Xport

We interested in booking the Edge for the Transatlantic in April, 2019. My TA and I looked at the available cabins and most were just guarantee. Plus, no early or anytime dining options available. No way I’ll spend almost $10,000 for a balcony and not know my cabin number and have to eat dinner at 8:30. She thinks it’s unlikely that most of the ship is booked that far in advance especially since the pricing is so high. She thinks they haven’t released all of the cabins yet for some reason. Does this sound reasonable?

I booked AquaClass 1 last 18 October [first thing the morning after the Transatlantic was opened for booking via the website the night before]; at the time, there were exactly two cabins available for selection and--after my booking--the last AQ1 cabin was reserved later that day... All AquaClass staterooms--AQ1 and AQ2--have been continuously marked as "Sold Out" since the end of October! Other stateroom categories--particularly the Sky Suites as I recall--quickly followed suit... I have no reason to believe that Celebrity withheld release of any cabins--and I spent hours looking at availability across categories via the website overnight before I wrote to my Travel Agent at 7:00 AM with request to reserve--for initial sale...

By my best estimate, pricing--which has always carried a substantive premium--has gone up by at least a third in all stateroom categories since the cruise was initially opened for sale... And the Roll Call already has about 600 posts...

Final payment is due on 19 January 2019...

Is it not also open to Elite level Captains Club guests?

On embarkation day, the Main Dining Room is open at lunch for Concierge Class guests (regardless of Captain’s Club membership tier) and Zenith tier Captain’s Club members (regardless of stateroom category)...

On embarkation day, the MDR is not open at lunch to Preview, Classic, Select, Elite, or Elite + Captain’s Club members unless they are sailing in a Concierge Class cabin...

I was looking for a corner/hump CS cabin, but all they had was one RS left (admittedly more perks, larger room - but at the cost of a smaller balcony).

In your continuing search, please be aware that there are no corner Celebrity Suites on any ship. On Solstice-Class (ie; Silhouette), the aft corners are all categorized as Sky Suite 1...

Recently off the Connie. The new MCC had Nadia training him for 2 cruises in addition Lucy who is a gem was the Suite Mgr. So no lack of training and on his first cruise “flying solo” he was great. Thanks Joao you rocked it.

Jelayne,

Not to hijack this thread but do you happen to know if Joao had previously been affiliated with Azamara? If the same guy I'm thinking of--it's been a few years--he would be ideally suited to a Michael's Club Concierge role...

Thanks...

Thanks Hawk. We will be b2b in July on Equinox. I will look for and ask about the discount for the second cruise's first night. I had no idea. I wonder if the is fleet-wide or only on Equinox? Anyone else experience this?

If you booked both of your sailings at the same time, you likely received a Back-To-Back Discount against the price of your second cruise based upon the duration of your second cruise [i believe it's $50 for a seven night cruise]... It will show up on X's Booking Confirmation & Invoice for the second cruise as a line item under code "YDR6-B2B Savings"... If you haven't received it, it is not--best I know--too late to inquire...

I can assure you that the practice of offering a specialty dining discount to back-to-back guests on the first night of the second cruise is not a fleet-wide practice [including on Equinox]; I've done a number of them up to a B2B2B2B... Sometimes--but not always; it's not a given--the Hotel Director may chose to offer consecutive cruisers with some additional nicety/consideration beyond the cruise fare discount...

• In the past--particularly when the group was large--luncheons have been staged on turnaround day in one of the dining rooms [ie; Blu] or one of the specialty restaurants... Since the advent of the boarding day lunch for Concierge Class passengers and Captain's Club Zenith members in the MDR several years ago, I've read that B2B guests are sometimes invited to that...
  
• On occasion, I've instead been provided a voucher for an additional bag of laundry or a modest additional allowance of internet access...
  
• At other times, nothing "special" was offered...
  

In my experience, such consideration--when offered--will be addressed during the meeting [either the night before or on the morning of turnaround] addressing all protocols/processes for consecutive cruisers...

From a loyalty perspective, specialty dining discounts are offered to Elite + [15%] and Zenith [25%] members...

The additional chefs special of the day continues and it’s been good. Hope it’s implemented fleet wide.

Perhaps you are testing new menu items that are being developed for Edge [and if popular--mere speculation on my part-- for rollout in some form across the fleet]... Edge will have four Main Dining Rooms that share daily core menus but each will also offer--varying by Dining Room--a limited number of themed nightly additions ["new" American (in Cosmopolitan), French (in Normandie), Greek (in Cyprus) and Italian (in Tuscan)]...

Friends who recently returned from Equinox were told that the "Chef's Specials"--and they really enjoyed them--were being piloted/tested for Edge...

You can stay on as long as you want until you have to leave the ship.

Original poster... I too am glad that you rescheduled your flight; as a local, your original plan was far too close for comfort...

Just to make sure that there is no misunderstanding relative to Keith's comment above, know that the time at which you "have to leave the ship" is--unfortunately--not at your discretion...

• You will asked to vacate your stateroom by 8:00 AM on disembarkation morning...
  
• Due to TSA regulations, last call for disembarking the ship will be at approximately 9:30 AM...
  

We are on the Equinox, sailing Aug 11-18, Western Caribbean. I'm ruling to figure out which night to book dinner in a specialty restaurant for a birthday celebration, but I know my family, and they won't be happy with me if miss the night in the MDR with lobster tails. Yes, I know Murano's will be better - but we (mostly my dad) will want it both nights!

 

Which night do they typically serve this? The itinerary is

Day 1: Miami

Day 2: Key West

Day 3: Sea day

Day 4: Costa Maya

Day 5: Cozumel

Day 6: Cayman

Day 7: Sea day

 

What's typical?

I did the same itinerary aboard Equinox--also Saturday to Saturday--in early December...

On that sailing [i just looked], the Evening Chic nights were on Day 2 [sunday/Key West] and--counter to my pre-cruise prediction--on Day 5 [Wednesday/Cozumel]... Lobster is typically served in the Main Dining Room on the second Evening Chic night... Worked out for us in any case [five of the six of us are lobster enthusiasts] as we'd booked Murano for Day 6 [Thursday/Grand Cayman] in anticipation that it would be the second Evening Chic night...

Rotating Hotel Directors--in consultation with the rotating Captains--can, and do--sometimes reset the schedule to meet their preferences...

While aboard Equinox last December, the ship--the only one in port that day--was very conveniently docked a block or two from Mallory Square... At the present time [and recognizing that the website is not always perfect], Equinox is the only ship scheduled to call at Key West on 25 April...

Mallory Square is the hub of activity at Key West... While I have not used the Old Town Trolley there and don't know its stops, I would be surprised if its nearest stop to that pier isn't an accessible one... I do know that the most popular stop for The Conch Train [same operator, I believe] is the one at Mallory Square [five minute, easy walk--sorry that's my frame of reference--from pier location]...

From the US [and I presume, Canada], the emergency contact phone number [no emergency e-mail address is provided] is 1-877-266-1020 for all Celebrity ships... I don't know whether an adaptation of that number--for international calls originating in New Zealand--will work but you should find appropriate information in your E-Docs...

Please be sure to provide your family with your ship name, stateroom number, and sailing dates...

Of course--if you are taking a laptop, tablet, or smart phone with e-mail access aboard and you are planning to purchase a Wi-Fi package through Celebrity--your family will be able to contact you at your own e-mail address...

So my SO will be celebrating his birthday during our cruise in May. I have decorations and cake for dinner set up, but does RCCL offer anything else on the day? I have searched with no luck on the website...

On average, one in twelve guests will celebrate a birthday over the course of a month--and considering that Royal Caribbean will carry tens of thousands guests fleet-wide over the course of a month--I'm not surprised they do nothing of a complimentary nature to observe birthdays...

Same dynamic--on a lesser scale given that some guests travel solo and that some guests are children--applies to anniversary celebrations [which the cruise line would have no way of validating in any case]...

Unfortunately, the cost associated with "doing something"--while probably relatively minimal on an individual basis--becomes substantive given the scope of Royal's operations... I suspect that they could make allowance for such observations in setting cruise fares but certainly understand their reluctance to do...

It seems that you've planned a wonderful celebration... Enjoy the day and enjoy your cruise!

See, that's why I'm confused. I've read both $11.18 and $11.80 on many different posts. I believe it should be $11.80. I didn't plan on upgrading my husband's package because he is perfectly happy with what is included. I, on the other hand, like to have martinis at the Martini Bar and specialty drinks at the World Class bar.

The upgrade price from the Classic Alcohol Package to the Premium Beverage Package is currently $10 per day plus an 18% gratuity... Clearly, that's $11.80 per day [and not $11.18 per day; my guess is that citation was a typo or--perhaps--a minor math error]...

While your premise as to Onboard Credit versus Prepaid Gratuities may be true if sharing a cabin--haven't done the math; my guess is the relationship varies based upon cruise length--the situation is very different if traveling as a solo...

• Onboard Credit is granted per cabin--trust me on this; lots of Celebrity experience--rather than per person...
  
• Prepaid Gratuities [exclusive of any discretionary gratuities one might choose to distribute] are per person rather than per cabin...
  

For a solo, I've never encountered a situation in which the Onboard Credit doesn't equate to more personal value--by far--than does the Onboard Credit...

Wow... Just returned to this thread to read subsequent posts and realized that, in attempting to express my earlier thoughts [above] clearly by restructuring the last sentence several times, I totally mangled my thoughts to the point of nonsense...

The last sentence of my earlier post should read:

"For a solo, I've never encountered a situation in which the Onboard Credit doesn't equate to more personal value--by far--than the Prepaid Gratuities..."

Sincerest apologies! As originally posted, my error had me scratching my head too!

Thank you, srdancer, for somehow knowing what I originally intended to say!

I went in the way that was suggested above. No discounts on anything. Are others seeing zero discounts? I tried to put in cart to see if the discount was after...nope. I will try to call after work!

Not all cruises offer excursion discounts--and if discounts are offered on a cruise--not all excursions are discounted and not all ports will offer excursions that are discounted... If available, discounted excursions will be clearly marked...

If offered, the reduced excursion pricing on the website will clearly state that the cited price is net of discounts well before one "adds it to the cart" prior to payment [via cash and/or Onboard Credit]...

I have one tour--purchased back in January--that is featured today as being discounted... That may well be true as the price may have escalated since January but, in my case, it would have cost me a few additional dollars to cancel/rebook that excursion today... The devil is in the detail...

Never OBC, is the same amount regardless of the length of the cruise. I will choose the Classic Beverages and Gratuities

While your premise as to Onboard Credit versus Prepaid Gratuities may be true if sharing a cabin--haven't done the math; my guess is the relationship varies based upon cruise length--the situation is very different if traveling as a solo...

• Onboard Credit is granted per cabin--trust me on this; lots of Celebrity experience--rather than per person...
  
• Prepaid Gratuities [exclusive of any discretionary gratuities one might choose to distribute] are per person rather than per cabin...
  

For a solo, I've never encountered a situation in which the Onboard Credit doesn't equate to more personal value--by far--than does the Onboard Credit...

I have 2 cruises booked and was able to cancel one excursion that had the discount and rebook without any problem. For excursions where the price is discounted, I would just cancel my existing reservation and rebook. I was using existing Cruise credits for the purchase of excursions, so there was an immediate reinstatement of my cruise credit and then I used it to rebook the excursion.

I just cancelled and rebooked two excursions--originally purchased on 25 January--that are featuring discounts today... Did both the original purchase--and today's cancellations/repurchases--online via Cruise Planner using Onboard Credit [OBC restoration for the cancellations was instantaneous and revised balance was immediately available for the repurchases]...

Perhaps I was just lucky but it all worked like a charm during a single access to Cruise Planner...

If you are looking for the Roll Call associated with your specific sailing--that's where you can connect with others guests who will be sailing aboard Millennium on 10 May--you will find it via the link that follows...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2500470

This forum is intended to ask questions/discuss matters of interest across the Celebrity fleet rather than matters specific to your sailing or as a vehicle to introduce yourself to your cruise mates...

Do they have a hole punch at Guest Services, or do we need to bring one?

Once aboard, Guest Relations will punch a hole in your SeaPass Card upon request...

What is a Ruth's Chris?

Ruth's Chris is a higher-end steak house with a fairly significant presence across The United States [and some presence in Canada]... Just looked; in Michigan, they seem to have restaurants in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Troy...

Of course he is highlighting that Canadians may be interested in this tour...since he is interested in Juno Beach and Vimy Ridge that have significant importance to Canadians. The ship excursions are oriented to US locations.

 

A few years ago I did a tour of the Canadian focused WW2 sites while staying in Paris and it was amazing. Would love to visit Vimy Ridge but not sure it is possible from a Le Havre port stop.

I'm not sure that I'd say "of course"...

I'm well aware of the particular significance of the sites included in the original poster's tour itinerary to Canadians but, as an American with an interest in World War II history who has visited Normandy twice, I have been privileged to tour both the American and Canadian sites and--when back in Normandy during May 2019--hope to visit samplings of both again...

In hindsight, I should have been clearer in my earlier response but--to me--the tour offering is not necessarily one that might appeal solely to Canadians but rather one that will focus upon the "Canadian" sites but makes no assumption as to audience/those with interest... That slight distinction could influence response through the Roll Call...

Response might have been better if the original poster had not specified a desire to share tour with fellow Canadians only...

Though I have no direct experience with any of them, following is a relatively recent article [from last October] that lists--per Zagat--"the best" Mexican restaurants/taquerias in the Miami area... Several of the places mentioned are in the South Beach area...

https://www.zagat.com/b/miami/hottest-mexican-restaurants-in-miami

When in South Florida, you might want to consider trying Cuban food if you haven't done so... I'm not aware of any offering that is directly analogous to "tacos" but Cuban cuisine is very popular here, tends to be authentic [i'm told by natives; I have acquired a taste for it], and widely available... The following is from 2014

https://www.southbeachmagazine.com/miami-beach-best-cuban-dining/

Xport, I’m sorry if I upset you. It wasn’t my intention. As you rightly say it CAN get complicated which is why I wanted to keep it relevant with poster Allison. Otherwise it becomes a real muddle. I think as far as the OP is concerned and having read her first and subsequent posts it is clear that she made a mistake and now knows where she is.

 

I hope we are all good. I’m a stickler for detail and if I’m wrong I will always admit that freely and I’m pleased you did the same in a further post. Sometimes we all make mistakes and I am not immune!

Thank you, Phil... We're good!

In addition to our mutual passion for travel/cruising and our substantive knowledge of/experience with the Celebrity and Azamara products, practices, and history, I think that we share many of the same character traits--I too am highly studied/analytical, a stickler for detail, and readily admit to/correct my errors--and we both take pride in our contributions to these forums...

It's double regardless of the single supplement. At least on Azamara. I don't think I've ever been on a Celebrity cruise with a reduced single supplement.

I gladly stand corrected...

My recollection was that Azamara followed Celebrity's "double points for solos" practice [implemented for effect with sailings commencing on/after 1 July 2014; Celebrity still requires payment of a 100% single supplement for the "double up"] when Azamara followed suit for cruises commencing on/after 1 January 2015...

I did receive double Cruise Points for my Azamara cruises in February/March 2015 but I had paid the full single supplement on each...

Out of curiosity, I just accessed the Le Club Voyage Terms & Conditions as of 4 January 2015--the web application, Wayback Machine, can be a friend--and it is clear that Phil is right; since implementation, Azamara has never required payment of the full single supplement for the "double up" [though one might be amazed as to how the T&C have otherwise evolved/been clarified over time]...

Sorry for the misinformation, Kathy... If you have booked your upcoming Azamara cruise at less than full single supplement, the good news is that your Cruise Points accrual for this sailing will be better than I caused you to expect!