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xxpinksaltxx

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Posts posted by xxpinksaltxx

    Melbourne airport: Drive or take Skybus?

    in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

    Posted · Edited by xxpinksaltxx

    I work at the airport and I would personally take a taxi from the city ( even if it is additional cost). The skybus runs every 10-20 mins from Southern cross Station. This may not be central to your hotel. The skybus takes the freeway which can get very congested during peak business hours. I believe the current rate is $18 one way per person. It drops you off at Terminal 3 ( virgin terminal). If you fly out with jetstar you will need to make your way to Terminal 1 (other end of the airport to the skybus drop off). Not a long walk about 5 mins.

     

    I believe the taxi is an easier option. They can take a different route if the freeway is congested. They can pick you up and drop you off in your exact destination. Unless you are staying near Southern Cross you will need to take a taxi, tram, hotel shuttle or train to the station. Unless you are keen I would not suggest walking from the CBD or even southbank with luggage. Its the end of your wonderful holiday so a stress free option the the airport is a better way to end your holiday.

     

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    Solstice MDR menus

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I can confirm that most of the menus that were on our 2012 cruise were the exact same as the ones we had 2 weeks ago. Only exception was a few changes to the sides and the top chef menu. The first night menu was the exact same for both cruises.

     

    I don't have any copies (sorry) but I know someone will have a link to some.

     

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    did Celebrity ever do towel animals?

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Just off the Eclipse two weeks ago. We had a towel animal a few days into the cruise and thanked our room attendant for it. Every night after we got a towel animal. Celebrity is not like Carnival where you are almost guaranteed one each night. Im sure if you kindly asked they would be more than willing too. We did tip our room attendant extra at the end of the cruise for his efforts

     

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    what is the benefit of booking your next cruise on board

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted · Edited by xxpinksaltxx

    As far as booking a cruise that has not been released, we were on the Eclipse last week and had friends who did this. They were told to book a 2015 cruise and when the 2016 schedule was released they just needed to call up and move their booking. You should receive onboard credit ( for the current cruise I would assume).

     

    As far as the perks go we also booked a cruise onboard.

     

    123go can not be used for any TA or any repositioning cruise ( yes we tried to book Sydney to Hawaii and she said no). I dont think it is a cost issue as the verandah we wanted to book was $3800 each. Funny enough, we booked Hawaii to Vancouver and this is included in the 123go (no idea how since this seems to be a repositioning cruise too).

     

    1. 123go - pick from free grats, free classic alcholic package, onboard credit

    2. Onboard credit for the current cruise ( we got $200 for booking a 10 night cruise).

    3. Reduced deposits - deposit was $100 each for the 10 night cruise

    4. Captains club room upgrade. We were booked in a 1C and given a 1B.

     

    Before going to the future cruise desk we scoped out the prices of cruises and itineraries in the I - lounge. Access to the celebrity website is free and they were super busy in the future cruise room. It made for a quick process knowing the exact cruise and stateroom we wanted to book.

     

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    Any frequent cruisers who do not like TransAtlantics(westbound)

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    We have only done one TA in 2012 ( it was westbound in October to Fort Lauderdale). It had two stops in France and one stop in the Azores. This left us with 7 days in a row at sea after the Azores. We both thought we would be so bored and hate it. It was quite the opposite. There is plenty scheduled on board to do. Yes you will find days where there seems to be nothing of personal interest to do. We used these days for the pool and to read.

     

    Things we liked:

    1. Several days of getting an extra hours sleep. Meant I could stay up a bit later for late shows ( we dont like to waste our day sleeping and enjoy breakfast).

    2. With only three ports we were able to truely relax for the second half of our cruise.

    3. Less children, only 5 children on our cruise. I don't hate children, but it can be difficult to relax when some parents let their children run free throughout the ship.

    4. Unless you live in Europe or the UK your flight home is likely to be shorter. Flight from UK for us is 24 hours whereas from East coast of the USA is only 18 hours.

     

    TA negatives:

    1. Not many people of our age (early 20's). And seemed to have a few rooms shut off for Elite functions etc

    2. Disembarktation in Ft Lauderdale was a nightmare. 3 hours from being called off to getting in a taxi. Only one customs desk for all NON US passangers.

     

    Also dont forget the 123go promo can not be used for TAs or repositioning cruises. Not a deal breaker for us as the TAs are normally very cheap.

     

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    Precook shore excursions???

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    We too enjoy doing a few self guided tours and also private tours ( which need to be pre booked). There are some occasions when we will do Shore excursions ( eg. Long trip of a few hours into a city etc). I recommend pre booking with the cruise line and dont wait until you are onboard. We noted on our cruise last week that exursions we had pre booked ( and paid for) were dramatically more expensive onboard. Some of them had doubled in price.

     

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    Flowers, Chocolates, Qtips missing Oh My..

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    We were on the cruise just before yours (disembarked august 30th). We did have q tips and cotton balls but they were not restocked over the 2 weeks. We however only received one chocolate at turn down(in the form of an oreo) over the two weeks. Also missing was the sorbet cleanser in the MDR on formal nights. No gala brunch (which we were aware of) but the attempt of a brunch in the buffet on the last sea day was pretty sad. Additions included: chocolate fountain, ice carvings and sushi. Seemed like there were less free activities (granted our last cruise was a TA in 2012). We still had a great time onboard, but it is sad to see so many things being cut.

     

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    Looking for a better cruising experience

    in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

    Posted

    We have sailed both Carnival (spirit) amd Celebrity. We love Celebrity, they are a good fit for us. We have cruised with them twice now, and have another two booked. We find the food, amenities, bar service, staterooms etc of high value. Entertainment (shows) is good, but not great. I would say they cater for a middle age/ older crowd (however we are in our 20s and still enjoy them). Prices are good and if you book when they have a promo you can get a free alcholic package too.

     

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    Credit Cards on board

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    On our last cruise we had to use a prepaid credit card as we had forgotten to tell our credit card company we were going away and they kept blocking Celebrity's transactions. We had all our spendings "held" on our account and then on the last day we had our transactions charged (along with the card still having hold sales). It took us two weeks to get those funds back to "available".

     

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    123 is back starting June 2

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Seems the current 123 promotion is only open for Australians for two weeks (closing June 21 unless extended). Tis mighty unfair.

    Already excluded from most deals , higher prices, steeper airfares, no residency rates etc - when finally we are offered a decent promotion it is valid for 25% the offer time as others ....

     

    Dont forget we dont get the reduced deposits or the 25 bonus Captain's club points either :(

     

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    1 2 3 exclusions

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    I think it is because the Transatlantic sailings are already dirt cheap. We booked a 1A on a transatlantic for $990 each (13 night cruise). This was before final payment too when the price dropped even lower.

     

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    123 is back starting June 2

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Hi Hammo,

     

    For the OBC with the world tour it was automatically added to my reservation (I didn't need to add any codes). For the 123go offer you will need to add in the promo code relevant to the offer you would like. As an example if you wanted to add the beverage package you add the code " bev123go". They have all the codes listed in the terms and conditions ( you will find a link on the Celebrity Australia homepage).

     

    You just need to search for the cruise you want and select "go to offers". On the next page is the travelers section, there is an offer code section. Enter in your offer code and then select UPDATE. Once it has been updated scroll down to the bottom and select book. I'll try to attach a photo for you.

     

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    123 is back starting June 2

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Our cabin price hadn't gone up with the addition of the promo (though it is for December 2015 NZ cruise). I selected the classic beverage package and also got the "world tour" obc. Not sure how that worked out since the world tour offer was suppose to end may 31st. We booked after midnight on June 1st.

     

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    123 is back starting June 2

    in Celebrity Cruises

    Posted

    Looking for some advice. So I just booked the 123go package (it started midnight June 1st in Australia). On my invoice all it says is"promo code B", doesn't say anything about 123go. Should I be worried? Seems with all the issues on the Celebrity website I'm not really sure if I have the package added.

     

    Thanks for everyone's help in advance.

     

    Jacinta

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