TRAVELBABE1

On 11/15/2018 at 10:24 AM, EnthDegree said:

 

Arno - you can update Solstice - Captain Tasos is back at the helm [he posted a video of him doing a donut beside one of the waterfalls in Milford Sound a couple of days ago]

So glad to hear Captain Tasos is back at the helm! We will be sailing from Auckland to Sydney next month on Solstice. Can you provide a link to the video?

Thanks. Room service sounds good but can I call and order in the morning? (How fast is the service) I never know what time I will be waking up.

 

 

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I always need coffee while I'm getting ready and enjoy it without food. If you're simply placing a coffee order, it should be delivered within 5 mins. Coffee with food will take longer.

So sorry but Brent and Mary Amanda leave Solstice on Oct 16th. Hopefully returning next year. Chelsea will not be the naturalist on board til December.

Exactly. As I said, our cruise departs Dec 13th, and her website indicates she will be on our sailing.

As others have said, just give them a call (or your TA if you booked through one) and have your reservation repriced - no limit on the number of times. But remember to check whether or not the current included perks are less that when you initially booked; if so, then it may not be in your interest to take the reduced fare if you lose a perk.

 

By the way, you question has nothing to do with the title of your post. Celebrity's Best Price Guarantee is associated with your initial booking - if I remember correctly, you have up to 48 hours after making your initial booking to get a lower price if you find an official Celebrity advertisement with a lower price.

Price drops are honored up until final payment.

Am not sure which cruise you are sailing, but we are on the 12/13 departure of Solstice from Auckland to Sydney. We also enjoyed Brent Nixon in Alaska, and I have found the website of the naturalist sailing with our cruise: http://chelseastories.com/wander/. Someone on our roll call posted that Chelsea was the naturalist for our cruise, but I'm not sure how she found out. Maybe call Celebrity?

Have you considered a different date? We just booked the 10 day NZ cruise on Celebrity departing 12/13/18. At $1349 per person for a concierge balcony cabin with drink package, I think it's a steal.

I am booked on Equinox in October and the website already has 30 percent off specials the first night. Which would mean Murano is 35. Our ship doesn’t look full so hopefully I can negotiate a better deal for 25 to 30 when getting aboard. I can see the ship dilemma they want to fill up the spots but don’t want to set a precedent of ultra cheap discounts.

 

 

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When we sailed Solstice, the ship had a "sales crew" promoting the specialty dining and offering 50% off for the first night. We had an amazing meal in Murano and highly recommend it.

Every time I've booked a GTY, I have been assigned a specific cabin within 72 hours. If you have received a cabin assignment and there are still available cabins in the category you've been assigned, you can switch to a more desirable one. I love the savings of booking a GTY!

Actually, to complete this list you have to include 1549, 1554, 1599, 1603, 1604, and 1608. They are also on the "slant" hump area that have oversized balconies.

 

1549/1549 on the port side, and 1552/1554 on the starboard side have a dangling window washing contraption that may or may not be annoying to your view.

We were in 1556 & 1558 on Solstice, and out views forward were blocked by the window washing equipment. I wouldn't recommend these cabins either. They are not marked as having obstructed views but do IMHO.

I was leary about booking with an agency I had never used before, so I found the best online deal I could and called Celebrity directly. The agent spoke with a supervisor, verified the deal online, and matched it.

I personally like booking with Celebrity. If they will match online deals, why book any other way?

SHIP: Solstice

CABIN #: 1556 & 1558

DECK #: 11

CLASS: Aqua

AREA: Midship

BED NEAR: Balcony in 1556, bathroom in 1558

QUIET?: Very

BALCONY VIEW: Disappointing

BALCONY SIZE: Normal

WIND A PROBLEM?: No

SOOT A PROBLEM?: No

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Didn't like being under overhang, view forward obstructed by window washing equipment, not labeled obstructed view cabin but should be in my opinion

Does anyone know if you overnight at your embarkation port, can you bring the wine on the second day, or do you have to bring it on the first day?

We bought a couple bottles of wine in port and brought it onboard. Beware of the corkage fee though. After paying $25 corkage, we didn't save any money over buying the bottle onboard.

We'll be on the 10 day Solstice voyage in September from Vancouver to Hawaii. Does anyone know how well the new and improved Xcelerate Wi-Fi will work in the open Pacific during the first five sea days until we reach Hawaii? How strong are the satellite connections in this area of the Pacific? Maybe we'll be the first to test it.

We were on the Solstice last week, and the wifi connection was significantly improved over last year on Silhouette. However, that's not saying much. My husband was so frustrated last summer with the speed that he threatened to never cruise again. :eek:

wow....Carnival has arcade games....I don't know about Celebrity. And I have seen ping pong and miniature golf.

 

What that movie didn't feature (as I remember) was the youth programs that most all cruise lines feature. He should really enjoy those (you too).

Celebrity does have arcade games. They also have fun nights planned for the kids where the arcade is free to a particular age group for certain hours. Be sure to carefully look over the information placed in your stateroom each night.

Love your review, we're going to be on this cruise very soon!

 

How late was the catamaran glacier excursion getting back to the ship in Juneau? We have a 2:30 whale watching excursion booked after this and I'm worried about us making it in time, especially since the port is tendered.

We were on this same cruise, and the catamaran excursion was a highlight! I believe we arrived back to the ship around 1:45. I was previously advised (erroneously) on these boards that tender tickets are not provided in advance. However, when we checked in for this tour, we were provided tender tickets for group 2. You should have no problem making your 2:30 whale watching excursion.

Received a txt regarding an upcoming cruise with times to arrive for embarkation. The times are based on which deck your stateroom is on. It stated nothing about suites (which we are in). I thought I had read in a review that suites were with the first group. Am I wrong?

This is what the email I received said:

We, at Celebrity Cruises, want your vacation to get off on a wonderful start and in order to facilitate your check-in process, suggest that you arrive at the cruise terminal according to the following designated times. This will help ensure a smooth embarkation experience so that you can begin your vacation as soon as possible:

Deck 11 & 12: 10:30am

Deck 10: 11:30am

Deck 9 : 12:30pm

Deck 8: 1:30pm

Deck 7: 2:30pm

Deck 3 & 6: 3:00pm

Guests staying with us in a Suite, Aqua Class or Concierge Class, as well as our loyal Captain’s Club Members and guests arriving by air are invited to check in at their leisure between 10:30am and 3:30pm.

We've stopped in Victoria many, many times (and always disembark), but have never had to present passports or go through any type of immigration check.

This is correct.

We are on this same cruise with another couple who do not have passports. I confirmed with Celebrity that they are fine to board with a DL & birth certificate, as well as disembark in Victoria. What they are not allowed to do is cross the border into Canada via train or auto at the port in Skagway. This is also consistent with the info posted on the Celebrity website and the US government website.

The captain has to make a decision prior to entering either arm, if you start to enter (and proceed) Tracy Arm, you cannot then decide to enter Endicott (and vice versa). It's one or the other, once you are in, you are in. We actually had dinner with the staff captain on the May 20th sailing who explained this. I am guessing that they made the decision to do Endicott instead to give passengers on the 5/27 cruise a view of the glacier... knowing that after entering and sailing Tracy Arm on 5/20 that there was too much ice to get a view of Sawyer glacier.

 

To summerize:

May 13 Solstice sailing - Endicott Arm, view of Dawes glacier

 

May 20 Solstice sailing - Tracy Arm, no view of Sawyer glacier

 

May 27 Solstice sailing - Endicott arm, view of Dawes glacier

So I'm confused then about the ship's excursion that transfers you to the catamaran. If the goal of the captain is to show a view of the glacier from the ship, why would one book the catamaran tour & pay extra for it?

I think birthday boy should get to eat where he wants, period.

Agree wholeheartedly.

In our experience from when our kids were younger, the child on the higher level tends to roll on to the pull out trundle. So, personally, I'd go for the sofa and ceiling pull down, especially as you get more room along the side (see pic below) when you want to get to the balcony ;).

 

I agree that this configuration is superior when taking the kids along. The bed pops back into the ceiling at night, and the couch becomes seating again. It's very efficient.

Yesterday I asked about the sofa setup of 6210 and got some great info. Hoping someone can help with this cabin. My TA says 6158 and 6155 are set up as sofa with upper and looks to have a slanted balcony which is slightly larger. I'd prefer 6158, but the "S" room compilation has 2 reviews and both say it is connecting. Deck plan doesn't show it as connecting. Would 6155 be better?

We sailed in 6158 on Silhouette last year. It is not a connecting cabin and does have an awesome large balcony. It is right around the corner from the forward bank of elevators, yet very quiet. It is a 2C , but no obstructions except straight down to the water. Would book it again in a heartbeat, and highly recommend you stick with it!

We got our cabin assignment exactly 3 days from Sat. when we made the switch- the dreaded 2D category, disappointed as there were so many higher category cabins available and only @3 2Ds :(. (Guess Elite status didn't enter in to the algorithim:rolleyes:) We did luck out in that there was one cabin remaining as available in that category which had the bed by bath arrangement that we prefer and the one assigned us had bed by veranda, so we made the switch. And I am really happy to have a veranda + all the extra perks we received with the change!

I've seen pricing on cruises get a bit haywire after final payment. I would check the website to see if a 2D cabin might price equal to or higher than a 2C. You might get a representative who could make a switch for you. Wouldn't hurt to ask...

We always call Celebrity, and others, to book a room. Almost always get up graded and maybe some other perks that are not advertised. Can't understand why anyone would book on line. So much better to talk to real person!

 

 

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You have to call to get the Captain's Club one category upgrade anyway...

We made the change this week from a forward-facing OV to a veranda GTY for our August Silhouette cruise, knowing full well we could be assigned one of the 3 remaining 2Ds but hoping for any higher category of which there are plenty available.

 

The perks of Go Best with the additional $100 OBC for the Memorial Weekend Special were too tempting to resist.

 

Fingers X'd!

Wishing you luck! Both times we selected a guarantee, we knew the cabin assignment within 3 days.

We are headed to Alaska next month, and our family is enjoying watching Northern Exposure together. The only availability we've found is DVD's through Netflix.