New to X Cruising question

[marcij]

Does anyone have a spreadsheet of helpful hints/tips for the S ships? This will be my 10th cruise, but first on an X ship. I've searched all 10 pages that are accessible, but don't see a thread or "sticky" with helpful hints info. I did try the search function, but wasn't sure what someone would have called it, so when searching "helpful hints or tips" all it gave me were the hundreds of threads on here with tipping (gratuity) debated.

 

Any help would be really appreciated!

[ellbon]

what do you want to know. . food, bars,, the cabins themselves or bathroom or what. many of us have been on the S class but I perfer to answer the correct question.

[marcij]

I'm looking for info that only an experienced X cruiser might know. On a different website cruise board for Disney, they had helpful info in one thread with things like what time is better to board, what times rooms are available or if you can drop your luggage when you board, what you can roll on as far as drinks and how Disney wants you to do it, if you have an inside cabin bring an alarm clock with light or a flashlight as their alarm clocks aren't lit and it gets dark, bring bungee cords to keep connecting doors open, you can order room service the night before as a "wake-up" call. Order room service and take it off of the ship to your destinion (if allowed by country), bring extension cords or a strip of outlets to plug in as there aren't many outlets, a "secret" deck in the back of the ship open to the public but not accessible from an area well-traveled, bring a bunch of one dollar bills for tips for room service... just lots of tips. Some of the questions I can ask or try to research, but there are things I don't know to ask because I've never been on the X "S" class.

[kitkat9438]

Which ship will you be on? The best thing to do is go to the search feature at the top of the Celebrity thread and type in the name of your ship or the cabin number you will be in, etc. and you will get all of the threads with information regarding the ship and or cabin, and sometimes you will find pictures. another thing you can do is start a new thread titled "All things ....(name of ship)" and ask for any help and suggestions relating to that ship and itinerary. I have done this with great success. Usually most the tips you mentioned can be carried forward to any cruise, with the exception of the secret decks, etc. Here's some tips of my own for Celebrity.

 

1. Most people like to board the ship between 12:00 and 1:00 if they are early boarders, like us. That way you can drop off your carry on bags in your cabin and get some lunch, then explore the ship before it gets too crowded.

 

2. We always travel with a travel alarm clock, even though Celebrity has wake up calls.

 

3. Concierge and Aqua class cabins are the same size as the regular cabins on the solstice class ships. You get many perks, plus an extra cruise credit (2 instead of 1). I particularly like the expanded room service menu you get in this cabin class. I will post the menu here for you.

 

Concierge class menu:

Concierge Class Signature Dishes

___Granola Berry Parfait

___French Toast Finger with Marmalade Butter

___Baked Bananas

___Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Asparagus Spears

___Sunrise Fritata

___Russian Sevruga Caviar (30 gr. Jar) with

Traditional Trimmings - $44.50

Concierge Class Smoothies

___Mixed Fruit Smoothie

___Strawberry Smoothie

___Blueberry-Watermelon Smoothie

___Omega 3 Smoothie (prepared with Soy Milk)

Concierge Class Teasers

___Classic Champagne Cocktail - $5.50

___Mimosa - $5.50 ___Kir Royale - $5.50

___Bloody Mary - $3.45 ___Virgin Bloody Mary - $2.50

___Michel Roux Champagne, Half Bottle - $25.00

___Laurent Perrier Rose Brut, 750 ml. - $95.00

___Moët et Chandon Nectar Imperial, 750 ml - $72.00

Freshly Squeezed Juices

___Orange ___Grapefruit

___Pineapple ___carrot

Chilled Beverages

___Tomatoe ___Cranberry ___Apple

___Fresh Milk ___V-8 ___Prune

___Skim Milk

Fresh Fruits

___Honeydew ___Cantaloupe ___Banana

___Kiwi ___Pineapple ___Grapefruit

___Orange ___Mixed Fruits

Yogurts

___Plain ___Strawberry

___Blueberry ___Mixed Fruits

Cold Cereals

___Corn Flakes ___Raisin Bran ___Special K

___Oat Bran ___Total ___All Bran

Hot Cereals

___Oat Meal ___Grits

Eggs To Order

___Scrambled ___Fried ___Poached

___Boiled: __Minutes

Special Instructions: ________________________

_________________________________________

Omelets

___Plain ___Cheese ___Mushrooms

___Ham ___Fine Herbs ___Smoked Salmon

___Western ___Onion

Omelets can also be prepared with

___Egg beaters or ___Egg Whites (please check)

From The Griddle

___Bacon ___Link Sausage ___Ham

___Low-Fat Chicken Sausage ___Canadian Bacon

___Corned Beef hash ___Hash Brown Potatoes

Pancakes

___Plain ___Buckwheat

___Banana ___Blueberry

Served with maple Syrup

Pastries & Muffins

___Assorted Danish ___Croissant

___Blueberry Muffin ___Bran Muffin

From The Bakery – Assorted Bread & Rolls

___French Bread ___Plain Bagel

___Multi-Grain Bread ___Onion Bagel

___English Muffin ___egg Bagel

___Soft Rolls

Toast

___Whole Wheat Toast ___White Toast

___Rye Toast

Preserves & Spreads

___Strawberry ___Marmalade ___Lt Cream Cheese

___Blueberry ___Honey ___Salmon Spread

___Blackberry ___Butter

___Raspberry ___Margarine

COLD CUTS

___Salam ___Danish ham ___Black Forest Ham

___Smoked Salmon

Hot Beverages

___Coffee ___Decaffeinated Coffee

___Black Tea ___Earl Grey Tea

___Darjeeling Tea ___English Breakfast Tea

___Herbal Infusion (__Mint __Chamomile)

___Hot Chocolate ___Hot Milk

___Green Tea

Service Hours 6:00 Am To 11:00 Am

Service Time Requested _________

Guest Name _______________________________

Stateroom Number____________

__________________

4. Celebrity's solstice class ships' balcony cabins are roughly the same size, but the cabins on the angle of the hump have much larger balconies. I will post the desirable cabin numbers for both M and S class here. These are comments from other posters, not mine.

 

Solstice Class:

I personally LOVED my C1 hump cabin #1243 - about triple the size of a standard balcony - it was HUGE!!!!! Literally the largest non-suite balcony on the ship! The balcony was great for hosting cocktail parties - we had 25+ people out there one day! Being on the aft part of the hump there was virtually no wind issue to deal with. We got sun when we wanted it, and shade if desired as well. Due to balcony depth there were no privacy issues related to the angled shape.

 

There are 58 +/- cabins with the same size balcony we had - they are:

 

Resort Deck: 2105, 2109, 2106, 2110

Penthouse Deck: 1547, 1552, 1601, 1605, 1606, 1610

Sky Deck: 1075, 1044, 1231, 1243, 1247, 1108, 1120, 1124

Panorama Deck: 9155, 9192, 9209, 9215, 9237, 9241, 9266, 9270, 9292, 9296

Vista Deck: 8199, 8162, 8255, 8259, 8281, 8285, 8228, 8232, 8254, 8258

Sunrise Deck: 7159, 7206, 7215, 7219, 7241, 7245, 7260, 7264, 7286, 7290

Continental Deck: 6155, 6156, 6209, 6215, 6237, 6241, 6210, 6214, 6236, 6240

 

Most of these are on the hump, but some are forward where the ship starts to indent. The rooms run the range from Category 2C, 1A, C1, or AQ (with the exception of 6209/6210 which are categorized as 07 Obstucted Balcony - great balcony at a small price!). There are also many cabins adjacent to the ones I listed that also have oversized balconies that are about double the size of normal ones, but I would go for the triple sized ones first

5. We prefer to bring on our own water and soda. You can put a luggage tag on it and Celebrity will deliver it to your cabin or unload it in a carry on suitcase and carry it on yourself. You are also allowed to bring two bottles of wine.

6. Celebrity has a beverage package that you can purchase if you like to drink alcohol. You will have to check Celebrity's website for pricing. I paid $22/day for the frozen drink package and it was well worth the money.

At the top of the Celebrity thread there is a "sticky" for the Solstice ship, with cabin information. If you will read through this thread you will find a lot of hints and information about the various cabins and there's also a spreadsheet that someone went to a lot of trouble to compile. Any ship in the solstice class will be similar to this ship. That means the Equinox and Eclipse.

 

[Mr Blue Sky]

I'm looking for info that only an experienced X cruiser might know. On a different website cruise board for Disney, they had helpful info in one thread with things like what time is better to board, what times rooms are available or if you can drop your luggage when you board, what you can roll on as far as drinks and how Disney wants you to do it, if you have an inside cabin bring an alarm clock with light or a flashlight as their alarm clocks aren't lit and it gets dark, bring bungee cords to keep connecting doors open, you can order room service the night before as a "wake-up" call. Order room service and take it off of the ship to your destinion (if allowed by country), bring extension cords or a strip of outlets to plug in as there aren't many outlets, a "secret" deck in the back of the ship open to the public but not accessible from an area well-traveled, bring a bunch of one dollar bills for tips for room service... just lots of tips. Some of the questions I can ask or try to research, but there are things I don't know to ask because I've never been on the X "S" class.

 

 

Hello Marcij

 

Our tips would be for 'S' class

 

Take a book light as no lights on balcony, and attach to table

for evening meal on balcony.

 

Elastic band for the hairdryer as its one of the type where the button does not stay depressed.

 

best wishes

 

Mrs Blue Sky:)

[kitty9]

I'm looking for info that only an experienced X cruiser might know. On a different website cruise board for Disney, they had helpful info in one thread with things like what time is better to board, what times rooms are available or if you can drop your luggage when you board, what you can roll on as far as drinks and how Disney wants you to do it, if you have an inside cabin bring an alarm clock with light or a flashlight as their alarm clocks aren't lit and it gets dark, bring bungee cords to keep connecting doors open, you can order room service the night before as a "wake-up" call. Order room service and take it off of the ship to your destinion (if allowed by country), bring extension cords or a strip of outlets to plug in as there aren't many outlets, a "secret" deck in the back of the ship open to the public but not accessible from an area well-traveled, bring a bunch of one dollar bills for tips for room service... just lots of tips. Some of the questions I can ask or try to research, but there are things I don't know to ask because I've never been on the X "S" class.

 

I've been lucky to have cruised on most of the lines out there, and the questions you ask are pretty much generic and have the same answers---nothing really changes all that much from cruise line to cruise line. And what's the case for the S class ships is pretty much the same for the rest of the fleet---and honestly a lot of what you ask is the same for nearly every mass market line. Basics don't change much.

 

Like other lines, you can board the ship around 11am. I've found that the shortest lines are around 1 to 2pm. But most passengers like to get on asap, and that's the case with all ships, so it will be crowded as soon as the terminal opens. Again, like most every line, the cabins are generally ready between 2 and 3 pm.

 

As for luggage, again, it's pretty much the same for all ships. You can drop off your luggage as soon as every passenger from the previous cruise has left. You don't want to do that any earlier because you run the risk of having them mixed up with the bags from the disembarking passengers.

 

Room desirability depend on what YOU want and what YOU can afford to pay. Desirability is different for everyone. Some prefer rooms mid deck, others prefer the aft cabins, some want a bigger balcony and for others, it doesn't matter as long as it's a cabin and it fits their budget. Some don't like cabins right below noisy public areas because of the perceived noise factor, but to others it's not an issue. But again, these things are considerations for every cruise ship. Perhaps if you list what cabin category you're interested in, we can give a few pointers on what might be considered the most popular ones. For us, we prefer the aft cabins because we love seeing and hearing the wake. Others love the bump cabins and still others absolutely want mid ship. There's no one correct answer to the cabin issue.

 

As for the booze issue, Celebrity doesn't allow hard liquor to be brought on board (I don't think any cruise line specifically states that they allow passengers to bring on booze), but they do allow two bottles of wine per cabin. Like other lines with similar no booze policies, that doesn't mean people don't do it, but it is the policy not to allow alcohol. There isn't a limit for water or soda, and that is the case with most other cruise lines as well. While they don't specifically say "hey, bring all the beverages you want", they also don't specifically say no.

 

Every line I've been on has the ability to pre-order breakfast by just filling out the card and hanging it on the door before you retire for the evening. And no matter the ship, everyone brings the dollar bills for room service tipping.

 

As for the extras you bring, it's the same for just about every cruise line. Some people feel they need to bring all the amenities like a bungee cord (I still don't get that one---connecting doors on Solstice are held open by a magnet), extension cord, duct tape and the rest. Most passengers just seem to walk on the wild side and don't bother with the extras and make do with what they have.

 

You are not allowed to take any food off a cruise ship unless it's factory sealed products like granola bars, cereal boxes and the like. Nothing that room service prepares is legal to take off the ship, especially meat, fruits, vegetables and baked items. This is the same for every cruise line.

 

But like I said in the beginning, most of what you're asking about is the same for every cruise line. Not much of the basics, like the extension cord or the extra outlets, changes because you cruise on different ships. BUT there is ONE thing that makes all Celebrity ships different from most lines and that's their restrictive smoking policy. You cannot smoke in cabins, on balconies or in any inside public space with the exception of their observation lounges, on one side of that room only. You cannot even smoke in the casino.

[ellbon]

I find that i am getting on the ship in FLL about1230.. i drop off my carry on and then go have lunch. i agree about the travel alarm clock just to know the time.. i do not wear a watch. i use they wake up service daily plus breakfast in cabin.

 

Also no one mention the day you leave the ship if you can stay on to 930-10-last call you get off the ship fastr and tru customs in minutes. i sit at the coffee bar.

 

many women carry their on hairdryer- i do not use one.

 

hope all of us were some help.

[marcij]

There are actually a number of big differences in X and Disney, so I appreciate the time you guys took to type the information out. I had been able to find cabin info thanks to the sticky, and we are staying in an AQ cabin, traveling with people in three other cabins. I've also seen lots of debates on tipping and restaurants/dining, so this helps a great deal.

 

Thanks again for your time and help.

[germanyboy]

We're on Celebrity Mercury October 2010- 17 nights Panama Canal

 

Is it 2 bottles wine per person or couple you are allowed to bring on. I've seen both ways.

 

And anyone know how many electrical outlets per inside cabin--say 8164-- and where they are?

 

Germanyboy

[camella]

Germanboy - it is supposed to be two bottles per cabin. However people have been known to take two bottles per person without a problem. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER HERE!!! Celebrity has a great wine list with prices in all ranges so you should be able to find what you want at a reasonable price.