Denny01

@johnnyb18337, Yes, sparkling wine is allowed. den

Some posters like to see confirmation of answers to their questions. So yes, only the X Pass is needed for checkin at the terminal along with passport, and vaccination and test results as required by that itinerary. den

The reason this (and 99% of all threads here) go off topic is most OP questions are answered by the next 2 or 3 responses, followed by repeated confirmations of what the first2 posted. And since most of us are just biding time between cruises with nothing else todo except focus on the next cruise, we just keep posting whatever pops into our sick minds. personally I like the idea of fishnet with garters than my usual dress code suggestions of Speedo and Sandals with black socks. den

You may see touring groups during port calls. Those are local tour guides, travel agents and maybe local officials. But none of ‘us’. My mother once got in the wrong line…the ship next to us. They kindly brought her over to our ship. She was so shook up even when we and ship staff told her there was No Way she would have got on the wrong ship….but didnt keep her from deciding she would Never cruse again. Oh well. Den

Thanks! den

And All tours are going and there are stores open beyond the dockyard. They Are aware of 3K+ potential customers. We wont miss out getting to the Diamonds International that is sooooo selective and hard to find! den

@Realrunner, gratuities aren’t a ‘hidden cost’ especially for someone who has 35+ cruises. Suggest you start a cruise line business and set the ‘example’; see how well it goes with your SR prices include gratuities, taxes, port fees, etc and customers compare your prices to the others that list those separately. The Point that was being discussed 2nd hand to what the OP actually asked is about those that sneak down to remove gratuities……not the existence of gratuities. Den

I’d assume CC restricts sharing TA’s is because CC offers a method of booking cruises, providing other websites when you pick an itinerary, so allowing us to share TA suggestions would go against their business model. They dont allow competitors to be ‘advertised’. What most any business does. Den

For those who want to ‘properly train’ us and not tip, I’ll make one recommendation: Do Not dine at the same restaurant, always go to another. Never Go Back! The staff is well aware of those who pretend they are doing us a favor by modeling what is done back in their Superior country, and will, shall we say, react accordingly. And they share who are those that stiff the staff. …..Just a suggestion And by the way, the question actually asked by the OP has been fully addressed, and using Any thread that even infers ‘tips/gratuities/service’ to lecture ‘us’ has been, shall we say, done a few times, and usually by the same posters. and yes, Ive posted the same thing in response to such. den

That’s why I didn’t respond. Sorry. den

Yup, and the $50 for dinner was a mistype…meant $50 ‘for a few dinners’. den

I Had to add a ‘heart’ to that post!! “We can work it out….we can work it out!”…..a song in my heart! Let’s see….$50 for dinner, OK…..$10 for the wine, got it…….$3,000 for a cruise……………aaaahh. Let’s just keep this post-tonic! Thankfully, a Certain Person doesn’t come on this forum! Den

By the way, Carnival and Norwegian had already raised their’s a few months ago…..so RCL is following them and I guess Celebrity will follow them and Viking will follow them, and…… den

I’ve heard of shipboard romances, but is this the blooming of a CruiseCritic Romance?!? I would say I’m listening to @zitsky also…..but I couldn’t afford getting ‘involved’! Den

Ive posted this on another thread: Id recommend a local professional TA who has a brick and motar building which infers they have background and are professionals. OBC is good, but not the main or even secondary reason I go with one. I go because they can help well beyond just that booking. I almost always know my specific cruise, but the TA can assist in hotels, airlines, and especially when issues come up. And they make sure I fully understand what the booking includes And doesnt include. Examples: - coming back from an Ireland tour and the NYC airport was about to be socked in with snow. I had no idea since airborne over the Atlantic. When I got in, the TA had booked me on an earlier flight that got out before it hit. - Just recently, I canceled a Celebrity cruise I’d booked onboard earlier. She got them Not to charge me the normal $100 for cancelation, And got them to move the OBC you get booking onboard over to the new cruise. I would make sure the TA doesnt charge you if you cancel; some do. den

The current MarineTraffic App shows the ship is suppose to be in Memphis today, but hasn’t been updated for days. Current position is well south of Memphis and is dated 20 Aug. Hope another site is better. By the way, I started a thread after Viking informed me 10 days prior to our 6 Aug Viking Mississippi cruise from New Orleans to St Paul was canceled. My view was Viking should have known their ship wouldn’t be ready more than 10 days out. I got more than a few posts explaining that it wasnt Viking”s ‘fault’ because they don’t own it, and that Viking was just a glorified Booking Agent. Got it. Turns out Viking canceled the next itinerary a week or so prior to it, and yesterday canceled a cruise 4 days prior to the 27 Aug cruise. Along with this, they are informing some passengers on the 3 Sept cruise that they are being canceled because their SR wont be ready, and is still under construction. A management company, which I thought Viking was, should work with the company who ‘owns’ this ship and set a date when it will Actually be ready, ship construction and staff training, which was also mentioned as an issue. But what the heck, having it canceled just a few day prior I guess is no big deal, but the big one I’d really be upset over is paying full price for a cruise and having construction personnel on board working on SRs….nice…..well nice for Viking to be making money while the ship is still being completed. One thing that has upset a few (not me, not going Mississippi again) is Viking offered them the classic 110% voucher……the 2023 Mississippi cruises are more than 110% of this year’s cost…..you pay more than the voucher. Classy Ive enjoyed my Euro Viking cruises and will do another, Bordeaux!, with my vouchers….but this is it. And I know Viking will go under when I quit cruising with them!!! den

No reason for anyone to try to change your mind. Both ships are great and so are the itineraries. You are facing what each of us do in picking and choosing….and you can try the E-Class later or whatever. Each Celebrity Class ships have a unique desirability for us. Love all. Enjoy! den

Nope. But Im sure someone who looks for excuses to rip off the staff will come up with some made-up story of how it doesnt go to the staff……because they saw it on the internet!! den

So you ignore any customs of a society/country/whatever because ‘That’s Not What You Do’ wherever you live? Do you refuse to take off your shoes in Japan, China, Morocco because you dont do that ‘back home’? Do you refuse to use your right hand in many Islamic countries because thats not an issue ‘back home’? Do you insist wearing your shorts or a woman refuses to wear a head covering in a church/mosque because you dont do that ‘back home’? Just a few obvious most all follow, just as 99% of Brit’s do, who are probably the most traveled population in the world and are Well Aware of how things are done outside the UK….unless of course it has to do with money, then a few use that as their excuse to rip off the staff…..got it. And this isn’t a UK citizen issue. I know more than a few US citizens who come up with all kinds of excuses to rip off the staff in many venues. den

I know my post(s) sound as if I do It Right…but we all step into those situations. I once booked with what I thought was the actual river cruise line and when I canceled, it turned out it was a very closely named booking site that charged me the whole deposit to cancel. Had to go with insurance then with my chargecard and so on. A real hassle. That’s why I also stay away from websites unless it a major one, and even then…..booked a hotel via a major on line site and when I got there, they moved me to a ‘similar’ hotel that happened to Not be close by at all. When I complained, the hotel told me to ‘check with who I booked with’….in other words, you didnt book with us and You are not really our customer and are lower priority. I now find a hotel I like, and when possible, book directly unless the costs are much higher, which doesnt happen that much. den

Funny how people think it’s important to follow ‘local customs’ until it costs them a few bucks! den

Ahhh yes, judging and Not judging! Personally, I Never Judge….well except when I’m driving along very nicely and come up on some guy in the left lane barely going the speed limit. I pass them and glare (internally of course just in case they are armed!) and think, “that old geezer needs to get off the road!”…then shortly I’m driving along very nicely and some guy goes shooting by me and I think, “that guy is an idiot speed-demon!” So except for those cases, and maybe a few 100 others, I Never Judge anyone….well, unless I’m in the MDR and I see some guy who is dressed less well than I am and I scoff at that Slob. Then see a guy wearing a much nicer outfit than I am and I scoff at that Show Off. Den

Changing a cruise, whether its to a cruise 1 day difference or a year difference doesn’t matter, its a change and you end up losing the $100 from a non-refundable deposit. What caught me was the additional cost the TA is charging the OP to cancel and make the change. Wow. Ive used my TA for years and Never was charged for a flat out cancelation or moving over to another cruise….ouch. Id reconsider that TA. And I dont mean to rub it in to the poor OP, but My TA just handled a cancelation of a cruise I had set up in 2023 and booked one in 2024….and they not only didn’t charge me for their effort, they got Celebrity to not take the $100 each from the deposit for the rebook And got them to keep my OBC I’d got for booking the original cruise while onboard an earlier cruise. Nice. den

Best guess it the service will be the same or a bit of a cut above ‘normal’ Celebrity service, which in my view is outstanding. Although a ‘new crew’, in many cases, cruise lines move experienced staff over to new ships in a high percentage. But staffing, as we see in so many local venues can be less than what is set for a while, but I would expect Celebrity will have excellent service on their newest ship, as they’ve done in the past (been on a few ‘new ships’) and experienced just recently on Celebrity cruises. Den

I’ve been on a few Celebrity cruises and somehow came off the cruise with a ‘few pennies’ left. That is part of our personal decision-making of what we pay out for. If someone decides a few bucks increase in gratuities is somehow not legit, dont book, cancel, whatever. I got called out for making a joke about the complaints about candy bar prices, so i Won’t crack a joke here. If X decides to increase gratuities, or specialty dining, or SRs or tours or candy bars or whatever…..make your call….and take a look at all the other costs that have risen in the vacation business, and everywhere else. Den