puppyluv1

Hi. Does anyone have the email address for the shoreside concierge for Solstice? Thank you!

Just out of curiosity, did you return the bottle of wine?

I ordered by the glass, not a bottle. The wine was actually pretty good, just didn't like that he wasn't upfront that the wine I ordered wasn't available. No biggie, just seemed a bit unprofessional.

On our Dec 2016 cruise on Sillouette I ordered a number of different wines off the menu in Luminae and I was never told it wasn't available.

However! In Tuscan I ordered the Raymond Reserve merlot. We love their reserve cabernet and I thought this would be a good opportunity to try the reserve merlot. When the sommelier brought the wine he began pouring and I glanced at the label so I would remember what it looks like and it was a different wine! It was a reserve merlot but not what I ordered and I guess he didn't think it appropriate to mention that. I have to admit it was a bit of a turnoff. Didn't think the overall experience in Tuscan was great and would be unlikely to try again.

Should also note that everything else on this cruise was fantastic including the beauty of the ship itself.

When the kids were little (many years ago now) we used to buy at least one family photo plus pictures of the kids on each cruise. DH and I simply don't photograph well so now that we cruise without the kids we don't buy the photos anymore given the prices.

Having said that, on our Dec Silhouette cruise we had over $1000 of OBC (most of which was non-refundable) and stayed in a royal suite so there weren't as many things to spend on. We stuck our heads into the Studio to ask a question and ended up sitting for a photo shoot. I have to say the photographer was really talented and there were actually some nice pictures! Very expensive to purchase a flash drive with 7 shots BUT now we have nice pictures commemorating DH's milestone birthday that aren't "cruise pictures". They are black and white pictures that I had printed at CVS, put them in frames I bought from Target and now they sit in our offices and at home. And we get compliments on them :)

I haven't sailed on Princess so this may not be helpful but I recently sailed on Sillouette and I have to say it is the most beautiful ship I have been on and the friendliness and service of the crew was exceptional. The crew is genuinely happy.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm so impressed with how you handled that rough start...fast thinking and a cool head! I would have been a wreck and I'm pretty sure tears would have been involved! Loving your pictures too. Would you mind asking if the Michaels Club concierge will be changing for the Dec 4 cruise?

We have three sky suites booked for an Alaska cruise in September 2017 that we booked before the Two by Sea promo (price under that promo was the same as what we paid). Thanks to this thread I checked the prices and two cabins dropped by $300 and one by $400 with the same perks ($1,000 savings!). Just got off the phone with my TA....he was seeing $300 each ($900 savings) so he is calling Celebrity. Either way I'm happy. Thank you again to CC!

We're in our first RS in early Dec and we already heard from the shoreside concierge about 2 weeks ago. She left a voice message and I called back a couple of days later. She was very nice and asked about our liquor and mini fridge choices, and also asked if we needed any restaurant reservations. I have every confidence all will be as expected when we board!

Reading all these great replies is making me so excited for our Dec cruise! There's something really special about the feeling you get as you approach the ship, and then that glass of bubbly! We like to arrive early so we can have lunch, explore the ship, and get that pesky unpacking out of the way. Then settle in for a relaxing and fun week.

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the ideas. Lots to think about.

Meant non-ship, doesn't have to be just the 2 of us.

Thanks MS411. Just me and DH in this trip.

Wow. Really impressive photos. I wish the photographers on board were as good as you and your husband!😊 We were on solstice two years ago and have booked it again for sept 2017. Your review and photos made me even more excited! We're also in an aft sky suite which is nice on any cruise but we think is even more special on an Alaska cruise because of the awesome views. Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

We're considering this excursion for our upcoming Dec cruise. Would love feedback from anyone who has done it. Thanks!

Can anyone recommend a private excursion in St Thomas / St John. We don't snorkel and many ship excursions are centered around this. Beach or boat oriented excursions would be ok as long as there are shady spots. Appreciate any help my experienced CC friends can offer!

Not a full list, but some things we've used OBC for: spa treatments, specialty dining (including extra tips), excursions, photos, shopping (sweatshirt, t-shirt, etc). If we really have our hearts set on a particular excursion or dining time/day we pre-book and pay. We definitely don't have trouble spending non-refundable OBC! If we have a portion that is refundable we won't force ourselves to spend it and will take a credit to our credit card. I'm sure others will have more ideas.

You may have already done this but when I checked I couldn't see it in "all offers" then I changed to "travel" on my offers (I also have a platinum card) and it showed up. Try changing the view to "travel". Good luck!

Also have the platinum card and had the same situation. Didn't see the offer until I changed to travel offers.

Thanks guys! I just added the offer and just need to call my TA and make the payment. What a great offer.

I have a cruise booked for September 2017. Does this offer mean if I make an additional $500 deposit that I will receive a $150 credit on the following statement (or two)?

We're on the Dec 4th Silouette Caribbean cruise, so no not a holiday cruise.

For our Dec 2016 cruise I tried to reserve an alcove in January and nothing was available. I kept checking and in July they opened up and I booked 2 sea days. Never did this before and I'm really looking forward to relaxing :)

Has anyone taken advantage of the complimentary Champagne High Tea?

Thank you so much AZNatve2000. That's the suite we're looking at!!

Thank you Mary Lou! That makes sense. So if we book an S1, there would have to be another S1 available when we board a few months later. Assuming there is one, if we like our original cabin better can we swap the cabins when we cancel the original booking? Sorry for all of the questions but I never cease to be impressed with all the valuable information available from CC members.

This may be a stupid question, but if you book a cruise now with the cabin you want and then re-book on board can you get the same cabin? Some posters are saying you would have to cancel the old reservation when you get home which means you would have 2 reservations for the same cabin for a period of time until you cancel?