DaisyFire

Thank you everyone for the advice and the assurance! Feels good to reach this milestone. 

We have an upcoming B2B and the points earned from the first one should push me to Elite status. My question is whether or not this status change will be recognized right away so I can take advantage of it on the second cruise - or if the usual lag in updating points following a cruise will mean we have to wait until another cruise in the future to enjoy Elite benefits? 

Thanks! 

On 2/17/2023 at 3:47 AM, 041473 said:

 In following up with fellow cruisers there is a large percentage that caught Covid on the cruise. ….  
 

What we are noting as missing, unlike pre pandemic cruises, did anyone see crew members disinfecting hand rails, elevators??? Did you experience machines out of hand sanitizer at restaurants?

Just curious how many fellow passengers you followed up with … and were these people you were regularly with on the cruise? If so, that could explain the preponderance of cases you noted. 
 

I was on the 2/5 - 2/12 sailing and I did see ship’s personnel regularly cleaning the handrails and elevators. But also did occasionally experience an empty hand sanitizer … but usually not the same one twice. I believe they refilled them as soon as they became aware they were empty. 
 

And for the purpose of statistics gathering … my sister and I have been home for a week now and have not had any Covid symptoms. Although after some of the crowded venues on the ship I had reconciled myself to likely getting it … but glad I didn’t  😊

44 minutes ago, looking4info said:

Thanks for all the responses. After looking at deck plans and the info here decided on Concierge Class GTY. No buffet crowds on embarkation day a big plus.  Also, it mentions sparkling wine upon request. How do you request it? Again, thanks for all your responses.

Just make sure you do online check-in process as soon as it opens up (about 45 days prior to sailing) since I believe the Concierge lunch only seats until 1pm and if your boarding time is later, you may miss that.  I find myself in that situation now since we procrastinated and the earliest chec-in time we could get is 12:30 - which seems to mean onboard at 1pm.  I hate that I feel like I need to make a mad dash for the dining room!

UPDATE:  I just checked the APP and it says it runs from 12:30 - 2pm.  I am so glad I was mistaken 🙂

Just wondering - is the issue mainly with honoring specific reservations for larger groups, or does this also happen for reservations made in advance for 2 people?  (On my upcoming cruise - I only hope for my timeslot to be honored - we are okay with sharing a table with others - and don't expect a table for two.)

If this gets really bad... is a fixed dining time still available? Or has this been eliminated?

On 1/22/2023 at 1:04 PM, gfkcruiser said:

If you book and later change your mind for whatever reason, can cancel and get refunded.  Note that must cancel prior by 24 or 48 hours (can't recall which it is.)  Also if price goes down and cancel and rebook.

Cancel up to 48 hours in advance.  I just booked an excursion and that was in the booking details. 🙂

8 hours ago, prmssk said:

@cgolf1 I am allergic to dairy and Celebrity is among the best in not only making sure I have safe things to eat but also making sure there is flavor in those dishes. I had a similar experience with Royal recently with their brand new menus but my experience on Princess was pretty bad. Even with pre-ordering in the MDR, food was bland because they would just leave off all the sauces and seasonings and the dairy free dessert I had each night was almost identical the previous nights except a different color. Their buffet had so little variety and were not labeled so I rarely found anything I could eat there. Carnival was the same. My experience in NCL was a bit better but still not up to how Celebrity handles food allergies. 
 

So even with the cuts, my food experience as someone with a dietary restriction is still much better on Celebrity than other lines. 

Hello prmssk!  I would really love to hear more about how you arrange for your diet accommodations on Celebrity.  I have recently (within the last 6 months) discovered that I am lactose intolerant.  So may dishes have dairy in the sauces and accompaniments - if not also an ingredient hidden in the main dish - that I am a bit apprehensive about my next cruise in a couple of weeks. Hoping you have some hints or recommendations that you can share with me.

Thanks!

SRQbeachgirl - thank you so much for taking us on your journey on the Reflection!  My sister and I will be on-board the Reflection in just under 2 weeks and it's great to hear your first, second, and third impressions!  I have sailed Celebrity before, including the Reflection at least once... but this is my sister's first cruise ever and I really want her to have a fabulous time.  

I was getting worried with all the recent discussions on cut-backs - but you are giving me hope that it will still be a very special trip for both of us.

9 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

No.  Unfortunately you only get the perks including points of your original booking.

And I believe this means that if you had included gratuities for the lesser cabin category/room type that you now have to pay the difference between the gratuity amounts yourself.  They are not "included"  - or at least that is how I read the disclaimer on the MoveUp screen when I just checked to see what was available.  While I could upgrade to an Aqua for a min bid of $100 - it seemed to recommend $300... However since I have a larger angled balcony - and I will not the option to vet the room change before it is final (and would have to also pay for the gratuity difference, I chose to stay with my original cabin. 

14 minutes ago, davekathy said:

1. OBCs do not carry over to the second leg. If the OBC is nonrefundable, use it or lose it. Refundable OBC is credited back to you. Ours is always back to our credit card. 

 

2. No you can not split anything between the first leg and the second leg. At the end of your first leg your onboard account is closed and on TAD a new onboard account started. Remember, B2B cruises are two entirely separate cruises. 

 

You will receive a TAD letter in your stateroom a day or two prior to TAD detailing the entire TAD process. 

 

 

Thank you for the prompt response… I suspected as much, but figured it didn’t hurt to ask. 😎

Thanks everyone for the information!
 

DH and I are going on our first B2B in November and I have 2 related but different questions. (Thought I’d try asking here instead of creating a new thread…) 

(1) If I have unused OBC from first leg of B2B - does it roll over to second leg? Question applies to both refundable and non refundable OBC. 
 

(2) Can I purchase a specialty dining pkg on the first cruise and split it between both legs of the B2B? 
 

Thanks for the information! 

Not sure which ship you are on, but I’ve seen Lawn Club Grill accommodate larger parties. I’d head straight there upon embarking to see if/when they can accommodate you.  Reservations for key nights can fill up fast. Good Luck! 
 

On 1/27/2020 at 4:32 PM, Caribbean Chris said:

Celebrity does it, very seamlessly in my experience, and not just close to departure.

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Edit to add: you can also use the OBC in advance for spa (I think, I never did it) and specialty restaurant reservations on Celebrity. Same thing about being able to cancel online before sailing and get your OBC returned to the total.

I love the ability to use OBC prior to departure for Celebrity cruises, especially how easy it is to change your mind and get the OBC re-credited - however, I have never been able to book spa services ahead on the website - with our without OBC.  In fact, I just went into a current reservations and it shows a blank list of spa services, so there is nothing to book. 

Also my first HAL cruise... do they happen to do Karaoke on board anywhere?

27 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Sorry, both both adults do need to purchase the package whether you book on line or on board.  I have heard of exceptions being made for a valid medical reason supported by documentation.

Thanks for confirming!  I guess we just go a la carte for this cruise. 🙂

Jumping onto this thread... First time on HAL and trying to understand how their drink packages work.  To purchase drink package online ahead of the cruise, the website indicates that all adults in the same cabin must purchase the drink package.  Does this same restriction apply to packages purchased on-board as well? My DH might have a specialty tea or two and perhaps a beer with lunch, which is hardly worth getting a package.  I might just about break even since I like to have several coffees throughout the day, pre-dinner drink, wine with dinner and then perhaps a cocktail during a show. I just like to have it because it makes my vacation 'feel' all inclusive.  But we will never get anywhere close to the cost of two drink packages - so unless I can purchase solo, it is probably a no-go for us.

Sorry to hijack this thread again - but has anyone had experience with reservations for large groups (like 20 people) in any of the specialty restaurants?

15 hours ago, nickel-and-dime-me said:

Thats what we did.  I would have rather used for dining, but im sure we'll find another use for it.  

 

Maybe use it to towards the hsc? Not sure the policy on that with hal. 

Thanks!  I had forgotten all about the HSC!

I will be sailing on the Oosterdam in July.  This is my first time on HAL and from comments on this thread it sounds like specialty dining can often sell out on HAL.  Celebrity lets you prebook using your OBC, but doesn't do a good job of allowing you to select your reservation time, so I typically do that as soon as I board.  Pretty much every Celebrity Cruise I have been on has staff members offering discounts for specialty dining venues once you board.  They even stand outside the buffet area and 'peddle' specialty dining.  So my question - Are there any similar opportunities once onboard to get discounts on specialty dining for HAL - or are the rates pretty much set? If the latter - I am thinking that it may definitely be best to book in advance and just find something else to use buy OBC on.  (Celebrity also has pretty good deals on liquor in their duty free shops - so I have been known to use up any remaining OBC to buy a gift or two there 🙂 )

On 9/9/2019 at 8:26 PM, kevingastreich said:

I saw the same coffee "Deal".  I figured the mug is $13.00+. I'm going to get one on my next cruise at the deck sale by the Lido Pool. I think they are only $5.00 then plus you can use your Mariner discount.

Great idea!  I still have a hard time understanding all these beverage cards.  If they are only worth the face value on the card, why bother - unless of course you are gifting them to someone else.

On 9/9/2019 at 8:05 PM, sevenseasnomad said:

It's definitely trial and error, right?  Glad you experimented until you figured it out.  For a long time, I either didn't have the patience or the tech-savvy intelligence to link properly.  A learning curve, that's for sure, when it should be user-friendly.

If it makes you feel any better, I have a masters in Computer Science and yet still some of these new website designs can be hard to navigate 😁

Never mind... operator error!  I figured out where the drop down to get to the other purchase options is located.  

I am having a hard time figuring out how to pre-purchase items via the Cruise Activities section under Manage Your Reservation on the HAL website.

I finally figured out that alcohol and beverage packages are not under 'packages'  - but rather under 'Indulgences Home'.

However, once I do go to the Indulgences page, I can't seem to find a complete list of ALL available beverage packages - only 'Recommended for You' which seems to change up every time I leave and come back to the page.  For example, when I first selected the Indulgences page, there was a wine cellar package listed along with the 'Elite' package.  I checked out the Elite package and then went back to the previous page, but the wine package disappeared and instead the 'Signature' package and a few others are listed - including cognac and Dom Perignon  packages - but no wine cellar package.  I've tried to refresh the screen, but to no avail.  I can't seem to get the wine package back.  It also seems odd to me that I don't have a 'view all' option - just the 'Recommended for you" listing.

Am I missing something?

Also - one more question.  Under 'Packages' it lists a 'Coffee Lovers' package with a special thermal coffee mug and $25 coffee card for $38.80.  Does this package get me any other unlisted perks?  Like half-price refills on the special coffee mug? Or is it just basically a $25 coffee card and a fancy mug for $13.80?

Thanks!

Thanks TAD2005 and Old Salt.  I agree about the benefits of fixed seating.  Unfortunately - with a group of 20, it's hard to get consensus on dining arrangements. When doing flex dining on a recent cruise with Celebrity (just me and my husband for that one), I found that we were seated in the same section with the same waiter each night (not necessarily the exact same table) - so we still had a similar experience.  Can anyone tell me the best way to juggle dining time with show times on HAL?

Thanks for the input and recommendations.  I like the Specialty Dining suggestion - but suspect that would not be very popular with many in my group who see cruising as an all inclusive experience and they would not want to pay extra. 

All want to dine fairly early - so perhaps we just go with flexible dining and hope for the best for seating arrangements. I know that popular dining times depend a lot on itinerary. Can anyone who has sailed HAL in Alaska weigh in on how crowded 5:30-5:45 would be for flexible dining?