Cirdan

NOTE: The Indian eTOURIST visa is NOT VALID for cruise travel.

This is old and obsolete information.

Indian eVisa is valid (see President cruise roll of call, for a copy of an email sent by Celebrity Cruises).

I like to check different countries "newspaper", and the different problems in different countries. On the other hand, calling it "newspaper" is forcing the term: it was just few headlines and very short news. So uninformative that one can get more information on news on television (which transcripts are shorter than "newspaper", but images give some extra "lines").

So I'll miss it (one less option), but really it do not matter much for me.

IMHO making of joke of important safety information sends the message that safety is entertainment.

This seems reasonable, but after a lot of tests on aviation, it seems that it need to be entertainment, or people will not check it. This is very unfortunate, but we cannot be egoistic (I tend to be like you: I check carefully safety things). A bad response of other can make us in danger. For our safety we need that other people (who tend to be bored quickly) will watch and remember most of the things. And we should not forget that our ships are full of international guest: so images can help more than English explanations (not all people are familiar with sea speak).

On aviation, on recent "problems", we saw a lot of errors (and I confess, I maybe I would have done same errors), so safety drill are not super effective. On the other hand, crew is seriously trained, and they should help us.

Aviation: do you know that the mask should be put on nose and mouth? So you know that you should pull the mask? By pulling, the oxygen is switch on. (both problems on SW, and both live demonstration and safety video were not so clear on such topic). When you exit from emergency exit, do you know that you should not take your belonging? (it is not just because it could slow down evacuation, but on jumping, you increase change to break arms or legs, and literally "roll on the floor" harming other peoples.

On ships: it was very strange to learn that I should enter in a lifeboat 15 meter above sea level (the lifeboat will be lowered once full). [And every few years there is some crew members that lose their life on such drill]. Behaviour in case of fire is not so well explained, nor what to do if you fall in water (and in case of emergency a lot of people fell in water). Safety video, IMHO, could explain more about such problems.

Note: on airplanes since years they try to make safety video enjoyable (and watched). It is also recommended by IATA. They noticed that few people take attention, but it is also a requirement that they cannot make mandatory to watch such video. I think there is much more experience and studies on aviation. Cruise lines are just try to finally keep the pace. [Remember that until Costa Concordia, it was just mandatory to have the drill on the first days, not just before sailing].

But also in aviation, there are many awful video. I never see this, but it is so bad, I expect they will change, until they find a good compromise.

About the place of meeting points: this is often a problem, I think nobody found a good planing: they should be near the boats and safety equipment, fire go up, and it is stupid to run up to the meeting point to then go down to the lifeboats. But so, all ships should be in one, two or three bridges. So ... always bad place, but for the lucky one on theater. [but I hope that in 10 years, someone will find a genial idea, and so all cruise lines will copy and improve safety drill, we had few improvement on last 40 years]

So yes, she’s more personable, excellent commications capability, and makes herself and her staff more accessible, but she’s here, not because of those, but because she’s an excellent deck officer who worked her way up and displayed excellent at-sea command.

Are you sure? We are not on navy/army. And also on army, leadership (on higher ranks) requires good communication and social skills.

Being good is not enough, on some roles, if there are many good people. As far I know, there always were some social skill requirements for cruise captains (other would choose freight, which, it seems, it also better paid, more free time). Remember the Captain Table, and the importance it had on older time? I'm sure the better cruise lines have more of such requirements for Captains.

Adding value to cruise (for passenger, for crew) is a strong plus on selection for captains, for the cruise lines. No doubts they will not choose a bad/incompetent captain [ok there were few bad, history tell us]. But a single ship has a lot of licensed captains, so a cruise line has a lot of choices, when replacing a captain. For sure character (and it seems Captain Kate is beloved also by crew) will help to make difference.

Less restaurant choices on M-class than your S-class experience; so Tuscan Grille on M-class will fill up much quicker.

But also less people.

Maybe it is better to contact directly the producer (it is in EU, so a lot less expenses), but probably they will give you the address of a reseller.

Celebrity wrote the wrong name (I assume). I think the correct name is http://www.emmebiesse.it/ (which it is the spelling of M B S.

I had a few times to observe her. She attended the Cruise Critic party and was very open and brought senior officers — obviously loved her job and crew (and reads Cruise Critic).

Are you Captain Kate? :confused: ;p

Just making sure I understand. If I put my phone on airplane mode...purchase the ships Wi-Fi, enable Wi-Fi calling on my phone, I can make calls while on the ship to folks at home with no additional charge correct? Do the people I am calling also have to have their iPhone on Wi-Fi calling?

WiFi calling is a protocol, which transmit your call via WiFi+internet to your mobile network provider (and encrypting the data, like normal GSM, using the SIM-card). Your network provider will then put on their network, like a normal call. So on the other end, there is no differences, they will not know if you are using real GSM network or Internet. Note: Internet could have more lag.

If your phone and your provider do not provide WiFi Calling, you can use apps to call (Skype, Whats-up, Hangout, ...). Some of them, with premium fee, will transmit calls toward normal phone lines (so you will have a phone number). But usually, e.g. with the free version, the recipient must have the same app installed (but so, you will have much more functionalities).

An "old" meme is the missing chat function to Celebrity Cruise App,but on https://www.celebritycruises.com/legal-information I find (bold are mine):

6. Guest to Guest Chat

Our Digital Platforms may make available to you, at no charge, a guest-to-guest chat functionality that will enable you to stay connected with friends and family while sailing (the “Chat”). Please note G2G Chat functionality is available only while you are onboard one of our vessels, and only when you are connected to our Royal WiFi.

Importantly, you will only be able to use G2G Chat to stay connected with others in your reservation and/or stateroom. We may, in later releases, provide you the ability to stay connected with other guests onboard that are not in your traveling party.

We will retain G2G Chat history only for the duration of your voyage and we will purge all chat history once your voyage ends. Our Privacy Policy, and other applicable laws (including but not limited to the United States’ Stored Communications Act and the CLOUD Act) may apply with regard to the privacy of the content included in your G2G Chat communications.

You agree that you will not use G2G Chat to submit any material that you know to be false, defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, threatening, or invasive of another guest’s privacy. You agree not to use G2G Chat to transmit any content intended to incite or provoke violence.

To the extent you use G2G Chat to upload, submit, store, send or receive content, you retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content.

When you upload, submit, store, send or receive content to or through our G2G Chat, you give us a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (i.e., adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works within our service), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. You represent and warrant that you have the necessary rights to grant us a license for any content that you submit to G2G Chat.

The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Digital Platforms.

Is it finally coming? Unfortunately, I think we should wait the dry-docks for complete functions, but I may expect on Constellation and maybe in few other ships some beta test.

As far I know, the deposit is not really per person, but just half of the real deposit. One or three persons has to pay like two people. Not sure if this is the rules, or just some people use it.

Note MSC matches also most of loyalty programs including Celebrity. I do not know if others match celebrity.

The buy one get one 50% off is usually cruise specific. I have received this notice for Transatlantics. No discounts onboard our TA this past April. Have had package as a perk on my other cruises so not aware of discounts onboard these sailings

So just a saving of 25% for both packages, but the deal seems a lot better.

Points are collected independently (just Celebrity and Asmara still share points).

But there is a program match when you cruise: so you will have a Captain Club level from Captain Club and one Captain Club level matched from your Crown & Anchor level. On our cruise, you will have the status of the higher level. But you will still collect points only on CC when cruising with Celebrity.

40W it is just a dark old lamp. Cables are also thin (also on the most pro). So it should not be a problem.

"For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action."

 

I like all the captains in the fleet and I am always amazed at how little mention the other captains get because they are neither American nor female.

 

 

It is Celebrity training that resolved the issue and as soon as anyone mentions who the credit should go to I get the urge to post because only one seems to have a fan club.

If you read carefully, there are various preferred captains. Being American helps because they are more open. If you see past comments, you see that some captains are "invisibles" (not often seen in public spaces, not greeting people) and "mutes" (few official "daily" announcements). As you see, not all captain are made equal. As passengers we prefer visible and instructive captain (which maybe are not the more competent and safe, OTOH I think all in Celebrity are more than "good enough").

Being female often help (once one reach a certain level): we recognize them more.

But the real reason: she has an English name. We have the captain "Greek/non-Greek", but it is difficult to remember the name and write it (and having a brother captain do not help, one cannot just use the surname). But we like him.

All captains are different each other.

Yes I know!!

 

This is also our FIRST cruise ever....so I really don't want to be stressed out about things I don't have to be. I would MUST more prefer arriving the day prior, but the connecting flights the day prior are either 2 stops or close to 24 hour layovers...Would love thoughts from experienced cruisers!! TIA :):)

This is a reason more to arrive earlier: if one flight is delayed or cancelled, it seems you have very little alternative.

To each their own. Other than the weight of carrying around a book contributing to your muscle strengthening fitness regime the rest is all the same. I used to prefer the feel of a book, but now that I've tried it, I read much more, and am not constantly visiting or making donations of used books to my library. I can take 50 books with me on a cruise and my suitcase weighs the same.

I use both versions. Studies showed that reading from a real book helps you to remember better the sequence of the scenes (compared with people who read the same book from ebook). The theory is that one has the feed back of the pages.

I find reading a book more enjoyable because I can browse back quickly the book (my memory... I need to check past chapters again and again). With a ebook I become crazy. So for me it is not the same, but I anyway I find ebook handy especially for light reading ;p

May I recommend Kindle? Nook? E-reader? Lighter in weight and less scary to TSA or ship screeners!;)

It is not the same. A pile of books maintain you fitter and you get also more from books.

Didn't the OP also mention that this person was always first in the queue to presumably secure this table when the doors open - sounds like they might be on the spectrum. Some people get very upset if their routines are disrupted.

So just a rude person with obsessive–compulsive disorder.

I appreciate the other comments with regards to health issues, but if someone has to have a particular table, then surely they speak to the Special Needs department prior to the cruise and then guest services onboard to make certain that their request is met?

Not necessary, but in any case he should have told you with a lot of apologies that he needs such table, or he would ask the Maitre’d to ask you for the table (and Maitre’d will apologies with you). This do not requires to be Canadian or classy, it is just an expected civilized behaviour. The classy manner would be the "Maitre’d" option, because it is discreeter, or better, by being cautious so asking the Maitre’d in large advance to keep the table for him at a precise time.

You will find attached on the door of your cabin. Bridge 4, where all lifeboat will be put in case of evacuation.

First thing to do it to go to the toilet, before the pumps stop working. And I hope celebrity ships are better designed (compared to Carnival Triumph, and Costa Concordia, which are nearly the same design), not to have single point of failure (a single point with the principal switch boxes).

Not kidding ... husband wore fit bit in hot tub and got it wet. Someone suggested he ask the steward for some rice to put the fit bit to dry out. Can you imagine what would have happened ... I’m sure it’s noted somewhere we brought a rice cooker aboard.

:D I somebody knew both things, you will get some "prank" item in your room.:evilsmile:

I want just to remember that one room in such gross state does not mean all ship is so bad. We had in this forum a B2B cruiser who had on one cruise a very bad room and in the next a normal room.

Also on our flats, when there is a problem on a bathroom, the whole column should be closed for a few week.

It is a bad decision of Celebrity: cancel some rooms (booked far in advance, so disappointing many people), or let room in such state for few months (also disappointing many people). I would prefer the first possibility (but I think bad press convinced Celebrity that second option is better). But if Celebrity will keep few cabins for emergencies and problems (see also the topic about vibrations), we will be happier all (keeping 5 cabin every thousand, it would be just 5 dollar every 1000 dollar. A good assurance (and I do not think we need 5/1000, probably much less, with few more just every few cruises, for maintenance works).