new to celebrity, few questions

[xeena]

1. can you bring wine on board ?

2. how long before sailing can you make "select" dining reservations for the MDR ?

3. where does one make the above reservations? calling celebrity or online ?

4. if you are 6'2" tall and the beds are set up together, will DH legs hang off the bed?

5. which dining venues are "no added fee" besides the grill on lido deck ( or maybe it isn't called the lido deck), ocean view buffet and MDR?

 

thanks in advance.........

[ghstudio]

1. can you bring wine on board ?

2. how long before sailing can you make "select" dining reservations for the MDR ?

3. where does one make the above reservations? calling celebrity or online ?

4. if you are 6'2" tall and the beds are set up together, will DH legs hang off the bed?

5. which dining venues are "no added fee" besides the grill on lido deck ( or maybe it isn't called the lido deck), ocean view buffet and MDR?

 

thanks in advance.........

 

1) You can bring 2 750ml bottles of wine on board at embarcation...none after that.

 

2/3) You make select dining reservations on the celebrity site...my celebrity...you book all on board reservations there.

 

4) If your legs hang off with the beds apart, they will still hang off with the beds together :)

 

5) aqua spa cafe, mast grill, buffet, snacks at the coffee bar on 5 (different names on different ships)

 

I am going to have to remember your question 4....it's a cruise classic.

[xeena]

Tee hee.....the rounded bed is the concern....never have been in rounded bed....didn't know how that affected the overall length. So, if he doesn't hang off a HAL bed, no worries on celebrity.

 

I love being a classic!

[xeena]

Guess you book MDR after final payment...correct?

[sddsddean]

If it helps, I'm 6' 3" and have no problems with the beds.

 

Simon

[Kellie Poodle]

You can go to the Maitre D' on the ship and change to Select Dining from regular seating dining. Saves having to pay gratuities up front, especially if you have so me OBC that will go against the gratuities.

[need2bespoiled]

If you're daring, like me, you could take more onboard.

 

We put 1 bottle in each piece of our luggage (4 pieces, 4 bottles), checked them and waited to see if they made it to the stateroom. Sure enough, they did without issue. One of the 4 was actually Rum, but the bottle looks enough like a wine bottle.

 

The bags go from curbside into those big "crates" and onto the ship. How would they know what you brought onboard? Do you think they unload those crates and scan and/or search all the luggage? I don't think they do, it would be nearly impossible. Additionally, even if they did, they would have to keep a list of nearly 1500 cabins and match it to each piece of luggage. If they did this, we might get our luggage by the second sea day.

 

I think the only danger is if a bottle broke.

 

Have fun!

[cruizecrazygramma]

You can go to the Maitre D' on the ship and change to Select Dining from regular seating dining. Saves having to pay gratuities up front, especially if you have so me OBC that will go against the gratuities.

 

 

can you tell me what select dining is? also, i'm confused about what you mean when you say about paying gratuities up front. we have early dining and were not asked to pre pay gratuities. can you explain for a newbie please.

[Mulege]

Select Dining is dining at dinner when you want with whom you want during posted dinner time versus traditional set times (Early, Late). It is in a separate area of the main dining room. You can choose to dine with other passengers or by yourselves. You will not have the same waitstaff each night unless you ask for them. This service requires that your gratuities be prepaid at time of final payment. Some like the flexibility for this option.

 

On a side note you can also enjoy in room dining through room service. Ask your steward for menus. A small tip is appreciated. Especially nice for breakfast. Enjoy your cruise.

[rwr235]

can you tell me what select dining is? also, i'm confused about what you mean when you say about paying gratuities up front. we have early dining and were not asked to pre pay gratuities. can you explain for a newbie please.

 

Select Dining....is Celebrity's version of "anytime dining", and you may go to the section of the MDR set aside for Select Dining, at any time during MDR dinner hours; or you can make reservations for a specific time every evening, or any evening....as opposed to the Traditional Dining...(with either fixed early or late seatings). When you choose Select Dining instead of Traditional...your gratuities are required to be paid in advance...as opposed to being added to your onboard account on a daily basis.

 

Since you stated that you have Early (Traditional) dining, you were not required to pre-pay your gratuities.

 

 

(as already answered by Mulege above....I am a slowwww typist !! )

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Enjoy

 

Woody

[M&M Hayden]

Guess you book MDR after final payment...correct?

 

If you have a set dining time (early/late) you don't have to book anything

If you have select dining you can go online and make your reservations before final payment. I made ours for February back in August or September. Even then some times were unavailable.

Even with Select Dining you don't have to make reservations, you can just 'show up' and get a table. The first night is usually a wait, after that it evens out pretty well.

[cruising in mn]

Tee hee.....the rounded bed is the concern....never have been in rounded bed....didn't know how that affected the overall length. So, if he doesn't hang off a HAL bed, no worries on celebrity.

 

I love being a classic!

 

Legs will 100% be hanging off the bed. I am 5"11 and mine do :rolleyes:

[Aussie Gal]

I too am a newbie to Celebrity. I have one question. We are booked into Aqua Class and I know we eat in the Blu Restaurant. When booking orginally, we chose anytime dining so our gratuities have already been paid but I didn't know that we could or should book our time in the restaurant before we leave home. In other words, should I do it today for our March cruise?

 

Thanks.

 

Jennie

[packyourpixiedust]

I too am a newbie to Celebrity. I have one question. We are booked into Aqua Class and I know we eat in the Blu Restaurant. When booking orginally, we chose anytime dining so our gratuities have already been paid but I didn't know that we could or should book our time in the restaurant before we leave home. In other words, should I do it today for our March cruise?

 

Thanks.

 

Jennie

 

With Blu, you cannot pre-book your dinner time, and for the most part, you don't have to. If you arrive between 7 & 7:15 there will likely be a short wait because of those leaving elite captain club member's cocktail hours...

[jackdec]

Hi Pam. No problems with the feet hanging out of the bed. Just cork the first bottle of wine before you go to bed and you won't have to worry about anything, untill the morning call for breakfast.

 

Jackdec [fat but sliming Irishman]

[jackdec]

Hi Jenny. Can anyone pay extra to dine in the Aqua dining room or the aqua cafe.

 

Jackdec.

[need2bespoiled]

Hi Jenny. Can anyone pay extra to dine in the Aqua dining room or the aqua cafe.

 

Jackdec.

 

Anyone can dine I the Aqua Cafe (free).

 

Only Aqua class (free) and suite guests can dine in Blue based on availability for suite guests. It supposed to be $5 for suite guests but our experience is that they don't charge the $5 consistently.

[fishycomics]

love reading the CC.

 

tried the MDr thing and it's better to sit down stairs with the group, and have t he same waiters each and every night.

 

then going up stairs and making a reservation to have the same table as well in many cases.

 

when the formal nights come about with the capt'n, or the waiters farewell, you can see the show, rather hey what's happening?

 

my choice how I felt, enjoy.

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks LovesVaca for answering my question. I now feel as though I am ready to board the Solstice. With a 12 day voyage, I presume we have two (or is it three) formal nights. Do most men wear formal gear or is now about 50/50 as it is on Princess?

 

Jennie

[need2bespoiled]

Thanks LovesVaca for answering my question. I now feel as though I am ready to board the Solstice. With a 12 day voyage, I presume we have two (or is it three) formal nights. Do most men wear formal gear or is now about 50/50 as it is on Princess?

 

Jennie

 

I think 50% or less wear a tux, another percentages in dark suits, some in sport coats and some in more casual attire, though generally not in the MDR

[dkjretired]

Thanks LovesVaca for answering my question. I now feel as though I am ready to board the Solstice. With a 12 day voyage, I presume we have two (or is it three) formal nights. Do most men wear formal gear or is now about 50/50 as it is on Princess?

 

Jennie

 

Should at least wear a jacket since depending who is at the door when you enter, he may be denied entry without one.

[Aussie Gal]

I think 50% or less wear a tux, another percentages in dark suits, some in sport coats and some in more casual attire, though generally not in the MDR

 

Thanks for that. We are still deciding on whether to bring the tux with us. I do like a man in formal gear, I think they look so handsome!

 

Jennie

[need2bespoiled]

Thanks for that. We are still deciding on whether to bring the tux with us. I do like a man in formal gear, I think they look so handsome!

 

Jennie

 

Agree, and it's great for some pictures :)

 

Either way, you'll need at least a coat, and ideally a tie, but the tux will make for some nice pictures and memories! If you have it, and don't have to rent one, I say, bring it!

[Kellie Poodle]

Thanks for that. We are still deciding on whether to bring the tux with us. I do like a man in formal gear, I think they look so handsome!

 

Jennie

 

I think my DH is adorable in formal gear. The photo for our avatar was taken on Grandeur of the Seas in October, 2012.

 

His tuxedo is polyester and not very heavy at all. It never wrinkles. We weighed it against his sports coat and it's actually lighter in weight.

 

You can see in the photo that his bow tie (and matching cummerbund not in the photo) are the Texas flag. If I could find one with his favorite baseball team's logo, he'd love it. See if you can find a bow tie and cummerbund with your DH's favorite sports team. Oh boy! do they want to wear those tuxes when it's a special bow tie and cummerbund!

[New Hampshire]

You can go to the Maitre D' on the ship and change to Select Dining from regular seating dining. Saves having to pay gratuities up front, especially if you have so me OBC that will go against the gratuities.

 

I'm not certain this will always work. They only allow a fixed number of Select Dining spots on each sailing. If it was that easy to avoid paying gratuities pre-cruise, everyone would do it.