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According to the Edinburgh Festival City site (edinburghfestivalcity.com) the dates for 2017 will be 4 - 26 August. As the 2016 trip has proved so popular, hopefully Celebrity will offer this itinerary again, but if it does become available for 2017, you will clearly need to snap up the Tattoo excursion right away!

Or you can purchase the tickets directly- and very much less expensive- from the Tattoo and work with your CC Roll Call to arrange inexpensive transport into Edinburgh. If you become a Friend of the Tattoo you can purchase your tickets early in November.

Wondering if any other Sky Suite passengers have encountered this problem.....2 years ago, on the Solstice going from Hawaii to Sydney ( repositioning cruise on our our 25th anniversary), we were in a Sky Suite and were awakened many days at 630 or so by the rustling of chairs overhead in the Oceanview café - people starting to get breakfast.....this intermittently continued throughout the day the entire cruise....we did mentioned this to the appropriate staff....found out myself that the area right above our cabin was the small part of the Oceanview café that was NOT carpeted and was only tiled, thus making chair movement audible below...the staff tried to cordoned off this area for a few days and it made it a little better, but the roped-off area disappeared a few days later and the noise was back...

 

I am in the initial stages of planning a 30th anniversary cruise, probably to Scandinavia, and I would like to be in another Sky Suite....has anyone else had this problem? Should I try to choose a Sky Suite that is more likely to be under a carpeted area of the Oceanview café? Should I try to get a truly aft Sky Suite at the far end of the ship on a lower level (VERY WORRIED about soot accumulation on veranda here - am I paranoid?)?

 

I'm hoping the experienced, helpful travelers here on CC can help me out!!

We had the same problem on a Norway cruise on the Eclipse in 2012. I would not choose a Sky Suite in the deck below the Oceanview Cafe again.

Sorry to tell you, but they are going to be replacing Normandie with Tuscan.

I hope not.

We are considering a cruise with Solstice from Australia to Hawaii and would very much appreciate some thoughs about this.

We love the seadays so that is no problem :)

Any tips and what should we expect? Thanks in advance!

We just came off of this cruse in May of this year. It was great. We loved French Polynesia and our stay in Hawaii was fabulous. There are sea days between Bora Bora and Lahaina but we participated ( the Solstice) in a sea rescue which was an adventure. New Zealand is a treat also. Participate in your CC message board for your cruise. There will be many worthwhile private tours available. We did Patrick's Tour in Bora Bora where we had 8 folks swimming with sharks , sting rays and a wonderful native lunch . It was a trip of of our lifetime.

From CBS's Morning News within the past few minutes, they had this video story and headline: "Kate McCue makes waves and history for women at sea". CBS News's travel editor, Peter Greenberg had this story with lots of interviews and video details on Celebrity having the first female ship Captain. This included an interview segment with the female President of Celebrity cruise lines.

 

Among the story highlights: "Kate McCue is at the helm of the Celebrity Summit, with more than 2,000 passengers and a crew of almost 1,000. She is the first American woman to do so. Captaining cruise ships still remains a profession dominated by men. But McCue's boss, the first female chief executive of Celebrity Cruise Lines, said she hopes McCue's example would 'makes girls and women raise their hands and say, 'yeah, I think I'd like to do this too.' "

 

Interesting story and background for being a ship Captain, her hard-work, interests, etc. Her husband is a First Engineer with Celebrity, but they do not do sailing together. The story also noted: "She started as a cadet at the California Maritime Academy in 1996 when men at the school outnumbered women 15 to one. Nineteen years and 10 ships later, she is now a maritime master in charge of her own ship."

 

Anybody having sailed with her? She seems very out-going, nice and skilled.

 

Full story at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kate-mccue-first-american-woman-to-captain-cruise-ship-celebrity-summit/

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Celebrity Solstice Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 120,038 views for this posting.

Welcome Kate!

You are actually in Edinburgh when you dock in Leith, but I'm really surprised to hear you're there because Leith never usually accepts ships of that size. This year Celebrity ships were at anchor in the Forth and tendered into Newhaven, which is about 10 mins west of Leith.

 

I posted a thread about Newhaven after I was there recently (I'm a cruise volunteer) and included info about getting into the city centre etc. I'll post the link here but if you find it's definitely Leith, I can give you lots of info about buses etc. there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2231904

 

The Tattoo sells out fairly quickly and as you'll only have one evening in the run that you can go to, I'd strongly advise you book as soon as bookings open.

 

http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/tickets/

 

Let me know if you need any more info

Thank you for your information. I will keep checking with Celebrity as to where we actually will dock.

We will be arriving to the Port of Leith on the Silhouette next August for an overnight for the Tatoo. We will be on our own and not taking the ship's excursion since it is sold out already. I was advised there is a train to Edinburgh but cannot find it. What are your suggestions for getting into Edinburgh and the Castle ? Taxi? Which company? Bus? What number for the route? The approximate cost of each if you know would be very helpful.

We will be in the Port pf Leith, Scotland next August and were wondering if anyone has had experience with transport from the port to the Castle in Edinburgh. I was told there is a train from Leith to Edinburgh but I cannot find it. I noticed taxis and a bus line. Any suggestions?

I searched the Aussie board without luck.

 

We have never booked hotels with X, but there is always a first time. Well, maybe not always.:)

We were very happy with the Marriott in Sydney. It is within walking distance of the ship and offers senior rates. Due to the rate of exchange we paid as little as $165 per night for a 5 star hotel Check the website. Also, the Four Seasons is within walking distance and some times offers great rates , too.

Seriously. What is WRONG with people??????

 

I do hope the passengers were ok and that the delay, however minimal, wasn't an issue.

 

On almost every cruise we've been on there has been some kind of medical "issue". I don't remember passengers being in the way or causing problems. On one, we had left our port for two days at sea and after about three hours we returned to port so that a passenger could disembark because of a medical emergency. I think we were at the dock less than 30 minutes.

From those who have exposure to EMS minutes and seconds count.

Personally, I wouldn't be a fan at all. I like the structure of knowing that every evening at 8:30, my table would be ready and my waiter will be waiting for me. Having never tried Select, I can't really comment on it, however traditional dining is perfect for me. I don't need any other option than that. I just booked a group of friends for a 2016 sailing, and Select is the only option as well. I was told that is most likely because there are large groups blocking out seating times, but that will change as the sailing gets closer as people drop out.

We had the same experience on a 2016 sailing . I contacted my TA who conted the dining concierge and he got us the seating we wanted.

We are traveling in Sydney Australia for 6 nights after a cruise .

 

From your Australian cruise trips where is the best place to get Austalian dollars for US Dollars .

 

We have read that the Overseas cruise terminal in Sydney has a ATM ;but ,are there alternatives to that one ATM ?

 

TIA

Just up the street across from the Marriott there a 4 banks which have ATMs. It is a short and lovely 1000 feet walk along the Quay and under the train tracks and up the street. There is a Starbucks on your right as you go across the street at the traffic light. We just came back from the Radiance Circumnavigation and spent 5 days in Sydney. Be prepared - it is just as expensive a city as London. You will need to know where the ATMs are located. :)

Ok thanks for confirming. At $7PP it was worth it but not sure if it's worth a steep 30% increase in price. My salary has never gone up that much & I have never been given a 30% salary increase. A reasonable increase would have been to $8- a little over 10%. I'm a senior accountant so always think about numbers!

 

Does everyone think it's worth it?

 

CC recommended going the first day to avoid the crowds at the buffet. What is everyone's recommendation? Should we still go to the Bistro the first day?

We also ate there on the first day of the change in price. We were on the Solstice. It is important to know that the menu has changed somewhat with specials such as lamb and soup of the day added for each day of the week. Check out the new menu. We usually eat there on the first day of a cruise to avoid the crowds in The Oceanview.

But are "room tag holders" and "luggage tag holders" the same thing? I dont see how this relates to the OP laminating theirs. The luggage tags supplied by Celebrity are simply looped around the handle, st a pled together by the handler if you like and then discarded after deliver to your cabin. Its not like they are used over and over and need to be kept in undamaged condition.

Sorry for wrong post to wrong topic.

I disagree with laminating luggage tags. They need to be able to be folded over to loop thru your baggage handles and stapled to form a loop. I dont se that you can do that if laminated.

Re tips, I always prepay and dont see any need to pay a cent more in tips, but I am from a none tipping country.

Yes , all room service is free.

I have just learned that RCI will give Diamond and above plastic room tag holders if asked. Also , since I did not learn this until too late we purchased luggage tag holders from Amazon.

excuse the ignorance if this info is available somewhere but I can't find it. When I look at the ship deck plan 6143 looks bigger than 6135, But they are the same price. If it is bigger does 6143 have some downside to counter it being bigger to justify the same price?

We , also have sailed in 6143. We fund it to be a bit wider with a large balcony. There is a closed hallway on the left which is used by the staff to access the suite next door. We had no issues with noise.

I am hoping we have a good debarking out of NOLA. This will be our first time and we have opted to drive down from DFW area to the hotel we are staying at for two nights before. We also will be parking the cars at the terminal parking. Any suggestions for long term parking?

We also will be on a Western Caribbean cruise on the Serenade next week. We made a reservation for the cruise terminal .

Hi all

 

complicated search to try so i couldn't really find anything.

 

Long story short, we are going to Alaska Summer 2015. Wife and I are flying in a week ahead to go see Denali and things like that, Parents are coming in day before the cruise. Called RCCL and they are telling me that unless we arrive the same day, we can't do the train from Anchorage to Seward which i was really looking forward to. We would have to go to the airport and book the transfer there when we arrive, which to me seems like its hit or miss as they may be full with the thousands of others arriving and going to Seward.

 

Any truth to this? I should state that the person i spoke with said hes never booked the train before and isn't really sure how it works and had to do some research

 

Is there any way to get around this so i can book the transfer now so i don't miss out on this train trip that we have all been looking forward to? Any help is appreciated

 

Thanks in advance

 

Edit - Spoke to my smarter half (my wife) she indicated that its probable that the train does not run exclusively for RCCL. This seems logical to me. If this is the case, who operates it?

We took the train this summer while on a cruisetour with Celebrity. There were non tourist folks on the same train. Contact the railroad directly . BTW- The train was full for every leg of the tour so contacting Alaskan Railroad for info might be a good idea .

Nope, sorry.

 

We love the Elite Cocktail time, the free internet, free laundry, free dry cleaning, priority tendering, etc. While we don't use all of the perks we use many and they have greatly added to our cruising experience.

We enjoy all of the perks mentioned above but we use the free drinks at Cafe Bacio the most. We like the free cappucino and any other drink we may want there. It is a savings to our bottom line. We notice the difference when we cruise with another line including RCI where we are Diamond and do not get even close the Celebrity's Elite perks. .

Getting ready to sail and as always packing is my major proble. Don't want to take too much and don't want to take too little and hope everything gets there without too many wrinkles. So how exactly do you guys de-wrinkle clothes. Spray? Bathroom steam? And if steam, how exactly do I do it?

 

 

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We have a friend who always carries a small portable steamer in the original box so that the folks know it is not an iron. It works great.

1104/1604 have huge rectangular balconies. There is plenty of room for 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, the small table, plus a lot more space to walk around. Or move the chairs around. The balcony on 9256 , while large, is not rectangular, the furniture is more crowded, and there isn't as much room to move it around. The wrap around part allows for nice views, but is really quite tight. There is significant breeze when the ship is moving, and virtually no shade during parts of the day.

We will have 9256 for over a month on our Circumnavigation of Australia B2B on the Radiance this coming February. I suspect as with any other verandah that there are times when it will be great with a breeze and then very hot. In the middle of the day we will be on excursions and then there are great evenings at sea to just sit and have a drink. The verandah cannot be as skinny as the Celebritry Suite we had in the Infinity. I thought at times if I moved incorrectly I might fall over. Can you move without tripping over the chairs?

I'm just wondering my DW and have never sailed Celebrity only Carnival, is the sky suites worth the money, my DW is more to staying in the room at night after dinner and stuff and wants to sit in the tub. We're in our mid 30s is the summit a good ship for our first cruise or is there a better ship? How much of a deposit do you need?

 

 

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The Celebrity Suites on the M class ships have a jetted tub. That would be Summit, Constellation, Infinity and the Millenium. All the suites have a tub on the Solstice class also. .

I know that one of the perks provided to full suite guests is that they can order room service off the daily MDR menus during MDR opening hrs. However I have read many reviews and comments about people actually having difficulty being able to actually do this. In some cases I've read where when calling room service suite guests have been told they can only order from the standard room service menu. Is this something that others have experienced? Is it a bit "hit and miss" or is it something that seems to vary by ship? Asking because DW and I have a GS booked for an upcoming 16 nighter on Radiance and I'm thinking one of those nights we'd likely want to just "order in" so to speak.

 

 

 

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OOPS! Wrong board.

Been on both the Eclipse & Solstice in the past 3 months, the new menu was not in place on either ship.

 

Went twice on the Eclipse and service was terrible the first time, only went the 2nd time because the Captains Club host gave us a free coupon for my birthday- the crepes over cooked and cold. Checked to see if the new menu was on the Solstice but same old menu so we did not try again.

We were on the Millie in August and did not see the new menu. We like Bistro for a nice quiet lunch.

Have to admit I haven't really looked for something like that. Given the relatively small number of ships based out of Australia it probably isn't feasible yet. Maybe when more ships are based here and the cruise lines wake up to the fact that Australians would like to cruise to warmer climes in the winter months we might see itineraries like that.

We booked our Australian Circumnavigation 17 months before the cruise to get the best cabin and the best pricing. We will be on the Radiance this coming February. Celebrity Solstice does the 2 cruises also - the rate was higher but you might get a better deal from them if you book onboard.