NemoCrownie

1 hour ago, cruise47 said:

Are can sodas include in the Classic Drink package ?

Cruisestitch,  who is onboard the Silhouette right now, has been told soda is still included. I hope so.

3 hours ago, LeeW said:

That page comparing packages has been around for a few years now and sodas have always been in the classic package.  If you look at the ordering page in the Cruise Planner, you can clearly see that soda is part of the package.  My guess is that when they set up the spreadsheet that compares packages they ran out of room to mention soda and haven't bothered to fix it.  

No, this is the new one, effective 12/1 which shows Tito's, a number of beers, etc. that were previously available on the Classic now listed under the Premium. The Classic pkg for my upcoming cruise showed Soda but the revised page is showing soda only on the Premium, hence my question.

13 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

I have just spoken to two members of the food and beverage management team on silhouette. They are aware that the word “soda” was inadvertently left off of the list of classic beverages . However, soda is definitely included in the classic package. They have requested that the package information be re-printed with sodas included for clarification. 

Thank you so much for your sleuthing! Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

Can anyone currently onboard a ship with the new drink package menus confirm whether Coke is still included with the Classic Pkg. or whether it is only available with the Premium Drink Pkg. now? According to the file, it appears that sodas are now only available with the Premium pkg, which makes no sense to me. If this is the case then I need to upgrade while the packages are still on sale.

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Here is the new list.   I just got it from guest relations. I pointed out to them. That soda is no longer specifically listed in the classic alcohol  package. The person on the desk said oh, I can see how that would be confusing. He said that the classic alcohol package includes all the items in the non-alcohol package.   
 

NowI don’t think that’s right either. So I’m going to spend some time tomorrow tracking down the bar management.

 

watch for further updates

Thank you! 

We board Silhouette on 1/2 /24, for the first time in almost 5 years so I will be following along and really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Congrats on the milestone cruise!

One question, it is being reported on another social media site that pop/soda is no longer included with the Classic drink package. Can you find out if this is true or a Celebrity misprint on the newly released included drinks?

Just now, serene56 said:

you would just go through all that security again.  to get off and get back on 

Thank you. That is what we have done in San Juan, Tampa and FLL. Just skip the check-in again but get in line to go through scanners, etc. just like any other port and a little longer, but still easy, process.

Wow, not much notice to make changes for a port that is 5+ hours away from the original port.  I hope people have at least one travel day built into their itinerary. We loved Bologna and Ravenna so this would make me so sad.

I quit reading this thread after about 10 pages but for the first time in years we have nothing booked with Celebrity.  We have spent 49 nights onboard over the last year+ and decided not to book any future cruises starting with our experiences in 2022.  Realize the end of '21 and early '22 were magical with so few passengers but now there is not enough staffing and there have been too many cut backs and changes to warrant paying the current fares. 

The menu was so marginal on the Eclipse in May that the chef was adding fish and chips to the menu on many nights because, like us, too many were ordering an appetizer and declining the main course. Also, we had several of the worst menus repeated in their entirety, Cookies were almost non-existent on three of these cruises and none were ever available in Oceanview. Our poor cabin attendant had 20 rooms (Concierge class) so the room was not clean. It was not his fault, he tried but was overwhelmed.

I don't think we are the cruisers or demographic that Celebrity is after and it became more evident with each sailing. The itineraries are now the same as Royal's and even adding Royal's private islands, and itineraries focused on 7 days or less with a smattering of 9 to 12 day cruises thrown in. They are actively promoting the line to families with small children. The drinks have been watered down, fewer bartenders, and shortened hours for alternative dining options, fewer live music options, higher volume...but even with all of this, it is the food quality and availability along with the overall ship maintenance and cleanliness that have made us explore new, or going back to previously sailed, lines. 

We have a river cruise and several land vacations booked and planned and our next cruises will be on HAL, Princess and Virgin - mostly because of their itineraries and their pricing. We have never been disappointed with Princess or HAL, just a different experience.

We will be sailing on Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the seas out of Cape Canaveral. We will be parking at the port and have an 11:00 check-in time. Can we board the ship, check it out, eat lunch and then get off when the rooms are available to retrieve items from the car?  The real issue is that we will be bringing golf clubs and do not want to leave them with the porters, preferring to bring them on ourselves and not inconveniencing others for several hours with these obnoxiously large bags.  We have been able to board and then get off in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale and San Juan but was told by a friend that it wasn't allowed at Cape Canaveral.  I know it wasn't allowed in Australia but that was made clear in our boarding instructions. Has anyone boarded and then gotten off and returned before all-aboard time? 

If you want to be treated better/differently then you should book a suite and your status (or lack thereof) won't matter. 

I may cruise in a bubble but our experience with Celebrity, as compared to Royal Caribbean, is that we don't hear near as many cruisers flouting their status nor having an expectation of being treated better/different. Maybe it's the drink package, the staff that all goes above and beyond, regardless of tier; I don't know. The experience is worth more than the loss of any benefits.

Thank you! This review has been a ray of sunshine and I am amazed at the details given you didn't make notes.  I am already looking forward to your next review and hope to sail with you someday!

I had read the letter and I agree with you.  We have never chosen to dive with them but it is still sobering.  I still haven't booked any dive excursions for next February because I want to be sure the ships are sailing and, if so, I expect some itinerary changes.  More importantly, though, I am hesitant to reserve and possibly have to pre-pay not knowing whether the dive op will still be in business.

This is all so sad for so many.

This is a fabulous review! We were supposed to be on the cancelled 14 day Silhouette replacement cruise for the cancelled 12 night cruise. We are booked on the Reflection next February and I am having a difficult time getting excited and doing my usual planning.  This review is the perfect anecdote! Thank you.

On 12/23/2019 at 10:39 AM, LMaxwell said:

It has been many years since I've been on Celeb, but many, many sailings with Royal Caribbean.  Just booked a March 2020 trip w Celebrity and looking forward to it but wondering what are some of the small touches and differences that put Celebrity a half step above Royal?  We are Diamond on RCI so will use that for the reciprocity on Celebrity; any info on that would be helpful as well.  

I know you have been fairly vocal about your RCCL experiences over the past couple of years so I 

think you will appreciate the  change. We sailed Royal until several not so stellar (to us) cruises, for a variety of reasons, and decided we were ready for a change. Celebrity checks the boxes for us.

A cruise is a bigger commitment of our vacation time and $'s since, unlike you, we have to fly, book hotels, etc. I have never done the shorter cruises or been on Infinity but, based on our friends experiences on Infinity, I wouldn't judge Celebrity on this one experience. The differences are definitely noticeable on the 7 day or longer cruises. Enjoy the experience and please come back and let us know what you think.

FWIW, loyalty is overrated. After switching to Celebrity we realized that changing things up is quite enjoyable. There are a lot of places RCI doesn't go and cruising on different lines and having new experiences is a lot of fun.

Don't spend your time comparing, just go in with an open mind and enjoy the new experience.

It used to be Dive Fair Helen and our experience was not good. There were about 30 snorkelers and 4 divers on the boat and the snorkelers took over the boat along with the seating in front of the tanks, forcing the divers to suit up,  etc. while standing. This was in 2017 so it's possible that there is a different operator now.

Thank you for doing this review.  Have a wonderful cruise and vacation!

We prefer Celebrity, all things being equal. With these choices, though, I would choose RCI for the itinerary and one more day at sea.

11 minutes ago, SeaPete said:

Since port charges are refundable (I had to cancel a cruise a week before cruising and I was refunded port charges only) can I insure only the trip portion and not the port charges?  I'm asking because to buy cruise insurance under $3000 was a lot cheaper than buying it over $3000. and the port charges pushes the total purchase price to just over 3K.  I just want to make sure I'm insured and not have an issue if I were to need it.  I find insurance and the small print so confusing.

Thanks

 

That is correct. I only insure what is nonrefundable - nonrefundable portion of the cruise fare and air usually.

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Unfortunately, they will not sell these or even tell you about the wine packages on the personalizer.  And, they are supposedly only available for purchase on a 10 night cruise or longer but I've purchased one on a 7 night sailing in the past.  Then again, I've heard of other sailings over 10 nights where they weren't available.  It would be great if they offered them on our personalizers so at least we know for sure if they are available or not on our sailings.  I would gladly save myself all the hassle of doing the heavy lifting and bringing my own if I knew for sure they are going to be available on my cruise.  On my last sailing, I brought some as well as buying a package. 

Attached below is a copy of the wine list from 2018, which seemed to be the same one we had been given in the MDR on our cruise a couple of weeks ago.  

 

I can tell you that the price, with gratuity added for a case (12 bottles) came to just under $400 (approx $396) so, $33 a bottle.  The discount is a bit smaller with the 10 bottle package and smaller yet with the 7 bottle package.  Sorry I can't remember the exact pricing of the smaller packages but think each bottle is a couple bucks more with 10 bottles and a couple bucks more than that with the 7 bottle package.  And, as others have noted, there is only the one package available now.  

 

Also, if you purchased a bottle that was over the limit, let's say $55, you would be charged $55 on your folio, followed by a $45 credit ... so that $33 a bottle, assuming you purchased the 12 bottle package, would now be $43 cost to you. 

 

Lastly, there are different wine lists in the specialty restaurants and Vines than you will see on the attached menu.  With the wine bottle package, you are only allowed to get your wine bottle in one of the dining rooms, including the specialty dining rooms (and Alfredos, if there is one) but not at the buffet, at any of the bars or lounges or at Vines.  That was my experience, anyway.  However, if you are in the one of the places where they offer the bottles of wine from the package, you are always welcome to take a bottle or two, opened or unopened, back to your cabin.  

 

 

 

 

 

Wine-Menu Princess 2018.pdf 604.53 kB · 3 downloads

Perfect and I see acceptable Reds on the list.  We are doing the 15 day Hawaii cruise on the Star and it sounds like there is no way to know if this will be offered, correct?

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

There are no specific wines associated with tbe wine package. You are free to choose any wine on the wine list up to the maximum, which I thknk is $45 per bottle, without incurring any extra charge, or you can choose a more expensive wine and pay the difference ie price less $45.

 

You will get the US wine list on cruises out of Singapore, and the price listed does not include the 18% gratuity. When you buy the wine package you do pay the gratuity on that, I think.

Our first Princess cruise is coming up and this is the first I have heard about the wine package. Do you have information on number of bottles and cost, please? I assumed we would have to bring on (and pay corkage) or pay the full bottle prices. 

I see nothing about this in the cruise planner and I would appreciate more information. If it matters, I prefer Zinfadel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cab, Burgundy's, etc. and we are not connoisseurs by any stretch of the imagination. We can almost always find nice $15 bottles that are in our everyday wheelhouse.

50 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

The reason we joined Cruise Critic, is to be active  and interactive with fellow cruisers on our cruises. Joining Roll Calls and participating in Meet and Greets as well as shore excursions together.  Also dining together, meeting for drinks, meeting before the cruise or after the cruise and share like interests (for us it would be photography and scuba diving). We have written at least 3  photo travelogues  for each of the 3  cruise lines, to share  travel experiences and tips we have picked-up from others along the way. In the process we have made some life long friends.

Which cruise line has the most participation or interaction on Roll Calls which leads to other activities on and off the ship as a result ?

I think it depends on several factors.  I had a 14 night Celebrity cruise cancelled for 1/31/2020 and the roll call has almost 3,000 replies and various activities, besides the routine roll call Meet and Greet and the Sailaway party, were planned; i.e., a Pub/Poker Crawl, Cabin Crawl, Slot Pull and LRC games. The roll call participants included a fair number of cruisers that do 14 night Caribbean itineraries, are active and want to book group tours, along with a desire to meet others. We then booked our first Princess Cruise which is a 15 night to Hawaii.  The Hawaii cruise has a roll call that just hit 100 replies and seems to be made up of Hawaii itinerary "regulars".  My expectation is that the customer base will be older and less adventuress, they already know what they are going to do on the very few port days, etc. and there aren't enough other roll call participants to plan a lot of activities.

I have always been a part of very active roll calls on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity so I suspect the Princess roll call is a one off of the norm but expect that the passenger base will be equally as engaging.

BTW, we are also divers and, with only a few exceptions, have only had a handful of other divers that were also active on a roll call with us.

WooHoo! This makes me very happy!!

Dive skin leggings and a long sleeve rash guard shirt. There are some cute leggings and tops if you Google dive skin leggings. Not necessarily the most fashionable but basically lycra yoga pants. They work, are easy on and off, and take up no room or weight in the luggage. 

Wow! This thread has been quite entertaining! I personally wear flip-flops every night to dinner - a thong on a leather sole with the upper material being patent leather, blingy, metallic, etc.  I don't give a rip what anyone thinks; I have never been turned away and light shoes help keep luggage weight (and size) down for a 15 + day vacation.  Dressing up lost its allure years ago for many reasons, not the least of which was the downgrading of the MDR food, service and the overall ambiance of formal night. I do have to dress for work and attempt to dress appropriately at dinner, even in my flip-flops, but I fail to understand why anyone could consider the MDR to be fine dining and worthy of worrying about what others wear on their feet.  BTW, I suspect many decrying the lack of formality on Chic night are those that view their 25 year old ball gowns and tuxes as being stylish and appropriate.  If my dress and shoes are nice enough for Morton's, McCormick and Schmidt's, Capital Grill, etc., then they are nice enough for Chic night.