ptrpanpens

An inside cabin? They would have to pay ME to book one of those. Having a closed-in box with no natural light for a room is not my idea of a vacation. I put too high a value on my total vacation experience to be cooped up in one of those. Ugh! :p

Current prices Celebrity constellation 11 day Holy Land cruise October 2014

Veranda $999 pp

Concierge 1,099 pp

Aqua 1,199 pp

Suite $1,649 pp

So you dont need to be cooped up to get a great deal. Where else can you find an 11 day european cruise on a ship like Celebrity's for those prices, esp the suite? Nowhere..thats where.:D:D

Oatmeal cookies at the buffet. :D

Sailing on Connie in October. My first cruise on M class, although I have sailed on Century and loved it, so I am sure I will like the Constellation.

Does anyone have any opinion as to whether it is better to book concierge cabins on deck 7,8, or 9? I am in a guarantee and just wanted to know if there are any concierge cabins to definitely stay away from.

Thanks for any insight.

Try Camper shoes. great spainish brand found all over Europe and in the US. Very stylish and I wore mine everywhere all over Europe, on cobblestones, climbing, etc. Most comfortable shoes ever. Expensive but definitely worth it IMO.

Azamara has an itinerary with Charleston.

RCCL has a fantastic repo cruise next October 2015, Quebec to FLL, 14 nights.

Visits to Canada, New England, and Charleston.

Snowbird migration cruise on Serenade of the Seas.

I also loved the West Coast cruise on Centruy last year but now she is being sold.:(

We book standard verandas and we book concierge category also. For us it depends on price difference. WE book CC cat if the price/day/person is around $10. I will go a little higher, but not much. It is a VALUE proposition. Some like the flowers, canapés, etc. Some like the extra points for Captain's Club status.

 

I do not stay in my cabin for anything other than sleeping/changing and waiting on DW. The balconies are no different unless you get an aft CC cabin on an M class ship. Also, M class ships have larger CC cabins than the standard cabin. Not sure there is any difference on S class ships. Even if there is, it is not a huge difference, IMHO. For sure it is not worth $140 plus. I would rather donate that to the cruise line in the casino.

 

We have sailed mostly in CC, but our last cruise was in a standard veranda and had a great 2 week cruise on Constellation!

Could you elaborate on the balcony sizes for concierge class cabins on M ships. When you say aft, I assume you mean along the back of the ship. But from the diagrams, it appears that some of the C3 balconies starboard side aft look larger than the port side balconies. Can anyone say whether this is true? I have a CC guarantee on Connie and was curious. It has not been assigned yet but there are alot of cabins available.

Just now I logged on to Celebrity and they have reduced suite guarantees again on the Constellation Holy Land cruise to $1,689 pp.

Pretty soon they may be paying people to take the cruise!

Doing the Reflection T/A again this fall, got THAT one for $649pp w/$350 OBC.

 

 

 

 

The prices/perks I quoted are NOT from the "exciting deals" list. And yes, they ARE for new bookings only, AND only for an inside cabin. ;)

 

You can usually find incredible rates AND added perks on one (or more) of the many online sites (that can't be mentioned here) specializing in last minute cruise deals on a 90 day ticker.

 

You can combine the small OBC amounts THEY offer, ($25-$200) with the RCCL shareholder OBC of $200-$250. If you can live with an inside cabin, and booking less than 60 days out, you can cruise Celebrity for $30-$40/night. :eek:

 

One way flight through Choice Air (on Delta) to Istanbul is only $444 from Atlanta or Miami, and only $509 from MSP!

 

The rates, the OBC, the Elite perks, and the Choice Air fares, all make transatlantic cruising absolutely DIRT cheap. :cool:

I just checked and one way LAX to Istanbul for the Constellation cruise is as low as $368 on Delta, Open jaw to Istanbul and back from Rome about $909, if you want to go for low fare only. On a RT I usually am willing to pay a little more to book direct through the airline, but for OW transatlantics, choice air cannot be beaten for huge price differences compared to the OW airline fares.

And it is correct, you have to do your homework. I started out with a single occupancy OV for $3,800 with 123 on the cruise, downgraded to an inside for $1,918 with no 123, and upgraded back to a $2,198 concierge without 123 but with OBC from the TA. Also, my insurance cost went down about $150 for booking the lower price. Prices are for illustration only.

I could have had a veranda for only $1,998 but chose to pay $200 more for a concierge, which are larger on M class ships. My goal is not always the cheapest price, but the best deal for a cabin I want. And I think $2,198 for concierge (single occupancy) is a great deal so am a happy camper.:D i have been checking this cruise many times a day for price drops so glad it finally paid off and now I can relax and get a life!

There were over 230 cabins available on this cruise before todays deals, so no wonder they finally had to lower prices. Good timing, too since the Israelis and Hamas just agreed to a cease fire, so perhaps things are looking up.

TAs are prices are way higher this , they are up so much I could not book it :(

 

So I am on a holy land cruise for a very very very good price , with much better ports then a TA

;-)

Yes 2014 TA prices a little higher this year but there still may be deals closer to sailing. However, like you I am very happy with what I ended up paying for the Constellation Holy Land cruise wherever it ends up going.:D

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Exciting_Deals/XcitingDeals_cel_tues.pdf

Prices on Holy Land cruise are lower than this. Check directly with Celebrity web site.

$599 pp inside

$799 pp OV

$999 pp veranda

$1,099 pp concierge

$1,199 pp aqua

$2,049 pp suite

All are for guarantees. I was able to upgrade from inside to concierge for $280 total (single occupancy) after final payment with no cancellation penalty. I didn't have 123 but if you do, you will lose it. For me, it was a no brainer, but each person has to evaluate for themselves.

I booked the cruise more for istanbul than Israel, and though I will be disappointed if we do not reach Israel, the other ports are still excellent. Especially for 1,099 pp concierge.:D

Celebrity is taking longer to release the last one of my 3 bookings to my travel agency (which offers an attractive OBC). I have one more day to go before my final payment is due & I have sent an urgent email with a request to expedite with no response yet .. any idea of how I can get this expedited in case my email request does not work ? (phone number/supervisor.etc ... ) - Thanks !!

As long as you have proof of when the request was sent and it was within the required period, you will be OK. You can pay Celebrity if they still have your reservation when final payment is due and it will still be transferred paid in full.

I had a problem like this and called Captains Club. they were able to check to make sure the transfer deck had received my request, although I also had proof of when the fax was sent. As long as you have that, it will go through. Your TA should also be tracking it.

I have frequently gotten some real bargains through choice air within 60 days or before of sailing date.

Like FCO to JFK OW on Lufthansa Business class for $830 last year!:D

But don't cut it too close on certain routes or prices may start increasing.

Not that crazy about martinis, but LOVE the Martini Bar.

Great bartenders who put on quite a show and a fun vibe.:D

Who says cruise tours are not good value for money? Prior to our Adriatic cruise out of Venice this September and for $200 pp less than the price of just booking a verandah stateroom, we get 2 nights ( 4 stars ) on Lake Como, an extra night in Venice, all breakfasts, a dinner, transfers and best of all our luggage looked after. So that's 14 nights for less than the price of 11 with all of the above. And no, I don't mind a cruise tour with 50 others as I will be travelling with 2,000 + when I board ship.

Are you saying that booking a cruise plus three night cruise tour was cheaper than booking just the cruise alone (both with the same veranda category cabin)?

If so, then yes, you did get a great deal.

BTW, if your cruise goes to Ravenna, be sure to not miss the spectacular mind blowing mosaics there in the eight world heritage sights.

I understand that, but as I've stated - the rate is the same as when I booked and I am not trying to be rude, but you weren't on the phone with the rep. I specifically asked if I could add the OBC and the rep did not say "let me see if I can add it." If he would have said that and then said "I'm sorry, the only way to add the OBC is to cancel and re-book" I would agree that he understood. However, he never said that. He was under the impression that I wanted to cancel and rebook with the new promotion. Honestly, it's only $50 so it's not a HUGE deal, I just thought it would be nice to use for either a specialty meal, or to help pay for a beverage package upgrade or a shore excursion. I know that many people have had many different answers when they call different reps at Celebrity, which is why I said I might call back later tomorrow and see if I get a different answer.

I think the earlier suggestion to call Captains Club is a good one. I have always gotten the best service with them and they usually know all the answers and can get things done. I stay away from the reps unless I have used them before, since alot of them do not know that much and give wrong information.

Good luck

I just returned from the Baltics and had two wonderful massages. I didn't pay any more than in in past.

 

I was badly in need of a manicure. So I told the manicurist that no way would I pay over $70 for one (I read that here on Cruise Critic). She asked who told me that! I was charged the same $42 as in the past.

 

Difference is now the tip is 18%.

 

As someone said' date=' they are not allowed to push products.[/quote']

 

I do not know about massage or manicure prices. However, last November I had my hair blown dry on Silhouette. Base price before service charge was $40. In April I had my hair blown dry on Reflection. Base price before service charge was $60. My hair is medium length and very thick and I was told that longer hair was additional. I believe the service charge on Silhouette before Canyon Ranch was 15% so now it is a little more.

 

It is possible that the hair prices have come down since there were so many complaints about the large increase, however I wont know until my next cruise in October, assuming I decide to have my hair done.

 

As far as pushing products, both companies "recommended" products but neither was aggressive about it and stopped after I said I wasn't interested.

Of course,the spa is a choice and we all have the ability to make it.

I was NOT happy with the $72 they charged, including 18% service charge to wash and blow dry my hair. About 50% increase from the prior company and the final result, while it looked nice, wasn't any different.

Guess I will just have to bite the bullet and do it myself on future cruises.:mad:

OBC from travel agent is refundable automatically. Celebrity OBC can be used to purchase cash in the casino for a 5% fee. Much better than losing it.

Read the actual legal words in the Terms and Conditions, not the weasel marketing words in the promotional text. And even then, the marketing words have a ton of wiggle room built into them.

 

As for having people post about being burned....thought question: How many people will voluntarily admit that they ignored information about cruiseline air and bought because it was the cheapest? That price overwhelmed all else and that "I never thought it would happen to me".

As I said, I am aware of the risks and definitely take them into consideration. I know that any contract has all kinds of wiggle words and take nothing for granted. Whether the risk is worth the reward is what I consider before acting. Sometimes no amount of savings is worth the risk, sometimes it is, IMO of course. Everyone needs to make their own assessment before they decide and act with their eyes open.

As far as people posting whether they have been burned, well, that happens all the time in forums, whether or not they are ashamed to admit it. I have done it myself to save others from being burned in the same way.

As long as you understand that just because the flight is the same, the ticket you bought may NOT be the same as what the airline would have sold you. See Greatam's reply below.

I understand and have read the threads on this problem. I only use choice air for one way TA flights to or from Europe, not for RT or multi destinations to europe, and not for domestic flights. Also, I always fly in several days before the cruise, and make sure the connection is more than enough time just in case. If the difference is only a couple of hundred dollars, I always book through the airlines if I can for this reason. However, often the difference between one way fare of the airlines and one way choice air is up to 6 times as much, so the savings can easily be over $2,000. I figure it is worth taking the chance for that amount. Choice air has some guarantee that they will work it out for you if the flight is delayed but I cannot say first hand if is is true or not.

I have not been burned yet by choice air in many trips however, I try to minimize the risk and always have a back up plan. I know this has been often discussed but it would be interesting if people could post of their experiences with getting burned by booking choice air, or vv(good experience with choice air coming though for them).

for my flight from sna (orange county) to fco (rome) for the sil on Nov 1 2014

 

transatlantic....Choice by computer and phone is quoting about $3000.00

 

PER HEAD! coach class....guess extra for bathroom priveleges....

 

am I nuts?????

 

must be a my computer has an error

I priced out LAX to FCO on october 30, just as an example as you will probably fly in early? Price on choice air starts at 567.00, goes to $650 or so depending on airline. I don't know if your problem is flying out of SNA but it would be cheaper to fly from LAX and probably much better connections. Maybe choice air does not have contracts from SNA so that is why it was so expensive.

I would even stay overnight the night before at LAX and go from there. 3,000 versus 567? A no brainer. You would think choice air would know about the Lax fare being cheaper but I guess you cant depend on them to tell you.

Please post here after you get it sorted out. Would love to know why sna is so expensive.

Hi everyone. I'm the Cruise Critic editor who wrote the review above. It's pretty comprehensive, I think, but if you have additional questions, ask away!

I met Angelo a couple years ago when we ate at his restaurant in Manhattan. He was so nice and sat with us for awhile and personally suggested our menu, plus gave us a free cocktail. What a great guy! The food was amazing too, very interesting Asian flavors. I would definitely pick his class if I only had one choice.

I am sure if he were doing the European cruise that I would have taken it.

Yes..choice air often has found some otherwise not easy to find excellent combinations. However, their search engine does have a few flaws. So does the Google engine. All I wish to point out is that the mathematical science of choosing the Best flight combinations is not always as clear cut as some would have us believe. If the research challenges the capacity or resources of finding the best choice, which can sometimes be improved on with a later choice, then one accepts less than perfection with an acceptable cost.

 

One limitation today was choice air did not consider Icelandic air that had an under $900 fare one way compared to a $2500 fare. For budgeteers, that's a find!

 

They should buy my own optimization engine.

I am flying LAX to Istanbul in October for under $400 one way on KLM/delta through choice air. Return fare from FCO on AA is a little over $500. Most one way fares I have found to europe on choice air from Los Angeles are in the $500-600 range. So not sure where the $2,500 fare comes from but my fares have always been much lower than the $900 icelandic fare you mentioned.

I guess it depends on when and where you fly but $900 economy one way for one person seems high to me compared to choice air fares I usually see on American, BA, KLM, Delta and United. Last year I even got a OW business class fare on Lufthansa from FCO to JFK for $830 on choice air. A fantastic deal. This year, there are premium economy fares one way from FCO to LAX for a little under $900.

In my experience, choice air always has the lowest one way fares to europe on as long as you use their contracted airlines.

Usually better to call them after you have studied the website for more options.

Highly recommend Hotel Barocco at Piazza Barberini. best breakfast and staff anywhere I have ever stayed in all of Europe. Regular rooms are small but immaculate with wonderful linens. And I have always gotten an upgrade when I am there, sometimes to a very large and expensive room. Five minutes walk to Trevi, Pantheon and around the corner from Spanish Steps.

Its not cheap but slightly less than Albergo Senato and one of the top recommended hotels on Trip Advisor.