First X cruise questions

[MMMCruiser]

Hi all.  I just booked our first cruise on Celebrity and would love any advice regarding when to book excursions or dining, or anything else you'd care to share.

 

I booked an Aqua Sky Suite on the Apex for Summer 2024 (N. fjords) if that matters.  I know a lot of things are included with this cabin, but I'm not sure some things should be booked ahead of time.

 

FYI - we've cruised before, but not on X. 

 

Thanks in advance.

[mahdnc]

You booked a very nice ship and cabin class for your first Celebrity cruise. Awesome itinerary, too. I have yet to sail on Apex or her sisters.  However I consistently read many good things about the Eden specialty restaurant.  Be sure to book a dinner there--the earlier the better to get your choice of time.

[Jim_Iain]

I would recommend that you book excursions and dining as soon as you can.  

 

The reason for this is that many of the Specialty Dining and Popular Excursions get booked early.

The other reason is that you can cancel or reprice if prices were to drop or you change mind.   You can cancel up until 48 hours before departure and funds will be credited back to either credit card or OBC quickly after cancellation.

 

You can also cancel on-board up until 24 hours before excursion or dining for a refund to NR-OBC or if CC will be credited as a RF-OBC

[jelayne]

^^^^this

[MMMCruiser]

Thanks so much.  I didn't realize I could book things already (the line we have previously sailed on made us wait until 3 months prior to sailing to book anything).

 

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

Guess I need to look into restaurants and excursions already (it's so soon - I have a 2023 cruise I'm still working on!)

[mahdnc]

6 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

 

I do not understand what you mean by that.  Can you please clarify?

[MMMCruiser]

Sure.  For my cruise this summer on another line, I have to choose a port arrival time (can't just show up whenever).  I was asking if Celebrity is the same or if we can just show up on embarkation day and proceed to check in.

[kk20]

8 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

 

[kk20]

9 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

When check in for your cruise (45 days before departure) you will be able to choose your check-in time

[MMMCruiser]

Thank you.  That helps.  I have a lot to learn but at least I have a long time to learn it all. 

[mahdnc]

4 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

Sure.  For my cruise this summer on another line, I have to choose a port arrival time (can't just show up whenever).  I was asking if Celebrity is the same or if we can just show up on embarkation day and proceed to check in.

 

2 minutes ago, kk20 said:

When check in for your cruise (45 days before departure) you will be able to choose your check-in time

 

Check-in is done online through your desktop or mobile app.  The earlier you do your check in, the more choice you will have on which time to show up. 

 

However as a Retreat Guest (suite), I think you can show up pretty much any time you want.  My wife and I haven't done suites for over 15 years, so maybe someone who has can verify what I just said.

Edited March 31, 2023 by mahdnc

[lolawpb]

15 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

 

You will be allowed to choose a boarding time through the online check-in system. The Retreat is handled differently though. You will have a separate check in area and possibly a lounge depending on the port. Usually, Retreat guests are allowed to board whenever they want after boarding begins. They have staff to guide you through the process and it was very quick and easy for us.

[High on the Seas]

48 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

Thanks so much.  I didn't realize I could book things already (the line we have previously sailed on made us wait until 3 months prior to sailing to book anything).

 

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

Guess I need to look into restaurants and excursions already (it's so soon - I have a 2023 cruise I'm still working on!)

If you are talking about pre-booking excursions and dinner reservations for Summer 2024 I doubt things will be available for booking yet. You should be able to check your reservation and see when the earliest date may be. I would agree that you should book as soon as possible to ensure you get what you want. 

[mahdnc]

9 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

If you are talking about pre-booking excursions and dinner reservations for Summer 2024 I doubt things will be available for booking yet.

 

We have a Apr 2025 Transpacific cruise (Solstice) where excursions have been available for a few months now.

 

[High on the Seas]

Wow. I stand corrected. Thanks for letting all of us know. 

[CruisersTimesThree]

1 hour ago, MMMCruiser said:

Sure.  For my cruise this summer on another line, I have to choose a port arrival time (can't just show up whenever).  I was asking if Celebrity is the same or if we can just show up on embarkation day and proceed to check in.

When you check in it will have you pick an arrival time, but you are a Retreat guest which will allow you to arrive at anytime. Boarding usually begins around 10:30-11am.

[mahdnc]

11 minutes ago, High on the Seas said:

Wow. I stand corrected. Thanks for letting all of us know. 

 

It does vary (when shorex's become available), I would imagine.  And I would imagine that it has been very inconsistent at various times when cruising restarted after the pandemic.

[TeeRick]

As an Aqua Sky Suite guest, you can dine in Luminae or Blu.  Both nice options.  APEX also has 4 main dining rooms if you want to occasionally dine there.  Most folks here would recommend Eden or Fine Cut reservations.  If you cannot get them in advance, you will be able to get dates and times when you board if you go see the Retreat Concierge or the maitre'D of any restaurant.  The excursions are a different story.  The popular ones do sell out so choose early.

 

Also did you join your Roll Call group?  There will be a lot of discussions on non-Celebrity private excursions that you might want to join with fellow Roll Call members.

Edited March 31, 2023 by TeeRick

[MMMCruiser]

Thanks so much everyone.  I will check on the excursions and look into dining but it sounds like I don't need to worry about that one as much.  Very nice to know we can board when we feel like it, too. 

Any other Retreat tips or info I should know?

 

Do people in general prefer Luminae or Blue?  When I read about these two online, it was unclear if I can only dine at Blu upon request (because of the cabin I booked). 

We booked this one quickly (used the Amex offers) so I didn't do as much research as I normally would do, plus I'm still planning our 2023 cruise on another line and that one's coming up soon.

 

Thanks again.

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

Thanks so much.  I didn't realize I could book things already (the line we have previously sailed on made us wait until 3 months prior to sailing to book anything).

 

Do I need to secure my port arrival time as well, or is not an issue with Celebrity?

Guess I need to look into restaurants and excursions already (it's so soon - I have a 2023 cruise I'm still working on!)

 

Recommend that you download the Celebrity App.   Can really be helpful. 

 

You can get an arrival slot at 45 days prior to the cruise at 12:01 AM port timezone.    The app will show you the exact date.

 

You can log onto the website and shop and can book anything that may be released.    I find that at 6 - 9 months most things are already listed.   I have some booking 1-2 years out and things already available for booking.

[lolawpb]

7 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

Thanks so much everyone.  I will check on the excursions and look into dining but it sounds like I don't need to worry about that one as much.  Very nice to know we can board when we feel like it, too. 

Any other Retreat tips or info I should know?

 

Do people in general prefer Luminae or Blue?  When I read about these two online, it was unclear if I can only dine at Blu upon request (because of the cabin I booked). 

We booked this one quickly (used the Amex offers) so I didn't do as much research as I normally would do, plus I'm still planning our 2023 cruise on another line and that one's coming up soon.

 

Thanks again.

We just did the Beyond in an Aqua Sky Suite a few weeks ago. Luminae and Blu are similar in food quality and service. I think Luminae tries to be a small step above as they offer bread served from a silver tray instead of a bread basket (which Blu does and it was really good:)) and an amuse bouche, etc. The one issue with Blu may be that it gets very crowded at peak times because there are a lot of aqua class staterooms in addition to the aqua sky suites. We went just after their evening rush and had no trouble being seated. One difference is that Luminae is on deck 12 in the "Retreat" section while Blu is on deck 5 amid the other restaurants etc. so it may be a little less convenient for breakfast if you are in a forward stateroom or just don't feel like walking around the ship at the time.

If you into the spa atmosphere, you will enjoy the thermal suite. the aqua sky suites come with some fitness classes so ask about those early if you are interested as they are reservation only and fill up quickly. They are the ones that show a cost of $20 or so on the info sheet.

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, lolawpb said:

We just did the Beyond in an Aqua Sky Suite a few weeks ago. Luminae and Blu are similar in food quality and service. I think Luminae tries to be a small step above as they offer bread served from a silver tray instead of a bread basket (which Blu does and it was really good:)) and an amuse bouche, etc. The one issue with Blu may be that it gets very crowded at peak times because there are a lot of aqua class staterooms in addition to the aqua sky suites. We went just after their evening rush and had no trouble being seated. One difference is that Luminae is on deck 12 in the "Retreat" section while Blu is on deck 5 amid the other restaurants etc. so it may be a little less convenient for breakfast if you are in a forward stateroom or just don't feel like walking around the ship at the time.

If you into the spa atmosphere, you will enjoy the thermal suite. the aqua sky suites come with some fitness classes so ask about those early if you are interested as they are reservation only and fill up quickly. They are the ones that show a cost of $20 or so on the info sheet.

So if you are in an Aqua Sky Suite, is your assigned restaurant Luminae or Blu?  Or both equally?  In other suites, the Aqua passengers get preference over the suite passengers in Blu particularly at peak times.

[lolawpb]

9 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

So if you are in an Aqua Sky Suite, is your assigned restaurant Luminae or Blu?  Or both equally?  In other suites, the Aqua passengers get preference over the suite passengers in Blu particularly at peak times.

Luminae is the restaurant for all suite guests. We also had an assigned "main dining room" since there were 4 of those but we never went there. Blu was an option if we wanted to dine there and we did a few nights. We usually dine at around 7:45 or 8 so the mad rush had died down and we had no trouble getting a table but I could see that they had been very busy. We just walked in and showed our key cards and the hostess seated us with no hesitation. I assume the aqua class showed up on her computer when she entered our suite number. I don't know what would have happened if there had been a line to be seated though. We opted to try Blu a few nights due to the menu choices but as a rule we dined in Luminae as it was more conveniently located and less crowded. The service was just a touch above but that may have been due to the waiters knowing who we were and learning our preferences quickly also. The food we had in both was equally as good.