AndyCapn

58 minutes ago, lifeh2o4all said:

We are on a September 11-night Eclipse cruise to Alaska.  I noticed recently that the 3, 4, 5, and 6 night specialty dining packages are no longer available in the cruise planner on the website.  In the past, I have always booked a 4-6 night specialty dining package either pre-cruise or as soon as I board the ship.    I called Celebrity today and, after a long wait, was told that 11-night cruises will no longer have any specialty dining packages of less than 7 nights.  He also said this was a system wide change.  I checked my other 11+ night cruises and still see dining packages from 3 nights and up available.  Has anyone else heard this from Celebrity?  Is it possible those smaller packages are simply sold out on my upcoming Alaska cruise?  If so, wondering if they would open up more packages on embarkation day.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I'm on the 11-night Eclipse cruise right after you (going to Hawaii) and while the 3 and 4 night options are gone, 5-10 nights are all still available.

To be honest, I don't remember if there was an 11-night package.

29 minutes ago, Jim The Lizard said:

It will either be on cards already or (God forbid) we have to go the dreaded Guest Services new card route.  I mean, dining and beverage packages are already on the card; hopefully Vibe will be stamped on it too and wristbands can be distributed at the actual Vibe bar.  

I'm kind of hoping we won't need wristbands anymore if it's printed on the card.

8 hours ago, jkbec101 said:

So, on the day of departure and you get to say 1:00 pm and you haven't seen the alcohol supplier, NCL should be on the phone screaming for the delivery.  Hell, delay the ship to get that stuff on board and let everyone know.  I guarantee that the compliments would far out weigh the complaints.

Yes, yelling and refusing to leave will solve the supply shortages.

Also, insist on speaking directly with the manager or else you're going right to the media!

13 hours ago, Shiraus82 said:

Also, I know I can call to reprice the cruise itself. But my booking has the doubleup offer, so will they throw out the extra CND I used when I originally booked the cruise?

This afternoon I upgraded our November cruise (pre-final payment) from balcony to club balcony and the 2 CND were still applied. Even with the upgrade we still save about $60 from when we originally booked in 2021.

Over the phone it sounded like the process was identical to when we've rebooked in the past. But definitely remind them to ensure both deposits are applied.

3 hours ago, KKB said:

My experience on Saturday:

1-Live Chat said they couldn't do it (but I heard someone else WAS able to book this way)

2-Called in AM, waited on hold hour, CS rep had not heard of it but was able to go in. BUT she could not figure out how to "save" it.

3-Called at 5PM. Virtually no hold. Was able to book & pay for my B2B on Getaway in August. 

 

Had others say they were able to book on the phone but had to pay online.

 

I immediately got a receipt for the pass.

 

Shortly thereafter I got a revised invoice showing Vibe pass under "Booking Components"

 

By any chance did you ask if the Vibe pass was cancelable and, if so, how late?

13 hours ago, Debz62 said:

 

13 hours ago, Debz62 said:

First time cruising with NCL. This may be a stupid question, but I have to ask. We recently booked and the package allows for two nights of specialty dining. If we book a specialty restaurant that does not have fixed prices, like Teppanyaki, we would use one of our specialty allowances and pay any upcharge on the menu correct? It that's the case, we'd not want to use our last allowance at a fixed price specialty restaurant, but save it for another specialty restaurant that's ala carte right? Pay out of pocket for Teppanyaki?

Teppanyaki is a fixed price, so there is no upcharge to worry about. For a la carte places like Cagneys or Bistro, using a specialty dining plan entitles you to one entree and unlimited starters, salads, soups and desserts.

There are some items that incur an upcharge, but they will be clearly indicated on the menu.

Food Republic is an exception. There you are entitled to four menu items when using your SDP.

Generally, the a la carte restaurants will end up being more expensive than fixed price, and therefore a better monetary value for your free specialty dining. But if you are going to enjoy Japanese hibachi more than French cuisine, obviously value is in the eye (or taste buds) of the beholder.

4 hours ago, js said:

Thanks. Why is this?

Shhh. Don't feed the troll.

Related questions: the price for our November cruise has dropped since we booked. We had booked with two CNCs, but still haven't made final payment.

Can we get the reduced rate and still apply the 2 CNCs, or would they consider it a new booking and that offer has expired? Same question if we decide to upgrade instead.

Is the $100 credit included with all vibe passes, or only if you rent a cabana?

About time! The first come first served system was inherently unfair.

41 minutes ago, PKB said:

I am intrigued.  How does this work?  I am familiar with the tv show.

 

One card purchaser will get chosen to play the game like you see on tv, but with 20 cases (and no million dollar case!).

If you're not selected, you play along by matching the value revealed in the game on your pull tabs.

For example, case #4 is revealed to be $1. When you open case #4 on your card, if it's also $1, you have a match.

You don't win the money amounts though, you win prizes based on how many matches you have at the end of the game.

I've read about the slow speeds for internet Wifi on Celebrity. Does the same apply to the computers in the iLounge? Presumably they are hard wired via ethernet cables.

I obviously don't expect land speeds, and I know connection to the internet is still dependent on the satellite connection. But is it at least a little faster than on board wifi?

7 hours ago, Miaminice said:

Here we go, the complainers take over again. 🙄 As soon as one starts… Sad that some have such negativity in them. I sincerely feel sorry for you!

 

We had a great cruise - food was great, service was delightfully overwhelming, the ship is beautiful. Enough reasons for us to see things positive. But yeah, I figured that positivity is too old school for some who find a personal ego booster in moaning and complaining. I was waiting for being criticised for seeing the glass more than half full. So sad! Maybe pathetic is even the better word.

I didn't see any negative comments, which means that my Ignored Users list is working as intended!

For those who don't know how to set one up, go to the main menu, click on your account settings, then select Ignored Users. Type in a name, the system will confirm it and ask what do you want to ignore from them. (I choose posts and messages).

You will see that they have commented in a thread or have started a thread, but you won't see what they posted unless you actively choose to.

When I booked my upcoming cruise last year, port fees were $160. Earlier this week, new bookings were being charged $138. I contacted my TA to get the fees refunded and this is how Celebrity replied.

"We do not adjust the taxes and port fees, as a courtesy I made an exception. Emailed revised booking confirmation."

Last night the fees listed dropped again to $121. I'm not going to bother my TA with another request, but is this normal procedure for Celebrity? To be clear, this isn't a drop in the price of the cruise, just the port fees and taxes.

Should I try to get the overcharge refunded on board through Guest Services?

My experience with NCL is that any reduction in fees and taxes are refunded.

I should add this is being booked through the casino department, but I don't see why that would affect a change in port fees and taxes.

There's only one Eclipse cruise to Hawaii in September and the only change so far is extending a stop (overnighting in Honolulu).

9 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I ended up with three times the bacon a human can eat

 

Challenge accepted.

2 hours ago, DCPIV said:

Oh, goodie.  Are we going to debate as to whether there's a debate?

Let's get to the real tea time debate... jam then clotted cream? Or jam on clotted cream (like a neanderthal.) 😁

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Likely charters.  Not unusual at all.  In normal times several charters each year on Celebrity out of North America.  They are often in shoulder season 

But on three months notice?

16 minutes ago, realnice46 said:

Seems like they would have fixed by now if it was a website glitch ? 

I won't start panicking until the American long weekend is over.

1 hour ago, DCPIV said:

I believe the allowance is $35.

Correct. And dining packages cost more than $35 per meal at five nights or fewer, meaning it's actually costing more money to go to Raw/Sushi on Five than if you pay a la carte.

Even at six nights or more, the per meal cost fall towards $33, so it's a far lesser value than the other specialty dining options.

The way I read it in their details is that you don't have a choice of venue for the first dinner, only a time and only on the first night. You are able to select a restaurant and times for the second dinner and your lunch.

But I agree that it is worded poorly and is easily open to interpretation. And it doesn't inspire confidence when you book it and only gives you a 3 pm dining time.

MGM Rewards has changed, and generally not for the better. You used to get 25 rewards points for every dollar you spent at the hotel in Las Vegas (rooms, restaurants, gift shop). Since the change: one reward point per dollar.

It appears they are choosing to save their rewards for gamblers, not just spenders.

Thanks to Celebrity, you no longer have to wait for a cruise to overpay for art.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-ships/celebrity-beyond/nft

2 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

"I gambled more than you did!" he complained.  "Yes dear, but you won. Who do you think they're going to want back in the casino?"  😁

Even if he gambled 10 times as much money as you did, you're still more valuable to the casino because you're playing against much higher odds.

Over the long term, the house will make about 1.5% on your husband's bets at the craps table

 (unless he's playing silly longshots). Cruise ship slots can be as high as 25%.

Casinos don't care if you win or lose in a night or during the week. They know that in the long run, they're going to win.

The difference between a 95% payback and a 93% payback for most cruisers is negligible at best. 

1) It's measured in the long haul: tens of thousands of hands. Even if you play at a relatively fast rate of 10 hands a minute, it's 16 hours and 40 minutes of play before you even hit 10,000 hands, let alone tens of thousands. And most people are playing slower than six seconds per hand.

2) It assumes you play perfect strategy 100% of the time. Most players don't, so they're already giving up much more than 2%. Winning two extra bets on a full house isn't going to overcome bad play.

3) Since most people cycle through their winnings, all that 2% difference is the amount of time they spend at the machine. That's about one minute less per hour.

Of course you should play better pay tables if they're available. But objectively, any negative-outcome game is setting your money on fire regardless of whether it's at a 5% or 7% burn rate. It's a ridiculously small thing to sweat about on your vacation.