dreamer321

I'm a solo traveler also. I have a cruise booked in Nov. 2025 with the second passenger TBD (to be determined). Since your "non-cruising husband" wasn't able to make the cruise were you awarded double or single Captain's Club points for the cruise?

On my last cruise a few weeks ago I intentionally didn't purchase an internet package because of the number of port days on that particular itinerary where I would have cellular service. I found out, however, that I was still able to send and receive iMessages on my iPhone. I'm not sure if that was because that particular ship misconfigured the firewall to not block the appropriate ports that iMessage uses or they were intentionally allowing messaging service to pass despite not having an internet package. I also noticed that I was getting breaking news alerts in my Associated Press app which surprised me. Other internet usage failed since I didn't have a package.

Double check the terms of your Travel insurance to make sure its covers pre-existing conditions. Many would consider this a pre-existing condition and would not cover it unless it covers preexisting conditions in general. Expect to pay out of pocket for any expenses in the ship's infirmary.

I'm curious, was your friend able to get double Captain's Club points since she traveled solo or did she only get single Captain's Club point since the cabin was originally booked as double occupancy?

I just got off Summit's 6 day Pacific Coastal and the ship was packed full. I had to search for a seat in Oceanview Café for embarkation lunch. I should have eaten in Sushi on Five, oh well, 20/20 hindsight. The less than idea weather kept the crowds away from the pool deck on sea days for the most part causing other venues to be more crowded. The Solarium was always full. We had to cancel our Catalina port call because the seas were too choppy. After the first day I avoided the buffet as much as I could and ate in the MDR whenever possible. Despite the marginal weather and crowds I still enjoyed myself and have two more cruise booked in the future.

Yes, if you buy a drink package via the planner or on board 20% gratuity will be added to the advertised price when you initially purchase the package. For instance, if Celebrity is advertising the Classic Beverage Package for $49.99 per day for a 7 night cruise they will charge you ($49.99 + $9.99 gratuity) x 7 days = $419.86

No, Celebrity adds 20% gratuity to the advertised price during the checkout process (except cruises originating in the UK, Australia and New Zealand with includes the 20% gratuity in the advertised price because of local regulations.)

If you do stay in Southampton a few days early you can also make a short day trip to Portsmouth (Historic Dockyards) or Winchester (Winchester Cathedral, Military Quarters, the Great Hall) which have numerous sites to see. That is what I'm doing prior to my fall transatlantic cruise from Southampton. As far as getting to Southampton if you're going direct from Heathrow the National Express bus service gets good reviews if you don't want to pay for a private car service.

Is the a la carte pricing for Le Grand Bistro exclusive to Ascent? I was checking out Le Grand Bistro onboard Apex for my upcoming cruise and it's still showing prix fixe lunch of $36 for sailing out of Southampton, (Advertised price includes 20% gratuity)

As a solo passenger, it definitely pays to book Cruise Only then wait for Flash sales on WiFi and Beverage Packages. Celebrity really gouges solo passengers on All Included fares.

I saw it start popping up about a month ago but since I already had booked Premium WiFi for $13.99 per day during last year's Black Friday sale I just ignored it.

Black Friday this year is Friday, November 29, 2024, the day after American Thanksgiving. The Black Friday sales usually start earlier in the week, probably Monday, November 25, 2024.

Yes, unless you book pre-cruise with a small discount. You can go into "Plan my Cruise" on Celebrity's website to make a reservation and it will show you the current discount as well as what reservation times are still available. Additional reservation time slots should open once you embark the ship. I ate there three times when I sailed on Beyond and really enjoyed the food and experience, more so than my dinner in Le Voyage.

Eden is now up to $85 per person for the regular menu. If you book pre-cruise you might find a 5 – 8% discount.

The best ship for the Sunset Bar is whichever one I'm currently on. I was on Reflection last December and the seating was fine. It didn't interfere with my drinking at all. I was on Beyond 18 months ago and the seating there was also fine, with a much larger seating area than Edge or Apex.

From the FAQs:

Do you have any first hand experience with this happening? I've heard the hearsay as well and I have a cruise booked for Fall 2025 that I booked as myself and a guest TBA. Normally I cruise solo and pay the normal 100% solo supplement up front when booking. For the fall `25 cruise they had a pricing glitch that had a concierge cabin for two priced less than an inside cabin booked as a solo. Since the cruise is 18 months away I figured I'd have the flexibility to invited someone to sail with me and if not I'll just name someone who will then unfortunately have to cancel at the last minute.

I was on this cruise also and received a credit of $1.13 which I assume for Catalina. As for the reason we stopped rather than skipping Victoria given the late hour and short duration of the port call was some passengers had arranged to debark the ship there so we had to stop to let them off.

Just tell them that you are a recovering alcoholic, no proof required. It doesn't have to be true. You can then pay for the Zero Proof package while your husband pays for the package of his choice.

Thanks for the great trip report and pictures. I really appreciate you posting the Celebrity Today planners. I'll be boarding shortly after you get off so this really helps in planning.

I would pick the Aqua cabin if the price is about the same for dining in Blu as well as more Captain's Club points per day (5 pts. vs. 3 pts.)

I've seen the Premium Beverage Package as cheap as $47 pppd + gratuities. I just paid $50 pppd + gratuities for my 6 night West Coast cruise.

If you really want to experience Norway's fjords take a look at Havilla Voyages or Hurtigruten. They aren't traditional full service cruise lines but look really interesting.

I took screenshots of the menus the used my Mac's built-in OCR to capture the text. I'm sailing Summit on the next cruise (6 Night West Coast cruise) so I've been tracking menus and entertainment for the last couple of months so I can plan ahead and guess the menus and what's likely to be shown in the Theatre.

From the FAQs: The FAQ's don't make a distinction between cans and plastic or glass bottles as far as I can tell. I'd give it a try if that's what he really likes to drink.