LB_NJ

At a certain point Royal declares bankruptcy if they can't repay.

Royal also took out a huge amount of loans to get through the pandemic. They now have to pay very high interest rates on those loans.

Once on-board it is too late. The food is ordered weeks to months in advance. The captain or manager can't make it magically appear if it was never loaded. Since the buffet normally takes some of the load off the MDR it will severely overload the MDR. The only reason to do this is if Royal is in severe financial straits and they have to cut everything to survive.

I really don't think of Celebrity as a premium cruise line, just a step over RCI. If this holds, I think more people will cancel or just not book in the first place. I have two cruises this month so too late to cancel but will be very disappointed.

Just as an FYI, RCI has had for several years at least a policy that you can bring onboard 12 - 17 oz bottles of soft drinks (soda or water). Maybe Celebrity will add such a restriction to match Royal.

You should get back the extra payment if it is before the final payment date. You need to look at your confirmation to see what your cancelation schedule is. Also, if you made a GROUP booking (i.e., you booked through a TA that has a group booking) your mileage may vary.

On my cruises it is called Select dining where you can pick the time.

Absolutely stay clear of Royal Cruises. I have never been on NCL or HAL. Since the restart many things are in flux and honestly, I would NOT book anything until things shake out and there is a clearer picture of what to expect. Royal Caribbean, the parent company of both RCCL and Celebrity seems to be on a cost cutting and revenue increasing program. So while I enjoyed my experience on Celebrity Summit this past June and I have booked 2 Celebrity cruises for this month I am not sure I will book any more until I see what is happening. I was on Princess too long ago to use it as a reference although I did enjoy it. The two other cruise lines that I have been on that you might want to look at are Oceania (typically has the best food and that is what they pride themselves on) and Cunard (a difference experience overall but you might look at it). The problem is since the restart the cruise experience has deteriorated (e.g., pre restart I thought the food on RCCL was good, not since) across all cruise lines. Everyone is trying to make up for lost revenue while battling staff shortages and rising food and oil prices. Some cruise lines are raising prices while trying to maintain quality, some are raising prices and cutting some quality, others are raising prices a little and slashing quality. No one knows how this will shake out in 2024, way too far away. You may book now for what you expect the experience to be in 2024 based on 2022 however it could completely change (e.g., food could be much worse) by time you board the ship. If you look at the Celebrity board you can see all the discussions about possible changes that could significantly degrade the experience. E.g, lower quality of dining in the MDR.

FYI, if this is a weekday and you are returning in the late afternoon/evening there might be considerable delay due to commuting traffic. From Manhattan to NJ there is one bridge (George Washington which is uptown) and 2 old tunnels (Lincoln Tunnel and Holland Tunnel). Things can get very congested during rush hour. Just be sure you don't have to get back by a specific time.

On the page where it shows all the options there should an "Offer Received" button for each of the categories you bid on. It is in the "YOUR OFFER(S)" column. What happens when you select that button on each of your offers?

This is the more eloquent way of making the same point I was trying to make. On a $3,000 to $6,000 plus vacation $70 is not important however, all the small changes are like death from a thousand cuts. One of the main reasons I switched to Celebrity from Royal is the overall experience. If this continues, I will have to switch again.

It is the issue of Celebrity making a cut here and there and slowly degrading the quality of the cruise experience.

I would highly doubt that. I tend to det the correct answer on 1 out of 3 calls.

FYI, depending on the drink upgrade cost it may take a lot of high-cost drinks to justify the upgrade. Also, because of recent changes to the drink packages no one really knows what is going on.

Personally, I prefer Oceania and if they are cheaper or even a little more expensive, I would always choose them over Celebrity.

I have 2 cruises booked in January however, with all the changes Celebrity is making and with all the uncertainty about quality I won't book a new cruise on Celebrity until this all shakes out and it is clear where Celebrity stands as far as costs and quality. There are a lot of other choices out there, e.g., Windstar and Oceania.

Typically pizza, salads, premade sandwiches, and some deserts. Typically simple things that don't take too much staff. However, if the quality/experience falls below a certain level people will stop booking. Once you lose a customer for bad experience it takes forever to get them back.

Try reporting Celebrity to your state's attorney general for false advertising.

For my upcoming cruise in January on Con. still showing Dinner in Oceanview from 6:00-9:30PM and late night to 1AM. I hope they do not get rid of the late-night snacks, that would upset me more than the room service charge, which still upsets me.

Cappuccino - $5 Singapore Sling - $10 Classic Martini - $13 Blandy's 15 year Malmsey $21 Beer - $10 above does not include gratuities

If boarding is delayed a full day does Celebrity give a prorated refund?

You could wait 30 - 45 minutes without a reservation.

Honestly, the best ship for a TA is the QM2.

They already are for some sailings.

On Summit basic internet would be impossible for WiFi calling.