youngreflection

Hi! We are 70% going to diy in Istanbul via tram to avoid the traffic as I often read. But still thinking of joining the shp excursion.

I just want to ask for those who have taken Celebrity Shore Excursion in Istanbul. Were you able to finish/go to all places listed? Since I have read before that some places were missed because of the traffic to get back on the ship on time. But if the ship itinerary (Reflection) stays overnight in Istanbul, I guess every thing will be covered. Any one has any experience?

Thank you.

Hi! We have dinner seating for 6:15. I am wondering if it is ok to order again after we are served? For example, we ordered 1 entree and when it came we didn't like it and want another entree. Or maybe we liked it too much and want a second round of it. Is it allowed to order again? Thanks!

I, too, am wondering about this. For our upcoming cruise, we have traditional dining and have a 300 obc promo. I am thinking of changing to select dining since on some port days we might come in late. Does it mean I have to pay prepaid gratuities in full right now and cannot apply the obc? How about if I wait and change to select when aboard the ship, can I apply the 300 obc then and just pay the difference?

why should I have stated it when I already know what we will drink and how much we will consume. And also know, through this forum and googling, the prices, more or less, of premium coffee, bottled water, fresh fruit juice and the 15% gratuities for each order. Also learned through this forum that bev package can't be prorated. What I didn't know and can't seem to search for an answer through googling or even through this forum, is if the gratuities can be prorated. I just need the cost of our total gratuities so I can compare with the cost of beverages we will order approx. per day til the 9th morning. Do the comparison costing and choose the perk. That is why I asked. Simple as that.

whoa! didn't expect all these---am actually thinking which perk to pick, the prepaid gratuities or the bev package. If we take the prepaid gratuities, we will pay for our bev package and vice-versa---and we also factor in that we are getting off on the 9th day and that we don't consume alcohol, just coffee, water and fresh fruit juice...

Anyway, I am sure even if it's only a minor savings difference between choosing which perk to pick, everyone here does calculate which is more worth it for them, right? Notwithstanding its miniscule amount compared to the overall vacation cost.

Westlake girl, a little off-topic, if auto-tipping is the usual thing, I wonder why not everyone does select dining since it seems more convenient esp if everyone pays the full gratuities in the end. If we are required to pay full gratuities despite early debarkation, we can opt for select instead of traditional right?

Wine-o, so it's all or none if we want gratuities to be charged to account. For those who don' t have it charged, they give tips for every service? Really a hassle esp to have those bills ready. Or maybe some dont give at all ? :eek:.

So in effect, we will be required by Celebrity to pay for all 11 day gratuities or is it just an automatic charge which can be adjusted?

Hi! We have requested and have been approved for an early downline debarkation. We are getting off on the morning of our 9th day on an 11th day cruise. We have traditional dining, thus, no prepaid gratuities. We plan to have our gratuities charged per day so we will be charged until the 8th or 9th day.

Question for seasoned cruisers pls. Will we be charged for the full 11 days of gratuities by Celebrity when we settle our account before debarking on the 9th day? Thank you.

Happy for you! As for me, am letting go of the fv cabin we wanted to transfer to since my ta can't get a confirmation from Celebrity if changing category and paying 2k more will also get us the obc and beverage + internet minutes of the latest 123go promo. So staying with our regular veranda with our obc credit from an earlier 123 promo...frankly, speaking, am glad it's over, was so drained this 2 weeks following up on my ta to sort things out...I think I need to change ta...

me, too. I can't understand why, when we are going to pay for the new and more expensive pricing, can't we be eligible for the 123go promo. We can just cancel the old booking and make a new booking. As long as we are paying the current more expensive rates and taking a higher category, I am thinking, we should be eligible.

Hi! I am wondering what is considered a lot of inventories? At almost final payment date, if there are 2 or 3 cabins available for each of 2a, 2b, then an average of 7 cabins available for each 1a, 1b, 1c. Insides are more or less soldout. Oceanview is on guaranty status. Is the cruise considered slow-moving or fast-selling?

Hi! I've posted re my dilemma on switching to an FV room after I have made full payment on a regular veranda cabin, but still before Celebrity's final payment date, here's our latest prob...

My TA says (due to time difference and the system itself), it will take time for Celebrity to credit all our payments from old room with old reservation # to our new preferred room with its new reservation # (it's been 5 days now).

And since our cruise's final payment date is 1 day from now, my TA fears our reserved FV room booking might be released automatically if we don't make a deposit on it online. Since the price difference on the new FV room is roughly $2k and the deposit is only $1800, we figured, Celebrity can always apply the $1800 and we can just pay a little more after everything's been sorted.

But we wonder if after final payment date, and with only the deposit paid on the new FV room, will Celebrity charge penalties for late full payment after final payment date is due?

On the other hand, for our old fully paid booking, will Celebrity, after final payment date is past, treat the transferring of our old payment as a "cancellation" and hold a portion of it?

My TA says no, but we are worried if we can believe her or not given that she's having hard time handling this. So maybe experienced Celebrity cruisers can give us your inputs? Thank you.

Thank you for the encouragement! I guess the fv would really make our 1st cruise a great experience. It's gonna be 3 days since my fv booking, hoping I will get favorable news today.

We paid full fare before final payment date. We are running against time since the family veranda opened just last week, Final payment date is on Feb 26 while 123go promo expires on Feb 28. I had no choice but to have 2 Reservation #s since I did the courtesy hold online when it popped up (ta office was already closed). We were able to switch our hold to a real booking. But then the courtesy hold reservation number automatically becomes the new booking number. So now I have 2 booking numbers. Such a hassle that am willing to just take our old room and booking with all 4 of us in 1. But husband really wants the bigger space for comfort & privacy purposes.

Anyone can share their experience or insights, pls?

Hi! My ta is having a hard time with this...We have made full payment, paid online shore excursions all before our final payment date. We regret booking just 1 room for all 4 of us and now, no adjoining rooms are available anymore. Suddenly, the Family Veranda becomes available, and luckily, we were able to switch our courtesy hold online to booked. Aside from paying additional 2,000 for the room, we also want to avail of the latest 123go with the 300 obc and free beverage packages for all 4 of us (our old booking has the 300 obc).

My ta is still awaiting Celebrity's response since yesterday. She is requesting that instead of crediting back our payment, and paying again, hopefully, Celebrity can make things easier by just having us pay difference and switching rooms, and giving us the perks of 123go. We also want our shore excursions credited to our new cabin instead of doing another credit back. Anyone has experienced this before?

wow! thank you for all the great tips, esp. how to fit in the luggages under and how to maximize the most minimum of clothing :D I am trying to streamline our packing and doing a "clothing schedule" (!). Since we will have 9 days pre-cruise (in 2 countries), I am trying to squeeze in a day of laundry in-between sightseeing.

Hi! We are having pre-cruise and post-cruise tour in addition to our 11 day med cruise. Looks like we would need to have 4 large pcs. of luggage. Will all 4 fit under the bed of a regular veranda cabin? Thanks in advance :)

Thank you so much for all your help and tips, truly appreciate it...I put a courtesy hold on the FV on Reflection over the weekend but with the understanding that it will be released after 24 hours which was last night. I was not able to do another "courtesy hold" since it did not appear on the website again. I just called up my TA this Monday morning to have her inquire about it. We have made full payment since last week although our final payment date is still 10 days from now...I will just think that if the FV is for us, we will be able to get it. But if someone got it already, then we will take it as not meant for us and probably a "blessing in disguise". :)

Thank you for your inputs...we will be 4. The noise & vibration come only upon docking right? I guess if the ship docks early, we would be up early, too. But lots of seadays (3) & some late dockings for our itinerary...I am guessing that if there are rough waves/storm, even midship cabins will feel it? But it will be rockier for front locations?

Thank you for replying...we are taking eastern med cruise in May...I wonder if there are big waves maybe it doesn't matter much whether front, mid or aft, it will all be "dizzy-ing"?

Hi! We are booked in a regular veranda midship room, I am thinking of moving to a family veranda but my concern is the front location since I read that it makes one more prone to seasickness. We are first time cruisers so we are not sure yet how we will fare, but hb and son usually get dizzy when they go on fast amusement park rides. Do you think we should move or not? Thank you for any inputs.

Hi! I am planning to book a private tour for Ephesus but not sure re pick-up time. Our ship will dock at 11:00am and we plan to have lunch onboard before setting out. How early is lunch served at Oceanview Cafe? Do they close in between breakfast and lunch? And is the MDR open or not for lunch? In addition, if the sailing/departure time is 8:00pm, what time should we all be back on board? Thank you very much. This forum is really a wealth of information most esp. for 1st time cruisers like us :)

Hi everyone, if someone could help me out with this...I checked Celebrity website and it states that classic non-alcoholic beverage package starts at $14.00 per night. Since we will be doing early disembarkation on the 9th day of our 11 day cruise, is it possible to pay for 9 days only?