Flipper133

Pretty sure its run by the same IT Dept as Celebrity :(

In enlightened parts of the wine world, still wine is mainly capped with a Stelven closure (Screw cap). It keeps wine fresher and more reliable so no need for a Cork screw. ;)

Bubbles are another matter...but corkscrew not required there either.

cheers

This year, we have the Pick Your Perk again and the TA is telling me they are not posting it on my paperwork and I will be able to see it on the Celebrity website. I have looked at the website and don't see it. Can anyone who has used a TA and has a Pick Your Perk option tell me where I might find my entry?

 

I want to make sure I have something documented just in case there is a problem -- we had one last year; however, with the documentation in hand, Celebrity was able to rectify the situation.

Celebrity has changed a few things on their website.

When you log on, go to your Booking, hover mouse over "Manage Booking" then select "View Booking"

When that loads, you will see on the RH side an option line to click "Order History"

When that loads you should see your PyP

If not, contact someone

cheers

Maybe this pic tells the story better

This is from the Solstice, and we have stayed in 9296 and loved it.

In December we are on Soltice again and we will be in 9237 which is on Port side but same as 9292.. so balcony is a little larger.... just as well as there will be 4 of us this time. Hope we can somehow snare some extra chairs. :D

cheers

Not that long ago I was watching a TV series called Cruise Diaries

I am pretty sure it was based on the Costa Deliziosa sailing around the Med.

Good to see that she has made it down under

cheers

There would have to be some serious earthquakes in NZ to allow cruise ships to dock at Rotorua. :D

 

Flipper, I'm sure you really meant Tauranga. ;)

Just making sure you guys are on your toes :D

It would be interesting to see if CELEBRITY would entertain pax boarding at TAURANGA..... I see that Viator provides a Cruise Ship Guarantee, and if you are on one of their organised tours and you miss the ship and it is their fault, they will arrange to transport you to next Port of Call. (at least they do that in BoI...not sure about Dunedin :p)

cheers

Yes we are flying Emirates on EK412 due in AUK at 14:00 ship sails at 20:00 but I believe we have to be on-board by 18:00.

Have booked a private shuttle with TT shuttles as there is 4 of us plus bags etc.

Hi Snowyboy

I see you will be on Celebrity Solstice sailing ex Auk on 15th Nov. We are on same cruise a few weeks after that.

I don't think your timetable will be all that bad.... you should be through all the airport formalities by 4.00 pm (probably earlier) and the trip to the ship should only take 40 minutes (15th is a Saturday)...so you should be boarding before 5.pm. My Xpress pass for our cruise says check in time range is 11.30 - 4.30.... so on that basis you will be right on the cusp.

That said Celebrity says that passengers should be on-board no later than an hour before sailing (thus by 7.00pm in your case)- due to port regulations. They do need to do the mandatory muster drill before sailing which will no doubt be scheduled for about 5.00pm (thus the time given on my boarding window)

So I am certain you will be ok... but if you want to ensure you have a backup plan, I don't think it will help to contact Princess :D....rather Celebrity... and I would probably plan on getting to Rotorua to board 17th. Closer to Auckland and the ship docks there so more likely to have immigration facilities.

cheers, and good luck

Hi we have a booking of four also and the same thing occurred, initially I wondered why they had assigned my kids a 'CLASSIC' drinks oackage but then realised this was our Captains Club status [emoji16]. Yes it's a bit of an alignment glitch as should be against my wife an my names.

 

But we've just had access to our e-docs to print out our luggage tags and whilst know we don't need all the other bits n pieces, there is a page in there that outlines all packages and shore excursions purchased. We noted that our classic contains club status was correctly shown against the adults and also shows our premium drink package. We are on a Hawaii to Australia cruise so had to buy our own package (no PYP offers) but assume the promo WAVE beverage packages would appear here too?

 

Cheers!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Tks for that QE2 Fan....all makes sense.

You would think that it would also make sense for Celebrity to use different terminology is the Bev Paks and the CC status levels.

cheers

You should be fine. The article I heard only discussed a TA who'd been liquidated. But it is important for future bookings. Celebrity takes ages to update.

Seems like all is Ok as I actually got an email from X this afternoon saying my Xpress Pass was ready to print out.

Yeah... but woh... seems they have got it wrong...allocated our PYP Beverage Packages to the kids... Just another thing to sort out :(

Hi all,

I paid balance on our Dec cruise over weekend and I Rec'd email from Celebrity today to say my Xpress Pass was ready.

Good to see the system works ... or does it?

Noticed on first page which details all the vital info that against each of the names of our two grandchildren was the word (Classic). Nothing against Shirley or my names

Like many we have the Classic Beverage Package as our PYP ... and we are both Classic Status with Celebrity Captains Club.

On the Reservation Details on the Celebrity Web Site, The Beverage Package is correctly shown as being allocated to Shirley and myself.

I am almost certain that the designation of (Classic) on the Xpress Pass relates to the Beverage Package and that this is an indication of how our Sea Passes will be issued....which seems to point to some sort of glitch in the system.

Pretty sure I don't want our 9yo and 11yo with Sea Passes that give them the opportunity to go wild at the bar...and leave their poor grandparents having to pay for their drinks.

Before I take this up with Celebrity and/or my TA, I thought I might ask here in case anyone else has a similar or indeed opposite experience.

Note: I have also posted this on my Roll call

Surely this is an instance where the TA concerned can be named on these boards. :confused:

I recently paid final for my Dec cruise. The paper work rec'd this week from TA states cruise status is "Confirmed"

Celebrity website still only states "Booked"

Should I be concerned? or just accept that the Celebrity Web site is always problematical?

Hi,

 

Need advice.

 

 

Im interested in a 16 night sydney to perth on royal. Any thoughts on the weather at that time? Its the last avail cruise for the season, but our window to travel is april / may...hence the interest. Multigenerational family here.

 

How long is the flight from perth to brisbane?

 

From brisbane do we drive to gold coast, or fly in from perth to gold coast, then drive to brisbane. Our possible flight out will be brisbane.

 

Thanks

Nice cruise...Syd, Wellington then South Island inc sounds then across to Melb/Adel/Freo. on the 130,000t Explorer of the Seas.

We have done the NZ cruise 3 times (4th in Dec) and I have found weather later in Summer can be more reliable.

Bit confused about your reference to Gold Coast...airport there is regional..although there are some flights into/ex Asia. From Perth there are direct flights to Brisbane (4.5hrs) - you can fly to Gold Coast, but only via Melbourne or Sydney (8+hrs)

If you are looking at flying ex Perth on 28th April 16 to Brisbane remember the 2 hrs time difference. You could perhaps get the 12.35 Virgin Flight that gets to Bne Domestic at 7.00pm local. If you are departing for overseas (Phillipines ???) You then need to tfer to the International terminal which means with customs/immigration and everything else you could not be looking at a flight with a departure time that was earlier than 9.30pm. :confused: Only earlier flight ex Perth is at 7.35 am which you would never be able to catch.

You might have to consider an overnight stay.

cheers

My apologies anyway......

I should have posted the Aust Site:

http://www.taxifare.com.au/

Strange thing however ...I entered White Bay Cruise Terminal... which it accepted as an option in the drop down box... but when I clicked to calculate I got an error message to say it did not recognise that destination. :eek:

It recognised White Bay however which is probably close enough...$50-$70 from the Intnl Terminal @ Mascot.

cheers

Does anyone have a list of the wines included in the wine packages offered, or know where I can find a listing. I didn't see a listing on the X website. Thanks.

Hi

This is a link to a spreadsheet I put together earlier this year

It only relates to the Classic Bev Package...but might be of some help

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtDdYKhZ7rGHdHgzOWU5TG9peldNdzhqQzdNZzYyNVE&usp=drive_web#gid=0

Cheers

One thing I really liked was that wines ordered by the glass were allowed to be tasted before poured. So you could change your mind. That doesn't happen in Australia. The glass arrives poured.

I really think that your comment about what happens "in Australia" is very misleading.

If you are talking about Cruise Ships sailing in Australian waters, then my experiences are somewhat in disagreement. Admittedly I have only cruised on Sun Princess and Celebrity Solstice in this part of the world (not counting the Murray Princess of course), but always my wine glass has been filled in front of me, and usually (especially early on) I have been asked if I want to taste it first.

As for shore based establishments, then on the East Coast at least, I have always been asked if I want to try a glass of wine before it is fully poured. Usually I decline, esp. if it is a wine (Aust.) that I know. :)

I would hate to think that viewers of this thread from other parts of the world would get a poor opinion of how things actually are in Australia.

cheers

DYI.... have a look here:

http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Sydney-Australia&from=Rydges+Sydney+Airport+Hotel%2C+Mascot%2C+New+South+Wales%2C+Australia&to=Circular+Quay+West%2C+The+Rocks%2C+New+South+Wales%2C+Australia&fromCoord=-33.934257,151.16576800000007&toCoord=-33.859228,151.209493

cheers

Here is a Google Earth grab I did for our Roll Call mob that shows location of certain Auk Hotels. You can see where the Crowne Plaza is...up past the Tower.

Cheers

And don't forget to try a Pav [Pavlova].

 

I have eaten a lot of meat pie's n my days and in my opinion Harry's are tops, not a typical meat pie being much chunkier meat.

....and in Queensland you have to have your pie with a serving of mushey peas on top :D

If they had got ashore and the rain continued..the pax could have gone to the great Mooloolaba Surf Club and sucked on XXXX or had one of those excellent seafood platters. LOL. Plenty of retail therapy along the beachfront too.

Gee Les...your starting sound a bit like a banana bender :p

Hello Kate.... We will be aboard Queen Victoria and will be in Brisbane (am I to assume Brissy?) for only 1 day. :( The only thing I really want to do is the very touristy.... pet a Kuala. The ship has a tour, but all it does is ride around the city and then to the zoo. We feel there must be much more.....are there tours that are sold at the port by different companies....or cabs. Do you know approximately the cost for each? Are they at the port? Or do we need transportation to get to them?

 

Thank you so much!

I live in Brisbane (Brissie or sometimes called BrizVegas) and was on Celebrity Solstice when we visited in Feb 2013. On the roll call I originally sought to arrange a small group to show them around my home town, including a trip to Lone Pine Koala sanctuary.... but I ended up with a mob of 30+, mainly from USA. The flavour of the tour was to show folk how Brissie people lived, worked and played and I ended up hiring a Bne Council bus to take us around. I mention this here because I did a lot of research into Lone Pine, and I would recommend it as a place to visit.

You can get there 4 ways: by car, by the Mirimar ferry, by cab or by bus from the CBD. For independents on a cruise ship docked at Fisherman's Island (which you will be) I would suggest getting either one of the ships shuttles or a cab to the CBD and then taking the bus. When we were on Solstice there were no other operators at the pier. There are also very limited facilities.... a bit of a blight on Brisbane I am afraid.

At Lone Pine I would further suggest you get your photos taken with a koala first (you can take your own pics only if you also have the pro pics taken). This then gives you time to stroll around the rest of the park, then come back, collect your pics and have some lunch in the very adequate cafe/canteen set up. Plan to spend about 2 hours there.

Here's an example of my less than Pro Pic taking :o

The bus terminus is right outside the park gates (in the car park actually) so this is why I recommend using this service back to the CBD...also gives you a leisurely and scenic view of the place.

Hope this helps

cheers

Thanks Flipper

 

For me the trips as much about the journey itself as the ports. And yes we have only one day in Bali. Our views about Bali are much like yours. Having said that we're going to do something different their - we're going elephant riding.

 

Any suggestions on what to do at our day in BrisVegas - your home town? We're only in port for a day which happens to be my birthday. Over the years we've done Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane so is their any little local attractions or activities not so well known?

 

Cheers

 

Rob

We did the Elephant Riding in Bali...or more correctly I did as Shirley chickened out at the last moment. Its a fun day.

You will be docked at Brisbane's infamous Grain Terminal at Fishermans Island. When we were on Solstice I had already arranged a private tour for over 30 pax (mainly from the states) to see the sights on "Flippers Fabulous Tour of Brisbane". I hired a council bus... the flavour of the tour was to see how the locals live, work and play. We went to the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary, and among other places we went to the Gabba Cricket Ground (I had connections).

On a previous visit on a cruise ship (Sun Princess) we took a ships tour that went to the Sirromet Winery at Mt Cotton. That's actually a place I would recommend if you can find a mob that will organise a tour there for you.... I think there a some around....not me Iv'e done my bit on that scene. :eek: (BTW Sirromet comes from the owners name TErry MORRIS backwards)

It is disappointing that the Grain Terminal is so remote from the CBD...there are no facilities and no public transport. Its the Celebrity Shuttle or local cabs. If you just wanted to see something local, then a quick cab ride over to Manly would work.

Cheers

Thanks Flipper133 I reckon it was a post from you that I may have seen regarding this matter. I'm glad you said it was a fabulous cruise - our travelling companions and us are really looking forward to it. What was the best part(s) of the cruise for you? The ports or Solstice itself?

 

The question has been asked about Port Hedland ie. what to do? Personally I'll do the mine tour because that interests me but other than getting off to stretch your legs there doesn't seem to be much of a reason to get off. Any thoughts?

 

Cheers

 

Rob

Hi Rob

I think I enjoyed the Ship itself the most.. a most magnificent vessel where you never felt crowded. My favourite place was the sunset bar up on deck 15. :D

Our itinerary took us to Bali where we stayed overnight (I think this year you will be only there for a day). I'm only so so with Bali anyway.

It has been said that Port Hedland would have to be one of the worst ports of call for any cruise ship. I disagree. Sure, there are no major "must dos", but as an Australian I was glad I had the opportunity to go there. Watching the constant flow of freighters going in and out of the port I also found fascinating...as was the array of what looked like at least 100 ships all waiting out to sea for their opportunity to enter the harbour.

We had some drama whilst sailing between Darwin and Cairns...they had to change course and meet up with a Careflight Chopper to take off a crew member who had suffered a heart attack.

Have a look at a video I made here:

Cheers

Hi All, we're sailing on Celebrity Solstice out of Freo in Feb 2015 for a cruise around the top of Australia to Sydney. I'm sure I saw a post on a thread somewhere (which I now can't find) from someone that did that cruise earlier this year in which they said that Celebrity put on free of charge shuttle to the Freo port. Can anyone confirm if that's the case and when/how you arrange a seat on it with Celebrity.

 

Thanks

 

Rob:D

Hi Rob

We did that fabulous cruise on Solstice in Feb/Mar 2013

We had our flights (Bne-Perth and Syd-Bne) arranged by our online TA with Celebrity. Part of the deal was that Celebrity provided a shuttle bus (coach actually) to the pier at Freo. All pretty straightforward, there were plenty of meet and greet people at the airport to guide you to the coach.

If you booked via a TA then get them to sort something...if you booked direct with Celebrity, I believe there is a section on their website called "Air and Transfers" where you should be able to do this, but if not might I suggest you contact Celebrity direct. (This one of a number of reasons I prefer to use a TA)

I am not sure if the shuttle is available if you make your own flight arrangements, but you can only ask if that's your situation.

One tip: Don't attach your Celebrity Luggage Tags to your bags until after you collect them off the plane. I take a very small stapler to make this job easy.

BTW, if you have a loyalty program membership they can add your details to the flight reservation. (I think they only use Virgin however)

Anything else you would like to ask about the cruise, just fire away.

cheers

I believe that the term "tipping" has become confused.

I my opinion there are three aspects of the definition:

1. CWE...Crew Wages Enhancement: The payment added to your daily bill..including children..which in OZ is now mainly (and correctly) included in the cruise fare

2. Genuine Tip: a Discretionary amount paid to a waiter/service person for outstanding work..over and above...which many of us have experienced.

3. The Bribe: This is the one I hate! Often offered by Americans... and I have seen it quoted on these forums... a payment in advance to ensure better service. I cringed once when I heard it said that it was good practice to "offer the strong handshake"

This topic of course will endure forever... just maybe the real meaning can be better defined.

cheers

Hi Gae

I am surprised that Princess are not offering a shuttle. They certainly did when we got off the Sun Princess a few years ago (to go from the wharf to the airport or CBD).... and of course Celebrity had one (FOC) when we arrived to board the Solstice last year.

As you will have no doubt noted, the comments on the linked thread tend to favour catching a cab...which I would have to endorse ... although the train and the ferry also get a mention.

I am a little concerned about the train however. From my research on this subject a few years ago, there appeared to be an issue regarding the access from the Freo train station to the wharf. There is (was??) an overhead walkway, reached by stairs, that was the only way to cross the lines. It made things a little difficult for pax carting their luggage.

Things may have changed of course, and hopefully some locals will be able to comment.

cheers