clarification and Enlightenment for first timer on X

[bcirish]

This is our first cruise on Celebrity and we are sailing on Summit out of San Juan for a week. Each time I come to the message boards, I find that I have new questions and more confusion. We have been on HAL twice this year so we get how they work but now as our trip nears I am concerned about several things and I like to know the lay of the land before I get in the middle of a mess Could someone help me with clarification of the following.

1. We are booked in CC - is that considered a suite? I understand that there is extra food and flowers etc but is that the only difference?

2. How are our tips paid? Is it up to us, put on the bill or what? What does it average each day?

3. Formal nights - how particular are they - many men on HAL wore sports jackets and no one seemed to mind.

4. Informal nights says men must still wear jackets and ties - is that followed? Did not find that on HAL - wore collared shirts

5. Bringing 2 bottles of wine on board - is that only on embarkation or at each port? Should it come in my carry on?-I want a glass of wine in the room - should I bring my own corkscrew?

7. Do they have drink cards for wine and alcohol? Liked that on HAL

8. Could someone clarify the dining in the evening and in port by the following:

If I eat on the ship in port - I must go to Lido during the day but cannot go there without a fee in the evening and if I was to eat in Lido in evening - I must pay fee - is that correct? If I am paying that fee - I assume it is no longer buffet?

So that means that the day we are in port late - I must come back early ( I have main dining ) , pay to eat in Lido or eat in my room?

9.What about dining in cabin - is it a limited menu? Can I order breakfast in cabin

When I booked this cruise I thought it would be similar to our previous experiences and now I am experiencing frustration - hope the whole cruise is not like this

Right now the easiest part of the trip would be getting off and doing my own thing since after all the money I have spent now I have to pay to eat casual - I may not do X again if it is anything like I am hearing on the boards.

Any enlightenment would be great. Thanks in advance!

[ECCruise]

This is our first cruise on Celebrity and we are sailing on Summit out of San Juan for a week. Each time I come to the message boards, I find that I have new questions and more confusion. We have been on HAL twice this year so we get how they work but now as our trip nears I am concerned about several things and I like to know the lay of the land before I get in the middle of a mess Could someone help me with clarification of the following.

1. We are booked in CC - is that considered a suite? I understand that there is extra food and flowers etc but is that the only difference?

No, not considered a suite. You will have some added amenities, though, which are fully detailed on Celebrity's web site.

2. How are our tips paid? Is it up to us, put on the bill or what? What does it average each day?

You can either pay in cash to each individual or have them added to your account. CC is around $11 PP per day

3. Formal nights - how particular are they - many men on HAL wore sports jackets and no one seemed to mind.

The "standards" are tux or dark suit.

4. Informal nights says men must still wear jackets and ties - is that followed? Did not find that on HAL - wore collared shirts

HAL no longer has informal nights and it would be nice if Celebrity followed. About 10-30% will not wear jacket and tie and 50+% will not wear tie (jacket only).

5. Bringing 2 bottles of wine on board - is that only on embarkation or at each port? Should it come in my carry on?-I want a glass of wine in the room - should I bring my own corkscrew? Only on embarkation. They can (and will) confiscate in ports of call.

7. Do they have drink cards for wine and alcohol? Liked that on HAL

No.

8. Could someone clarify the dining in the evening and in port by the following:

If I eat on the ship in port - I must go to Lido during the day but cannot go there without a fee in the evening and if I was to eat in Lido in evening - I must pay fee - is that correct? If I am paying that fee - I assume it is no longer buffet?

So that means that the day we are in port late - I must come back early ( I have main dining ) , pay to eat in Lido or eat in my room?

If you miss main dining your choices are casual dining ($2 PP fee) or room service where you can get the evening's menu.

9.What about dining in cabin - is it a limited menu? Can I order breakfast in cabin

Full menu from room service and with CC you will have an expanded breakfast menu.

When I booked this cruise I thought it would be similar to our previous experiences and now I am experiencing frustration - hope the whole cruise is not like this

Right now the easiest part of the trip would be getting off and doing my own thing since after all the money I have spent now I have to pay to eat casual - I may not do X again if it is anything like I am hearing on the boards.

Any enlightenment would be great. Thanks in advance!

Don't let what you read here get you down! When we took our first X cruise 11 cruises ago, we had the same reaction...MAN, these people are uptight! Honestly, if you liked HAL you probably will be very happy with Celebrity! Have a great cruise!!

 

Hope all this helps!!

[bcirish]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and I will sleep tonight!

[Drew B]

If you are in port late, they may do open seating for that one particular meal. If that's the case, you could just go to the dining room whenever you got back. They did that in Juneau when we were in port late.

 

The fee for casual dining is a recommended $2 per person as a tip to the servers. I hardly think it is enough to get worked up about. If you don't want to pay it, you can get the full dining room menu delivered free via room service. Other free options include the sushi bar, the pizza/pasta/salad station, the grill (if before 8:00) or the aqua spa (if before 8:00). Another pay option is the Normandie at either $30pp or $56pp.

[cruise kitty]

we did cc class a few years ago- the room is the same size as the other balcony rooms, but you get much nicer bedding, towels etc. Also you can order a full breakfast for your balcony- we did that every day, it was great- Also, you do not have to wait in the long lines for boarding or tenders, that for me was the best part- enjoy it, you're going have have a fabulous time and be very well taken care of.

[Drew B]

we did cc class a few years ago- the room is the same size as the other balcony rooms, but you get much nicer bedding, towels etc. Also you can order a full breakfast for your balcony- we did that every day, it was great- Also, you do not have to wait in the long lines for boarding or tenders, that for me was the best part- enjoy it, you're going have have a fabulous time and be very well taken care of.

 

Actually, the CC cabins are a bit bigger (about 20 sq. ft.) than regular balcony cabins on all of the M-Class ships like the Summit.

[LouisV]

"Bringing 2 bottles of wine on board - is that only on embarkation or at each port? Should it come in my carry on?-I want a glass of wine in the room - should I bring my own corkscrew? Only on embarkation. They can (and will) confiscate in ports of call. " quote....

 

 

Is this 2 bottles of wine per passenger or 2 bottles of wine per cabin?

[HAM]

ECCruise, where did you get your percentages re: dress code on informal nights?

[chrismch]

You can only get the dinner service from the dining room if it is during the regular seating times...the 20 extra feet make it easier walking around in the room...The breakfast menu in CC is great and includes smoothies and french toast fingers with maple syrup! The lido in the evening is sit down service and different from the dining room. Sushi is minimal in choices but enjoyable to those of us who aren't too adventurous!

 

I've never heard of drink cards for alcohol? How does HAL charge for that? The soda cards on Celebrity are around $5 p/d paid in advance for the full cruise and unlimited. Not a punch card system like HAL.

[kyrisong1]

Hi BCIrish, the pasta and salad bar are really good, so if you like pasta then the nights you just don't want to get dressed for dinner, it was a great option and it's not extra.

My husband and I both bring two bottles of wine, mostly to share with our tablemates, it's never been questioned at check in.

Formal night we always dress up hubby in a tux or black suit, we don't really pay attention to what others do.

The breakfast for CC is great, the menus are in your little folder in the room. The white linen and silver on the balcony just makes the breakfasts special to us, we mostly do CC for that. Also you don't have to eat the canapes they send(they are icky) ask for a nice cheese plate or tropical fruit plate or both, our room steward would bring this every afternoon, my hubby loved it.

Have a great time on your cruise and enjoy!!!

Carole

[ECCruise]

ECCruise, where did you get your percentages re: dress code on informal nights?

 

Just rough estimates from 35 or so informal nights on 5 different ships in Europe, Alaska and Caribbean at different times of the year.