IndyKid

2 minutes ago, nini said:

 

There are those on these boards who vehemently protest our experience on the Celebrity Reflection (pre-covid), close to implying that we are dishonest about our experience. We were not new to cruising in 2018.

1. Demeanor was snooty/ nose upturned attitudes from the crew. We wanted to relax in the Sky Observation Lounge one afternoon and a person met us at the entrance asking us for our invitation. She was very snooty when telling us that we were not of the upper class (had not cruised enough with Celebrity) to be there.

2. The bartenders never smiled, were very rude. I was told in a very derogatory manner that my beverage package only included two white wines.

3. Our first dinner in the dining room took about 3 hours. The service was horrid, very slow, unfriendly and aloof. And the food was mediocre.

4. Therefore, we ate in the buffet most of the time. No one ever smiled. After 12 days, I think one staff member asked if we wanted to order beverages. The tables were rarely cleared of dishes. Flies buzzed around and landed on the food- right where the stir fry cook was standing and other places. They did nothing to cover the food. On Princess, there are staff constantly asking if they can get you coffee, water, juice, cocktails, etc. There are also many clearing off the tables and clearing dishes.

5. The ship felt dark and enclosed. We are used to the bright and open atriums on Princess.

6. EVERY show on the Reflection included an aerial acrobatic act....

 

We loved our itinerary and did private (not through the ship) tours. Our cabin steward was a sweetheart and we tipped him extra.

 

Wow, not what I would have expected from Celebrity, glad we went with Princess. 

2 hours ago, nini said:

Our last Celebrity cruise convinced us to never cruise with them again. I know they have a very faithful clientele, but we describe them as "Lazy Snootiness". It was an all around negative experience, including the food and dining.

Celebrity was one that we considered before choosing Princess. Just curious, what was it about Celebrity that you didn't like?

We just came back from 7 days on the Caribbean Princess 2 weeks ago. I think @nini's "Casual & Comfy Elegance" remark is spot-on, we really enjoyed it. Yes, the ship is showing a few age spots but she's well-maintained, and service was excellent. My wife is more of a cruise fan than I am, but when we go again we will put Princess at the top of our list.

If you're needing vegetarian/vegan fare they offer a decent selection both at the buffet and MDR. If it's a food allergy you'll probably need to ask about specific offerings on the menu as to whether or not they are among the ingredients. 

2 hours ago, mrell345 said:

Sanitizing seats in Princess theatre between shows

Is this SOP? Or has there been an illness reported on the ship?

1 minute ago, mrell345 said:

Tonight’s MDR menu

The pepper shrimp sounds interesting...

Was this supposed to be a Western or Eastern Caribbean itinerary? We did manage to make our stop at Grand Turk earlier this month, missed Princess Cay and Amber Cove due to weather. Was your stop actually at Grand Turk, or another island in T&C? If it was actually Grand Turk you're not missing anything IMO. The island is rundown, lots of derelict and vacant buildings. There's a nice little beach by the pier, with plenty of shops waiting to fleece tourists but not much else.

Let the glitches, freezes and cursing commence!

On 12/24/2023 at 8:13 AM, mrell345 said:

Ok, whoever had the brain fart to install the motion activated lights under the bedside tables and outside the bathroom should rethink the idea.  Not fun at 2 AM when you need to use the bathroom and those bright white lights come on.  Bring a small roll of painters masking tape with you to cover the sensors at night.

My only complaint 2 weeks ago on the Caribbean Princess was that the one outside the bathroom kept shutting off when I was bent over getting something from the enclosure where the safe is. I'd have to stand up, back up and wave my hand to get it to turn back on! 

Just now, mrell345 said:

I called the Dine line to reserve when I saw it in the patter.

Yeah, I didn't realize we needed reservations, and it was too late to call for one. No big deal, we'll remember that next time.

7 minutes ago, mrell345 said:

The wife and I are eating at steamers tonight as one of our casual meals with the plus package.  She had the clams and  I am eating the mussels.  Pretty good though the restaurant is almost empty tonight. 

We tried to go there on our recent trip on the Caribbean Princess, it wasn't very full then either, probably because of the upcharge. But since we didn't have a reservation they wouldn't seat us.

14 hours ago, mrell345 said:

Gingerbread house display next to international cafe

They had one of these on Caribbean Princess last week.

This story is why I will always book excursions through Princess, along with the flights. Yes, it costs more but the peace of mind is worth every extra penny.

Most cruise lines loathe the idea of banning smoking in their casinos because they fear the loss of revenue. But I understand that Celebrity is 100% smoke free, so I'd be curious to know how much of a hit Celebrity takes, if any, over its sister brand Royal Caribbean?

22 minutes ago, 2MellowCruisers said:

I did pick the Kona day and will contact room service about a time.  Thank you!  I'm really looking forward to this dinner!

If it was like ours you will enjoy it. Suggest not eating much that day so you can get through it all!

5 minutes ago, 1965 said:

This is how they list it. You'll get your refund. Be careful to not throw it away. It does not arrive in a Princess logo envelope. I can't remember what the return address says, but it can be mistaken for junk mail. 

Thanks. I found out that the checks come from a place called Bottomline Technologies. 

We just got home last night from our trip, received our statements for our on-board accounts. We both had a small amount of refundable credit due to a missed port stop, excursion fee, etc. The credits are showing as "Referred to Corporate Finance", what does that mean?

6 hours ago, 2MellowCruisers said:

We are taking our first cruise to Hawaii next month and after reading this thread, we want to add another first since the dinner sounds so wonderful.  I paid for the UBD online but I couldn't figure out how to pick a time.  I was hoping to have the dinner while in Kona since we don't have anything scheduled for this day and I was thinking it might be too cold while at sea.  Is the time something they assign once you are on the ship?

When you get aboard call room service, that's who I arranged it through. 

4 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

....It was put up by Global Experience Innovators apparently the IT contractor for Princess.  I think they're the same people who botched the initial rollout of Medallion Class App. 

And what did good 'ol Al Einstein say was the definition of insanity?

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Yeah well today is the 17th so early December has come and gone. Don’t hold your breath 

They're working to get all the glitchyness and bugs perfected. You'll be getting driven nuts in due time...

33 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Did CB have Starlink yet?

Based on the sluggishness I'd say no...

25 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

thank you for that!  If I might ask you a silly question, is the $110 pp or per couple?  

Per couple

1 minute ago, Cruise Raider said:

I believe an18% service charge might be added above the amount for any meals purchased outright as of a few weeks ago. Someone may give us confirmation on that. 

 

I paid $110 this week. No gratuity was added.

For what it's worth, we just disembarked from the Caribbean Princess. Had zero issues with the app while on board. 

I will say, however, that the internet access via the wi-fi was sluggish at times.

26 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

 I realize how fun it is to trash any cruise line...

On this forum it can sometimes become elevated to a blood sport...