readyforacruiseagain

There are two reasons why I have upgraded from Classic to Premium previously:

1. The expanded beer/wine selection which has been mentioned previously, if I only drank cocktails I feel like I would be totally fine on the Classic.

 

2. Last time I sailed with a package if you wanted a drink that was above and beyond what your package was (expensive wine, scotch, etc.) with the premium you only had to pay the difference between the max per drink cost of the package and the cost of what you ordered. With the Classic, I believe you have to pay the entire cost of the expensive drink. This actually paid for the upgrade itself for me with my after dinner drink.

I thought it was just the difference when I got a Hard Cider @ the bar (forgot bar name and it wasn't a Strongbow, that is included in the classic). Decided not to argue the $7.50 + 18% charge.

I did have a great bartender on the Mast bar who'd aready reach for the Strongbow each time I'd approach him. Did need to tip him......:D

Never easy and always going to read different reviews. All about expectations.

There seemed to be plenty by the pool, but certainly doesn't compare to what there is on RCCI or other lines.

The shows seemed crowded, the bars well attended, casino action and special shows in the Grand Foyer. Michaels and other had a lot going on.

If you are looking at a young crowd and a dance club..... Oops.

Food was good, not great but above average.

Really is tough to figure out if Celebrity is the right choice.

I was on the Eclipse December 13-18 and it was full. However there were plenty of quiet areas to lounge. To say otherwise is blatantly overstating facts. A full ship will certainly be crowded on the pool deck and in certain areas. To expect less is ridiculous.

The food I will say was lower quality then other cruises and happy only 5 days as I was starting to feel that it was much of the same. It was good, not great.

I thought the burgers were quite good btw and certainly plenty of decent choices. Desserts not as good as other years.

Ate in Murano and a fabulous meal. Then booked Tuscan and was underwhelmed. Good but certainly not worth the surcharge.

Entertainment I thought was good and lively.

Finally I do drink, but hate the drink packages and over consumption. Next time I'll just bring on a few bottles of wine and maybe the non-alcoholic package (as really do like the Al Baci and cappuccinos) and get a drink or two otherwise.

Also the mixes for their drinks and smoothies are fake (and taste so) and miss the fresh OJ.

Just off Eclipse, certainly not fresh squeezed nor Tropicana. Not very good and certainly a disappointment. Add to that all drinks/smoothies come from concentrate and very high syrup content.

Fresh squeezed is you see them squeezing a fresh orange from a machine into a glass. Pretty simple.

Why people are arguing over semantics amazes me.

Last year in Jamaica loved watching fresh fruits put in my drinks.

Saw 20 minutes with him and he was funny, but I thought fairly predictable. Liked his "Hope & Dreams" running joke.

We too were on the cruise. Missed the shows (spouse not a big fan) and now disappointed.

Murano was wonderful,, Tuscan Grill underwhelming. We got a discount at Tuscan and told it was fully booked (Wednesday Night), but it was still only 1/3 full by the time we left (8:00 pm). No way was it worth a $45 surcharge.

MDR okay and I missed what I remember being great bread baskets (now I barely touch them).

No more fresh squeezed OJ and no fresh fruit for smoothies or tropical drinks.

Cafe Baccio great.

Buffet good, but pretty much the same day after day.

Had a drinks package and really don't need to drink that much. I think the non-alcoholic package is worth it if you are a coffee drinker.

Still an older crowd and few children.

This clarifies a lot. I love fresh squeezed oj and smoothies. So looks I'm fine with the classic and spouse who wants evian and I'll ply with Martinis will get the premium.....

Am I missing something?

Thanks,

try the supershuttle telephone?

Think it was local # and downloaded UBER app....

Thx

use the 10 to the 100th power web search engine to find alternatives.

No FLL is by Cruiseport, Miami Airport is 8 miles..... I did a search and yes Taxis are always the simplest, just thought there maybe another alternative.

Went to Uber fare calculator and they didn't recognize Mia code or Cruiseport.....

Supershuttle

http://www.supershuttle.com/

Doesn't recognize cruiseport either......

Ready - wow! The poster said they would cruise fewer days if the perks were removed, not that 75% of their costs were related to perks.

 

I and my DW are Elite. We enjoy a couple glasses of wine each evening, just like at home. Having the evening party means we do not buy a drink package. Are YOU paying the approximately $2 per glass for our wine? It is not a big deal costwise.

 

Next is a bag of laundry instead of a $20 coupon deal. Huge cost - no. would easily go back to washing clothes out in the sink.

 

Last is the breakfast. I do enjoy an occasional Mimosa or a smoothie. Again does this really cost the cruiseline much? Would I buy both if I had to pay - yes. As many no as it is simple human nature to use more of something you get for free!

 

Celebrity provides incentives for early booking. They also provide incentives for loyalty. If those perks cost them more than they receive the perks would cease.

 

you are not paying for anyone elses cruise. Sorry

Yes tongue in cheek, but it was written that hey get 75% off and if paid the right price could cruise only 15 days vs. 60...... Now there is no doubt a fine line, but does seem that maybe the perks are somewhat skewed.

Sure I'm missing something.....:p;)

Thought it was right by like Fort Lauderdale. ave very little time, anything outside a taxi make sense? Uber much cheaper?

Any last minuters flying from Toronto tomorrow?

Thanks,

One of the reasons we do 60+ days of cruising is the perks. Take away the perks and our days will be cut by 75%. It's not what I can afford, it's what I'm willing to spend.

So then I wonder how can the cruiseline make money off you if 75% of your costs are reduced thanks to all the perks.

Not to sound naive or dumb, but to me it sounds like I'm the one in the end paying for your cruise.....:confused:

I agree with this as we started out cruising insides and ocean

view cabins and now we prefer Aqua class A1 cabins or if those are not available aft cabins. The same goes for Specialty dinning it used to be once a cruise as the venues were so limited now we can eat at various pay venues for lunch and dinner on the same day.

 

We are not big drinkers at this age and find the Elite cocktail party each night more then enough for us as we have only one or two drinks a week at home.

We booked the 2017 Mardi Gras cruise which included the drink package which we will never get the value of but we convinced three other couples who are new cruisers to join us and for them it was selling feature and for us we can now join then at the bar anytime of day for a drink.

 

There does appear to be a very hard core of incredibly thrifty cruisers on Cruise Critic that seem to derive more pleasure from the savings they make on a cruise then the cruise experience it self.

The drink packages always bothered me, but now that they are included I will probably upgrade. Corkage was $10 our first cruise and now $25 I think.

I got enough champagne & with a couple of bottles of wine and a drink special here or there was fine. The idea of seeing pages of extra charges I do find off putting.

I want fresh OJ, smoothies and 1-2 specialty coffees in the morning (and spouse wants evian, which is nothing ore then water in a bottle imo;)). The cost/day is just silly

I also hate people who appear to just want to get liquored up or are trying to pull every scam to smuggle hard liquor on board (sorry even as cheap as I am the battery blender made me laugh out loud and shake my head). Not as much now but I remember 3-5 years ago the long threads about how to smuggle.

But I'll be honest too that maybe they do go overboard with perks for long-time cruisers and should create a more middle class and frankly cut off the Elite+..... Sorry but if can afford 60+ days of cruising a year do you really need all those extras (or just include it in the price like airlines)?

Leaving tomorrow.

How about one Red & one Wine recommendation....:D

Thanks,

Because it is the Caribbean I asked that question. I just want to pack as light as possible and to pack a pair of shoes that I'd only put on for dinner seems silly.

How about the specialty restaurants?

Running our 75th Half Marathon at the Dallas Marathon on Sunday and a runner would never wear their running shoes anywhere but on a run.

 

So you just want to ware your sneakers.

My friends refer to me as running man as I am always somewhere running (and will be on board running round and round the deck). Of course I need to wear an iPod and have refused to ever do a marathon of any sorts.

Thanks for putting me in my place.;)

Yes I plan on wearing slacks, but want to bring casual clothes for our 5-day cruise. I have dark blue canvas running shoes I'd like to wear in MDR or the specialty restaurants.

Is this an issue based on the new dress codes?

Perhaps you should read the terms of a company's offer before you assume Celebrity's are just like Walmart and Costco (making your point of reference crystal clear).

 

https://secure.celebritycruises.com/best-price-guarantee

 

Its not confusing in the least if you read it and dont assume it means what you think it means.

 

I suspect you still wont grasp the stipulations and how your interpretation is well off the mark but it was worth one more shot to try educating someone about a subject they are hellbent on remaining misinformed.

No I get it.... I was explaining how Walmart's, Target's, Costco's do it different and very simple to understand.

I then posted here asked questions about pricing and pointed out they have a Best Price Guarantee on their Website which may not mean what one thinks it does.... Certainly it does not match prices.

The price guarantee does not extend to rates offered by outside agents. It also does not extend to price drops after the final payment date. I assume you booked within final payment based on having to pay in full, but you can confirm. The upgrades you were referring to were likely paid up sells and you may be able to do the same if available.

That's fine, but still misleading......

Take Costco..... I buy a TV there and 2 months later I see it for $200 less. I take my receipt (or not) get in line and they refund me the $200..... That is what Celebrity I take it means by Best Price Guarantee.....

Coke is sold every store there is. Celebrity is sold by every TA. I go to Walmart and show the ad from Target selling Coke for $.99 and they match it. That s Price matching.....

I booked with Celebrity and told the agent on the phone that I could get the cruise for 10-12% less through a very big TA that would be easy to verify. They didn't really care, didn't budge nor would hold the reservation for 12 hours.

Not Best Price nor Price Match...... And that is confusing...... And that was my story....

Incredible the lack of support. As usual I learned a lesson and will be smarter next time.

I explained what happened and the circumstances and a few hundred $'s I'll live with and not a big deal.

I just pointed out the site and the claim and explained my situation

What surprises me is all those sticking their proverbial tongue out at me and saying "serves you right" and then the same one's posting their upgrades and freebies.....

So much for being less confrontational.

 

You saw a lower price elsewhere, felt pressured to book when you werent ready and felt you werent getting the bargain you believed you were entitled to.

 

And yet you booked anyway. Sour grapes? You betcha!

Yes the Front page says Best Price Guarantee. I shouldn't expect it?

Just curious - if you found a better price elsewhere, why did you book directly with Celebrity?

Because I'm stupid?????;):rolleyes:

I've booked before and got a 12 hour hold. I was searching and also looking at airfare and need to ensure they line up (and here too you have no idea how many seats are available). Spouse wanted to get away (as do I), but if I screw it up, heck to pay......

Then I am deciding US or Cdn $'s (have US account)......

Called Celebrity and we went through it all and they would not give me a 12 hour hold. Of course that scared me that they are low on cabins (do I know?) and panicked as opposed to going back and forth.

Several people have answered your question multiple times on this thread and others, so I'm not sure why you keep asking it. The answers seem pretty clear to me. Ultimately, it's a decision for Celebrity to make. There is a form you can submit to ask for consideration from Celebrity. Asking about it here is going to get you the same answer you've been getting for several days now.

 

https://secure.celebritycruises.com/best-price-guarantee

Well you're smarter then me. Either the site's Best Price Guarantee is to meet or be better then a TA is what I asked here. Caribbean Chris says it does not mean that if a lower price is advertised that they will meet it. You're telling me that is clear?????

I explained that I felt pressured to book (no 12 hour hold and when you have to secure airfare too it can get complicated).

When Walmart or any chain says they will match a price it is very simple. You show them the add and they reduce the price.

Not the case here.....

I'm booked, I'm excited and just was asking a question.

I have gotten Celebrity to match prices the TAs show on websites but the BPG does not apply to any discounts not offered to the general public. Thus it is worth little. Captains club, over 55, military or a TA sale and promotion - none of those apply.

 

As Chris said what does apply if booked with X is a general fare drop before final payment and somewtimes if you complain to several people a drop afterwards. Generally get my TA (they reward loyalty) to offer something in the 5% area for refundable OBC.

And as said when I booked the other site had a lower price that I mentioned to the agent and she just seemed to ignore it. When I asked for a hold (and this is 7 weeks prior to the cruise) so I could compare she said they couldn't. Of course they were still selling cabins today......

Again just asking for clarification and what exactly Best Price Guarantee means....

My earlier thread was deleted so I'll be less confrontational (or sarcastic) this time in my question/comment.

I booked on-line with Celebrity, though another very popular site advertised the same cabin/cruise at 10-14% less.

Not big money, but I did mention it when I booked to the Celebrity agent and it fell on deaf ears. She told me there was no 12 hour hold due to when I was booking so had to be paid in full. I decided to not start going back and forth as I had airfare to book too.

I then asked here if there was anything I could do and was not admonished but somewhat chided to some extent for asking and being cheap (my perception of the post) and no clear answer. I was not going to get too bothered over a few hundred $'s.

Then I am looking at the Celebrity Site and see BEST PRICE GUARANTEE and yes am a little perturbed that when I booked and mentioned it nothing was said and that here no one said there is a Guarantee and to call back.

Yes my fault, but I thought this is what sites are for.