Celebrity Reflection - Nov 1, 2013

[AndersonIslander]

Hi everyone! My name is Randy. I'll be joining all of you on the 11/1/13 Reflection TA! (traveling solo)

 

I did the Eastbound Reflection earlier this year (April/May) and it was fabulous! Lots of gay and gay-friendly people and I certainly had a great time! (Schplinky, were you on that crossing too? and if so by any chance were you at one of my parties in my suite? ...I had the very aft Port corner suite on Penthouse deck) Also the Reflection crew were outstanding.

 

Glad to see that it looks like a lot of FOD's will be onboard... Just did a 14 days back to back on Millennium - Vancouver to Seward 7 days, then return) and there seemed to be almost NO gay people onboard...although there were lots of cool folks and still had a great time. Not to mention incredible weather, who could expect Juneau to be upper 80's in early June!!) Also I am going on the Solstice America's Cup cruise next month, I kinda expect a fair number of "family" onboard.

 

Oh, and ottowapuppy, I was (solo) on the fall 2011 Westbound TA Eclipse cruise too! Yes, that crossing really did a lot of rock-and-rolling! You might remember me for my height (I am 6'6" tall...lol, although I did catch a bad cold and wound up spending a lot of time in my stateroom...)

 

I will be arriving Rome a week before (morning of the 24th) and would also be interested in joining any of you for dinner or whatever get-together might get planned!

 

Can't wait to see you all onboard or even before in Rome!

 

Randy :D

[vulcan1971]

Hi everyone! My name is Randy. I'll be joining all of you on the 11/1/13 Reflection TA! (traveling solo)

 

I did the Eastbound Reflection earlier this year (April/May) and it was fabulous! Lots of gay and gay-friendly people and I certainly had a great time! (Schplinky, were you on that crossing too? and if so by any chance were you at one of my parties in my suite? ...I had the very aft Port corner suite on Penthouse deck) Also the Reflection crew were outstanding.

 

Glad to see that it looks like a lot of FOD's will be onboard... Just did a 14 days back to back on Millennium - Vancouver to Seward 7 days, then return) and there seemed to be almost NO gay people onboard...although there were lots of cool folks and still had a great time. Not to mention incredible weather, who could expect Juneau to be upper 80's in early June!!) Also I am going on the Solstice America's Cup cruise next month, I kinda expect a fair number of "family" onboard.

 

Oh, and ottowapuppy, I was (solo) on the fall 2011 Westbound TA Eclipse cruise too! Yes, that crossing really did a lot of rock-and-rolling! You might remember me for my height (I am 6'6" tall...lol, although I did catch a bad cold and wound up spending a lot of time in my stateroom...)

 

I will be arriving Rome a week before (morning of the 24th) and would also be interested in joining any of you for dinner or whatever get-together might get planned!

 

Can't wait to see you all onboard or even before in Rome!

 

Randy :D

 

Hi Randy,

 

Welcome to the thread. Sounds like you know your way around a cruise ship. Several of us are arriving in Rome a week early. It would be great to meet you ahead of the cruise. Where are you staying in Rome? Again, several of us are staying in private apartments in the Trastevere neighborhood. Many of us are in Aqua rooms on the ship... how about you?

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

[sdbart]

Just a bit over 83 days to go till the cruise departs... the time is winding down so quickly! And so is this summer. Hope you all that have checked in so far are having a good year. In fact, I was curious to know how you are all doing and if your plans to cruise in November are still on track. Let us know how you are doing and any plans you have as we coast down to the final days. Final payment date with Celebrity is 9 days away! :eek:

 

 

Walter

 

We're all paid up, Walter, and I've printed our Xpress pass. Next will be to get the luggage down from the attic. We leave for Rome on October 25, arriving on Bobbie's birthday. Just returned home from a pool party and I was a good boy, ignoring all the gooey desserts. I can hardly believe the cruise is almost here!

[sdbart]

Hi everyone! My name is Randy. I'll be joining all of you on the 11/1/13 Reflection TA! (traveling solo)

 

I did the Eastbound Reflection earlier this year (April/May) and it was fabulous! Lots of gay and gay-friendly people and I certainly had a great time! (Schplinky, were you on that crossing too? and if so by any chance were you at one of my parties in my suite? ...I had the very aft Port corner suite on Penthouse deck) Also the Reflection crew were outstanding.

 

Glad to see that it looks like a lot of FOD's will be onboard... Just did a 14 days back to back on Millennium - Vancouver to Seward 7 days, then return) and there seemed to be almost NO gay people onboard...although there were lots of cool folks and still had a great time. Not to mention incredible weather, who could expect Juneau to be upper 80's in early June!!) Also I am going on the Solstice America's Cup cruise next month, I kinda expect a fair number of "family" onboard.

 

Oh, and ottowapuppy, I was (solo) on the fall 2011 Westbound TA Eclipse cruise too! Yes, that crossing really did a lot of rock-and-rolling! You might remember me for my height (I am 6'6" tall...lol, although I did catch a bad cold and wound up spending a lot of time in my stateroom...)

 

I will be arriving Rome a week before (morning of the 24th) and would also be interested in joining any of you for dinner or whatever get-together might get planned!

 

Can't wait to see you all onboard or even before in Rome!

 

Randy :D

 

I second what Walter said, Randy. We're arriving on the 26th and hope we can meet up while in Rome. My partner and got married last month ( in the first group after Prop 8 and DOMA were struck down. I announced the occasion to the regular roll call (you should join) and was totally surprised by all the people on the roll call who sent congratulations. It should be a great cruise!

[AndersonIslander]

Hi! I reserved a place in Rome that is recommended by Rick Steves and seems to have extremely good reviews online. It's called Nerva Accommodation, PIAZZA DELLA SUBURRA 2, Rome. It looks very modern but is probably pretty basic, and I'll have internet, ensuite bath and they even have complimentary loaner bicycles. My Reflection TA earlier this year was my first time in Rome and was only there a few days before going on to Paris and London (both of which I am very familiar with, and so I'm still not that familiar with Rome. One objective of my spring trip was to see the Sistine Chapel, but on the way in from the Ship we passed the horrendous lines of people waiting in the rain to get tickets...decided I wouldn't do that without online tix in advance on a future trip.

 

And no, I'm not in AQ, in fact I'm in steerage...(although on the penthouse deck) I have the only very aft inside on that deck, #1671. It's basically kinda across the hall from the beautiful suite (1688) I had earlier this year, so am hoping to have the same great cabin stewards I had then (especially cause they'll probably remember I tipped them very well! LOL) And although I won't officially have his services, I hope to be able to harass the absolutely super Butler I had in the suite... his name, believe it or not, is Elvis! LOL

I decided to go economy on this TA partly because it has so many sea days. The eastbound Reflection TA had many more ports. I did use blu a couple times on that TA as a suite guest so I could dine with an AQ couple I met onboard, but don't know if they'll let me slide in on a space available basis this trip...although I am Elite, so that might help. I have elected select dining, so as to be flexible...and have never had a problem joining friends I meet in the MDR or the pay venues. One advantage of always travelling solo is its almost always possible to add a single chair to a table if everyone is so inclined.

 

And yes, would be fun to meet before the cruise in Rome...and would be great to be able to get your advice while there about what to see/do!

 

On the spring reflection TA all the FOD's and our admirers kind of took over the Sunset bar as our own...with occasional early evenings in the Martini Bar...if everyone is interested we might plan a sailaway out of Rome in one of those venues...have done this before where everyone wore mardi gras beads to recognize each other...just a suggestion... Oh! and congratulations to the newlyweds...hope we can all make your honeymoon cruise very memorable!

Randy

Edited August 11, 2013 by AndersonIslander

[AndersonIslander]

Was wondering if any of you have purchased the 5 dinner specialty package for this cruise...I have done so and, IMHO, it's a great deal. It has been my experience though that Celebrity limits the number of these sold, and they may not be available onboard. So, for those interested, you might want to consider grabbing them now...it's $139 (a savings of almost 1/3) for 5 specialty restaurant visits... While all the pay venues are terrific, I think Qsine is a must do and the new Lawn Club Grille, which is only on Silhouette and Reflection is also great fun. (for those of you who may have only done the other Solstice class ships, it replaced the Hot Glass Show.)

 

BTW, being a huge fan of escargot, I have been very sad that my my last several Celebrity cruises have not included them on the menu, apparently due to a shortage...I've heard talk that they are back on the everynight menu in the MDR. Anyone else heard this?

 

Randy :D

[AndersonIslander]

Hi Randy,

 

Welcome to the thread. Sounds like you know your way around a cruise ship. Several of us are arriving in Rome a week early. It would be great to meet you ahead of the cruise. Where are you staying in Rome? Again, several of us are staying in private apartments in the Trastevere neighborhood. Many of us are in Aqua rooms on the ship... how about you?

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

 

Hey...I just realized my accommodations in Rome are fully cancellable, so I would be very interested in looking into one of the apartments...are you guys all at the same apartment building/complex? Can you tell me how to look into these?

 

Thanks!!

 

Randy :D

[vulcan1971]

Hey...I just realized my accommodations in Rome are fully cancellable, so I would be very interested in looking into one of the apartments...are you guys all at the same apartment building/complex? Can you tell me how to look into these?

 

Thanks!!

 

Randy :D

 

Randy,

 

We are not all at the same place, but several of us used the same service to book... and are now a few minutes walk from each other. In my situation, I used http://www.airbnb.com to book the apartment in Rome. You will have plenty of options to choose from in different neighborhoods at different price points. Not sure what you are paying to stay where you are currently booked, but for me it was an easy choice. I was looking at hotel options from 170€ and up per day. I figured I might as well rent a private apartment that would be much cheaper and bigger than any hotel space I was looking at. It met my needs for a lot less money than staying in a hotel that didn't offer much... and so I did. It's a large, modern place that has its own kitchen, and a large and beautiful outdoor terrace. This place is located in Trastevere, which is an old part of Rome, but very hip and trendy with lots of character and just steps from your door to little shops plus plenty of restaurants, nightlife, and just 10-20 minutes walk from most landmarks that tourists would go to see. Let me know if you need more info and I'd be happy to help.

 

 

Walter

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

[vulcan1971]

Was wondering if any of you have purchased the 5 dinner specialty package for this cruise...I have done so and, IMHO, it's a great deal. It has been my experience though that Celebrity limits the number of these sold, and they may not be available onboard. So, for those interested, you might want to consider grabbing them now...it's $139 (a savings of almost 1/3) for 5 specialty restaurant visits... While all the pay venues are terrific, I think Qsine is a must do and the new Lawn Club Grille, which is only on Silhouette and Reflection is also great fun. (for those of you who may have only done the other Solstice class ships, it replaced the Hot Glass Show.)

 

BTW, being a huge fan of escargot, I have been very sad that my my last several Celebrity cruises have not included them on the menu, apparently due to a shortage...I've heard talk that they are back on the everynight menu in the MDR. Anyone else heard this?

 

Randy :D

 

Randy,

 

Since you stayed on Reflection in a suite earlier this year, you know that two sets of passes come with these bookings (more than 12 days) to go to any specialty dining options. I am thinking that I will opt for a dining package option once on board so that we can try each restaurant at least once. The Reflection TA offers a 4 and 5 dinner package option; however I most likely will wait till on board to buy. I don't think that they will sell out or stop offering by the time we board. I'm also waiting to buy a drink package till I'm on board since I have a sizeable OBC to spend.

 

 

Walter

 

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[AndersonIslander]

Randy,

 

Walter: Since you stayed on Reflection in a suite earlier this year, you know that two sets of passes come with these bookings (more than 12 days) to go to any specialty dining options. I am thinking that I will opt for a dining package option once on board so that we can try each restaurant at least once. The Reflection TA offers a 4 and 5 dinner package option; however I most likely will wait till on board to buy. I don't think that they will sell out or stop offering by the time we board. I'm also waiting to buy a drink package till I'm on board since I have a sizeable OBC to spend.

 

 

Walter

 

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Absolutely correct, I knew you guys were in Aqua but didn't know you were in Aqua suites...I'll be curious about you bathroom, I kind of assume it won't have the shower panel, but instead have the suite arrangement which is a big rainfall shower from above (which I am rather too tall at 6'6" for...lol) plus a hose wand with about 50 jets on it? I've never seen the inside of an Aqua suite... I do know that Celebrity has limited sales of the 5 dinner package on some cruises...but you're right, if you have a suite and a hefty OBC, I wouldn't probably pre-purchase either. Also, depending on your Captain's Club level and how well the restaurants are selling they often offer discounts to elites, etc. during the cruise.

 

Thanks very much for the info on the apartments, I'll look into the link you posted!

 

Randy

[vulcan1971]

Absolutely correct, I knew you guys were in Aqua but didn't know you were in Aqua suites...I'll be curious about you bathroom, I kind of assume it won't have the shower panel, but instead have the suite arrangement which is a big rainfall shower from above (which I am rather too tall at 6'6" for...lol) plus a hose wand with about 50 jets on it? I've never seen the inside of an Aqua suite... I do know that Celebrity has limited sales of the 5 dinner package on some cruises...but you're right, if you have a suite and a hefty OBC, I wouldn't probably pre-purchase either. Also, depending on your Captain's Club level and how well the restaurants are selling they often offer discounts to elites, etc. during the cruise.

 

Thanks very much for the info on the apartments, I'll look into the link you posted!

 

Randy

 

Randy,

 

Good morning.... by the time I finished reading and responding to postings yesterday I knew I needed to fall asleep, but then ended up not being able to sleep at all.

 

This is not my first Celebrity cruise, but it is my first cruise on a S-class ship. My partner Iain and I made friends with some folks from Vancouver on our first TA in 2012 while on RCCL. We all decided to meet up and do this cruse and, while booking this cruise, booked another cruise for 2014. I have a lot to look forward to and plan. We found that we are a big fan of longer sailings and of sea days, so this kind of vacation is perfect for us. Yes, we are in an Aqua Suite. With this being such a new experience for both of us (new ship, new ship class, new type of suite, dining in Blu, etc), we figured we would check it out. I have seen pictures and a short video clip of an Aqua Suite from Youtube (google some key words if you are interested); however, seeing it in person for the first time always leaves more of an impression on me. Being the size you are, it must be tough in any cruise bathroom. Iain is 6'4", so having more space in the room and bathroom is always a plus and something we plan for as we decide what type of room to book.

 

I see that you checked in on the main cruise thread and Norma and Paul have already responded to your post adding you to the roll call and such. That will keep you in the loop on a number of planned activities on board. Iain and I are participating in the gift exchange, but I haven't heard if anyone on this board has offered/planned to do so. Iain isn't interested int he cabin crawl, but a number of us are planning to attend and some of us are showing our rooms. Also, I have heard talk about a slot pull, but no one has talked about it recently. I'm sure that will come together as the cruise gets closer.

 

 

 

Walter

[Schplinky]

Hi everyone! My name is Randy. I'll be joining all of you on the 11/1/13 Reflection TA! (traveling solo)

 

I did the Eastbound Reflection earlier this year (April/May) and it was fabulous! Lots of gay and gay-friendly people and I certainly had a great time! (Schplinky, were you on that crossing too? and if so by any chance were you at one of my parties in my suite? ...I had the very aft Port corner suite on Penthouse deck) Also the Reflection crew were outstanding.

 

Glad to see that it looks like a lot of FOD's will be onboard... Just did a 14 days back to back on Millennium - Vancouver to Seward 7 days, then return) and there seemed to be almost NO gay people onboard...although there were lots of cool folks and still had a great time. Not to mention incredible weather, who could expect Juneau to be upper 80's in early June!!) Also I am going on the Solstice America's Cup cruise next month, I kinda expect a fair number of "family" onboard.

 

Oh, and ottowapuppy, I was (solo) on the fall 2011 Westbound TA Eclipse cruise too! Yes, that crossing really did a lot of rock-and-rolling! You might remember me for my height (I am 6'6" tall...lol, although I did catch a bad cold and wound up spending a lot of time in my stateroom...)

 

I will be arriving Rome a week before (morning of the 24th) and would also be interested in joining any of you for dinner or whatever get-together might get planned!

 

Can't wait to see you all onboard or even before in Rome!

 

Randy :D

 

 

Hi Randy,

 

Welcome aboard. I think we met on Eclipse (I'm ottawapuppy's partner).

[Schplinky]

Was wondering if any of you have purchased the 5 dinner specialty package for this cruise...I have done so and, IMHO, it's a great deal. It has been my experience though that Celebrity limits the number of these sold, and they may not be available onboard. So, for those interested, you might want to consider grabbing them now...it's $139 (a savings of almost 1/3) for 5 specialty restaurant visits... While all the pay venues are terrific, I think Qsine is a must do and the new Lawn Club Grille, which is only on Silhouette and Reflection is also great fun. (for those of you who may have only done the other Solstice class ships, it replaced the Hot Glass Show.)

 

BTW, being a huge fan of escargot, I have been very sad that my my last several Celebrity cruises have not included them on the menu, apparently due to a shortage...I've heard talk that they are back on the everynight menu in the MDR. Anyone else heard this?

 

Randy :D

 

We booked the package, also. It is a great deal, particularly since the price of the individual restaurants has gone up but the package has not.

 

 

On the spring reflection TA all the FOD's and our admirers kind of took over the Sunset bar as our own...with occasional early evenings in the Martini Bar...if everyone is interested we might plan a sailaway out of Rome in one of those venues...have done this before where everyone wore mardi gras beads to recognize each other...just a suggestion... Oh! and congratulations to the newlyweds...hope we can all make your honeymoon cruise very memorable!

Randy

 

I love that bar. We'll try to stop back there. We don't always make it to the sailaway parties because we're running all over but we'll try. The main roll call is also organising a party but with so many people, it could be too large a crowd to meet too many people. Hopefully it will be great weather.

[vulcan1971]

I love that bar. We'll try to stop back there. We don't always make it to the sailaway parties because we're running all over but we'll try. The main roll call is also organising a party but with so many people, it could be too large a crowd to meet too many people. Hopefully it will be great weather.

 

Randy,

 

You are probably familiar with registering for the Celebrity "Connections" meet & mingle. As of this weekend there were 237 people signed up. On embarkation day, there are plans for our roll call to meet before and after the muster drill. I think the location is the Sunset Bar on Deck 15. One of the other posters can correct me if my memory has failed me.

 

 

Walter

 

 

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[Schplinky]

It seems like most people have flexible dining arrangements in this group. Is anyone locked into a particular dining time? Blu, for Aqua class, is open seating, although my recollection is that on the first night of our last TA, they asked us to dine at a particular time and then it was flexible after that. Anyone else ever have that experience?

[vulcan1971]

It seems like most people have flexible dining arrangements in this group. Is anyone locked into a particular dining time? Blu, for Aqua class, is open seating, although my recollection is that on the first night of our last TA, they asked us to dine at a particular time and then it was flexible after that. Anyone else ever have that experience?

 

Lee,

 

When I booked the cruise, I chose to do the Select Dining option even though we are in Aqua (Blu). I figured there may be a few meals had in the MDR with our friends that are not in Aqua or are in suites but choose not to eat there as they don't care for it.

[Schplinky]

Lee,

 

When I booked the cruise, I chose to do the Select Dining option even though we are in Aqua (Blu). I figured there may be a few meals had in the MDR with our friends that are not in Aqua or are in suites but choose not to eat there as they don't care for it.

 

So you have Select in the MDR?

[vulcan1971]

So you have Select in the MDR?

 

Yes.

[Schplinky]

We've had multiple friends who have done that and they liked it.

[AndersonIslander]

Randy,

 

You are probably familiar with registering for the Celebrity "Connections" meet & mingle. As of this weekend there were 237 people signed up. On embarkation day, there are plans for our roll call to meet before and after the muster drill. I think the location is the Sunset Bar on Deck 15. One of the other posters can correct me if my memory has failed me.

,

 

Walter

 

 

Sent from my Samsung Note II on the T-Mobile 4G LTE network using Tapatalk Beta 4

 

Hey Walter, yes, I registered for the Cruise Connections party even before I first posted on this thread. The TA's always have a huge signup for them.

 

It will also be interesting to see how many Captains Club Elites are onboard, as the TA's also usually attract an unbelievable amount of Elites, often too many to be able to hold the regular nightly Elite free cocktail party, so they wind up just giving each Elite 3 free drink coupons per day.

 

Has everyone made their arrangements to get from Rome to the Ship? It's quite a long journey. On my spring TA ending in Rome, I'd been cautioned that the train can be problematic if one has more than a minimal amount of luggage.

 

I have not made arragements yet. For the spring TA, I managed to join three couples who had reserved a van though a very good service, and it worked out to only 35 Euro per person (including a good tip) for door to door service for everyone even though we were staying at four different hotels. I found this vastly preferable to other options.

 

Anyone interested it joining up for this? I still have the contact info for the limo service... Or what has everyone planned?

 

Randy

Edited August 12, 2013 by AndersonIslander

[Schplinky]

Hey Walter, yes, I registered for the Cruise Connections party even before I first posted on this thread. The TA's always have a huge signup for them.

 

It will also be interesting to see how many Captains Club Elites are onboard, as the TA's also usually attract an unbelievable amount of Elites, often too many to be able to hold the regular nightly Elite free cocktail party, so they wind up just giving each Elite 3 free drink coupons per day.

 

Has everyone made their arrangements to get from Rome to the Ship? It's quite a long journey. On my spring TA ending in Rome, I'd been cautioned that the train can be problematic if one has more than a minimal amount of luggage.

 

I managed to join three couples who had reserved a van though a very good service, and it worked out to only 35 Euro per person (including a good tip) for door to door service for everyone even though we were staying at four different hotels. I found this vastly preferable to other options.

 

Anyone interested it joining up for this? I still have the contact info for the limo service... Or what has everyone planned?

 

Randy

 

Randy,

 

We have a transfer to the port arranged and have room for others. If we have 5 people (including us), the transfer will be 170E; if we have 8 people, it will be 200E. You'd have to get yourselves to our hotel in front of the Pantheon and the transfer leaves at 9 a.m.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Schplinky

[vulcan1971]

Hey Walter, yes, I registered for the Cruise Connections party even before I first posted on this thread. The TA's always have a huge signup for them.

 

It will also be interesting to see how many Captains Club Elites are onboard, as the TA's also usually attract an unbelievable amount of Elites, often too many to be able to hold the regular nightly Elite free cocktail party, so they wind up just giving each Elite 3 free drink coupons per day.

 

Has everyone made their arrangements to get from Rome to the Ship? It's quite a long journey. On my spring TA ending in Rome, I'd been cautioned that the train can be problematic if one has more than a minimal amount of luggage.

 

I have not made arragements yet. For the spring TA, I managed to join three couples who had reserved a van though a very good service, and it worked out to only 35 Euro per person (including a good tip) for door to door service for everyone even though we were staying at four different hotels. I found this vastly preferable to other options.

 

Anyone interested it joining up for this? I still have the contact info for the limo service... Or what has everyone planned?

 

Randy

 

Randy,

 

I was going to mention that Schplinky (Lee) has room in his caravan to the port. Hopefully that will work out for you. Iain and myself are traveling with sdbart (Bart) and 2 other cruise couples in a different pre-arranged van.

 

One day I will make it to one of those Elite cocktail receptions. Currently I have 4 points toward Elite status, but I'm considered in "Select", which I thought didn't start till you are at 5 points. I'm wondering if they somehow count the RCCL trip I took last year toward my "Select" status. If anyone knows, feel free to comment. After this cruise I will have 3 more points to put us at 7 points toward Elite status. I think the next cruise we do will add 3 more points to put us at put us over. However, with that said, I will be booking at least one cruise while on board and possibly buying one or two "open passage" certificates. I will see if I can work any magic with the sales desk to see if they have any options to advance my status prior to the next cruise. If not, I will be at Elite after the next cruise we complete. We will have access to the Concierge Lounge, which will be a new experience for us.

 

 

Walter

[AndersonIslander]

Randy,

 

I was going to mention that Schplinky (Lee) has room in his caravan to the port. Hopefully that will work out for you. Iain and myself are traveling with sdbart (Bart) and 2 other cruise couples in a different pre-arranged van.

 

One day I will make it to one of those Elite cocktail receptions. Currently I have 4 points toward Elite status, but I'm considered in "Select", which I thought didn't start till you are at 5 points. I'm wondering if they somehow count the RCCL trip I took last year toward my "Select" status. If anyone knows, feel free to comment. After this cruise I will have 3 more points to put us at 7 points toward Elite status. I think the next cruise we do will add 3 more points to put us at put us over. However, with that said, I will be booking at least one cruise while on board and possibly buying one or two "open passage" certificates. I will see if I can work any magic with the sales desk to see if they have any options to advance my status prior to the next cruise. If not, I will be at Elite after the next cruise we complete. We will have access to the Concierge Lounge, which will be a new experience for us.

 

 

Walter

 

Walter: Not sure if you meant RCCL's concierge lounge, but be aware that Celebrity does not have Concierge Lounges They do host almost every day a special buffet breakfast with comp mimosas and champagne as well as almost every night the hosted cocktails for Elites, although as I mentioned some cruises have so many Elites that they forgo the evening cocktails and just give every Elite three drink coupons per day. On the Eastbound Reflection TA earlier this year I think there were something like 850 Elites!! Made the Elite check in line VERY long! LOL I was very glad I was in a suite, when I checked in there was no line at all for suites... Also, a non-elite companion in the same stateroom as an elite is eligible for the elite events. Two of my great friends from Florida that were on one of my Alaska cruises in June are both elites and were traveling with non elite daughter and son-in law (in separate stateroom), and realized they should have split their booking!

 

Lee: Thanks, I probably will be able to join your van, but let me finalize all my stuff before I commit, as I'm still looking into switching to an Apartment, and deciding maybe whether maybe to spend a few days OUT of Rome Such as Florence for a while...I overslept too late and missed my excursion to Florence on the Eastbound TA earlier this year...$170 down the drain... :(

 

Randy

[Schplinky]

Randy,

 

I was going to mention that Schplinky (Lee) has room in his caravan to the port. Hopefully that will work out for you. Iain and myself are traveling with sdbart (Bart) and 2 other cruise couples in a different pre-arranged van.

 

One day I will make it to one of those Elite cocktail receptions. Currently I have 4 points toward Elite status, but I'm considered in "Select", which I thought didn't start till you are at 5 points. I'm wondering if they somehow count the RCCL trip I took last year toward my "Select" status. If anyone knows, feel free to comment. After this cruise I will have 3 more points to put us at 7 points toward Elite status. I think the next cruise we do will add 3 more points to put us at put us over. However, with that said, I will be booking at least one cruise while on board and possibly buying one or two "open passage" certificates. I will see if I can work any magic with the sales desk to see if they have any options to advance my status prior to the next cruise. If not, I will be at Elite after the next cruise we complete. We will have access to the Concierge Lounge, which will be a new experience for us.

 

 

Walter

 

 

Walter, you get two credits for cruises of 12 days or longer and another bonus credit for Concierge Class or above. That may explain your status.

 

If they do vouchers for the cocktail hour, I'll be happy to pass some along, since our alcohol package would make them pointless.

[Schplinky]

A lot of taller guys in this group! On our RCL Med cruise, our friend who was 6'5" actually got a bed extension by asking the room attendant. They added about a foot to the head of the bed.