FranciscoFamily

Were masks required onboard?  If so, in what areas?  Do you know if they sailed "full" or with reduced capacity?  Did it seem crowded anywhere?

On 8/7/2021 at 8:00 AM, ChipLondon said:

anybody booking VV will receive a lot of information,  it is important to read the messages/emails and understand the ability to book restaurants and shows before you even board the ship. Arrange your own schedule around activities and shows.

 

When does one receive this information?  I've booked and all I've received is a "you are booked" email.  Nothing more.  My cruise is in October.

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

With the new procedure of getting your room keys outside the door of your room and being able to offload your carry-ons, as soon as you board (way before the 1:30 rooms ready announcement), 

Is this available on the Eclipse?

7 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

The Aqua Spa Cafe is another embarkation day option. 

 

Is this a free place or is there a fee?

I am saddened by all the food that is NOT included onboard.  I am used to Disney and there is free food everywhere!

13 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Sushi can be a nice relaxing venue to start your vacation. As it has an a la carte menu it can be good and not expensive if you only want a light lunch...

 

The poolside grill area can be great if you want to board and immediately enjoy the sun.

 

 

We are on Eclipse.

There is a charge for sushi I guess?

No charge for poolside grill?

What are the hours on these places(not on embarkation day, just in general)

This may be a silly question but I was just reading about how suite passengers have a lunch on embarkation day and it made me wonder....the rest of us, non suite not elite just regular cruisers....there is lunch provided for us as well, right?  Is it the buffet or are there other choices as well?

I've seen people talking about the Celebrity App which I think lists onboard activities?  Not sure what exactly it does.  But I also thought I read that you don't use the App on the Eclipse.  Is this correct?

7 hours ago, SHIP TRAVELER said:

There is an "S" class spread sheet in a sticky post at the top of the Celebrity forum.  It can be searched for cabin reviews.

 

Follow up to an earlier reply on this thread.  We are on your cruise and did change from an inside to a veranda on the recent

price drop.  We were able to pick a nice cabin by up grading instead of making a move up bid.  That said we also put in

weak move up bids for a family ocean view and a sky suite.  We will most likely remain in our veranda.

Hope to meet you at the "connections" event on the cruise.

Phyllis

We also just upgraded to a verandah which is why I was wondering about the stateroom reviews.

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Here you go:

 

Click here to Access the Spreadsheet.

Thank you!

I thought there was a link somewhere on here to a spreadsheet with cabin reviews by cabin # and ship but I cannot find it.  Does such a thing exist?

6 minutes ago, jelayne said:

When you clicked on Manage Reservation and started to scrolled down past Flights By. Celebrity, Cruise  Planner, Shore Excursion, etc I forgot to tell you to click on the Delivery OnBoard link  OBC is one of the options in that category.  I apologize for omitting that info, rather than easing you stress seems I made it worse.

I see it!  Yay!

42 minutes ago, jelayne said:

if you go to your reservation and click on Manage Reservation then scroll down to Bin Voyage Gifts then as a selection in there you will find  the link to purchase OBC.

 :( Sadly I cannot find this either.  I click on manage reservation but there doesn't appear to be a bon voyage gifts choice.  Thanks for trying to help though, I thought we had a winner!

Thank you all for the replies but I was hoping to avoid emailing or calling the TA or celebrity.  I had hoped it was as easy as a few clicks on the website.  I assume from all your replies that that is not the case and I will need to contact my Travel agent.

I did look for an option to add to my onboard account like to purchase on board credit and did not see that as a choice.

I have to say that I find the website sorely lacking as far as the options for an existing reservation.  It is very difficult to accomplish what you set out to do.

We've got a cruise booked and I was hoping to go online and prepay my tips but I don't see a choice anywhere online.  How can I accomplish this?

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

We never book cabins directly under an active deck area. 3116 is directly under Celebrity Central and the Entertainment Court, so noise might be a consideration. The other negative is that the view from deck 3 is quite limited compared to higher decks. Personally, I'd go for the move up bid as I think you have a pretty good chance of getting a better cabin.

Thank you for that info!  I had not even heard of celebrity Central and the entertainment Court before your post.  

3 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

 The other upside is that the lower you go, the less motion if that matters to you.

Is the veranda a GTY?

We have done a lot of cruising(on other lines) in the carribean and never been bothered by motion don't know if it is different on the California Coast

No, it's a move up bid.  Not sure if we want to do it or if it will be accepted even.  Just looking for pros and cons.  thanks so much for the help!  

1 minute ago, Fouremco said:

Could you give us a bit more detail, such as the prices for these two options, which ship and what itinerary. These factors certainly influence any recommendations.

I did mention that it was on the Eclipse.

It's a Pacific Coast Cruise-9 nights

$200 more for the veranda

I am not really worried about the cost, I guess just wondering how an oceanview on deck 3 would compare to a veranda anywhere else.  Is there an upside to deck 3?  A downside to deck 3?  Any reason we might not want a veranda in an unknown location?

Which location or room do you think is better and why:

Ocean View Stateroom on Deck 3-3116

Veranda Stateroom-unknown deck or location.

Thanks for your help!  Have never cruised Celebrity before so I am clueless!

8 hours ago, late2cruisin said:

Just to clarify- room service drinks (including soda or bottled water) are not covered under any package. You can get a can or bottle from any bar and bring it back to your room to keep in the fridge. The bottled water that is covered under the Classic package is a generic brand (not Evian, Perrier type brands) unless you have the Premium package. Smoothies are not covered under the Classic package. Frozen cocktails are covered. All the espresso-based coffee drinks are covered except the ones with alcohol (some people have reported success getting these on some ships, but don't count on it.) You can have all the usual  ( latte, cappuccino, mocha, caramel macchiato ).  If the wine or cocktail you want is over the $9 price limit, you pay the overage plus gratuity (so a $10 drink would cost you $1.20 extra.)

Thank you!  This is very helpful info!

6 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

Yes on lunch.  There is a list of no-extra charge venues and they include main dining room, Oceanview Cafe (buffet), pool grill, and Cafe Al Baccio.  I am probably leaving some out.

 

Here is summary of Classic Drink Package:

 

Overview

Reserve our Classic beverage package before you sail, so you can start relaxing a little early. Pay one set price for a select variety of drinks, which include your favorite cocktails, frozen drinks, wines by the glass, delicious coffees and teas, as well as unlimited sodas and bottled water. When you purchase bottles of wine on board, you’ll receive a 15% discount. Plan now, so that when you come aboard, you can start enjoying your vacation immediately.

 

VODKA: Absolut and Flavors, New Amsterdam, Smirnoff, Tito’s

GIN: Beefeater, Bombay Dry, Gordon’s

TEQUILA: Cazadores Blanco, Don Julio Blanco, Herradura Blanco

WHISKEY (BOURBON, CANADIAN, IRISH, AND SCOTCH): Canadian Club, Dewar’s White Label, Famous Grouse, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker Red, Monkey Shoulder, Seagram’s 7, Seagram’s VO

COCKTAILS: A large selection of classic cocktails made with Classic Beverage Package spirits

RUM: Bacardi & Flavors, Bacardi Oakheart, Captain Morgan's, Kraken Black Spiced, Malibu, Myer’s, Wray & Nephew

LIQUEURS & COGNACS: Campari, Galliano, Goldschlager, Hennessy VS, Kahlua, Kirsch, Licor 43, Novo Fogo Cachacas Ouzo, Romana Sambuca, Southern Comfort, Tia Maria

BEERS: Alaska Brewing (Alaska Sailngs), Amstel Light, Boddington’s, Coors Light, Corona Light, Corona, Franziskaner, Kirin, Kirin Light, Miller Lite, Moretti, Newcastle Brown Ale, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Stripe, Sam Adams, Strongbow hard ciders

WINES: A large selection of wines from around the world, such as chardonnays from California, merlots from Washington, malbecs from Argentina, and riojas from Spain

NON-ALCOHOLIC: Nonpremium bottle water, Premium coffees, Juices, Sodas, Premium teas

Thank you for this, I have read it before but some things are still not clear to me as I have never had a drink package before....I do not know what is meant by "premium coffee", is that the fancy coffee drinks my husband gets at starbucks?  Lattes and frapacinos and such?  I do not drink them but he enjoys them so I wondered if that is what was meant by premium coffee.  Also, I see the brands of liquor listed but I specifically was interested in whether frozen drinks, mixed drinks, the typical "drink of the day" type drinks I have purchased on other cruise ships, wondered if they were included.  Also didn't know if the soda was canned or fountain and whether or not you could get it from room service.  Other lines we have been on have had different rules.  None of this is super important and could be figured out within the first day or two onboard but I just thought I would ask.  Thanks so much!

Also, are some of those food venues for snacks?  Or a quick bite to eat poolside?  I have checked the website but could not find info on what that type of thing.  What about a late night snack?  Is there somewhere to get some thing at say 10pm?  I know there is roomservice.

8 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

The MDR meals are included in your cruise fare.  It is open for breakfast and dinner, and open for lunch on sea days.  You can also dine at the Aqua Spa Cafe (breakfast and lunch) and in the buffet.  The offerings at the Cafe al Bacio are also no additional fee.

Is the aqua spa cafe not just for aqua class people?  What type of fare is served there and at Cafe al bacio?

Again, thank you!

1. on embarkation day, is lunch provided on board?

2. if we have main dining, I believe we are eating around 6pm....evening show is at 9...what do you do between dinner and show?  Are there evening parties/comedians/adult entertainment in the bars after the evening show?

3. How many pools are there?  Are there hot tubs?

4.Where can we eat for free?  We have an ocean view cabin, not planning any specialty dining this first trip.  I know there is a main dining room and a buffet....what else is available?

5. We have main dining, will we be seated with other folks ?  And will it be the same folks every night?  What about servers?  Same servers every night?

6. What else do I need to know for my first Celebrity cruise, we have cruised many many times on Disney and have done a few RCCL and one Carnival.

7. We have the classic drink package....can we get specialty coffees?  I mean like lattes and such.  What about smoothies?  What about frozen drinks?  We are not huge drinkers but would like to know what's included so we can take advantage.  I've seen a lot of thread about this but they all seem to relate to upgrading to premium or paying extra...I'm just wondering what's covered on the package we have.  I assume all sodas are covered?  Even from room service?  What about regular bottled water?

Thanks so much for all you can tell me, I appreciate it!

I did search but so many many threads are revolving around either Edge or concierge/suite or other specialty passengers so I haven't been too successful.

5 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

Then it’s Los Angeles International Airport?   Allow plenty of time to get there because it’s a very busy airport.   And  during commute time of day, the freeways get clogged with traffic.

we are not flying anywhere on the the day we disembark.

7 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

Are you walking off with your luggage?

We were not planning to, we were wondering what time we would get off just doing things normally.

7 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

John Wayne.

I don't know what that means-if it's an airport, it's not our destination, we are not flying out the day we disembark.  

1 hour ago, Bruin Steve said:

I cruise in and out of LA quite a bit...because I live in the area.  Of course, most of the time, I leave a car at the port...But, last month, we did a one-way cruise down from Vancouver, so we had to provide for transportation out...As always, disembarkation was fairly easy--this time easier than most since we went through US Customs in Vancouver, so no line getting off the ship...Usually, count on an extra 15-20 minutes making it through...

 

Normally, they seem to start disembarking around 7:30ish...and continue through 9:00-9:30...You can at least influence which disembarkation assignment you get...but, for us, most of the time, we leave our cabin and go have a leisurely breakfast in the MDR since, like you, we're not catching a plane at LAX...So, last month, we finished breakfast around 8:30-8:45 and walked off the ship...

 

We used Uber--and had a driver there to pick us up within 10 minutes of calling.  One good thing with using Uber is that we didn't have to pre-arrange a time...Just go to the app and plug in our desired destination...and, yes, a quick 10 minutes and they were there to pick us up...And much less expensive and easier to deal with than any limo service we've used...But, if you were going to pre-arrange a limo service, I'd aim for 9:00 or so--should be easy to meet that...just make sure you get off the ship at around 8:30.  Of course, the limo and shuttle services are all aware that exact time is impossible as there are often unforeseen hang-ups...most will account for it--though, the problem with some limos is they will charge you "waiting time" if you're late...As I said, Uber is better...

Thank you!  This is exactly the info I was looking for!

We are not flying out that day.

Just wondering what time to arrange for car service pickup

Trying to pre-book my car service for pickup after a cruise and have never cruised Celebrity before or cruised into Los Angeles before.  Can anybody give me an idea what time we will likely be disembarking?  It lists our arrival as 6am but I am sure it takes a while to disembark.

Thanks for the help!