Jim_Iain

Here's another fun paragraph.

You will probably have a link in your reservation confirmation- it directs you to the FAQ https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/cruise-ticket-contract The contract itself are included in your Cruise Documents that your receive about 45 days prior to cruise. Without posting many pages of legal gobbly goop, I can tell you they basically say they can change anything they want and have little to no liability. Basically you are prevented from taking legal action in court and must work out disputes via arbitration Also there are lots of * like this

I tried it and wasn't a fan. It may be that I hate beets and that is what the use to make them look like beef juices. They claim you can't taste it but instantly hit my hate it taste buds. I intentional order a different main and explained to the waiter I just wanted to try it as I had heard so many good things about it. I was disappointed as I wanted to like it.

The booking code ES - Single Veranda. I read they also have inside but couldn't find it by looking at booking codes Good Video Here Apex Edge ES Edge Single Strm Winfinite Ver

Keep an open mind and consider it an adventure. I'm anxious to hear of some of the positive that HAL has over Celebrity. I'm sure you will find some and if not we will all be happy that you took one for the team

Curious - are you speaking of a booking you planned on making or an existing reservation that you are now being asked to pay more for? If it's a new booking I would expect the rate to be the rate on that day unless you had a hold on the cruise from the previous day.

Thanks for your factual post. I was of the opinion that is how it would be handled. It is always disturbing to read some posts speaking of incorrect "facts" or definition.

Celebrity Cruises® guests are expected to be responsible for their actions at all times, including during transfers to and from ships, inside terminals, while onboard, at our ports of call, during shore excursions and at our private destinations. Consuming alcohol to excess impairs one's judgment and reduces one's ability to recognize and avoid potentially dangerous situations. Guests who choose to consume alcohol must do so responsibly. The ship's staff may refuse to serve alcoholic beverages to any guest who does not consume alcohol responsibly, including those who have purchased an all-inclusive beverage package. Ship's personnel may request verification of a guest's age to verify they are of age to consume alcohol pursuant to this policy. Any guest that violates this alcohol policy will be considered for disciplinary action pursuant to the "Consequences Section" of this Guest Conduct Policy, and may lose their privileges to use areas or facilities of the ship. Guests are only permitted to bring alcohol onboard under the following circumstances 1.) Embarkation day when each guest is permitted to bring onboard with them up to two (2) bottles of wine (which are subject to a corkage fee) per guest. A corkage fee does not apply to guests with the Classic Beverage Package or Premium Beverage Package. Security may inspect containers (including water bottles, soda bottles, mouthwash, canteens, etc.) at any time and will dispose of alcohol concealed in such container. 2.) Alcoholic beverages that are purchased from onboard shops or in ports of call (which must be presented to security upon re-boarding), will be secured by ship's personnel. Alcohol secured by ship's personnel will be returned to guests just prior to the conclusion of their cruise vacation.

Really depends on how much I like that grand kid. My favorites always get more. LOL - Just kidding. I agree but understand the OP and others non-Americans who don't want to feel like they aren't tipping appropriately. Often when visiting friends in Australia, UK or India I ask what is appropriate. When having overseas guests that are taking us to dinner, I just say let me take care of the tip.

The normal disclaimer are made about tipping being a personal decision. First off yes you have paid tips in advance as part of your booking. In most areas - room attendants, butlers, waiters and assistant waiters the cash you give them is turned into a pool of funds which is shared by all others in that classification. If you leave a tip via your room charge say in a Specialty Restaurant it goes to the general pool for all restaurant works but if you leave a cash tip it goes the the dining room pool only. The rational is the effort is a team effort to deliver the service you receive and many are not customer facing. Philosophically I have a problem with this as If I received exceptional service by an individual I want that Person to receive my tip. Having said that - in Suites I generally tip $5-10 per day for Waiters, Butlers an Sommelier (who do not share tips and receive 18% tips on bottles of wine). We generally also tip the bartender in Retreat (or where we decide to spend our evenings) and the Retreat Concierge if delivered additional services. With extra charges being added to Specialty when booked I no longer tip extra except for above and beyond experience. While cruising is indeed different to land base dining. I often temper my tipping by considering what I would tip in at a resort or bar. I personally we Americans are obsessed with tipping which is very different to most of the world.

I wouldn't cut it that short. I thought that the Final Manifest must be submitted to Homeland Security at 1 1/2 hours prior to boarding. I know that on a recent B2B's the general boarding time is 1 1/2 hours prior to sailing but we were on a ships excursion for B2B's and we didn't get back to the ship until 30 minutes before sailing. We of course had already been checked in and were on a Ships Excursion.

The app is usually screwed up so just ignore. If you are in a Suite you are in Luminae. No reservation system in place for Luminae. Just show up whenever your with to dine. On rare occasions there may be a wait. Same with Blu. On a really "Rare" Cruise - we always eat late (close to 9PM). The Blu Manger seemed really upset and I asked him about it. He said this has never happened to me before but 85% of my guests were lined up outside Blu when we opened. I had to hand out Beepers because we couldn't' accommodate everyone. He said he was afraid his reviews on survey were going to be terrible.

I think it's important to remind the Maitre 'd and you won't be disappointed. I think the response is sometimes also related to the Room Classification. In a Suite you can probably expect more than in a regular room. It will also be dependent on the staff you have. I was born on Thanksgiving Day and my Birthday always falls close to Thanksgiving which is a time of year we usually sail. Some cruises the Butler decorates the room and door a little where others the Retreat Manager and Concierge go full out with Flowers, Wine, Decoration etc. One cruise I had 5 cakes and ended up sending them to the Crew Dining room as thanks. We also planned a Birthday party with the Hotel Director for Mar, Retreat Concierge and Joe. The butlers even helped. they went all out. initially they didn’t have Mar on the cake but a rush request fixed that.

I think you might be surprised that Retreat Guests (in my humble opinion) are usually less highly maintenance guests than some of those in the least expensive cabins. Just an observation while traveling. It is not uncommon for us to have so many bottles of gifted wine that we just leave them on the ship or try to offer on CC to others traveling on the same cruise. After teaching a university course for many years on understanding addictive behavior, I am confident that those that need to have their needs will have already planned on having a supply available. Like many other activities like a long hike or excursion many will plan on bringing snacks and water along. I'm just saying - Plan for it and you won't be disappointed.

Make sure you unfilter the Daily Planner - by default it only shows the recommended activities. You can also filter by just entertainment etc. I use it all the time. Also one on the cruise you can customized and add things of interest to you Personal Planner and it will give you a reminder of an upcoming activity, dinner reservation or excursion.

Really recommend getting the Celebrity App for your phone. Find your ship under ships we sail and look at a current cruise. In the App they have a Daily Planner visible when you click the center Calendar Icon. Under Daily planner first unfiltered from Recommended Activities to ALL activities. You will see what is offered every day and get a feel for what you enjoy doing. Example

Our December cruise showed "Cruise Cough" very prevalent many not even bothering to cover their mouth. I came down with it after 13 days onboard and eventually gave it to Iain. I took a Covid test and was negative and took another a couple days later and was still negative. We were going to a Christmas party 10 days after the cruise and all agreed to self test before - again remained negative. I looked up my symptoms by day and was able to diagnose - I had the Common Cold.

That is even better. Even though still rather restricted. I'm assuming those joining the TA that test positive will not be able to even board as the requirement is you must show a negative test. The good news (not really good) is that the Full Refund is still in force for those testing prior to the cruise. I think it ends after our cruise. I was really concerned about the testing. We are on a 7 Day Key West Belize cruise followed by a 15 day TA. I was envisioning getting tossed off in Fort Lauderdale and having to fly to Amsterdam where my SIL and BIL join us for a British Isle Cruise

Not sure when your cruise is but I would check on a regular basis. If you find a better price you can call in for the reduction or simply on line cancel and rebook. Good chance there was a better sail last week.

Purely subjective. I would never tip until the end of the cruise nor would I ever tip a waiter in a restaurant in advance. Personally I would feel like I were paying a bribe if tipping in advance. Normally if using the Butler for breakfast, lots of laundry, and other things and taken care of would tip between $5 - 10 per night. Also had a butler recently that had the personality of a robot. Would do everything as requested but nothing more. Was never engaging and would hardly nod to you in the hallway. I figured he earned the prepaid tips and didn't feel obligated to tip more. I do have to say that when traveling on a B2B or longer and knowing you will have the same staff for multiple cruises I tip pretty good on the first leg.

Please come back and report on your visit. We have also have never been and was considering it on our Apex cruise in April

It will be in the App. Also if the CC one you will get a CC list of events with dates and time in your room.

The fix reported a number of times is to go into your profile - Delete your CC number and Save then Put it back in and Save - I found it easiest to do in App.

I always ask mine to get my clothing laid out on my bed and help me get dressed. Come on haven't you watched Downton Abbey? LOL-- nah.. Basically your Butler is to take care of your needs and all the surface areas of your cabin. Drinks, Ice, Shoeshine, Laundry, Breakfast, Coffee etc etc. They are there for you while your room attendant takes care of the room. The responsibility meld between the Retreat and Butler and they will work together as a team to take care of reservations, excursions or any problems you have anywhere on the ship. The also will often stop by your room with little treats or just to say hello and see if you need anything like having your jacket pressed before a chic evening. I once had a problem late at nights that our lights wouldn't turn off. I just called the front desk and they sent up and electrician and he just pushed some button in the panel outside of our room and all fixed. Next day the butler dropped by asking why I hadn't called him as well as the Retreat Host inquiring if all was ok. I felt like they put it on a bulletin board but found they all including Retreat Manager, get a report of anytime your request help from Customer Service. They can also be incredible if you have a little or large party in your room. They will setup everything including comping nibbles, glasses and often a gratis bottles of wine. I'm sure it depends on level of suite and your relationship with your butler. I once had a party for about 30 CC Role Call members we had gotten to know prior to the cruise. He setup, answered the door and greeted guests allowing us to enjoy the party and after dinner the room looked like no one had ever been there. He comped trays of Shrimp and Cheese and had glasses setup for 50

Great - really curious of your thoughts once aboard. I took a look on CruiseDeckPlans - I'm guessing your on Nieuw Amsterdam which is a little smaller than Millennium. My first impression - purely me and just looking at pictures,but wasn't as awed as the first time I walked into the Penthouse on Millennium. I can only assume you will really miss the Millennium Class largest deck of any ships. Your getting me excited. LOL - doesn't take much while I'm sitting in my living room.