Go-Bucks!

I can't imagine anyone who doesn't know you just walking over onto your balcony. I mean, would you?? Normally people don't keep their balcony doors open. It's not recommended - just go out there, close the door. People who are together will often get the dividers opened, but no, no one is going to come sneak over in the middle of the night! Again, would you?

Of course I wouldn't walk onto someones balcony, but you must not have read my original post correctly - here's what it said: "I read that the balcony dividers do not lock, thus allowing the neighbors to just walk over. Is that true?? I would be mortified if I was sitting out there in the morning in my jammies and someone just came on over. Or for security - what if we had the balcony door open at night! Can someone just walk on in to the cabin?"

I spent 2 evenings reading many posts and one mentioned that a neighbor came over onto their balcony and was looking around. Then they mentioned that the way it happened was because the dividers don't lock, the people just walked onto their balcony. This was a post on CC, not me just making it up. I am used to the dividers being locked on Princess ships, which gives a more secure feeling.

And you're not going to keep your balcony door open at night anyway. You'll mess with the air conditioning and it will get humid in the room.

We don't keep our balcony door open all night while sleeping, but do occasionally want it open when we're awake. Otherwise we'd just get an oceanview room and go sit up on deck.

There are outlets on the desk. We bring a small multi-plug, and just rotate when we plug in our electronics. You can also bring a converter so you have access to the European one.

I always travel with a voltage converter, plug adapters and a power strip, but my main question was where are the outlets. Just at the desk? Nowhere else?

Thx, Project_gal for your answers.

Anyone else able to help me? I'd really appreciate some help from experienced Celebrity cruisers and/or those who've sailed in 6145/6146. Thanks in advance for your help!! :D

To start, please don't tell me to go to "Search" to find answers to my questions. I've spent 2 entire evenings reading as many old threads as possible but still have some questions left. I've only taken one Celebrity cruise so still have much to learn. If my questions bother you, then just move on. If you have time to share your wisdom, then bless you! :p

We just booked an S1 suite on Infinity, cabin 6145. I've watched the youtube video and seen pictures, so am aware of what it looks like. Here are the questions that directly relate to this cabin:

1) Closet space looks a bit tight (for 2 people, for 14 days), but are there many drawers to make up for that? If so, where are they?

2) What's in the cupboards underneath the bathroom sinks? Is there storage space under there for bathroom items?

3) I see that it has a balcony door instead of sliding door. How can we keep it open? Need a bungee cord?

4) I read that the balcony dividers do not lock, thus allowing the neighbors to just walk over. Is that true?? I would be mortified if I was sitting out there in the morning in my jammies and someone just came on over. Or for security - what if we had the balcony door open at night! Can someone just walk on in to the cabin?

5) Where are the electrical sockets? I read that they are all European. Surely that can't be. Any of them American and, if so, where will we find them?

6) Also read that the motorized curtains and balcony door screen don't always work. If so, will they fix them if we ask?

7) Is there a retractable clothes line in the bathroom?

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OK, now just a couple general questions. :D

8) Is there High Afternoon Tea on the ships? I realize we can get afternoon tea in our room, but do they have a formal tea for suite passengers in, say, a dining room? (We're used to this from Princess, but it's offered to everyone).

9) Does Celebrity have formal nights? If so, how many on a 14 night cruise? Do you have to really dress up or will "church" clothes do?

10) I've never sailed on a cruiseline that had a Captains Table. How do they choose who to ask? The most expensive suite occupants, high rollers at casino, etc??

Thanks for any answers. It takes awhile to learn the culture of a new cruiseline and we're trying to do that with Celebrity.

I've stayed in every type of cabin --> inside, port hole, window, balcony, minisuite and full suite. Had fantastic cruises in all of them!

As circumstances have changed (kids married and gone/career advancement with higher salary), I've gradually worked my way up to full suites and really enjoy the extra space and perks. Since I'm paying LOTS more than other cabins, I think the perks are appropriate. They add to my vacation enjoyment, but I could still have fun in an inside room.

My personal opinion is that if someone thinks the suite perks should be eliminated then they're jealous. Why else would you care?? The perks certainly don't detract from your vacation, so why be concerned what others get if they're willing to pay alot more money for their room?

I've done, and enjoyed, most of the previous suggestions but I think the real joy of sea days is to relax. Many ways to do that, but I try not to get too busy on sea days. Relaxing is part of my vacation goal. I enjoy touring the world but if I stay too busy then I come home exhausted and then have to go back to work not feeling rested.

Don't worry that you won't find enough to do on the ship - they provide many activities if you need to do something.

If you are on the Port side, that's the smoking side, and in port, smoke might drift up. If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, then go for deck 9.

Stayed in 7219 on Reflection (port side) and never smelled any smoke. Was out on balcony alot too. Don't worry about that.

Or, if you cruise Princess, you can get stock, future cruise credits, and military OBC combined.;)

You are so right. With Carnival Corp stock there is no drama like with RCCL stock.

I bought 100 shares of CC stock back in the fall of 2008 when their price was at almost historic lows. Between the increase in price, quarterly and bonus dividends and OBC, I've not only earned all my money back but also an extra $1,000 above that. And the OBC is combinable with anything else; as a matter of fact, you can combine many perks! Oh, and my dividends aren't taxable because I hold the stock in my IRA. They just go toward purchasing more shares so my profits increase.

I considered buying RCCL stock, but the price is near record highs plus the issue of not being combinable has changed my mind.

I loved the fish and chips at Shakespeare's near Victoria Station. Huge pieces of fish! Normally I don't like mushy peas, but theirs was ok. Decor was nice too and good central location.

I also don't like it when someone decides to be keeper of the roll call and details have to be emailed to that person who keeps a spreadsheet with names, activities etc rather than just updating the list on here. I'm sailing on a Celebrity cruise next year and have no idea of who is on the roll call as someone has taken charge this way. I would just prefer it to be open on the board for everyone to see and join in.

I agree with you as long as the roll call keeper doesn't want personal info. My experience has been that they often want your CC handle, real name, cabin number, where you live, your loyalty status, what hotel you're staying in pre or post cruise, etc. Many people, myself included, do not wish to have this info out on a roll call that can be seen by the public. That's why spreadsheets can be nice - they're not quite as accessible to just anyone.

15 night Century (Jan 20- Feb 4, 2014) offered the 'stuff the bag' option one day only, in the second week. One bag per stateroom; $45.

That price is crazy! For $50 I can bring another suitcase full of clean clothes. :rolleyes:

That's one thing I love about Princess ships - self serve laundries on most all passenger decks. Great for long cruises. And if you're Elite or in a suite on Princess you get free unlimited laundry done by the ship!

I'm concerned about 2, 14 day Celebrity cruises we have coming up. I like to pack light and it's difficult to wash outer clothing in sinks.

Compare that to the price of checking an extra bag of clothing round-trip on the airlines and lugging it to/from the ship. Not to mention taking the time to do the laundry on your own during your vacation....

I won't be lugging any extra luggage around - as I mentioned, I pack lightly, which makes doing laundry even more important. And with 9 sea days, I don't mind doing a little bit of laundry on a lazy afternoon. Sure beats wasting $35/bag - and those bags aren't very big.

Like I said, Princess really rocks when compared to Celebrity in the area of laundry. (Please no flames from Celebrity cheerleaders - each cruiseline has pros and cons). Laundry isn't an issue if you take cruises of 7 days or less, but on longer ones it really helps to have an economical way to keep clothing clean. :)

I realize you may have booked by now, but I am just off the Summit in S2 cabin 6122 and loved it. I asked for, and was given, a lounger for my balcony which was a bit of a tight fit with the table and 2 chairs, but it worked.

 

The butler will do pretty much anything he can to make your cruise a good one. And Michael's club is a very nice plus. Sorry, I did not take any pics. Wish I had read this thread while onboard.

 

For me, the extra $800 would not be worth it for a 5 night cruise. And the view was only obstructed looking down (life rafts for me) Looking out was fine. And I believe your view is even less restricted than 6122.

We'll be in 6124 in a few months and am wondering if the balcony chairs are reclinable and come with footstools? I read that SS cabins come with all the amenities that CC cabins have and I thought they got footstools.

Also, would there be room to walk on the balcony if we asked for one lounger? How big (length and width) is the balcony? Thx for any help!

We were on the recent Constellation TA, and there was a "Laundry Bag Challenge" coupon in which as much laundry as possible, without tearing the paper bag, was washed for $34.99.

Yikes! That's pretty pricey! I'm used to Princess' self serve laundry or free, unlimited laundry in Princess suites. The self serve washers and dryers each cost $2/load. And the laundry room has an iron and ironing board plus a soap dispenser ($1 per box). Wonder why Celebrity doesn't put these into their ships?? Such a benefit. Princess has them on most stateroom decks.

We'll be on a 14 day cruise this year and next year - I like to pack lightly, so not looking forward to washing my clothes in the bathroom sink or bathtub. At least we'll have a balcony that we can hang them out on to dry. :rolleyes:

Our next cruise in Sept 2015 to Hawaii, just after pricing was released last month, she got us into a promotional group booking. I got a 1A verandah for a 2C price plus $175 obc from Celebrity and $300 obc from her. Just this week I asked about 123go promotion, if we available to take advantage of the offer. Not only were able to get 123go Classic Beverage pkg, we got to keep all of our obc and cruise rate without rebooking.

 

This why I use a T/A.

Us too!! We booked a European cruise on Celebrity for Oct, 2015 through an agency. Got $300/pp cheaper price, $492 OBC, free drink pkg, free gratuities and 1 category upgrade. Some of that was received from Celebrity directly, but some was from the TA.

We have always used a TA because most of our cruising has been on Princess and they allow TA's to discount their prices drastically, where Celebrity does not. So using a TA has always been a no brainer, but we're still seeing the advantages of it on Celebrity.

Hi fellow nut (buckeye). We have done fall TA's for the past 5 years, in Oct,Nov & Dec. The only bad seas we ever encountered was in crossing the infamous Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean and Atlantic were always smooth sailing. You will not be in the Caribbean anyway.

I'm not concerned at all. I was just answering those who posted that Celebrity doesn't have ships in hurricane areas during the season (June-Nov). I've sailed in the Atlantic, North Sea, and Caribbean during hurricane season and never had a problem.

We'll be on a transatlantic this coming October during hurricane season. Leaves London, stopping at Lisbon, Bermuda, and Nassau before arriving at Ft. Lauderdale. So apparently Celebrity does have some cruises in hurricane affected areas.

Do you mean that you're now planning to fly from Reykjavik to Heathrow on a flight that arrives on 13 October, and then transfer to Harwich for a cruise that departs on the same day at 1700?

 

If so, what's the arrival time on 13 October of your planned flight? If it's the first non-stop arrival of the day from Reykjavik, that looks like it's 1145. This wouldn't give you much time to get over to Harwich for your ship's departure. It's 2+ hours by road from Heathrow to Harwich, and you'd be doing this on a weekday (13 October is a Monday, I believe). Not much would need to go wrong before you'd find yourself spending the first three days of your cruise on dry land, getting yourselves to Lisbon (your next port).

No, we're not that brave or inexperienced! We're arriving at Heathrow on 10/12 at 8pm, staying at an airport hotel overnight, then booking an early morning ride to Harwich on 10/13.

Thanks to all of you for the information!!!

We finally booked the cruise yesterday and have decided to spend our "extra" precruise day in Iceland, so we'll be needing a ride to Harwich on 10/13. Will check into Celebrity transfers (do you call Choice Air for those?) or call Harwich taxis. We'd like to leave early in the morning so we can get to the ship in a timely fashion. :D

Anyone have any good pictures of the balconies of these Sky Suites? We'll be in 6124 on Infinity. Can't seem to find pictures of these cabins or their balconies.

A mini cab (not a London black hackney cab) would probably cost £150+ Google will give you a list (http://www.harwich.co.uk/cruise_taxis.asp)

 

Uber is now also operating in London, and they show a price from Heathrow to Harwich of between £176-£211.

 

Will the mini cab take us from Heathrow to Harwich?? They will drive all the way up to the airport to pick us up??

 

 

Fair enough, but had you considered a mini cab / Uber from Heathrow to London Liverpool Street train station (£37) and then a train to Harwich International (tickets from £8.50) - http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/?

We'd still have to change trains before getting to Harwich. I've shlepped luggage around Europe many times but just not interested this time. We want a direct ride from airport to hotel in Harwich.

The thing about the Sky Suites is the extra room - we always have empty drawers, can't possibly fill it all up. Nice to have room to walk around in the room, around the bed, by the couch, balcony, etc.

 

We really like the extra room too. We always get suites or minisuites on Princess and they start at 323 sq ft. But we always get huge balconies, so these seem fairly small. Were hoping they'd be larger.

 

We're pretty independent so we don't take much advantage of the butler service but we do on occasion and always enjoy getting to know them.

 

We will use the butler because we spend alot of time in the cabin and on the balcony. Love eating meals on the balcony.

 

We were Celebrity newbies once and we fell in love with the line and haven't sailed anything else since 2001.

We're not first time on Celebrity - went on Reflection a few months ago. But haven't had a suite on Celebrity before. Unfortunately we're booking late enough that there are very few suites left. :(

Thanks for all your help!

Our flight will arrive in LHR about 11:45am, so from what I've read we'll miss many of the coaches going to Harwich that leave earlier. We prefer to leave right from the airport and stay overnight in Harwich. We're not interested in using trains/Tube/public buses because of having suitcases to drag with us.

Does anyone have info on private transportation that will pick us up at the airport in early afternoon and drive directly to Harwich?

How can I get info on the Celebrity transfer? Who should I contact?

Thx for any help! :p

I'm asking these questions because I've spent alot of time on Search, but unable to find many answers or pictures.

There are only a few Sky Suites left on a cruise we're thinking of booking on the Infinity. Only ones left are located on deck 6, aft of the midship elevators, back to the larger suites.

1) Would like to know how big these cabins are compared to a standard veranda cabin.

2) How large are the balconies, what furniture is on the balcony (loungers, tables, chairs, footrests) and are they covered? (We were previously in a side-of-the-hump veranda cabin on Reflection and the balcony was 100 sq ft and totally covered). It appears like there are lifeboats either in front of the balcony or just below it - is this correct? If so, do they block the view?

3) Is the Persian Gardens a suite perk?

Thx for any help! Any pictures would be great!! We're sort of Celebrity newbies. :o

Though I enjoy the food on Princess, I think Celebrity's is better (of course food is a matter of taste and, therefor, highly subjective).

And you gotta love being able to have escargot EVERY NIGHT!!! Ummm. :p

My very healthy friend and I arrived in Miami for a cruise a few months ago. Everything was fine until we were checking in at the ship and she suddenly felt nauseous and began getting very severe abdominal pain. I took her down to the ship's doctor and he correctly diagnosed her with pancreatitis. They called the Miami EMS and she was taken off the ship and spent a week in a hospital in Miami.

Sad news was that she did not have travel insurance! Medicare paid for the hospital, but she owes over $700 for the 2 hours in the ship's medical center. She was very blessed, though, because Celebrity agreed to give her a full credit for her cruise fee since it was a medical emergency after we boarded. They gave her a year to use it so we're going on another Celebrity cruise in November.

But she learned a BIG lesson! She'll never travel without insurance again. I've always bought insurance and thought she did too. So, no matter how healthy you are, the cost of insurance is very little compared to the bills you might have to pay without it. ;)