pete_coach

I didn´t say that you do need anything else than your passports ;)!

 

They stamp your passport at passport control and that´s your visa.

 

gold1953, as Germany was your first country of entry of the Schengen area your passport did get stamped there with the Schengen visa. No passport controls within the Schengen area.

 

Most countries in Europe (meaning EU) have signed the Schengen treaty (including Switzerland which is not part of the EU) - exept for Great Britain. You will find more about Schengen area here

 

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

 

steamboats

+1 agree.

That is the correct answer. The stamp at port of entry is your Visa.

Thanks for the replies.

I called Celebrity Captains Club again and after an hour and a bit on and off hold, I got some answers.

It seems they are having major computer problems (as we all seem to know by now). Those problems have led to the All in One package folks not even getting their E-Docs yet and those are a per-requisite to having luggage tags issued as well.

The other issue is that they cannot seem to input flight information into the computers either. Those problems have no real solution as of yet and I am to call back mid next week.

Apparently folks that are leaving real soon are being told (if they call) to complete their on line check in papers and print them. They are being given their flight information over the phone.

I was given my flight info an will call next week to find out what I need to bring to flight check in...my on-line check in docs? The person from Celebrity was unable to tell me what I would need.

Oh and also, the seating on the aircraft is first come first served, no seat selection prior to check in.

We have booked this package from Canada and are within 3 weeks of the cruise. I have called (because online is messed up) for information including when the flights are. I have been unable to get any information to date. No flight information, not baggage tags available yet and so on.

The Captains Club reps keep saying information will be forthcoming soon. OK, so be it.

My questions are to those that have taken this type of package in the past.

Do the bags get tagged at the airport and delivered right to the cabin? We go through customs at the departure airport. Or do we need to pick them up at Miami?

When do we arrive in Miami? Morning or afternoon? That leads to when to we depart to fly to Miami? Does Celebrity charter aircraft go directly from departure airport to Miami or does it stop at another airport to pick up more passengers?

I am somewhat frustrated by the lack of information from Captains Club reps and lack of information on the Celebrity website. Any information from past travelers of this package would be most welcome.

Thanks

I can print my tags and put them on my luggage quicker than it took you to write your opinionated spiel about why your way appears to be the easiest and the best !

Uncalled for comment.

I agree totally , but be careful not to hurt the feelings of the " I let the porter tag my luggage" , crowd .

This topic follows the same lines and opinions as the "Dressing up for formal nights" discussions that are endless on here.

This topic would die , but new cruisers keep asking questions about luggage tags and the back and forth proponents start their banter. I get drawn into it obviously, when someone thinks their way is the best.

No, you are just a Celebrity apologist and try to demean anyone that has critique or a comment contrary to your opinion.

People only ask for things that are promised to them on the website or by the telephone reps. If they are not forthcoming, they wish to know why.

No feelings being hurt except those folks you address with your staunch defense of situations that you have not encountered but others experienced.

Are you a Celebrity employee? You sound like it.

You are a pretty serious guy , no levity in your responses.

I do agree with you 100% about your descriptions of their website and management. I did just go a few minutes ago to my reservation and everything was available including documents and ability to print luggage tags for our Feb trip. Also the reservation for excursions was working fine , as I made a mock booking to check it. I use a chromebook for this.

Why serious? Just stating facts. This is a discussion and a lack of a smiley face does not mean there is no "levity".

Just for your information purposes, as I stated before, I have a Mac and have used Safari, Firefox and Chrome browsers. None have worked. I also went on a PC and used Internet Explorer. None worked.

I called again today and the Captains Club rep apologized and said they were experiencing problems...he even had problems with my account and asked me to call back on Thursday.

So, just for you, for levity, here is a :)

Again, glad things are working for you.

Considering the thousands of bookings on Celebrity ships, the few complaints about the website or phone call issues that we see on CC are fairly small in my opinion. People use different computers, browsers, mobile devices, etc. this complicates things. When the online and phone issues cause X to lose money, then they will make it right. The ships almost always fill up. If someone has loyalty status on a cruise line, it will take a lot for them to switch and start accumulating points on a new Line.

Considering the thousands of bookings on Celebrity, the few people complaining on Cruise Critic is fairly small in my opinion. Perhaps only a few people use Cruise Critic to complain. The percentage can be the same as your analogy and perspective equal.

You seem to have become one of the apologists for Celebrity that others are also complaining about. Celebrity can do no wrong and only a few people have issues. Cruise Critic is a microcosm of Celebrity clientele. Only a very few use it and those that do, express their pleasure or displeasure of their experience.

Your experience may be different and, as I said to you in another post where you defend Celebrity on this issue, good to hear you have had no problems and I hope you never do....and if you ever do, perhaps then you will feel differently and stop apologizing for a very very poor website.

Hey Pete Coach, have you read the posts from some people here on CC? The valid complaints are diluted by the many ridiculous things that people complain about. Yours is a valid point, BTW, are you really glad for me?????

It is probably a conspiracy by Celebrity against Canadians.

I have read the posts regarding the website complaints.

I have also read the posts about other complaints. The other complaints are really no matter in this thread or conversation so, are immaterial to the this topic.

Yes, I am very glad for you that you have been able to interact with and not been frustrated by the Celebrity website.

No conspiracy, just a very poorly constructed, operated and managed website. The internet has no National boundaries.

We took a private tour and were able to decide when and what and how long we wanted to spend at each place and were able to change our minds if the traffic was bad or too many people in a specific area.

Our friends took the Celebrity excursion and while they saw the places listed on the description of the tour, they said they stood in front of or in the seats of the bus for considerable time at each stop. Seems people lost track of time and the entire bus had to wait for those folks. They felt they got short changed by that.

We spent more time in Monte Carlo and less time in Nice but that is what we chose t the spur of the moment. We got to Eze and saw 4 buses and several more mini buses so we chose not to stop there. We did stop to get photos of the spectacular view though. By the way, it is quite "hilly" so if you have the slightest mobility issue it may not be a good stop for you.

Why wouldn't you just call Celebrity or their Captain's club ? Let them straighten things up for you. Even if someone else has the same problem as you, that won't help you. I am sailing on Feb 21, and have never had one glitch in booking excursions online.

Do you really think that a person would just try to use the website with continuous failures and not call Celebrity?

The point of the thread is to inform bout the problems with the website and that it is unreliable an therefore useless to accomplish even the smallest of tasks like booking an excursion.

I have called and was on the phone (including being on hold) for over an hour. Got the website working for me and then, a little while later, it was in failure mode again.

As stated, it seems that the website staff is being replaced with a company that can do the work and that several updates are coming in the next few weeks. This alone is an admission by Celebrity that their internal website management is a total failure.

Again, today, I will have to call them again so I can get luggage tag info and flight information. The website is once again down for modifications to my profile. By the way, my cruise is 6 February and all that data was supposed to be available 60 days prior to the cruise date (as it states in the website).

Oh and I am glad you have never had one glitch with your booking and the website. I hope it continues for you that way.

The website has been bad for me since before Christmas and spent an hour on the phone with Celebrity yesterday...got it fixed. Today, dead again.

The guy said that there would be a major update this coming week and 2 more planned for the next week.

I cannot make changes to my profile. I cannot access my reservation to add any excursions. I could not upgrade my drink package. I cannot order luggage tags (and neither could the Celebrity Rep) and I cannot get any flight information (I am on an all inclusive package through their website).

I spoke with them today and they cannot do anything on the weekend and have to call back Monday.

Far and away a horrendous website for a huge business like Celebrity. I agree with gilladj, if the folks int he IT department are not fired, they certainly should be. In today's, age, websites are integral to good business practices and poor websites can be indicative of serous issues within a company.

I thought the pole was only in the aft corner Sky Suites. We had one but our friends that had an aft sky suit in the middle did not and other friends that had a Sky Suite amidships also did not have a pole.

Never bonked into it at night but then again...a wee bit of situational awareness is key and it is really not that dark that you cannot see it. As for the "pole dancing" well, ....some stories cannot or should not be told in public :)

We were upgraded to an aft corner sky suite on a 12 day Med cruise on the Solstice. Cabin 2146. The huge balcony wrapped around the side and there was a big porthole window in the side as well. It was far and away the best cabin and experience we ever had.

In bad weather, you could feel the movement more than midships but it never bothered us. We were on deck 12 so we had the Oceanview Bar overhead but it was not really noticeable at all.

The amenities, the special entrance etc were fantastic. Yes, it is a bit of a walk to the elevator (or stairs) but that again, was not an insurmountable problem. The butler was fantastic and made sure we had everything we could ever want.

Yup, a free upgrade to a suite, a corner suite with private entrance, a butler that provides for you...it was a great cruise. :)

Our friends were also upgraded to an aft suite on deck 9. The only problem with that was that we (and everyone else above, including the Oceanview Bar) could see onto their balcony (or part of it). On deck 12, no one could see onto your balcony. Yes, we did get sun on the balcony.

Well, I have tried on my laptop, my desktop and my IPad in all cases when I log on to the website then to My Celebrity, then go to Reservations, then lick on Online Reservations to edit my Online Check In forms I get

{{resourceBundle.mapItems['global.banner.header']}} and {{resourceBundle.mapItems['name.first.label']}}: {{selectedUserDetail.personalDetails.firstName}}

* {{resourceBundle.mapItems['name.middle.label']}}: {{selectedUserDetail.personalDetails.middleName}} {{resourceBundle.mapItems['middle.name.a

that gibberish continues down to the bottom of the page.

Again, sorry.

There was one poster a couple of years ago that I actually reported to CC because , no matter what anyone said, that person disagreed and tried to show how the cruise line was wonderful. I did notice that that person disappeared so..................

That is a cheap shot! One could easily assert that some of the complainers on this Forum could be shills for other cruise lines!

Folks just have to agree to disagree , as some have issues with the cruise line and others don't. It doesn't mean anyone is a shill; it is just that people have different expectations, likes and dislikes.

What did you expect with the title of your original post "Why all the complaints"?

Unfortunately the thread has turned into a complaint thread about the posters in the thread.

A shame a good discussion can be so misconstrued and turn into folks accusing others for point they are trying to make.

Pete, I was AGREEING with you, not criticizing you.

Sorry, I guess what I said was misconstrued. :o

No need to apologize, I understood you ...perhaps, like someone said, the written word does not always reflect tone or intent.

happy cruising.

Woodley, it is interesting how these threads take on a life and meaning of their own, regardless of the OP's intent. Discussion sometimes become critiques and criticism is sometimes taken personally (even though it is intended for a corporation).

You done good. The topic was obviously worth discussing. :)

Pete

Just a comment on your post.

One thing I love about Cruise Critic is that the Hosts all just state their own opinions and aren't shills for any cruise line. (Although, I've wondered about some of the "regular" posters on here in the past)

Host Andy seems to be the most involved, though. And I have come to really trust his unbiased opinion. :)

 

(And, no, I'm not his mother, or his sister! :p ;) )

I respect Host Andy as well and did in no way intend my comments to be a knock against him. Just saying that even he has some concerns about the way forward that Celebrity has taken.

I apologize if my comment can be misconstrued as a criticism of Andy or or implying he is a shill for Celebrity, it is not.

Very simple, try to get a better deal elsewhere.

This has defacto become the typical response by Celebrity apologists....if you don't like it go away.

We have been on 3 Celebrity cruises and are going on or 4th for the Super Bowl cruise. We enjoyed them all.

Our first was fantastic, the experience, the food, the itinerary, the staff was all first class. We have seen a decline in service and food and an increase of prices. Our next cruise will be the one in which we will make a decision if Celebrity will still be out choice of cruise lines.

This is not a complaint, it is just a matter of getting our monies worth and if Celebrity is really that much above to justify the increase in price. There are so many lines out there now with itineraries being almost equal (only so many islands in the Caribbean :) ) another line may fit into our budget better.

Yes, I have been to other forums during my research for another cruise and complaints abound about them as well but, as someone has said, forums are typical avenues for complainers and reviews are generally the more positive areas.

I do find, on this Celebrity forum, some very passionate Celebrity folks that become quite obstinate when their line is criticized, more so than on other forums. Passionate and loyalty is one thing but, there could possibly be other options and there is no need to just say "go away" or "get your deal elsewhere" or worse.

Host Andy has even stated that Celebrity may have made a mistake and even he is looking elsewhere. Good on ya Andy.

Anyway, we will see after the next cruse where we will be putting our vacation dollars. It has been a couple years since our last cruise Celebrity and I am very interested to see first hand what is going on. Hopefully it will not be near as bad as some of the threads are complaining about.

Is anyone having trouble with the Celebrity website On Line check in? Celebrity has a very problematic website.

I have been trying to verify edit some data and when I go there I get a bunch of garbled programming junk. This has been going on for about a week.

I want to check all the data I have inputted and calling them would not serve my purpose as we would have to sit there and go over every line and every page and some of it is security restricted.

I have cleared my cache and cookies etc.

Anyway, am I the only one that has this problem?

For us X is the worst cruise line.

How profound :rolleyes:

I'm just asking if you have a preference as to nomenclature. To me they mean the same thing in actuality.

Nomenclature? What's in a name? The topic is not about what it is called but what it is and I like the idea of what it is....less formal

Not requiring to dress up (so as not to offend Ma Bell by saying suits and tuxes are mandatory), is what is good about it. If you thought or think evening chic and Formal night are the same, well, OK ,but no one ever called it "Formal Optional".

Lastly, thanks K.T.B....perfect post :)

I am glad we visited Istanbul and Kusadasi a few years ago, because I would not go back to that country for anything. Turkey, under Erdogan, has become a fascist country with close ties to Daesh (ISIS). They allow Jihadists to travel back and forth to Syria and they systematically kill the Kurds, the only group successfully fighting Daesh. They don't deserve my money, neither does Russia (St. Petersburg/Leningrad), China and a few others.:mad:

I agree. While I am not mad, I do not feel these countries deserve my dollar or my visit.

As for Disney, like someone already said, the ship is the destination, not the ports. I could just imagine a Disney ship half full of children getting off at Santorini...with the funicular or a donkey ride the only way to the top... :)

Would you prefer if it was Formal Optional instead of Evening Chic?

Why would you ask that? My posts have been defending the evening chic protocol.

I have stated in a post a few up (post #280) that "I am glad that I have a choice of what to wear, I am glad I am not being forced to wear a tux or suit on certain nights just so I can eat in the MDR "

Then why not give those who want to wear island shirts and Bermuda shorts to dinner instead of "evening chic" the opportunity to do so. After all, that's what they want, to be able to choose?

Because Bermuda shorts are not on the evening chic approved list. I am not sure island shirts would be turned away though.

It is not a matter of wearing what you want, no one ever said that. The issue, or big complaint is that they stopped making suits and tuxes and evening dresses mandatory.

Folks can makeup whatever argument they want and propose nonsense but the topic is the change from formal wear to the clothing listed as "evening chic".

I can't believe there is still all this discussion on the subject. It's really amusing to me that even though they have changed the dress code and people can wear what they like, some people still find it necessary to tell everyone how dressing up is out of date.

 

Relax, you won. Those who look good will and those who don't need not make excuses any more. No need to defend the position.

Why can you not believe it? You participate in each one of the threads about it?

Who won? Who is defending? Like you, they are expressing their opinion.

I participate on Cruise Critic forums when I am about to go on a cruise and get lots of information about the cruise line, the ships , the on board activities and yes, the dress codes if there are any. Each line and each ship seem to have different rules so discussions like this one you can find out where they were and where they are going as a cruise line.

Good info and interesting opinions and discussions. Kudos to you all, even the doomsayers. :)

By the way, Merry Christmas to all of you, regardless of your faiths.

I find it a bit odd the lamenting of the death of Formal Nights. While they may not be called Formal Nights anymore, I see nowhere where it states that one cannot dress up.

No one is lowering your standards so that you can become more inclusive, they gave you a choice and that is what we most folks want, to choose for themselves.

I am glad that I have a choice of what to wear, I am glad I am not being forced to wear a tux or suit on certain nights just so I can eat in the MDR but, I am also glad that I can wear the suits or Tuxes if I so wish.

Dress up is not dead, just put along side of other modes.