piece on the Summit, in the same place. It didn’t seem like it could take the weight of people sitting on it, despite the pillows. Any idea what it is?  We had about 10 small plants out there - I see one of yours on the floor in the corner. Thanks for the posts of this lovely suite. 

We never used that piece. We just assumed it was extra seating. 
 

59 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

Enjoy the Eclipse, we cruised in her PH a couple of years ago to Norway. My vivid memory is seeing the suite as a ‘decadence of light and space’....I took a hot water bottle with me and asked for a kettle and blankets in the room so I could still cuddle up on a sunbed on the veranda and enjoy the views....Might be useful for some parts of your cruise if you are heading South...

 

Hope you enjoy!

Haha, that is part of my permanent list of requests for the butler on the first day. Great minds think alike. I got the idea from someone on one of these threads. I have a printed copy I hand to the butler on the first day to make it easier for both of us. I always request throw blankets and towels for the furniture. It was cold on our trip to Japan, but, we were still able to enjoy cozy naps on the balcony with our blankets. 

1 hour ago, MaggieAtSea said:

We are excited for our PH on Summit in under two months... and your pictures only added to that feeling.  We were in her PH when the bathrooms had just been redone... but now this new overhaul will make it a new experience yet again.

 

But, guess what, we'll miss the piano.  I know it was a bear to upkeep... but there was something just so frivolous, lighthearted, and awesome about playing the piano in one's own stateroom on a sea day.  Ah, well... at least we have the smiles and memories of it.

 

Thanks for those great photos.

 

I also play a little and missed the piano. The chair is pretty much useless. I hope they replace it with comfortable seating if some sort. Enjoy your trip on Summit. 

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Entrance area is definitely missing its wow.  Told you you were entering some place special.  Now you could be going to K-Mart or a doctor's office.  Cannot believe they tore up that gorgeous floor.

 

Glad to see they have thrown the toadstools posing as chairs at the balcony table overboard.

The square blocks are still there, they have just been repurposed. They are being used as tables instead of seating. This function works much better.

10 hours ago, chemmo said:

Thanks for the phographs!

 

We enjoyed two cruises in the Millie PH a few years ago. The balcony is wonderful and has far more and varied furnishings than we had! How heavy is that table? Can it be moved from the covered area into the sun?

 

Inside it looks bright and fresh...The entrance area has lost its wow, though, it used to be quite glitzy!

 

The big mistake with booking an M class PH is no balcony will ever match up to it! Whilst we prefer  the S class ships and prefer the S class inside space PH space the long, thin balcony is no match for the M class.

Hi Chemmo,

All of the furniture on the balcony is very heavy except the pillows. We went through some rough seas on our way to Japan and nothing went overboard. I secured the pillows before the rocking and rolling started, 😂. I agree, the PH on M class is the best in the fleet. I love the kitchen and the huge balcony. Of course, there are more restaurants and night activities on the S class ships. We are booked in a PH on Eclipse for a March sailing from Chile. I will miss the balcony and the full sized refrigerator with ice, 😢. Yea, the floor medallion in the foyer, pre-revolution was nice. Actually, what I miss most was the shelf in the foyer which is where I used to put my key card, 😂. I used the desk in the living room instead. 
 

24 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

Not to my taste (a bit bland) but glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for the pics.

I think pictures don’t do it justice. When I first saw the pictures posted by another CC member,  I thought the same thing, but, withheld judgement until I experienced it. We have stayed in room 6147 on Infinity, pre-retrofit so we know what it looked like before. Other than what I mentioned earlier, the new configuration is a great improvement and change on the old, dated decor. It is really hard to see the depth and textures of the monochromatic color scheme via photographs. Of course, everyone has different tastes. I, for one, am glad that Celebrity continues to upgrade in order to keep up with the times. Sometimes it is necessary to reinvent oneself in order to stay relevant and I am sure that was a part of their thought process going into these changes. I liked some of the solstice changes and some not so much. I miss the Bistro on 5, but, I’ve come to enjoy Sushi on five as well. Now we are on to ”Edgification”. In my world, new experiences are why I travel, so, I was excited by the revolution reinvention  and looked forward to it. I was more than pleased with the results. I loved the Retreat and the Retreat Sundeck changes. My absolute favorite part of the PH was the balcony. The space was utilized in a much more functional and comfortable way. Even on cold Drizzly days, I was able to nap on the oversized daybeds outside the bedroom slider door.  

2 hours ago, koolforkatz said:

I was also on this cruise and just want to thank you again for including your gorgeous cabin in the cabin crawl. The closest I'll ever come to being in a penthouse suite 🙂

It was really nice to meet you. We had a very active group on this cruise. It was a nice group of fun people. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour. We did too. There have been a lot of interesting design changes ship wide. 

5 hours ago, hcat said:

Very nice photos.....they do nicely show the small size spa/ hot tub  and thd chair with no arms...

 

Did that big refrigetator come stocked with food and bevs?

Hcat-The Refrigerator is stocked with your drinks of choice. We typically like to have Perrier’s, still water, beer, wine and some drink mixers like orange and cranberry juice. You can order from most of the restaurants and the room service menu and also keep food in the refrigerator if you want. We had our butler bring fruit and cheese daily which we stored there. 
 

3 hours ago, sheffield said:

Was there a table to eat at on the balcony? I’m sorry but chairs without arms do not do it for me, I find them dreadfully uncomfortable and difficult to get up off. 
I did like the color scheme throughout..

Sheffield - there is a table with seating for at least 7. The black chairs have arms. The other seating is on couches. I’ve attached a close up. 
 

1 hour ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Thank you. We are hoping to book a penthouse to Alaska for our 50th anniversary.

You won’t regret it! It was quite the treat.

We just got back from the September 6th Vancouver to Japan sailing of the Celebrity Millenium about a month ago. It was an amazing trip and the ship is beautiful and fresh. Our butler, Nelson, did a great job anticipating our wants and needs. We stayed in the Penthouse Suite room 6147. Before this sailing I was searching for photos of the room and had difficulty finding many good pictures. I was able to see someone’s posting before our recent trip of the Summit’s Penthouse Suite which was nice. She shared a lot of great pics which gave us an idea of what to expect. I want to pay it forward and share some of our own pictures. In particular, there have been some changes to the balcony furniture since the original revolution which are particularly nice. We loved the balcony and feel the furniture arrangement was perfect and a much better use of the space than the pre-revolution furniture. The newer decor makes the room much brighter which was nice. There are only two things I would change. One is the uncomfortable, round statement chair which took the place of the piano. When a person sits in it, their head is angle in a very uncomfortable way which creates painful stress on the neck. Also, it is difficult for a person to get out of the seat. The other thing I would change would be the balcony hot tub. It is extremely shallow for one person, let alone two to sit in. There is enough space for a larger tub on the balcony and it would be nice if Celebrity put in a more usable tub for two. Please enjoy. 

I always bring my own hair care products. I like the It’s a 10 line. I also use leave in conditioner daily. Of course, what works for me might not work for someone else. I have thick curly hair.

On 8/27/2019 at 7:54 AM, hubofhockey said:

I think most insurance companies will cover MMR (measles, rubella) and Hep A.  You also want to be up to date on tetanus.    The one that can be problematic on reimbursement is typhoid.  Aetna is saying that it's only "travel related".  I could be out $268 for that immunization and I'm not crazy about that.  They say, at a minimum, you should get immunized for typhoid when going to Asia, but these insurance companies don't care.  It's just not worth it to take the chance.  

If you have Kaiser, they pay for the typhoid vaccination. Kaiser also has a very streamlined travel nurse process. They evaluate your records and tell you what you need during a phone consult. They then order whatever vaccination you need, send you travel advisories for the area you will travel to and you can get your vaccinations at your local Kaiser in many cases. I get my typhoid vaccination every two years as recommended.

Sherri

I look forward to it. I’m glad they are changing up the shows and adding something new. I could only take so many Motown reviews and magician shows. I stopped going. I’ll be going to this show!

I get every immunization the travel nurse recommends. There are active measles outbreaks in Japan, Europe and the US right now. If your insurance pays for it, you can also have a titer run to see if a prior vaccination is still effective. My insurance company did that for me and my measles immunizations from the 60’s and 70’s were still effective so I did not have to repeat my measles vaccination. Also, you might want to make sure you have a pertussis vaccination.

Sherri

The Shore Side Concierge just told me the Captain for Millennium will soon be Captain Charalampos (Charis) Theocharis. Is anyone familiar with him? Is he personable and one to walk the ship talking to passengers?

Sherri

Here a great video of the revolution. Skip to about 14:45 to see the Retreat sundeck. 

19 hours ago, DJLDRUMS said:

A couple of photos shows she really is looking great again. A couple of questions, were cabins given any sprucing up as well? I realize that deck 3 received new cabins #3115-3123.  Does anyone have anything both pro and con to pass along about your recent experience with this ship, crew, menu, daily and nightly activity and anything else. All comments appreciated.

Here is the absolute best room tour video I have seen so far. I hope you like it. It’s says Penthouse tour but she actually tours all of the suites. 

Here is a great look at the revitalization;

I always use a lanyard. The clothes I cruise with tend not to have pockets. Celebrity has a great assortment for purchase on the shop. I have a collection of beaded ones I match with my outfits. The ones I purchased don’t require the card to be punched. When I go ashore, I put a copy of my passport in my lanyard with my sea pass. I then wear it inside my shirt so it isn’t visible.

Sherri