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17 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

k - your question has been ably answered, I believe, as gratuities are included as part of any beverage package you may have.

 

Only the up-charge for any beverage, are there any grats added to amount of that charge you will need to cover and it is added to your ship board account, which you can monitor regularly on your TV...

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Thanks!

1 minute ago, bikerunner said:

The gratuity is already included in pkg.  no xtra charge. The grat  that were mentioned were if you bought a drink on classic that was say 15.  You would pay 6 plus 20%   Since classic only covers 9 dollar drinks.  

Thanks!

10 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Yes, you can get a Cosmo or Lemon Drop on the classic package, they will use the alcohol for your package and a smaller glass at the Martini Bar...

 

If by 'good' you mean the liquor used in the Premium package, then go for it OR if the liquor in the Classic Package is good, go for it..

 

Also, if you believe that $145.00 plus tax is worth it, go for it, BUT....

 

.... I do recommend, pending on when your sailing is, waiting for a sale where you can get up to 20% off on a beverage package upgrade. Please know that is it not always available for all sailings...

 

Cheers and bon voyage

Hi Bo1953,

I have a question about gratuities on the beverage packages that I hope you can answer.  Does Celebrity charge gratuities on drinks in addition to the cost of the beverage package?  So say you pay X amount per day for the premium package, and order 4 drinks through the package.  Does Celebrity add a gratuity for each drink you order onto your shipboard account, or are the gratuities already incorporated into the price of the beverage package?

Part of what I like about cruising is the opportunity to dress up and enjoy an elegant evening meal.  To that end, I expect my fellow passengers to show me and others the courtesy of following the stated dress code in the main and specialty dining rooms.  The dress code is there to ensure that a more formal atmosphere is maintained in these venues.  If passengers want to dress like they're going to their local Applebees or Dennys, they should go to the buffet. 

• Ship:  Eclipse
• Length of Cruise:  7 days
• Cruise Sail Date:  June 30, 2019
• Date email offer received:  Can't recall
• Captain’s Club Tier:  Classic
• Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA:  Direct
• Current Cabin:  9143
• Bid?  Yes/No:  Yes

If YES -  Bidding Details:

• Cabin Category:  Concierge Class / Aqua Class
• Bid Offer:  $225 CDN pp/ $305 CDN pp
• Notification Date:  June 24, 2019
• Accepted / Rejected:  Accepted for Concierge Class

General Comments: assigned a Category C3 Concierge Class cabin.

Are there any self-service laundry rooms on Celebrity ships?  I looked at the deck plans for Eclipse but I didn't see any.  I know on Princess they do have laundry rooms with washers/dryers and irons, and they're very convenient and easy to use.  It would be great if Celebrity had the same thing.

On 6/10/2019 at 12:50 PM, verizon said:

I think is called Waterfront Station?

It's Waterfront Station.  When you get there, make sure you take the YVR-Airport train.  Sounds obvious, I know, but there is also a Richmond-Brighouse train that goes in the same direction for most of the trip, but then veers off into the City of Richmond pretty close to the airport.

7 hours ago, martincath said:

If you can self-disembark I'd have zero hesitation in taking that flight (if you can't, then you're also probably hosed for taking SkyTrain as you need to be able to handle all your own bags from pier to train without a porter!). With 2 ships there's a small risk of the other clearing first, so all of their self-disembarking pax beating you to the cab queue, but since you're already planning SkyTrain that's not really a factor.

 

Important thing is to get to YVR by 9:30am - not so that you have two hours, which you absolutely won't need if you make it by then, but so that you beat all those annoying cruisers who will start arriving in big groups once the cruise shuttle buses start rolling in (and the first of them leaves about 9am from the pier). Beat the buses and an hour should be enough to get all the way to your gate from when you arrive at YVR - but get caught behind a clump of folks who have done zero research about anything (because if they have they would know just how godawful a deal the cruise transfers are and not taken them!) means not just a large number of people adding to the queues, but long processing time per person on average because these are also folks who are more likely to be clueless about how to use the kiosks, what to do at airport security etc.

 

Personally I'd recommend skipping brekky and lining up ASAP - usually the first folks start getting off well before any official time and also before any announcements get made. A theoretical 7am docking is usually more like 6:30-6:45am, with first folks off the ship by 7:15am - if you're one of those you could be at YVR before 8am and at your gate before 9am (so you'll have well over two hours to have a leisurely breakfast after you've dealt with all the queues).

 

Actually that's a lie - personally I'd really recommend extra time in Vancouver, then pick a flight as early in the morning as you like when you're leaving days later 😉

Definitely get off the ship asap, and don't bother taking a cab.  As others have noted, the SkyTrain is super quick.  If you're off the ship by 8:00 or 8:30 at the latest, you should beat the rush to YVR.

I've stayed at the Pier Sixty-Six hotel whenever I've traveled to Fort Lauderdale for a cruise.  It's a lovely hotel, and they offer a sip n' sale package where you get a free drink, breakfast, and transportation to Port Everglades.  The hotel has beautiful grounds so we tend to have breakfast and then lounge by the pool until it's time to head to the port.  If you do stay at the Pier Sixty-Six, definitely try to get a pool-view room.  You can sit on your patio with a coffee and enjoy the sunshine!

14 hours ago, vanman said:

The time from the Waterfront Station (the station near the port and the terminus of the train) is 25 minutes to the airport. Canadian customs is usually pretty quick. The walk from Canada Place( once you've cleared) to the train is about 10 minutes. The line through US immigration at YVR can be 10-30 minutes depending on the number of travellers. Add the airline check in and security which can be 10-20 minutes and you've got a total of 55 to 85 minutes once you clear Canada Customs at Canada Place. You should be fine if you're off the ship by 8:30. Global Entry takes a while to get so you not may get approved by September. 

I would say the chance of getting Global Entry approved by September is slim to none.  The application process is quick, but once conditional approval is granted, the applicant has to schedule an appointment at a Global Entry Enrollment Center (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry/enrollment-centers/arizona).

From experience, I know appointments are hard to get.  It can take months before one is available.

PS I've been at YVR when cruise ships have arrived and passengers are returning to international destinations.  it's an absolute gong show.  Don't count on customs or security being quick, especially if you don't have Global Entry.

On 6/9/2019 at 12:24 PM, DirtyDawg said:

 

The same people who designed the Celebrity  IT system designed the Phoenix pay system the Feds use. 'nough said. 😉

For real?!  No wonder the Celebrity website is terrible.

13 hours ago, citronella said:

I can’t do without WiFi, want a premium drink package and will pay gratuities. If I paid for those individually it would amount to a lot more (especially for a longer cruise) - so for me, bundling them is a good option.

Same here.  I priced out the cost of wifi, the premium drinks package, and the tips separately, and it was clearly far more expensive than bundling them together.

55 minutes ago, Scubadoc said:

We board the Crown this Sunday!  Woohoo!

i have noticed that all the islands we will be on are one hour ahead of ET except Grand Turk. Do we stay on ship time when we go ashore?

 

Also - never been on Princess before. What are some fav things to do the first day?  And where is the best place to eat lunch?

 

Finally - we love to get on the ship ASAP. We are in a suite. What time is best to arrive at port to be the first ones on the ship?

My husband and I are on the same cruise!  

We plan to eat lunch in the main dining room.  We did that on our last cruise and found it a relaxing and elegant way to start our vacation.  If you want to go more casual, the Horizon Court is a good option.

My favourite things to do once on board is to check out our cabin (if it’s ready...it might not be as we tend to board early and cabins may not be ready until 1:00 pm).  We then like to tour as much of the public areas as we can.  We usually check out the plaza (piazza?) level, then the shops level and the various lounges and theatres, then head up top to the sun and sports decks to check out the fitness and spa areas.  We then have a 24 karat gold margarita (only one as we have to stay sober for muster!).  We then typically head back to our room to settle in and enjoy the view from our balcony.  

15 hours ago, Pitachip1210 said:

Sailing on Regal and wondering if they do this. I know other ships offer but I can’t find anything about Regal offering this. 

On the Ruby and Emerald, they do this.  Was on the Golden recently but I don’t recall being served snacks.  If they did, it wasn’t very memorable.  

We’re on the same cruise! E720.  

1 hour ago, phil-1974 said:

Hi there

 

Any craft beer lovers that have been on a recent Princess cruise?  Interested to see what their new beer menu looks like, more specifically their IPA offering. Doing a Mexican cruise next year so interested to see what they have.

I'd also like any current information on Princess' IPA offerings.  I'm a huge fan of IPAs and am always eager to try something new!

We have a sail away party in our cabin, with wine and a few canapes.

On 12/6/2018 at 4:03 AM, wdrl said:

I was hoping for some replies here on this new wine list.  It looks like we still have a pretty limited number of wines on the beverage package though.  I am familiar with some of the new Pinot Noir list and was surprised that Lyric by Etrude is listed, as we drink that at home as our cheap Pinot Noir.  But we only pay around $22 a bottle for it.

 

Is there any reds we should really try for a nice dinner?

The Domaine Faiveley is very nice.

On 12/2/2018 at 4:39 PM, OR_Cowboy_1952 said:

Several weeks ago Princess released news that they were introducing new wines (and beers).  I just received an email about the new wine selections and it incuded a pdf link to the new list.  See below.  And Happy Cruising.  

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/beverages/Wine-Menu.pdf

 

This is terrific - thanks for sharing!

On 2/24/2018 at 5:34 AM, Squire5000 said:

We boarded the Regal Princess on February 4th. We always tip the baggage porter $10 for 2 bags. We did the same this trip.

 

As we were walking towards the Princess terminal, I was a few feet ahead of my wife. All of a sudden, my wife starts calling out for me. I turn around and she is being verbally intimidated by a porter. I immediately go back and the guy starts berating me telling me "You have to tip". I tell this clown I did and he continues on telling me to identify who received the tip. I locate the guy and drag him over to talk to "The Intimidator" My guy tells "The Intimidator" I tipped him. "The Intimidator" starts yelling at the porter to turn over the tip to him. We picked up the pace and soon were safely inside the Princess terminal while the 2 porters were still jawboning at each other.

 

I don't know who oversees these guys, but you better leave a tip - or else.

We had a similar experience a few years ago with the porters at Port Everglades.  They were very aggressive in asking for tips.  I left my husband to deal with them, and booked out of there as fast as I could.  Sorry hubby!

On 11/26/2018 at 1:33 PM, creativegenius said:

Thank you for the kind comments!   Yes, you DO have to race directly up to the Sanctuary as soon as you are onboard.  Do not pass Go, do not go to your room, do not go to make dining reservations, go directly to the Sanctuary.  The Sea Days especially fill up fast.   You can book by the 1/2 day, by the day or by the cruise.  Most people seemed to book the 3 Sea Days.  We booked the entire week and it was $30/pp per day.  They really do a nice job taking care of you and they are absolutely the most comfortable lounge chairs on the ship.   The fastest way to the Sanctuary is to go all the way forward to the Princess Theater, then take those elevators or stairs all the way up to the Spa.  The Sanctuary is one deck above that.  If you can take the elevator to Deck 16, do that.  

Thanks for the good advice!  I'm sailing on the Crown in early January, and want to spend one of the sea days (my birthday!) at the Sanctuary.  I'll make it my first stop when I board!

22 hours ago, Tedferg said:

Sorry to be pedantic - was it because the new itinerary was more expensive or was there a cancellation charge ? I ask because I thought the benefit of EZ Air was that you could change or cancel at anytime with no charge.

No worries!  The extra charge was because the new itinerary cost more.  I'm not blaming Princess for the extra cost as it was beyond their control.  I'm annoyed that I secured a very good rate via EZ Air, and then got screwed by the airline because they decided to really mess about with their flights.  I would hesitate to book any US carrier again because based on other posters' comments, cancelling entire flights and significantly changing itineraries seems to be a common occurrence.  I'll probably stick with Canadian airlines because this happens far less frequently.

If you have connecting flights, you have to put both legs of the flight into the personalizer.  Otherwise, the destination location doesn't match up and the system says the flights are invalid.  In my case, I fly from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale, with a connection in Toronto.  I have to put the Vancouver to Toronto leg in first, and then make a separate entry for the Toronto to Fort Lauderdale leg.

However, if connecting flights isn't the issue for you, is there a possibility the airline has changed your flight and not notified you yet?

10 hours ago, Tedferg said:

 

Was the $350 a 'charge' for making a change or did it result from booking different flight itinerary. i.e. with EZ Air flexible fares you can cancel and re-book.

It was for canceling the original flight and booking a different itinerary.

20 hours ago, geoherb said:

We never had a problem with EZ Air flights but we have had problems with airlines changing flights I booked. Sounds like United is the one you should be angriest at for changing its flight from Los Angeles to Chicago.

I had this problem too.  Booked great flights through EZ Air, then had American Airlines change the departing flight (to the cruise) by about 50 minutes.  Not that bad in the grand scheme of things so I wasn't bothered by it.  Then American Airlines changed the return flight (returning home from the cruise) from around 12:00 PM to 5:45 AM!  I'll still be on the cruise at that time so obviously that's not feasible.

I called Princess and they re-booked me to a better flight, but the cost increased by about $350.  I decided to look for better options elsewhere, and booked on Expedia for a few dollars less than the price I originally paid for the original flights.  I'm now on two different Canadian airlines, who both seem to have a better history of not tinkering with flight schedules than does American Airlines.