Desertbelle

We will be boarding Reflection as you leave on the 9th....I'll wave!! Have a great cruise! :D

The water coming out of the tap in your stateroom is distilled and probably better quality than the water in the bottles. Not sure why anyone would pay extra for bottled water.

The water coming out of the taps is NOT distilled. It is purified, such as what is done to bottled drinking water. Huge difference. And BTW it's delicious....as good as any bottled water.

Just wondering as you can get your bag tagged at the pier in under 20 seconds why you would bother ordering them online? The paper ones in your Edocs simply tear off almost instantly. I just watch to see the cabin number is correct.

I think that many people, myself included, like the very durable ones that they send to you, as they are difficult to tear off on accident. If Celebrity offers them, and people like them, then it doesn't really matter if it can be done easily at the pier or not.

Having cruised 20+ times I feel like the pier area on checkin day is chaotic enough without having to think about even one small thing to be done at that time. Putting my luggage tags on at the hotel and dropping them at the pier already tagged, makes me feel better and more relaxed, and that's important to me.

No TA. Blue Chip Club is Celebrity's Casino VIP club and they book us as a group booking making it apparently difficult for Captains Club to access our res. Not sure why.;)

I think you may be confusing making changes to the reservation vs. simply seeing the reservation and sending your luggage tags for the appropriate cabin. It's worth a try to call.

There are plenty of options but this is what I used:

 

http://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-Performance-10400mAh-External/dp/B00RVIGY1I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458602735&sr=8-1&keywords=HooToo+Titan

 

It runs off of its own battery and can double as an iPhone/iPad charger on a shore excursion or away from power. Note that it is not designed to be plugged in and charging itself for days - this one is cheaper and should work as well, but must be plugged in to work.

 

http://www.amazon.com/HooToo-Wireless-Performance-TripMate-Hotspot/dp/B00HZWOQZ6/ref=pd_sim_147_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41MK7b%2BeiUL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0VQJRQ54D4XZ9DD9Q0CM

 

If you aren't technically inclined it can take a bit to figure out, but what I did was to set the address range and SSID (the device name that it broadcasts) as well as the encryption to be the same as my home network, so any device online would connect just like at home. In my case this was 2 iPads, 2 Nintendo DS, 2 iPhones and a Samsung Galaxy phone - not all at the same time of course.

Thanks...I think I should be able to figure this out. [emoji3]

Rather than add a second device for 50% of the cost, if it's being used only in the cabin you can use a WiFi travel router to share the connection across as many devices as you choose to connect (most handle 5 concurrent connections).

 

However, this won't work if one person wants to surf in the Library while the other does it by the pool.

Please tell me more about a WiFi travel router. Will these work if we only have iPads and iPhones....we don't travel with a laptop computer. It seems you are saying that you purchase a travel router, connect the router to the ship's wifi (that you purchase for one device) and then more than one person can share that single connection within a limited distance, such in the cabin? Any suggestions as to brand or specifications?

Thanks.

Our main objective for this cruise is to see Australia. I want to spend as much time there as possible as it may be my only chance to ever go. I have been dreaming of Australia since I was very young. Continuing on to Singapore will be cutting into my Australia time, and I have to weigh the pros and cons of getting to see Singapore (which sounds amazing) and spending a few more days in Australia. Now that it appears that the cruises will be very similar my choice is going to be based on itinerary alone.

Thanks for all the help, I sincerely appreciate that people give their time to help me understand the situation better.

You should change travel agents because your agent does not have a clue here. Your cruise is not going to China if is not a China cruise. The largest percent of the crew will be from the Philippines. Royal has a push Worldwide to hire crew member from the Philippines. They are adding 30,000 new members.

 

 

 

The majority of the passengers will be from Singapore and Australia and the cruise will not be tailored to the China Market. It will be like most other Royal cruises but with a Asian flair around the Food. Still you will find all your normal Western dishes.

 

 

 

It is true the Royal cruises leaving from main land China target the China Market but not this cruise.

I certainly wouldn't change travel agents because she's concerned about me. She's been my TA for about 15 cruises and I it doesn't make much difference to her what cruises I choose, and I like that she's paying attention to my best interest. Even among the people on this thread there are yea's and nay's about this cruise.

I agree that a cruise leaving from Sydney heading to Singapore is likely to be a fairly "normal" cruise and we are still weighing this cruise against a Celebrity cruise that does the same ports but returns to Sydney instead of going on to Singapore.

On our upcoming cruise for July on the Summit shows our dining as 6:00pm. We were offered the choice between this time or the Select Dining Option for our AQ booking. While I will definitely be going to BLU for breakfast as it just sounds so great, I don't plan on dining there for dinner except for maybe once to try it. I took my 6:00pm time showing on my booking as being in the main dining room (otherwise why give me the choice?).

 

I hope that's the case as we will likely dine in the Main Dining room on the majority of nights and would like a set table/wait staff, etc.

 

I guess I will have to figure it out when I get onboard.

It appears, from what others are saying, that you are not signed up to be in the main dining room for a set time if you are in Aqua Class....it is a computer/network glitch that shows that you are assigned to the MDR. Being in Aqua means you are assigned to Blu for evening meals, though it appears you can choose to go to the Select dining room but you won't be assigned a regular dining time with a regular wait staff in the MDR. Perhaps you can ask to be switched to the MDR, that might be best answered by your travel agent or Celebrity.

Take good care of her for us, we board Reflection in 3 weeks. Have a great cruise! :D

You can also ask your cabin steward to take them for you and he/she will store them for you until the last day.

We like having the suitcases under the bed because we keep some things in them while on the cruise, such as snorkeling gear, winter coats that we wore to the airport but don't need in the Caribbean, etc.

If you reread my posts you would understand what the complaint is. If that particular cabin was waitlisted, I don't believe it should have gone back into general inventory when it became available -- Isn't that the reason for the waitlist? :rolleyes:

I guess I don't understand what the "waitlist" is. I thought people got put on wait lists, not locations or cabins.....such as, you would be put on a wait list for the first available A1 cabin or 6 pm dining. I wasn't aware that cabins got put on a wait list and I don't understand what a cabin on the wait list would represent.

My understanding is the you put a cabin on a 24 hours hold. You release the cabin and your TA snaps it up for you. If you release it, or time runs out, the cabin returns to the inventory. Where does the wait list come in??

I think some of us are misunderstanding your complaint.....and maybe it's just a confusion with wordage. I promise, I am trying to understand.

I have done this with my travel agent many times and it's always worked. I am not sure what the complaint is.:confused:

[emoji3][emoji3][emoji3]

I'm rather looking forward to trying the Sushi on 5 when we get to the Reflection in 3.5 weeks. I think the drink menu sounds yummy and we will probably head there a few times for a Smashy Japanese! :)

They may find themselves having stumbled onto a lounge serving sushi rather than a sushi restaurant serving alcohol.

Bags are packed, checked in on line, ready to go first thing in the morning...

 

There are not many nicer feeling than leaving for a cruise holiday!

 

it has been nearly a year since our last cruise, it has been great following the many and varied comments on CC. A special thanks to those who have answered the questions on Solstice or the Suite life that I have posted. I go prepared and ready to really make the most of every last minute!

Bon Voyage!! Have a great vacation!

Floral water tubes for stems--that's what works. Check Amazon, etc. They hold just a bit of water and seal pretty well around the stem. They look like a mini plastic test tube with a cap and cost almost nothing. Before going through TSA empty the tubes and refill once inside. You can also roll the stems in paper or small bubble wrap to protect them--just leave the tubes exposed if you need to empty/refill them. I do this a lot when traveling.

Do check with the cruise line about bringing flowers on board in the country where you are embarking---some countries will not let you take live flowers on board due to agricultural restrictions. Seeds are a big no, no. I don't think you will have a problem in Europe. Enjoy! :p

I forgot about those tubes and I worked in flower shops for 9 years!! My bad!! They would work well. Thanks for reminding me.

That was my fav Celeb vase....modern luxury! .of course they discontinued it along the way.,.,ordering once u board may be pricey,,.sometimes when I order ahead, the flowers are perfect...other times not so great,,,,but they will make it right if not fresh and full....easy to order on line!

 

what are your ports? May be flower possibilities along the way

I love my little Celebrity vase. :)

Unfortunately, we have 7 sea days, then Europe. I know once in Europe I shouldn't have any problem finding flowers.....it the start of the cruise I am having difficulty with. :(

I'm still thinking I might put a grocery store bouquet with wet paper towels and aluminum foil around the stems (like how we took flowers to our teacher in the old days :D) in my carry on. If they don't make it I've only invested $8.00

Are you specifically referring to M-Class ships? We've been staying in AFT cabins on S-Class ships for the past few years, and haven't really noticed any vibration.

I have not been on a Celebrity S-class ship yet, and for the last few years I've been mostly on Royal Caribbean ships, both big, really big, and medium sized....and I can feel it on all ships and on all decks (of course more on the lower decks.) I will be on the Reflection in a few weeks for 16 days so I will have a lot of opportunity to feel, or not feel, those vibrations. I hope you are correct and there are none. :)

Celebrity Cruises does not have flower shops on board, however each ship has a florist onboard who does flower arrangements by order.

 

Guests should contact the Guest Relations Desk or their stateroom/suite attendant to order flowers.

 

Fresh cut flowers can be brought onboard our vessels by guests in all U.S. ports (not necessarily in all foreign ports).

Thanks! I had no idea you could order flowers once on board. :)

So, if I bring my old Celebrity vase I can send it out to be filled with flowers?? I would like that!

I may be overly sensitive but my experience with aft cabins is that I can feel the vibration from the engine room or the propellers, or whatever it is and it drives me crazy....and it doesn't seem to get much better on higher floors. Just being in the aft of the ship, as in the dining rooms and buffet, I can feel it and it jars my bones and head...I can take it in small doses, but trying to sleep is torture. I prefer forward, close to the elevators....no vibrations there at all! :)

Thank you so much for the suggestions! Now I have to decide what will work best for us. :)

We were on an excursion once when the van had a flat tire miles from the ship, being on a ship sponsored excursion was a comfort as we waited for another van to show up.

I'd say a good plan might be to go private on your SECOND visit to a port.

We have also had a couple of issues on private excursions and they have quickly fixed and/or sent a new vehicle to pick us up....one time it was a boat in Grand Cayman. If you stick with reputable companies they have a very vested interest in maintaining their 5 star ratings!! No one wants to piss off a Cruise Critic member!! :D

Once we get to Florida, we have one mandatory stop before getting on the ship. Wine and roses. Well, any kind of flowers actually. I found the Publix supermarket carries a good variety of both, and I buy a nice bouquet for $14.99 that lasts all the way across the pond. Never a problem getting a large vase from our steward.

I don't see how we will have the opportunity to stop and get flowers before the cruise....we get in so late and we will be in a van with many people going from FLL to Miami. :(

I had my old Celebrity vase tucked away, the one that looked like 5 test tubes lined up in a row, and I really wanted to use it. I guess I will figure something out. I wonder if I can bring flowers on the plane with me???:confused: