PostcardJar

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Interesting that when Infinity went through Dry Dock a couple months ago they expanded Luminae and updated Michael's Club to Retreat -  total re-do

 

 

I had the same thought. But then, maybe Infinity will be the last of the M-Class to go in whatever rotation they have planned. I do think this was the soft launch of the removal of the M-Class from the fleet.

Before they can eliminate any of the M-Class, they have to build their replacements. I suspect that will be the next big announcement and will come as construction of the XCel, the 5th and final E-Class ship, is nearing completion or is completed.

On 3/17/2024 at 1:49 PM, Salt Lifer said:

Here is the Cliff's notes of the video.

1.) The President's cruise will be both AWESOME and EPIC!!!

2.) Sorry Southamptoners, no additional ships in port for you.

3.) More awesome (and epic?) wine options will be available at an upcharge, allegedly requested by the "most loyal guests" so no complaining about the upcharge, okay? 

I took from the presentation that there will be more wines at an uncharge, but that they will also be adding a few wines to the Premium Package--which is DEFINITELY needed.

On 3/17/2024 at 1:49 PM, Salt Lifer said:

4.) Better say your goodbyes now to your favorite M-class ships....

Yes, I took this, as well. Which probably does make sense. The Millennium (our first ship!) is now 24 years old. It is probably time to think about some changes. Considering the 5th and final Edge Class ship is under construction, I wonder if the rumors I've heard about the next ship Class being smaller will be true...and will be designed to replace the M-Class. 

On 3/17/2024 at 1:49 PM, Salt Lifer said:

5.) Hints that the RC, Silversea, and Celebrity points may combine, but of course no official confirmation.  Personally, this one would be a positive change for the guest if it were to happen.

I understood it to be that the most likely case is that there would still be three different programs but more reciprocity so that if I'm Elite Plus on X, I'd be Super-Diamond (or whatever they call it) on Royal and whatever it is on Silversea.

I'd love to see points accrued in a master account for sailing on any of the brands. In short, have it be a Royal Caribbean Group loyalty program--though each line may offer specific perks for the tiers. Just let me get to Zenith, first, before they jack with the programs so that they won't bump me down in status somehow.

12 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Just wondering how this worked...did you make all your reservations once you boarded?  And unlimited specialty dining includes all the specialty dining venues?

Yes, once on board we made the reservations...all at once with the person who sold us the package. It's good for all of the specialty dining restaurants (you get up to $50/person at a la carte restaurants like Raw on 5 for dinner). Le Voyage still carries a $20/person uncharge (but it's $125/person normally, so it's basically $100 off). You also get lunches on sea days (only) at Raw on 5 or Le Gran Bistro with a $30/person allowance. Those require reservations, also.

If you book in advance, you also make the reservations once on board. Just find a reservations person and they will take care of you.

Just off the Ascent. We had the 8:30 time, but wound up booking unlimited specialty dining and eating at various times, otherwise I'd have asked about moving our time. But reading the replies here, I'd feel comfortable just showing up and enjoying. 

It's a little off topic here, but Le Voyage is FABULOUS.

On 12/1/2022 at 8:09 PM, PineappleTraveler said:

I realize opinions will be subjective here, but your good/bad experiences are appreciated.

 

How safe is your stuff on a full ship? One of us is probably a little too carefree on vacation, and the other one probably a little too paranoid. Would you lock your phone in the safe rather than leave it plugged in when you leave the cabin? If you left a purse/wallet on a pool chair and went swimming, would you feel the need to keep an eye on it the whole time? Have you ever been pick pocketed on a ship?

 

If another passenger was threatening to you in some way, do you believe the ship security would respond helpfully to a request for assistance? Any safety tips you recommend? 

The ships are very safe. I leave stuff plugged in no problem. I do lock passports, medicines and jewelry in the safe...but there are cameras everywhere and they can track down anyone who was in your cabin. Staff stealing would have big problems.

Honestly, I leave my phone on the pool lounger (under a towel or my shirt) when I get in the pool and don't worry about it. Most folks on X are pretty honest and calm--in 16 cruises we've never had (or seen, or heard of) a problem.

I scanned through the forum and didn't see this information...

Does anyone know if there is a place with a list of ports and what their CURRENT rules/regulations are? I'm thinking specifically about whether a ship-based excursion is required or if passengers may go on their own. I know that right now things change--sometimes daily--and keeping up with changes can be tough. I'm wondering specifically about St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Nassau (selfish as those are the stops on our cruise later this month on Apex), in case anyone has information on those ports. 
 

Thanks,

If money is no object, do a Suite, and do Edge.  The ship within a ship concept is fantastic, and, in our opinion, worth every penny. Edge is new and the whole ship is simply beautiful.

Equinox, though, was recently renovated, and is a beautiful ship, as well. 

Really, either is great. If you are in a balcony cabin, Edge has the Infinite Verandah which might give you a bigger cabin?

15 hours ago, RFerrington said:

Congratulations to your daughter.  What a wonderful career choice.

Thank you! We're pretty proud of her!

Thanks for the replies to this topic, and for the listing of drinks available. I think this is the way to go.

Thank you for the responses. Sadly, our daughter is 25, but I don't know that we'd want more than 3 drinks in an evening. It sounds like the Refreshment Package + 3 free drinks/night might be the way to go. We can always buy a drink or two, but as long as what we buy comes out to less/day than the drink package, it's the way to go.

FWIW, normally we'd buy the drinks package and enjoy, but this cruise was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing to celebrate our daughter's completion of Nursing School. We will have been on a different cruise on X earlier in the month with a full drinks package there, so we aren't sure we'll want to live it up twice in the same month... 🙂

I searched for this in the forum, but couldn't find anything...sorry if this is a repeat question but as these things constantly change, I don't want to rely on old information.

We are on Liberty out of Galveston at the end of July and are looking at how to do drinks packages. We are Elite on X, so know that makes us Diamond on RCL--we have our Crown & Anchor numbers all squared away so we're good to go there.

I know there's a Diamond Lounge that offers drinks at cocktail hours. I've seen some places that 3 drinks are also loaded on your card to be used at any bar around the ship during cocktail hour. Is that accurate? Or are drinks only available in the Diamond Lounge. Our daughter is coming with us and she is not Diamond, so this makes a difference.

Thanks in advance for your help. 

3 minutes ago, Jack Staff said:

I have just had an offer to upgrade my cabin/stateroom however there are 4 of us in the current cabin and the upgrade is only for two although the cabin can sleep 4.   Any advice available as I obviously need somewhere for the 4 of us.?

 

I just saw on X's website that the upgrade fee only applies to the first two people. Any extras move free of charge.

Do a search of how upgrades work and read the details there.

Thanks for the suggestions, BEAV. We're in a Sky Suite and were offered for CS, RS, and PS with the CS minimum bid being $300. When I went to the website to see what the cost difference is, it said the suites were "sold out" so I don't know that any bid would work. (This is X we're talking about and I'm sure their system is glitchy at all kinds of levels.)

Anyway, with nothing to gauge, we submitted a bid for slightly over the minimum to beat out anyone doing the minimum. Now we wait. My guess is that we won't move.

Sorry if this has been discussed...I can't find anything on it after a quick search except items buried deep in other threads.

We received an upgrade offer today. We're interested. I'm wondering if the minimum bid would work, or fi there is a certain amount over the minimum bid we should do? Any thoughts/tips/suggestions? Is it worth it? We'd be moving to a Celebrity, Royal or Penthouse suite--this might be our chance to try one of those staterooms at a more affordable rate.

Thanks!

I searched the forum for this topic and didn't see anything...sorry if it has been covered.

In checking in for our upcoming Edge cruise (woo-hoo!), I was asked to provide a security photo. I assume this replaces the photo taken at the pier. Does anyone know the requirements for this photo?

Thanks in advance!

One suggestion - instead of taping down the extension cord, we put one of the white towels over it at night. It keeps me from tripping over it and gives my feet fair warning that I am near the cord! Since we tend to acquire towels nightly with towel animals, there is never a shortage of towels!

Great idea! Then unplug in the morning and put the cord under the bed.

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I would suggest you contact your travel agent if you are using one or speak to your concierge person at Celebrity. If you ask for distilled water and an extension cord for your C-Pap they will have it available for you when you board the ship. At least that was my experience when I was using a C-Pap machine. Hope this helps.

Yes. Your cabin attendant will bring a card and water when you board. Just ask!

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Just off Reflection. Jose, and Felix (waiters in Luminae) are supposed to go to Edge. Ellyta, asst. waiter, also apparently has been asked to go to Edge.

They sent us our booking locator number and we picked our seats on our flights to and from Rome.

All that said, you need to pay attention to your reservation and watch it. American Airlines changed our flight schedule twice since we booked, and changed our seats to the last row of the economy cabin (we booked business). I was able to go in and select new seats, but the airline didn't notify me of the change because I booked through an outside agent (ie. Celebrity ChoiceAir). The airline (American) told me that they notify my travel agent who is supposed to notify me. That part didn't happen, so I just keep checking every week or two to make sure all is still right in the world.

No such luck for us on recent Celebrity cruise from Sydney: Mypartner uses a CPAP machine and we had requestedan extension cord and some water beforehand through Special Needs. Upon arrival on the ship, there was nothing here so we askedour room attendant for it and even tipped her which is highly unusual in Australia- we actually noticed that we were amongst the few guests who ever tipped on the entire cruise (and suspect that these few were Americans where tipping is pretty much a must do).

Even though, later that evening the cord and a bottle of water had just been dumped in the room- no neat fixing or taping on the floor etc. We actually ended up stumbling over the cord all the time during our cruise. Not a good experience I must say.

We usually don’t want the cord taped to the floor. Instead, we unplug the cord and coil it neatly next to the machine when not in use.

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Thanks! This is all new to us. I think DH was told that his dry mouth is a function of this mouth breathing. He never had dry mouth before sleep apnea came along. That is why they've recommended a nose model to him, not a mouth-model. I really don't know a lot but I guess I will find out tonight.

 

 

 

I'm just excited, that the rest of us will be able to sleep soundly on this cruise. It's taken a few years to convince DH that he needed the machine.

I think he’ll find he wishes he’d gotten one years ago—if he’s like me, he’ll enjoy full, restful nights of sleep, again.

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I asked concierge if Micheal staff pooled tips and was told no

Good to know. This is good information to have.

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We have never had a problem getting it on embarkation day, either. Just ask your stateroom attendant.

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I am SO excited to have stumbled upon this thread. We have not cruised Celebrity since our son was born 14 years ago and have been cruising with RCI. Booked a royal suite in June for our 10 night Mediterranean and can’t wait. The advice has been wonderful. Only question I didn’t see asked, was do people tip the waiters in Luminare? We have done that in the past in RCI’s Coastal Kitchen, but never know how much, how often (for each meal eaten, dinner only, etc). We also typically tip $2-3 dollars per drink ordered in the suite lounge. Is this still standard? Thanks for any advice.

Which Med cruise are you on in June? We are June 29 on Reflection from Rime to Greece...

Tip at the end if you feel service was excellent (you will). To my knowledge, Luminae staff does pool extra tips. We give an envelope to the Maitre’D on the last night with a handwritten thank you to the staff.

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Service is very quick I would say faster than mdr and so much better

What I know is that now that we’ve had Luminae, we don’t ever want to not have Luminae. It takes an already great cruise to the next level.

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