aggiejd2000

I'm sorry to hear this. I have had varying experiences with the folks who answer the BCC number. When I booked our Mexican Riviera cruise a few months back, the person was super friendly and helpful. The person I talked to today had moments of snarkiness that I did not care for and she could use some training on how to be more courteous. I had actually called back 30 minutes after I finished booking because I read on this thread that others were able to book on Apex or Beyond and was hoping to switch. I got another person was very nice but the sailing I wanted either wasn't part of the offer or not available. But then again, I have a feeling what is actually available, in terms of sailing dates, ships, and upgrades, depends on who you speak to. As they say, YMMV

Several months ago, we got a BBC offer for the Mexican Riviera (which we booked) and recently received the one for the Caribbean. I called and just made a booking the 8 night Eastern Caribbean Holiday on Reflection leaving on Dec. 23rd. We upgraded to A1 for an additional $40/per day and scored a nice mid-ship location. The other ones I wanted on the Apex or Beyond with the same itinerary were either unavailable or not part of the offer. They do still have Apex sailings for Dec. 17th and 23rd but we have already been to those ports and wanted to try something new. We haven't been on Reflection so that will still be new to us. All in $656.76.

I found a good price on a July 2023 cruise in Europe. With the extra $250 OBC sale and a $200/pp flight credit, I thought it was a good time to book. After I booked, I tried searching for a flight but there was nothing available on the website so I called Celebrity to ask about how to claim the flight credit. Well, I found out that the flight credit is only available if a flight is available. Since our cruise is almost a year out, there's no flights yet. The fine print only says that you have to book the flight during the period the flight credit is offered but says nothing about what happens if flights are not yet available 🙄

What is the CC discount?

I hope you will post about your experiences, as I'd be interested in hearing how they compare. I'm in the process of researching to book our first Oceania cruise.

Thanks so much for this comparison! It was super timely, as DH and I were just discussing whether we should try suite class on Celebrity E-class ships or Oceania. We've been cruising with Celebrity on its S-class ships but the main dining room's food has become disappointing and we're looking for a more elevated experience. From your description, it sounds like the dining experiences are a toss-up. Decisions...

We were just on that cruise in mid-June on the Solstice. There's a couple on the ship that give different lectures, none about shopping. The husband talks wildlife and the wife talks history. Their names escape me at the moment, but the lectures were informative about each locale and points of interest. They both have great senses of humor and are very nice. We tried to attend as many lectures as possible. No mention of Diamond International whatsoever.

It's legit. I just booked a A1 cabin for a total of 424.58 ($142.28/pp for taxes/port fees plus an upcharge of $70/pp for aqua class). Had to wait 1.5 hours on the phone, the rep said they're inundated with calls from this email. Received a confirmation email from Celebrity. I asked and there is no requirement to play in the casino. No option to upgrade to suites. It's cruise fare only so still have to pay for tips, plus anything else. Still a great deal. TBH, we were on Solstice in June for Alaska in CC and weren't wowed. But since we are able to try AC at such a low cost and the cruise is departing from a port we can drive to, I figured it was too good to pass up.

There's a text feature on it, which we found useful (when it worked!) Sometimes, we do our own thing on the ship and we'd use the app to text to find each other.

We were on Solstice in June and even though the app listed OVC as being 24/7 throughout the cruise, it was really only open until around 1am, 2am tops.

I didn't know this! We're thinking of straying from Celebrity and I was considering Princess but the smoking is a non-starter for us.

Was on Solstice in mid-June. They wanted people to wear masks in the theater but hardly anyone did, at least for the lectures we attended. We did not go to any shows so I don't know if people wore masks then. We generally went maskless around the ship but kept our social distance in most situations, and masked up around crowds.