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That's about $120 per person per day for AI which is about the cost of booking internet and wifi and paying gratuities a la carte unless they actually are raising the drink package prices as we are seeing in the cruise planner with the current sale. It could also just be a glitch in pricing.

It's possible your reservation does not qualify for bidding. For example, if you booked through certain big box stores, they don't participate in the MoveUp program.

How long a cruise? This seems like a huge difference between cruise only and AI but it's hard to know whether you are just looking at a really good cruise only deal on a long cruise or whether something is really off here. For the cruises I have looked at lately, the difference has been about $80 per person per day but it can vary quite a bit based on the cruise.

Press trips are often common around the launch of a new ship so that is my guess (but it is only a guess). I highly doubt it will just be sitting empty those days.

I have not done a partial transit (only a full transit) but my understanding is that this excursion starts in Gatun Lake. (Related to the Edge which should also apply to the Beyond, it mentions anchoring and waiting for clearance to bring tour passengers ashore). Assuming that is the case, you will be on the ship when it goes through the locks in the morning (usually just after sunrise). Once the Beyond reaches Gatun Lake (the lake between the Pacific and Atlantic locks) mid-morning, the ship will anchor for a number of hours. That is the time that people with tours will tender to their tours and eventually meet up with the ship in Colon after it has turned around and gone through the Atlantic locks in the afternoon.

I thought you said they just heard that it would be discontinued but had not experienced it yet. No matter how reputable this person is doesn't mean what they heard actually is accurate.

Absolutely, you can invite anyone you want into your suite. They will not be able to join you in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club or the Retreat sundeck, if there is one on your ship. Depending on the Maitre'D and how busy is Luminae, they might be able to join you there for a meal usually for a fee. But your own suite is your own space to share with whomever you would like.

The app wasn't accurate even while we were on our cruise last week, I would not trust it. Where did this person hear it from?

Cheesecake was definitely on the menu our entire cruise that ended this past Sunday on the Eclipse. I’m pretty sure chocolate cake was there as well.

167 days until we embark on the Xpedition (not that I'm counting). We are definitely getting excited for our trip. This last cruise on the Eclipse gave me two chances to practice using my new underwater housing for my iPhone so that I know what I'm doing in the Galapagos when I get a chance to snorkel. I'm sure I will enjoy the Xpedition and I'm sure you will enjoy Flora. Did you opt for a suite with an infinite or traditional verandah?

I thought the cafe (with specialty coffees) on Holland was in Crow's Nest (at least on some ships) and I don't recall any coffee (or blended) drinks being available in the Sky Lounge which I was just on last week (but I could be mistaken as this is not the type of drink I usually ask for).

This matches the reports I remember reading from early this year but isn't at all representative of what I found on the Eclipse just last week and what others have reported in more recent months. Last week in the evenings, there were three made-to-order stations (pasta, Asian stir fry, and grilled meat) plus pizza, a pretty good salad bar, I think two different stations of hot foods, a bread station, and a dessert station. So I'm not sure a sailing in January or February is very representative of what is happening currently on ships. The new fees they introduced then still stand.

Wasn't January (and into February) of this year, the time period we saw X testing all kinds of significant cuts that we have started seeing rolled back? Like the buffet. For a number of weeks early in this year, X had eliminated most (maybe all) the made-to-order stations and cut down on the options. Those same weeks a number of items disappeared from the MDR menus, items that we at least partially have seen reappear. I've been reading CC for a while and I'm not sure I would trust any cruise in January or February of this year as representative of what to expect for future cruises as that seemed to be a test period for Celebrity.

Menus should be in your app under dining. If for some reason, they aren't showing for your sailing, switch to another sailing and choose your ship and the current sailing. Specialty restaurant menus don't generally change with the exception of Le Petit Chef which has 3 or 4 different menus and they often switch at some point during the cruise so you have a couple different menu choices during your sailing. Yes, you can use the package with Le Petit Chef but being a fixed menu, it probably isn't a great one for someone with severe food allergies. They can make some accommodations with advanced notice but I don't know how much and any accommodations they make won't match the show. I've eaten in Tuscan Grill with dairy allergy and they handled it fine but personally I always feel a lot more comfortable with my normal waiters and the wait staff in Luminae are usually outstanding.

Yes, make sure you have all their reservation numbers and link them ahead of time in the app. This also allows you to book dining and shore excursions for multiple cabins at the same time. Note, you do have access to all their information when you link cabins which could be an issue if these are people you aren't really close to. (There was another thread about how hard it is to unlink cabins if you decide later you don't want all that access.)

The elite minutes are the premium package which are pretty decent speeds now that Starlink has rolled out. Be careful to log out as soon as you are done with what you need to do to conserve your minutes for another session.

We just did Honolulu to Hawaii and I'm really glad we did because we needed those sea days at the end to recover from a port intensive start to the trip (especially since we stayed a few extra days ahead of time in Hawaii). Coming from the central time zone, I also thought we transitioned really well this way. We were up early to enjoy the best of Hawaii (although tired later in the evening that first day or two) and then only had two hours left to transition on the way home.

We just disembarked on Sunday with three ships in port. Walk-offs (at least for our ship - we were the second to arrive) started pretty much on time. There was a delay getting luggage to the terminal and we were told customs was doing a more thorough inspection of luggage so those who put their luggage out the night before were delayed a bit. We had a cruise line excursion so were a fairly early luggage tag number. By then the terminal was already a bit chaotic but lines for customs moved fairly quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if it got slower though as more people disembarked. I suggest walking off with all your luggage and you should be fine.

OBC from Celebrity can be used ahead of time and sometimes (but not always) OBC from other sources can be used ahead of time. When you check out on the cruise planner (for a shore excursion, speciality dining package/reservation, etc.), it will give you the option to use OBC. When you log into your cruise planner at the top right, it should show any OBC available to use pre-cruise. Online, in the cruise planner, there should be a tab for specialty dining. If your cruise is a long ways out, it may not show any options yet. By 6-9 months (maybe earlier), it should show the packages and different restaurants. FYI - If you buy a dining package, you can't make specific reservations until you board. You can only make specific reservations, if you pay individual for each specialty dining meal. Internet packages are usually cheaper ahead of time unless you don't think you will need it until mid-cruise. You have to call to get the loyalty discount on internet packages (although they sometimes won't let you stack discounts and right now there is a very good cruise planner sale for a lot of sailings).

Just this past Sunday, we did the Sea to Sky Gondola excursion which also included Shannon Falls. It was an excellent excursion with breathtaking views and at the end we were dropped off at the airport (between the domestic and international terminals so both were a very easy walk). Our luggage went under the same bus that took us to the various points of interest and so after disembarking and before starting the tour, we collected our luggage and brought it to the bus. Those on the Hop on Hop Off excursion were told they would NOT collect their luggage in the terminal before going on their excursion which made me think luggage was being delivered directly to the airport but I can't speak to how exactly it worked or where their tour ended.

I agree. If I found a deal where AI was only $48 per person per day, it would definitely be a value for us even with my husband not drinking because we get wifi anyway and I spend some money on drinks anyway. The cruises I have looked at lately though have had the price at around $80 per person per day. I've done the math and know it is cheaper for me to just buy drinks and wifi a la carte at that price.

Yes, it usually opens about midnight on that date (some have experienced that is midnight easter time others have experienced it is midnight in the time zone of the port of embarkation). The earlier you check in, the better check-in time at the port but it's not necessary to do it exactly at midnight to get a good time. Eventually you need passports, credit cards, etc. to complete the check-in but you can skip to the step to snag a time (make sure to do it for each person in your party) and come back to fill in the rest. Just remember to go back and fill in the rest before your cruise. Online check-in usually closes about 3 days before your cruise.

You pay the full price for any non-alcohol drinks not covered by the classic package which I believe was $4 (plus gratuity) for the small bottle of Perrier/premium water on our recent cruise.

Your app probably isn't fully updated yet so something will likely get put on the schedule for day 7 and the exact nights of each show might change between now and your cruise. We saw Amade last week and really enjoyed it. I had wanted to see Topper and have heard good things about it but it was on a day we had a long excursion and I was too tired. @KenTheCruiser has a live thread from the last couple cruises and he seemed to go to them all. You might want to check out his live thread.

SHIP NAME Eclipse CABIN # 9148 DECK # (3-14) 9 CATEGORY: 7-12, 1A-1C, 2A-2D, A1-A2, C1-C3, CS, FV, PS, RF, RS, S1-S2, SG, SV I1 LOCATION ON SHIP: Port (left), Starboard (right), Bow (front), Stern (back) or Insideand Forward, Midship (between the forward and aft elevators), or Aft (For example: Port-Midship, Bow-Forward or Inside-Aft) Inside-Forward BED NEAR(Bath, Balcony, Window, N/A) Bath QUIET? (Yes/No/Usually) Yes BALCONY VIEW (Good, Great, Obstructed?) N/A BALCONY SIZE (Standard, Oversized, Other) N/A WIND A PROBLEM?(Yes/No/Sometimes) N/A SOOT A PROBLEM?(Yes/No/Sometimes) N/A PROBLEMS/COMMENTS (Explain all Noise (including crew door issues), Wind and Soot Problems here, plus all comments and information regarding things like connecting or accessible cabins) This cabin is on an interior hallway that is only used by other interior cabins in this section and so is really quiet. PICTURES (Attach pictures in your review) DATE OF CRUISE AND "REVOLUTION" COMMENTS May 9-21, 2023 Ship not revolutionized but cabin in very good condition