rzbkan95

Well, after talking with celebrity and with family we decided to do the "cancel for any reason" and receive the 75% credit towards future cruise rather than sailing without the rest of our fam. According to celeb, they will reimburse us for all taxes, etc immediately and we will submit claim to cruise care for the future credit.

The reason for me initially coming to the board with questions yesterday was because when I called Cruise care insurance the information was very confusing as the customer service reps were not very helpful in answering questions--they basically read word for word the page which I had already read and sent me back and forth b/t celeb cust serv and cruise care cust service. One would say that's a ? for celeb and then celeb would say that's a ? for cruise care, etc. very frustrating.

The problem was I had questions regarding their interpretation of the policy/restrictions regarding pre-existing injuries- the rep for cruise care just said she didn't know and I'd just have to wait and see......?? Well, wait and see isn't an option given the price we paid for all 5 of us--if we were going to have to eat the whole amount obviously the 3 of us would have continued on with the cruise. She never mentioned the cancel anytime option. Later in the day, I called back to cruise care and luckily got a very informative rep (Jenna) that was able to give me specific info regarding how they determine pre-existing conditions, etc. If I would have gotten her the first time it would have been much less stressful.

Regardless, even though my brother-in-law received new information not previously known, due to the fact that he had been seeing dr.'s on/off for an injury the issue would not have been covered. He was previously cleared to travel but after getting a new more in-depth scan he was advised not to travel. But....he had been seeing dr.'s 60 days prior. It seemed murky--maybe we could have argued but chances are we would not have received re-imbursement. Cancel anytime seemed easier and all things considered is a good deal when cancelling 3 days before sailing.

I don't usually get the insurance b/c I've always thought it was a waste but for whatever reason I did get insurance for all 5 of us and so glad I did. I would recommend getting it especially when booking several months in advance as you just never know what might come up.

Hope this helps anyone in the future dealing with a similar issue. We are looking at booking another Caribbean cruise in Jan or Feb. I briefly looked at itineraries/ships---saw that both the silouhette, summit and maybe equinox has itineraries to carib in those months--any opinion on which ship is better. Never sailed with celebrity--we were booked on equinox.

Thanks again for the responses/info! jc

Yes, I did contact cruise care and do feel that it will not be covered. I am now going back and forth between celebrity and cruisecare regarding the cancel anytime cruise credit. It says we should be covered for 75% of non-refundable cruise credit if wd cancel for any reason not otherwise covered. I am on hold with celebrity to more specifics on this option.

Hello,

Well, it looks as though we might have to cancel our trip. We were scheduled to leave sunday. I have a question regarding anyone's experience with cruisecare insurance. I have contacted celebrity and waiting for a return call but I thought I might get some info from anyone on here that has actually utilized it.

We are a family of 5. One person in our group was involved in a car accident over a year ago. He has had ongoing issues mainly headaches and memory related issues but nothing that would prevent him from traveling with the family. However, after speaking with a different dr. yesterday he was informed that it was HIS opinion after reviewing previous MRI's etc. that he likely needed surgery to repair c1, c2 vertebrae in the neck and that travel would be a serious risk. He referred him to a neuro surgeon which is scheduled in sept.

Based on this, we are obviously thinking of postponing our trip b/c it's not worth serious injury if surgery could repair and make it more safe at a later time.

I have read the restrictions and Im really unsure if this would be considered "pre-existing" and not covered. How difficult is cruise care to deal with and what type of documentation is required?

Thanks, JC

Great tips! Thanks everyone-appreciate the input!

Hello,

We will be sailing on equinox this sunday 8/20--eastern carib.

First time on celebrity--previously sailed on princess and Holland.

Sailing with family (all adults/middle age and our dad --he's a senior but in good health and mobile, etc.)

First question is about the ports--San Juan, St. Thomas and St. Maarten

We have been to all of these before--we don't usually book shore excursions through the ship--we prefer to be on our own and come/go as we please. In the past, we just got off and roamed around a bit then got back on the ship. I think in San Juan we did a taxi tour and hit the high points and then roamed around where they have the shops along brick streets, etc. Cant remember exactly but remember the old brick streets and it seemed pretty lively.

We thought we might do something more this time like go to the beach, etc. while in St Thomas and St. Maarten. I know St Thomas has good shops and so figured we might roam around that morning then head to the beach. I think I have read that you can catch a ferry to St Johns but didn't know if this was worth it or not or best to go to a beach in st Thomas.

Also, in St. Maarten I have heard a lot about the Maho beach....so maybe will go there? What's the best time to see the planes? Also, I kinda figured it would be super crowded--is this the case?

We get into San Juan late so won't do the beach there but any recommendations for any cool bars or things close by?

Questions about the ship:

Is aqua spa café included for all passengers? Or is it concierge class only? Was mainly interested in the smoothies/juices, etc. We have the classic beverage package.

Also, how much are the frozen drinks at slush? I'm guessing an additional upcharge w/ the classic pkg?

Is it best to wait and book specialty dining onboard or before we go? Really wanting to go the Murano and maybe Tuscan Grill. Also, there are 5 of us so we got connecting staterooms (aft balcony--first time on the aft as well) But.....in the room with 3, only the first two guests got the classic beverage option so it left my dad w/o one. And although he doesn't drink a lot I was going to get him one so he could just order what he wanted w/o worrying about the cost. I was wondering if they offer any specials for the drink package once the cruise started--if so, might wait to get my dad's once on-board.

Thanks for any info! JC

We are also new to celebrity and although we will likely eat most of our meals in the MDR we would like some advice on maybe one or two of the specialty restaurants.

If you had to choose just one or two what would u recommend?

I know its subjective to what types of food you like but just in general which is best. Regarding food types, we like lobster/seafood or steak. No really big pasta eaters.

Thanks!

Is the aqua spa cafe included or is it extra fee? Thanks

I am confused. We just booked equinox. I was trying to get a grasp on whether to purchase the premium bev pkg.

I specifically asked our cruise rep from celebrity about drinks at slush and the martini bar--he said that we would be able to get drinks at all the bars but it would be made with the "house" brands instead of the premium selections. Since we aren't picky about brands or huge drinkers I just went with the classic and the rep advised this was a good choice for us since we weren't looking for specific brands, etc.

But....after reading this thread it seems this isn't correct. The menu lists frozen drinks at slush for $10. So if the cap is $9 on classic pkg does that mean we can't get frozen drinks or that they will just downgrade the alcohol? Or no "house" alcohol and pay the difference? So confusing........😏

Thanks so much for the info! Very helpful.

I was speaking in more general terms. I was curious about the food "overall" as compared to other ships. As mentioned...we have sailed on princess, ncl, and royal caribbean. We have always heard that the food was better on celebrity. Example, the food in the MDR on princess was typically good. However, on NCL our experience was that if you wanted quality you needed to go to the speciality venues as the food in MDR and the buffet wasn't very good. So just curious about the food overall but we will primarily be dining in the MDR. Breakfast/lunch will be buffet or pool area.

Do they have standard items that you can order nightly like steak, fish, etc. Do they have a lobster night? thanks for the info!

Sorry, but I don't see how any of us can answer this -- better than what? Carnival? Crystal? McDonalds? Golden Corral? Ruth Chris Steak House?

Which food? The buffet? Blue? Luminae? Aqua Spa Cafe? Room Service?

There are hundreds of reviews of Celebrity Cruises on this board -- take a look at a few and you should get a good feel for what to expect........

Hello all,

I am new to the board. We've taken several cruises but I have just discovered the forum. I have a few questions for any of you that may have information regarding the sunset verandah's on celebrity equinox and general info about celebrity equinox.

We are sailing in late august to the eastern Caribbean. My questions/concerns after reading many reviews are the following:

We booked 2 connecting staterooms on deck 8 sunset verandah category.

We have never sailed aft but always enjoyed the view from public places on previous sailings. We were really looking forward to it but after reading the reviews I'm a little worried.

First....it's august heading to the Caribbean--I have read there is NO AIR/BREEZE at all on the aft balconies.... Is the true? If so, will it be a waste of money considering it will be too hot to use? I also saw several post stating that the sun is just blistering during the day on the aft balcony. We have sailed the Caribbean in summer months before and it was indeed very hot/humid.

Are we better off with a side balcony? We've had a side balcony in the past and we love sitting out and having coffee in the mornings and drinks in the evening.

No one in our party has mobility issues but is the walk so far that it's totally inconvenient to run get a drink, etc? We have the drink package but I understand the drinks in your mini-fridge aren't included...? We are not huge drinkers but would like a beer or glass of wine every once in a while so would we have to walk a long way to get a drink to bring back to the room?

I've also read that a/c in aft balconies room don't really cool the room very well.

This is also our first Celebrity cruise. We have cruised a few times on Princess and a couple on NCL. We were happy with princess but have always wanted to try Celebrity.

Regarding the beverage package.....we are not really interested in top shelf brands so I'm guessing this package will be sufficient? Does this include martini's at martini bar? I know it doesn't include the craft beer at gastropub but couldn't find much info on other things...what about the basics like frozen drinks at slush or the natural juices, etc?

Is the food really better on celebrity?

Any other tips/info would be appreciated! Thanks