Yertiz1883

We were also on this cruise and totally agree with the very positive remarks. Simply put the crew were outstanding in every aspect. 

Can someone please advise the times of the evening theatre show performances on the Millennium. We are looking to make advance reservations for speciality dining and would base these around the theater shows. 

Thanks so much for sharing your information. We are considering this cruise next June, and will follow your Blog with great interest.

Thanks both for your responses. Think we will take a pre booked taxi or failing that hire a car on a one way hire. Will need to research bith ootions a little more I guess.

Can anyone please offer any advice on travelling from Venice to Garda, on Lake Garda, post cruise June 2017. We have briefly considered a train, but with 2 large suitcases and 2 carry on bags wonder if this mode of transport is totally suitable.

Have looked at car hire, but unable to find a one way hire, and in any case we would need a large size vehicle for our baggage.

This seems to leave a taxi as the only workable alternative? at a cost of around €200?

Any advice or guidance whatsoever would be appreciated.

The Bar staff add mixer from bottles just say how much you want they will soon know you and your likes. Do same with Ice they use lots.

Thanks for your prompt response. Think will stick with what we have and assess over the first couple of days on board.

We booked on UK site and received the standard drinks package as a "freeby"

On the face of it this package suites us fine (to upgrade to the Classic would be an additional £107 each for a 14 night cruise).

The only doubt we have, ( and perhaps someone who has first hand experience can clarify) if we purchase a spirit with mixer does it come with the mixer already added to the spirit from the soda stream? Or do we add the mixer ourselves from a nearby soda fountain? Or does the whole process depend on which bar the drink is obtained?

We have phoned Celebrity UK a few of times to seek clarification and were left with the destinct impression they "ain't got a clue" about this matter

The new drop off point is not by the port gates. It is in a vehicle park in Via Turco which is a bit further out.

We intend doing our own thing in Civitavecchia, including a walk along the water front, a little shopping, meal in local restaurant. Are you able please to advise whether Via Turbo is within walking distance of the promenade and if not are we able to walk from the ship to the port gates and then continue onto the promenade.

That's very disappointing. We embark in Genoa after a very early start and a 6am flight so we'll probably be tired and hungry by lunchtime. We'll just have to brave the buffet I guess.

For us the advantage of our early flight to Genoa, is by the time we check in on the ship there is plenty of time to catch a bus into Genoa see a few sites and take in a local meal. Reckon we will have about 4 hours before going back on board to unpack before the emergency drill and sail away.

If you are from Devon, in the UK, Bev, and booked through Celebrity U.K. or a British Travel agent it is likely your drinks package is NOT the "classic drinks package", but instead a new one to the Brit market only, of " standard drinks package."

To see for yourself what is covered within the standard package enter the Celebrity.co.uk web site, scrol down and click on the All Inclusive Banner.

If you are from a place called Devon, outside the U.K. then please ignore this message.

Hi there! The Standard Package seems to have been something that Celebrity tried in the UK only where you basically get house beers and wines, and some soft drinks. It is a stripped down version of the Classic Package from my understanding. I am still very fuzzy on the details because the package hasn't been mentioned or advertised anywhere else. It's hard to find information about it in Canada!

 

In addition to the lack of information, I've also held off on adding it to this FAQ because my suspicion (especially with the new Go Big stuff) is that it will not make it past a smallish test in the UK. If it turns out that it is added permanently instead of as part of a promotion for a single country, then I will add as much information about it as I can find to the FAQ.

Thank you for your response. Having now phoned Celebrity Uk, a very helpful operator drew my attention to the information on their UK site.

Basically the Standard package includes

Standard Drinks Package

Drinks Included:

House collection of most popular grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and other red blends

10% discount on wines by the bottle

Selected frozen drinks and cocktails up to $7 per glass

Selected spirits (Vodka, Gin, Blend Whiskey, White Rum, Silver Tequila)

Selected beers (Bud, Coors Light, Bud Light, Heineken, Heineken Light, Amstel)

Bottled water

Selected (on-tap) soft drinks

He clarified spirits are not branded names but local versions (eg white rum instead of Bacardi). It is noticable brandy is not covered, and mixers are not canned but piped.

On our 14 night cruise to upgrade to the Classic package is £109 pp.

Personally we feel the standard package will suit us fine, but if necessary we will upgrade on board after a few days.

Having cruised with Celebrity once previously we are aware of the two options of Alcohol drinks packages .

However when we booked recently the U.K. travel agent advised our free drinks package was a "Standard Classic." She went onto say the "Standard Classic" was the free version of the Classic, but her description of it confused me, somewhat, leaving me wondering if it is the same as the Classic, but free, or whether it is a different animal all together.

I have never heard mention of the "standard classic" on this forum or elsewhere and am hoping someone can clarify for us.

Thanks in anticipation

Thanks everyone for all information provided.

Like the idea of sending a gift to ourselves, but unless I am doing something wrong, I had to enter my details, including reservation number and also the "senders" details incluing credit card number etc.

Is it at this stage you receive the exchange rate and if so can the gift be cancelled, if exchange rate not acceptable. Sorry if my question sounds basic but I need to be able to work through this. Short of phning Celebrity is there any other way of obtaining their exchange rate at any given time?

Regarding my pre paid card question, again thanks to all. We have pre paid gratuities (don't start me off on this!!) and also pre purchased 2 excursions through Celebrity, so the only items on our on board account should be drinks, etc. I take the point therefor to register our main credit card, and settle up the tab with the pre paid card.

Once again many thanks go you all, for responses too date

We are on the Celebrity Millenium, 3rd Jan 2016 Indonesia & Malaysia Cruise having booked the cruise in the UK.

We have followed the many remarks on this board concerning the Classic Alcohol drinks package which we can purchase in advance for a little short of £600 p.p. At the current exchange rate this equates to approx US $900 p.p

Is anyone, in the U.S.A. or anyone with access to the Celebrity American site, able to advise the price of this package if purchased in US $.

Dependant on answers we will consider using a pre loaded $ credit card to purchase the drinks package whilst on board, and also finalising our account.

We have never used a pre loaded card previously but there does appear to be many advantages, (including purchasing of $ when exchange rates are favourable)?

Any fellow Bits. who have used a pre loaded card, issued in Blighty, who can offer any advise or guidance please make contact. (without naming the card company on here).

Thanks

Thanks Kjets.

We are in Penang January 2016, as part of a cruise arriving 12.00 and departing 2100.

Our initial thoughts are to hire a trishaw to tour the old town and specifically the various Klang houses (including the smaller, less visited ones).

Several Web sites I have located offer pre booked tours by trishaw, duing the mornings only and I wonder if it might be difficult to hire during the heat of the day whilst we are there?

Any advice would be great, and especially if anyone can point me in the direction of a reliable company or individual with whom we can pre book.

Thanks

Hello Cruisemom, thanks for your kind offer of forwarding your notes.

Can you please forward a copy to us please.

Djw.private at zoho com

Thanks

Thanks again Euro-cruiser, you are a star.

Thank you all for your replies.

Euro-Cruiser I now understand I have to catch the port shuttle which drops off near Piazza del Municipio, from there a local bus to the railway station and then local bus to Pisa (line 10).

Can you assist further by clarifying which bus we catch to the railway station from the Piazza. Also where we purchase the tickets for that bus and the connecting bus to Pisa.

Whilst we do prefer doing our own thing when cruising, we do like to feel secure in the knowledge of where and how we are getting from A to B. Perhaps a few years such things would not have concerned us !!

Our thoughts are to travel from Cruise Terminal Livorno, and catch the (local bus) to Pisa. We have considered the train but prefer the apparent scenec route taken by the bus.

After few hours in Pisa (we cannot climb the tower steps due to a number of reasons) we intend travelling to Lucca possibly by bus, but will conside train.

After couple of hours viewing Lucca will travel back to cruise terminal.

I have located bus and train timetables on the Internet (although I need to check these again nearer the date) but can anyone assist please with the following:

Nearest bus stop from Liverno Cruise Centre to Pisa, with directions to the bus stop.?

Same question for bus from Pisa to Lucca.

Our return back to ship, from Lucca, we will likely prefer the quickest route, and I assume this would be train via Pisa? but does this involve a change of railway station in Pisa?

Any help would be great, thanks.

Apologies if slightly off theme, but was hoping someone is able to provide a recent menu of drinks price list. Celebrity are asking a little over £500 pp for our 14 night cruise in January 2016, (Malaysia and Indonesia) for the alcohol classic package. Without knowing the approx cost of drinks it is difficult to calculate value for money so any assistance would be great. Thanks.

Thank you all for your responses. Think the south might be a problem for us, so will try Rodney Bay area, to the north.

We use regular cabs. The vans are intended for and used by the locals. They can be crowded and not welcoming on busy port days. Remember that if all the cruisers took the "cheap seats", the cab drivers would lose their income and local workers looking for a ride home would need to wait. Just saying....

With no set schedule and having to get to the ship, give yourself plenty of time if using the vans.

I guess whether the buses are busy or not depends not only on the number of cruise ships in port but the time of day. Many have commented within other posts they were the only ones on the bus, whilst others have enjoyed travelling with the locals. We always prefer using local buses whenever possible on the Islands, and yes I guess in doing so we have deprived a taxi driver of our fare, but in doing so we have provided the bus driver (who on many Islands will actually own the bus) with valuable income.

The final paragraph will apply no matter what form of transport you use. On a recent cruise a couple missed the ship departure as they had over stayed in the local shops which were within walking distance of the terminal!

You are a star with all the info you pride Visa, thank you.

My wife has good walking mobility but has difficulty standing still for lengthy periods. For this reason and from what we have read, we are considering the seated open boxes, which seem to be close to the parade? and perhaps therefore not the best vantage point?

We understand that "seats" in the foreigners grandstand are numbered, and might have a better overall view of the parade, but if most people around us stand up then viewing the parade might be a problem?

Thank you for the replies. We had noticed there is considerable mark up from the cruise line in the grandstand area and we would prefer to keep our options open as to where we will be located.

A question for Hallam. "Have you had a bed experience of purchasing tickets privately? "

When crusing we almost always do our own thing, rather than book excursions through the ship as we find it gives us far more flexibility. (not to mention the cost element!!). However if you have had bad experiences in buying the tickets we will certainlay take it into account.

I did ask in my original question when the tickets for 2016 are likely to become available, can anyone assist with this please or advise if it is possible to go on a reserve list before tickets go on general sale