Boo's Mom

What are your recommendations for travel from the cruise terminal in Vancouver to the Seattle Airport? 

Thank you! 

On 5/13/2023 at 9:22 AM, waggie said:

I have just put in a  move up bid for an aft balcony on Constellation July 10th.  - they halved the start offer - not a big bid, but just to see.

I have since scoured the website, done mock bookings and find that there are NO afts available on our cruise. Has anyone else had this experience? 

People cancel their cruises often. 

It can happen up until the sail date. 

Accidents and illnesses. 

In the event that a certain cabin becomes available, the Move Up staff wants offers readily available to accept. 

On 6/2/2023 at 12:41 PM, latebuyer said:

I was thinking of tippling 5.00 to driver and 5.00 for cruise director on a sitka 3 hour tour. Is that cheap? Not sure what they want on bering fisherman's tour.

Honestly, a lot of people do not tip.  I see it all the time. 

So, anything you give will be greatly appreciated. 

On 5/24/2023 at 6:40 AM, SirrCRF said:

Hi guys,

 

We are a family of 4 heading to Alaska via Norweigan Sun in August. Myself and the 2 boys would like to do the Zipline. However it is £200 each with the ship. Is there another way to book it?

If they have available tickets, they will sell on the day of - in port. 

But, they typically sell out. 

If you want to do the zipline, buy tickets now.  

You will get the time YOU want so that you can plan the rest of your day. 

I have not done the zipline, but family members have. 

Apparently, it is pretty darn amazing. 

On 5/13/2023 at 11:26 AM, bomabound said:

Does anyone know why this show is SO much more expensive through the cruise line than directly?  Directly it is $37 but NCL wants about $78.  They also show that the tour is 2.5 hours when the show is 1 hr and a five minute walk from the dock.  I’ve checked the other lines and they are charging a reasonable markup (less than or equal to $50) and showing a duration of 1.25-1.5 hours.

 

I called the shore excursion desk to ask whether perhaps more was included such as a shuttle that drives through town with a short city tour, but she said it looked like it was just the show.  She couldn’t explain why it says 2.5 hrs. Has anyone done this through NCL that can confirm whether this truly is just the show?  In the meantime I just cancelled because it seemed crazy to end up paying more even with the $50 shore excursion credit.

 

Thanks!

The cruise line is the middle man.  They are marking up the tour price.  It's what the middleman does. 

Book direct with the lumberjack show. 

If you book direct there is also a military veteran discount and also children 2 and under are FREE. 

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

In this day/age (with the bandwidth most people have), I'm not sure why they want you to close everything else.

..it's the school teacher telling her class to pay attention to her and not the other distractions in the room. 

Reading your emails while the webinar is playing?  tisk, tisk  😗

29 minutes ago, gardengalaz said:

We also received ours.  I can't find where we were actually awarded the points for the March "quiz" -- so any advice on how to check that out would be very helpful.

Here's a rabbit trail for you to follow. 

It will lead to your power up points. 

Sign into your account on Celebrity.com

Click on: 

your name

My Tier & Points

Earn Points

Points history

Then click on your Capt Club #

Click "sign in" (I know you are already signed in, but - just click)

Points history

I always book the nonrefundable. 

It's only the loss of the deposit. 

I have never had to cancel a cruise. 

A long time ago I purchased cruise insurance, a few times. 

I no longer do that. 

On 4/1/2023 at 8:39 AM, chemmo said:

The fifteen year old girls (lovely to see them all dressed up) were a bit giddy poolside but less of an issue than their younger siblings who entertained themselves in the lifts, buffet and corridors….

It's not funny. 

But, it was funny to read. 🥺

On 4/1/2023 at 8:20 AM, FionaL91 said:

We've seen that our cruise is being advertised as partially chartered for a swinging group, not sure how that will work! Feeling a little apprehensive... 

Oh my. 

5 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I believe the way it works is the price paid per stateroom doesn’t matter but what does matter is the room type you booked.  So someone going from an inside to AQ would have a much higher minimum bid than someone going from a CC to AQ

I think so too. 

I find it hard to believe that a Celebrity would give a 3rd party (running the Move Up program) the details on what a passenger has paid. 

They (obviously) would give details on what cabin a passenger has booked. 

22 hours ago, Bently57 said:

So….help me understand. In no way am I trying to persuade anyone one way or the other. But if the package is close to 90 dollars a day, you are saying that you consume enough beverages to make it worth that?  Or is it more for the convenience?

The serious alcohol drinkers pretty much know that they are getting their moneys worth. 

On 2/5/2023 at 9:36 PM, RTR 21-0 said:

I’ve seen a few posts on shoes to wear on a med cruise.  I have  Morton’s neuroma mostly manageable with injections but am looking for a comfortable pair of walking shoes (probably sneakers) with a wideish toe box and cute.  Any suggestions?  I’m also wondering what color I should get.  Not crazy about the way an all white shoe looks on me and want something that would look cute with most all colors and pair well with capris, sundresses and pants.  I’m not asking for a lot, right 😅

Look at Vionic Shoes dot com

Every shoe has an orthotic built into it. - and the shoes are cute! 

And (if you buy direct from their website) they offer a 30-day return for any reason return policy. 

As in: wear them and if you don't love them, return them. 

You can also buy Vionic from QVC and Amazon, but you don't get the same amazing return policy.

I have seen them at Dillards too.  

They are pricey, but a very high quality shoe. 👡

23 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

I'm surprised not to see this port here in Departures (instead of Ports of Call) since there are several cruises that depart from either Seward or Whittier. I'm looking at one of the NCL cruises from Seward to Vancouver and am trying to get info on how it works to board at Seward. It appears you fly into Anchorage and then take a 2+ hour bus ride to the port, correct? It would seem to be almost a give that you would come in the day before, especially if traveling from the east coast.

 

Does anyone have hotel recommendations that are close to the airport but also convenient to port transportation? Are there any particular transport options to the port you would recommend? In doing some searching it looks like there's a train as well as a bus.

Just to add to what the others have already stated:  Based on where you live, flying to Anchorage is almost like an international flight. 

To fly and get anywhere fast is going to beat you up. 

If you have the time, spend at least 2 - 3 nights somewhere (Anchorage or somewhere else) before boarding the ship in Seward. 

Seward is indeed a lovely little Alaska town. 

My recommendation:  2 nights in Anchorage + 1 night in Seward

Keep in mind that your flight will likely land in Anchorage in the evening AND the train to Seward is super early in the morning.

Note:  the train ride is lovely.  Try to get Goldstar Service.  It's the upper dome deck and includes a full breakfast in the dining car and 2 adult beverages (per person) in the upper dome. 

🛳EnJOY 

On 5/5/2023 at 1:31 PM, Tierun said:

With a more mature demographic, perfect day doesn’t really fit with the X clientele. 

Exactly.  

What Tierun said. 

Celebrity's Move-Up Program

It's a brilliant idea. 

What is your guess on the per sailing gross financial gain due to the Move Up Program? 

My guess is $75,000.00 - $100,000.00 per sailing. 

Celebrity Millennium

1079 cabins/suites

If 1/7 of the cabins pay to have their cabin moved up and the average cost per cabin is $500...

154 cabins x $500 = $77,000.00. 

A much better process than dealing with upgrades at Customer Service when you first board the ship. 

(which, I am sure still happen)

4 hours ago, Minnie29 said:

If you are successful with your Move Up Bid are you notified by email and when is that likely to happen in respect to your cruise start date?

If you are successful but have already checked in on the App and received your luggage tags etc do Celebrity resend your email with luggage tags etc attached? 
thank you

Yes, you are notified by email right away.  And they will charging your card right away. 

The when is a big variable. 

I know offers to bid have been sent to passengers as early as 2.5 months prior to sailing. 

Although you can check the status of your offer online, your first inkling will be receiving an email that you have been upgraded and that you have been charged. 

If you have a successful bid notification close to sailing and having already checked in, you can manually fill out luggage tags at the pier.  

It's no biggie.  

It's a generic luggage tag and you add your name, cabin # and sailing date. 

On 3/2/2023 at 10:20 AM, vacruisincouple said:

I disembarked from the Summit last Saturday.  My husband and I were in a royal suite and my parents travelled with us in the adjoining C1 balcony cabin.  I purchased the Retreat Privilege Package (RPP) for my parents prior to sailing.  I know this program is somewhat controversial but don’t wish to discuss that here.  Rather, I would like to give my thoughts on how well the program did and did not work for us as well as some of the logistics of the program.

 

Pre Cruise:  As expected about 3 ½ - 4 weeks prior to the cruise, I received an email from the shoreside concierge with the usual list of questions on our preferences for the stateroom, specialty dining reservations, etc.  I responded with our needs as well as inquiring about having my parents join us in luminae as well as the retreat lounge and sundeck.  It was only after inquiring was I told I could purchase the RPP for them or pay per meal to have them join us in luminae.  Pricing was $99 per person per day for RPP or $30 per person for dinner or $20 per person for lunch.  We opted to purchase the RPP.  I called the shoreside concierge and the purchase was taken care of in about 10 minutes.

 

Cruise check in:  The morning of the cruise we took an uber to the port of Miami and were dropped off around 10:20 a.m.  The signage for the special delivery area was not very clear so we had the porter walk us over to the check in area that was curbside further ahead from where we were dropped off at.  Once there, they asked for our cabin numbers.  I provided them and they immediately tried to tell me that my parents needed to go through the regular check in.  I explained that they had the RPP which was met with blank stares.  I further explained they were to check in with us as apart of the program.  I’m not sure they believed me but I was rather insistent that they were coming with us.  We were taken to the retreat embarkation lounge which was already almost full where we met Connor and Connie the retreat concierges.  Beverages (coffee, juice, water, etc.) and light snacks were available.  After about 15 minutes the room was introduced to Daniel the retreat manager.  Connor then invited the 4 of us along with one other couple to follow him onto the ship.  Daniel and Connie also had a group with them so I assume that made up all of the upper tier suite passengers. We were the first to step foot on the ship.

 

Cruise:  We were escorted to the retreat lounge where we were welcomed once again and offered beverages from the bar as well as more snacks.  After finishing our beverages we went to our suite to drop off our carryon luggage and pick up our room keys.  All of our room keys including my parents were the grey suite keys.  We met our room steward Michael (who was absolutely fabulous the entire cruise) and dropped off our things. 

 

Luminae:  We headed down to luminae for lunch where we met Lobo who asked for our room numbers.  After providing them Lobo discretely tried to tell me there was a charge to have my parents dine with us.  I replied that they had the RPP.  He told me he would check on it.  We had a lovely lunch with Andy as our server.  Upon leaving, Lobo walked us out and I asked him if everything was set for my parents to enjoy luminae without us if they wanted to and he assured me everything was as it should be.

 

Retreat Sun Deck:  We went to the retreat sun deck for sail away.  If you do so, be aware that you are very close to the ship’s horn.  It is very loud and quite startling the first time it goes off.  We were also invited to the helipad for sail away but opted for the sundeck because 1) I didn’t want to change into closed toe shoes and 2) I wanted a place to sit.  I used my key card to get us into the retreat sun deck but my parents decided to leave before us and their key cards did not work in unlocking the gate.  They flagged down a crew member and were able to exit.  Later that evening we mentioned this to Connor in the retreat lounge and he took their keys and reprogrammed them so that they would work.  The keys worked perfectly the rest of the cruise.

 

Specialty dining and extras:  We dined at Tuscan grill on my dad’s birthday and I was expecting to have to pay the cover charge for both of my parents.  At the end of the meal however we were told everything was taken care of and did not have a bill to sign.  We left an extra tip in cash.   I don’t know if its supposed to be this way or not, but its as if my parents were given the same royal suite perks that we had.  This was the only specialty dining that we did with them so I don’t know if it was a one off or if it would have been the same at the other specialty dining venues.  Or perhaps it was because my parents literally only had a half portion of pasta each and they would’ve felt bad charging me $60 per person for them.  I kind of doubt that though.  Later in the cruise all 4 of us were delivered the monogrammed pajamas.  I also noticed that my parents beverage package had been upgraded from the classic package that came with their room (they were on an all included cruise fare) to the premium beverage.  Again, not sure if it is supposed to happen this way or not.

 

Conclusion:  All in all, I am very happy we booked the RPP for my parents.  All the crew members we encountered were incredible and made my parents (and us) feel very pampered.  It was a little annoying to have to assert that they had the package at check in and at luminae the first time along with the little hiccup with the key cards.  This is something that could have been better but rather minor considering the entire cruise experience.

 

Cheri

Excellent info.  Thank you for sharing with us - in such great detail. 

Question....

Have any of you received a Moveup Offer for a suite that is showing no availability on the Celebrity website?  

More importantly, has anyone won a Moveup upgrade on a suite that was not available on the Celebrity website? 

Thanks! 

38 minutes ago, njsmom said:

Where did you find that description of a veteran? My brother-in-law was in the Army National Guard for eight years and was never called up for active duty, just did his two weeks every summer after basic, and he is a veteran with a DD214. He bought a house four years ago and used his veteran benefits for a VA loan. 

Here is some info from the VA.

See attached. 

As you can see, there is not a clear [one size fits all] answer.

Determining Veteran Status and Eligibility for Benefits .docx

7 hours ago, critterchick said:

 One of my pet peeves is that lack of verification. My DH served in the Navy for 23 years. On one cruise we met a guy who said that he checks the box even though he never served. You can believe he got an earful. From me.  Princess (I think all of the Carnival-owned lines) require proof of eligibility before giving you the benefit.

Most cruiselines don’t consider you a veteran unless you have 2 years of active duty status. A friend of mine got pregnant and resigned her AF commission at 20 months, so doesn’t qualify for discounts.

 

To be a veteran, a service member must have:

—        180 days of consecutive active duty (not counting training)

—        Or one day in a combat zone: served on Active Duty during a period of war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge was authorized.

—        Served in the National Guard or Reserve for 20 years and retired under honorable conditions. (passed 2016)

On 4/24/2023 at 8:23 PM, George C said:

I know in Texas you can show department of motor vehicles your dd214 and they will put it on your drivers license. Best discount for veterans is MSc they give you ten percent . 

It is SO handy to have veteran on my drivers license. 

On 4/24/2023 at 10:36 AM, njsmom said:

My husband is an Air Force veteran. He didn't retire from the military, but he was in for seven years with an honorable discharge. Is he eligible for any military or veterans discount on Celebrity? We have an upcoming cruise in July and I've read this about Celebrity and I'm not sure how it's applied or how to get it if he is eligible. (His Real ID shows his veteran status.)

 

Celebrity Cruises offers military members special savings. Savings are per person, for first and second guest, and are based on type of stateroom:

$25 – Inside and Ocean View

$100 – Veranda, Concierge Class, AquaClass® or The Retreat

 At least one guest in the stateroom must be an active, retired or veteran member of the United States military. A valid military ID must be presented at the pier to validate eligibility.

Here is a quote from an email conversation I was having with my TA at the time I booked a few cabins for family members.  I had been inquiring about a military discount. 

"According to Celebrity the resident rate discount and the Military discount are not compatible, so you get one or the other, the system chose the best rate.  If we had gone with the Military rate, he would only have gotten $100.00 discount instead of the large resident rate discount he received which all guests in booking received."

2 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

Thanks.  I know they booked with the same TA I did.  The real issue is how to get either both of us or none of us moved up. Time to call the CC in the morning.

Try this link.  

https://www.celebritycruises.com/bid-on-cruise-room-upgrade

And I seriously doubt they will link two Move Up offers. 

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Likely the lawsuit will be settled out of court. Regardless of the facts it has already been tried in the media. I doubt Celebrity wants any more publicity. 

I agree. 

And Mrs Jones' attorney is fully aware of this probability.