Go-Bucks!

On the Coral for Alaska, we went to the buffet only once because we prefer a more calm meal experience.

I rarely, if ever, go to the buffet for breakfast or lunch because of the crowded conditions and lack of available seating, but dinner is not like that at all. I like that I can go at whatever time I want and stay as long as I choose. No waiting for food to arrive for everyone. We probably eat dinner in the buffet about 30% of the time.

At dinnertime the buffet is calm, quiet and relaxing. There's a lovely ambiance and the servers bring drinks and are quite attentive. We always get a table by the window and enjoy such a beautiful view during the meal. VERY different from the daytime experience! :D

I would opt out of an itinerary with Jamaica in it. If I had to include it, I would either stay onboard . . . .

 

One brief stop in Jamaica on a cruise was enough to know that I didn't want to spend any future time there.

I totally agree!! I did enjoy Dunn's River Falls, but even the parking lot there was full of scary men wandering around bothering tourists. Our bus driver stopped at a roadside bunch of stalls selling trinkets (run by his relatives) and wouldn't let anyone back on the bus until we bought something! I was furious. Everywhere we went on the island felt unsafe and I'll never go back there again. If I go on a cruise that stops in Jamaica, I'll stay onboard. I'm glad Princess has switched to Grand Cayman, which is a lovely island. Maybe the Jamaican govt. will make some changes if it impacts their pocketbook.

My wonderful TA gives me about 15% (or more) off the Princess price and adds OBC and other perks. She is always available when I need something like a price drop or a change in my reservation.

I've recommended her to many others, so don't you think she's going to turn around and help me too? ;) You're not going to get this kind of help from a Princess employee. BTW, these so-called "vacation planners" are just "phone answerers", not experienced professional travel agents.

I just wanted to eat and go back to my cabin without showering and dressing up. So we went to the buffet, she very reluctantly. From that time on, that's where she wanted to go for dinner.

This happened to us too. Years ago we had tried eating dinner at the buffet and it wasn't good. But recently we got back from a tiring day of touring and decided to try the buffet for dinner again. This time it was very good! Since then, we've eaten dinners in the Horizon Court or Cafe Caribe on nights when the entrees in the MDR don't look interesting. We've been happy with the selection and quality. Also nice to be able to eat dinner in less than 2 hours. ;)

My first X cruise will be this coming March and I just checked out the loyalty program.

Am I reading it right that I'll get 3 points for staying in a veranda cabin so I'll be in the Classic (basic) level for the first 49 cruises I take on X? And it takes 750 points to become Elite Plus and 3,000 to become Zenith? That means I'll have to sail 250 times in order to get to Elite Plus and 1,000 cruises to be Zenith???? If so, that's crazy!

I'll become Elite on Princess later this year and will have only had to sail 7 times (several in full suites).

Any help in understanding this loyalty program is welcome. Thanks! :D

We always do Anytime Dining and are willing to share a table, but we do request a table for 6 or 8. Six is best, but 8 is OK. Did 10 a couple times, but way too big for having conversations with anyone but the people next to you.

The new causeway bridge is open now and should decrease the traffic congestion in the Simpson Bay / Airport area. I would taxi to Mullet. Walk the 15 minutes to Maho and hen taxi back to town around 2 pm. That way you won't hav to carry your purchases with you all day. You can walk, taxi or water taxi back to the ship from town.

 

You won't need to tender I don't think. The piers can dock 6 ships.

Sounds good; hadn't thought about doing Philipsburg last so we're not worried about getting back to the ship on time. Thanks!! :D

We will be in St. Maarten for the first time from 8am-5pm on Wednesday 3/12/14 and would like to walk around Philipsburg for awhile, then take a taxi to Mullet beach and Maho beach for the rest of the day, and taxi back to the ship. We're willing to DIY but have a concern . . . . . there will be 6 ships in port, with a total of 19,400+ passengers!!! :eek:

There is a ship's excursion that lets you walk around Philipsburg for a couple hours then buses you to Marigot for another couple hours of independent touring, then takes you to some (not named) beach for several more hours. Total time is 5 hours. (I really want to see Maho beach airplanes landing, so this would be kind of a disappointment).

I'd rather DIY but keep reading about horrible traffic. I'm concerned with being able to get a taxi and then the possiblilty that it might not get us back to the ship on time with so many pax in port that day. We're not supposed to be tendering, but maybe we'll have to with that many ships.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? :confused: All suggestions welcome!! Thx.

We just got back from 4 back-to-back Coastals. 4 day Catalina, 4 day Santa Barbara, 3 day Ensenada, and another 3 day Ensenada. These are the only 3-4 day cruises we’ve been on with Princess, all the others have been 7-15 day cruises.

We'll be doing the same thing as you did (although one of our 4-day segments is going to San Diego instead of Catalina). We'll be in a full suite and are wondering if we'll get a complimentary specialty restaurant dinner for each of the 4 segments. Would you have any idea?

She said from now on she'll be doing suites on either NCL or Princess.

I realize the OP didn't ask about Princess, but they have great suite perks too. Here are some of them:

~upgraded balcony furniture with 2 loungers, 2 chairs, 1 large table

~complimentary minibar set up

~CD/DVD player with DVD library

~pillow top mattress

~deluxe linens and pillow menu

~luxury towels and bathrobe

~fresh flowers

~upgraded bathroom amenities incl bath salts and gel eye mask

~hot tubs, wet bar, and fireplace in selected suites

~priority embarkation, disembarkation lounge, priority tendering to port, priority shore excursions, priority reservations for Chef's Table, ship tour, Princess Cays bungalows

~free unlimited laundry, dry cleaning and shoe polishing

~dedicated line at passenger services

~free use of Thermal Suites

~breakfast in Sabatini's with complimentary mimosas

~elite lounge with free appetizers and discount daily drink

~full room service menu with breakfast, lunch and dinner from MDR

~daily deluxe canapes

~afternoon tea in cabin

~free dinner on embarkation night in specialty restaurant

~"welcome goodies" on embarkation day

~corsage and boutonniere on first formal night

~choc covered strawberries each night

No butler or concierge, but the steward brought us anything we asked for. Room service delivers all food to cabin. We loved our suite and will have another one next year.

(I think SWA is a major US carrier that DOES NOT participate)

That is not correct, according to the CSR at Celebrity. He told me today that Southwest Airlines out of FLL does participate in the Luggage Valet service.

Is luggage valet available at Port of Miami for Fll departures.

I just called Celebrity and was told that Southwest Airlines does participate in the Luggage Valet service. We'll be arriving at the POM, but flying out of FLL in the early evening; the CSR said it will work fine to do the valet service. Cost seems good too - $20 for 2 bags. My friend and I each will have 1 bag, so just $10pp. That will enable us to spend a good portion of the day in the South Beach area before flying home. :)

I was on the Crown in July and I think it looked fine for the most part. Did notice some worn carpet in our minisuite, the sofa was showing showing some age and the metal on the balcony having some rust. But that certainly didn't impact our fabulous trip!

This has been an interesting thread to read!

Most of the roll calls I've been involved with have been very helpful to me. Planning excursions and M&G's, joining others for meals or other social events, sharing info about the ship or ports, and getting excited together as the trip gets closer.

But I've also experienced some of the negatives that have been mentioned: bossy folks who hijack the roll call and need to be the "leader", rude folks, and those who are know-it-alls. On my first roll call, it was just me and one other person!! So boring.

My last roll call was one of the best ever, but my current one is so slow. Only 121 posts in the past 11 months. We normally book cruises a year or more in advance, but we booked this one just 4 months out. When I got on the roll call, hardly anyone was posting and I didn't hardly even get a "hello." No one is planning excursions or getting to know each other. I'm not planning on posting much more or going to the M&G.

So, guess it's just a roll of the dice as to what type of roll call it is depending on the people who are involved. I think most of them are good and worth trying. :)

For those who lug cases of bottled water on a ship, you might want to read this before going to all that trouble.

Apparently you don't live on a farm! :cool:

I live out in a rural area on a small farm. My water well is behind my home, about 6 feet from a field that is planted with corn or soybeans every year. Guess what they spray on that field several times each spring/summer?? Yep, pesticides and herbicides!! Those sink into the soil from the rain and end up in the underground water supply that fills my well. If I drink my tap water, I get a glass full of toxic poison. Yuck. I've been drinking bottled water for over 20 yrs and no cavities.

So yes, I and virtually all my neighbors drink bottled water. We don't care if it's city water because at least it would be treated/filtered. Anything's better than a big gulp of poison. ;)

I always travel with one of those cheapo wedge doorstops. It works to keep doors open as well as closed.

This is what I do in hotels and on cruises. This wedge has a battery and when triggered by the door being opened, it lets off a very loud alarm siren! It'll not only wake you up, but hopefully scare the intruder (or steward) away. Bet the steward won't try to open your door again! :D

There are always a few nights where everything looks good and . . . on the off nights we eat from the every night selections.

I find this to be true on other cruiselines as well. But I can always find something good in the MDR. I rarely eat at specialty restaurants because I've already paid for a meal in the MDR and refuse to pay twice for one meal. Call me cheap, but I call it being a good steward. ;)

I haven't experienced the new furniture yet, but I've never had a foot stool on Princess.

The new furniture is what has the footstools. The old stuff had 2 reclining chairs, 2 straight chairs and the large table. Now they've replaced the straight chairs with footstools. We had the new stuff on our last cruise in July. We always get minisuites (or full suites, but that's different furniture) so maybe the footstools are only on the mini balconies?

Ok, you mentioned that you get footstools on Princess.. have they changed the entire fleet to the new furniture? if not, then you don't get footstools on every Princess balcony.

I've already had the new balcony furniture and it's very uncomfortable, just like many others have said. But at least we had 2 reclining chairs, a large table and 2 foot stools. :D

Am I correct that by reading your signature, you haven't actually sailed on Celebrity yet? you might want to reserve judgement until you have.

 

They're hearsay and some aren't actually true which is why I suggested he might want to actual sail on one of their ships first.

First off, I'm a "she", not a "he", and none of the things I've listed is "hearsay." I've gleaned all of them from the Celebrity website, my travel agent/agency website and the Celebrity CC board. I don't need to sail on the ship in order to learn the facts about it.

1) We'll be in a 1A balcony cabin on the Reflection which does not have foot stools. The website and the Celebrity CC board confirms that only Concierge, Aqua or suites get them. It's been suggested to bring a beach ball to prop our feet on, which we plan to do. But frankly that's pretty lame considering what we're paying for the cabin.

2) I've watched several YouTube videos of a 1A cabin as well as read much on the Celebrity CC board about the very limited drawer space. Just 3 small drawers in the desk, a tiny nightstand with 2 shelves and the shelf over the bed. Go watch the YouTube video yourself and you'll see. I'm taking their advice and bringing some foldable bins to keep clothing in. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp4Ur9gvHuI.

3) The pay-before-you-go shore excursions are no secret. I checked them out on the Celebrity website to see if we'd like to book some and it said right there that they have to be paid for in advance.

4) I've read many complaints on the Celebrity CC board about people not being able to combine OBC from several places and/or combine it with other perks. Again, no secret. Just read the boards sometime.

5) Re: laundry. The Celebrity website shows no self-serve laundries on any decks. When I read posts on the Celebrity CC board about the loyalty perks, free laundry wasn't listed.

6) It appears that if you get to the top of the loyalty ladder with RCCL/Celebrity you get 45 minutes of free Internet, so I apologize for missing that. I should have said that you get alot less on RCCL/Celebrity than even Princess Platinum level gets.

7) My TA and all other agency sites I've checked say that Celebrity does not let travel agencies discount their cruises. Just a fact. If they did, my TA would have given it to us just like she does for Princess.

So, please tell me, how are these FACTS judgemental???? I just listed them as facts, which they are. You might not like seeing them, but that doesn't change the truth. If you do a bit of research, you'll see that they're all correct.

If these made a huge difference to me I wouldn't have booked a Celebrity cruise, now would I?? I'm hoping that it'll be a great vacation and ship, although I always have a wonderful time no matter what ship or cruiseline I'm on. Positive attitude is what makes a great experience. ;)

I haven't sailed on RCCL so can't speak from first hand knowledge, but do read what CC posters write.

Here are a few things that are different between the 2 cruise lines. With Princess you get:

~ all balconies have 2 footstools - don't have to stay in the "high rent district" to get one

~ decent amount of drawer space for storage

~ shore excursions that don't have to be paid for in advance

~ combineable OBC/perks

~ don't have to prepay gratuities if you choose Anytime Dining

~ self serve laundries and free laundry service for Elite/suites

~ free Internet for both Platinum and Elite loyalty status

~ the ability of travel agents to discount the cruise price (often by 15-20%)

Whichever you choose, ENJOY!! :D

You do realize that you have described in every detail what you find on a Celebrity S class ship.;)

But here's what you don't find on a Celebrity S class ship:

~ footstools on any balcony except Concierge, Aqua or suites

~ decent amount of drawer space for storage

~ shore excursions that don't have to be paid for in advance

~ combineable OBC/perks

~ self serve laundries and free laundry service for Elite/suites

~ free Internet for both Platinum and Elite

~ the ability of travel agents to discount the cruise price (often by 15-20%)

As far as improvements for Princess, I'm glad the mattresses are being replaced because they were too hard. Other than that, I'm very happy with my experiences on Princess. :D

To me, one of the highlights of travel is trying local foods. On Princess, I cannot tell where I am traveling based on the menu . . . . couldn't they include one or two local specialties each evening?

I've had local specialty foods many times on a ship when in certain areas.

A few months ago we were on the Crown Princess and stopped in Bruges, Belgium. Their local specialty is a Pot of Mussels. I had that at a local restaurant, which was delicious. At dinner on the ship that night they offered the same thing. Since I really love mussels, I ordered it on the ship and it was just as delicious as in Belgium.

If the cruise line is going to offer nice pricey wines for sale then offer the Riddel wine glasses to enhance the taste experience. We had to request the proper wine glasses in the main dining room as well as the specialty ones. Once in the MDR the waiter advised he did not have any which we know is not true.

 

I was going to ask for another glass since mine was water spotted and then noticed that the whole table would have to be replaced and decided it was pointless.

Just curious . . . . . how does the "proper" type of glass make a difference in the taste of the wine?? :confused:

I don't think that the laundry service provided on board is that expensive, certainly not when compared to a lot of dry cleaners or hotel services. :D

Can't even come close to $4 per washer load!! You'd be lucky to pay $4 for one piece of clothing. And the "specials" that many lines have is $20 for a tiny bag full. You're comparing apples to oranges (ship laundry to a dry cleaner or hotel) - I'm comparing ship laundry to ship's self serve laundry.

When we go on 14 day cruises, we can pack for 5-7 days and do our own laundry for under $10 for the whole 2 weeks. And Princess gives UNLIMITED free laundry for Elite status passengers or those in full suites. What a fabulous perk! :D