PumpkinPatches

I just purchased the Laundry Wash & Fold package for my upcoming cruise. Can anyone tell me how this works and how I redeem this? Will there be something in my stateroom about it?

Good Morning! I am getting ready for my holiday cruise on the Silhouette, but my last Celebrity cruise was in 2016 so I have a question about MDR staffing since I know many cruise lines have made cutbacks since the pandemic. I remember having a waiter and junior waiter in the MDR, plus there would be cocktail servers and a wine sommelier walking around taking care of drinks. Is this still how the MDR works? I am asking because I've upgraded to the premium drink package and am hoping to start with a glass of champagne and then enjoy a glass of wine with my main course. I know from past cruises with Royal Caribbean, if the waiters are also in charge of drink service it can be really stressful for them and makes me feel guilty for even asking for a glass of wine. Plus even if you do ask, drink service can be really slow at best because they're serving multiple courses to many tables. Any feedback or insight you fellow cruisers can share is much appreciated!

I'll be on the Silhouette this year for Christmas. I'm assuming either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day will be the first formal night. I'm curious though, are the celebrations spread out over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, or is just over one of the days?

I think that would be fun to travel on Christmas day...when I was a travel agent people would ask for the best flight prices during the holidays and 12/25 and 01/01 were always much cheaper! It could be a fun gift for my kids, maybe have their suitcases packed with a bow on it and it's like surprise! we're going on a trip! They would love that. We're trying to teach our kids that memories/life experiences are much more valuable than a mountain of toys.

That must have been a good feeling. Christmas is A LOT of work!! As a Mom, Christmastime is really just a never-ending to-do list and it's hard to find a moment in between all the running around and preparations to really enjoy myself. I feel like this is the first year in a long time that I don't feel a bit of dread for the upcoming holiday season and I'm feeling nothing but pure excitement which makes me feel kind of like a kid again. I love it!

That looks SO awesome!! I can't wait! Believe it or not this year will be my first year going to a NYE party where I'll get to dress up! I am so excited for this year!! Got my gold sequin dress all ready to ring in 2024!

Gorgeous photos!! If anything, one might find this to be the most Christmasy Christmas ever 🙂

Just curious, what did Christmas Day feel like? Did it feel like Christmas? Personally I am really excited to spend Christmas Day in the middle of the ocean, & swimming in the pool. Some negative nellies I talk to are like "oh it won't feel like Christmas" and I'm wondering if there's any truth to that?

Good morning! I am getting SUPER excited for my family's Christmas/New Years cruise on the Silhouette. This was booked in June 2022 so we've been waiting for this for a loooonng time! This is our first time going anywhere for the holidays so I am hoping anyone and everyone with some past holiday cruise experience can share a nugget of advice with me! We will be with our 2 young kids who are 4 and 6 so really hoping to make this Christmas the most magical one yet! - Should I bring a gift for the crew in addition to an extra tip? I was thinking chocolates... but they might melt in my luggage in the Florida sun? - I would like to decorate the cabin... any dos and donts for cabin decorations? I was thinking battery-operated lights and hanging them on magnetic hooks. - What is the NYE party like onboard? Thanks so much!

Good Morning! My family will be on the Silhouette for Christmas and New Years (11 nights) in the Caribbean. I am trying to research the "Camp At Sea" program for my kids who are 4 and 6, but all the info I am getting seems to be old and outdated. Here are the things I am wondering about: - Do they still offer the VIP package? - Do they still offer special themed parties/events around the ship (like the "campfire", cooking classes, etc) - For parents that have done a holiday cruise, what will NYE be like? I imagine most parents will be trying to get their kid signed up for late-night kid's club on NYE, will they have extra staff on hand to accommodate? - My kids will be 4.5 and 6.5 during our holiday cruise. What are the chances my little one can "age up" to be with her big sis? Anything you can share about the Camp at Sea program will be much appreciated! It's SO hard to find any information about it online since I'm not sure all the pre-covid videos/marketing stuff is still accurate. I want to pump my kids up for this cruise but I don't know what to tell them about the kid's club. Thanks all!

Whoa! Such a mixed bag of reviews over there. Although there are some horror stories on there, it does sounds like a lot of people experience what I'm expect FBC to be like. So even though the OP on that post is trying to warn people to stay away, alot of those replies are actually quite reassuring, Thanks for sharing!

I'm cruising over the holidays, and it's my first time booking my air through the cruise line. Just remembering the craziness that was holiday travel last year, I am starting to get nervous myself as this will be my first time travelling over the holidays. ICYMI, last year there was a massive winter storm that messed up flights all over Canada and the USA. Here in Vancouver, flights were cancelled and the customer service desks in the airport just told everyone to go way there's nothing they can do. Here's my own impression of what FBC offers: I am looking at it almost like I have a trip interruption insurance policy as a bonus with my already cheap airfare. If my flight is cancelled, I can just basically go grab a coffee and wait for FBC to call me and let me know when my next flight is? I won't be out of luck and having to fend for myself against the thousands of other travellers looking for a new flight? Booking with FBC means Celebrity will ensure I get from my home airport to the ship with no extra costs on my part. This is my impression of what I'm getting by booking with the cruise line. Please feel free to let me know if I am mistaken about anything or missed something. ALSO: I am an ex-travel agent, and this is basically how the Celebrity reps would train us to sell FBC to our clients. Now I am just a client and I know sometimes the way something is marketed/sold, doesn't necessarily reflect the actual experience. Thanks so much! Hopefully some cruisers here have some experience and advice to share with me. I am travelling with my hubby and 2 little kids so the idea of being stranded in an airport and missing our holiday cruise scares the @*$% outta me! We are flying out 2 days before the cruise so that should definitely help buffer out any travel mishaps!

My family will be on the Silhouette over Christmas and New Years this year. Our kids are 4 and 6 years old, and they LOVE kids club! My question is this: for a holiday sailing where there will be lots of kids, and NYE which is a night every one will be out late celebrating.. should I expect that there may be some different holiday offerings with the kids club? Like maybe a special kids club NYE event? Or will it be like any other cruise where there's limited spots for late night babysitting? Should I be booking the late night babysitting as soon as I get onboard? If any one has experience cruising with kids over the holidays and have kids club advice for me I would love to hear it!

Thank you... really LV not included?? If that's the case, it brings down the value of the package quite a bit and doesn't really offer much of a discount. We're cruising next year over out 10 year wedding anniversary and thought Magic Carpet would be a fun and special dinner to celebrate. We'll probably skip the dining package and book this experience seperate.

Cruising on the Silhouette for Christmas and New Years and I see there is an incentive to pre-purchasing casino credits. I have a lot of OBC on this cruise, and the 10% back in free play is enticing... I am wondering if this could be a loop hole for turning my OBC into cash? Like if I used my OBC to pre-buy casino credits, I will get 10% back in free play. If I were to buy a lot of credits with my OBC, gamble a little bit and take my chips to the cashier window, I would get cash back right? I know the free play chips are going to look different than regular chips and can't be exchanged for cash. Or does Celebrity frown upon this and have a way to prevent this.

Hubby and I are booked on the Ascent next May and see that we can pre-purchase a dining package. I am just wondering if ALL specialty dining venues are included? I understand the Chef's Table is not included, but what about the Magic Carpet or Le Voyage? Trying to figure out if a 3-night package will be worth it for us.

Thank you for your post! I will be sailing over Christmas and New Years with my husband (also Jeremy, lol) and our 2 little girls ages 4 and 6. This will not be their first cruise, but their first Celebrity cruise. I was actually not impressed RC, but was very impressed with Princess. After researching Celebrity, it looks like they have an amazing kids club. I can't wait for them to experience this!

Yes that's true, if I relied on the list on cruise planner I would see that premium coffees are included in the premium package but not in classic. So I might have upgraded for $350 CAD based on misleading information, and it could have been a total waste of $ because I already had everything I needed with the classic. For me, the specialty coffee thing would be a deciding factor on whether or not to upgrade. Some cruise lines like NCL don't include specialty coffees in the basic drink package so I'm sure alot of people look for this as well. I just don't get why they took the time to list the non-alcoholic inclusions in the premium list and completely left them out from the classic list.

Hi all! I saw online that Celebrity has a VIP kids program where you pay a flat fee and it includes unlimited kids club during the off-hours where you normally have to pay extra. Also a few other things like a goody bag and a behind the scenes tour. The page I saw this on looks old... so I'm wondering if this is still a thing? Does anyone know?

Ahh there it is! Thank you. The information they provide online is a little inconsistent.

Good Morning, I have the Classic package (as we all do) on my next cruise. I'm trying to figure out if upgrading is worth it for me. Are specialty coffees not included in the classic package? This is copied and pasted from my cruise planner (see below). Note that the zero proof items are listed in the premium package but not the classic. What's Included (Classic package) Vodkas: Absolut and flavors, New Amsterdam, Smirnoff, Tito’s Whiskeys: Dewar’s White Label, Famous Grouse, Jim Beam, Johnnie Walker Red, Monkey Shoulder, Seagram’s VO Rums: Bacardi, Captain Morgan’s, Kraken Black Spiced, Malibu, Myer’s, Wray & Nephew Tequilas: Don Julio Blanco, Teremana Blanco Beers: Alaska Brewing beers on Alaska sailings. Coors Light, Corona, Franziskaner, Heineken, Kirin, Kirin Light, Miller Lite, Moretti, Newcastle Brown Ale, Strongbow hard ciders, Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra Gins: Beefeater, Gordon’s, Praire Gin Liqueurs and Cognacs: Campari, Galliano, Hennessy VS, Kahlua, Licor 43, Ouzo, Romana Sambuca, Southern Comfort, Tia Maria A large selection of wines from various regions around the world, including California, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Chile and Australia What's Included (Premium package) Gins: Bombay Sapphire, Hendrick’s, Plymouth, Star of Bombay, Tanqueray, Gunpowder Rums: Bacardi 8 Años, Brugal, Flor de Caña, Pyrat XO, Zacapa 23, Bumbu Rum Tequilas: Cazadores Reposado, Patrón Reposado, Patrón Silver, Ghost Tequila, Don Julio Reposado, Teremana Reposado Vodkas: Belvedere, Chopin, Christiania, Cîroc Snap Frost & Flavors, Grey Goose, Ketel One & Botanicals, Pearl, Reyka Liqueurs and Cognacs: Baileys Irish Cream, Chambord, Cointreau, Courvousier VSOP, Disarronno amaretto, Drambuie, Godiva, Remy Martin VSOP, St-Germain, Disarronno Velvet, Aperol Cocktails: Craft cocktails, large martinis, and long drinks, all made with Premium Beverage Package spirits Champagnes and favorite wines such as Conundrum White and Red Blends , Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon , J&H Selbach Riesling Kabine, Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blend, and Edmeades Zinfandel Beers: Anchor Steam, Blue Moon, Blue Moon Haze, Dogfish Head 90 Minute, Grolsch, Guinness, Kronenbourg 1664, La Fin du Monde, Lagunitas Ale, Leffe Blonde Rogue, Peroni, Sapporo, Sierra Nevada, Stella Artois, Terrapin Luau, Topo Chico Seltzer Zero Proof: Acqua Panna water, Evian water, San Pellegrino, Premium coffees, Red Bull & Editions, Sodas, Premium teas, Vitamin water, Bottled Iced Teas, Aqua Spa Fresh Juices, Zero Proof Cocktails Frozen & Non-Frozen Whiskeys: Aberfeldy 12, Bulleit Bourbon, Chivas Regal 12, Dewar’s 12, Gentleman Jack, The Glenlivet, Jack Daniel’s Black, Jack Daniel’s Rye, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Johnnie Walker Black, Johnnie Walker Double Black, The Macallan Lumina, The Macallan Quest, Maker’s Mark, Rittenhouse Rye, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve

This was on my last cruise in January on the Crown Princess. I bought a 3-pack of tickets and won a $20 casino credit, and there I won $50 🙂 I thought it was fun and I was glad I went! Would definitely play again. Even if you're not the on-stage player, it's still fun and exciting and you have a chance to win something!

Right! I've seen lots of vlogs where they film the buffet. As if the buffets aren't busy enough. It would be super annoying being in the buffet and a vlogger is in the way because they're filming the food.

That's also what I was thinking, but you never really know when it comes to holiday sailings. I think the # of kids will still be pretty high. I was surprised that the 400+ kids I was referring to on my original post was for a 15-night Hawaii cruise with Princess. I would expect a high # like that maybe on a 7-night caribbean or something but this many kids on a cruise with so many seas days was kind of surprising to me.

Oh I totally agree! From what I'm reading about Camp at Sea it looks like they have really good kids programming! Thanks for the insight! Sounds like I probably won't have anything to worry about.