spiritkat090909

On 5/14/2020 at 8:47 AM, cheeseheads4ever said:

I checked on Blue Chip Clubs online and the number does not match  the 866-461-7170. So I’m guessing this is a special number to call that you got after they called you back?

 I found this number on the casino FAQ section. It states it is for the Fortunes casino.

For those of you who have never received an offer... have you signed up to receive marketing offers via email?  That is where I usually get ours.  You have to  opt in. There is also a new place on the Blue Chip Club web area to sign up again.  I saw it on cruise critic somewhere...

I don't know what the dollar amounts are required for gambling offers.  DH & I both have the same $500 per day budget, play the same game, same strategies and bets.  We typically play every time the casino is open, a minimum of 5 hours per day.  The difference, I go to bed around 10pm, he closes the casino down for another 5 hrs.  He gets better offers and is a higher tier level.  I was actually surprised to finally be getting offers.  We have cruised Celebrity 3 times in the annual count for level this last year. April (free), October (paid big $), & Dec (free).  Onyx & Amethyst. 

They are legit.  My husband & I took our first ever 'Holiday' cruise on NYE 2019 on the Edge. I wouldn't pay those prices for a Holiday date, but the timing fell right for work and we jumped on it.  It was nice.  Too crowded for my tastes and we have now "been there, done that".

The rooms are limited in which to choose, but nicer than what we have been offered on other lines.

I booked my sister and myself on the above mentioned Apex on Nov 14th this year. DH wasn't interested at the time, but now he thinks he is.  He has his own offer, if he wants we could book another cabin and HER DH. I'm thinking about saying something...lol... extra Casino expenses and I really would like a girls cruise to do what WE want to do. First ever.  Umm... maybe a different date?

When I called to book, I paid for the port taxes & fees and was assigned a room. I asked about paying the difference to upgrade to Aqua Class and was told these offers are not eligible for upgrades.  I'm guessing that means, as in the past, not for the Move Up either.  The NYE Edge trip wasn't eligible for Move Up.  BUT, another one I booked through my local casino last April WAS and we spent $500 pp to go from outside to balcony on the Equinox via Move Up. 

So, there are a few stipulations, but still a great deal.  OH... and you can cancel normally (different now) within 2 weeks prior to the sail date and get your PTF returned.

As someone who frequents both Carnival AND Celebrity (depending on who is traveling with us and free casino offers)...

Food & buffet are much better on Celebrity than Carnival...but what I really notice is the public bathrooms.  They are SO much cleaner with an attendant more times than not.  As far as that goes, the ship itself just FEELS cleaner, perhaps due to lack of clutter? The casino being smoke free is another big difference.  One's clothes don't stink just walking through.

What Carnival does do better: comedians. I miss not having 2 different comedians with 2 different shows on Celebrity. Overall casino benefits ON the ship.

It's just a different experience. More traditional & relaxing. My young grandchildren would probably be bored. But MY favorite cruise line and the one I choose first, if schedules/ships & freebies are not a consideration.  And if you ever get the chance...try the suites.  Oh MY goodness!! Spoiled rotten yummy.  I wouldn't bother with a suite on Carnival.

I've always  wished they would WASH THE CHIPS!  Or at least spray them down with disinfectant.  More likely everything will go electronic with no dealers at tables and that will be the end of my table play. Too easy to cheat the player if everything is programmed.

Remember when:  Jeans in the dining room was THE hot button topic?

My bet... November. Texas departing ships first, which would be Carnival & Royal.

6 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

Kat

 

I like that quote. Do you happen to know if there’s a way to bookmark where you left off when reading a review? I keep losing my place when reading Noreen’s review. 

Maris

I do not.  What I do is simply leave the 'ongoing' reviews in two different window tabs and leave my computer on.

Then...l when I come back I look at the last post number still showing, hit refresh and it usually leaves me at the same place with more pages, if the author/ess has continued or others have posted. (Firefox)

Reviews are like your children.  Different (perspectives and interests), but you love (reading) each the same.

  BTW, I'm reading yours and Noreen's as written, back and forth, refresh, refresh.  Different windows.  Carry on and THANKS!

Are the prices you are seeing good?  If so, I'd go ahead and lock it in.

I have a December cruise (maybe) with family that I purchased airfare for as soon as I had Chase points for...just about a month before the xHTF. 

A week later...I was congratulating myself for the price going up to double what I had paid for First Class tickets on the metal (772) that I wanted.  And then...even later checking to see if the flights had been cx hoping to see if the airlines were intending to resume flying by then, the price is $200 per ticket less.

So...  if I were in your shoes and the price was suitable, I'd book.  And check the price difference for a higher class than you would originally book. It may be the same as what you would have paid for a lower class ticket in the past.  FWIW, the economy tickets on the same fight were only about $100 difference in fare, which would cover luggage savings.

My tickets are 'insured' via the credit card insurance should the cruise cancel in December, which it very well may... or my DH will decide NO,  I/we can't go. Of course, this is all providing we don't all go into an economic downfall the likes of which no one can recover from.  But, to borrow from Scarlett O'Hara: "I'll think about that tomorrow."

Before I learned my lesson, I bought stock in KMart, Lucent tech, Pilgrims Pride, and Vlasic pickles.  That was all I bought. And ALL of them went bankrupt. Three reorganized and are still around, but not my investment. SO, as much as I WANT 100 shares of Carnival Corp. at bargain basement price, I am doing my part and NOT buying so they won't be guaranteed to go out of business. 😉  I no longer buy any stock.  My savings account is on the hoof: cows.  If the price goes down, we'll just eat them instead of selling them.  And the returns are pretty good for the most part. Double after year 3. lol

What an adventure! I was beginning to think you might lose your anonymity when sailing. There are quite a few people who will recognize your lanyard now. 😉  And you are not home yet... so... continue on.

PS.. I realized that I may not get to see Hollywood, either.. since I have no plans to ever go. With you there, fellow Texan. Whew. Dodged a 2 week quarantine bullet.  And I'm one of the cruise addicts that would STILL risk sailing, with a Plan B, C, & D, if time/work allowed.

IF I were worried about cold/flu/virus's, I'd probably do the clear goggles. (Bio-security at home for our commercial chicken houses includes REAL masks, and goggles would go further for significant protection.)

But, I'm not...so... I'm thinking COCA COLA!  Or... just drink more wine and skip the Myer's dark/Appleton rum drinks.  I pack heavy enough. 

I also get very irritated when some guy thinks because I'm female, he can SPREAD into MY space!  And that's the one's I'm not married to, btw.  DH has a license. Strangers do NOT. 

At the casino we play at frequently, a spreader who was on the corner and had plenty of table real estate on the OTHER side, kept rubbing knee to mine.  First attempts were a couple of gentle nudges back to his own space.  Then a small fist shoving gently over. OOPS!  Last attempt at being 'nice'... I mentioned to the entire table, including his wife at the other end (who didn't care and probably wished the jerk would evaporate, poor thing).. that I didn't like under the table knees rubbing and it was making me very irritable and ruining my cards.  The dealer laughed and said, " she's not kidding either'... I laughed and said, "no, I'm not!".... STILL THE  KNEE.  So... finally & obviously, moved the cup holder on my right side (right handed, so awkward and you can't do that on cruises).... and wrapped my handbag around it to hang between us. BARRIER. Still had motion, but no direct contact.  MUCH better.  UGH.

DH said on the way home that the guy does it to him too.  REALLY?! 

Plan B... I have started carrying garlic tablets to chew on in said handbag.

17 hours ago, TorontoSailor said:

Could they not take body temperature? While that wouldn’t get everyone, it might catch a couple? Not sure if that would work but I’ve heard other lines have done it in the past. 

Umm... female with age related HOT FLASHES... would be denied boarding during an unpredictable episode.  If one makes it through the airport.

Yes... last month.  

It was convenient, priced well, and clean. I would stay there again.

We used the hotel transfer late at night.  Called the number in the app and the driver of the van picked up and directed us to wait upstairs one floor from where everyone else was waiting to get rides after our flight.  Arrivals instead of departures?  Very easy and quick. 

Check in desk had a computer issue that took a few minutes to clear out, but standard vacay issue. 

In the am, we declined their transfer shuttle and got a Lyft to port.  The drop off/pickup  area was just around the corner in a small garage and the Lyft driver found without issue.

Since we arrived late, I decided to try them and it worked out so well, that they would be my FIRST choice, if I didn't arrive in the early afternoon.  In that case, I want beach view. And that was the only drawback.  We did not go out, just hit the bed, supper was at airport in between connections.  So, I can't say if food options nearby were decent or easy.

With the addition of the 'moveup' bidding program...

If you book a last minute SS guarantee and someone who has a ss2 bids for a higher category, they move up to the CS (or RS, PH,etc), you get their old ss2.  Why?  Because Celebrity makes more money.

As long as the moveup program is in effect, the odds for upgrades over the minimum cabin are reduced.

JMO

Pepsi tastes like syrup of Ipecac to me. BLECH. 

Aftertaste times TWO.

I quit dining in at Taco Bell when I could no longer get a decent beverage to go with my meal.  So... looks like any Carnival cruises will be water or wine for the week. 

The OP won't make their flight, probably. 

Scottygirl, IMO, you will easily make flight with self disembarkment. That does not require luggage tags since you carry all of your own.  In our case, I'm pretty sure that on that particular day, as long as we had an early number...1-10.. we could have had them handle the luggage for pickup and still made the flight with time to spare.  At the end of the line, probably not.

1 hour ago, Scottygirl1 said:

I have been following this topic - I am currently on Reflection and disembarking at Fort Lauderdale with a 11.37am flight from Fort Lauderdale.  Is this cutting it fine?  I thought we'd have loads of time.

I have had this flight from FLL, Terminal 25 and it is very do-able.  I wouldn't lollygag around... or be first in self disembark line (6:45am, not SEVEN...wont make that for certain and definitely not MIA!)... Just be ready to go when the first offs are off.  Admittedly, we did have a suite and exited through the lounge. First off with our luggage, did luggage valet, cab, and were waiting for about 2 hours in airport before boarding at 10:45.  If we had waited with the normal cabis, no status, last off the ship people, find your luggage, wait for cab, wait at airport to get to the luggage check... I don't know if we could have made it.  The key is you have to beat the lineup.  And MIA departure adds an hour to all times over FLL.

3 minutes ago, Life Buoy said:

I'm new to Celebrity. What is The Blue Chip Club?

The casino club for frequent players.

There may be more information in the cruise casino section area of the boards.  (Below the cruise lines, near the ports and cruise air sections.)

Here is my knowledge, FWIW:

Initially, it doesn't matter which agency you use for your first cruise.  You can even keep using the same agency.  I have booked through bluechipclub and and an offer from my local casino (free) once.  And followed that with a paid cruise with an online TA that I like, which typically comes in around 18% less than Celebrity's direct website price. 

After those 2 cruises, we were sent an offer for a free balcony cabin on the Edge, with a choice of 3 or 4 specific dates, one of which was a holiday date.  We jumped on that and will be at the Onxy and Amethyst levels.  First 2 at the lowest, Pearl.

Our experience has been that the offers aren't as frequent as other lines and the casino itself has a major challenge in the UTH Poker table game payout for a 'luxury' line.  (Max payout of $5k for a Royal Flush?!, compared to the majority of $25K .. i.e. CARNIVAL.  ahem.) BUT the smoke free casino is fantastic for hair/clothes/lungs!  And the drink program is foggy to me.  It seems that although the first 2 days it was difficult to get a drink playing at the table, they were covered/paid for  most players later in the week? We had packages, so I couldn't tell for sure.

I also think I read somewhere that you can contact the Blue Chip Club directly to book and get a 20% discount from web price.  I haven't done that but will compare with my  online TA if I have to pay for my next Celebrity cruise.

You earn your club points by inserting your ship card into the slot machines and turning the card in at the table games. You won't loose any casino benefits by using an independent TA.  You get your earned benefits on subsequent cruises.  Also, pretty tough to earn, comparatively speaking.  It's not the best casino club at sea, in spite of claims to the contrary, but the smoke free environment and shipboard experience are hands above the line that does have the best casino offers.

Update: I showed as Pearl later before boarding and Sail card showed us both Pearl. 2 weeks POST for our upcoming Edge on NYE sailing, DH is up to Amethyst and I am back to a nobody.  They just seem to not see me playing right beside him at the tables 95% of the time.  (Shaking head in the mud.)  Will mention to shore side concierge when they contact again before sailing.

P S...I would stick to the slots if I only wanted to use the included $50.  On the Equinox there was a group of slot machines called Fu Dao Le with 2 babies on it, right beside the casino cage.  You can play as little as .38 per spin and it seemed to make a lot of noise!

You can learn to play any game online (free) with the proper strategies at wizard of odds (dot) com.

We must be on the same flight.  DITTO.  3 minutes earlier... and we officially don't meet the requirement cutoff. AARGH!  It isn't like we can call AA and say your 3 minutes mess things up and get a later flight. Sigh. 

Let us know if you manage to get the Valet. 

In the meantime, I'm hoping for another scheduled time change. Just THREE more minutes!

I'm guessing it is more of a computer issue than whether or not the bags would make it. Of course they would...if the computer would let them enter it.  And really, how will we know if the schedule changes again at the last minute while our phones are off in the middle of the Caribbean on the last sea day? And it probably will.  Just hoping for later, not earlier.