Newbie on Celebrity. Lots of questions.....

[wishfulone]

We haven't sailed Celebrity for quite a few years and have heaps of questions. Are the shampoo and conditioner still in a tube or in the horrible mixed dispenser things like Princess? Should I bring my own? What about soap? Is it still in a cake or a bottle on the shower wall?

 

Can we take large water bottles onboard at embarkation and the ports? What about cans of soda?

 

Should we purchase the wine package online before we sail or wait until we get onboard?

 

Which is the best specialty restaurant? Your favourite? We're not interested in the trendy stuff stuff like Share on Princess, just good food. Italian maybe?

 

We're in a conceirge class cabin and would love to hear your best hints for a great cruise. Thanks in advance for all replies.

[swigso]

Hi

If you have a drink package water is included, other than that yes you can take water on board as well as cans of soda, you also have 2 bottles of wine .

The soap is a block, the shampoo conditioner are in tubes (as of last year)

Don’t forget you can have lunch in the main dining room when you board, Tuscan is a favourite if you like Italian, however the Dover Sole or the Turbut in Murano’s are both superb. Both menus are on line.

Usually 50% off first night.

Have a great trip the Eclipse is a wonderful ship.

[ghstudio]

Swigso: While I don't disagree that the eclipse is a wonderful ship.....why do you assume that's the ship the OP is on?????

 

Answers:

 

You can bring on as much water/soda as you want....just give it to the porters with a room label and it will appear.

 

You are allowed to bring two 750ml bottles of wine on board when you embark, however you will be charged a "corkage fee" of I believe $25 if you bring the bottles to the dining room. There is no advantage to buying the wine package before you board. Be on the lookout for wine by the bottle being sold at the bar in the buffet area during lunch....it's far less expensive than buying it anywhere else.

 

Normal soap blocks and shampoo/.conditioner in travel size containers.

 

Opinions on specialty restaurants vary all over the lot. On most cruises, the restaurants aren't fully booked so they offer discounts of 25-50% off. Check with the folks who are taking reservations (generally, they are outside the buffet...just ask if they are offering any discounts....ask each day....or you can even make them an offer and they might just say OK......

 

Hints:

 

If you want ice in your room...ask your room steward and they'll bring it every day. There is a choice of pillows..ask your room steward if you'd like a body pillow, a non allergenic pillow, a foam pillow. You will get daily canapes at around 4pm...you can ask your cabin steward to give you a cheese plate instead of the canapes. If you prefer not to walk down many flights of steps, go to your muster area for the pre-sailing muster drill 15 minutes early and use the elevators before they are turned off for the drill. there is a cooler in your room filled with things you can buy....if you'd like to use that cooler for your own things (water you brought on board, etc), ask your room attendant to remove all of the items in the cooler.....that also saves you the potential problem of being charged for taking something out of the cooler that you didn't take...it happens.

 

Have a great cruise.

[jelayne]

 

 

There is no advantage to buying the wine package before you board. Be on the lookout for wine by the bottle being sold at the bar in the buffet area during lunch....it's far less expensive than buying it anywhere else

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Just. FYI The bottles of wine they sell in the buffet cannot be taken into the MDR or speciality restaurants. Should you want to take one in the $25 corkage fee applies. You can enjoy these wines in the buffet or your cabin.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Hi

If you have a drink package water is included, other than that yes you can take water on board as well as cans of soda, you also have 2 bottles of wine .

The soap is a block, the shampoo conditioner are in tubes (as of last year)

Don’t forget you can have lunch in the main dining room when you board, Tuscan is a favourite if you like Italian, however the Dover Sole or the Turbut in Murano’s are both superb. Both menus are on line.

Usually 50% off first night.

Have a great trip the Eclipse is a wonderful ship.

OP is on the Constellation which does not have Murano. Does have the Tuscan Grille.

[archerniak]

FYI - choice of pillows and canapes are I believe only available to Concierge class and above.

[ghstudio]

FYI - choice of pillows and canapes are I believe only available to Concierge class and above.

 

yes...and the OP said they are in a concierge cabin......

[colocop004]

In concierge class they have upgraded bathroom amenities, no need to bring your own.

 

If you are interested in the pillow menu, Ask your cabin steward, they will not offer it to you.

 

You will love Tuscan Grill.

 

You asked about the wine package. Have you considered the full beverage package? Classic or premium, they both include a nice selection of wines by the glass, and they are unlimited, plus you get cocktails, beer and non alcoholic beverages as well. For us this is the only way to go.

 

 

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[wishfulone]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. For us the full beverage package isn't worth the money but we are interested in the bottled wine package. Look forward to afternoon canapés.

 

The muster drill suggestion is great. Explains why you see people wandering around with life vests ages before the drill :cool:

[helen haywood]

You don't need to bring your life jacket to Muster.

 

 

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[wishfulone]

 

..... There is no advantage to buying the wine package before you board. Be on the lookout for wine by the bottle being sold at the bar in the buffet area during lunch....it's far less expensive than buying it anywhere else.

......

Have a great cruise.

I'm still confused about the wine package. We're used to buying the 7, 10 or 12 wine bottle package on Princess ships. It works out much cheaper than buying the bottles individually. We don't drink cocktails or spirits so getting cheaper wine to have with meals and in our cabin suits us. Can some one tell me if the Celebrity package is the same as the Princess one? Meanwhile, thank you for the suggestion about buying a bottle in the buffet at lunch time. We'll certainly remember that.

[fleckle]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. For us the full beverage package isn't worth the money but we are interested in the bottled wine package. Look forward to afternoon canapés.

 

The muster drill suggestion is great. Explains why you see people wandering around with life vests ages before the drill :cool:

 

Those people wandering around with life vests ages before the drill are ship employees.

Passengers are asked not to bring life jackets to the muster drill.

 

The location of your muster station should still be posted on the back of your stateroom door. Another reason to get there early is if you want a seat. Some of the muster stations do not have enough seats for everyone, so latecomers end up standing, or sitting on the floor.

Check in with a person holding a clipboard at the entry to your muster station and have them check your stateroom number off the list before the muster drill begins.

People who fail to check in get their room numbers called out loud and are asked to identify themselves later during the drill, which wastes a lot of time unnecessarily and gets them dirty looks from the other passengers, who are eager for it to finish so they can get out of there.

There is now a dedicated concierge for concierge class passengers, who can be quite helpful in assisting you with plans for things to do at the various ports.

 

You will be invited to lunch in the main dining room on embarkation day, but the menu there is extremely limited, although some of the items can be quite good.

However, you are not limited to eating lunch there.

You can just pick out any items from that menu that appeal to you to eat there, and still go eat the things you like from the other food venues around the ship, such as the buffet, the pool grill, the aquaspa cafe (which is now just called the spa cafe).

By the way, Cafe Al Baccio on deck 5 has replaced the cafe that used to be there previously (I forget what it used to be called) but they still have good cakes, cookies and pastries.

Sushi on Five has replaced Bistro on Five.

 

There is a relatively new grill area at the back of the buffet where they will grill steaks, pork chops, chicken or fish to order. The selections can vary from day to day.

They still have the waffle station in the mornings.

 

I don't know if you were last on Celebrity before they added the Select dining option, which provides dining flexibility for passengers who don't want to be tied to eating dinner on a fixed schedule, at the same time and place every day.

Also, if you have been following this forum, you are probably aware that they did away with formal nights a couple of years ago, and that there is a new roof terrace up on deck 12 at the back of the ship.