lovescarborough

6 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

 

 

Transferring the booking should also let you claim whatever OBC they're offering for the displacement, too.

We were bumped for a charter two years ago and got the measly sum of $200 OBC (per cabin). We ended up taking the same itinerary at different dates, missing a special celebration, and although Celebrity honoured the price we were paying the cruise we took was originally cheaper than the one we booked. I agree with everyone here that this is a poor practice but at least you got plenty of notice. I have seen some cruises cancelled where people have already  booked air fare.

We found that the only speciality restaurant likely to get fully booked is Murano so we always make our reservations as soon as we get onboard having already bought our dining package via the website. There are often discounts for the first night, even in Murano, but often the other restaurants are the only ones likely to have discounts later in the cruise. We like Blu for its atmosphere and service is not as rushed as in the MDR but we do like a change to Murano and Lawn Club. We're not keen on Tuscan or Petit Chef. Our next Reflection cruise is in Aqua for 10 nights and I've booked a three night package. I'm sure you will enjoy this cruise. Reflection is my favourite ship ! 

I'm sorry to say that I feel exactly the same. The questions being asked are in the main a concern for many others, judging by the comments. The answers are so brief and often quite dismissive that I feel it has been an opportunity wasted. Maybe the sheer number of questions posed and the very short time frame for answers i.e.today has contributed to this. I personally feel that many companies ask for feedback but regrettably few take it onboard ( pardon the pun ! ) 

23 hours ago, zeberdee said:

Hi,

could anyone tell me if they have UK style sockets in the cabins?

I would like to take my hairdryer but it will only work on 230v  3 pin.

Many thanks 

I always take my own hairdryer and the European adaptor works fine. My GHD styler will work on the US outlet as will ipad and phone chargers so I bring a US adaptor too. 

This is so disappointing!

Have been following the questions since this thread was launched and really thought we would have some communication by now. 

I didn't see any flavoured gins on Reflection in January. I don't think they are as popular in the US as they are at home. The same goes for tonic waters which are just basic standard brands. 

On 7/14/2019 at 6:32 AM, chemmo said:

We always take paper proof of all aspects of our cruise. Sometimes we don’t need it but on other occasions it has been useful. 

 

For example, we have boarded and not had OBC applied. Not there on boarding, customer services assured us it would be posted in the first few days. Day three when we returned to the desk they said they had bo record of it. We were able to show them our invoice and an email that referred to the OBC...

 

We also print out details of any prebooked meals, excursions etc. Whilst this may seem ‘over the top’ they can be useful occasionally. For example, we have boarded and had a morning tour swapped to an afternoon and been able to show the excursions desk that we specifically booked the morning...

 

We cruise with our express pass, passport to hand but a plastic wallet with about another 6/10 sheets in it ‘just in case’. Takes next to no room and much better than having to start a cruise with an issue.

Totally agree with you on taking copies especially of the original booking. On our last cruise our drinks package had not been applied onboard. Guest relations called Miami and they didn't seem to have any knowledge of it but luckily we had proof and they accepted it. Also we were asked to show a copy of our ESTA at check in. I have no idea why as we wouldn't have been allowed into the country without it but as it's electronic there should be no need to carry a copy. Again I had it with me 'just in case'  but I still don't know if this is a new requirement as we've never been asked for it before. 

4 hours ago, jimzgoldfinch said:

Just found out that British Airways will cease flying into FLL from LGW in Sept 2019. Therefore there will be no direct flights from London to FLL. (Norwegian will be flying to Miami as well).

An alternative flight from Heathrow to Miami has similar timings BUT the cost of the outbound flight has increased dramatically. Fortunately, later flights by BA & AA have not changed (yet?). I'm due to fly out in Jan 2020 so I suspect a lot of people will have to rebook!

Wow that's really poor service from BA to allow customers to book then cancel the route ! I looked at booking this route for Jan 2020 as we're really sick of Miami queues at immigration but decided against it as the return flights didn't work for us staying on for a day after the cruise. We booked Virgin instead. Surely if you booked BA they should have some obligation to sell you a replacement flight to Miami at the price available when you originally booked ? I would certainly kick up a fuss and maybe get one of our TV consumer programmes involved. 

3 hours ago, yorky said:

On the whole Brits don’t like tipping, people will say that’s a generalisation but that our experience over 25 years of cruising. That’s why cruise lines that mostly cater for Brits now auto include tips in the cruise price.

I believe there are some countries where tipping is even considered to be insulting ( Japan for example) . 

There is sometimes  a one off lunch available with a smaller menu than the evening dinner menu but otherwise the speciality restaurants are only open in the evenings. 

It's 5 years since we sailed on Serenade. We usually sail Celebrity but we went for the itinerary on this one. It may be better now if it has had a refit but we found it quite poor. The cabin was tatty and the bed really uncomfortable. Also we couldn't even get our suitcase to fit under the bed and it has been fine on every Celebrity ship . We weren't impressed with the food either. We did enjoy the Diamond Lounge every evening, made new friends and really liked the cosy atmosphere in there. We didn't have a drinks package but never a problem to take drinks from there into the dining room. We definitely prefer Celebrity ships.

It looks as though at least suite guests will be getting new menus in Luminae according to the new partnership with Michelin starred chef Daniel Boulud ( no I have never heard of him either ). Let's hope it then rolls out to other restaurants onboard. 

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I received an email with that new policy going into effect in February. It does not mention restaurants, only lounges and bars having unlimited drinks between 5-7 so I would assume that means not in restaurants. Unless people on recent sailings report otherwise it is probably correct what they you when you called.

 

 

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Elite drinks were not available in any restaurant including MDR on Reflection in January. This was quite clearly stated on the welcome letter. 

5 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Why would you expect a Chevy and a Buick to cost the same?  [Actually, it was when GM started making that happen that they went in the bumper.]  Celebrity should always cost more than Royal, and less than Azamara.  That's the way to protect your brand identities.

We've sailed both Serenade and Reflection. The difference between them is like chalk and cheese. Definitely not in the same league. Reflection is beautiful. Serenade we found was a bit tatty, poor quality bed and we couldn't even get our suitcase underneath. Food was poor and speciality restaurants not that much better. You really do get what you pay for. 

On 2/24/2019 at 10:13 AM, ShonaTay56 said:

Hi Yorky,

We would be looking for a 4 or 5 star hotel and we were looking at the Marina area but are open to suggestions. Price is not really an issue but obviously we don't want to spend £500.00  ($700.00) per night on just a bed. Would rather save the money for the cruise.

First night in the hotel would be a bit of a waste anyway as we fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow and then direct flight to Miami getting in at 18.15 which I believe will be about 23.15 british time.

Thanks

Alan

You also need to bear in mind the long queues at Miami immigration which will add between at least 90 minutes to two hours, then around 45 minutes to get to Fort Lauderdale depending on traffic. We usually find that by the time we get to our hotel , a shower and a quick meal is all we can manage before needing some sleep !  We always use Larrys Limos as they do meet and greet at the airport and there is nothing nicer than having your transport right there when you finally get out. It is easy to book on their website or just by emailing them. We have stayed in several hotels in the beach area but nowadays we just go for the Crowne Plaza at the cruiseport. Rooms are clean, pretty ordinary food and decent buffet breakfast and you can easily book on several UK based websites. Taxi to the port is around $15 and cheaper than the hotel shuttle. We just don't see the point in spending a lot of money on a hotel for that short a time. 

On Reflection a couple of weeks back there was a man on his own with a large labradoodle dog wearing a vest saying it was a service animal ' in training ' . Due to a delay in boarding, there was a large crowd on the gangway and the dog didn't like the sound of hand luggage being dragged along and it kept leaping at the cases. The guy had to keep pulling it away from people including us. Now I am a dog lover but it is still a bit alarming to have a dog diving at you. I personally don't think a dog in training should have been allowed onboard as it isn't a true service animal until it is fully trained. I overheard people asking him what the dog did for him and there were vague answers that he helped get him out of bed ! 

On 1/30/2019 at 9:15 PM, wendychloecruiser said:

It is my recommendation that you only send basic, sturdy items to the wash and fold service.   I sent some T-shirts that when I got them back they just about fit my dachshund...length ways.  I have no idea how they managed to shrink them so badly.  They were completely unwearable.  

I always check washing labels on my stuff before it goes into the suitcase. It's still surprising how many items are not able to be tumble dried or only dried on a low heat. I also found that white underwear came back with yellowed lace so I don't send that any more. Laundry is okay otherwise and of course you can each get two items ironed. 

52 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I read that the Silk Harvest on the Equinox and Solstice will be converted to the Le  Petite Chef at Qsine.

Does anyone know if Murano is staying put ? This is our favourite restaurant for several visits per cruise. 

We met some Zenith cruisers on this cruise and even they had problems at the new Terminal 25. Apparently after using the separate access for Suites and Zenith the check in computer refused to check them in as they weren't in a suite ! They had to be taken to a line at the main check in desks and then back to their own waiting area. Fortunately they saw the funny side ! 

Yes Qsine is on Reflection but it is now Petit Chef menu. We were on Reflection last week. The restaurant was never full and waiters were always around the MDR and Ocean View cafe looking for customers so you should be able to get a discount. Personally the menu doesn't appeal so we didn't go there, 

Lawn club is very casual. I think you can wear what you like in speciality restaurants although most stick to the no shorts rule. We ate there week before last in Caribbean and it was full. One thing you might consider is that it is in the open apart from the pull down screens and can be a little cool in the evenings. 

Just a quick update. Last week on disembarking at Port Everglades from our Caribbean cruise, there were no separate lines for US and others. It was a little disorganised at luggage collection but took no more than 30 minutes to exit. We are UK citizens and there was no fingerprinting just a quick look at passports. Very pleased ! 

We embarked Reflection on Jan 18th from the new Terminal 25. We arrived early, around 11.00 and checked in fairly quickly although there were quite a few people already there. From then on it was a total mess. In this new terminal there is no separate waiting area for Elite /plus as in the old terminal. Suite guests and Zenith take a separate access after security.  Time went on and nobody gave any information on the delay in boarding. By noon the place was getting full and people were standing around as there are not enough seats. Staff were shouting at people to move away from the doors or boarding wouldn't start. To be honest it was like being back at school. Eventually someone came on the PA system and told us the systems onboard were down and all photos would have to be taken again on boarding. They then announced that the order of boarding would be Aqua class followed by Concierge and then Elite plus and Elite ! Now I may be getting this wrong but since when did this change ? Are customers spending a few hundred dollars more for a Aqua or Concierge cabin, maybe only their first cruise, really going to get priority over people who have spent thousands getting to Elite status ?  Apart from this the cruise was wonderful !! 

15 hours ago, jagoffee said:

The newsletter announcing the new policy implied they were testing different options.  On my recent Silhouette Cruise they had unlimited in the Sky Lounge and three drinks loaded on the Sea Pass cards for other bars.  It was good only at the bars and not the restaurants.  

It looks like they have settled on this option.

 

On Reflection last week the CC letter specifically said that the three drinks on the sea pass card could not be used in dining rooms or any restaurants. They were in addition to the unlimited drinks at the Sky Lounge event and only available during the same 5-7pm hours. 

Just off our Reflection cruise yesterday. The waiters from Qsine were the only ones always at the MDR and around the ship offering discounts here. We didn't go as the menu doesn't appeal to us.