Our Splurge

[Jane2357]

Our 20th Anniversary, dh's 2nd cruise and 6 long years since we have been on Celebrity. Mind you there have been big life changes, time spent in China - jobs come and gone. So I've booked us into a Sky Suite on our 1st ever 14 nighter, our 1st suite, our 1st aft. I could spend months here trying to figure Celebrity out. I need help. Dh and I both enjoy our drinks, but on a 14 night cruise I really don't need to be drinking too much during the day, every day. We enjoy a vodka and tonic or grapefruit while getting ready for dinner. Maybe a drink in the bar before dinner and wine at dinner. What drink package would be best. I don't think there was a drink package last time we sailed Celebrity. Is there a laundry facility for us to use on Eclipse or do we send it out? I'm a BIG over packer and I can't even figure out how to manage 14 nights. I won't be Select till after this cruise so no free laundry for me. I have always had late seating for dinner but right now we have the flex time option. How is this working on Celebrity? Will we miss out making friends? Any help, tips or tricks would be appreciated!

[Host Joe]

Hi Jane,

 

My advice would be to add up the cost of drinks you expect to consume and compare them to the package. We never come even close to substantiating the cost so we just cruise as usual paying along the way.

 

As far as Anytime Dining, it's a personal choice. We love to have the same staff, table and table mates each night.

 

Celebrity does not offer self serve laundry, so if you need things washed you must send them out in their service.

 

Happy cruising!

[Denny01]

Be sure to join the cruisecritic connections party and say hi on your roll call you'll meet good people there. Sounds like you've already set yourself up well to enjoy the ship.

 

There is usually good lectures on board and fun at the Martini Bar, a good place to meet new friends.

 

We enjoy trying one if the specialty restaurants one night and love catching a special coffee and free snacks at El Bacio. Right across from that is the Bistro on 5. A low key restaurant that serves Crepes, Paninis, salads etc fur $5pp for everything. We go there the first day to miss the crowded Buffet. The buffet is neat w lots of islands and choices.

 

Enjoy!

 

Den

[Azulann]

Jane,

it will be a great to have a suite and on the aft!

About the beverage package, you could add up your drink charges for a couple of days and if it makes sense, you can buy a beverage package for the rest of the cruise. I only buy the preminum NA package which is worth it for me. I just pay for the other drinks as usual.

 

For a 14 night cruise, I would bring a 7 or 8 days worth of clothes. Use the laundry or dry cleaning. I wear only cottons, linens and silks. They all come back from the laundry, nicely folded or pressed.

 

I too love traditional late seating. And do try some of the specialty venues.

 

Have a great time planning this special trip.:)

[dkjretired]

Since you are in a suite and on a 14 day cruise you will get two free specialty dinners for two. Make your specialty reservations on formal nights and you don't have to dress up formally on those nights. This will cut down on the clothing you need to take. All the specialty restaurants are smart casual every night. Formal dress is now only observed in the MDR , no where else on the ship.

 

As stated, Celebrity ships do not have laundry rooms and you are not permitted to take an iron or steamer on the ship. They have an excellent laundry and below is a link to the prices in the laundry.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/footer/faqResults.do?faqSubjectName=Ship+%26+Stateroom+Details&faqId=566&faqSubjectId=70

[bplazo]

I am only going to purchase the drink package for my husband (xmas gift) because he is the drinker. I only have maybe one frozedndrink a day so it would not be worth it for me.

[SCGirl3211]

Regarding the drink package, there are other considerations to include along with the price. You get the all inclusive benefit in that you know what your charges for drinks will be...$0.00 (unless you go over the $12 limit). The package also includes all water to drink on the ship, take off the ship for tours, sparkling water for dinner, drinks at the pool, speciality coffees, fresh squeezed juice for breakfast... Also you do not have to sign for each drink and keep up with the slips (or accounting for them). Sitting in your cabin or by the pool checking off drink purchases on your bill is not my idea of time well spent!!

 

As far as laundry I pack clothes that can serve double duty. You tend to spend lots of time in your bathing suit and coverup or shorts and T's (depending on where you are going I suppose).

 

My DH and I have done the Select Dining for our last two cruises. We absolutely love it and would not go back. We enjoy the flexibility of choosing the time we eat and we always still have dinner conversations with the other select patrons who are sitting near us. So many other places besides the MDR to meet people.

 

Hope this helps your decision. Sounds like a wonderful cruise!!

[ariawoman]

I have always had late seating for dinner but right now we have the flex time option. How is this working on Celebrity? Will we miss out making friends? Any help, tips or tricks would be appreciated!

 

We had Select this year again but we ended up hitting it off with 2 other couples at a table we were placed at early on - and they had made a standing reservation for every night for a table (even though they were select too) so we ended up eating with them I think 4-5 times overall.

 

So, you won't necessarily miss out on making friends :-) You can make friends either way. New friends each night, or find ones you like and try to coordinate eating together again.

[Gonzo70]

Since you will be staying in a suite, you are entitled to eat breakfasts and dinners in Blu (provided space is available) for no charge. Most people (including myself) find Blu to be a nice step up from the main dining room - it has more the vibe of an actual restaurant than a banquet hall (as the main dining room feels). I'd recommend giving Blu a try; they are also anytime seating there.

 

As for drink packages, most likely you are better off ordering drinks a la carte. Packages on a 14 night cruise would be really expensive and unless you plan to consume large quantities of beverages daily it would be a net loss versus ordering a la carte. Most people do not purchase packages, so do not feel like you need a package. If you enjoy vodka drinks while getting dressed, purchasing an in-room bar stateroom may however be prudent; it runs $80 or $100 for a liter of booze (price depends on the brand) and six-pack of mixers (and they throw in some nuts).

[Notagoose]

I'm doing my first 14 night soon and I plan to pack as if I were going on a 7 night cruise, and just start the rotation over on day 8. :o Light jersey dresses that don't wrinkle will be high on the list. It will surely give a few select people on this board something to talk about ("Egads! Is that woman wearing the same dress she wore last week? She would have been better off on Carnival.")

[Jane2357]

I'm doing my first 14 night soon and I plan to pack as if I were going on a 7 night cruise, and just start the rotation over on day 8. :o Light jersey dresses that don't wrinkle will be high on the list. It will surely give a few select people on this board something to talk about ("Egads! Is that woman wearing the same dress she wore last week? She would have been better off on Carnival.")

 

LOL - wish you were going to be on my cruise!!! My name is Jane and I'm an over-packer. I've had this problem for a long time - stems for growing up really poor and fearing not having proper attire for any given occasion that might arise - what does one wear to abandon ship?:eek:

 

Aren't there 3 formal night on a 14 nighter? For me that would require 1 long gown (for Valentine's which is our 20th Anniv.) and 2 cocktail dresses. For the other nights, resort sharp correct? Don't laugh but it is the undies that are freaking me out, I hate to send those out to laundry - hate them to see my granny panties - LOFLMAO!!! If I wear an outfit twice let the "select" people gasp - what I am supposed to bring - a steamer trunk? Oh and some of the most fun times on a cruise have been on Carnival - LOVE those dancing waiters!

[epbucky]

We had Select this year again but we ended up hitting it off with 2 other couples at a table we were placed at early on - and they had made a standing reservation for every night for a table (even though they were select too) so we ended up eating with them I think 4-5 times overall.

 

So, you won't necessarily miss out on making friends :-) You can make friends either way. New friends each night, or find ones you like and try to coordinate eating together again.

 

I have to agree with ariawoman on the dining. We were die hard traditional fixed time dinner people up until last year. We had an eastern Med. trip on Equinox with some fairly late departure times that would have conflicted with early traditional (our past preference) so we reluctantly booked Select dining fully expecting to be disappointed. We were VERY pleasantly surprised with how well Select actually worked. We have used it twice now and would not hesitate at all to use it again in the future. It is not exactly the same, but if you come at approx. the same time most nights you can ask to be put in the area served by a waiter & assistant waiter you like (and if you get one you don't like simply ask for a different area the next night). Also, you can pre-book nightly times before your cruise on Celebrity's website (although it is a bit tedious to do) which many people are not aware of. All in all, we feel it works quite well and now actually prefer it to traditional on most itineraries (sure glad I did not bet on it, I would have literally "lost the farm") because of the flexibility it offers. The specifics of a given itinerary would play a major role in whether or not you would get a major benefit from it, but it really does work much better than I ever expected.

[jackdiamond]

Jane, we live in S. Ft. Myers. Where are you located?

[Jane2357]

Jane, we live in S. Ft. Myers. Where are you located?

 

Verandah - off of Palm Beach Blvd!!!

[jackdiamond]

Verandah - off of Palm Beach Blvd!!!

Thank you.

[momofmeg]

Since you are in a suite and on a 14 day cruise you will get two free specialty dinners for two. Make your specialty reservations on formal nights and you don't have to dress up formally on those nights. This will cut down on the clothing you need to take. All the specialty restaurants are smart casual every night. Formal dress is now only observed in the MDR , no where else on the ship.

 

As stated, Celebrity ships do not have laundry rooms and you are not permitted to take an iron or steamer on the ship. They have an excellent laundry and below is a link to the prices in the laundry.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/footer/faqResults.do?faqSubjectName=Ship+%26+Stateroom+Details&faqId=566&faqSubjectId=70

 

LOL! some of us like formal night and there IS formal wear for women that you can roll and pack-I did! They could always rent a tux for hubby-not a big price after splurging on a skysuite BTW.

 

Now I am speaking from a woman's point of view- but it is their 20th anniversary cruise-those formal night pics will be an everlasting memory.

 

I still have our 25th anniversary pic taken on the Connie out-It is in one of those "Then and now photos." The left has our engagement picture-the right our formal night pic on the Connie. My hubby is wearing a tux and looks very handsome-me-well I am just okay looking-but oh well!

Of course I am one of those gals who dress up for the other restaurants too! (outside of Bistro on Five! LOL)-so that would not help me anyway!

[Jane2357]

Yes - our 1st ever 14 night cruise - the longest has been 7 nights. Our 20th Anniversary (and this wasn't our 1st try so we aren't kids - lol). Hubby owns a tux and I'll want a gown at least for 1 night. Isn't it every womans romantic dream to stroll the deck with the stars above and a long flowing gown? Giggle. I might be older but I'm not dead - LOL!:p

[momofmeg]

Yes - our 1st ever 14 night cruise - the longest has been 7 nights. Our 20th Anniversary (and this wasn't our 1st try so we aren't kids - lol). Hubby owns a tux and I'll want a gown at least for 1 night. Isn't it every womans romantic dream to stroll the deck with the stars above and a long flowing gown? Giggle. I might be older but I'm not dead - LOL!:p

 

You will love the pic! You must go to that "Things Remembered" store most malls have and get you the double heart crystal frame-so you can do a "then and now" pic-you will love it!