CHICAGOPAUL LIVE!!!!! 15 Night Bering Sea & Japan TRANSPACIFIC CRUISE - LIVE BLOG

[chicagopaul]

Well from drop off at 10:30 via taxi ($8.75 cost) to walking on the ship it was a total of about 35 minutes. Check in was a breeze. Security took about 5 minutes and customs took a little bit longer just waiting for an open machine but very smooth and efficient overall. 

 

We grabbed our room keys and we are currently sitting at the Sunset bar with our first drink on board. 

 

 

[hulamoon]

Bon Voyage ChicagoPaul, Hope you and Edward have a wonderful cruise. I look forward to your posts. You already have me trying to figure out Elite Plus and Hyatt benefits. Enjoy!

[tml]

So happy to be following along!  Have a great trip!  Cheers! 🍸

[chicagopaul]

24 minutes ago, hulamoon said:

Bon Voyage ChicagoPaul, Hope you and Edward have a wonderful cruise. I look forward to your posts. You already have me trying to figure out Elite Plus and Hyatt benefits. Enjoy!

 

Simple to do. Start by creating an account with MLife and get an MLife number. It’s free you can do it online. Then call MLife and say you want a reciprocal match with your Captains Club Celebrity Cruises status. They’ll do it over the phone. Then you will have Platinum status with MLife. Login to your MLife account and I believe you should see something about Hyatt listed online and you can match it blind. Y entering your Hyatt number. Don’t do the reverse since the reverse (going through Hyatt to match your Hyatt status) will downgrade your MLife. Then once you get that Hyatt explorist you can take it one step further and look for an American Airlines match if you want American status. They’re doing a 120 day or 90 day gold status match with Hyatt and if you meet a low level spend / mileage requirement you’ll have gold on American for the following year. 

[hulamoon]

I got the number for M-Life, off to do the next steps, thank you!

[MamaFej]

1 minute ago, chicagopaul said:

 

Simple to do. Start by creating an account with MLife and get an MLife number. It’s free you can do it online. Then call MLife and say you want a reciprocal match with your Captains Club Celebrity Cruises status. They’ll do it over the phone. Then you will have Platinum status with MLife. Login to your MLife account and I believe you should see something about Hyatt listed online and you can match it blind. Y entering your Hyatt number. Don’t do the reverse since the reverse (going through Hyatt to match your Hyatt status) will downgrade your MLife. Then once you get that Hyatt explorist you can take it one step further and look for an American Airlines match if you want American status. They’re doing a 120 day or 90 day gold status match with Hyatt and if you meet a low level spend / mileage requirement you’ll have gold on American for the following year. 

What level should I be on Celebrity before a status match is worth it?

After our cruise next month, we will reach Elite* but are we better off waiting a few years until we reach Elite Plus?

*Oof. I just became one of those people who mentions their status level. Imma go take a shower. 

[dhream]

Hi guys, we' re thrilled to find this blog, and almost as excited as you are, just to be following along from this live embarkation day.

We'll be doing a 14 day Japan Shanghai Taiwan Hong Kong in late November, as Millie newbies, we will likely ask trivial housekeeping questions, such as, does the sea pass have a punch-hole to dangle from a lanyard? 🙂 We're also looking forward to all the excitement ahead on your transpacific, a crossing is definitely on our wish list for 2020/21. You got a steal with AQ for that price, we're paying somewhat more and grateful just to have a scored a seaview stateroom, although that came with a 'go best' package of : premium drinks, unlimited WiFi, gratuities, and onboard credit. I think we've a fully sold out ship already!

Will n Meow 🐱

Edited September 6, 2019 by dhream

[chicagopaul]

18 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

What level should I be on Celebrity before a status match is worth it?

After our cruise next month, we will reach Elite* but are we better off waiting a few years until we reach Elite Plus?

*Oof. I just became one of those people who mentions their status level. Imma go take a shower. 

 

It will get you gold status with MLife which may still equate to explorist with Hyatt so still can be worth it! 

[Aeryn2014]

I love your travel logs.  Vancouver is a beautiful city. I always love going there.  So jealous you are headed across the pacific to Japan.  It is on my bucket list also.  My friend (Lola) and I are doing a transatlantic in 2021.  We too love the sea days. Looking forward to follow along on your adventure.  Safe travels.

[C-Dragons]

So glad I happened to see this thread.

Paul we hope you and Edward have a wonderful time!

Happily following along...  ⛩ 🎏 🎎 ⛩

[raudacruise]

Yay!  Another ChicagoPaul adventure! 🍸🍸🍸

 

I live for sea days...😎

[chicagopaul]

So we had a couple drinks at the sunset bar and then ate in the Buffett. I actually like the remodeled layout of this area since it makes the space feel less crowded. We had some chicken, beef stew, paella. All was pretty good and seemed like good quality. 

 

After lunch we headed to our room. It was 1:15pm and I was shocked to see our luggage had already arrived! So now it is 2:10 and we are fully unpacked. We bring a lot and I was able to fit everything into the room. I wish we had a little more hanging space but overall the space fits us well. 

 

The room aesthetics are nice. The space feels modern and even though the bathroom is definitely smaller than the S Class ship bathrooms, the bright white and clean lines make the space feel great even if it’s small. 

 

Here is the Daily for today. 

 

 

 

 

[calicakes]

3 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

 

It will get you gold status with MLife which may still equate to explorist with Hyatt so still can be worth it! 

Do you know if Hilton has a similar program?  My wife and I mostly stay at Hilton/Hampton when we travel. 

[chicagopaul]

25 minutes ago, calicakes said:

Do you know if Hilton has a similar program?  My wife and I mostly stay at Hilton/Hampton when we travel. 

 

Unfortunately not, at least nothing that leads through to captains club. Though you never know when something will randomly change. We’re always on the lookout for any kind of status match or reciprocal programs. 

[musik07]

I am so glad you are back. Your review of your Alaska cruise was great as we cruised the Millie on Aug. 2 and it gave me tons of info. No Transpacific planned (maybe after I retire from teaching in 30 years?) but I am excited to follow along. Especially since the marathon review of the people who booked 7 nights and ended up on the Harmony for 14 nights.  Enjoy your cruise!

[musik07]

3 hours ago, dhream said:

Hi guys, we' re thrilled to find this blog, and almost as excited as you are, just to be following along from this live embarkation day.

We'll be doing a 14 day Japan Shanghai Taiwan Hong Kong in late November, as Millie newbies, we will likely ask trivial housekeeping questions, such as, does the sea pass have a punch-hole to dangle from a lanyard? 🙂 We're also looking forward to all the excitement ahead on your transpacific, a crossing is definitely on our wish list for 2020/21. You got a steal with AQ for that price, we're paying somewhat more and grateful just to have a scored a seaview stateroom, although that came with a 'go best' package of : premium drinks, unlimited WiFi, gratuities, and onboard credit. I think we've a fully sold out ship already!

Will n Meow 🐱

 

We were on the Millie on Aug. 2. There was no hole in our cards, but I did see some teens with them punched. I did read online somewhere that you can't do it because of the RFID in the card but I think that was incorrect. Mine would open the door to our cabin when in my thin fabric wristlet. I only ended up taking it out at the bar and to get on and off the ship. 

[chicagopaul]

4 hours ago, dhream said:

Hi guys, we' re thrilled to find this blog, and almost as excited as you are, just to be following along from this live embarkation day.

We'll be doing a 14 day Japan Shanghai Taiwan Hong Kong in late November, as Millie newbies, we will likely ask trivial housekeeping questions, such as, does the sea pass have a punch-hole to dangle from a lanyard? 🙂 We're also looking forward to all the excitement ahead on your transpacific, a crossing is definitely on our wish list for 2020/21. You got a steal with AQ for that price, we're paying somewhat more and grateful just to have a scored a seaview stateroom, although that came with a 'go best' package of : premium drinks, unlimited WiFi, gratuities, and onboard credit. I think we've a fully sold out ship already!

Will n Meow 🐱

 

No holes punched already. Like the above poster I too heard you couldn’t because of RFID but I’ve seen it done so I believe that info is incorrect. I think they’ll still do it for you. 

[ecslady]

Ah....another wonderful live thread to follow.  Have a great cruise.  Thanks again for taking the time to do this.

[TeaBag]

 

We saw you off.  Beautiful looking ship (the best of the three as far as I am concerned!), sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge. 

 

Wished we were on there.  Only 30 more days till Summit......

Edited September 7, 2019 by TeaBag

[Maisyboo]

9 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

Well from drop off at 10:30 via taxi ($8.75 cost) to walking on the ship it was a total of about 35 minutes. Check in was a breeze. Security took about 5 minutes and customs took a little bit longer just waiting for an open machine but very smooth and efficient overall. 

 

We grabbed our room keys and we are currently sitting at the Sunset bar with our first drink on board. 

 

 

The daily lists the bar as closed till 5:00pm ?. How was this cocktail obtained ? Speacial powers 😎

I have been a ghost reading all your reviews . Enjoy reading a fun but factually backed up review. 

[BEAV]

9 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

 

Simple to do. Start by creating an account with MLife and get an MLife number. It’s free you can do it online. Then call MLife and say you want a reciprocal match with your Captains Club Celebrity Cruises status. They’ll do it over the phone. Then you will have Platinum status with MLife. Login to your MLife account and I believe you should see something about Hyatt listed online and you can match it blind. Y entering your Hyatt number. Don’t do the reverse since the reverse (going through Hyatt to match your Hyatt status) will downgrade your MLife. Then once you get that Hyatt explorist you can take it one step further and look for an American Airlines match if you want American status. They’re doing a 120 day or 90 day gold status match with Hyatt and if you meet a low level spend / mileage requirement you’ll have gold on American for the following year. 

 

Paul, we learned this from you a couple years and it has paid off handsomely. For those just doing this for the first time, becoming Explorist w/Hyatt gives you 4 Regency Club upgrades no matter your length of stay. 

 

Have a wonderful crossing. We have done the Transpacific in both directions and loved it each time. 

[dhream]

6 hours ago, chicagopaul said:

 

No holes punched already. Like the above poster I too heard you couldn’t because of RFID but I’ve seen it done so I believe that info is incorrect. I think they’ll still do it for you. 

Thanks Paul, these tiny details can have big repercussions. We all know that modifying a government ID can be expensive, and even illegal.

In a major 'd'Oh' moment, I've just realised every pair of pants I own has pockets. I won't need holes or lanyards, even at the pool. I guess I was asking for a friend. 😁 Bon Voyage!

Edited September 7, 2019 by dhream
A tiny 'OCD' comma.

[chicagopaul]

2 hours ago, TeaBag said:

 

We saw you off.  Beautiful looking ship (the best of the three as far as I am concerned!), sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge. 

 

Wished we were on there.  Only 30 more days till Summit......

 

Thank you so much for the photo! That’s beautiful! We were on the aft top deck at the time of the photo! 

[chicagopaul]

1 hour ago, Maisyboo said:

The daily lists the bar as closed till 5:00pm ?. How was this cocktail obtained ? Speacial powers 😎

I have been a ghost reading all your reviews . Enjoy reading a fun but factually backed up review. 

Must have been a typical Celebrity misprint haha. I was told the bar will Ben open early at 7:30am each morning. I love my morning cocktail on vacation but even that is too early for me! 

[Chrissi3010]

Paul and Edward, just a few days ago I was wondering when you would cruise and post again...and here you go. :-)

Love to follow along. Gute Reise! (Safe travels)🙋‍♀️

 

Chrissi