Buckeye94

On 3/17/2020 at 5:53 PM, Palms2Pines2Sea said:

If you need to cancel for your own peace of mind, just do it. Really, just make it happen. You will sleep better, I promise

Thank you. I did. I cancelled my May 1 cruise. Would I have come out ahead if I'd waited for them to cancel, which is looking more likely?  <sigh> Yes, probably. 

I'm dealing with too much to have that trip hanging over me and friends and family asking about the trip - if it's on, will I go, why, am I worried? Yes, maybe, I don't know! 

I like cruising. I will cruise again. So, I took the 100% FCC and I'll sail again.

Do what's right for you. I will sleep with one less worry running through my head.

Be safe. Be sane. Be kind.

Julie

https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/city-to-provide-saturday-update-on-coronavirus-response-in-columbus/

Stay safe everyone. 

42 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Unfortunately, these things do get overlooked in times of crises and all hands are on deck to try and stem the 'bleeding' ....

 

Yes, maybe X should have at least one (1) person on staff taking an extra long and hard look about these types of communications while the rest try to help with those who are readying to board or not board ships over the next few weeks...

 

In such unprecedented times or so I believe.... X needs to get its' act together on this front, it seems to be agreed on, right?

 

bon voyage

In this time of crisis, I'll give them a pass on marketing materials.  Many databases I've worked with only process some data weekly, so it's possible the program that pushed the cruise documents doesn't know that I cancelled yet.  No harm, no foul. 

6 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

I agree with you, Bo, but X's IT department is well known for it's ineptitude. 

Personally I don’t think that it's going to improve due to the current circumstances. 😉

I'd rather they focus on taking care of their customers, figuring out upcoming itineraries, and staying afloat (ha!).  IT and the website are going to take longer to fix!

This morning Celebrity sent me my Cruise Documents for the May 1 Spain & France cruise that I cancelled Wednesday.  Thought it was my FCC, but no, salt in the wound.

Yesterday, received a promotional mailing from Princess.  "Embark on a life-changing adventure." I'll say.  Hope the industry survives this.

I have worked in direct mail. Yes, campaigns are planned months in advance, and it can be difficult to pull back a campaign once it's past a certain point. It's a gaffe their campaign analytics team will grapple with in the weeks to come!

2 minutes ago, JOHN474 said:

 

I was on that TA and the next 4 so 5 B2B.  Just be advised. You are correct.... if the cruises are cancelled you will get everything back as a CC refund. But the longer you wait, more money will go to a FCC rather than a CC Cash refund. So it is a gamble to delay. Celebrity is getting money from insurance, and many passengers who are probably young paying for cheap cruises. Celebrity could opt to continue the cruises, with reduced ports, and significant changes to the itinerary. But you are correct, that if you wait 6 weeks, and the TA does not leave, you would know at that point, your cruise in Europe would be cancelled. Guess I am not a gamble. I cancelled 5  B2B's and got the majority of the monies as a CC cash refund and the balance to a FCC, that does have some risk and negatives associated with the FCC.

Agreed, it's a gamble.  At this point, I'm in the 60-31 day 75% cancellation fee window, so I have the rest of this month to cancel and get anything back as CC Cash refund.  As we've seen a whole lot can change between now and then!  My other (first world, poor me, can't believe I'm going write this) "problem" is that I would need to use the FCC on a cruise this year.  I only have so many vacation days from work, and family has a big trip planned for next year.  Not many itineraries that I'm as excited about that I could use the credit on.  I'm sure it will all work itself out.  Talking cruises and vacations is a nice distraction from my 401k!

Currently booked on the 8-night Spain & France Silhouette cruise out of Southampton, May 1.  In the last week or so, I've noticed on the Celebrity website and other sites that it has been renamed "Talkeetna Treasures Cruisetour 1B".  Last time I checked, that was an Alaskan itinerary.  I thought maybe the itinerary had changed, but no, still Spain and France.  I realize it's the least of their worries, and mine too at this point.  It did give me a chuckle, though, which is much needed these days.  Imagine sled dog pups and glaciers in Spain! (Yes, technically Spain still has glaciers in the Pyrenees, but you get the gist.)  

I'm on the first Silhouette sailing of the European season, May 1, out of Southampton. I guess I'll watch to see what happens in Europe. What are the chances that the TA and Europe season could be delayed/cancelled? Could Celebrity keep Silhouette in the Caribbean longer? Who knows!!  It's a logistical nightmare everywhere. I guess I'll wait to see if the TA departs as expected. Glad they're allowing cancellations up until 48 hours! 

I wonder how air booked through Celebrity ChoiceAir will be handled? 

Royal Caribbean has information posted on their website https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence but no mention of air travel booked through them.  

To the OP, you're not crazy.  Celebrity used to have a "# of guests" filter.  I was hoping its disappearance was just one of their notorious website snafus. 

After you selected the dates, destination, and port in the quick search filters and hit "Find Cruises", the full list of available itineraries appeared.  From there, you could select additional filters for packages or cruise only, # of days, ships, and (until recently) the number of guests.  It was nice because if you chose 1 guest, the fares would be displayed with the single supplement.  I miss that feature.  Now, I just assume I should double it.  There are probably some families and groups who book 3-4 to a room that miss it too!  

24 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Yes, any crew member can be listed on the form, you just need to list their position and name. 

I wish I had remembered to tip the gentleman making all the baked goods in the open bakery on Edge. It was fun watching him roll, twist, and shape dough into the delicious creations we enjoyed each day. You could see his passion for baking. We had some great chats. I did remember to mention him in the post cruise survey! 

Sorry to go seemingly off topic, but the point is that anyone can be recognized. He made my days on board brighter, and whether through a tip or mention in the survey or comment cards, it's nice to recognize those who work so hard.

12 hours ago, M&Msmom said:

I have never heard of using onboard credit as an additional gratuity. Could someone please explain how you would go about doing this? Thank you

If you want to tip someone in a venue that charges (bartenders, Cafe Bacio, sommelier in MDR), you can ask for a charge slip. If you're on a drink package, they can still print a zero charge slip so you can add a tip that will go against any OBC in your account. For others (cabin attendant, restroom attendants, etc.) Guest Relations can handle it. At least that's how it worked on my Celebrity cruises last year.

For a nightcap and music, check out the Ensemble Lounge. In the evenings they usually have a soloist or small group performing. It's darker, low key, comfortable seating nooks. Cellar Masters is nice and usually quiet. You can still hear what's happening in the grand foyer, but it's lower key. I hear this is changing from a wine bar to a craft beer venue at after the "revolution", so I don't know what the future may hold for this venue. 

For innovative drinks, try the World Class Bar. Quieter than the Martini Bar and true mixologists. 

I usually eat in the MDR, but I tried the buffet for dinner on my last cruise on Edge, and it was wonderful. Quiet, great selection, some items cooked to order, attentive servers for drinks, everything from charcuterie to grilled whole fish. I was amazed! It was a very relaxing evening without the intensity of the MDR.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise. The Silhouette is a great ship.

29 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Please give the Paloma a try. Tequila blanco grapefruit juice fresh lime topped with soda water. Not very sweet but oh so tasty.

The Paloma is a good alternative to a mimosa at breakfast, leaving plenty of time in the day for the rest of the list! 😉 Cheers! 

I think smoking is allowed in the common, open  areas on Deck 5 port side of both the Solstice and Millennium class ships. I've stayed in veranda cabins on decks 6-8. Deck doesn't matter as much to me, but I prefer not to be over the smoking areas.

I have had luck searching my preferred airlines and creating the itinerary I want.  Then, I call Choice Air and see what they can do with those flights or if they have a better option.

When I flew to Australia I was using points for a couple legs and paying for the others.  Flying on Hawaiian Airlines between Honolulu and Sydney was far cheaper than other airlines, so don't tie yourself to a single carrier for the trip.  I flew American roundtrip between Ohio and Hawaii with my Honolulu-Sydney/Auckland-Honolulu sandwiched in between.

Side note on Edge. Don't miss Eden Cafe. They only serve breakfast and lunch. Much better fruit bowl than the plate you get in the MDR. Small space, but option of indoor or outdoor seating, and its own espresso bar. I wish I had found it earlier in my cruise.

I miss vtcruiser, too.😥

7 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Beautiful! 
 

I’m pretty active - I live in NYC and walk almost everywhere and I do OrangeTheory 4-6 times a week. The trails look beautiful - I just got drilled into me working in Colorado for 2 summers not to hike alone, so the excursion was looking possible.

The guided tour I took was

The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Even when I fell behind, he checked for me. I told them to go ahead once I realized how safe the trail was, but it was nice to have someone looking out for me! 

Bergen. Okay, what are your interests? How active are you? 

Bergen is doable on your own, if you want. I don't remember if it was completely walkable or if there was a shuttle to the town, around the port.  At sea level you can visit Byrggen which is the old restored wood buildings -  shopping in a really cool setting. I recall an outside  market, but I don't know what days it operates. Lots of fish! 

Take the funicular up Mt. Floyen, the Floibanen (can do on your own, but long lines, ship excursion may skip line). From there, you can walk easily on the trails to Lake Skomakerdiket or go further. The trails are very well maintained. I have a bad leg, so I trailed my group (pun intended!) in speed, but I was able to hike just fine. Here's a link to the trails: https://www.floyen.no/en/activities/walks-hikes-floyen/ Wonderful views and a chance to just relax and take in all the beauty.

The picture with someone in a blue coat is at the station at the top of the funicular on Mt. Floyen which is an easy walk from the port.

The close up lake photo is Skomakerdiket Lake. Very short walk from the funicular.

I climbed that mountain trail (next to last photo) to get the view in the last photo. 

Sorry to blow up the board with all my photos, but thank you for letting me relive this trip. I loved it! Other places I must visit before I repeat! 😀

Good call on ship's tour for Path of Trolls. If I recall, that's a long tour. I'd feel safer on a ship tour, too. I only do independent when things are close to the port, when the next port is really close, or when I have a long stay or overnight port stop. Safer when traveling alone.

Do not miss the sail in to Geiranger. I was surprised how few people were on deck. You are moving so slowly and it's so peaceful. 

I was on Edge at the end of October. Guest Relations was aware of some of the glitches with the app, so hopefully these will have been fixed by the time you board. I had problems seeing reservations and updated current ship time which caused me to miss some activities. They (GR, CD, ship TV channel) kept saying to "refresh the app" each day. Actually, it's best to log out completely and log back in. That was the only suggested resolution that worked. When the app works, I love it! As others have noted, more and more info becomes available as your sailing nears.

Enjoy your trip! 

Solo traveler here! I sailed on Reflection to Norway two years ago. Beautiful scenery! 

In Geiranger, check out the Fossevandring waterfall. There are steps that go up beside the waterfall with plenty of places to stop for pictures and rest. At the top, there is a museum.

In Bergen, I took a ship excursion for a hike, but I shouldn't have. The trails were so well marked, maintained,  and well traveled that I could have done it easily done or on my own.

If you go to Stavanger, the Petroleum Museum is very interesting and not what I expected at all. More conservation minded than I expected! 😃

I didn't look to see what ports you are visiting, but I'm happy to provide any insight on the ports or ship. Ask away! 

Julie

I've never seen that, but if there is a new offer or better price from Celebrity, you can easily cancel and rebook.

It seems that when the MDR has Beef Wellington on the menu there is another dish I'd like. I'm not one to order two mains, so I'm conflicted. No more! Go to Normandie and have the Beef Tenderloin end Croute any night. So good! I loved the Normandie and Cyprus dining rooms. Tuscan (MDR) was also good, although I only ate there once or twice. I didn't like the Cosmopolitan styling as much.

One other note, check out Eden Cafe. I, and many other passengers, didn't discover it until late in the cruise.  Lighter breakfast and lunch, healthier options and great outdoor seating that was never crowded (some indoor seating near the cafe too, or find a seat in Eden). Also, a coffee bar if you'd like an espresso.  I would have eaten here everyday if I'd known.

Enjoy your cruise! The food on Edge was my favorite change.

Thanks!  I checked my Cruise Planner on Monday, but no sale.  Saved a bunch today!