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Reserving Alcoves: How far in advance?

travelingirl70

By travelingirl70,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Sonoma fans

Sonoma fans

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We always rent them for the week, and book as soon as we have a reservation number. Due to the need to have an accessible cabin, we book farin advance for our cabin anyways, and just go ahead and book the alcove. January/February on our back to back we are booked for the 2 weeks. Really enjoy it. Book early as you can!

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waterbug123

waterbug123

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Sorry for being dense... and maybe it's a Celebrity thing... but what is an alcove?

 

Yes, it's a Celebrity thing. They are individual, canopied seating areas around the edge of the lawn. They comfortably accommodate 4 people. You reserve and pay for the day (9a-9p) and can come and go as you please throughout the day. They do not have loungers, but there is a daybed type settee that you can nap on and a couple of regular chairs. Depending on the wind, you may have the option of having the canopy down for shade or up for sun. You get bottles water and a fruit plate, and can arrange for a picnic basket but those are pricey IMO. You can get food elsewhere and bring it into the alcove if you like. There is bar service as well, and the Sunset Bar is just around the corner if the alcove service isn't quick enough or regular enough as we've found sometimes. The alcoves face inward toward the lawn, which some people don't like, and they are not completely enclosed and private which some people also don't like. Many do like them however, as it guarantees a reasonably comfortable seating area for the day that usually has the option of sun or shade, and usually affords good people watching, and peace and quiet unless there's a bocce tourney or something taking place on the lawn. Last I checked, prices were $99 on port days and $149 on sea days.

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travelingirl70

travelingirl70

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For our Dec 2016 cruise I tried to reserve an alcove in January and nothing was available. I kept checking and in July they opened up and I booked 2 sea days. Never did this before and I'm really looking forward to relaxing :)

 

 

 

Thanks! That makes sense to me. About 6 months out. Is your cruise a holiday cruise by any chance? There are conflicting reports about availability of reserving in advance on holiday sailings.

 

 

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jryan110

jryan110

Posted
Posted (edited)

We were planning on using our OBC for two days in The Alcoves on our Reflection cruise next April, but found out they must be paid for in advance. Anyone know of a work around that would allow us to book or reserve now, but use that OBC for payment?

 

Pretty sure I know the answer, but figured I'd ask more experienced cruisers for opinions.

 

Jay

 

 

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Edited by jryan110
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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

Posted
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Sorry for being dense... and maybe it's a Celebrity thing... but what is an alcove?

 

 

WOW.....looks really nice, but pricey...but alas, I'm not booked on Reflection or Silhouette....I'm on Eclipse and Summit. Maybe for the TA I plan to book while on board the Summit. Is it worth if for the reposition from Rome to FLL in the Fall, or is too windy and cool up there?

Edited by Hydrokitty
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draftxhorselover

draftxhorselover

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Oh.....that's a deal breaker for me. My favorite cabin is the aft cabin....I can sit and look at the wake for hours and everything else on the planet just melts away.

 

Alcove issue? I have a question.. we are in Aft cabins and have been told the balcony is quite nice.. the alcoves are lovely but if you book more than a single day, wouldn't it make more sense to just upgrade to a room with a bigger balcony? I must be missing something...:confused:

Edited by draftxhorselover
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bbeltmom

bbeltmom

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Posted
Dec 18th Christmas Cruise 2016

 

 

 

I was able to get one for a Sea Day / Port Day - 2nd day :)

 

We get to PR at 3:30pm so will use it all day

 

and it was only $99

 

Book on 9/12

 

 

It looks like you can only book port days in advance for that sailing. I am on the same one and called a month ago and was told I had to book on board... Hmmm....

 

 

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

Posted
Posted
Alcove issue? I have a question.. we are in Aft cabins and have been told the balcony is quite nice.. the alcoves are lovely but if you book more than a single day, wouldn't it make more sense to just upgrade to a room with a bigger balcony? I must be missing something...:confused:

 

My thoughts exactly.....why pay $100 a day for an alcove that looks over the grass lawn....I can do that in my backyard...I LOVE the Aft cabins and if this is your first one, prepare to be hooked! :D

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twincheryl

twincheryl

Posted
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Yes, it's a Celebrity thing. They are individual, canopied seating areas around the edge of the lawn. They comfortably accommodate 4 people. You reserve and pay for the day (9a-9p) and can come and go as you please throughout the day. They do not have loungers, but there is a daybed type settee that you can nap on and a couple of regular chairs. Depending on the wind, you may have the option of having the canopy down for shade or up for sun. You get bottles water and a fruit plate, and can arrange for a picnic basket but those are pricey IMO. You can get food elsewhere and bring it into the alcove if you like. There is bar service as well, and the Sunset Bar is just around the corner if the alcove service isn't quick enough or regular enough as we've found sometimes. The alcoves face inward toward the lawn, which some people don't like, and they are not completely enclosed and private which some people also don't like. Many do like them however, as it guarantees a reasonably comfortable seating area for the day that usually has the option of sun or shade, and usually affords good people watching, and peace and quiet unless there's a bocce tourney or something taking place on the lawn. Last I checked, prices were $99 on port days and $149 on sea days.

 

waterbug123... thanks so much for your explanation! We are booked on our first Celebrity cruise next September and are very excited to try something new... although it looks like Millenium does not have that feature. Having spent many sea days searching for a "shady" available lounger on RCI, those alcoves might be a welcome sight... lol

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draftxhorselover

draftxhorselover

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My thoughts exactly.....why pay $100 a day for an alcove that looks over the grass lawn....I can do that in my backyard...I LOVE the Aft cabins and if this is your first one, prepare to be hooked! :D

 

Oh goody! My friends who are the experienced cruisers advised us and so we have adjacent cabins on the 8th deck facing Aft; they said they just enjoy their beautiful view on those insane at sea days on their balcony. :D

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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Oh goody! My friends who are the experienced cruisers advised us and so we have adjacent cabins on the 8th deck facing Aft; they said they just enjoy their beautiful view on those insane at sea days on their balcony. :D

 

Here's another fun tidbit for you....our last cruise was with daughter and son-in-law and we had adjacent cabins on the 9th deck facing Aft. Depending on how close you are with your friends, if you want the partition removed between your two balconies just ask your room steward the first time you meet him/her. Ours was gone when we came back from dinner the first night (they have to get the engineer to remove it apparently). It doesn't make the balcony big enough to seat four together because only the outer half of the partition is removable but (and this is where it depends on your relationship) it does give you each complete access to the other's cabin through the balcony door. For us it was a no brainer because if they were out night-clubbing and we wanted the binoculars, we could go get them. And if we were on a shore excursion and they needed something from my room they could just go get it. Of course, if you lock your balcony door from the inside they may not be able to get into your cabin...I don't really know, but it was fun to hang over the balcony together. :D

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