Dar & Bob

18 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

What is the current charge per day to upgrade from the Always Included to the Premium Beverage Package?

I recently upgraded on two of our cruises for $6.99 plus 20% gratuity - at the moment it is $13.99

5 hours ago, mrsfecura said:

Hi Dar & Bob,

I'm really reaching back here but by any chance did you use Arthur Weegeman for your Amsterdam transportation?  

We used VIP Travel - info below, They arrived as requested at a reasonable price - since we were there in May we requested a side trip to see the tulip fields for an additional amount of course.  We had a fabulous driver and wonderful trip.

So a question to people on the whole Credit Card for Shoreside transactions requirement.  I emailed my CVP and basically was told we will stay Blue Lane if we don't provide although from what she can see we are Green Lane.  It appears our medallions are still ordered ( at least it shows that on the new app) 

The question is has anyone emailed customer relations or even someone above.  Could this just be a software glitch?  I worked in Tax for many years and every new release there were "known problems" that they were trying to fix even though they released the software.  I did email customer relations and I'm hoping that this is the answer.

50 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Are you sure that it is the Shoreside CC that has now changed your "lane"?  The ability to supply a shoreside CC has been around for several years...it has never been required.  I was *always* green lane and I have never supplied that info.  Check around a bit more.  Do you have an emergency return airport entered?  That has tripped a lot of people up in the past...

Yes that is what is highlighted as not complete.  All else is done except payment method.  It is the ONLY item red and missing

Thank you guess I don't know how to do a proper search.  I will turn off this thread now.  

I did search the forum before posting this and don't see it anywhere 

We just uploaded the new app.  We were Green Lane for everything. Now it's Blue, the new App is requiring us to provide a Credit Card number for Shoreside Transactions with the medallion and authorize Radiqal Gaming LLC to store our information.  No Way.  

I don't mind Princess having CC information but no to a 3rd party.  I can't even imagine trying to straighten out an erroneous charge.  

Does anyone have an email to escalate this?  This can't be right.  I have emailed our CVP and she said no way to opt out.  I sure am hoping this is a programming glitch.

6 hours ago, 7Trainguy1951 said:

Wife and I are sailing to the ABC islands in April of 2025 from Fort Lauderdale. We'll require air from Philly to Fort Lauderdale the day before we sail. My wife has some mobility issues, so we want to fly first class. I've searched their website but can't find any information because our cruise is too far out. Has anyone used their air and requested first class? We don't fly too often so not sure if it's worth booking air with Celebrity of privately. Thanks for any input.

You can book any class of airfare.  If you want to see how it works, pick another cruise from FLL, then go down to flight quotes.  Put in mock dates ( I try to make it the same day of the week) you will be able so see all the various classes.

On 10/29/2023 at 11:04 AM, zitsky said:

 

I said I thought I did it but it is not in order history so obviously I did not do it.  And despite looking all over, I am not seeing an upgrade in either the app or the website.  I have upgraded drink packages on other Celebrity cruises.  I've asked my TA to help.

 

So normally if you are signed in the Classic Package would show "Reserved" if you have booked it- maybe no upgrade because you don't have the Classic to upgrade 

19 hours ago, deliver42 said:

It's on specific sailings and specific ships. Unfortunately. my Ascent cruise isn't one of them

I got it on my Ascent cruise for April 2024

13 hours ago, dpm321 said:

Thanks.  I see the same thing in front of the gym.  Unfortunately the deck plans don’t provide enough detail to identify access.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

On the Apex we were able to walk out there,  There were chairs stacked up - we were sailing to Norway so I assume this was due to weather. 

3 hours ago, Snaxmuppet said:

The medallion for me has been a real cruise-enhancer. I find the ease of use of the medallion when on board great. Yes, the app is rubbish but I still find it a huge improvement over the old way.

I totally agree.  I love the medallion - especially that it can be in my purse or a pocket.  I walk up and the door opens, the bartender knows me, etc.  We can see if our cruise companions are in the buffet, their room or whereever. We had issues setting it up orginally but the past 4 cruises have been much enhanced by it.  We have been on a few Celebrity cruises recently and we do miss the medallion.

2 hours ago, rowval said:

We haven’t cruised in about 7 yrs. We have a cruise booked, Jan, was a great deal the 3 all included from Celebrity. We saw a cruise on the new Ascent at a great price, inside cabin guaranty. It’s about $650:x2 for,the all included . Wondering if we should just do a la carte. So a few questions

can u bring soda onboard? Water? Wine?

thanks

 

Not sure if this is a Canadian rate but I see nothing that low at all - or is the 650 just for the AI portion?

So after about 5 hours time my issue is supposedly solved.  Not completely happy with the solution but we're at their mercy.  

I did call and did the call me back option which was supposed to be 90 minutes.  I waited 2 hours before calling back with a wait of an 1:45.  Told the rep my problem which he had to go to the "resolutions" team.  Took about another 45 minutes to get my balance to the correct number and get the AI package reinstalled.  However, my current confirmation looks nothing like the original - the second fare was just adjusted and no AllInc codes but these:

TDX8-BASICWIFCH10
TDX9-BASICWIFSV10
TFD8-GRAT STD 10N
TFQ6-PROMO2C 10N
TFQ7-BEVCLINGRA10

Looks like codes for the Tech Dept?  

Also 4 of our 6 excusions show twice on my order history, which the rep tried to explain to me but I still have no idea why.  If I want to cancel any of them (cruise is 15 months away)  I don't know how I would do it.  

So yes my balance is back to what I owe and I have everything that I had previously.  I have copies of all of my transactions along the way - hopefully I never need them.

19 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

You must have also upgraded to a balcony cabin.

We were booked in a veranda cabin to begin with on a good sale with good OBC

With the sale on excursions that has been going on, we and 2 other couples were booking our excursions for a November 2024 cruise.  DH and I had $750 OBC to spend and we booked $622 in excursions using the OBC.  Got all the normal confirms etc. We booked the last one yesterday morning (Friday) and it showed $128 remaining OBC .  So all was well and good

Today (Saturday) I two emails at 1:15 pm reminding me of my payments due... wait what?  I go onto the X website and not only do I not have any OBC showing, our balance is now showing at 9,151 instead of 5,488 and of course the wait is 90 minutes to talk to anyone.   WTH Celebrity.

Unfortunately our friends had to do the 90 minute wait yesterday because they did not get OBC for their Book Later deposits which the reps argued with them about.  Have loved our Celebrity cruises but they are really testing my patience

On 8/25/2023 at 6:43 AM, Oakman said:

I can get the same cabin if booked separately. It its a Mini Suite on Deck 10 with the large angled balcony. Not available on 14 night booking. Plus, it is $80.00 cheaper booking separately!!

 

Be aware if you are talking about the two larger mini suites on Deck 10, those are accessible cabins, You will see it in the description on the deck plan..  If you are not handicapped you will be moved if they need the accessible cabin for someone who is.  Had this happen a long time ago on the Regal.

13 hours ago, UT-Volsfan said:

Currently on the Grand Princess, which implemented the changed Plus and Premiere packages on Aug. 19th.  Reviewing our online charges today saw a charge labeled Null for $14.99 for each of us.  Went to Guest Services and was told it was for our visit to Alfredo's on the 20th.  We booked the cruise in June with the Plus package, so 2 visits should have been included. Took a few minutes, but finally got the charge removed.

 

So just wanting to caution people to check their bills carefully.  The computer system obviously hasn't caught up with the new business rules.

We had issues last summer on the Grand.  Even though we had the Plus Package the entire first day we were charged for our drinks.  Supposedly the system didn't "reset" but the bartenders could "see" us on their screen and see that we had the package.  We had various other problems, including having to wait to be seated even with Club Class dining. GS line taking care of problems.

IMO I will never sail less than Royal class on Princess, which is unfortunate since there are some great itineraries on the other ships

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Yes...I made a couple of posts regarding The Catch in my "Live From" thread here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2939159-sky-princess-iceland-missed-ports/page/8/

 

The food was probably the best we've ever had on a cruise.  Looking forward to doing it again on the Sky this November on its transatlantic.

Was it noisy?  I see that this restaurant has replaced Bistro Sur La Mer.  We had dinner in Bistro in November and while the food was very good the atmosphere was horrible, noisy from the plaza and people walking through.  

We had the same thing happen last year just before our final payment.  The amount due dropped by the exact amount of the insurance.  Had to call our rep to get it reinstated.  I wish that Celebrity had the details of the booking on the website.  We have cruised Princess a lot and you can see every line item on their site so if something does change you don't have to guess at what it is.  

I do agree that Celebrity's website is one of the worst. 

23 minutes ago, tigervixxxen said:

Just FYI my Celebrity app is currently showing the following

 

50% off WiFi to $4.99 upgrade to premium, 25% off for $17.99 premium package. 

40% off excursions

30% off drinks packages, Classic $61.99, Premium $75.99

 

I am sailing on the Solstice if that makes any difference but my understanding flash sales are fleet wide? Just thought I’d share. 

We have two cruises in 2024 and doesn't seem to apply to either 😞

It never ceases to amaze me how inconsiderate people are becoming.  We have had a few instances sitting in doctors offices in the past month.  Woman playing a game on her phone. Bing, bang bong, over and over,  an older couple trying to do something with their bank account with it on speaker phone (please enter your PIN), talking to their mother, another conducting business.  All people old enough to know better,  

It happens in the grocery stores, basically everywhere.  I laugh because people are concerned about "privacy" but will discuss their entire life in public.  

I think I would see if there was some place to move or I would have had to tried to take the polite rule rather than risk a stroke LOL

On 7/10/2023 at 12:49 PM, phoenix_dream said:

I also hate when people do that on their balconies, especially when they know we are sitting on ours right next to them.  Loud phone calls and video chats, loud music.  Sometimes it's a family with children who let their kids make all kinds of noise - but it certainly can be anyone of any age!  

Had this happen on our Alaska cruise while "peacefully" sailing Glacier Bay, loud discussion, we could understand every word from 3 levels up.  They had to talk over their music.  

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Rounding out our 6 night cruise today in Bimini and I’m  pretty sure I can see Miami in the distance…lol. 
 

We got off the ship and walked around a bit to get some exercise and then boarded for lunch in the OVC. The water in Bimini is some of the bluest I’ve ever seen but the island itself offers little to do beyond sitting on the beach or other typical water activities. 
 

Last night featured the first production show of the cruise. It’s a brand new show called LIFE. The cast boarded when we did last week and gave their first performance last night. It was very good and reminded me of how cruise ship entertainment used to be before production shows were replaced with magicians and solo vocalists. We’ve had a great cruise on board Equinox but if I had to give a criticism, it would be in the area of theater entertainment. It just isn’t like it used to be. 
 

We spent several hours in the casino which was quite lively. I played Heidi’s Beer House for a long time. The machine was hot and finally resulted in a hand pay. After collecting our winnings we threw in another bill to see if the machine had gone cold. It continued to pay out and we played on until all of our expenses over the week had been recouped. This is a welcomed, but rare occurrence for me in most all ship casinos. DH is not a gambler but he likes to watch. My two favorite games this cruise were of course, Heidi and another called Dragon vs Panda. Both were pretty generous…especially if playing the max bet. 
 

We did not experience any vaping last night. 
 

Dinner service was great…food was fine. Tonight’s menu it nothing to write home about, IMO but I’m sure we’ll find something to enjoy. 
 

I’m going to conclude with a little review of our room on deck 7. I love the location. It’s great proximity to stairs/elevators. The room has been cool the entire time. There’s plenty of storage…much more than we had on our recent MSC cruise in the YC. My only criticism of the room is with the bathroom sink. The faucet sticks out so far over the bowl that I’ve nearly missed giving myself a black eye on more than one occasion while washing my face. 
 

The outlets are by the vanity mirror. We brought an outlet extender as well as an extension cord. Additionally, I brought my little rechargeable fan to keep beside the bed. It was perfect. 
 

As this was our first standard verandah cruise experience on Celebrity, we weren’t sure if we’d miss not being in a suite. For us, the answer was surprising because we both agreed that the service, amenities, and little perks rivaled our last experience in a Royal Suite. We didn’t miss the Retreat lounge or the butler service at all. The one thing we did miss was the embarkation day lunch in a dining room which we prefer over the OVC. We made up for this by dining in Sushi on 5. We’ve learned that the nonsuite experience is pretty darn nice and I can see more sailings like this in our future. 
 

We will see ourselves off the ship tomorrow morning after a visit to the departure lounge for coffee. 
 

Would I do a Blue chip cruise again!  You bet I would!  
 

Safe travels and happy cruising to all!

 

Georgia Peaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I appreciate your impression of the Veranda class on X.  We have just started sailing with X and have done a Sunset Veranda (Edge), Veranda (Equinox) and most recent Sky Suite on Apex in Norway.  We loved the suite and luminae but I am not sure we will book retreat again.  Not great amenities on Equinox and on the E class there is so much more to do.  We are doing an IV on Ascent so that may change our mind when the SV is not available.  For the difference in price even with upgrading the booze package, we can eat a lot of meals in specialty for the $$

4 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

"Word of mouth" is just an alias for "spreading rumors."

Remember the whisper game where the first person whispers a phrase to the second and so on and what comes out on the other end????  Yeah you can smoke in the casino or you can vape thc....... make up your own ending LOL

15 hours ago, LaCal said:

because i’m a smoker and play in the casino a lot and now I can take a few puffs from a vape pen instead of having to go outside to have a actual cigarette 

At the risk of everyone else's health.......nice