rjrpar

Yes. I did a 6 day on the Carnival Breeze and it was overall my best cruising experience to date. Guys burger was delicious, and free. The burgers are very good, but the fries are to die for! Besides the shows, I liked everything better on Carnival. Royal has better shows but Carnival has better food, cabins, crew, and a overall better vibe to the ship. I would HIGHLY suggest doing a carnival cruise. I was hesitant at first, but I will now only cruise carnival into the foreseeable future.

We have done 3 Carnival and 11 RCCL cruises and agree that Carnival food is slightly better. However, we think the overall cruise experience on Royal is superior; entertainment and the ships of Royal are a notch above.

I don't mean for this to sound snarky at all.....just curious as to why do you want to know? So many people that post on these boards want to know so much before they even get on the ship. That is certainly personal preference and I criticize no one. Part of the fun of cruising for me is just going with the flow and seeing what each day brings. Like, for example, checking the cruise compas each morning to see what the drink of the day is...Again, not criticizing........just curious ;)

Good post! I'll never understand some of the questions on this board, but what the heck, everyone is different.

Why not watch it before you go?

Good info, thanks

We were in Aquaclass so dined in Blu. The food was fabulous. We had one dinner in Murano which was outstanding and another in Qsine which was also excellent.

During the day we often ate at the buffet for lunch and there was a huge assortment of food. Something for everyone. It was all delicious. The poolside cheeseburgers were juicy and very tasty.

 

There are so many activities to do on sea days that we were busy all the time. You can do as much or as little as you want.

 

We just got off the eclipse today and I'm already missing her. It's going to be a rude awakening for me when I get home in a couple of days and get back on kitchen and housecleaning duties not to mention minus 40 weather......so glad I have a holiday on the Reflection mid January to look forward to.

So happy you had a great cruise, we are on the 3/8 sailing and cannot wait.

Do you happen to remember if they were discounting the specialty restaurants during your cruise. Trying to decide if we should book a 3-day package or just take our chances.

Thanks

New to Celebrity but are Diamond on RCCL. Could someone advise if the Elite benefits(particularly the free laundry, dry cleaning , and internet) are per person or per cabin? Also, are those benefits the same regardless of the length of cruise.

Thanks in advance

We don't care for aft cabins; like to see where we are going. Also, the long walk is very inconvenient. Prefer to be midship with a view of the ports on arrival and departure. Keep the hump.

We get the currencies we need prior to departure at our local bank with no fees. Not sure where you are going, but many countries accept US dollars

Thanks for the suggestions, i think we are going to skip the AQ and go for the ultimate dinning package.

 

Thanks again!

Good choice but we would get a dining package for probably 3 nights because we enjoy the MDR. You meet some great people at the larger tables and it's fun to share your daily experiences with others over dinner.

I think it is just Zenith and selected individuals, such as top cruisers and those in high-end suites, who get invited to Michael's Club or special venue. At least that is what I read on this board and heard from top cruisers onboard who were invited; but Zenith was only announced and not implemented on our Nov. 16th Eclipse sailing.

 

I would think most Elite and Elite+ members would prefer the flexibility of the vouchers too. It would possibly cost Celebrity less in drinks as the voucher holders are limited to three drinks and some people choose less pricey non-alcohol sodas, tea, coffee, water, etc. We did not always use our three vouchers each per day and would give the extras to the server or she would give us a larger glass of wine for two coupons. We could not give them away to others as our names were coded on them and some of the servers were checking the names on the vouchers against the sea pass cards. It did not prevent Elite members from sharing them with people seated at their tables though as they could order drinks, give the server the Elite sea pass cards & vouchers, and share a round of drinks with non-Elite guests at the table.

 

We used them in Cafe al Baccio most evenings at 5pm before our 5:45pm Select dining. Yes, the wait was longer than usual, but we made a point to relax and enjoy our time there pre-dinner. Sometimes we didn't make it to dinner until 6pm, which was the time of our reservation, although we preferred going at 5:45pm when they opened.

 

Kathy

Kathy, Thanks for all the info. We sail on the Eclipse on 3/8 and are hoping to have vouchers. We too like to be able to move around and experience different bars. Only wish the vouchers were good until 8:00pm as we are late diners.

You obviously did not understand the point I am making. Yes there are those who go overboard either way, that always happens on these stupid threads. It is the people who come on, contribute nothing of value and criticize those who are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

 

Again, I don't care what people wear and it will not have any effect on my enjoyment of a cruise. I just wish Celebrity would either enforce their dress code or get rid of it but they are making money off pictures and specialty restaurants so that will not happen anytime soon.

I agree with your point on rule enforcement, however, I never understand why some people are so critical of corporations making a profit. Making money is not bad, it enables cruiselines to even exist.

I look at this as an attempt to get rid of things that no one cares about one way or the other. Doing this may allow them to increase (or at least preserve) other perks:p

That is my take on the survey. Why do some people always think the worst. RCCl has provided us a very good Loyalty program, let' appreciate it.

Equinox arrives at 6am can you make 0920 am departure time? Any tips in booking flights. Time frame has just came out for booking. Is it better to book now or better prices later? Cruise is not until Oct 14?

We carried our own luggage off a Carnival cruise last year at 6:30am. Grabbed a cab and was at the airport by 7:00. It is a very easy trip. Some folks are too conservative on these issues but do what is comfortable for you.

Sailing from NJ in Nov? How many days before you get to a climate where you can even go on deck?

 

A colossal mistake.

 

No thanks.

It is warmer when you wake up the first morning and much warmer the first evening. Do the math, you can calculate where you'll be

I don't know about anyone else, but I get tired of all the caveats put on these vouchers; beers not over $6, this bar, not that one, etc, etc. We don't drink a lot so I really don't care, but why nickel-dime your best customers? Actually, I would prefer getting 2 vouchers and not having to be concerned about all the conditions.

Me, again. Since you are repeating this information are you 100% certain that you are correct?

I am fairly certain that when I was looking at my upcoming 1/14 cruise that the first price screen reflected the discounted rate. I was looking for a possible upgrade. Again as I recall when I hit the booked button it showed the discount on the left and the adjusted price on the lower right, but am believe that it was the discounted price shown on the first page. Of course I am not 100% certain as I did not save the screen.

 

Thanks

I'm pretty sure you are correct. The price quoted included the discount (in US)

We are also booked on the Eclipse in March and it is a very popular cruise due to its length and ports. There is no reason for Celebrity to provide incentives so they just up the price. The best way to book popular cruises is to book early and watch for price reductions. We booked the 14 nighter last February with the 123 Promo and the price today for the same cabin class is up $550/person. No downside to book real early.

You will like Celebrity. After cruising on several different lines, it is my opinion that the differences between the mass-market lines are greatly exaggerated on these chat boards.

Boy Celebrity is really sticking it to people who book Inside and Oceanview cabins.

 

If we could afford to book Concierge Class or higher we would.

 

Not sure I agree with the new point values.

The rewards depend on what you spend, just like most recognition programs. Celebrity is not sticking it to anyone, you're not a victim here

You might have me at "announced" but it certainly is official. If you login to the CC area of the Celebrity web site, it will tell you all about it, and how many points under the new system you will have.

 

Re my observation that Celebrity treats their Elite better than Royal treats their Diamond Plus, I simply mean that the benefits that I actually use are better in Celebrity Elite than Diamond Plus. I think the drinks/food at the Elite reception are better and the venue is less crowded. You get lots of Internet time for free, and better laundry perqs.

 

Not that Diamond Plus people suffer, though. It's all good.

The balcony discount on RCCL is a bigger benefit than anything that X offers and the nightly event is almost twice as long.

Talking about whining about something they are giving away :rolleyes:

If you do not like Celebrity system, go back to RCCL

It was drinks in a lounge from 5 to 7 , or vouches 5-7 that has not change

 

I would rather see them give Elites a 50% discount of the classic/ premium package as a perk

Let me understand this - if I suggest a change to a current perk, I'm whining and should not cruise on Celebrity. If you suggest a change, it's perfectly fine. Tough to follow your logic.

I, for one, am not happy with the vouchers, and the restrictions that accompany them.

To restrict their time allotment to between 5 and 7 pm make them worthless to me, and I've told C&A so. To have free drinks 1 1/2 to 2 hours prior to dinner time is not optimal. I was also told by them that they cannot change the times they are valid. (X is the one making the up the rules so who else could change them??) Strange, if X wanted to make them a real benefit for those at the late MDR sitting, they would extend the time to at least 8 pm. Otherwise, this is just PR and not a real benefit. (RCI is able to offer this benefit between 5 to 8:30pm and it doesn't seem to be a problem for them??)

Just my take on it.

tnt

Totally agree, ending the vouchers at 7:00pm makes them of limited use for late diners. Being a Diamond on RCCL, we enjoy a few drinks before dinner between 7:00 - 8:00pm.

It sounds like there are varying opinions. Has anyone been on both celebrity and Carnival (recently) and if so, is the food better on Celebrity. My first two cruises with Carnival, the MDR food was very good. Last two cruises (2012 and 2013) food has MOSTLY been between good and pretty good. (As an aside, I can say that Carnival's non MDR options have improved significantly with the 2.0 upgrades and Carnival's food is not bad). But we are paying more for this cruise than Carnival, so the food hopefully is better.

 

We will be dining at Blu for dinner, so hopefully the food suits us okay. DH likes his food pretty simple (he is a meat and potato type of guy). I like things a little more complex with sauces and spices, but I am not into more "exotic" things (like goat cheese, liver). :eek:

Celebrity's MDR is probably slightly better than Carnival but it is still mass produced food for thousands of people. Never have eaten in Blu.

Have been on Carnival twice, both in Europe. The difference in dress is not noticeable, neither day nor night.

We are RCCL diamonds going on our first X cruise in March on the Eclipse. The voucher system sounds good to us , however, we enjoy our cocktails before our late seating dinner. Any chance Celebrity changes or expands the timeframe for the use of vouchers?

I think your TA gave you good perks. Seems like you are creating your own problems. Don't prebook the spa, it's not necessary; book your dinner onboard, never an issue and the other OBC is refundable.