twincheryl

Here's the info we have on the Budget rental car we are getting in January... it was a little difficult getting this location to come up on the Budget website... I finally just did a google search and found it that way. We'll just return it to the FLL airport before our flight in the evening. Budget Car Rental Pick up: Ft Lauderdale Cruiseport Shttl, EV3 2520 Miami Rd, Fort Lauderdale Ph: 954-761-7231 Do you shuttle to and from Port Everglades? Yes, we do! If Ft. Lauderdale is one of the cruise ports you’re going to explore, simply meet the shuttle at the pier, and it will deliver you to the Budget Port Everglades / Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port office, where you can pick up a rental car. How close is this location to the port? Our Fort Lauderdale cruise shuttle office is about 1.6 miles from Port Everglades Terminal 18. This is a shuttle ride of about 10 minutes.

I would say that one thing to consider is that there is not a lot of shade on the SV cabins, and it's likely to be quite warm on an ABC cruise. Last time we did this on a different Caribbean itinerary, we had to keep the curtains closed most of the afternoon due to the heat from the sun beating on the slider. It would have been way too hot for me to sit out there, but DH could handle it for a bit. Long walk back to the cabin, but we find it quieter back there with very little hallway noise. A personal decision for sure... but on a "hot weather" itinerary it wouldn't matter to me if I stayed somewhere else on the ship.

The biggest incentive we find is the $100pp deposit and a bit of extra obc above what is available for the current promotion that Celebrity is offering online, if any. Amount depends on cabin category and length of cruise.

Thanks so much, John Bull and everyone else! Never imagined that we could stay with hotel points in Bournemouth and also take the train to Brockenhurst or other stops nearby for a day trip. We are not "tour" people, so this will allow us to do only the things that interest us in each place and not need to hire a guide or taxi. Everyone in our party will be happy now!

This past summer we stayed in London and Southampton before our cruise. Next October we're cruising out of Southampton again and would like to see some other areas. Will stay 2 nights after flying from California and make our way to the port the morning of the cruise. We've come up with Bournemouth or Winchester as possibilities that have lovely scenery and places to walk around as well as eat out. Those of you that live on the other side of the pond from us... do you have any comments about those areas or others within an hour or so of Southampton? We are three seniors with no disabilities... will need 3 hotel rooms at a hotel with air conditioning. Will hire a private car to wherever we end up. We will not have a car, but ok to Uber or taxi... don't care about tourist locations like Stonehenge... love beautiful parks/nature areas and lovely small(ish) villages. Thanks, in advance, for any suggestions...

We did a 7day b2b with a 4 day this past summer and had to call… got $100 discount.

We have sailed in Concierge cabins several times. In my opinion, there is no difference. We decline the afternoon canapes because they often sit around all afternoon while we are doing something in port or around the ship. The price is rarely worth the one bottle of sparkling wine that you now have to ask for if you'd like it. We have never used the binoculars or umbrella, the pillow selection, or the key holder. That being said, if you are close to the next Captain's Club level, it might be worth getting the 2 extra points each day.

Yes… unless it’s a flash sale. Check the fine print at the bottom of the offer.

Just off a packed full Silhouette B2B out of Southampton... lots of coughing, sneezing, etc. and no mention of Covid anywhere... many evenings there was nobody at the entrance to the buffet with hand sanitizer, although generally someone during breakfast and lunch. I was surprised that there were no sinks for hand washing as on most of the new or revolutionized ships... which would be my preference. My sister tested positive when we got home... both of us had allergy-like symptoms during the cruise but assumed it was due to the a/c as we generally experience in that type of situation. I imagine many others did not test either and expect that many would have been positive. Maybe saw two or three people with masks out of over 3000 passengers

Just off Silhouette and this was the case...and one evening the DJ was by Cafe al Bacio... quite loud and certainly not our favorite!

Just returned from Silhouette Norwegian Fjords... had Sunset Veranda on deck 8... asked Stateroom Attendant to please skip evening cabin service as I don't need someone turning down my bed covers and closing the drapes... but still he couldn't resist and also got a chocolate each evening, which I left on the bedside table for the whole cruise... lol... go figure.

We have the coffee station on Silhouette this week… deck 7, I believe. I have seen it from the elevator.

No cookies by ice cream on Silhouette right now… they are putting the bread pudding or other warming tray desserts next to the ice cream at this point. Three types of cookies in Cafe al Bacio, plus the other rotating selection of pastries and desserts depending on time of day.

We are on Silhouette now and have been on Apex and Summit in the past few months. There is a normal, very extensive buffet at lunch but dinner is scaled down a bit. Still plenty to choose from but not what they had in the past.

And if you are a home baker you will know that day old… or even 3 day old… cookies are still good. Even wedding cakes are baked a few days before they are decorated… lol… we are on Silhouette now and all is fine… three types of cookies in Bacio and gelato station empty as usual.

Have cruised both RC and Celebrity with basic package and have never been able to make phone calls unless it was wifi calling, which comes with many US phone plans and/or phones. If you’re in port… yes… with Verizon the int’l plan is only $10/day… some are free int’l…

Many of us feel the same way... we have raised our children and enjoy a more peaceful environment. We made the mistake of doing a Mexico cruise last Thanksgiving week... oh my, we have never seen anything like it, especially on Celebrity. The Sky Lounge had family games all week and there were kids running all over. Live and learn... we rarely cruise now unless during times that kids are in school.

That is our experience as well... just get lucky with a phone rep who is trained or able to do it, or ask the person on the phone to escalate.

You will need to call Celebrity to use your Elite discount precruise.

Not sure about Connie, but have been on Apex and Summit since the buffet debacle and there was plenty to choose from… even a rotating grill station, stir fry, and pasta station. No issues for us and we only dine in buffet for dinner, so we are happy it is getting back to more normal!

I have found that it is possible to get your CC discount when it's "on sale", but not on "flash sale". I fought pretty hard on the last flash sale, but came up with a negative response, regardless of who I spoke with.

As with most Celebrity sales these days, they just raise the price to put them on sale. All of my six bookings are at least $1000 more… and that’s for a single passenger. Not like pre Covid when it was normal to get at least a couple of price drops if you booked early!

We do this often… as with everything Celebrity, if not using a travel agent just call back and get someone who knows what they are doing… lol

I get cans of club soda free on classic. Ask for a couple slices of lemon or lime and good to go!

Since you are from the UK, can you answer a question for me? In all ports we've been to in the US, we always tip the porters that take our luggage. Do the porters expect that at Southampton port? Along this line, do you know about needing local currency in Norway & Netherlands? We have debit and credit cards with chip/pin, but thinking about how much currency we will need for tipping and maybe food stands, etc. Anyone else that has experience in this area, please also advise. Thanks!