simon stingray

12 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

Plenty of TA sites that don't show the inclusions of the Suite when you book even though you get them. I just mock booked a suite from the TA I use and it does not mention all the Perks but they do exist.

I'm surprised that they don't all show the perks. Surely this is a big selling point and helps justify the higher cost for suites. I'm sure they would sell more suites especially to guests who haven't sailed Celebrity before if they highlighted the extra benefits which come with booking this category. 

Thanks for all the replies. In the end we have booked via blue Chip Club. They couldn't offer us a complimentary Sky Suite (as we expected) but did give us a nice discount which includes all the retreat perks and OBC.

Do Celebrity ever sell bookings in suite class rooms which do not include drinks, gratuities and wi-fi.

I’ve been looking at booking a sky suite on Beyond and have found what looks like a great deal from a U.S. based agent.
 

Whilst the price is the same as other agents or booking direct, this agent is offering $400+ obc in addition to the $700 which you get from the cruise line.
 

My only concern is that there is no mention of it including a drinks package, gratuities or wi-fi.

I’ve seen other staterooms sold without drinks etc but not sure if this is also done on suites.

I must have spent over an hour enlarging and examining the first picture and found nothing. Really have better things than this to spend my time on.

All prices seem to have just been increased on April 2 sailing. Pity as I was considering moving our booking from Reflection to Beyond.

2 hours ago, chamima said:

If there’s enough of a backlash they’ll rescind it. 
I seem to remember something from about 5 years ago that they tried to implement but people went nuts and they backed down. 

Would that be when they started to charge for burgers at the Mast Grill out on the pool deck? 

5 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

No you keep those but instead of Blu you gain access to Luminae and you get access The Retreat.  You will only get CC points for your original Acqua booking and not the points for a Sky Suite. 
 

OK great. Thanks for that.

On 11/26/2022 at 3:34 PM, jelayne said:

Your right, I forgot the Aqua is AI.  Which is a good point because with Move Up you don’t get the perks of the new category, so OP wouldn’t get drinks, wi-fi, and prepaid gratuities. 

Could someone please explain this.

We are currently booked in Aqua and our booking includes drinks, wi-if and gratuities. So if we bid to upgrade to a sky suite, does this mean we wouldn’t get the perks of the new category and then loose 

these perks which we already had in Aqua?

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

I don’t recall anyone ever reporting that being done.  

Thanks. Just to clarify I wasn't referring to food from room service but was thinking coffee if the coffee machine in the lounge was not working.

40 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

While the lounge will be open 24/7, the same may not be true of the functionality of the coffee machine in there.

Could you order room service and ask for it to be delivered to the Suite lounge?

Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for.

Could anyone tell me if you able to order a bottle of liquor onboard.

I'm not talking about duty free, but something to be delivered to the stateroom so you can have a drink in your room or on the balcony.

On HAL you can order in advance on the planner and it is in the room when you board together with mixers. I have looked but can only find wine & cheese platters and champagne & strawberries. I was thinking something more like Jack Daniels or Courvoisier Brandy and some coke mixers. 

3 hours ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Who is the piano player? 

A J Clarke and he was very good. 
 

Also just a further update for anyone who is interested, we briefly chatted to a lady onboard and she happened to be the daughter of the lady who was evacuated off the ship. She stated that her mother had became very confused and the Doctor suspected sepsis and after arriving at hospital she was responding well to treatment.

We’re onboard Regal right now and the captain made announcements yesterday regarding this evacuation. Guests in certain aft cabins were asked to vacate their cabins for safety reasons and and many guests went up on deck to watch the evacuation but were not allowed on the aft decks. 
 

The captain didn’t disclose the nature of the illness the passenger was suffering with but as there are a high number of elderly passengers onboard it really could be anything.

I also would have thought if it was COVID related then there would have been additional announcements regarding anyone experiencing COVID symptoms to contact the medical centre, which there hadn’t been.

The crew have all been absolutely great as has the food and entertainment, particularly the piano entertainer in Crooners. We only wish the weather was warmer as we find it too cool & windy to sit on deck or use the pools (although many passengers are braving it each day).

And Holland America have them too.

We usually give a cash tip when we have room service delivered.

In addition to GBP I'm sure you could also bring € or US $. The crew would be grateful of tips in any currency. 

On 5/5/2021 at 2:45 PM, rattla said:

see how annoying is that as they haven’t mentioned anywhere home tests are not acceptable, but this is a similar response to what I was told.

However, as was mentioned above, does anyone know for sure if the email reply you get for a home kit is the same as a “monitored” test, I’m sure it is?  
I think I could still go and get a test at a testing centre, but half of me thinks I’m putting myself in a place where I would be more vulnerable to being near more people and therefore more of a chance to catch it??

 

ultimately, I’m more than happy to do a test and we will ALL be tested at port anyway, so it’s not about avoiding anything, it’s just far easier to organise.

why would anyone know they were positive and try to dodge doing a test only to travel all the way there and potentially get stopped from boarding?.?

I've just called with a few issues and asked about NHS tests and if the home test are ok. I was told that the NHS home tests are perfectly fine as you get a text & e-mail confirmation which is all they need to see at boarding.

On 4/21/2021 at 2:22 PM, kimstoess said:

If my oldest daughter and mother are in the regular balcony can they join us on the yacht club pool deck?

On 4/30/2021 at 3:45 PM, kimstoess said:

My mother doesn't want to come 

Sorry but is granny coming or not?

If she isn't coming, does this mean that you are going to have a 12 year old in her own stateroom in a completely different part of the ship alone?

On 4/30/2021 at 3:47 PM, kimstoess said:

I'm not trying to sneak family in... It's really for a 12 year old to join her parents, brother and sister at dinner and the pool.

Or if granny is coming and it's really just for the 12 year old to join her parents, does this mean that granny will be left on her own outside of the YC for the entire cruise?

Surely keeping the family together is more important than cruising in YC, unless you can afford everyone to sail in YC together.

I'd love to be on one of those sailings if the US would let us in😀

After confirmation yesterday that we will both be vaccinated in plenty of time, we booked this morning for 21 August sailing with flights from Manchester. Opted for a Balcony Guarantee. 

We haven't sailed Royal for 10 years-we're Celebrity & Princess fans but after 3 Caribbean cruise holidays cancelled (Easter 2020, Xmas 2020 & Easter 2021) we're ready to be onboard a ship.

2 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

But they are very strict about that in Saudi Arabia.

 

It seems that they are very strict about a lot of things in Saudi Arabia. 

 

With the launch of the tourist e-visa on 28 September 2019, Saudi Arabia announced new regulations related to public conduct and decency.

 

Men and women are required to refrain from public displays of affection, and avoid using profane language or gestures.

 

Taking pictures or recording videos without permission is not permitted.

 

Visitors to Saudi Arabia should familiarise themselves with public decency laws.

 

Local laws require men and women to dress modestly covering shoulders and knees in public, avoiding tight-fitting clothing or clothes with profane language or images.

 

Homosexual or extra-marital sexual relations, including adultery, are illegal and can be subject to severe penalties. It’s also illegal to be transgender. 

 

Penalties for the possession of, or trade in alcohol are severe. Both result in prison sentences. Do not arrive in Saudi Arabia under the influence of alcohol.

 

If you bring medication with you, carry a doctor’s prescription.

 

Importing pork products is forbidden.

 

The punishment for smuggling drugs includes the death penalty.

 

Photographing government buildings, military installations, and palaces is not allowed.  You should avoid photographing local people.

 

Binoculars should not be brought into Saudi Arabia and may be confiscated at the port of entry.

 

It’s illegal to hold 2 passports in Saudi Arabia. Second passports will be confiscated by the immigration authorities if they’re discovered.

 

The Saudi legal system differs in many ways from the UK. Suspects can be held without charge and are not always allowed quick access to legal representation. The Saudi authorities have detained witnesses and victims of crimes. If you need consular assistance, British Embassy staff will try to visit you as soon as they are aware of the case, but in some instances Embassy staff have not been permitted to do so immediately or have had access limited.

 

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3 hours ago, debgreg said:

Can I ask , did they charge a fee or just the difference in price ?

When we called to upgrade from an Inside to a Balcony, they just worked out the difference and charged us that (less the discount). What they charged us agreed with the figures I worked out and we weren't charged any fee for changing the booking.  

We weren't charged anything when they upgraded us from Bella to Aurea.

Hi all.

We initially booked an inside Bella stateroom on the MSC website and paid In full. After a few hours we had 2nd thoughts and called to upgrade to a Balcony Bella and paid the difference. The following day (yesterday) when I logged in it showed that there was a further £600+ outstanding (taking the total cruise fare to over £2k). 

I called and was informed not to worry as we had been given a complimentary upgrade from Bella to Aurea and the outstanding balance would be removed from the booking. I also queried the premium drinks package as it had changed on the booking and now reflected as "Easy Drinks Package & Spa".

I was told not to worry as all these UK sailings came with the Premium package and everything would be ok once onboard. 

The outstanding balance has been removed from the booking but the drinks package still shows Aurea Easy Drinks & Spa.  

There is now an option on our booking under beverages to upgrade from Easy to Premium drinks for £36 per passenger.

Have anyone else had their booking upgraded and should I be worried about the drinks package?

I've just gone for it and booked direct with MSC for the 24th May sailing. The e-mail booking confirmation had an attachment with the T&C's and it states:

4. Insurance
4.1 The Company recommends that every Passenger should have adequate insurance policy which covers them sufficiently for Holiday Package cancellation, medical assistance and expenses, loss and/or damage of the luggage, from the time the Holiday Package has been confirmed as Booked to the end of the Holiday Package.

No mention of amounts of cover required.

2 hours ago, CaroleC said:

Does anyone know the level of insurance cover MSC requires?
 

When I booked (Virtuosa 3rd July) my TA advised me a minimum of £2m Medical Cover and £2m Repatriation Cover was required but surely that’s for overseas cruises?
 

I have a worldwide annual travel policy which includes cruising, however, when I checked with the provider today they only cover up to £10k for UK cruises.

It sounds like you & I may have the same policy. 

Mine states medical cover of £10M when "outside of your home area" and only £10K for related costs "inside your home area" and "home area" is defined as: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man if your home is in any of these countries. 

So if you are onboard a ship sailing off the coast of these countries, then would that be classed as outside of your home area?

Surely it must be as otherwise this would affect all cruises sailing to & from the UK. Otherwise even passengers on a world cruise would not be insured during the first and last hours of the voyage. 

We booked aug 24th-4 nights with prom package. Those dates worked best for us. We were wanting to book a mini suite with club class dining but it worked out at £600 more than a regular balcony so decided against it.