Lynnwood

Thanks for your comments, i think we will give this a miss.

Many Thanks

Hi, we are sailing on the Navigator in May and considering making a booking at “Sabor Modern Mexican”, the website tells me that it is a Mexican restaurant but past threads have indicated that it changes to Asian when sailing from the UK! Does anyone know if that will be the case in 2018? Also would the drinks package be valid? Many Thanks

SUCCESS!!!!!! RCCL have responded very quickly to my complaint and have set in motion the refund of excess payments!

Many thanks to them for acknowledging a mistake and Many Many more thanks to the members of this board for advice and the relevant documentation which allowed a condensed and precise submission of my complaint. Hopefully future UK cruisers this summer will be charged the agreed upgrade rate. Bon Voyage and have a fabulous cruise.

Good for you.

 

I have had quick and good responses by emailing the MD in the UK directly at sleven@rccl.com (Stuart Leven). He didn't respond but one of his team did.

 

 

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Many Thanks!

Based on the information supplied by your good-selves, complaint fired off to RCCL. Lets see what returns?

There would only be VAT on the upgrade if your ex UK cruise didn't visit a non EU port (typically, Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Norway, Canary Islands).

 

If you did stop outside the EU at some point in your cruise then the upgrade price should have been $11.80.

 

 

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We called in Gibraltar during the cruise. This could be a way forward to put to RCCL? Thanks once again. Does anyone have a contact email for the complaints department,I prefer to complain in writing.

just off harmony and was charged the $11.80 to upgrade to DX. could still have the select pkge as given. They did not charge my seapass until out at sea so didnt pay the port tax. If add on land in UK then vat will be charged so wait till on ship to upgrade.

Thanks for this, With the harmony not sailing out of the UK, British VAT would not be applied perhaps?. We upgraded on the ship but must admit we were still docked? we have upgraded on previous cruises whilst in dock with no vat added. So folks wait until your out of the 12 mile limit and then upgrade - it may or may not make a difference.

I thought they had increased the upgrade cost by $3.20 per day?

 

 

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The emails i have seen suggest that they charge VAT on the $11.80(grats inc) in the UK, which returns a figure of $14.16

We looked into this for our Oasis cruise this Feb/Mar as we booked with the Select package and wanted the upgrade price confirmed. They did so in an email (which I've now deleted) but I also took this screenshot of replies to Twitter posts that Royal gave where they confirmed the upgrade price. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

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Thanks for this. It appears from the emails that people have received that RCCL can justify a cost of $14.16 which they have chosen to round up to $15 per day. I know I should pursue this as a matter of principle but I do not have the drive to chase the 84 cents per day or $14 for my cruise. I thank one and all for the information provided and advise all future cruisers to go prepared.

I remember seeing this document or very similar before and is very useful. I would like to copy this and use it as an example in my complaint to RCCL - may I have your permission to do so,obviously i would not refer to your post specifically. Many thanks for this

Having read the email again and noticed that they have included VAT into the calculation,which still only adds up to $14.16 which it appears has been rounded up to $15. so this is the smoke and mirrors that RCCL are using . Lesson learnt with RCCL - read everything very carefully and then treat it with caution.

I got an email from them last September with a .pdf attachment that said the following:

 

Dear ANDREW

Your booking reference: xxxxxxx

We wanted to give you an update on your Select Beverage Package for your upcoming cruise.

We have recently refined our beverage package offerings, and no longer offer this specific package.

No need to worry! We will still honour your Select Beverage Package while you’re onboard. You’ll

enjoy the same selection of complimentary beverages you were promised at time of purchase:

• Beers

• Wines by the glass

• Non-alcoholic cocktails

• Juices

• Fountain soda with free Coca-Cola® souvenir cup

You also have the option to upgrade once onboard to the new Deluxe Package for an additional $10 per day + gratuity + VAT where applicable*. Just visit one of the beverage sales stations located throughout the ship or simply ask your friendly bar staff.

 

I intend to take a copy of this with me to Miami in November! I personally don't intend to upgrade, but my partner will want to I suspect. I also want this as proof that we actually have the select package in the first place !

I remember seeing this document or very similar before and is very useful. I would like to copy this and use it as an example in my complaint to RCCL - may I have your permission to do so,obviously i would not refer to your post specifically. Many thanks for this

Seems a bit of a cheek to have to pay anything to "upgrade" your drinks package when they no longer provide the one that you'd bought in the first place.

 

I would be writing to Royal UK office customer services. If it was widely reported on here that multiple people were told of the $11.80 price, then I would use that as ammunition.

 

I hope you enjoyed your cruise though, all the same?

 

Could you confirm if they had the increased bar prices in place, including the pre-loaded gratuities, and also whether the maximum drink price had been appropriately increased if so? Thanks!

I don`t think that the prices have increased significantly overall but they now display the final cost inc the gratuities and yes we had a great cruise. Still a fantastic ship although looking a little tired in some of the well used areas. I`m sure you will have a great cruise!

You don't have to pay to upgrade. They will still honour the select package on board.

 

Drink price limits vary between ships and are $12 or $13 depending on the ship and do cover most drinks.

Your right of course,but if you like cocktails and the better wines and spirits you will need to upgrade. Most beer and the cheaper wines are included in the Select package. We found most cocktails to be in the $11 to $14 range. They are now displaying the final price inc gratuities on the bar lists.

This is why I suggested to another poster to have something in writing with regard to the $10 per day upgrade offer. Royal has a way of "accidentally forgetting" verbal offers. It's happened to us before.

Your absolutely right.I wish I had copied the written responses from this board.

Thanks for the update. Can you tell me how much the deluxe drinks package is to buy on board?

Sorry dont have that info to hand,but i`m sure someone will respond with it soon.

Thanks for the update. Can you tell me how much the deluxe drinks package is to buy on board?

Sorry dont know the new price ,but i`m sure someone else will provide the info soon.

Hi Everyone, just back off the Independance I.O.S. for your information - RCCL have gone back on there assurance to charge $11.80(inc grats) to upgrade from the included select drinks package to the new package! They insist on charging $15(inc grats) per day now! I challenged the Bar managers who contacted the shore based team but they insisted that this was the rate and would not stand by their assurance of last year. So please be aware of this. I don`t know if this is a world wide rate which is being applied or not, but they did indicate that for the UK sailings upgrade the cost would be $11.80 until the select package bookings ran out. Hope you have better luck than I did. I will try to write a review in a few days. Bon Voyage to imminent cruisers!

We are cruising on the silhouette on June 19. Stockholm to Amsterdam. How was the weather on your cruise? Was it cool in the morning and hopefully warmer by midday. Any suggestions for what to pack? Thanks

Hi VEGASZIP,Sorry for delay in reply. We were very lucky with the weather. First couple of days were dull and with drizzle in the mornings but better in the afternoons. The sun came out for the rest of the trip 24C most days, Cool breeze on the water, light jackets carried but rareley used except on the top of the Hoho`s. Hope this helps, have a great trip. I`m sure you will enjoy the itinery.

Hi Kevinyorke. We looked for you in the Martini bar a couple of times but did not sufficiently recognise you sufficiently to approach! We agree with about "Chic" nights although at our sitting in the MDR (deck 4) we thought it was slightly higher than 10% What we did really find interesting was the fact that on night 2 the figure significantly improved. Perhaps people were holding back on night 1 to see what others were doing?. Despite the "Outbreak" we had a really good cruise and sincerely hope that you and your husband did also.:)

Thanks for your review Lynn, gives us some good ideas on transport. $10 for a shuttle to Blankenburg is a bit steep when you get get a tram ticket for about 3e!

 

I'm guessing the nationality split will be something like 40% British, 60% made up of US / Aus / Can passengers. That being the case, did you attend any quizzes on board? and were the questions just general knowledge and geared more towards North Americans rather than UK/AUS passengers.

 

(The reason for asking is that last year on Princess we had the same passenger split and the Ents team weren't allowed to ask questions on TV, pop music or culture because of the friction it allegedly creates between nationalities :eek:)

Hi Tom,We did not attend quizes as such but we were often in the Sky lounge in the mornings when they held the progressive quiz. The passenger make up is difficult to quantify but i think that the brits were the dominant group on this cruise with the remainder being made up from North America.There were also a good percentage from the orient. There was a definate leaning towards North America but I think this is because the staff hosting the event hails from Canada as do a lot of the crew. However I do recollect instances of british tv /music questions etc. A tip though is that the Host is a big fan of the series "Mash"

Thanks for the review. Sorry you dealt with the noro issue on board. By the way, the currency in Finland is the Euro - that's why it was so easily accepted :)

Yes your right! My comment regarding the euro was general across the cruise,i should have seperated it out from the itinery.

Submitted this on the review pages,but i thought I would post on the main pages as well.

Celebrity Eclipse Baltic Cruise 22nd May 2016

Just back from this cruise and thought that others who are about to follow may find this of use.

We are a mature couple in our late 60`s and have cruised on 14 occasions previously.

We booked with Celebrity to try the “5 star experience” that fellow cruisers had commented upon during the many conversations we have had over the years. Overall we feel that the ship was generally in line with Royal Caribbean and Princess and P&O etc. Most of the ships we have sailed on are better in some areas than others. Some have better food, some have better entertainment, and some have cheaper on board prices! But if you take a median line they are generally all pretty good.

The one thing we did find better on Celebrity, was the staff and by that I mean consistently throughout the ship. We did not find any member of the crew who did not make you feel welcome at all times. The ship itself is very stable, well maintained, well equipped with plenty of sunbeds and comfortable seating areas on deck.

Despite this the ship had a problem with the dreaded Norovirus. Best described by a fellow cruise critic member to the forum, Kevinyorke who wrote in his post?

“We are currently on Eclipse now, the cruise before yours. The ship is in Code Red for Norovirus. Started about day 3 with additional instructions on hygiene etc then 2 days ago went into code red. Buffet food has to be served to you over the counters, buffet counters are fenced off with cling film to stop any passengers accessing food themselves drinks stations in the buffet are manned by staff, reduced offerings in the buffets to make serving easier, No menus, no salt and pepper pots, all soft furnishings have been taken away from the cabins for deep cleaning, all books in the library have been taken away, kettles and tea/coffee in the cabins has been removed for cleaning. Our wine waitress disappeared 2 days ago so may be ill, seen two instances of passengers being ill around the ship and 'ghost buster' teams being brought in for clean-up. We've been unofficially told it will remain in code red until the end of our cruise. Would not surprise me if they did a deep clean on turnaround day. I've often heard that the cruise after a code red cruise is one of the safest due to the extra cleaning so hope it doesn't affect you all on your cruise.”

That was a down side of the cruise. Because of this outbreak and extra workload placed on the crew, the buffet was rather limited and consequently it would be very unfair to comment on the standard and variety of food offered. I can say however that the standard experienced on the first 3 or 4 days was really good.

Staying on the subject of dining, the main restaurants were fabulous as are most ships; the included food experience is first rate with a good variety of menu and choices. There are plenty of choices to have an “occasion night” in the specialty venues, should you wish to pay an additional charge. We decided to use the select dining (any time) in order to eat at a time of our choosing, mainly because of the intensity of the port days.

The entertainment was not that good. The main shows of which there were 3 were well performed by the team within the limitations of the production. The shows were somewhat lacking in substance, storylines and very much underutilised the talents of the singers and dancers. To be blunt they were quite poor in comparison to other productions we have seen. We had many occasions to see the very same entertainment team throughout the cruise who displayed their talents better than the production shows.

The headliner shows were ok; but unfortunately for us we had seen most of them on previous cruises.

The Bar and lounges are plentiful and are well appointed, some with soft comfortable leather seating. Live entertainment is provided in most of the larger bars during the evenings. Again most of the bar entertainment was average with the exception of “Solitaire” who stood out amongst the crowd. Let’s break the cruise down into specific areas:

Embarkation:-

Not very good at all, but this was not the fault of celebrity I believe. The port was very busy on sail date with 4 large ships including the first commercial sailing of the Harmony which had occupied the city terminal, pushing celebrity out to the Ocean terminal. This appears to have taken precedence by AB parking who did not have sufficient drivers and staff to undertake the valet parking system. Resulting in our usual 45 to 60 min embarkation, to a hot and uncomfortable 2hrs 15 mins and we arrived at 11:00 so what occurred later I dread to think.

Stateroom:-

We had an obstructed view balcony on deck six which was ready and available as soon as we boarded. The cabins are well appointed and of a good standard. The obstructed view was not a problem at all as the offending obstruction were the lifeboat roofs which only came up to the level of the balcony floor.

Our Stateroom staff was very good as I previously stated all staff were excellent. The bathrooms are well appointed and of a modern design with plenty of space and a full shower.

Food:-

I think I adequately covered this above.

Itinery:-

Zeebrugge –

Complimentary port shuttle provided by the port, to get you to the gates where you could get a tram up and down the coast or go into Bruges. You could also use a shuttle bus to Blankenberge.10 Euros each from a booth on the dockside. Plenty of excursions provided by the ship should you wish. We stayed on board today to explore whilst the ship was quiet.

Tonight was “Chic Night”. We always like our formal nights on board ship. In our estimation we observed approx 20% of people that felt the same way. Most of those who chose differently were smartly dressed with jackets and evening dresses. The first of the production shows – “Topper”

Warnemunde –

You can easily walk into the town from the ship or take a boat trip from nearby. It is approximately 1 Kilometre each way. Again plenty of excursions available, including one to Berlin. It’s a long day though, with a 3 hour coach ride each way.

Tallinn:-

Shuttles are available, provided by celebrity, at a cost of $10 or 8 Euros. There is also a Hoho bus nearby the berths. The Hoho cost is 19 Euros with a 3 Euro reduction for children and the over 65`s.

St Petersburg:-

This is a wonderful place, with plenty to see and do. Going ashore can be a little daunting with strict passport controls and day visa issued. You need an excursion ticket to be allowed ashore. believe you can arrange a visa but this is a protracted affair and rather costly. We did a Panoramic tour of the city taking in most of the sights. Attended the ballet in the evening, at the Hermitage theatre to see a production of Swan Lake. A word of warning- the theatre is very small. I estimate that there is approx 350-400 seats. We had 5 coachloads going from the ship. I don’t believe there were any places available to purchase whilst on board. Great experience, where better to experience this than in the cultural capital of this art form? The 2nd day we saw the city by boat.

Helsinki:-

Shuttles are available at the cost of $12 or 10 Euros return into the city. We walked down the main street towards to harbour. Good day ashore. Hoho bus available in town 31 Euros. As with all of the ports we managed to use Euros but you should have a good amount of small bills and coins as they do not give change in anything other than local currency.

Stockholm:-

Again a Hoho bus is available right outside the ship. This is very busy and you would be advised to buy your tickets on board $39 adult $19 for children. Stockholm is a very striking city with plenty to see. Some cruise lines stay over here for two days and you can easily see why!

Copenhagen:-

Shuttle bus available at $18 and of course the Hoho bus again right outside the ship. Sorry forgotten the cost and cannot find the ticket! But it was in line with other port costs. Also if you are a fan of this method of transport, keep your tickets and present them at the next port Hoho. If it’s the same company you will receive a 10% reduction.

As you can see I have purposefully kept my port comments limited in order that you can find out for yourself how rich in architecture culture and history this region holds. Be aware that Scandinavia is a very expensive area so be wary of pushing the boat out without checking the prices first!

The second “Chic Night” was on the first Sea day after the last port. The numbers taking part raised to approximately 40% I think they must have been waiting to see how people were dressed on the first one!

Disembarkation went very smoothly and we were soon on our way home and thinking about our next cruise.

Despite my negativity on some points, we really enjoyed this cruise and it was understandable that the food was limited in order to deal with the outbreak and we truly believe that under normal circumstance our only direct criticism would be that of the entertainment. This is my first review and I apologise for the length and for any grammatical errors that may have crept in. The details are to the best of my recollection.

So it is!. Many Thanks

It took several weeks for mine to show up after I booked.

Hi, I too have never seen any mention of the drinks package in the cruise planner. Does anybody know where to find it on your booking page? i dont doubt it will be on our cruisepass when we board but it would be reassuring to see it on the website.

Many Thanks