TeeRick

We are Pearl members and actually do gamble a little on every cruise. Entertainment purposes. We have never once received an offer or email from the BCC. I have received an offer or two over the years from RCCL but never Celebrity.

When sailing the Retreat we still use our balcony for sunbathing (weather permitting). We never use the Retreat for the small pool or sundeck. That's just us. We do like to use the inside part of the Retreat or the Retreat outdoor bar.

We have $1000 OBC on our upcoming cruise in Jan. But we still not want to go on Celebrity ship excursions (for COVID/Flu reasons). Crowding into buses or minivans for prolonged exposure times is a risk we prefer not to take. We are considering using the OBC on a couple of Private Journeys but these are very expensive and not discounted. No 35% off. So we will go off on our own with local guides and use our OBC elsewhere. In a suite we do enjoy Luminae so we will not do much Specialty Dining either.

Yes agree but it depends on your needs. We book a CS since it is the least expensive suite on Celebrity with a separate bedroom. My dw and I have very different sleep patterns. We have a better cruise (especially longer trips) with an enclosed BR configuration. I have seen others posting this here on CC as well. I do wish the CS would offer a bit more than a Sky Suite in terms of what is included with the more expensive price. Maybe even a few Specialty Dining nights or something like that.

We are sailing next month in a CS on Equinox. We are using the last of our FCC's so it was like "lost money" paying for most of this cruise. Yes I understand that it was still our money that was paid out in the past for cruises that got cancelled. But now I agree that The Retreat/Suite prices are pretty ridiculously expensive. I am wondering how many people (like us) are reserving suites with stored up FCC's even at these prices? It seems from most reports here that Celebrity ships are sailing with near 100% suite occupancy. In fact we struggled to find suite options at least in the first half of 2023. When the FCC's are finally a thing of the past will the Retreat/Suite prices come back to Earth? And with E-Class having more overall suites and with 4 E-Class ships (including Ascent) in the fleet, can Celebrity maintain these prices?

Yeah I would buy a yacht.

If I won the Powerball Jackpot I think I would treat myself occasionally.😀

The S-Class ships like Equinox allow smoking usually on the port side in the aft near the Sunset Bar. But not at the Sunset Bar.

Can you imagine that? There are some states that keep extending the deadline.

Dear @4-2-N-8 just be aware that some people here on CC tend to post the negatives and negative reviews. Many people who had a great time or are positive do not take the time to post here. So reviews are slanted toward the negative.

I think you can sell FCC's on the secondary market, But you need to assign it to the new party buying it from you.

It is not a sale when they raise the prices then "discount" them with a "sale" to back where they were (or higher). But you can get some decent OBC with these promotions.

Why would inflation not impact the cruise industry?

I am happy to sail on S-Class. We tried a CS on EDGE but were not overwhelmed by it or the ship.

We were looking for a Caribbean cruise in the near time frame. Jan-Feb 2023. We wanted a suite. It was actually very difficult finding one. Most ships had suites sold out entirely. The remaining few ones were crazy expensive and were usually the very top end (like PH or Iconic), even with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday "sales". BEYOND was outrageous. But we ending up getting a CS on Equinox which was still expensive but we had FCC's to burn. Not sure how crowded the non-suite areas of the ship will be. Jan 21 southern Caribbean for 9 nights. Happy to get a suite on an S-Class ship!

Almost booked Beyond this week. But I am hesitating because there are a lot of trusted cruisers here on CC that have not had the best experiences (yet). Maybe I will wait a tad bit more.

Go back to the original post. The OP never said 7-10 times or the number of people asking or any other number for that matter. And they never said they were actually asked to give a 10 on their survey. And if people are not asked about their food by the wait staff then they would probably complain about that.

LOL. I also do not like the coffee (battery acid) in the Oceanview. 😀

This is really the best answer from @Alakegirl. It is a personal decision based on how much one drinks and how much one uses the WiFi on board. And if one is cruising worry-free or if every penny counts to you when cruising. Everybody is different. We tend to sail in suites so not a factor for us.

I think a few years back I remember (in FLL?) that they had facial recognition and we just walked right through. Does anybody else remember doing this?

On cruises pre-pandemic they would give me coffee every morning in my insulated cup at Cafe al Bacio. They probably realized this was a sanitary issue since then. And thinking about it they are right! So I will order coffee and just pour it in myself in the future.

They will give you a coffee in your insulated coffee mug at Cafe al Bacio. Not really sure about a larger alcoholic drink in your insulated mug even if you have a drink package. Probably a standard size drink or standard wine pour. Of course you could get two drinks and put them in your large insulated mug. Whether you pay for each or have a drink package.

Talk to the Luminae maitre' D and to the Retreat concierge or your suite manager. Maybe because you are in a RS they will bend the rules for you and your cousin a bit. Not likely but hey you just never know until you politely ask.

I don't consider 60's as elderly.😀

Yes you will be Elite (not E+) on Celebrity. The searches that you did already probably tell the story. Not much has changed. Look here for the complete list of Elite benefits, https://www.celebritycruises.com/content/dam/celebrity/pdf/updated-captains-club-brochure-v6.pdf Best cruising to you on APEX or BEYOND!