socreader

Keep in mind that in the beginning Celebrity also did everything right. Then they grew, then they got taken over by another company, and then they got greedy. The rest is history. I hope Viking keeps it's great product - we'll see.

So true about being greedy. They seem to care only about the suite passengers and tend to ignore the rest of us. Loyalty seems not to matter anymore. We have committed to trying other cruise lines. The concept of Viking is interesting. We will explore that also.

Sorry I meant clearance........We will be flying into Narita ( Tokyo) for a Japan - Korea cruise on the Volendam in April of this year. I am confused about whether to file forms with the Japanese government to declare my meds and my Cpap. We will be flying in and only be off ship that day. We will sail out the next day. Does anyone have experience with this? We have sailed for many years and have not had to do this elsewhere.

I am looking at an extended cruise with 3 other friends for Jan '18. Extended defined as greater than 14 days. Three of us are retired and one works but is able to take a long vacation.

 

Whether its the South America/Antartica or Asia/Aust,NZ - my question is probably more for those first timers who took this type of cruise. Its a simple question - did you get bored or feel confined?

 

dave

Dave,

Our longest was about 9 weeks and we never got bored. There was always something to do and see at the next port. We did a circumnavigation of Australia for 30 days. Then a transpacific from Sydney to Vancouver for 30 days. We did have 4 days between the 2 cruises in Sydney and 4 days before the Aussie cruise. We love sea days and enjoyed games and meeting new friends.

We'll be on the Reflection next week and eating in Blu. I'm aware of the 2 bottle of wine rule and the corkage but was wondering if anyone knew if there was any decent stemware available. I'm planning on bringing some nice wine and wanted to set my expectations properly. Is there anything decent available or is it more appropriate to be ready for clunky goblets? Either way is fine because I'll be on vacation - just wanted to know. Thanks!

We also like nice wine and order several bottles at one time. We also ask for the Riedel glasses and get them every dinner. It makes a difference.

I don't know the name of the Bio-degradable detergent HAL uses.

It is a liquid and the few times I have used the self service laundries, I couldn't smell any perfumes.

Don't know what ship you will be sailing on, but remember that self service laundries are only on the R and S class ships.

Maybe others may know the exact brand name.

I have a similar question. We will be on the Volendam and have not sailed with HAL before. Are the laundries crowded and are their many washers and driers?

I've not had this happen before, having not sailed with X in a number of years but with Elite status just wondering how often to call X to see if we've been given seating.

 

Also, without paying for dinner or the buffet where else is there to go... room service?

 

We are in a C2 on the Constellation in April 2017, 15 nights of hunting down where to eat??

 

Any suggestions, Thanks,

 

Carlene aka Waianaegal

We too are Elite Plus. We have had this happen the last few cruises we took. I called Captain's Club and had it changed. We did get our preferred seating for the dining room.

We sail on a Transatlantic on the Eclipse in April. How should I get to the airport for a late afternoon flight back home? I don't want to spend too much but I want a safe & reliable ride at the same time. What are the going rates?

Check out the Roll Call on Cruise Critic for your cruise. I am sure many folks are organizing

private vans for a group at a reduced price which will be less than doing it alone. Also check out taking the train to Gatwick from Southampton.

Could anyone please give me some advice regarding concierge staterooms.

 

Are there any concierge staterooms which have balconies which are not affected by an overhang?

 

We are looking to book one of these staterooms but love to have the sun on our balcony.

 

Which deck/area would be the best to book.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

The C1 cabins in the S class ships have no overhang. A downside if in a very sunny climate but was wonderful for us in Britain and Amsterdam this past summer.

We are going in Feb. We are planning on light clothes, light sweater, layered clothing. Nothing special since we will be spending most of out time in much warmer areas of South and Central America. We can always buy a heavier sweater if we need it.

We also sailed around SA from Buenos Aires back to Miami in March.It snowed in Ushuia and Puerto Montt. Take all kinds of clothes. In Ushuia I needed a scarf, gloves and a wool hat for the excursion we to to view marine wildlife.

Dawns on me, HAL now charges $150 to tour the bridge and behind the scenes. It used to cost nothing.

 

But if you go, think about a shot of Louis.

 

Your previously free tour now costs more than a shot of Louis.

 

I'll take the Louis.

That has happened with other cruise lines also such as Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

My husband and I did the 10 day package with Celebrity on Xpedition in cabin XS501. This was definitely a different type cruise than we are used (we like lazy beach time) but we knew that going in and were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this trip. Lots of reviews on the ship tours etc so I will concentrate on the things that stood out for us.

 

Although we booked our own air arrangements we were very happy that once we arrived in Quito (we arrived mid afternoon the day before which we recommend) Celebrity looked after all travel from that point on. The transfer to the hotel (JW Marriott) by bus was fine (approx 1 hour door to door). Once at the hotel we asked right away about upgrading the Quito to Baltra flight to business class and they took note of that. We found it to be very reasonable ($400 total for 2 return trip) and worth it to us to be comfortable. We learned that you can't book this in advance so best to ask as soon as you arrive at the hotel if you do want it. The charge was added to our shipboard account.

 

Our cabin was in the perfect location we thought and we loved having a balcony. We spent a couple hours there each day between morning and afternoon zodiac trips. Make sure you bring good binoculars - we use Canon image stabilizing binocs which are especially helpful on the water. We sat out and saw huge sea turtles, beautiful countless stingrays (many even jumped out of the water) and even a hammerhead shark from the balcony. We ordered fries from room service as a snack (heh we were on vacation :-) and enjoyed the quiet time. Our room was a great size for the two of us and was very well looked after by our cabin attendants. Be sure to ask for extra beach towels or whatever you need - you will be taken care of. We definitely felt the rocking of the ship most days - the first night was the worst - make sure you secure things in your cabin (like glassware, bottles etc. and anything that might roll around). Take some gravol or motion sickness meds and you will be fine.

 

One of our other favourite things to do onboard after an excursion was to grab some drinks and head up to the hot tub on the 6th floor. We did this pretty much everyday and only once was someone else in it. It was a lovely quiet place to absorb the setting and the outdoor shower there is highly recommended. Take tons of sunscreen with you on this trip - it was hot in February when we went and i can't even imagine what it would be like later in April, May etc! I would also recommend that ladies bring a few sports bras for daytime hikes etc so you can keep your regular ones clean and non-sweaty. I didn't think of this until afterwards and wished I had. We did use the ship's laundry service several times and found it to be fast and good value.

 

We are 40 and 49 and were probably the one of the youngest couples on our cruise. There were no kids on our sailing at all which we liked. We were impressed that some of our fellow (older) guests dealt with the physical challenges of exiting and entering the zodiacs which were at times a bit tricky. Everyone on the boat seemed to be young at heart for sure.

 

This was probably the only time we have ever been unable to reliably receive/send email and or surf but we went in to the trip expecting that and it was fine. We found it actually forced people to put down their phones and talk to other guests which was both refreshing and entertaining. If we really HAD to get our messages we would time it so that we were the only ones in the lounge area where wifi was available and then we had some success although it was still slow. If more than a couple people were in the lounge attempting to do the same thing we quickly learned it was a waste of time.

 

We heard a few guests saying they were doing back to back inner/outer loops and were happy that we were not. One week was enough for us but I can understand wanting to maximize your time while there. We just didn't think that it would differ that much and felt one week was the perfect amount of time.

Thanks for the review. We arrive in Quito on July 1 but think the weather may be a bit cooler in both Quito and in the islands since it is Winter. Good to know there is downtime between excursions. We were given the impression that it would be 2 a day for the 7 days and rush rush along.

Living in Seattle, HAL is our "Hometown" cruise line and we have sailed with them three times but the smoking stops us from booking again. We have also been invited on board for lunch a few times as part of a group we support while the ship (Oosterdam, Westerdam) is moored in Seattle for their Alaska season. Both times, smoke.

 

I am highly allergic to cigarette smoke. Any whiff of it causes an immediate debilitating sinus headache. One where I have to go and take something and lie down in a dark room for hours. I didn't pay as much as we pay for a cruise to do that onboard.

 

If they were to adopt an X-like smoking policy, we might be interested. I love the size of their ships and when we have been on board for lunch, the B.B. King lounge was outstanding--what a venue and band.

 

Jim

Hi Jim,

We will be going to Japan and Korea then the Transpacific down to Vancouver in April next year on HAL Volendam. I have no trouble reporting folks who break the rules when my sensitivity for smoke is at risk. We love Celebrity but their itinerary for this cruise was not to our liking.

We can discuss HAL more when we see you in August.

My husband and I just returned from a very enjoyable 11 day Italy and Croatia cruise on the Celebrity Constellation. We are 3 Star Mariners on Holland America but chose Celebrity because we had heard many good things about Celebrity and really liked this itinerary. There are many similarities between the two cruise lines and in short, we now have two cruise lines from which to choose from. I will give you my perspective of HAL versus Celebrity.

Embark/Disembark – Organized and fairly quick on both lines. Upon entry to the Celebrity ship we were greeted by loud rock music that surprised us, but we found a quiet venue to wait for the cabins to be ready. On HAL we could have gone directly to our cabin.

Ship – The Constellation has a nice decor and well cared for. Very inviting as are the HAL ships we have been on. The ships are laid out very similarly.

Staterooms - We had an Oceanview cabin on Deck 2 on this cruise. Size and Layout of the cabin was much like similar rooms on HAL. Oceanview cabins on HAL have a smallish window above the bed. I preferred the large round window we had on Celebrity. The small settee was next to the window, so you could enjoy the view sitting on the bed or the settee. Bathroom size essentially the same and room stewards excellent on both lines. HAL beds are more comfortable than Celebrity.

Buffet – Food good on both lines, though I would give an edge to HAL for variety, fresh orange juice (had to use your beverage card for fresh squeezed on Celebrity), and number of servers around to clean tables and replenish coffee, water, etc. Overall we noticed a lack of servers in all venues on Celebrity. On HAL ships, there is always someone nearby to take an order or assist you without hovering. Pop music played rather loudly all the time in the Celebrity buffet. I would have preferred quieter, mellower music. Celebrity seating seemed less crowded than HAL, maybe due to the fact that there are other dining rooms for Aqua staterooms. I ate Eggs Benedict most every morning and on Celebrity there was just one guy prepping, cooking and serving which made for long lines. HAL generally has several servers at this station.

Dining Room – Dining Rooms nice on both lines. Food choices on Celebrity are not as varied as HAL and I believe the food on HAL is a little better. Servers are attentive on both lines.

Specialty Restaurants – Ate at both Tuscan Grille and Ocean Liners on Constellation. Food was good but price was higher on Celebrity and I don’t think the quality was any better than Pinnacle Grill or Canelletto. Odd that Tuscan Grille windows look out at a deck and railings rather than nice floor to ceiling ocean view you have at the Pinnacle.

Poolside Grill – HAL’s is much better, especially with the newer menu. HAL also has the taco bar with salads that are available throughout the day. Again, we were frustrated by lack of help at Poolside grill on Celebrity. There was just one guy taking orders and cooking, whereas HAL has a group of folks and gets the orders out quickly.

Café Bacio – (Specialty coffees) – Celebrity has the pastries/desserts and coffee options like at Explorers Lounge on HAL. However on Celebrity you can actually sit down and be waited on and coffee is served with biscotti. Very relaxing for a late morning or afternoon snack. Both lines charge for coffees but not pastries or desserts there. You can use your beverage card to pay for the specialty coffees.

Bars – In almost every bar, we had to look for a server or go place the order at the bar. Celebrity had no real drink menus to tell you what was in any of the drinks. The menus on the table listed what drinks were available for each beverage plan, but didn’t explain the drinks. We never saw a drink of the day advertised like on HAL, nor did Celebrity have any bar snacks in any of the bars we were in. The Reflections lounge (similar to HAL Crow’s Nest) was a nice place to relax during the day. There was a bar there, but only open at night, so you couldn’t get a soft drink or glass of wine while relaxing.

Activities – This is where HAL could take note of the way Celebrity does things. When you won one of the various trivia or other games, you got a signature (or maybe 2!) on a signature card that you kept throughout the cruise. At the end of the cruise you “cashed” your signatures in for Celebrity merchandise – a pen for 1 signature, caps, tote bags, lanyards, tshirts, etc for more signatures. Was so much better than playing for a silly HAL pin!! Some of the evening games were Port vs Starboard games that encouraged you to get to know some other people in order to win for your side.

Entertainment – No piano bar or Adagio Strings on Celebrity, but did have many good entertainers scattered around the ship. The guest entertainers in the Showroom were good, as are HAL’s usually. The Celebrity cast productions – singers and dancers – were, in my opinion, better on Celebrity than on HAL.

Overall – We thoroughly enjoyed our Celebrity cruise. My husband and I preferred the diversity of age groups on the Celebrity cruise – seemed to have more active seniors than “older” seniors. We also enjoyed the mix of nationalities – I don’t know whether that is due to the European cruise or the cruise line. We booked another Celebrity cruise on board and will now compare Celebrity and HAL for itinerary and price before booking.

Thank you for your review. We have just switched to HAL for a Japan - Vancouver - 30 day cruise because we thought the itineraty was better to our liking. day

We are doing the November 2016 back-to-back Celebrity cruises on the Eclipse: Singapore to Sydney (traveling around Australia) and then Sydney roundtrip (traveling around New Zealand). We will stay in Sydney after the cruises, from Nov 27 to Dec 2, 2016.

I need suggestions for where to stay in Sydney. Has anyone found a particularly good rental apartment? VRBO suggestion? We will not be renting a car -- will walk and use public transportation. Really interested to hear where folks have stayed.

THANKS in advance!

We did a similar cruise last year and stayed up the street at the Marriott for 4 days in between cruises- walking distance with luggage to the ship. There are self service apartments but the rate we had for the Marriott was less expensive.

I am getting a bit tired of RCI telling me how much I'm going to tip. I always say I'm going to stop handing out extra on top of the auto tips but so far I keep right on doing it. Maybe I should start worrying about my own pockets just as RCI takes care of theirs.

You can always go to the desk the first day and opt out of all tipping charges. That way you tip what you want and as much as you want. You can then be assured the person you are tipping gets the whole amount.

We are trying to determine which Cruise lines have cruises that are exclusively in and around Japan [a stop in south Korea is ok]. We do not want to go to China or Vietnam.

 

I have seen that Princess is now sailing in Japan and there are the odd one or two cruises on Celebrity or Holland America. Looking in 2017 or so.

 

Has anyone been on a cruise around Japan? Pros and Cons? Ship you were on? Any thoughts on Cruise lines that hail in Japan?

We are booked for the 30 day HAL cruise on the Volendam out of Yokohama to Vancouver for April 11, 2017. There are stops in Japan, Korea, and Alaska. We were booked on Celebrity but cancelled because the HAL cruise sees so much more of Japan.

Interesting question!

As Celebrity fans ourselves we have been lured to try MSC by their Yacht Club concept and the loyalty match they are offering.

 

Believe me we are very loyal to Royal and Celebrity but the prices and reviews of the MSC yacht club have convinced us to try it for a week this Christmas.

 

http://www.mscyachtclub.com/yacht_club/homepage.aspx

 

Not sure if I would cruise in a regular cabin on MSC but the Yacht club reviews are pretty impressive.

Guess we will find out for ourselves at the end of the year!

We are Elite Plus on Celebrity and received Black Card status under their reciprocity offer which gave us 2 free dinners in their specialty restaurants and other small benefits. We did go on an MSC Caribbean cruise last December on The Divina. The rates are very attractive. IMHO I was very disappointed in most of the items we usually tick off. To be fair - we did not go Yacht Club. We had a regular cabin where room service is usually charged at $ 7.50 per person ( We were not charged as a perc on Black Card). Our cabin and bath were nice. The food was not at all what we are used to or anywhere near it. The dining room service was terrible. My worst day on Celebrity was my best day on MSC. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

I haven't seen this before on HAL's online ship excursion page.

 

"Although much of Hammerfest is readily accessible on foot, Holland America Line has partnered with a tour operator here to offer a local perspective and commentary that would not be present when exploring on your own. Sources of outside revenue are scarce in small villages such as Hammerfest and the local population benefits from tour participation."

With private tours arranged directly with the vendor the vendor receives all the proceeds instead of sharing it with the cruise line.

We currently have cabin 9260 booked for our honeymoon cruise on the Serenade OTS in May.

 

I also see that cabin #8168 is available. Should we switch or stay with 9260?

 

Thanks for your help!!

We spent a month in 9256 on the Radiance and it was great. It is usually one of the first to be sold since it is a D2 with a very large verandah.

Question: When you have both refundable OBC and non-refundable OBC, whcih is used first by Celebrity? We have a lot of OBC on an upcoming cruise and have both types of OBC. We would like to cash out our refundable OBC and use the non-refundable for things like upgrading drink package and specialty dinners. What is the policy or is it a random usage of OBC by Celebrity? Would hate to use up the refundable and have non-refundable remaining.

Thanks.

At the end of the cruise we just go to the Bursar and ask for our OBR in cash without the 5% charge. Or anytime... It is a great way to pay for those private excursions.

With the 1,2,3 Go type promos being the norm and a large majority (I'm guessing) of passengers already having a free beveridge package, does Celebrity need to rethink it's Elite Cocktail Hour?

 

While I appreciate the perk available to Elite and above, it really doesn't mean much if you already have free drinks. While it's nice to socialize and meet the Captain's Club Host/Hostess, the lure of free drinks and cheap appetizers isn't what it was when you weren't getting free drinks already.

 

Would improving the quality of drinks be a good idea? How about some first rate appetizers (Shrimp cocktail, bacon wrapped scallops, etc)?

 

So far I've been lucky and there has always been an Elite Hour. I can't imagine how useless this is if you already have the drink package.

Not everyone takes the drink package.

Anyone have a best known method to get these booked? We're 10 adults and 2 kids, for a total of 6 staterooms and 12 people.

 

Right now i've made bookings for the 10 adults via the website, but is it better to call Celebrity directly or work through TA to get pre-arranged select times?

If you have sailed with Celebrity before and are Captain's Club members call the Captain's Club to assist you.

i was just wondering if anyone knows the dates for the Quebec to Miami sailing called the Snowbird Migration. We are interested for 2017 but need to be sure of the approximate dates. The dates for 2016 or 2015 would be great.

Voted yes.. but do never want to see shorts,tank tops, halter tops etc etc in the dining room

I agree.

I'm packing for almost nine weeks and will likely bring the same stuff I always do. love those free laundry coupons. :D

 

Me, too. However, My DH will not need to bring a jacket and will need to bring long sleeve shirts- whch he does not wear now. We were on the Solstice for a month last Spring and we saw jeans and cropped pants in the dining room regularly. Formal night is usually just a pair of nice black pants and a fancy blouse for me and a jacket and a tie for DH. A far cry from our first cruise 20 some years ago with formal wear ( tux and gowns), informal wear ( dresses and jackets with no tie) and smart casual wear which I never figured out since it meant something different to each cruiser.