Port Power

22 minutes ago, AusMum said:

I have a question about The Grill.  I have read mixed information.  From my understanding lunch is pretty muh wraps, burgers and hot dogs.  Does this then change to cooking your own meat on hot rocks at night tiime?  Just finishing my reservations 🙂

Yes, lunch is as you list, plus the Reuben sandwich and grilled salmon.  Dinner is “Hot Rocks”, although you can elect to have the meal served already cooked in the kitchen.  Filet steak, chicken, prawns, served with a jacket potato or other choices.

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I was just checking out a booking we have for our first Silversea cruise.     Since it was cheaper for us to book air on our own (no hotel required) we purchased Port to Port.  

 

I was just looking at our reservation on SilverSea site and it suggests we have transfers included.     Is this a mistake or should I call my agent to figure out.   My confirmation from agent doesn't mention transfers.

 

I agree to first checking your documentation.  Is it possible that you have been booked Port to Port minus air rather than Door to Door?  Otherwise, as  @mchell810 advised, leave it alone and wait.

On 5/23/2024 at 9:53 PM, Gregrat said:

Looks like nobody was correct on when the 2026 itineraries were coming out (except for the world cruise).
Anyone care to make an educated guess when the rest of the 2026 cruises will be released?

I think every other comparable cruise line has their 2026 itineraries out already.  By lagging so far behind, Crystal could lose out on new business.

I really want to book Crystal for some time in 2026, and would have booked by now with any other line.  (Due to a March transatlantic booking with Silversea, sadly I cannot book Crystal’s world cruise.)

I don’t know why you dread it?  Have you had a yellow fever vaccination in the past?  Medical opinion has changed, and it is now considered a life long vaccination.  I was about to renew mine after 10 years, but now won’t have to. That saves $$!

14 hours ago, Worldroute said:

 

One irk: tried to get canapes and caviar first at the pool, then at the Dusk Bar, then at Marquee - same answer everywhere: we don't serve it. Is room service the only option left? On the Dawn we ordered it at the pool every day.

 

Did you try to order canapés from the venue themselves?  You need to order from the “dine anywhere” menu.  It is not just for room service. On a recent cruise, one couple had a meal delivered to the Panorama Lounge every day just before trivia.

13 hours ago, jlawrence01 said:

My wife was at the local Goodwill store and purchased two of the Silverseas Expedition 3 in 1 parkas for $40.  We live in Southern Arizona and will be heading to Alaska for three weeks in September.  Since our supply of cold weather/ rain proof clothing is very limited we have been looking for something like this for months.

 

Is this parka something that Silverseas sells or is this included in the fare of an Antarctica cruise?  I guess that I am looking for the story behind it and the price of this is purchased new.

 

Thanks.

Like you, I live in a warm climate.  On my second expedition cruise (Arctic), I ordered a larger parka to take home to my son.  The “puffer jacket” liner is really good and useful, but probably I will never wear the outer shell again.  My third jacket I donated to the charity shop as just not needed.  I would never think of selling one on eBay, but there you go!  A good find by your wife.

On 5/23/2024 at 4:20 PM, claranda said:

A related question…we have booked on a 2026 cruise (a world cruise section) and after paying the deposit I went straight on and booked the excursions - with the exception of a one-horse (one excursion company?) little town in W Australia where the two included excursions are marked SOLD OUT and the other two (with a charge) are waitlisted. I’ve put us on the wait list and have also contacted the supplier, who was sorry, but the cruise company also books all the buses in town, so we’d have no way of getting to the starting point of any tour. No public transport, no hire cars… . My question is whether, in this situation and if we manage to get on the charged excursion, we are entitled to have it as our ‘included’, ie. free of charge, tour?

This probably just means that the tours are not yet finalised. Often happens when the cruise is so far away. And as @RetiredandTravel advised, more times slots might be added. Just keep checking regularly.

Definitely NO!  A charged excursion will not be granted at no charge.

What is the name of the town in question?

6 hours ago, tinaincc said:

That’s OK. Where can I find the list?

There is a list in the onboard shop.  These are items for purchase and need to be paid for.  Toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.

17 hours ago, tinaincc said:

I searched but did not see this answered.  Preparing for our trip on Ray in a few weeks and hoping to do carry on only.  Does anyone know if the rooms have makeup remover/wipes in the bathroom? 

The makeup remover wipes are single packs and usually there are two in the bathroom on arrival.  Simply ask your room attendant to replace as you use them.

On 5/22/2024 at 1:28 AM, drron29 said:

Though as I have posted before I know a person who had a fair bit of contact with BM. They said BM emailed them a few hours before the announcement saying it was her decision to resign.

Of course that doesn't rule out the possibility that she jumped before she was pushed.

Perhaps she didn’t like the way Silversea was heading under new owners and wanted out because she wasn’t being given the authority to maintain its level of luxury?  And jumped before she was pushed!

I disembarked Silver Wind in January this year after an Antarctic expedition.  I board her again on June 14th in Reykjavik.  It will be interesting to see the changes.  Sounds like the jewellery shop has been replaced, or reduced in size.  The “toiletries being available” information was around last year, too.

13 hours ago, bohaiboy said:

Yes, and a few days later they were right back at the same level,  And we were onboard 30 days.

We never watched TV but they felt compelled to watch a movie or news every afternoon 2-5/6 PM  Luckily they did not at night.

So the noise issue was only for a few hours each day?  I must say that it is unlikely I would even be in my cabin much during those hours, but obviously you were.  

A pity you didn’t mention it to your butler, who might have been able to fix it as @drron29’s did.

13 hours ago, mysty said:

Yesterday we did an excursion out of Ketchikan, Alaska called the Alaska Lodge Adventure and Seafest.  We really enjoyed it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I did that one last year. Loved it!  The rain forest walk was very pretty.  I am usually not one to get my fingers messy, but I dug into this food with gusto!

Thank goodness I will just be in transit on June 1st!  (Glasgow to Oslo using classic rewards, hence not direct.)

5 hours ago, gnome12 said:

I just got my invitation to book my transfers. I'm trying to set up a Blacklane account, and it keeps rejecting my passwords. The only thing that comes up green is that I don't use my email or name. I have tried a number of options, all with at least 8 characters, at least 1 capital letter, at least one number and at least 1 special character. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

It looks like $ is not considered a special character.

I have never had a problem creating an account.  However, Blacklane is very helpful if you email them with your concern.  I wasn't able to book a return transfer once because the duration wasn't long enough.  They telephone me, fixed it and sent me another link.

1 hour ago, Safari-Wom said:

I just faux booked a Retreat sky suite for 2 people June 2025 = $7321 or $3661 per person.  I went back in and booked Retreat Sky Suite for 1 = $10542 before taxes.  So, I’m not much at math and not sure how others were figuring the percent difference but I see that my half of the suite for two would be $3661 and I would pay, as a solo $10542.  The cost as single is not double the total cost of the suite for 2.   Any way you look at it, solo cruising is expensive.

I think that is a glitch in Celebrity's system.  As I mentioned previously, if I seriously wanted to make that booking, I would telephone Celebrity or my TA for the correct price.

But also as mentioned, if it was the actual price and I still really wanted to go on that particular cruise, I would use my son's name but he would not cruise.  Actually, though, I would walk away and find a better deal!

Or go to Crystal, which has lovely solo ocean view cabins, around 600 guests and always organises a pre-dinner cocktail hour for solos.  Oh, and premium drinks and WiFi is always included.   

6 hours ago, Safari-Wom said:

I posted the original question about cruising solo and I’m no longer very nervous about the solo part (thanks to the kindness of the folks responding), but am increasingly incensed about Celebrity pricing with this string of posts. I’m just going to vent…at length…sorry.   I paid a ridiculous sum for solo because I’m used to traveling at least twice a year and haven’t been able to for a couple years due to my and my friend’s age & health.  I got itchy feet and decided that I could handle a cruise by myself,  especially since I can embark close to home without exhausting air travel.  And I figured that I had saved a significant amount of money by not traveling and could splurge on the Retreat class of cruise….even solo.  Now, I’ve just realized that having paid thousands of dollars for the cruise & three excursions, I didn’t get an OBC & possibly didn’t get what I thought was the “included” drinks package and upgraded wi-fi…. I think I fouled up with the confusing ‘check out’.  Maybe the later is my fault but I’m blaming Celebrity 🙂  ANYWAY, I saw the post about Norwegian and MSC (?) not charging the single supplement so I checked out Norwegian and found that to be true.  I could have booked a suite in their comparable (to the Retreat) ‘Haven’ for less than half what I  paid Celebrity and with all the bells & whistles.  Not expecting sympathy because many would probably think I was foolish to pay that exorbitant fee in the first place when I could have paid lots less for a solo cabin, but part of the cruise experience for me is to relax on my cabin veranda and to enjoy my own surroundings….especially solo.  It’s too late & costly to cancel now but I’m through with Celebrity (always been my favorite). Im not wealthy & am currently on a pretty ‘fixed income’ but I didn’t go into debt for this & after sleeping on it, I’ve decided to just go head with the trip and enjoy it.  I will meet with the Retreat concierge when on board about the OBC and other perks I thought I was getting but, regardless of their response, I’m going to just ‘get over it’ and enjoy beautiful Alaska at this point.  I’m new to the Cruise Critic forum but enjoy the camaraderie of fellow cruise enthusiasts.  My trip isn’t until June 21, but I’ll post about my solo experience during or after.
 

As you have booked The Retreat, the premium drinks package and premium WiFi is included.

My advice is never to book online.  Once you have the information you want, ring Celebrity or a good cruise TA.  My TA gave me a further $500 discount and US$94 OBC due to their relationship with Celebrity.

As @goofysmom99 stated, never believe what Future Cruise people tell you.  I once booked for two passengers, but my son didn’t board.  No problems at all.  I let Celebrity know a week before via my TA.  They cannot charge any more for a paid up cabin.  I’m not even sure that would be legal?

On 5/16/2024 at 7:50 AM, Damager said:

How do you Solos feel about the relatively new Celebrity policy that charges Solo cruisers not only for 2 people per cabin (which I understand), but also charges an extra large fee for the fact that you aren't now a revenue opp for 2 drink packages, 2 wifi packages, etc, etc.    I had a cruise specced out on the Celebrity site, and the single price was $825.  I assumed my price as a Solo would be $1650 (plus all the fees).   The minute I shared that I was a single, the price jumped to $2450.   An $800 penalty for traveling solo.   This sucks for solos.

I don’t believe this is true.  I booked a solo Sky suite yesterday with only a 75% solo subsidy.  Two days ago I booked a solo infinite for two cruises in November 2025, but I did check out other categories and they also came out at 75% more.  For one cruise there was a ridiculous price (more than double), but I put that down as a computer glitch.  
 

If charging double the per person rate PLUS an extra fee, Celebrity would be crossed off my cruising list.

If you didn’t actually call Celebrity or your TA for the correct fare, how do you know this is a new “policy”?

2 hours ago, mwne2nks said:

Clips just go in the trash  after they aren't around for 30 minutes or so. 

That might be considered stealing personal property.  Better to let the pool staff take them.

Norway only has one time zone, so I doubt the ship would be different.

I was recently at an international airport that I usually sail through.  This time it took over two hours to get through immigration and security.  I concur with @FlyerTalker, don’t do it.

5 hours ago, Lookingtocruise42 said:

Yes, the pool and hot tubs have been wide open. We saw some people in the pool today right after the Hubbard Glacier (which we had very clear skies for).

 

Here is a tour of the room: 

The review will be coming, I'm working up categorizing things now.

 

 

I might not ever leave the suite! 

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

New specifically for Silver Note, I hope that is what you meant. All the other restaurants do open at 7.

Yes, Silver Note is the restaurant we have been discussing  regarding opening earlier than 8pm.  Also, I seem to remember that the singer doesn’t start her first set until 9:00pm.

1 hour ago, agape01 said:

Your timing is wrong 

 

Silver Note opens at 7pm and there are 3 seatings of 1hr for each seating.

 

Those times are the arrival times to the restaurant, to stagger output from the kitchen. They do not mean you have an hour to eat your meal!   The 7pm opening is new to many of us though.

I'm taking my Bogs for wet landings and general wandering about on land.  Not hiking boots because I don't hike.  All the expedition crew just wear their Bogs when on land (apart from proper hikes).  Some passengers like to leave their Bogs on the jetty and change into sports shoes if walking around a town.