catperson02

I paid of the balance on my forthcoming cruise about a week ago. I actually paid it off early (about a month early) due to a major project on the house coming in under budget so I decided that it made sense to pay off the cruise that have the money earn precious little interest in my current account.

I subsequently received an email from celebrity with my booking confirmation showing all paid off. However, when I log into my celebrity and view my reservation it shows an outstanding balance of £0.42. When I rang to query this the agent could not work out why this was showing and said not to worry.

Has anybody had this issue before? I have read horror stories of reservations being cancelled due to outstanding balances of a few pence and I would be gutted if this happened.

Any advice or reassurance would be great.

We have done our own thing in both - Cadiz we caught the hop on hop of bus and Cartagena the Roman theatre is a couple of minutes walk from the ship. Both are really easy to navigate on your own as you dock right in the town with no concerns about making it back.

Thank you for all your input. I have spoken to Celebrity again today and this time I actually got someone who seemed to know what he was talking about! Apparently they can only put one dietary requirement on the booking so the nut allergy has gone there. They cannot put the vegetarianism there too so he has added this to the notes. I will certainly go to the restaurant on our first day to check that they have been notified of her dietary needs.

I am sure that she will not be short of things to eat and it is reassuring to hear how Celebrity has managed others dietary needs.

Thanks. I have booked fixed dining for this very reason. Celebrity emailed me a special requirements form when they discovered she is also a sleep walker. The rep said she thought they could give me an alarm for the cabin door to warn me if she goes wandering. I generally wake before she gets out of the door (apart from one memorable time in Switzerland) and anyway the door slamming wakes her and she just knocks to be let back in! I also usually notify guest services so they can let the security camera people know. I will add her dietary needs to this form. I will also call them again to make sure the information is put back on our booking.

She certainly keeps me on my toes!

My daughter is practically a vegetarian (she eats most fish and will occasionally fancy a burger) she is also allergic to almonds and peanuts. I have found that Celebrity seem unable to include both on my booking confirmation. She was listed as having the nut allergy but not the vegetarianism so I called and they duly added the vegetarian bit but the nut allergy vanished.

I will call back and get the nut allergy re-included as this could have massive implications but I will probably just speak to the restaurant on our first nigh about the vegetarian part. Has anybody done this or do I need to give them more notice to provide her with the vegetarian menu?

Many thanks, it looks like she hopefully will be eating more than macaroni cheese. She is not a strict vegetarian, eating fish and apparently hot dogs are now on the acceptable list (well they are this week, next week who knows!) Her not eating meat is not so much to do with ethical reasons as to issues with the textures caused by problems with her jaw due to the connective tissue disorder she suffers from. The pickiness is caused by her being a contrary teenager!

Do Celebrity have a separate vegetarian menu? I have found links to the standard dinner menus but these tend to only offer one vegetarian item for most courses. My youngest daughter (16) does not eat meat, has some food allergies (nuts and certain red fruits), and is also a fussy eater not liking anything spicy or "anything she doesn't recognise". I have notified celebrity about her dietary needs and it shows on our booking. She will eat most fish (not salmon) as long as it is served simply and is not served whole and "looking at her"

Will the restaurant modify dishes on the menu - eg omit sauces or items which she cannot or will not eat? On previous cruises she has been given the main menu and a veggie menu the day before and she has made her choice. We have also been able to ask for items off the lunch menu to be served to her in the evening.

If all else fails it looks like she will have macaroni cheese from the children's menu every day! How I have managed to raise such a fussy eater I have no idea as her sister is very adventurous and will eat almost anything.

Thank you. I can cope with balloons around the ship - I can just walk well away from them. It is just the thought of having them on/above the table that would be an issue. A strange phobia I know but that's just me!

typoA strange question I know but does Celebrity decorate tables in the MDR with balloons for birthdays etc? I am fine with the foil/helium type but have big issues the latex rubber ones, it verges on a phobia. On my last cruise with P&O I spent several uncomfortable meals when neighbouring tables celebrated birthdays and had their tables decorated. It was manageable - just. If, however, a table mate was celebrating and our table was decorated I would be unable to remain at the table.

We have booked fixed dining so I could quiz my table mates to see if they were celebrating - that would be a different ice breaker "Hello my name is ......., are you celebrating anything this cruise because if you are and our table is decorated you wont see me for dust!" It would, however, put my mind at ease if I knew what Celebrities policy was.

The agent implied that price drops would be honoured (neglected to say that the deposit of several hundred pounds would be lost) errors - 123 go perks not put on booking (twice), dining preference incorrect. Small errors I know and they have all been put right now but they do not inspire faith and I was made to feel a nuisance when I rang (on a premium rate number) to get things corrected. OK so I was not told false information just maybe I asked my questions wrongly.

I know, the moral of the story is to use a TA which I will do next time. Lets just say I have paid for my naivety.

Thanks for the advice, its a case of what I interpreted the agent saying regarding price drops when I booked direct with them over the phone and what is apparently their rule on UK bookings. The agent concerned no longer works for celebrity and they are holding to their guns. Yes I was happy with the price when I booked. Also so far 3 errors in the booking where things have not been correct.

I emailed Celebrity some 3 weeks ago after having no joy sorting out an issue over the phone. I had held for almost an hour at 7p per minute and the advisors who I eventually spoke to were unable/unwilling to help. I received an automated email reply immediately but after that - nothing.

Is this common? Should I email again? The email I used was customerserviceuk@celebritycruises.com, is there another which is more likely to get a response

This is my first cruise with Celebrity and there have been so many issues with the booking - all errors on their part and they have not been particularly helpful when I have contacted them to try and resolve. I know I will enjoy my cruise to the Baltic but I doubt I will consider them again.

We stayed in the Holiday Inn in Winchester. The hotel was excellent and the price includes return taxis to the port, it was about 30 - 40 mins away. You park and leave your car in the hotel car park and, while there is no barrier, it felt secure. We did not eat there in the evening as it was nearly 9 by the time we got there thanks to Friday evening m25 traffic but the breakfast was very good and the evening menu looked very good.

I have found it, cunningly hidden. Now got to decide whether to ring as with their current buy one get one half price it is £1000 cheaper on the basic price. As I understand as a UK booking I may lose my deposit if I have to cancel and rebook with the offer and with the loss of free gratuities from my 123go there is not much in it. Decisions decisions.......

Thank you

I am travelling on the Eclipse 31 July next year. I just looked on the celebrity website (UK) and can not find it. I have just checked my cruise planner and all seems ok and they are offering excursions etc. Is this a glitch or do I need to worry? I have already booked private excursion for St Petersberg and hotel and parking pre-cruise in Southampton. This is my first cruise with celebrity so I am a bit jittery

Thanks

I turn off my contract phone (whilst making sure it is first turned to airplane mode in case it turns itself on and runs up a huge data bill) as soon as we leave Southampton. I then use my cheap Vodaphone PAYG mobile for any emergency text messages from home. Only the people who really need it have the number for this phone. It usually connects to the ships satellite signal fine and we use free WIFI in port to check all is still ok at home.

Yes definitely foxgloves and very poisonous - they contain digitallis which is used to make the heart medicine digitallin. Definitely a case of look and admire but don't touch.

We stayed in Rome in February and the queues were about 2 hours to get into the Vatican. We had thought it would be quieter at that time of year so had not pre-booked. I felt this was a big mistake as, in order to get in, we were at the mercy of the touts.

Once on a tour we could at least beat the queues into St Peters which were around 2 sides of St Marks Square.

We were in A630 last year, very close and whilst I can not tell you what the white spaces are what I can say is that we had no noise problems at all (apart from youngest daughter talking in her sleep) The cabin was really stable even when we hit some very choppy seas on our return. Enjoy!

As Eclipse will be sailing from Southampton I was considering taking pound coins to tip with (again £1 is more than 1$ or 1 euro) I hope this will be ok, although if I have euros left towards the end of the cruise I may use them.

Would it be better to buy some $ to tip with?

We went on a "strictly" cruise last year on the Azura. Yes there were lots of strictly things - costumes on display in the atrium, a couple of shows in the theatre a question and answer with the dancers and Craig Revell Horwood (worth going to even if you are not a fan as he has a very interesting life!). There were, however, things going on in other venues which were non strictly so plenty to do if you are not a fan.

I had one adamant non strictly person in the family and they found plenty to do.

If the dates and route appeal I wouldn't worry about the strictly theme.

They did say I could order in July but if I want something or to do something I want it NOW! Also they were very evasive when I asked if the prices would go up when the packages were released in July. Stubborn me? Never!

Thanks everybody. P&O are going to get back to me in the next 28 days, I am not sure that they can actually do anything. The daft thing is that I was not particularly sure that a wine package was for me - that is until they told me I couldn't pre-book one. Well that was like a red rag to a bull. As soon as I am told that I can't have or do something it makes me all the more determined!

I have attempted to purchase a wine package for my Azura cruise this summer as they seemed quite good value and purchasing now would spread the cost a bit. I rang a few days ago and a customer services agent called back today, I was somewhat miffed to be told that they are not available until July, less than a month before we sail. She said that the gift brochure is changing and the packages will be in that.

I imagine that prices will be going up. I have just checked and the wine packages are still listed on my cruise personaliser.I had no problems purchasing soft drink cards for my children.

Has anyone else been able to purchase a wine package?