Jeremiah1212

Group rates…problem solved.

Unless this was pre 2018(?) they automatically refund unused Cruise Later certificates at the date listed on the cert. You only have a few months to book and get the OBC benefit. That date is typically different than the expiration date.

The TA should easily be able to provide a breakdown of the OBC to you.

You should have received an email with an attached PDF invoice with a Celebrity Cruise Later Confirmation. Since the OBC is dependent on the category you actually book, in the Remarks section it says you will receive an OBC of $50-$200. Make sure you aren't passed the booking deadline on page two. If that date has passed you won't get the OBC.

They removed the CEO title for incoming Presidents of both Celebrity and Silversea. That wasn't an oversight. Jason Liberty (former CFO now CEO) has more control over all the brands now as there are no competing CEO roles. If Michael Bayley steps down, I would put money on the new RCI head being President minus CEO as well. My take is Laura's position was awarded after her success with Coco Cay and the RCI and the Royal Amplified program. Lisa is now "chair of external affairs" for RGC. I would translate that as they gave her $300k to do some light legacy consulting work and she hasn't been to an office or answered an email since May.

*Jason

There are definitely some unhappy people in this arena. Much like when MSC customer service was a complete dumpster fire (which it still mostly is), when people stop selling their product it will get attention.

We know.

It's only $500 if you cancel all together. Otherwise it's $200 plus $300 FCC to shift sail dates. And to shift to refundable you move to prevailing rates so there is risk there too.

Or you can book the refundable group rate for far cheaper and more OBC than Celebrity sells directly.

$3700 for two for a week with drinks included is a pretty average fare. Even if you look at Carnival out of PC by the time you add drinks and gratuities you are at that same price point. As you know you're paying significantly for the refundable deposit. I'd risk $200 to save ~$600. At $3200 in a veranda with All Included that's cheaper than you'll find on nearly anything from PC for that timeframe. COVID era prices are gone.

The Eden plant based menu is one of two tasting menus which are separate from the standard menu. I don’t see it talked about often so it may not be offered frequently. The standard menu was dumbed down mid-2022 to make it like any other restaurant so make sure you are looking at the correct one..

E class ships get priority at Terminal 25. Terminal 29 is also commonly used by Celebrity. It's a mile of walking between 25 and 29. Not that it can't be done but the port is not pedestrian friendly at all. I would get a cab. Terminal 21 is across from 25 but I don't recall Celebrity using that one often.

You can only upgrade within the same super-category. CC to AQ is not allowable.

I've only encountered this maybe 3 times. It's never made any sense to try to meet the ship in any scenario. Trying to get someone from Omaha to San Juan or Tortola by sail away time was just not happening nor was finding an available hotel that would offer a 1 night stay during peak season. None of Celebrity's documentation on this mention anything about covering additional expenses beyond the flights and it was never offered as an option. I also know someone who was not allowed to board in Messina after missing departure in Rome. They had to embark in Mykonos (which I believe was day 4 or 5 of 11, missing Messina and Santorini) and had to stay in Rome while they waited for new flights.

Haiti is a big place. Most of the crime is in the south near Port-au-Price. Labadee is over 6 hours away. The nearest city, Cap Haitien, is rarely mentioned. Is it the safest place ever? Of course not. The Caribbean has all sorts of problems. But comparing the two is like saying you won't go to Lake Tahoe because San Fransisco has a lot of crime. Celebrity isn't going to upload 2,800 guests and their employees who live there and just hope everything works for the best.

Oh no. That's not the case at all. As soon as you hit a delay or cancelation, check the app and see if your airline has already rebooked you or gives you new options. If the new flights work, go with it. Otherwise you need to immediately head to the service desk to see what can be done. FBC is out of the scenario at this point. You'll only contact them if the airline can't rebook you on a suitable flight. Their role is only complicating things at this point. Waiting around for them to contact you may never happen or they may not have access to flights the airline can move you to. They will attempt to get you onto the ship eventually. Of course there have to be flights with available seats, flight times that work, and the next port has to be able to embark new passengers. There are no guarantees at all.

It's not just two ships. In 2022 Port Canaveral was the busiest passenger port in the world.

If you're jumping ship from Celebrity to higher end lines, even Silversea, additional CC points don't make much sense. If you're high in the loyalty ranks or cruising Celebrity suites at a Silversea price point, there isn't much to offer. Azamara was a bit of an anomaly. You don't earn CC points by sailing Royal Caribbean or vice versa. The Silversea loyalty program is very different since the currency is nights cruised not points and you're really only achieving a discount or a free cruise after you achieve certain nights cruised milestones.

Summit moves from San Juan to Fort Lauderdale. Constellation will do shorter itineraries from Tampa instead of the 9/12 night sailings. Both new itineraries should go on sale tomorrow. Not a word about a 2025 South America season.

They were in pretty terrible shape….

Airlines would disagree.

Nature of the beast. Look around. Finding the middle ground between cost cuts and maintaining pricing is the name of the game. Read any board on this site and it's largely the same converstion. Royal Caribbean - same conversations here including a giant thread about charging for pizza. Princess - majorly changed complementary dining, reduced included offerings and upped pricing on Plus and Premium. Some unhappy campers about the amount of kid-friendly features on the new Sun. NCL - constant trimming and upcharge adjustments going on, terrible drink package, Haven entry level prices are now often significantly higher than Celebrity. MSC - always a hot mess where you can never really be sure you're getting what you thought you paid for. HAL - same story...paying more getting less. Oceania - despite being the Celebrity objectors eureka, lots of complaints about the new pricing structure. Read any airline or hotel loyalty complaints. Major devaluations, less perks, harder to redeem rewards, more restrictions... 2022 and beyond cruising isn't going to be the same as 2019 cruising.

The common thought here is people want better service, better food, better alcohol, more included, less passengers, handsomely rewarded for their loyalty at a cost that is lower than in years past despite higher prices on labor and literally every provision and supply involved, near crushing debt levels and with demand that ultimately warrants and supports a higher priced product, despite doing business with a public company whose purpose is to produce profits above all else. Good luck to any C level person that can make that happen! They will need an award.