vivi9909

On the Silhouette, 9192 is looking backward and is protected from the wind. Are you sure about the number?

We stayed in cabins on the slant of the hump, looking either forward or backward on the Equinox (similar to Silhouette) and we didn't find the wind was an issue.

We didn't hear any noise from the elevators or the stairs. The only source of noise might be the closet used by the room attendants that was contiguous to our cabin 9292 but its very minor as compared to the advantage of the very large balcony. Because these balconies are very deep, most of the time, the portion of the balcony close to the window is in the shade (good for me) and the portion close to the rail is under the sun (perfect for my wife)!

I booked a regular balcony cabin on an upcoming Celebrity cruise. I haven't cruised celebrity in around 10 years. I'm getting anxious about all the different classes, Aqua, concierge, suite etc & all the different dining venues. Do you think I will still enjoy this cruise without all the perks?

We booked Concierge and Aqua cabins on some of our cruises, mostly because we like the Blu restaurant (Aqua Class) very much and because the Concierge and Aqua cabins are slightly larger on the Millennium class ships. However, our last two cruises on the Equinox (and also our next one) were in a normal Veranda cabin. With the exception of the Blu restaurant for Aqua class, the other perks are not very significant and you should not miss anything.

The standard Veranda (balcony) cabins are very adequate if you are happy with its location. Depending on your priorities (mid-ship, close to elevators, unobstructed view, etc.), all cabins are not equivalent in a given category and depend on their location. Check it carefully on the Deck Plan before final booking. Size, equipment and furniture are identical in all the standard veranda cabin and always gave us full satisfaction.

Enjoy your cruise!

A big part of the evening service for me has been getting fresh towels, as we use most of the towels during our pre-dinner shower/primping time. Will they no longer be offering that as well?

Same for us. Hope that they will at least take care of that. Our next cruise is on the Equinox this fall.

The "Luxury" is getting even more "Modern"!

We did two Eastern Caribbean cruises and one Western Caribbean. We were happy with it but consider that some ports of call in the Western itineraries such as Carthagena, Panama and Belize were interesting to be seen once but would not go back.

We will however continue to go back to the Eastern and Southern destinations. Next one is on the Equinox in May 2017: fabulous prices and perks!

Definitively, for a first Caribbean cruise, Eastern (or Southern) Caribbean is the choice, especially if you like beautiful beaches and landscapes. On the other hand, if you are attracted by Mayan sites, tropical forest or Panama Canal, you might prefer the Western itineraries.

Here's the difference between the Classic and Premium. You can figure that the Standard would be much less. https://secure.celebritycruises.com/celebrity/media/celebrity/shared_assets/pdf/Classic-Premium-Bev-Pckgs.pdf

I checked the link and realized that the X table is misleading because it puts emphasis on the brands of spirits and beers and says very little about the difference for wines. Taking into account that we drink spirits only in cocktails, we're not too much concerned about the brand of vodka or gin they put in. However, there is a big difference about the wines available in the Classic and the Premium packages: wines up to $9 per glass for the Classic and up to $13 for the Premium. Consequently, the selection is much larger. Moreover, if you take a more expensive wine, with the Premium, you pay only the difference over $13 and, with the Classic, you pay the full price; big difference!

I did do a search on the S class. Didn't come up with much on what I'm looking for.

 

Thank you.

Did you follow the link to the spreadsheet? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lYvbGYBf2WB3jSFTVuliFltauVnhdqfheWJTeFujSbs/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=341972625

All that beautiful sushi replaced by more low cost pasta and sauce yummy.

 

Good job X didn't you read my post cruise survey?

 

I love the OV sushi.

They probably figured that you love it so much you would be willing to pay for it!

Moreover, the French translation is very poor. Probably the ad was self-made by a local travel agent to save on the cost of using a professional publicity firm.

You are correct. Just boarded the Reflection. We will be hit with a 22% Italian VAT as this is now an intra-EU cruise, but it does not apply to spa, bar and specialty restaurant services.

 

 

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Are you sure about that? How did you know?

We will be on an Equinox cruise leaving Barcelona on October 15 and was under the impression that the VAT will also apply to bars, restaurants and internet.

Me too. Just deleted several. I think its time for celebrity to look at their IT managers.

About two years ago, a new IT manager was nominated with a lot of drums and whistles. She was very visible for a few months but we stopped to hear from her. I don't remember her name and I'm not even sure if she is still with Celebrity.

It started in June 2015. I was on the first cruise where it was done. June 21. Captain Leo announced it was the first time.

I know, we were on the June 14 cruise, the last one that didn't do it. :eek:

Rude.

In my opinion, what is rude, is an OP that throws a stone in the pound and then disappears and who never comes back to explain its position or reply to comments or questions.

We now have a discussion of various complains shooting to many targets without any specific topic. Useless.

Just off the Equinox. The Spanish VAT tax was applied to purchases during the entire cruise. It did not apply to shore excursions though. It's a hefty 21%!

Thank you, good to know that, at least, it doesn't apply to shore excursions.

Can you be more specific about the other items that were included or not?

Beverage Packages? Specialty restaurants? Internet package? Do you know if it makes a difference if these items are prepaid or bought on board?

How did the passengers reacted when they realized that "surprise" overcharge that Celebrity is very discrete about? Were Guest Services overly busy about complains on the subject? Were the passengers clearly informed in Celebrity Today about the policy and what items are taxable or not?

For those of you who had the chance to try Suchi on Five, how do their suchies compare with the ones that were previously available (for free) at the Oceanview Cafe around 5h30pm daily? Did they eliminate that offering?

Hi -- we are Jeanne and Creighton Dennis from Hawaii. Just booked this cruise a few days ago and I am researching private tours. Have emailed Mario for the godfather tour and we are looking to join others for the mini-van (I believe it's up to 8 people). Let me know if we can join your group. Thanks and Aloha!

Aloha!

What do you mean by THIS cruise? OUR cruise is on the Equinox on October 15. If this is also yours, you should post your question on our Roll Call, here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2131466&highlight=vat&page=37

Yes, we have a Port of Call in Messina and would also like to join a mini-van going to Etna but the best place to obtain an answer is on the Roll Call forum.

If you are on a different cruise, you should find your Roll Call and post your question on the appropriate forum.

Taking into account that you never went to Venice before and are not familiar with the different means of transportation from the cruise terminal, I suggest that you should read the Tom's Port Guide; they are perfect for first time cruisers in a new city.

It will also give you useful tips for your first day in Venice (before the overnight).

Here is the link for the Venice guide: http://www.tomsportguides.com/port-guides.html#venice

My personal tips: taking into account that your ship is scheduled to dock in Venice around 8:00 AM, don't forget to get up at least two hours before since the approach and cruising in front of the St-Mark's Square is a must that you don't want to miss. Moreover, if you are on a tight budget, don't spoil it on a Gondola ride (it's a rip-off!), just take the Vaporetto along the Grand Canal and save the Gondola fee for an excursion at Murano and Burano or entrance fees at Dodge's Palace or some museums.

That being said, if you figure that you could have time for some sightseeing in Venice on the last day, book the late flight, take the People Mover to Piazzale Roma where you will leave your luggage, as suggested previously, explore Venice and take a bus from Piazzale Roma after recuperating your luggage. If not, book the early flight and go directly from the port to the airport by taxi as some posters mentioned previously.

Enjoy your stay in Venice, a marvellous city.

We will be sailing on the Equinox Oct 15 cruise from Barcelona to Barcelona with all Ports of Call in EU. Based on this discussion and some others, my understanding is that we will be charged 21% VAT (or 22?) for all our purchases on-board, including drinks, Internet package and specialty restaurants but not sure about the Shore Excursions.

Taking into account that a Classic Beverage Package is included as a perk in the price of our cruise, it is also my understanding that we will not be taxed for that. However, if we want to upgrade from the Classic to the Premium Beverage Package, will it make a difference if we purchase it before the cruise on the Celebrity Web site as compared to purchasing it on-board, during embarkation or while at sea?

I know that some people might have different opinions about that question, but I would like to have answers from people who experienced recently one of the two possibilities on a cruise with all Port of Calls in EU.

Thank you.

We will be taking a Celebrity cruise from Barcelona to Barcelona with all Port of Call in EU. Based on this discussion and some others, my understanding is that we will be charged 20% (or 22?) for all our purchases on-board, including drinks and specialty restaurants but not sure about the Shore Excursions.

Taking into account that a Classic Beverage Package is included as a perk in the price of our cruise, it is also my understanding that we will not be taxed for that. However, if we want to upgrade from the Classic to the Premium Beverage Package, will it make a difference if we purchase it before the cruise on the Celebrity Web site as compared to purchasing it on-board, during embarkation or while at sea?

I know that some people might have different opinions about that question, but I would like to have answers from people who experienced recently one of the two possibilities on a cruise with all Port of Calls in EU.

Thank you.

We are Celebrity fans but we just booked a British Isle cruise on the Caribbean Princess on July 2017 because the Celebrity British Isle cruises start from Amsterdam and we feel that a genuine British Isle cruise should include a pre or post cruise stay in London.

That will be our first Princess cruise. We booked a BB category balcony cabin with a beverage package included as a perk. We are used at Aqua or 1A cabins on Celebrity and, of course, enjoy the Elite privileges. Will we be disappointed or realize, as many mentioned here, that there are more similarities than differences between both?

If your memory is right, and I have no reason to doubt about it, I have to admit that my reasoning is possibly wrong. I'm sorry for that.

In that case you will have to rely on pictures of some specific cabins but, unfortunately, they are more or less scattered on various locations on CC and other sites and that will require some searching. Good luck!

All the M-class ship (like the Summit) cabins have the same configuration: bed by the bath (or door) and couch by the balcony.

Hi Viv!

 

One thing you mentioned which really stood out was that if there is a door to a communicating room - that will indicate which side the bed is on. Just to clarify - if the door is on one side, the headboard will be on the opposite side? So does that mean that 7076 will be facing backwards and 7078 will be facing forward?

Exactly!

I see that you sailed on the Summit. Do you remember your cabin number and the configuration of your bed? Since the cabins alternate (mirror-like), you could deduct the configuration of cabins on the same deck and side of the ship. Millenium has same cabin configuration than the Summit.

Thank you pl! I'm not sure what a sticky is but I went to the Millennium subforum and was trying to find any pictures or info but didn't have much luck. I stopped around the posts circa 2013 but I could go deeper I guess. Hoping that others will be able to give me their room numbers and a definitive answer if the beds faced forward or backwards. Most of the rooms on 6 are taken - and I think I would prefer being on deck 7 as the decks below and above are sleeping quarters. If you were on Deck 6, Deck 5 could be somewhat noisy below depending on where you are, I would imagine. :rolleyes:

Stickies are discussions that always appear on top of the first page of the Celebrity forum. The one that is pertinent for you is about the M class cabins: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1911871

If you are affected by motion sickness, a ship is different from a car or a train and you have to take into account that you will feel less movement in mid-ship cabins than on aft or front cabins and that, for most passengers, that factor is much more important than the bed orientation. However, if you feel that it is important for you, you should find that info in the sticky discussion for some specific cabins. Note that all the M-class ships (Millennium, Summit, Constellation and Celebrity) have identical configurations and the info you will find for one of them will apply to the others.

Moreover, if you look carefully on the deck plans on the Celebrity site, you will notice that some rooms have a short line on the wall between them (e.g. 7076-7078); they are communicating rooms. Taking into account that the door is on the wall opposed to the bed, that indicates the bed orientation. Good luck.

First time for us in Blu as we are doing Aqua class this time. Just wondering if it is worth it to go to the specialty restaurants. Also wondering that the tours leave so early, does Blu open for breakfast that early?

The food in Blu is more than adequate and delicious; however, if you are looking for a more quiet atmosphere and great service, specialty restaurants such as Tuscan Grill or Murano will offer you a more enjoyable and romantic experience. Silk Harvest and Q-sine are great if you are sharing with a group.

Concerning opening time, did you seed that discussion: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=49760409&postcount=28:cool: