aggiejd2000

I called BCC after my last cruise at the end of November to ask about the annual cruise benefit. I don't know what the annual cruise benefit is, so I don't know if it is a 7 day cruise like you're asking. I was told that after the end of the earning period, i.e., end of 2023, they will review everyone's recent play and eligibility. If the person is eligible, BCC will send out the benefit by the end of January 2024.

It is supposed to be distributed to your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. I don't know the exact time. I did not find mine outside my door. On the last night of my cruise, the casino did not open until 8pm. When I initially talked to the casino host, she said I didn't get one. When I insisted she check, she came back with one and said that there was confusion and that it got delivered to the wrong room. By then, Future Cruises had closed and I wasn't able to buy a "Book Later" and we had to disembark early the next morning. In retrospect, I could have left a "Book Later" form in my stateroom, but then there's no guarantee that it would have been processed correctly.

Sorry, I think AlbertaCruisers is correct. I didn't use my instant certificate and already recycled it. I may have confused it with the regular "Book Later" time frame, which is six months. So be sure to check the Instant Certificate to see what the actual time frame is. You don't have to book the Instant Certificate onboard, but be sure to book it within the deadline provided on the certificate.

BTW, if you receive an instant certificate, you don't have to book it onboard. As long as you purchase a "Book Later" from Future Cruises while on the ship and make the deposit, you can use your instant certificate after you get home. You'll have 6 months to make the booking.

You're welcome! I'm no expert and I was initially frustrated by the new instant certificate program but when I sat down, did some research and the rough math, I felt like I had a better understanding of how it worked, as well as how tier points are calculated. I still don't know how Celebrity comes up with the email and postcard offers, that remains a mystery!

If you make Amethyst before the end of 2023, your tier status will remain Amethyst for all of 2024 but your points will reset to zero at the beginning of 2024, which means you will have to "re-earn" another 25K points in 2024 to maintain your Amethyst status. Blue Chip has just started to issue Instant Certificates onboard based on your level of gaming. People have been frustrated because there is misunderstanding as to how the points are calculated. It is NOT based on the tier points earned for Blue Chip status. It is based on points before multipliers. For example, Blue Chip gives 5x per $1 on slots and 8x per $1 theo on table games to calculate tier points. For the instant certificates, it is just the points before the multipliers. It is much more straightforward if you play slots because it is based on coin-in. You can see what your points are on the machine after you insert your Sea Pass card. However, if you play table games, you'll have to figure out your average daily theoretical (ADT). That differs based on which game you play, how long you play, etc. You can try to estimate it, first by asking the pit boss what they have you down your average bet size. I think it's best to stick to a particular bet size, say $25/hand, so that it is easier to track. Then, it is matter of calculating: (Average size of bet) x (Hours played per day) x (Hands per hour) x (House Advantage) to get your ADT. You'll have to research online the "hands dealt per hour" and the "house advantage" for the table game you're playing. Then you multiply your ADT by the number of days you played to get the number of points for the purposes of the instant certificate. As you can tell, it's much harder to estimate for table games than for slots. For slots, you can clearly see where you're at and how much you need to play to earn the certificate. For table games, the math is fuzzy. Every casino, including Celebrity's, holds close to its vest how it calculates the ADT. At best, you can confirm what average bet size they have you down at, and you can confirm the number of hours played. But you won't know what number they're using for "number of hands dealt per hour," as that can change based on the number of players, though the house advantage should be static for each game. If you are going on a 5 night cruise, you will either have to bet pretty big or play a lot of hours if you hope to get to Amethyst in one try. I recently sailed twice within weeks of each other and played the same games. I estimated my ADT based on the games I played and compared it to the tier points I received afterwards, and the instant certificate I received, and they were both pretty much spot on. Now, as for offers, here's where many people are frustrated with Blue Chip and I share their frustration. It is entirely unclear how and why Blue Chip determines the type of offers it makes and to whom, at least for their email and postcard offers. That has been the case for quite awhile now. The instant certificate is supposed to provide more transparency on that front. So far I think it does. But it is not clear whether the instant certificates will entirely replace the email/postcard offers that Blue Chip has been sending out in the past. The casino host I spoke with on my most recent cruise told me that the instant certificates are a promotion so it seems like Celebrity has not decided yet. For the time being, I'm still receiving email and postcard offers. I live in the US so I don't know the answer to your question re Australians. This is what I would recommend if you want to get the most out of your play as a first timer if your intent is to maximize comps: 1. When you first go to the Casino, find the Casino Host, introduce yourself, express interest in the Blue Chip program so as to get on his/her radar. Say hello/chat at every opportunity when you're in the casino. Some hosts are good, some are not but it doesn't hurt to try to get friendly with them. 2. Engage with the dealers and pit bosses when you're playing at the tables. The dealers will ask for your Sea Pass card when you sit down. Ask the pit boss at the end of each session what your average bet size was and what they have you down for the number of hours you played. 3. Keep track of your play. Confirm everything before you get off the ship. You won't be able to contest anything after you get off. 4. If you really want to get an instant certificate, you probably should front load (as in, play early) as they will generate the stats for the certificate on the second to the last night and put the certificates on your cabin door the night before. 5. BUY a Future Cruise certificate while onboard, even if you're not sure if you're going to get an instant certificate. It's only a $100/pp deposit and if you don't use it in 6 months, you get the deposit back. My instant certificate got lost and didn't get delivered to my cabin on the last night. By the time the casino opened and they sorted it out, Future Cruises was closed and we had to disembark early the next morning. I couldn't buy a Future Cruises certificate and missed out on the "bonus," which is usually a cabin category upgrade if you buy a Future Cruise while onboard.

Hello, I just contacted a TA to book my first VV cruise and am trying to understand how the MNVV works with this booking. I wanted a XL Sea Terrace for 2. The cost of the cabin right now online is as follows: $1975.50 per person $240 in taxes and fees Cabin total: $4191 Black Friday discount: -$790 Book early discount: $395 Voyage total less discounts: $3,006 The TA quoted me $2,706, with 10% discount early pay of $2,430, plus $600 bar tab and $700 sailor loot. I pay $300 to the TA, plus $193 deposit to VV now. If I pay in full for the early discount of $2,430, am I getting the correct discount or should the TA have applied an additional $300? I think it is correct but this thread is making me confused. Thanks!

We've only tried Edge on E-Class, but on S-Class, have sailed on Solstice, Reflection, Eclipse, Infinity, Silhouette, and Equinox. Pros of Edge: Bathroom! I think the bathroom on Edge is a huge improvement over the S-Class ships. Spacious, better designed, more storage. I can't stand that bowl sink with the giant faucet arm on S-Class. The cabin design and decor is modern and lovely. SV is the way to go but there aren't that many of them and they get snapped up quickly. Eden. We loved going there for HH before dinner and enjoying the acoustic music. And on sea days, I'd go there, find one of the hanging chairs, and read. MDR dining. When the quality of the food overall went down fleet-wide, I think the food in the MDRs on Edge was better in terms of quality, variety, and presentation on Edge than the MDRs on S-Class. And we sailed on Edge and S-Class post-pandemic. The theater is gorgeous and high tech; the productions were quality. Hand washing station at Oceanview Buffet! Cons of Edge: Is it me or are the ceilings lower around the ship? When we were in Guest Services or other areas where there should be a normal ceiling height, the ceilings just felt lower than on S-Class. Main atrium/bar area is dark and meh, due to lack of windows. More hotel like feel, especially with the enclosed elevators. And so much gray! No library and just a general lack of public spaces. No World Class Bar, which my husband says has the best bartenders and drinks on S-Class Smaller and tighter casino Not much shade on the top deck We have mixed feelings about Edge. The things we loved, the pros, we really loved... Okay, with the exception of the MDR food. I wouldn't say we loved the food but it is better than the S-Class MDR post-pandemic food, where there's too many scoops of mashed potatoes, matchstick carrots, and broccoli florets. But the cons are pretty big cons for us. We love the main atrium area in the S-Class ships and the glass elevators. We love the windows, the library and other public spaces, including the Sky Observation Lounge. We love Blu on S-Class. It's unlikely that we'll try Blu on E-Class because Aqua only has Infinite Verandas and we don't care for IVs. We're going to try Ascent next year so we'll see if our feelings about E-Class change.

I was last in AQ on Solstice in April 2023. Was on Reflection in AQ in December 2022 and Solstice in AQ in November 2022. Loved Blu each time. I enjoy the more intimate venue and everyone there gets to know you. The best crew was the one on Reflection, the manager was the most jovial man and always went around the room to make sure everyone was having a great time. I sailed alone in April 2023 and they always greeted me by name, had my table ready, and knew what I liked. I really enjoy the food in Blu. There's more variety and creativity than in the MDR, at least on S-Class. No scoops of mashed potatoes, carrot match sticks or broccoli stalks! If you like fish, Blu really excels in that department. The fish skin is crispy and the tuna is seared rare. If you're heavy red meat eater, you might find the selection in Blu to be lacking. Sometimes, I'll just order a few apps and I'm a happy camper. I will say though, that the menus in Blu hadn't changed much from November 2022 to April 2023. It's not a big complaint, as there were things that I was very much looking forward to eating again!

We've been looking to book Virgin for awhile but have hesitated because of their limited itineraries. BUT, they've just released some new itineraries so we're just trying to decide which one to try!

I sailed five times between June 2022 to April 2023 on S Class and E Class. There is a marked different in the MDR food experience between S class and E class, with E class's food being noticeably better. The MDR food on S class has that sad protein with ice cream scoop of mashed potatoes, match stick carrots, and broccoli or green bean, EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT. The 4 MDRs on E class has a lot more variety, and better quality. On S Class you basically have to pay for specialty or go up to Aqua Class for Blu or suites for Luminae.

Maybe there's misunderstanding or something, but I called again and was told clearly that there is NO stacking of the Captain's Club discount. The CC discount is just based off of whatever the prevailing "full price" is, which apparently fluctuates. I asked if there is a change in policy and she said no, that for as long as she has worked there (however long that is), there has not been any stacking. So at least two different reps, including one supervisor, has told me that there is no stacking of CC discount.

The boards are different than the ship experience, that's for sure. I'm in my late 40's, childfree, and married and went solo for the first time recently on Celebrity. I was a bit hesitant as I'm not exactly a social butterfly but I loved it (and will go again solo in a few months)! Crew was friendly and so were most people, and I found it easy to chat when I wanted to, and had quiet time when I didn't. You are definitely welcomed on board as a single woman, at any age. I mostly lurk here and occasionally post but I don't think that the people here are necessarily representative of who is aboard, and I've cruised with Celebrity about 10 times over the last 15 years.

We're Elite but man, Celebrity's customer service leaves much to be desired. I have an upcoming sailing and called the Captain's Club number about the Elite discount for premium wifi. I bought a stacked discount earlier this year. When I called a few days ago during the Flash Sale, the rep told me that I couldn't combine the discount during the Flash Sale and said to call back after it was over. So I called back today. The rep then tells me no stacking, period. What? Has there been a change of policy? She doesn't know. She tries to transfer me to Reservations. I've already been on the phone for her for an hour while she's been checking with whoever about this. I ask her if she in the Captain's Club department and she says yes. Then I asked for a supervisor. After waiting for another 20 minutes, a supervisor comes on line. She offers me a 37% discount. I'm confused and ask her to explain because the Flash Sale is over and the current pre-cruise discount showing online is 20% off. She says the 20% off right now is some other sale that cannot be stacked with the Captain's Club discount. But the website isn't showing any sale, it's just showing a pre-cruise discount. She then tells me that the standard pre-cruise discount is 5% or sometimes can be 7% and that is why she is offering me 7%, plus 30% for 37%. However, the system does not show either the 5% or 7% to anyone other than internally. So when I asked her how any Captain's Club member would know how to get the best discount, she tells me she has no idea and suggests that I just buy now. Oh, so when discuss pricing for my purchase, she gives me the dollar amount, which was $153 and change for a 7 night cruise. I said, that doesn't add up correctly. That's not even 30% off, much less 37%. I calculated it based on the full price of $28.99/day but she said it should be $29.99/day. I tell her that online, I have four cruises booked. Two out of the four cruises show the full price of premium wifi as $28.99/day while the other two show it as $29.99/day. She insists that it should be $29.99/day across the board and asks me to email her screenshots. But even if the discount was calculated based on $29.99/day, for a 7 night cruise, 30% off would be $146.95, as she confirmed there are no taxes or fees. Of course, as we're discussing this, we get disconnected and she doesn't call me back...

Every time I see someone post a pic of an entree from the MDR in a S-Class ship, I chuckle a little because it's almost always the same sides, matchsticks carrots, a scoop of mashed potatoes, and steamed/sauteed broccoli. Based on my experience, I agree that the food quality and variety in the S-Class ships is lower than the E-Class ships. In the last year I've sailed Celebrity four times: twice on Solstice, once on Reflection, and once on Edge. The first time I was on Solstice and I found the food in the MDR unacceptable, in quality and variety. It had been a number of years since I had been on Celebrity and I thought the food definitely went down compared to my previous experiences. I was going to abandon Celebrity but then decided to step up to Aqua class on my next sailing on the Reflection, and the food experience was much better. I was in Aqua again when I returned to Solstice and it was again very good. When I went on Edge, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and variety in the 4 MDRs, they were better than the MDR on Solstice. If Celebrity made a conscious decision to differentiate between the quality and variety in the S-Class MDRs and the E-Class MDRs, I think that is very unfortunate, as I really like Reflection and want to sail on her in the future. I will be boarding Solstice again in a few months and will be in the MDR. I'm hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised and won't have a repeat of my prior disappointing experience but this pic isn't making me feel particularly optimistic...

BAH! We were booked on this TA and had a nice center SV picked out, and it came with $850 OBC. We're not opposed to the Ascent TA, which is only a few days earlier, but there aren't any SVs available. The OBC was too good to give up so we went with a DPV and got the additional measly $100 OBC for our troubles. We're paying slightly more for a less desirable cabin and a day less, for the newest ship. I'm not super unhappy but it's not what we wanted for our first TA.

This was certainly the case on the Caribbean cruise we just got off of. We were on an 11nt on Edge and noticed many more motorized scooters than usual. Our ship was about 70% full and I would venture to guess that most of the guests were 60+. It was probably the oldest crowd we've seen and we sailed in June 2022, Thanksgiving week 2022 and Christmas week 2022. We've been on 8 Celebrity cruises and we've never seen rowdy drunks or passed out folks (okay, there was one guy at the poker table but he kinda fell asleep). As for people stuffing their faces with fried food, well, lots of people do that on a cruise buffet and if I didn't like that, I'd have to stop cruising!

We sailed in Nov and Dec 2022. Both times, we did not have drink packages. We played in the casino every night on both cruises and always got free drinks. Sometimes, the servers would ask for our room numbers, sometimes they didn't, but we were never charged. Everyone who was actively playing at the tables received free drinks.

For us, definite yay. I don't know Blu is on E-Class but on S-Class it's great. We were in Aqua on Solstice in November 2022 and on Reflection in December 2022. The menus were about the same. If you like lots of red meat, you probably won't like Blu. There's steaks but it's not a very beef-centric menu over the course of a week or so. If you like fish, you'll be happy in Blu. I think they excel in that area because of their small kitchen. Perfectly rare seared tuna. Fish with crispy skin. But the other dishes are also very good. Blu's menus are more creative than the ones in the MDR. Blu has better vegetable sides than the MDR, which lean heavily on carrots, broccoli, green beans, and potatoes. We ate in Blu every night and were mostly pleased. We sailed on Solstice in June 2022 in Concierge Class and were disappointed with the food in the MDR. The desserts in Blu are the same as the ones in the MDR. We don't care for them that much. We could have ordered apps and entrees from the MDR but rarely did so because we were happy with Blu's selections. We saw many people around us order from the MDR menus on Solstice and Reflection. We like how Blu is more intimate. You can go at any time, ask for the same section, and get the same servers. The folks in Blu on Reflection were awesome. Our server knew our names from the get go. The manager is the nicest man, who came around every night to make sure we were happy. The tables are a bit tight but we chat with others when we feel like it and if not, we don't. We're not early risers so I've only had breakfast once in Blu. It's nice but it closes at 9am.

OMG, this part made me LOL, especially because this is totally something my husband would say! Been enjoying this side-by-side comparison. As a fellow attorney, I hope your briefs are just as colorful and entertaining!

Yes, I understand that but again, I never said X should do away with the buffet.

I think Blu is a step up from the MDR so if the cost difference isn't much, I think that alone is worth it.

If you had quoted my entire comment, you would have seen the part where I said I never advocated that X should do away with buffet service. I merely said I wouldn't care if breakfast/lunch buffet service went away. I don't see why I need to consider something I never argued for in the first place.

I never said that the breakfast and lunch buffet is important to me. And to be honest, if X did away with buffet breakfast/lunch, I wouldn't care because I'd be fine with a coffee and pastry at Cafe al Bacio in the morning and then dinner, which is my normal practice at home. I never advocated for doing away with X's buffet service, dinner or otherwise. I stated I understood why some prefer it. I merely expressed a reservation about food waste in general. I don't see how that has anything to do cruising on a LNG ship unless you're trying to insinuate that my concern for food waste is hypocritical because I cruised on X. With that kind of logic, I could argue that you must be anti-conservation because you like buffets but I won't because I think that's unfair. The truth is that our daily existence in the modern world -- the food we eat, the water we drink, the energy we consume, etc. -- has a negative impact on the environment if we think deeply enough about it.

I'm well aware of how just cruising itself is detrimental to the environment. But cruising on ships running on regular gas doesn't mean it's okay to otherwise engage in wasteful behavior. It's easy to just say "who cares" and not do anything by arguing that it is basically meaningless. If everyone thought that, we'd never be able to make a collective difference.