the penguins
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Policy on changes in port fees and taxes?
the penguins replied to AndyCapn's topic in Celebrity Cruises
The odd thing was the Director of Guest Relations was expecting us to get a refund and she contacted HO twice to confirm that no refund was due. No problem on the ship about it and frankly I don't think the majority of passengers (mainly Brits) even knew that the fees are ever refunded - we certainly didn't until our US friends told us. In fact the first time it happened the ship credited all American/Canadian passengers automatically but not the few Brits who were onboard. At the suggestion of our American table companions we asked and were initially told no refunds. When we explained that our table companions had been credited we were told " sorry it was a mistake, of course you get the credit" and it was done immediately. -
Betting and knowing are different. Clearly you don't have any proof. We have cruised 4 times since August 2021 under various Covid restrictions/protocols and have seen no evidence of anything being hidden. On each cruise all crew have been routinely tested every week. Different protocols have been introduced if and when Covid numbers rose.
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Policy on changes in port fees and taxes?
the penguins replied to AndyCapn's topic in Celebrity Cruises
X even refused that on our May Silhouette sailing. Claimed they paid 1 fixed amount to dock in 3 ports in Finland with no reduction if a port was missed. Also in the UK/Europe it is illegal to charge port fees etc separately i.e. any cost that is not optional must be included in the basic price. This applies to all consumer pricing (not business to business) and hence VAT is included in prices unlike in the US where the Sales Tax is added separately. -
Changing booking to ‘cruise only’ from ‘always included’
the penguins replied to JanThe1st's topic in Celebrity Cruises
I asked about this on Silhouette in May and was told yes on any cruise departing after 2 June that has "cruise only" pricing which is practically every cruise. Not applicable to Aqua and above. -
Ship activities when lots of sea days in a row?
the penguins replied to Coarsegold_Mom's topic in Celebrity Cruises
We are regulars on the Transatlantic and just love the sea days. So many choices you will be wanting extra days to fit everything in. -
Seems Like a Good Time to Buy RCCL Stock
the penguins replied to Bgwest's topic in Celebrity Cruises
When we decided to start cruising with 5 x B2B bought our 100 shares. My experience to date is: Shares cost: 2200 OBC: 4800 Dividends: 1300 Good or bad I don't know but we like the OBC and invest it wisely in the casino. -
They had the Senior Officers event on Silhouette May this year.
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End of pre departure testing?
the penguins replied to thefog's topic in Royal Caribbean International
Great headline but in practice pretty worthless as the majority of countries still require the tests. -
Passport Requirement Uk
the penguins replied to jamessophie's topic in Royal Caribbean International
Forget Royal you could well be refused boarding at the airport on your way out of the UK. -
Passport Requirement Uk
the penguins replied to jamessophie's topic in Royal Caribbean International
Also remember that UK passports are now subject to the same rules as every other country i.e the passport will be valid for 10 years from date of issue the "lost" months will not be added to the total. -
Crew to passenger ratio varies depending on the number of passengers. We sailed b2b on Silhouette in May. Cruise 1 - 2400 pax, cruise 2 - 1100 pax crew numbers remained the same. On our second cruise there were more crew than passengers The cruise after ours was 2400 and then back to 1100. Larger tables usually take longer our table of 6 always took between 90 and 120 minutes don't blame the staff they serve as quickly as we eat but the socialising is part of the experience. Choose the table size you like and enjoy. We are both in our mid 70's and both had Covid in March.
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FYI Celebrity small group excursion not small
the penguins replied to AbbyCruiser45's topic in Celebrity Cruises
Choice is always good: X in a big bus, various Small Group operators - for us both have the same disadvantages in that we have no control over the itinerary, pace or stops. Or, our choice, ToursbyLocals. We deal direct with the guide, personalise the route, stop for coffee and cakes, split the cost with one other couple (sometimes 2 other couples) from the Roll Call, pay via the "lovely ladies" in Canada and get a full refund if the ship fails to dock. We have used TBL in Japan, China, South America, USA, Europe and never had a bad guide. -
We had one on Silhouette in May - well we would have done but it was cancelled due to the weather. Also had one for Aqua only on the same cruise.
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Always restricted to Elite and above. Sometimes there has been a separate event for other CC levels.
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8 to 10 is the usual time
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Thanks. Your description and the pics have confirmed our worst fears. Cannot imagine relaxing in that "box" for 10 minutes let alone the hours we spend on a traditional balcony. Is it a deal breaker - for us yes. Interestingly the other cruise line (Viking) that has extensive experience of this type of cabin on its river ships chose not to have them on its Ocean going ones. I wonder why?
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7.0 pm
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Exactly the point I was making whereas the original post (alex_drew) claimed that by shutting the inner doors the Aircon stayed on.
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FYI Celebrity small group excursion not small
the penguins replied to AbbyCruiser45's topic in Celebrity Cruises
If you are there overnight book a 1 day car rental and drive it yourself. To quote the helpful lady at the rental office who also put all the sites into the satnav in order ", the clue is in the title. Whenever you have a choice of direction turn right it's a circle so turning left is wrong". Picked up the car at 10 am, dropped it off at around 6.0 pm (keys through letterbox) and taxi back to ship. Great day, easy driving and no problems. -
Faster WiFi - Elon Musk Starlink Coming to RCCL Fleet
the penguins replied to Bill Miller's topic in Celebrity Cruises
If it's the same as when they introduced the current system as " the fastest at sea" it will come with a huge price tag.