Fogfog

I read the OPs post differently--that the email threatened cancellation re gratuities (which do not have to be paid upfront.)

An email like that wouldn't make sense at all.

Glad it was worked out. Happy cruising

Our taxes/fees change a good bit...Our TA put in a refund request with X. The total was over $100

Thanks so much for your helpful review. Gave me some things to remember and confirmation of things I have done/planned.

so why do you care who is on board?

AND

why do the Hotel Director and CD have less ability to serve incoming clients--than say an on land based hotel or resort.

No worries answering... I found the contacts etc that I was seeking;)

Sooooooo Hotel Directors and CDs on ships have fewer abilities to handle clients request than say a hotel or resort on land? ;)

Have recently found the Celebrity and Celebrity UK pages on FB.

X needs a brand ambassador to handle special concerns and field questions.

Have recently found the Celebrity and Celebrity UK pages on FB.

X needs a brand ambassador to handle special concerns and field questions.

On previous cruises I have had prior contact with ships activities director as our roll call had many activities which needed to be planned. The certified vacation planner would contact the appropriate person on the ship and then report back to me. I have in the past had email addresses of employees on ship given to me by them.

 

I believe it is the activities director who you would contact as soon as you board and then

you arrange your plans. Definitely not the waiter as he/she has much do do without private planning. I have also made arrangements with M'D..... in the past. I agree with the private dining area in Murano for a special dinner. We frequently cruise for birthday or anniversary and always get the traditional chocolate cake, which is to die for if you are a chocolate lover.

 

Congratulations and Happy Cruising.

Thanks for the help.

I know several times I have read how our Super CCers have emailed and gotten assistance.

Interesting that other cruise lines have a mechanism for this---

Had already spoken with the Capt'ns club rep weeks ago and they were no help and knew less than I did about something.

We all know that it all depends on who gets the call as to the level of knowledge etc

Remember, Celebrity only last spring (2014) started even allowing its SUITE guests to have pre-departure contact. Before that, not even suites could get any advanced loving.

Isn't that a disappointment

Thanks for the replies.

I know I have seen people discussing having emailed the CD/Maitre D prior to sailing which was why I asked.

another cruise line has someone who arranges these things for passengers on many of the ships. It's part of the job...so that things are in place before sail away.

anyone know the email format if I was to reach out to a CD?

Any idea on which nights are formal nights?

All of the events are legit....just trying to spread out the fun....and plan dinner for the anniversary etc

Our group is celebrating

a wedding anniversary

a University graduation and

a Birthday

during a 14 night cruise on

the Eclipse.

Have read many times where brilliant experienced folks are able to reach out to the CD/Maitre D with respect to adv planning.

I do not know which nights are the 3 formal nights and also need to make some arrangements. When my TA called X...that person on the phone said they had no idea how to reach the CD/Maitre D--which sounds like...baloney.

Would love some advice / likes or email...and if you have such--I will post an email here so you can respond. (this site doesn't have intra-member messaging does it??)

Thanks in advance. I know that the members her at CC are the best for correct info.

Cheers

We fly RT from LHR and our return to the US doesn't depart til 3pm....

Ideas for what to do between debarkation at 8/9am and 3pm besides hanging out in LHR.

Has anyone used the time in Salisbury/Stonehenge?

I hope we get ours refunded as well..For one cabin its close to $75 in taxes/fees, and the other was about $60.

Our TA contacted X and a request has gone in to have it refunded to us. We'd be fine with more OBC.

Our TA contract with X requires X to refund prices drops tot he client Fingers crossed.

We had a great time on the Sunshine

My Time Dining--you get in line-pick up a pager and then they page you when a table is ready (peak times)

Otherwise you go by the table--they had you a number and you go straight to MDR for your table.

Easy peasy

Goood to know

On the plans it looks like the stairwells are public - not staff - yet I wasn't sure because its not near an elevator...

A staff door might be slammed..

whereas a public stairwell will be used at all hours

From an OV to an AFT balcony--absolutely!

Thanks ncovert

We do carry on only.

 

We are not backpackers. We don't stay in hostels.

 

We are in our early 60's. We have done a great deal of business and personal travel-in many parts of the world.

 

We stay at five star hotels, we stay at family owned pensions. We look for value.

 

We have been on many cruises-Celebrity, Hal, Crystal, Princess, NCL, Carnival...Med, Aus/NZ, Carib, TA, etc

 

Now that we are retired we typically spend 5 months a year travelling. This year it was a two month trip to Europe and a three month trip to Asia and Australia.

 

So, perhaps we are not 'regular' people. But we still do carry on only.

 

Don't worry if you see us on a Celebrity cruise (our favourite cruise line at the moment). Our clothes will be clean, we will be well groomed, and we will smell nice. But we won't be wrestling with an oversize suitcase that we can hardly lift. One that we have filled to the absolute weight limit set by the airline because that is the max that we can bring!

THANKYOU!:D That is/will be us as well. Cheers!

Has anyone had a noise issue with the cabins that wrap the stairwells...

We are looking at cabins on the Sunshine and I wonder if we will hear noise from that stairwell space into the cabin

I have found that many "packing light" sites/blogs etc. are geared towards backpackers who are staying in hostels etc, so much of the info isn't relevant for "regular" folks who will be staying in hotels and going on cruises. The backpackers/hostel folks often need things like a sleep sack or sleeping bag liner type thing, a towel, eating utensils etc. By the time they pack all that, they barely have room to take any clothes at all. I watched a video on You Tube once where a girl packed 2 shorts, 2 shirts, a sundress a pair of flip flops and some sneakers and that was it, LOL. Thankfully most of us don't need to pack quite that light for a few weeks in Europe or wherever! ;)

hahahaha right. don't need a sleep sac for a cruise ship...

Don't need 14 pr of underwear or 14 bras etc either! With a fresh mani/pedi/facial/wax/etc then tinted moisturizer with sunblock goes a long way with a tube of mascara and a favorite lipgloss...

...AND if it's vacation with a special someone, nighties are optional ;)

It is not that hard to pack with carry on only, but you have to change your frame of mind from thinking you NEED many of the things you might normally pack. I have not done a 14 day cruise, but did take a 10 day land-based trip to Italy with only a carry on size suitcase (I checked it, but it was carry on size) and a tote bag. Granted, a Baltic cruise will likely be a little chillier than Tuscany so you might need another layer, but should still be very doable.

 

My tips:

 

• Yes, things need to do double duty. Wear a shirt by itself on a warmer day, that can be layered underneath something else on a chillier day, take a jacket that is water resistant so it can serve as both a warmer layer AND a raincoat if you need one, etc.
  
• Unless you sweat heavily, whatever clothing you wear can likely be worn at least another day. Pants can usually be worn several days before needing to be laundered, especially jeans. Obviously, darker colors will be better at hiding dirt, so skip the white t-shirts.
  
• Plan everything around 1 or 2 neutral colors and make sure everything mixes and matches. I took a pair of black capris and a pair of khaki capris and 4 or 5 tops that worked with either, for example. I wore one pair of comfy, cushioned sandals the entire week. I had taken another pair of flats and they never came out of the suitcase. The sandals went with both pants, as well as the one dress and one pair of shorts that I took. Granted, we were staying in a private villa most of the time and eating dinner in, but had I been on a ship, the 2nd pair of shoes would have gone with everything and could easily have been used for dressing a little nicer in the evenings.
  
• Skip formal night. Just go to a specialty restaurant or the buffet on those nights so that you can get by with normal casual or smart casual clothing.
  
• Shoes- As with clothes that mix and match, take shoes that go with everything. I'd take one pair of comfortable walking shoes (whatever style that might be for you) and one pair of comfortable but dressier sandals (with or without a heel, or dressy flats, or whatever) to wear in the evenings.
  
• Wrinkle-free jersey knit fabrics are great. A black jersey knit skirt or pants can be worn with a couple of different tops night after night and no one will know or care that you're wearing the same bottoms.
  
• Use the ship's laundry service.
  
• Toiletries- this is the one many ladies can't swing, but you need to just decide what your priorities are. If your priority is taking a carry on only, then be ruthless in deciding what toiletries you think you "need." Maybe at home you have one moisturizer for daytime, a different one for nighttime, a separate eye cream etc. For a 14 day cruise, there's no reason you can't just pack one moisturizer and make do for 2 weeks without separate night creams, eye creams etc. Pick ONE shade of each make up item instead of thinking you need multiple lipsticks, eyeshadows etc. Skip the perfume. Don't worry about your hair being all fancy; wear a simply style and forget the curlers and whatnot, and so forth.
  
• Forget about packing a bunch of "just in case" items. You are going to be in a civilized part of the world where you can likely buy anything you might suddenly need. I have bought allergy medicine in Mexico, medi-tape (for blisters) in Nassau, a car charger plug (for a cellphone) in Florence, Italy, etc.
  

Great advice.

I am up for it--DH and DS19 are reticent..and DS22 is flexible

One site I like is Travel Light...

and another .. the savvy backpacker has great advice even though we are not backpacking.:cool:

It depends how and for how long you travel.

 

Our trips usually last anywhere for 6 weeks to 12 weeks. We seldom take a cruise without combining it with a land vacation. Last winter we were travelling for three months. We include 2 cruises-a 14 day and a 17 day. Plus lots of travels by air, ferry, car etc.

 

So we find it much easier to travel with a carry on size roller. Twice during our travels over the past year we have been able to skate around airline connections issues simply because our luggage was with us. We were able to catch another connection instead of waiting 4 hours or until the next morning because our connection would be missed by the time our luggage was offloaded from the prior, late flight.

 

When we are on trains and small ferrys we restrict ourselves to carry on simply because we can handle it easily. We can lift it to the overhead bin or we can carry it across several boats and down a small ladder as we had to do this winter in Thailand.

 

Going from home to ship to home is very different. Many people travel as we do and we can well understand why they do not want to, or cannot, take everything that they own with them. It really is a function of how you travel, where you travel, and you physical ability/willingness to handle your own bags comfortably.

Thanks for the input.

We have lite bags--I bought them from Fly-lite.

They can be accomodated in the smallest overhead bins of planes like Ryan Air

They are not the hard side heavy oversized "carry on" roller bags I see so many struggle with...

Can you tell me which bags you are using...

As newly empty nesters we expect our travel options to pick up and there are many wonderful places to see and things to do. We have lived overseas several times and have learned to adapt to what we find in the pharmacies/markets etc.

So advice on which bags fit the bill for this trip and beyond would be great:D

late to the party--however..

I know for a fact that a "service animal" tag is easily had from online sources..

My late father wanted to take his pet places---

:mad:Just royally ticked me off because 1- it wasn't a service dog, 2- dog wasn't trained, 3- first and foremost --service dogs are for those with real needs.

There need to be strict guidelines and MD prescribing letters or something to allow those in need to have their service animal and those like my late father stopped.