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ILgirl

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Everything posted by ILgirl

  1. I am Elite on Celebrity traveling solo. Have always done AI and grab a single on E class when available which I enjoy very much. Due to being priced out, I recently sailed Princess twice and NCL on a transatlantic with another transatlantic on NCL coming up in April. Would I prefer Celebrity? Yes. Did I enjoy Princess and NCL? I sure did. A previous poster referenced the TA in November on Silhouette from Barcelona. Twelve nights in an inside with gratuities but no bev package or wi fi is $1,600. Only four ports and 12 days. NCL for 13 nights transatlantic from Barcelona in a single (not studio but a single) is $1,900. This includes 8 ports, wi fi, bev package, gratuities and 3 specialty dinners. Also, the first $50 of each shore excursion. I’m really sorry to leave Celebrity but it is becoming a no brainer!
  2. Thanks, Charla! I hope you and Jeremy have a blast! One of these days we will meet….just maybe not on Celebrity!😀
  3. Hi Charla!!! As you know, ANY reason is a good reason to cruise… even spite!😀. I think I might take the Hawaii cruise and treat it as my “swan song” to Celebrity! This is crazy, but I was thinking about you this morning. I am on the Ascent on 1/28, booked a year ago when life for solo travelers on Celebrity was still good. I thought, maybe, just maybe 🤞 Charla will be aboard to check out the new Ascent. I just found your wrap up post on the Beyond so I know that won’t be the case. Hoping that when you do select your next adventure that you let all of us know where we can follow along. I’m sorry for your loss. Good luck in getting through a busy January at work AND dry January as well. You are a stronger woman than me!😀. I will toast you on 1/28…maybe more than once!!
  4. I booked a solo IV ( which I have sailed in several times and enjoy very much) on the Edge 13 night Hawaii sailing in September. I booked it well over a year ago at a price of $3,100 with AI. The booking also includes $550 OBC. The two days in Maui have been scratched and replaced with sea days. Pre cruise and post cruise stays in Vancouver and Honolulu are also pricey so I was considering cancelling. For the heck of it I looked up the current pricing for the solo IV. It is $10,100! Now I think I might go because I don’t want to give Celebrity the opportunity to resell my cabin and make $7,000 more, ha ha!
  5. I am booked on www.Kuralu.com for my January 2024 Ascent cruise. Good reviews on TripAdvisor.
  6. Happy cruising, GP!!! I’ll be boarding the Beyond tomorrow. I won't hold a grudge cause you took our berth, ha ha! Happy Anniversary too!
  7. I did a TA in April and lost an hour for five nights. I invested in a $10 travel alarm from Amazon. Each night before bed I set it to the new time for the next day. I always knew that one was correct if I woke up during the night as my phone didn’t keep up with the changes.
  8. It was listed in the program changes when Celebrity was about to roll it out. Happy you got a good deal!
  9. I also travel solo. I haven’t booked anything since the program change but Celebrity touted that under the new program (the one EX gratuities) that solos would no longer be charged double for the beverage package. Again, I haven’t tested it but I was told by a Celebrity rep that it is still usually cheaper to book AI as it is commonly discounted 40 percent. This, no doubt, doesn’t account for sale prices. I have noticed that the AI charge seems to vary by cruise so you always have to do the math,
  10. I am on the same Ascent cruise as the OP. I am sailing in a solo IV which I have done many times before. I enjoy being mid ship on deck six but have to admit a little extra storage space would be nice. The size of the cabin itself is fine. I received the move up offer yesterday. A concierge IV for $100 which for single occupancy would be $200. This is the lowest I have ever seen. I’m tempted but will probably decline as I am worried about the assigned location of the new cabin.
  11. Thx for this review! I always enjoy reading your posts/reviews. I upgraded my beverage package to premium earlier today for both my November Beyond and January Ascent sailings. World ClassBar here I come!
  12. Solo balcony on NCL Epic TA leaving Port Canaveral on 4/7/24, 12 nights, arriving in Rome on 4/19. Including Free at Sea for $1,886. Only two ports but I love the sea days so I’m happy!
  13. Hi Charla!! I am BEYOND excited for your review!! I returned from the airport this morning after dropping off my very talkative friend who had been here for a week. In the blessed quiet of my house I thought, hey, Charla and Jeremy have to have started their adventure by now. Yay!! I just booked a transatlantic on another line (Celebrity is pricing me out as I am a solo traveler) for April that ends in Rome. I hope to spend three or four days post cruise so am excited to experience the land portion of your journey as well. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to bring us all on your journey. Hope you guys have a blast!!
  14. I am on a Celebrity cruise in January, 2024 that visits Tortola, Some of their cruises offer Jost/Soggy Dollar as an excursion and others do not. Mine did not so I went in search of an option. I signed up with Kuralu.com. I am a solo traveler and the price is $152 all in. Some snorkeling, an open bar and of course, Soggy Dollar. It reads great on the website and they were very responsive to my inquiry. It is always nice to have options!
  15. I am on the second Beyond cruise after the TA sailing on 11/22. I checked in at 11:00 am today and the earliest time shown was 12: 00 to 12:30. Perhaps I missed the earlier time? The Ascent also sails that day so I am wondering about our berth. Does anyone know? Thx!
  16. Hey Jim, I don’t know if you guys are football fans but today at 3:25 CST is the Chicago Bears Green Bay Packers game. It is one of the classic and oldest rivalries in the NFL. If you fancy a cold one I’m sure you will find a fun and enthusiastic crowd watching the game in one of the local establishments! Hope you have a terrific trip!
  17. I sail mostly solo and have 4 booked with Celebrity on E Class solo IV cabins in the next 12 months. With the four MDRs I think I will avoid “mashed potato gate” so I’m not concerned about the food. I always book AI and I am being priced out for future cruises. Even before all of the negativity on these boards I took an NCL transatlantic which was always on my bucket list but unaffordable on Celebrity. It was different but thoroughly enjoyable. Sailing Princess next week after a 10 year hiatus. I am open to any line and am excited to try something different.
  18. I think it comes down to ambience of each. I like to sit in a different one each night so I feel like I am dining in a different restaurant each night. You can get the specials for each restaurant in any of the restaurants. There may be subtle differences. For example, in Cyprus there is olive oil on each table to dip the bread in which I enjoy. I’m sure you can probably get it in others if you request as well. The 4 MDR concept is one reason I enjoy E class vessels so much.
  19. A Celebrity thread outlined all of the changes coming in October, most all negative. As I am a solo traveler as well, one positive is that a booking made after the October change date as a solo, AI is no longer double charged. Yay!
  20. As a solo traveler I am excited to see the change to not charge a single traveler double for AI! I usually book the single IV on E class ships to avoid the double AI charge. I do enjoy these cabins but the unobstructed single IVs are difficult to come by. The storage space is minimal as well. Again, not a deal breaker but now I have options. I did enjoy a panoramic OV on E class once and now have that option as well as all cabin types without getting gigged double for the AI. A welcome change for me!
  21. Go for it! I have been on 8 solo cruises since my husband passed. When Dave was living he said “I like my own company! “ Oh we loved being together and I still miss him every day but I have adopted his attitude. I do like my own company! I am not one to join groups and/ or want to sit with others at dinner. I like doing my own thing. This being said, most people are very approachable while playing trivia, dropping some quarters in the slot machines, or sitting and enjoying a beverage listening to music. I have made several acquaintances to see and greet around the ship without having to commit to doing things or meeting them for dinners, etc. I bring books, load up my IPad with Netflix and sit in a public area in side or out, enjoy a cocktail and watch the world go by. Also, it pays to shop around. Many times the solo cabins on various lines end up being pricier than a higher class cabin, even if you are solo. Good luck and happy cruising!
  22. On a positive note, I am looking at this as a bit of an adventure, i.e. a time to try something new. My late husband and I sailed six straight Princess cruises and the switched to Celebrity. I have been on 8 Celebrity since his passing and have 4 more booked. I took an NCL transatlantic solo in June because a T A was on my bucket list. I had a great time. I don’t understand the poor beverage comment on NCL above as I am a bourbon drinker and Buffalo Trace is included on the NCL basic package and is premium with Celebrity. Next month I am trying Princess again. There are so many options out there. I am finding it fun to try something new! Life is too short.😀
  23. I traveled solo on a TA on Getaway in June. Balcony guarantee. Received $50 shore excursion credit per port. Granted, there were only three ports but it was per port,
  24. Thanks so much for your great review! While I enjoy and appreciate all reviews on CC, it seems that a majority are posted by members traveling in a suite. I travel solo and I know that will never be me so the pictures of meals in Luminae and talk of what the butler situation is on “Beyond” is beyond me, ha ha! You have a lovely family. So nice to be making these great memories! Thx again for all of the time and effort you put into the review!
  25. I usually sail Celebrity and bottled water is included in the beverage package. I had the bev package on my first NCL in June and it did not include bottled water. I am sailing Princess plus in a few months. Is bottled water included? Thanks.
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