Canuker

I'm looking at the ship's app and, while I can find theatre house shows listed, there seems to be no mention of a backing band. Do they perform to a recorded backing track or are there live musicians, please?

My first impressions of this app for booked passengers is not too positive. Example: no 'home' button, no 'back button' and a 'refresh' button that doesn't. From what I have found, most of it is for the benefit of X, not for its passengers. It seems to have been thrown together, with little thought for its users. It may be just me; is anyone aware of a tutorial that may help with navigation, please?

Some further thoughts, beb08. Assumptions: 1. You are on the Celebrity Constellation, out of Tampa on 2024-02-22 2. You arrive NOLA 09:30 3. Depart NOLA 22:00 OK, sunrise is at 06:30. It takes about 9 hours to get from the open Gulf to NOLA (the city is a long way from open water), so you will not see any of the Delta area. But, with 3 hours of daylight before you dock, I'd get up at dawn and find a spot on a open deck where you can view both sides of the Mississippi River, as you cruise upstream. A guide book will help too with this fascinating and somewhat unusual segment. I say 'unusual' as most cruise ships arrive NOLA earlier than 09:30 and do not afford a good view of the River. You will see nothing on the return downstream trip as it will be dark... ...Sunset is at 6:00 pm, so you will have a total of 4 hours to witness NOLA by night, as well as your daytime exploration. It's going to be a wonderful day, full of memories. Lastly (opinion), when folk think of NOLA , Bourbon Street springs to mind. The Canal Street end (nearest the ship) is tacky, selling cheap t-shirts, etc. find another street to access the other side of the FQ and, maybe if you like, return via Bourbon St. If you like or are interested in 'early jazz', check out Fritzel's at 733 Bourbon St. The music there is about as 'raw' as it gets.

My advice: forget the excursions. As NOLA first-timers, stroll along the riverside from the ship into the French Quarter. Absorb all it has to offer - the good and the not so good, keep and open mind to new experiences, particularly musical. You're in the birthplace of modern American music. Be sure to cover it all, including the Frenchman's Street area on the far side of the FQ. Stay as late as you can because it will transform as the evening progresses. Soak it up . Enjoy.

Changes at the top of an expansive corporate pyramid usually result in one of two extremes in the short term, as the new broom gets their feet under the desk: 1. Little, if anything. 2. Radical change. The latter is typical of someone moving into the position from outside (think Musk); the former, as in this case is more typical of someone recruited from within who has a history with the business and knows what works and what doesn't. In terms of background, these two are from the same mould - marketing; so like for like. This works for a company like Celebrity / RCG, as long as they don't fail to listen to the accountant over their shoulder. My bottom line: no material changes originating from the corner office - for a year at least.

Well, since you are a bona fide CC member who will be on that sailing, thread or not, you & your good lady wife are vwery welcome to join us at our sailaway party. as we leave Miami: 4:00 pm at the Sunset Bar (deck 15, aft). We'll be wearing Mardi Gras beads. Best, Canuker

Are you on that sailing, padgman1? I ask because we have a fairly active thread covering that cruise here. I mention it, as I don't see your name in the thread, in case it may be of interest. Best, Canuker.

Marketing, mainly.

Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.

OP once more: For the record, I received notification today that my cruise is now open to offers. Today is 34 days before we sail.

Question: so, the concept of 'We'll hold the ship for you' only applies to shore excursions booked through the CL and does not apply to flights booked through the CL? Or does it vary from CL to CL?

OP here: so the answer is: whenever X feels like it.

Oh no it wasn't!

Here's one quote from X's website about MoveUp: "...allows you to bid on a cruise stateroom upgrade...Eligible reservations on all Celebrity Cruise ships within 30 days of departure date". Here's another: "Please ensure your sailing is within the next 21 days". Which is it? 21 or 30?

This is North West France a day or ago:

1. Try to find out, before you go, how full the ship is. The more unsold cabins, the more likely they will be willing to move you, once on board. But it will likely be to a cabin of their choosing, not yours. 2. It's very helpful to have a good reason to move. On a previous cruise we were subject to random vibration noises in our inside cabin wall, day or night. Legally, you are entitled to "quiet possession" (unless they have alerted you beforehand). We asked someone to investigate. Short story - they gave us the option to move to a balcony, no charge. To be fair, the new cabin had corrosion issues on the balcony - probably why it was empty. We had a look first and said - yes! We can live with a little corrosion, at that price. 3. Ask - the worst they can say is 'no'. If they do, at least you'll know you haven't missed an opportunity. 4. Be sure to make your request reasonable and be prepared to say why you need to move out of your existing cabin.

OP here: I think I will. Thank you gm99.

Has anyone had experience of clock changes similar to the following: 1. Day one in the UK. (on UK time), in port 2. Day two in the UK (on UK time), in port 3. Day three in France (France time = UK time plus 1 hour), in port 3. Day four back in England (disembarkation day) on UK time once more. In a situation like that, can we expect the skipper to observe the two clock changes, forward and back, or is he/she more likely to leave "ship's time" unchanged? The reason I ask is because we are using a private tour vendor shortly after arrival in France, who will obviously be on French time. Thanks for any input Canuker.

Following what wowzz has rightly said, I'd say, from my experience of e-bound TAs that you're more likely to be surprised how good the wx is rather than bad.

Afternoon tea. Taking our time over pre-dinner drinks & hors d'oeuvres, especially in the up-front lounge. Treating the ship as if it was the Savoy Hotel and having the ship's staff treat us as if it's the Savoy Hotel

I wish I'd thought of that. Doubles for the fancy dress party, too!

Is the Pope catholic? Do they have scones on Cunard?

West side of the island, generally the further north you are the more likely you are to encounter wx that will give the skipper pause for thought. Scottish weather on the west coast is notoriously variable. There is always the possibility that an alternate, sheltered, port may be substituted. I remember a cruise from the east side of Iceland to Reykjavik on the west side. The captain decided to take the longer, north coast instead of the planned southerly route, as we would be in the lee of a storm off southern Iceland. We were fine. And the scenery was stunning, by the way. But another (Saga?) cruise ship, just behind us, decided to stick to the southerly route. We docked at Reykjavik and when the Saga passengers finally got there and found out what we had done, they became even more upset than they had been while on their ship! Not a happy band. By the way, the plus for me is that it became the only time I have ever been north of the Arctic Circle. Sorry to wander off topic.

Ive been tracking a TA by Celebrity. They offer online booking in C$ and the rates that have been quoted are quite attractive. In fact I was looking at the difference between a base OV and a base balcony recently. The difference was C$43 pp versus US$50. Ya never know... As a Canadian, I've found that having currency in both currencies to be helpful with both cruises and air travel. It provides a choice.

From the OP: thank you to everyone who has responded, with experiences and strategies. I'm obliged. Given the above, I don't feel that I have been singled out by X, as others have echoed my experience. I'll have to see what I can do with MoveUp, if anything. It will evidently be just the cabin, not the cabin perks that go with it that I don't already have. At least I'd get to keep my nice OBC. Thanks again. Canuker.