tigervixxxen

No I’m not status, suites or anything. Seems like there’s a flash sale for my sailing in particular but no idea what else that covers. I’m on the Oct 1 Solstice sailing. Maybe because it’s within 2 months they are having this type of sale? I was able to buy the $4.99 upgrade so it wasn’t a glitch lol

Oh no, I’m sorry this is not widespread and there’s no way to verify. I was able to complete a purchase of the $4.99 wifi upgrade on my app so it wasn’t a glitch or something. But worth checking anyway. I am sailing Oct 1 so maybe this is a last minute thing for sailings within 2 months?

Just FYI my Celebrity app is currently showing the following 50% off WiFi to $4.99 upgrade to premium, 25% off for $17.99 premium package. 40% off excursions 30% off drinks packages, Classic $61.99, Premium $75.99 I am sailing on the Solstice if that makes any difference but my understanding flash sales are fleet wide? Just thought I’d share.

It was in my app, right now the flash sale is $17.99 for premium outright.

FYI right now there’s a flash sale for wifi upgrade to premium, $4.99 per day.

How much is it at 40% off, that’s the important part

I have AI and have basic wifi included already so the cost quoted in my ap to upgrade to premium is $7.99 which is on sale 15% from $9.99. Will this deal get better on the cruise ship? It’s reasonable already but one problem they are charging 18 days for a 17 night cruise which goes over the international date line so it’s already one day too high. Plus the ship doesn’t leave until midnight and we can use our cellphones if needed over day 1. But if it’s not getting better than $9.99 on the ship that’s something I’d consider buying now. To buy the premium package outright is quoted as $21.99 on sale 10% from 24.99.

I still really don’t get the point of concierge class. But the question at hand I am also thinking about but with the suites closer to 10-11k on a transatlantic next fall if that would be worth it at that price point as we’ve never sailed in a suite and that’s close to what we paid for Aqua class one time. But 5k more is also tough to swallow. I could go either way.

I was glad to see the talk about what makes a TA cruise special as I’m eagerly anticipating our transpacific cruise this October. If there are any other thoughts on how the menus and activities differ on such a long cruise as opposed to a more “traditional” length experiences I’d be interested in those in particular. I have not done a true trans ocean cruise yet but have sailed round trip to Hawaii and back from LA which was 4 consecutive sea days each way so I do think I have an idea what to expect. The upcoming cruise on the Solstice only has 5 consecutive sea days so not quite as intensive as some experiences. We enjoy sea days with no agenda and not having to hurry off the ship but still visit 5 ports so it is still a good mix. I also love using the ship as transportation and only having to fly once across the ocean eliminating the flight and it’s cost is a brilliant idea to me. For myself personally I like to have in mind one specific thing I’d like to do that day , something like visit them sauna, go in the hot tub, wake up for the sunrise and early breakfast, have a massage, have a specialty restaurant dinner, get a manicure, etc which makes me feel like I’m accomplishing getting things of my list but also nothing too restrictive to not see what activities are going on for the day. I also like to have as many different meals as possible with a couple specialty restaurants sprinkled in so I try to do at least one of OVC breakfast, room service breakfast, MDR breakfast, OVC lunch, MDR lunch, Mast Grill lunch, OVC dinner, MDR dinner, specialty dining dinner, perhaps the spa cafe or a trip to Sushi on 5 solo (DH won’t go) just to mix it up and then it feels like getting something checked off the list and having the full ship experience.

I think a cruise with more sea days as opposed to a lot of ports makes more sense for the All Included package vs a cruise you might spend more time off the ship. I can live without drinks and just take what’s free but it’s nice to have the package. I can’t survive without wifi though. So when you add gratuity plus wifi that about pays for the package, but this of course is up to everyone’s personal preference. We booked our transpacific when it was still Always Included so there wasn’t a choice. In the future I might think about which way makes more sense. Another thing to remember that on these longer cruises per day really adds up so thinking of doing something a la carte x 17 does add up.

On Equinox with premium wifi we used the internet as normal. No issues streaming Netflix, YouTube and I even streamed hockey games through websites.

IMO Celebrity has a more relaxed atmosphere. Not as much geared toward entertainment but that doesn’t mean there’s none, it’s just not emphasized as much. Carnival definitely has more comedy shows but as mentioned there are a few on Celebrity. There seems to be fewer lines, much less upsell and nickel and dime pressure, which is so refreshing that it’s not a constant grab to get you to pay more. The fast embarkation feels like a miracle after being on the other lines. The good quality is overall pretty good, there just may not be as many choices as some of the big ships on other lines. I’ve found the music is targeted to a variety of ages, which is the typical demographic on Celebrity.

What makes the MC suite different from a regular Sky Suite?

I’ve always been cautious with MDR food because regardless it’s mass produced in the galley and there’s only so much that can be done through that process. Now I understand limiting portions, options and cuts of meat has made it take a step back but I only expect so much. Honestly the real limiting of appetizers is my biggest disappointment. There’s just little variety anymore which leads to burn out. I have always had a good experience in the specialty restaurants but considering the price has suddenly gone from the $30+ range to the $60+ range my expectations are going to take a big step too. Now it’s eating one of those meals vs. what can be found on land in a comparable restaurant and the ship might not win that battle. We’ll see, it’s been nice to mix it up and leave the MDR on occasion but we don’t have that kind of OBC to dine at that price point multiple times per cruise now. My opinion of Blu was the quality was no different than the MDR, just the nice thing was more options to choose from in combination with the MDR menu. I also found the same thing where certain dishes were hit and miss. Also, I’ve never seen anyone mention the bizarre no butter in Blu but instead some veggie purée to go with your bread. We thought it was strange. I know I could have asked for the butter from the MDR to be brought over and I’m sure they would have obliged but at some point you just want to sit down and eat without asking for everything.

Each bar in the Celebrity app has their menu listed of their “specialties” to give you some ideas of what you can order there. In general my favorites are the martini bar, lots of fun flavors to try. The Mast Bar has been my go to for the frozen fruity drinks. On my last cruise they had peach, mango, strawberry, lemon (or just plain daiquiri), and pina colada. I now now about French Caribbean I’ll give a try. I’m also partial to mojitos, you can ask for just about any flavor they have syrup for. The Casino bar is another one with extensive supplies that’s easy to hit in the evenings while walking about the ship. Cosmopolitan, Amaretto sour, Lemon drop are some easy drinks that any bar should be able to make.

That sounds like a great menu for $35, I wish that was an option for my sailing.

I don’t think there is a difference at Sushi between lunch or dinner. Also, my cruise is showing a Murano lunch on one of the days so that could pop up too or maybe only on longer cruises.

I have taken the cruise ship transfer from Ft Lauderdale and it was fine. As others have said the airport is very close so there shouldn’t be much concern with not getting to the airport on time. In our experience we took the transfer to Miami airport and from Ft Lauderdale there was only one bus for that route and we waited nearly an hour until it was full to depart. To the FLL airport they should have multiple busses and will depart once one gets full. In General I am not comfortable with a flight after a cruise that departs before noon. In most cases you can easily arrive at the airport even with more of a ride from the cruise port between 9-10am. One time departing a Princess cruise from Galveston we didn’t get on the shuttle bus until 11am, it was horrible but that’s the outlier. Some folks on the boards here will even book 10am flights after a cruise but that’s cutting it too close for me. Another thing to keep in mind there are a lot of cruises that depart from Ft. Lauderdale meaning after a cruise on certain days there’s a sudden influx of thousands of people making it very busy at the airport. Might be worth checking into exactly how many ships are in pier that day and planning accordingly. Long story short, if you want to use a transfer they are in some ways easier, someone tells you where to go and you get to the airport just fine. I would not have a problem with a 1pm flight out of FLL.

There’s so much talk about specialty restaurants but the majority of cruisers eat in the MDR. So, what are some of your favorite offerings from the MRD that future cruisers should keep an eye out for? Sometimes the best offerings are the least expected. Which are the best cuts of meat to try? How about favorite desserts? My favorite entree is the pork schnitzel. Also anything with Thai chilis has been wonderful such as the soup.

October 1. So all the evidence adds up it’s not likely to be offered on the Solstice.

The extra amenities were fun but we decided Aqua wasn’t worth it. You aren’t really getting better stuff just more of the same stuff. If it was a really good deal maybe but not for the increased price. We also are not spa regulars. I found the food quality the same in Blu. It’s a pretty restaurant but is it worth paying extra for, not really.

We were in Aqua on Silhouette, the room number starts with 15 but it was actually deck 11, which I found confusing but that’s just how they do it. If you get Jason as your room steward he’s excellent. You can check the menus for any restaurant in the ap and they will bring you any dish from the MDR no problem, we basically used it as a secondary menu to expand our choices. So no need to go to the MDR if you specifically want something from that menu. Blu is a smaller restaurant and beautifully decorated, I wouldn’t leave it just for the MDR. I found the quality in food similar though but with a few more healthier/continental choices in Blu. A specialty restaurant would be of higher quality and as such things can be hit or miss but the food was generally good. The afternoon snacks are delivered around 3pm to Aqua guests, nothing extraordinary but something to get a bite of.

They have a discount for booking before your cruise, maybe the discount wasn’t applied or the flash sale ended. Worth a phone call to customer service I’d say. There should not be be a service fee or tax situation. If you pre buy speciality restaurants or spa treatments they do add gratuity though.

From what I can determine this is only currently (as in currently sailing) offered on the Eclipse and Silhouette. I was on the Equinox over the holidays and it was offered there then but I was too late to book it because it was a darn secret. I was holding out hope this would be offered on my upcoming 17 night sailing on the Solstice but I have yet to see any evidence that it’s ever been offered on the ship. They currently do a specialty Alaskan Seafood lunch which I figured wouldn’t be applicable to my transpacific but that’s where the logic ends. I basically know to have expectations of varying quality but was hoping to have this option as my husband would do it and we need a break from the MDR. We do have a Tuscan and Murano night booked but we are not repeating there.

Sorry to bump this up but can anyone confirm if the Taj dinner is offered on the Solstice? It doesn’t look like it’s an offer on their current Alaska sailing but instead they have a special seafood lunch. Every review I look up references other S class ships but never the Solstice specifically. I’m wondering if this will be an option on the upcoming 17 night transpacific. If anyone has insight please let me know.