peanut head

I recall, years ago, that reviews were attached to shore excursions.  Reviews are no longer listed on the X website.  Is there a place that has reviews for the excursions (aside from asking on CC)?

31 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

You too...

 

We are booked in the Silhouette PH in September...at the moment it seems a distant dream.

 

I did focus on the room and the butler in my reply. Just a couple more comments.

 

Firstly the concierge....If there are any behind the scene tours you want to do just ask. Best to chat with the concierge at the start of the cruise so he/she can register your interest and has time to organise. There is often a bridge tour for PH and RS guests last sea day followed by lunch with staff in Blu. Tours like the kitchen and stage are usually done in groups of about 20. If you request something a bit different like the laundry or recycling it will most likely be individual.

 

To us the speciality dining experience is even more special when you have unlimited access. You become a ‘regular’, staff will know your preferences and will sometimes offer to make you off menu items. Steak Diane in Murano’s was fantastic!

 

 

I wish that you could be the concierge for us;).  We have stayed in RS but never a PH.  No time like the present to start dreaming big!

10 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

We have cruised in the PH on Eclipse which is the same layout as Equinox. 

 

The balcony is quite long and thin but will take a couple of sunbeds as well as having a jacuzzi (bathtub) and a table and chairs big enough to dine at. 

 

The best way way to get the most from your PH experience is to communicate well with your butler. Pre cruise when you receive an email from the shoreside concierge list the spirits, sodas etc you want in your room, state your pillow preference and then add in any extras. For example,  a full fruit bowl or a kettle and tea tray...

 

Once on board your butler will see you during the afternoon. He will chat with you about your daily routines. He will also give you a card with his number on. Some guests will request things every day (coffee at 9am, afternoon tea at 4pm...). Other guests will not request anything regularly but will just phone the butler as and when. If your butler is not on duty when you phone another will take the call. We used to request an evening snack to be left in the fridge (shrimp platter, cheese plate....). 

 

If you have any laundry your butler will sort it, dining requests...

 

Many suite guests are very undemanding and don’t want the butler to knock on every day so unless you ask for something you may not see him. If you have any issues or requests use the phone and he will provide anything you need/want. We have seen reviews where guests have complained they had a ‘poor butler’ as they rarely saw him. It is clear how perceptions like this can come about.

 

If we ever want something requiring a bit more time from the butler (arranging a sail away party for friends, a special in suite dining experience) we always let the butler know at least a day in advance. He then has time to delegate/organise other tasks. Butlers can find last minute ‘special requests’ harder to organise. 

 

Hope you have a fantastic cruise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Chemmo!  Your response was on point and very helpful.  It's nice to think of cruising in today's climate--puts a smile on your face!  Stay safe.

Thanks for the information.  I inadvertently put down 2021 when I meant 2022.

I a looking at the fall 2021 Constellation Italian cruise which will turn around and become a TA.  If keeping the same suite, what do you do on the last day of the first cruise and the first day of the second cruise?  Do you have to leave the ship?  

I had the Villa booked for the May 2021 canceled Apex TA and rebooked in the PH for the 2022.  After scouring CC, Celebrity and YouTube we decided to change the suite type.  The main reason was that the master bathroom had only 1 sink.  Yes, we are aware that the sink is quite wide but not having 2 faucets would make a difference and who really wants to be the short straw and have to take the 2nd bathroom when you are spending all that money?  If the Villa was designed with 2 sinks in the master bathroom we would definitely go for it.

On another note, you only live once and can't take the $ with you so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!!

Just s/w Costco and Celebrity who confirmed that only 1 FCC voucher pp per cruise to be used by 4/30/2022 and that they cannot be used for cruises with a sailing date after 9/30/2022.  

No trick question--just confirmation of what I was asking.  Sometimes what you read isn't always true or I may have missed something that was put out to clarify the question.

Funny how most of us are in the same boat (no pun intended) regarding the current cancelations.  I have 3 FCC vouchers from 3 canceled cruises ranging from $1200.00 - $9800.00 pp. I have read the FAQ's on the Celebrity website regarding usage of the FCC but I am still confused...please help out.  The current expiration to use the FCC is 4/30/2022 for sailings through 9/30/2022 and only 1 FCC voucher per person per sailing.  Does that mean that I can or cannot use 2 FCC vouchers per person for my October 2022 sailing?

Does the CC community have any idea of when a flash sale may come about for shore excursions for upcoming cruises?  Also, how would we find out--is there email notification or do you just have to keep checking the Celebrity website?

On 1/8/2021 at 1:02 PM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We were in the PH in November 2019 and it was well maintained.  The sofa looked new, or at least reupholstered. It still had the piano and the glass dining table. It was our 1st PH so I have nothing to compare it with.

We are booked in the PH for Oct. 2022--1st time.  How was the balcony? Any tips you can offer to us to enhance our stay?

Our reasons for booking the PH are many fold--the space inside to spread out, the perceived glamour, the Retreat.  Yes, the balcony would be more of an issue if we didn't already live in an area that has over 310 days of sunshine and clear skies a year.  However, since you asked and I am quite open about it, the main reason is b/c our planning for a rainy day(s) is upon us.  I was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma about 2 years ago and was thought to have only a couple of weeks to survive.  After intensive chemo (6 days a week / 24 hours, 3 weeks off and the cycle began again for 6 months) and radiation (5 weeks for 5 days at 45-60 minutes a session) my DH and I decided to enjoy life now as opposed to waiting for the future.  My tumor is inactive  now but it will eventually return.  Since I have maxed out on the chemo and radiation I am no  longer a candidate for it and hopefully there will be another form of treatment for me...or there'll be one heck of a party to throw!  We are realists and deal with what is coming our way--living, loving, exercising, eating, drinking and cruising!  In essence, carpe diem.

That being said, we wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year and a quick return to cruising again. 

2 hours ago, kk99 said:

We had the penthouse cabin  for two sailings on Edge in December 2018. The balcony is long and  skinny, and the furnishings on the balcony were too crowded and looked good but did not function well.  They subsequently removed some of the furniture on it, making it more usable.  You could only fit a lounger if it was at an angle. It has a deep overhang, and you did receive some filtered sunlight on it during the day but not all day, and if you wanted to look up at the night sky, you could see it by going to the edge of the railing, as well as seeing the Bridge .  It would not be ideal for stargazing. I would have been happy with just two lounger chairs instead of the two small fabric sofas and numerous concrete and metal end tables, and the two cushioned chairs. The interior space was good with the two bedrooms and bathrooms, and mostly functional, other than some furniture designs which were tweaked over time, and improved by the time I went for the transatlantic and saw the cabin again.  When I went back on Edge for the transatlantic, I did not book this suite again, as the balcony space and usability does matter to me personally, and we picked a different suite category. If you don't want a large overhang, then either book sky suites, celebrity suites, or the Iconic suites. The Edge Villas also have a smaller but usable balcony, and it does lead out from an upstairs door onto the Retreat sundeck which is handy. The aft sky suites have deeper balconies than the side sky suites.  I was hoping that with Apex and/or Beyond that Celebrity would redesign the Penthouse and Royal suites without the large overhang or move the suites to a lower floor.  I might book the penthouse again on the Edge class ships but only in a very cold weather cruise, where I would not go outside that much. For the same amount of money, I would rather have two sky or celebrity suite cabins.  My favorite  Celebrity suite balconies are the penthouse balconies on the M class ships.

 

Whatever the cabin you pick, I hope you have a wonderful vacation.

Thank you KK99!  Your reply was exactly the answer to my question.  Not necessarily what I wanted to hear but was succinct and detailed.

We had a Villa booked but did not like the idea of 1 sink in the master bathroom.  We got a great price on the PH--thousands less expensive than what we had reserved with the Villa so we decided to switch.  

Enjoy sailing!

Thank you to all who took the time to respond, especially chemmo.  I kept my question short so as not to be verbose, but it seems I need to go into more detail.  I did, in fact, see almost all videos/diagrams/schematics of the PH that are posted (including the link in this stream of posts) for the past couple of months.  All of these videos are just snapshot(s) in time and do not show what happens through the course of a day/night.  I even questioned Celebrity reps where I was informed that full sun can be found on some part of the balcony during the entire day (which I found a little hard to believe).

What I am looking for, is a Celebrity guest who actually stayed in the Edge PH and can tell me what she/he experienced as an answer.   

Yes, but did it block out all sun during the day and was it hard to see the night sky?

Thinking of booking the Edge Penthouse and was wondering if the balcony had an overhang that didn't allow for full sun during the day and the ability to see the nighttime sky? 

On 12/27/2020 at 5:46 AM, Schmoe38 said:

We have sailed in both types of staterooms. The PH on Silhouette is a wonderful stateroom with a gorgeous main bathroom and plenty of room on the balcony to enjoy some quiet time. We sailed in an Edge Villa on Edge in November 2019. The Edge Villa is a wonderful 2 storey stateroom with your bedroom on the second level. Your bed faces the window to the water, so your wake-up is second to none. Your Edge Villa also has an access door with direct access to and from the Retreat. The TV in your 2nd floor bedroom comes down from the ceiling....nice “toy.”

 

The balcony on our Edge Villa was like a wind tunnel when we sailed. It was hard to enjoy the outside furniture and the outside hot tub when we were at sea as it was very windy. Our itinerary was in the Caribbean. As well, the hot tub takes a while to get warmed up, so if you choose this stateroom, ask the butler to start warming up the hot tub about 45 minutes before you plan on going in. When we sailed, our butler serviced only the Edge Villas. We are very low maintenance, so he was always visible, looking for something to do.

 

In terms of dining, Apex will have Fine Cut Steakhouse which was a very good comparable to Murano on Silhouette. The food and the service in both specialty restaurants would come up a winner in both. Apex has a hidden gem in La Grand Bistro, which should be a lunch option for you. We found many people refused to pay $20 for lunch there early in the cruise, so getting in was not an issue. As people realized their mistake, the crowds got larger as our cruise wore on. Raw on 5 on Apex gets the nod over Sushi on 5 on Silhouette. Food is better and service was way better. Remember, you will get unlimited specialty restaurants on both ships when you are in the PH or Edge Villa.

 

The big issue for us was Luminae. On Silhouette, Luminae is divided into 2 sections, a front and a back. The front is a little noisier than the back due to it being closer to the entrance door. The back side is closer to the kitchen access area. Luminae on Apex is open concept and was definitely noisier when we sailed on Edge. Food and service was excellent on both. The other difference comes from Luminae’s limited menu.

 

On Silhouette, if you see a Luminae menu where you cannot eat or prefer not to eat any of the entrees, you can order off the Main Dining menu. The kitchens are close to each other, so wait staff do not have to go far if you order off the Main Dining Room menu. As such, your choice is expanded immensely. You cannot do the same on Apex as Luminae is higher on the ship and much farther away from the Main Dining Room kitchen. As such, your choices will be reduced as compared to Silhouette.

 

At the end of the day, if the itineraries are both acceptable to you, I would choose the PH on Silhouette. The stateroom is open concept and more conducive to your enjoyment inside and outside on the balcony. The Edge Villa, although it would be a beautiful stateroom on a new ship, is a little choppy due to the 2 storey structure and not as enjoyable inside and outside on the balcony.

 

Just my 2 cents’ worth.

 

Randy

Hi Randy,

I was wondering if the upstairs bathroom in the Edge Villa had 2 sinks?  I can't get a good picture of the vanity(ies) from any diagrams.

On Dec. 15, I was going to Lift and Shift my 2021 Apex TA to the similar itinerary of the 2022 Edge TA (I didn't like the more Northern route the Apex 2022 TA was taking).  I was encountering no problems.  However, during the discussion with the Celebrity reservationist, I realized that an upgraded suite on the Edge TA was thousands of dollars less expensive than what I had with the Apex.  That being said, I booked a new reservation on the Edge TA and will either cancel the Apex TA with the 48 hour guarantee or wait for a 125% FCC if Celebrity cancels the trip.

I believe that I read somewhere that RCCL is releasing their schedule on 11/9/2020, so I would assume that Celebrity would follow suit.

58 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Is there a particular reason you need to book it now rather than wait a month or two until things become clearer? If it's pricing there's always a sale. I have a European cruise booked for July and while NORMALLY i would be planning private tours and posting here on CC about having others joining in but now NOTHING is the same now so I'm just sitting tight until there's a clearer picture about what can and cannot be done. 

Just b/c I book doesn't mean it's final.  That's the reason for this forum--to get an idea of how people feel.  I think that we all know how you feel from the tone of your emails.

I double checked with the big box store shore excursion company after reading your posts.  They said that the group is around 15-20 people.  I was assured that we would get back to the ship no later than 30 minutes prior to departing from port at the latest, but most likely 45 minutes before departure.  The excursion is fully refundable at any time.  If the excursion company causes us to miss the boat then they give us $500.00 cash, a hotel night's stay and transfer to the next port.  I also discussed that, currently, it seems that there is a trend for excursions to only be ship sponsored.  The big box store excursion company is aware of this and said that over time they are looking to be granted the same and rules can change by the time the ship sails and once again, I can cancel at anytime for a full refund.

It's the Apex TA in May 2021.  The ship departs at 4pm from Malaga.  Next port is Alicante arriving at 7am.

I was hoping by May that ship sponsored tours would not be a requirement.  The excursion is to Alhambra and Granada. 

I am considering booking a shore excursion with a big box store.   Celebrity doesn't offer a similar experience in the same port.  The big box store guarantees that you will make it back to the ship or they will pay to get you back by the next port.  The excursion in question is supposed to end and have us back only 15 minutes before the ship departs the port.  Is this cutting it too close?  Would you do it?

9 hours ago, drsel said:

17 hours ago, peanut head said:

You can always visit here.

Just to buy groceries?

There are big box stores located in the Asia, Australia, the UK, Spain and other parts of Europe, as well as North and South America.  The gift cards can be used in any department in the big box store.

3 hours ago, drsel said:

3 hours ago, peanut head said:

I use a big box store and get a percentage of the cruise fare in the form of a gift card that has no expiration date.

But that gift card can be used only by North Americans. What about the rest of the world?

You can always visit here.😊