Jump to content

Notagoose

Members
  • Posts

    152
  • Joined

About Me

  • Location
    New Brunswick, Canada
  • Interests
    photography, birdwatching, hiking
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Celebrity
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Southern Caribbean

Notagoose's Achievements

Cool Cruiser

Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. While a tux and formal gown would indeed stand out on 'chic' nights now (which you may enjoy - if so, go for it!), a shirt/tie and a cocktail dress would blend in nicely and are way easier to pack.
  2. Aruba is very safe. If you like the beach, grab a bus or taxi and get dropped off at Eagle Beach. There's a nondescript food truck that sells cheap and delicious food near the Chalet Suisse restaurant if you get hungry, and you can rent chairs/umbrellas or palapas from a few different vendors. It's quieter and nicer (imo) than Palm Beach, although if you want lots of action, Palm Beach is the place to be. In Curacao, it's easy to explore right from the port, lots of little shops and restaurants in easy walking distance. We actually went to the Rif Mangrove Park which is just outside the port security area to your left. It's a small park with some interesting birds, if you're into that sort of things. We found it to be a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours, although it got HOT! Bonaire has wonderful snorkeling, the best I've done from among 20 or so islands. If you want to do it on the cheap, there are places to snorkel within walking distance from the ship, or you can book with a reputable vendor. I wouldn't personally see any need to book a ship excursion for any of the ABCs, but do what feels most comfortable for you!
  3. There's a site I can't mention where TAs provide quotes for the cruise/date/cabin type you're looking for, and it's an easy way to see if there are good OBC deals to be had. On my holiday cruise this past December, we were quoted $650 OBC as well as a group rate for an infinite balcony on Beyond which was 2k less than the Celebrity website price. The OBC ended up somehow being $1050 by the time we cruised (I didn't ask questions! Maybe they caught a price drop?) Sometimes I request quotes and nothing is better than what's on the Celebrity website, but it's always worth trying.
  4. We liked the Rooftop steak better than Fine Cut on Beyond but that may just be our preference. You do need a reservation ahead of time though. I didn't think they took reservations that late but you should be able to check on the app.
  5. We preferred Normandie, both for decor and for the service. For some reason we got better service there. I'm sure that was just luck of the draw, but we gravitated there for that reason. Tuscan was our least favourite, again due to service. I'm sure if we had been seated in a different section, we would have had a different experience, but we got a terrible waiter and that made us hesitant to return.
  6. I would have paid good money to witness this.
  7. I can only speak for myself, but while I wear a dress every night - fancier ones on chic nights - I just don't understand why people let how someone else is dressing affect their cruise enjoyment so much, especially when most (not all - but most) are *actually following the cruise line's guidelines*. If you feel the cruise line's standards are too low, maybe give a different line a try and save yourself some aggravation. I did see the buffet supervisor run a barefoot, shirtless, sopping wet teenager out of the Oceanview buffet on my most recent cruise, so you'll be delighted to know there are still *some* standards. 😬 I had never seen a cruise employee so angry!
  8. On my recent Beyond cruise, the earliest available time for anyone to board was 11:30 a.m., and some people were online at midnight to get the earliest slot, so very possible they were all taken up by 6 a.m.
  9. You are not stuck. Just show up at your desired time and you will be given a pager if there's a wait. I never made a reservation on our holiday cruise (sold out ship) on Beyond and never had to wait, but others have reported waiting a bit. It depends on the size of your party as well. If you're with a larger group, I suggest you go to one of the MDRs upon boarding to set up reservations. Also, there's an early show if you ever decide to eat late.
  10. Absolutely not worth it, in my opinion. I've done it once, and won't again unless it's a negligible difference. The only thing I remember being different is a bottle of cheap sparkling wine and also they would drop off a mid afternoon snack of cheese and crackers. I can go get that myself in the buffet for free if I really have a hankering for a pre-supper snack (which I really don't, usually). Look at the list of what's offered and decide if it's worth it to you, and make sure to compare it to the non-concierge class rooms because many of the things listed are also just regular offerings for all rooms.
  11. I was on Beyond for the holiday sailing, and there were a lot of children and families. We were seated next to a baby that cried quite a bit one night, while the mother tried to soothe him/her. It was annoying, yes, but babies cry and the parents were at least trying to rectify the situation. She eventually took the baby out of the dining room when it became clear the crying wasn't going to stop. We were WAY more annoyed by a large table in Fine Cut (comprised of 2 familes), where all the kids were over the age of 8ish, as one of the kids was super loud and obnoxious, and instead of telling him to keep his voice down, all the adults spoke louder so that they could hear each other above the kid. So there were 4 different discussions happening at that table simultaneously, each louder than the next. One table asked to be moved mid-dinner because they were so disruptive. We stuck it out but skipped dessert because it was extremely unpleasant. In my view, this is a situation where the person in charge of that restaurant should deal with the situation for the comfort of the other guests. I could tell the serving staff were not happy either, but these were retreat guests, so maybe more is overlooked for the high rollers. (I know this because the kid was VERY LOUDLY talking about the dimensions of the various suites, when he wasn't sassing the waiter). Most of the kids we saw were very well-behaved in the restaurants.
  12. My profile on Celebrity's website shows that I have 3 past sailings (all longer sailings between 11 and 14 days each), but I still showing as being "preview" level. I emailed Captain's Club a few months ago, and they confirmed my correct number of points, but my profile still shows preview. Their emails to me show the right number, but it's extremely frustrating that my profile continues to have inaccurate information. Their whole website is hot garbage, in my (maybe not that) respectful opinion. Yesterday I was trying to price a cruise, and it prompted me to move to the Canadian site (as I'm in Canada), which I did, but as soon as I would put the search terms in, it would transfer me back to the US site, and prompt me to go to the Canadian site again. Over and over. I also can't find the price for WiFi and drink packages without having a cruise already booked, which makes it difficult to figure out whether "All in" is a better deal than "Cruise only". Sorry - your post triggered me a little after last night's frustration. 😂
  13. For a lot of people, a cruise is a major splurge, and while they may have managed to scrimp and save to get on the ship, finding an extra grand to spend on drinks, etc. may just be too much. On my first cruise, roughly 20 years ago, I just did not have a lot of extra money for that stuff, so I would walk to the buffet for my free water/fruit punch/lemonade/whatever, and heck yes I bought a case of soda and slapped on a luggage tag. No shame! While I don't have to do that anymore, I still bring a Yeti-type insulated tumbler, because I like icy cold water when lounging in the sun, and I'm usually in some tucked away corner of the ship far from any server or bar.
  14. We were on the holiday sailing on Beyond in just an IV room and received one. I missed it at first as it was folded and put on a shelf in the cabinet next to the closet that we didn't realize was even a cabinet until day 2. 😂 Maybe I'm imagining it, but it seemed a bit smaller than the ones I've received before (10 years ago mind you).
×
×
  • Create New...