KensingtonMoon

Hello,

I am taking my elderly parents on a cruise and I am just hoping someone is able to clarify that Mini Suite B428 on the Sea Princess has both a separate walk in shower stall and a separate bath?   I just need to confirm as my parents can only use a walk in shower.  They don't need an accessible room, but just need a walk in show.   The description says Tub/Shower and I just want to make sure it is not a shower over the tub you have to climb in to.

I would be grateful for any assistance.

Cheers,

Thank you so much for your replies and helpful information.   It is very kind of you.  

Cheers,

Christine.  

Our cruise leaves in two weeks, but I have had to cancel a reasonably expensive shore excursion which was prepaid via credit card in my cruise planner.  I have had to cancel the excursion as my daughter has broken her arm and it was quite a strenuous activity we were booked for.  She can still go on the cruise, but mustn't do anything strenuous.   As the cost was around $600, can anyone please give me an idea of how long it takes Celebrity to refund the money to the credit card I used for payment?

Thanks for any advice.

Kind regards,

I can understand what the original poster is trying to convey. I have sailed twice with Princess and have eagerly attended muster drills as I was very keen to learn what to do in an emergency – particular as I was travelling with my younger daughter and felt a keen responsibility to be aware of all requirements should something go wrong. These drills with Princess were clear, concise and there was enough room for attendees to move to a spot where they could see the presenter and familiarise themselves with entrances and exits as demonstrated.

On our first Celebrity cruise we were allocated muster in what I remember to be Michaels Bar. The issue was that so many people were squeezed in for muster, we were pushed to the side and the group was so deep that I could not see nor adequately hear the presenter. There was no chance of moving to a more suitable spot as we were squeezed in tightly. I can understand that areas are tight, but if it becomes a negative as so many people are allocated to an area that they cannot see or hear instructions, then surely it becomes counter-productive. Perhaps Celebrity allocates too many cabins to certain muster spots.

I think the initial post raising this issue was valid. Even accepting the discomfort of the muster drill – the lack of opportunity to absorb the message being delivered was concerning.

I am off on my second Celebrity cruise soon and will be interested to see if the experience is any different.

That is great information and most helpful. Thank you.

Hi Everyone,

I am currently looking at booking our transfer for a group of six when we leave Celebrity Solstice in Sydney after our cruise in a few months time.

Can anyone advise what is the latest you can arrange to leave the ship on the final day? Our flight is not leaving until mid-afternoon and so there is no need to rush off the ship. I just need to know what time to book the mini bus to meet us when we finally leave the ship.

Does anyone know what the last time slots are? We are Concierge if that makes any difference.

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers,

Christine.

Hello Everyone,

We are on Celebrity Solstice on an Australian cruise on 31 October (Halloween).

Can anyone let me know if Celebrity celebrate Halloween on board in anyway?

Many thanks,

Christine.

Thanks for the positive information. We definitely want to try this on our Solstice cruise later in the year. We used to watch the Corning demonstrations on the Solstice and this will be the first time we can give it a go. I realise it is a different company now. Glad those who have done it enjoyed the experience.

I am really enjoying your review and information also. Thank you for taking the time, it is really helpful to those of us planning this itinerary.

Thank you all for your replies and advice.

Hi,

Please check my original question. Our Great Barrier Reef Cruise departs Sydney on the 29 October 2018. I believe your cruise leaves on 30 March and is a slightly different itinerary. Your cruise has 2 days in Cairns but my cruise only has one day and not a long day at that. Thanks for your help anyway. Enjoy your cruise.

Lovely, thank you all.

Hi, Unfortunately our itinerary is slightly different. We arrive at Cairns at 9am and leave at 6pm. Reef Sprinter have half day excursions leaving at 8am and 1.30pm till 5pm which both wont work with the ships departure. Thanks for your help anyway.

Hi, Thanks for your reply. ReefSprinter tours won't work unfortunately as we don't get to Cairns until 9am and then it is at least a hour or two to tender into the port. Our itinerary is slightly different to yours I think.

I am considering whether to cancel the cruise as I don't think it is going to be ideal doing a Great Barrier Reef cruise and not being able to see the reef.

Thanks for your reply.

My family are on a Great Barrier Reef Cruise on the Solstice leaving from Sydney on 29 October 2018. There are two opportunities to see the Great Barrier Reef on Celebrity excursions from Cairns and Airlie Beach. I just went into book and find that 9 months out from the cruise, both tours are fully booked. I have looked at private excursion providers, but due to the short period of time in port and the need to tender, none of those suit.

Apparently Celebrity had 180 places for the excursion to the reef and they are now full. What do you think the hope is of Celebrity adding more places? It is such a shame that it is a cruise to the reef and only 180 people will get the chance to do the excursion. As we tender at 7am and 9am respectively, and the tender is about an hour to shore, we will not be able to go with private excursions as they leave early in the morning. The Celebrity tours apparently pick you up on a catamaran direct from the ship, eliminating the need for a tender.

Celebrity advised that they didn't think they would be added more inventory to this excursion. Does anyone know if there is a way to request more numbers being added via Celebrity for an excursion? Anyone booking this cruise now to the Great Barrier Reef will currently not be able to visit the reef as there are no spots left on the Celebrity excursion and a private one is impossible due to time. Can you add some more inventory please Celebrity? A member of our group who contacted Celebrity was told this would not happen.

I actually thought it a very interesting question. I haven't been on an inaugural sailing and so can't contribute, but would love to hear from any who have.

Thanks for your advice everyone.

Hi All,

I cannot pre-purchase bulk bottled water for my upcoming cruise departing Sydney. To the best of my knowledge the pre-purchase bulk offer is not available for Aussie cruises. It is not offered under beverage packages for my cruise.

As I want a good supply of easily accessible water for my older parents who are also travelling (not refilling drink containers) can anyone advise if I can purchase bottled water in bulk once on board.

I know the ship's water is fine to drink, but I want to have bulk bottles on hand for their convenience and for excursions. We are flying into Sydney and heading straight to the ship and so I won't have the opportunity of buying any before boarding.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you so much.

I have a teenage daughter who really wants to go on a ship with a Johnny Rockets and the itinerary that works best is on the Radiance of the Seas.

Thanks for confirming.

Hello,

Could someone please advise if there is a Johnny Rockets restaurant on Radiance of the Seas?

Many thanks,

We are pretty self sufficient and were delighted with the service the room steward provided on our first Princess cruise.

The only thing I did ask him for was if he could surprise us just once on the cruise with a towel animal for my daughter. She was secretly hoping so much to get a towel animal as she had never cruised before.

Low and behold, everyday, sometimes twice a day, we returned to find new towel animals. Elephants, ducks, dogs, cats, monkeys, pig etc.

My daughter couldn't bear to pull them apart, and so we ended up with a menagerie of animals like a zoo all over the cabin and sofa. It was such a treat and I loved our cabin Steward for it as it made our daughter so happy. Such a kind man.

Any news from any of my Aussie mates yet as to whether we can pre order water for Australian cruises? I can only see soda packages and coffee cards.

Thanks as always.

Would love a bottled water package. Celebrity do this and it is great. We don't drink alcohol or soda drinks.

An expanded breakfast and room service menu would be a terrific improvement.

Outdoor cushions would be great on the balcony furniture.

Hi,

We were on the Solstice recently for a 14 night cruise and were located in Sky Suite 2123.

Very rarely we heard the rolling sound of a trolley above, but it was very infrequent, and never enough to be of an issue.

We found this stateroom lovely.

Hi,

I have just returned from a beautiful cruise on the Solstice from Sydney to New Zealand - you will love it, she is a magnificent ship.

I would not suggest taking power boards with you. As we were leaving the ship on the final day, people were collecting them from Security as they had been confiscated on the first day of the cruise. If you make sure you take a US and a European adaptor, you will have two power outlets to use. There was one of each on our desktop.

There was no charge for room service and it was a very varied menu available. There is a "premium" section which does involve cost, but we were very satisfied with the standard offerings. You can order the room service on your television which is great.

I am an Aussie, and I pre-paid Gratuities. The following is what I did with tips, but it is a completely personal perspective, and it is only a guide. Everyone has different views on tipping, and I do not want to pass judgement. This is only what I did which made me feel comfortable.

As I said, I prepaid my gratuities. I tipped the room service waiter $2 when they bought us a meal each time. It is not a requirement, but it was just something I personally wanted to do. I also tip taxi drivers when they have had to deal with my particularly heavy bags. To me it is over and above driving me from A to B.

It is very hard to get a consensus on tipping with lots of different cultures and nationalities having different "norms". Have some small change on you and do what you feel is right at the time. I also gave my room attendant a cash tip at the end of the cruise, but that is because I believed at times he went above and beyond to assist us with things.

This was my first Celebrity cruise, and I was overwhelmed how wonderful their service is. Enjoy your lovely holiday.