prmssk

Unfortunately, the FAQ are completely silent as to what non-alcohol drinks are included which is part of the confusion.

No, it doesn’t include what? Any non-alcohol drinks? Premium waters?

Unfortunately, no where is this listed since the changes were made to the drink packages. The website is silent about non-alcohol drinks for the classic package (except to say that smoothies are not included). The cruise planner where you purchase the package shows more inclusions than it used to. And a blog on Celebrity’s website actually implies none of those are included in the Classic package. Now, I suspect what you wrote is still accurate even with the change in packages but for anyone looking for confirmation, it is clear as mud. I would be really curious to hear reports from people currently on board who purchased their classic package since the change.

What are they saying is included? I haven’t seen any reports from those on board now.

$24 per day per person including gratuity if you pay full price upgrading on board. There are pre-cruise discounts and loyalty discounts that bring that cost down. The premium package includes everything in the Zero Proof package. The classic package likely includes many of the things in that package (like regular bottled water, sodas, specialty coffees, etc.) but that isn’t currently clear on the website.

The experience isn't quite that comparable though. For your average cruisers that likes all the actives and nightlife and amenities that come with larger ships, they aren't going to enjoy Oceania the same.

I've sailed mega ships, including a RCCL one this past weekend of about 4,500 passengers. I've never waited anywhere near an hour to get off. I'm not saying it can't happen ever but it definitely isn't the norm. Rarely does every single passenger want to get off at exactly the same time. And in my experience, staff is very efficient getting people off with multiple people scanning cards at each gangway. Edit to add: There are reasons to avoid mega ships but this is definitely not one of them in my opinion. They have figured this part out with that many people.

When the ship is able to dock, passengers can start getting off as soon as the ship is cleared. There isn't any priority at these ports. You just head to the gangway, swipe your sea pass card and leave. It is a whole different story if it is a tender port. Then cruise line sponsored shore excursions, those in suites, and those with loyalty get priority so it can take a lot longer. I recall one port this past year where we arrived early although I can't recall if we were cleared to get off early. I can't recall a time we ever stayed late.

All of these bring in revenue (specialty dining cover charges, much higher fares for Aqua class and Suites). Those sailing in these higher end rooms are the ones most likely to be able to step up to more luxury lines. Cuts to these revenue making areas would not make business sense. Cuts to the OVC will send cruisers to specialty dining (where they will make more money) or to the MDR (which resources can be funneled). They may lose some passengers to other cruise lines, although in many cases those same passengers will find the buffets on comparable lines (like Princess or Holland) are the same or worse.

Assuming you are talking about the auto gratuities that are added to your onboard account for those without AI or who don’t prepay, then you don’t need to do anything. Everything on your onboard account first subtracts from your OBC before charging you for anything you spend beyond that amount. If you want to pay additional gratuities, Guest Services has a form you can fill out to indicate how much and to who it should go.

Your cruise just isn't close enough yet. I'm sure Luminae will be open on the sea days as well. On my November cruise, there were a lot of missing menus and inaccuracies up until about 2-3 days before the cruise (and then I noticed changes even on boarding day).

Menus more than about a week out are rarely accurate. They have always seemed to focus on the current and very soon sailings when updating the app. My May cruise on the Eclipse shows we just get wine and dessert for dinner every night! So I wouldn't worry about anything that seems off this far out.

On our Constellation sailing November, they switched the more typical embarkation day lunch menu with a sea day lunch menu. Does the lobster roll show up for lunch on a different day?

We were just in Nassau this weekend. Yes, there is a straw market. And we climbed the Queen's Staircase and toured the small fort at the top. There is a small local beach just past Margaritaville that is walking distance. We were going to go to John Watling's Distillery but honestly, it was a windy day, the locals were pushy, and the city was really run down with narrow, uneven sidewalks, and busy streets so we just went back to the ship. And we were the only ship in port, I can't imagine how crazy that city would be if all 7 ships had been able to dock that were scheduled to dock the day we were there. I didn't feel unsafe but I'm not sure it is a port I'm anxious to get back to.

I see what you see in my cruise planner but that contradicts what the classic package has traditionally included and it contradicts what @CruiseCrew123 mentions seeing on the website. I suspect the cruise planner is wrong and the classic package still doesn't include things like the fancy waters, Red Bull, and I think one or two other things that in the past have been only included in the premium package.

When I look at the Celebrity's page about drink packages, I don't see a single reference to non-alcoholic drinks being included for the classic beverage packages. Are you seeing something with detail on what non-alcohol drinks that are still included? I suspect nothing has changed related to this question but I don't see anything on the website that actually answers this question.

We just got off the Freedom of the Seas and had a chance to try the new Welcome, Caribbean, and Italian menus. We found things to try on all the menus and many of the dishes were especially good.

My understanding is that most physically cannot be opened on M class ships(there are a few exceptions). So that might have been the issue on your Summit cruise.

If you have Anytime dining, on the screen where it shows your room number, scroll down to dining and there will be a link to "Make a reservation". If you have a fixed dining time, my understanding is that this option will be grayed out. Which in my opinion is a huge issue since Celebrity is still letting people select fixed dining times for Edge class ships and is capacity controlling how many can choose Anytime.

Celebrity just calls the $9.95 as a charge, not a delivery fee. So it is just like the cover charge to eat at a specialty dining restaurant which also has a gratuity paid on top of that cover charge.

That's where we as passengers are making a choice. Is cruising more important than refusing to patronize a business making these cuts? I'm with you. I love cruising, land vacations (although fun) aren't a substitute for cruising for me, and I'm not ready or able to step up to luxury lines. But I never have been nor will I ever be truly loyal to Celebrity. Celebrity may be one of my favorites but other lines do have things to offer as well even with the cuts they are making. I'm not canceling my upcoming Celebrity cruises (they are still definitely cruises I want to take) but I'm also booking cruises with other lines. I'm very excited to try MSC's Yacht Club. And I had a surprisingly good experience with NCL (on their newest ship) last month. And whether what the Celebrity are doing is ethical or not, it unfortunately is not uncommon. I'm seeing the same issue in the tourism industry on land, other cruise lines, and even in my every day life. My apartment management is not currently living up to what they promised when I started renting from them four years ago. Although in all those cases, it's not the essential product that they are cutting. It's lots of small cuts here and there (which I agree do start to add up to something bigger).

No, the only real tool passengers have is to not book (or to cancel) if they are unhappy with the product. As long as the cutbacks and changes don't affect passenger spending on fares and on board, they don't have an incentive to reverse them. They are just like any other business out there and focused on their bottom line.

Why can't we use this as an example? It looks similar to one other I saw this week (can't recall which ship) but I agree more than reports from some other ships. If this isn't an example, do you think that means they aren't rolling out this change on all ships? The Summit just started this cruise yesterday (January 9) so that is definitely past the January 1 date that seems to be relevant. Edited to add: It was the Beyond where someone reported a similar buffet to what this poster describes.

Based on deck plans, it appears to change to an Aqua Sky Suite when they reclassify cabins this spring. Like previously stated there is a concierge class room in there too.

It's under dining on the website. Scroll down below all the specialty dining options and you should see a select dining option. It's also on the app, on the page that lists your room number. Scroll down and you should see Celebrity Select Dining Anytime with a link to Make a Reservation.