4774Papa

18 hours ago, sailingjudy said:

Hello.  Totally new to Celebrity and more than a little confused. I am looking at booking Celebrity Eclipse for an Antarctica cruise.  I see from this thread that I must enroll with whatever is the loyalty program for Celebrity in order to obtain reciprocal Elite status for my Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor D+ status.  I had read elsewhere that Celebrity does not provide the 5 free drinks for Elite status that RC does for the D+ status.  Is this true?

As for the different categories of rooms, it appears that Veranda is like a regular balcony on RC ships.  And that Concierge is like a junior suite on RC.  Can anyone who has sailed both lines confirm this?

Also, how is internet handled on Celebrity ships?  Is it available 24/7 or do they sell only packages for limited minutes?

Thanks in advance for any answers.



 

Concierge is just a balcony with a different name.  We never book Concierge.

Celebrity's happy hour from 5-7  is not worth much when you are forced to book with drink packages that push up the cost of the cruise higher.   X has backed of a bit and does allow some bookings without the pricey perks like drink packages, but the cost of cruises is still up.

On 5/22/2022 at 11:00 AM, Mj17ak said:

Enjoyed your review of your Galapagos adventure.  Ours starts on Saturday, 28 May.  One question for you… were snorkel vests provided by the ship for snorkeling?

Yes, snorkel vests as well as masks/breathing tubes were provided.

21 hours ago, georgiaguy said:

Hey there! We are about 3 1/2 weeks from leaving for our three years in the planning cruise. Got me thinking about some of those COVID lockdown pounds and just getting ready. I should add that I am not talking about get in perfect shape diet. I am talking about lose a few vanity pounds so you can gain them back. Just curious if anyone else does this and what your go to’s for this. 

I always try not to gain weight on cruises.   So far, it works.  Here is my plan:

1) Limit alcoholic beverages to happy hour and dinner.  Also, stick to wine, no umbrella drinks loaded with sugar,

2)Lunches, stick with the salad bar or light food low in carbs and of course no sugar (no ice cream).

3)Exercise, either in the fitness center for at least 30 minutes a day or do a lengthy walk around the ship on upper deck.

4) Only one dessert a day (at dinner), 

I love Celebrity and we recently did the Galapagos with them.   X had a 20% off sale that made such an expensive cruise a bit less expensive.

Still,   I always compare cruises from other cruise lines as well.

With the COVID19 problem still out there, cruises have less appeal to me than they did prior to COVID19.

We are looking more at land tours instead of cruises.  Yes, COVID19 is still an issue for that, but perhaps a bit less so.  ALso, I am finding great prices for land tours that compare more favorably to taking a cruise.  Further, we have taken 21 cruises in the past 12 years (as well as four river cruises) and generally don't repeat the same cruises, expect transatlantics.     Transatlantics are more an issue, since if we fly to Italy and do two weeks there, plan to cruise home to the USA, if we get COVID19 and can't cruise home, that would be a very expensive trip home via air.

2 hours ago, Jazzbo said:

We are flying to Barcelona from Ft. Lauderdale on October 27th for the October 31st TA on Reflection. Does anyone know if we would be allowed to park at the Port on October 27th so our car is there when we arrive back to Port Everglades on November 13th? Our other option would be parking at one of the airport’s long-term parking garages on the 27th and taking an Uber or taxi from the port to the airport garage when we return. I haven’t been able to find covered parking near the cruise port or airport.

We did a couple of cruises out of PE a few years ago and booked a local hotel for only one night prior to the cruise and had free parking for our entire trip.  Forgot the name of the hotel.

On 5/23/2022 at 4:43 PM, FeelingCruisy said:

Is it just me or does anyone else here think celebrity cruises prices have gone up substantially recently? We booked a repositioning cruise and paid about $2,000

with all inclusive and refundable deposit only about a month and a half ago. I notice now that is almost the price before all inclusive added in.  This is true for most other cruises that we have been tracking. It seems like the price remain the same but now you have to pay a lot more to get the all-inclusive. Or is this all in my head?   

Prices are up for a number of reasons.

1) Inflation

2) COVID19 shutdown severely affected profits for many months.

3) Celebrity's price bundling forcing many bookings with drink packages.

19 hours ago, FrannyK said:

New to Celebrity,  just booked the Summit 7-day to Bermuda in July.  I've been reading about Diamond members being Elite on Celebrity.  So from what I take from these boards, there is a special place for coffee and continental breakfast in the morning and some sort of happy hour.  My TA told me there is no Elite happy hour?  Could someone clear this up for me?  

 

Which veranda would you choose?

Our TA suggested 7168

But I see that 6018 and 6021 are available (sweet sixteen's but maybe noise?) 

7173 and 7175 are available (larger balcony but close to elevator?)

 

Thanks!

We have stayed in 7175 more than once, but now we just look for the cheapest balcony.

On 5/11/2022 at 12:42 PM, danv3 said:

Restrictions and requirements slowly dropping away.  Now let's see the US drop the foolish return testing requirement!

Yes, please just do it.  We are flying to Kenya for a safari in August via Amsterdam and won't need a test until we try to return to the USA.

On 4/22/2022 at 9:44 AM, Nursecruisers couple said:

I have an OBC and want to get a photo package.  I’m debating over purchasing the photo book for $79. It includes 34 photos of our choosing and they create it for us.  Which is something I NEVER get to myself.  Has anyone bought this?
Thru my search here on the boards, not one of you has regretted purchasing the unlimited photos.  The price difference is $10.  
We are traveling with our daughter and her BF, I linked our reservations- so it sounds like they can use the photo ops as well.  
We would appreciate any insight.  

You can buy a nice photo book from snappish for about 1/3 that price.

49 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

Very well written and detailed review! I read with great interest as we are booked on Xpedition in Nov 2023. 

 

What percentage of the passengers booked only the cruise portion of the trip thru Celebrity would you say?

 

I'm curious about how your flights went. Did you book thru Celebrity? Which carrier did you fly? What time did you arrive Quito? 

 

Did you happen to remember if any scuba was offered for passengers that are certified divers? Or just snorkeling only?

 

Anything that you would have done differently on this trip?

1) Not completely sure but I believe all or almost all took the land tour as well as the cruise.   We had a chance to socialize with about half of the 45 passengers and all of them did the tour as well.

2)  We live in Georgia and fly Delta almost all the time.  We didn't book airfare with X, but could have and still received skymiles.   We still  had a pickup arranged by X at the Quito airport when we arrived.  We arrived in Quito in the early evening (it was dark, but not late).  The one negative to flying Delta was that the return flight departed Quito at 1130 PM and was an overnight flight.  I never sleep well on an airplane.

3) Scuba was not offered, doubt if you could do it on our cruise.  The snorkeling was great.

4)  We booked the cruise a bit late, probably could have saved  $$ if we had booked earlier.  Still, X had a 20% off sale, which helped a lot.   Not sure we would have booked it without the sale.

58 minutes ago, catspaw1 said:

Thanks for an excellent TR- really enjoyed it as we have been wanting to go there. We are very active seniors & wondering if given the large expense on celebrity,  if you would recommend doing this with another tour operator?  We  are bluewater sailors. lived full time on our sailboat for 7 years while cruising, are experienced advanced PADI divers & very active. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. We can also stay at the Marriott & have airline points so no need to incur that expense. We are wondering if the other guests would be as active? Or if we would be happier on a smaller less expensive cruise 

I compared Celebrity with other cruises of the Galapagos as well as tours.  All the cruises were expensive.  We found a very affordable tour of Ecuador for several days that included three days in the Galapagos, but not on a cruise.  The tour included days in the Amazon, Quito and coastal region.  It was less than half the price.     I am glad we did the 7 day cruise, since we got to see several islands and I believe far more wildlife than on a three day land tour.

Not sure about sailing yourself to the Galapagos.   We were told that the government limits the number of people that are allowed to visit the Galapagos.  

Another issue is arranging for all the COVID19 tests.  We had two at the Marriott arranged by Celebrity and one at the Marriott before we flew back to the USA.   Cost was included in the tour/cruise package.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=686633&et_cid=3500453&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

13 hours ago, Moochi said:

Future husband and I enjoyed our recent Millennium trip so much, and decided to book her again for our honeymoon! We compared a few itineraries and can't decide on a shorter Sky Suite or a B2B includes a small Sky Suite portion. The longer one is almost double of the length and costs only $1,500 more, if we stay in an Ocean View for the most of the trip. Future Husband needs to take 5 days off work for either option. I have so much leave accumulate during COVID so it doesn't bother me. What would you choose if you were us?

 

Option 1: 7 night southern Caribbean in a Sky Suite. 

Total cost: $4,300

On board credit: $1,100 ($600 from booking and $500 from Onboard Future Cruise)

 

Option 2: 10 night eastern Caribbean in an Ocean View, plus 3 night Bahamas in a Sky Suite.

Total cost: $5,700 includes premium drink upgrade for the first leg

On board credit: $1,150 ($400 from booking, $400 from premium drink upgrade (does this stack?), $350 from onboard future cruise)

 

We honestly don't care too much about the ports at all. We spend most of our days eating and drinking indoor.

 

Thank you for your input!

We did a Sky Suite once, it was nice, especially dining in Lumina, but we will never pay for one again, we are happy with a veranda.

We pick cruises on itinerary and cost.  

First of all, if the three day Bahamas cruise just goes to Nassau, skip it.

Second, there are great ports on the Eastern as well as Southern Caribbean.  Curacao and Aruba are nice on the Southern, but we love St. Thomas, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbados.

Not sure about premium drink packages, frankly, we don't drink 10 drinks a day and never take the drink packages unless forced.

Never cruised on Princess, but was considering booking a cruise (then COVID19 came along).

Princess seemed to be cheaper when comparing similar itineraries (over a year ago).    Part of it was that X went to Always Included, which seriously bumped up its prices.   X now does have 20% sales that help now in some cruises.

Apparently, Princess doesn't force  you take take the beverage package (for moderate drinkers it is a looser).

20 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

OP, you didn't say what category of cabin you booked, but if you have booked the Haven on NCL you will be blown away by the entry level Sky Suite on any Celebrity ship. We did the Haven one and done with NCL in 2018 and now almost exclusively sail with Celebrity in the Retreat Suites. We also have done several HAL cruises and their suite product doesn't come close to Celebrity either. The only thing NCL may have over Celebrity is number and variety of specialty restaurants but the food and service quality is not close to Celebrity.

 

Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise and do all of us a favor come back here after the cruise and let us know what you think of the product VS NCL.

What I notice cruising on Celebrity vs. NCL is that the wait staff in the MDR is always well trained on Celebrity.  Not always so on NCL.   On Celebrity, the wait staffer takes the orders from the ladies at the table first, then when the food is brought, each person's order is provided correctly.  We have found on NCL and sometimes the wait staff will take orders by going clockwise (or counter clockwise) around the table irrespective of gender, then when the food is delivered, sometimes the wrong plates are laid in front of the diners.

As for a Sky Suite on X, we upgraded to one an a cruise  and enjoyed it, we had double sinks and  a shower and tub in the bathroom, also spacious balcony and cabin.   The Luminae restaurant was our place of dining and excellent.   We have declined to pay the significant cost for a suite again, since we are quite happy with a veranda cabin.

We just received our booster in late March, since we have a Galapagos cruise in late April.

I wonder if the 270 day rule will apply in the future from our booster?

I am not interested in getting boosters ever 9 months.

On 4/11/2022 at 11:16 AM, TFree said:

By the way, this is not correct.  Properly supervised rapid Antigen tests are indeed accepted for most travel.  (I know that there are or were some countries that would only accept a PCR test, which is why I say it is accepted for most travel.)  The Abbott BinaxNow Ag card proctored tests sold through a link on the Celebrity website are rapid antigen tests.  Celebrity's own website clearly states this as well:

 

COVID-19 Cruise Health & Safety Protocols | Celebrity Cruises

 

And this is also true for the transatlantic cruises leaving this month, which are, by definition, international cruises:

 

Transatlantic Travel Requirements (celebritycruises.com)

 

Tom & Judy

We traveled to Iceland last July on a tour and Iceland only required an Antigen test.

Our local CVS (according to last month) only offers the PCR test.

Fortunately, our next trip is to Ecuador where we are on a Celebrity tour and cruise of the Galapagos, doesn't require a test at all if you are fully vaccinated.   We are tested (Celebrity arranges) prior to flying out to the islands from Quito.

5 hours ago, LGW59 said:

@4774Papa and @TeeRick thanks for the suggestions.  I do believe it is a partial transit.  But I’m confused by what it says in my planner:

Day 8 - Panama Canal ( cruising)

Day 8 - Colon, Panama 5pm - 9pm (docked)

 

not sure how there can be an 8 hour ferry tour based on the above?  I’m sure I’m misunderstanding something AKA operator error!  I’m sure I will figure it out and again thanks for the suggestions.  Also, David McCullough is my favorite author who I had the pleasure of meeting in D.C. several years ago at a book signing when he released Adams.  It was in the National Archives building which really added to the theme.

If your cruise is a partial transit, then I would advise you to take the excursion.  

We did the canal in 2011 on a cruise from Florida to Chile.   If you are doing a full transit of the canal, not sure what this excursion will do for you?  We did an excursion that was less extensive and focused on wildlife.

I strongly suggest that you read David McCullough's book "The Path Between the Seas."   It lays out the history of the building of the canal starting from the failed French effort.  it will help you understand all the  engineering challenges that were involved.  The Culebra Cut was the area where the natural elevation on the path of the canal was the highest.   Much excavation was involved and even after the canal was open, extensive rain caused a huge mud slide that resulted in closing of the canal.

Of course, a few years ago new locks were constructed allowing larger ships to transit the canal.  Do you know if your ship will use those or the original locks?

On 4/4/2022 at 8:20 AM, Jim The Lizard said:

Got married on a RCCL ship, then sailed Carnival, have sailed NCL since then.  Always wanted to try Celebrity (great reputation, lots of positive feedback here and on Facebook), so we're sailing Celebrity Silhouette in December.  Give me your thoughts on differences I can expect or "must do's" on Silhouette.   My wife is in her mid 40s, I'm early 50s.   We enjoy the sun, good food, live music, and the alcohol packages when we sail!  

Celebrity is our favorite line, but we also do Royal and NCL.

Celebrity excels in ship design, dining, service and atmosphere.   Royal and NCL do best in entertainment. Also, NCL does have some interesting activities that involve passenger participation that are nice.  However, Celebrity had good briefing on cruise locations, trivia and wine tastings.

Celebrity has jacked up its prices by requiring everyone to take drink packages (great if you drink 10 alcoholic drinks a day), but not for moderate drinkers like us.   However, sometimes they still allow booking without mandatory perks like drink packages.  NCL will still be a bit cheaper.  You won't find water slides and climbing much on Celebrity.

Celebrity is best for long cruises where there are fewer kids.

I backed up our vaccination records by taking a copy on my cell.  If we lose our CDC vaccine card, does the photo still work?

11 years ago we did our first cruise in Celebrity and one reason we picked X over HAL that had a similar cruise was the smoking policy.   A few years ago HAL allowed smoking in cabins and balconies, X did not and still does not.

I have a cousin that vapes and don't care for it at all.  It is better than real smoking, but not that much.

19 hours ago, KKB said:

True.

Having sailed on DCL, NCL, RCCL, Princess & Celebrity I have found that ship size makes a BIG difference on activities--not surprisingly, more passengers means more offerings.

RCCL Mariner of the Seas was our least fav cruise ever--MX Riv is my least fav itinerary but I think the pompous almost invisible CD was a big factor. That is the one cruise we have had were more than once we found ourselves looking for things to do. Still had a good time. But our other 2 RCCL cruises were terrific.

Interesting point about ship size.  We prefer the small to medium ships in all the cruise lines.  The larger ships have an overcrowded feeling.  Also, the larger ships tend to be on the shorter cruises and we prefer two week cruises.  

Further, the mega ships can fill  up a port to the point that it affects touring at the ports.   We cruise for the ports and not the ships.  Don't use water slides, etc.  Of course, we are seniors and that makes a difference.

19 hours ago, KKB said:

 

1 hour ago, Susandt said:

We are just coming off 5th Ncl cruise.  My try a new line next, celebrity, msc, royal?  Looking for opinions.

 

We have done 7 NCL cruises, 2 on Royal C. and 11 on Celebrity.

We prefer Celebrity, Royal C. and NCL in that order.   Still, we have never had a bad cruise.

Celebrity excels in dining and service.  Royal's MDR dining is very close to Celebrity, but not crazy about their buffet. 

NCL and Royal C. excellent in entertainment.

Ship design, Celebrity wins hands down.   Some NCL ships like the Epic are a poor design, others not so bad.  Royal is in between.

Price wise, Royal C. has the best prices, since Celebrity and NCL  have gone with price bundling, including drink packages, internet, etc. which raises prices.   Still, Celebrity has had a 20% price sale for months, making them more competitive.

Haven't done Princess, MSC or others, but know cruisers that thought Princess was almost comparable with Celebrity or Royal.  MSC has received mixed reviews, mostly not so good.

2 hours ago, sanger727 said:

The requirements for entry you listed are the countries requirements. The same as how celebrity requires a covid test to cruise out of Florida, they may also be requiring one for the Galapagos cruise.

Yes, I suspect that Celebrity is requiring both the vaccine and test instead of vaccine or test.  However, I couldn't get the Celebrity rep on the phone to tell me the source of the requirement.