drakes2

13 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

 

Photo of Aspen coffee. It was very good.

Much better than what they gave me on Beyond. Hardly any whipped cream and once she added steamed milk I returned it and got a new one. They also serve a piece of biscotti on the side. 

Baileys on ice is the best regardless of weather although I do enjoy it during the summer. When I was on the Beyond this past March I had a couple of Aspen coffees and they didn't taste the same as previously. Seems it was heavy on the Espresso. A month later I did a TA on the Ascent and never ordered one. I did buy 2 large bottles of Baileys in Costa Rica duty free slightly cheaper than onboard. They even let me take to my cabin but I just packed them. 

26 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Not really…I just like math problems. 🙂  What is the conversion rate these days? 

1 USD is approximately 1.385 Canadian at least that's where I purchase it from.  I have card with no FX fees and the rate when  it hit my bank was just under 1.37 but it was a very large purchase so I was quite happy.

4 hours ago, TNfamilytraveler said:

The push to buy products was significantly more in 2024 than my prior cruise experiences.  I purchased the detox vitamins and when I got home I looked at the bottles and realized the energy formula contains caffeine (which I have been working at reducing for over a year -- going slow to avoid withdrawal).  The difference between this and the wine steward is that the wine steward doesn't have you alone, in a room for an hour, where they have been telling you about how they are supporting their entire family (elderly mother), how you need to take better care of yourself, etc. etc.   Oh and both you and the wine steward are fully dressed.  I was still in the bathrobe and spa coverup.  

 

My 93 year old mother also got the high pressure sales treatement and bought 2 lotions that were $70 each.  She didn't understand how much they cost and since we were paying for the cruise that was another $140 on our tab.

 

I like spa treatments but given my most recent experience, I resolved to never go to any spas on a cruise ship again.

I just listen and at the end of the service politely decline. I have arthritis and the massage therapist even told me the Elemis spa gel she used would help with arthritis. 😆 

5 minutes ago, highway180 said:

Ha

Not everyone who is Elite will bother with the crappy wine selection offered!

Never cruise without the premium pkg and always bring a couple of bottles from home.

Life is too short to drink low quality wines just because they are complimentary.

Same goes for any complimentary bottles in the stateroom...we politely ask for it to be removed.

 

Cheers

My CVP and I guess celebrity gifted me 2 bottles of wine in addition I brought 1 onboard.  A couple days into the cruise I had an issue won't go into detail but I did inform GR and the next afternoon 2 more bottles arrived. It was a 13 night TA so drank 3 bottles and brought 2 home.  They kept my wine for me in the MDR. 

32 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On our next cruise , basic cruise price was $1666 CAD , taxes in, for 2 in a balcony , with 3 perks , with taxes in it is $4200 CAD so we decided no package and just use our Elite perks 

In November, I basically stop drinking coffee and May only drink 1-2 a week now , one day I made a pot of coffee , trying to use up coffee grinds, boy did I ever feel weird ,🥴 so even going to Bacio for coffee will not be missed 

I am fine will Club Soda , compared to bubble water 😁

Smart move. I find the Elite benefits give me all the alcohol I can consume in a day. On my recent Ascent cruise I spent some time in the onboard jewelry shop got to know 2 of the nice men working there and they invited me to their Premium wine and food pairing at no charge at a private venue. It was excellent much better than the World wine tour I paid for with crappy wines all from basic package. I suspect the private tasting was compliments of Effy jewellery which I did purchase a lovely piece and thrilled with it. Life is short. 😆 💍

3 minutes ago, dazey said:

We always got the drink package and usually upgraded to premium package.  Once we reached Elite we do not purchase a drink package.  We can get Bellini or Bloody Mary, etc. at Elite breakfast and we go to the many bars listed from 5-7 for a couple of drinks and bottles of water(now $4.80 if purchased) for that evening and next day.  Never had a problem getting a drink and a water and would get a second drink. We do buy a bottle of saki and also a bottle or wine at the specialty restaurants and generally ask them to store unused portion for us for another night.  Elite gets 20% off any bottle of wine.

 

Last week our "beverage" cost was approx. $125 for two bottles of wine for our week long cruise.  I was skeptical when we decided to try no drink package thinking it would hinder our enjoyment of our vacation but probably feel better for it and also saved so much money!

 

Give it a try.  You can always add the package while on the cruise or just pay for a drink or two.

 

Most people who purchase a drink package usually drop it once they reach Elite status. I like to drink San Pellegrino but now I just take a case onboard with me. 

31 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Perfect thanks! So when you order a drink between 5-7 do you need to mention that you are Elite so they don't charge you?   We are seriously thinking of going without a drink package next cruise and just want to be sure I understand how it works.  We will still buy a few drinks, or maybe a wine package to supplement, and then figure out at the end of the cruise whether it was a wise decision financially.  Its getting to the point where I feel like I have to have a certain # of drinks just to make it worthwhile if I have the package.  I am guessing our livers will thank us LOL!!  

Your card will give your status but doesn't hurt to mention it. On your account it will show as zero charged at the bar you were at. I wouldn't bother with a wine package not even sure if they sell them now I don't keep track as never purchased one. There are so many venues to get free drinks such as tastings etc. Just look around. Save your money and your liver. 

4 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Perfect thanks 😊  somehow I missed that.

I've had martinis that are not on that menu.  Lady next to me at martini bar had a tequila sunrise looked interesting so bartender made me one also had several lemon drop martinis all during HH. 

2 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

We recently reached Elite status but have never sailed without a drink package.  We are thinking about skipping the drink package and taking advantage of the Elite HH.  Drink packages as well as the all included seem to have gone up in price so not sure its worth it for us.  When I looked at the HH menu it seemed like it was all alcoholic drinks (no complaints lol!) but can you also get bottled sodas and water and is it unlimited?  If so that makes a big difference...

Unlimited to the fact that you can get as many as they will give you from 5 to 7 pm.  They really don't squawk about soda and water. I've asked for a can of coke and water at the same time no ???? asked. Also wine and water.  I rarely get a drink package as not fussed about their wine selections.  I've even had a premium wine poured as part of my HH benefits. Yay Decoy. 🍷

47 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On our last RCL cruise the Diamond lounge was not very nice, well the whole ship need a major make over 

Oh what a shame. I took my 11 year old Grandson on adventure of the seas mainly for the water slides and Perfect Day at Coco Cay. I was surprised at how nice the Diamond Lounge was on a very old ship. 

8 minutes ago, the penguins said:

the two systems are different. We prefer Celebrity's. Choice is good

I like RCIs diamond lounge. The snacks and canapés really good some were hot good selection of cheeses and wine.  Unfortunately I only found it on the second to last night of our cruise. 

5 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

They have it at the coffee shop, Cafe al Bacio.

They also have an Aspen coffee. Espresso Kalua baileys and Francgelico. Topped with whipped cream. 😋 

6 minutes ago, dazey said:

Martini Bar does serve HH Elite drinks.

Martini bar so crowded from 5 to 7 its sometimes hard to get a drink there nevermind a place to sit.

5 hours ago, cgags47 said:

From my understanding, the Happy Hour is available at "most" bars throughout the ship.  Dining Room and Room Service is not included.

I was on an RCI cruise last summer with my Grandson and was able to get a glass of wine with my HH benefits and he usually ordered a coke or a Shirley Temple.  No charge for either.  The red wine was a Robert Mondavi. 

1 hour ago, d9704011 said:

Calculation of interest on different sorts of loans and terms.

So important for our kids to learn especially with such high credit card debt. 

3 hours ago, Stockjock said:

We have an upcoming cruise on an Edge-class ship and we're roughly 60 days out.  I had booked a panoramic oceanview because the infinite veranda was about $1,000 more and I have mixed feelings about the IV anyway.  It wasn't worth a grand to me.

This morning, I noticed a price drop, so I called the travel agent who called Celebrity.  They moved me into an Infinite Veranda for $30 per passenger ($60).  While I still have mixed feelings about IV, it's worth $60 to me to be able to get some fresh air.

Just an FYI to keep an eye on pricing, and they may be able to do something for you even when you are inside of the final payment period.

That's a great price. I too an not keen on the IV but if the upgrade was not too expensive its worth it.

32 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

It sounds like we have the same account - and I don't know why (I don't question it) but ever since we ran the balance down from all those cheap US dollars we accumulated years ago, it is now charged as $4.95, but then rebates us back $3.00, to we are only paying $1.95 with a balance of a few hundred. No idea why (maybe because we have a Canadian account that maintains $5K to avoid fees and a few other 

If you have the first class visa then the rebate is $3.00 unless you keep 3K in the USD account at all times.  Another point of consideration is when traveling abroad (Europe) and making a purchase if the terminal gives you a choice of paying in CAD or Euros choose Euros as the conversation rate will be crappy. The bank will convert unfavorably if you choose to pay in Canadian $.   Found out the hard way.  Was in a rush and not paying attention. 

11 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Unfortunately my TD US$ account charges for transactions, both deposits and withdrawals, so it probably isn’t worth it to me to put the money into EQ. But if I had a larger amount I probably would. 

The fee is $4.95 US a month but waived if you keep $3000 in it at all times. I've only had both cards just over a month so will see how it works for me when I cruise in October. 

7 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I very much suspect that it is. Even if you go to a currency exchange and change a lot of money I suspect you won't get a rate as good as Visa and Mastercard. The other advantage of a conversion fee free credit card is that it works as well in places other than the US.

I just returned from a cruise last month and made a purchase of $2000 on my home trust visa card. The rate used was 1.3675. 

9 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Today it was $1.4002 (higher than recently) to purchase US $.

If you have the TD borderless account the rate is 1.3952. Currency exchange kiosk is 1.3895 and simplii financial is 1.4160.  I just don't like carrying a lot of cash around when traveling so will use the US visa to pay my onboard account and a couple meals out.  

31 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

For me that is the crux of the matter. Unless you have income in USD at some point you have to fund the USD account. And, since I am currently getting 4% interest on my CAD funds, I would lose a fair bit by keeping money in a USD account. As an aside, EQ pays a very generous 3% currently on USD accounts, but my TD US$ account that holds about $1100 earns 1 cent of interest every month.

I buy my US cash from a currency exchange kiosk. They give an extra half % off for seniors every Monday.  Still better than any bank's rate. Fortunately the TD bank is close enough for me to walk so I can just deposit when funds are low.  

On 6/2/2024 at 3:05 AM, cgags47 said:

Good to know!

 

Makes sense.  Are you allowed to ask for cans/bottles to be unopened to bring back to your cabin?

I always take unopened bottles of water to my cabin for the next day. Don't drink sodas. One poster said he carries a tote bag and loads up. 

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

While a POS terminal and the underlying computer systems may recognize your card as having been issued in Canada, what determines the currency of the charge is the input at the POS. So, as example, if you are using a normal Canadian CAD credit card, guest services will let you choose to be charged in USD or CAD. If you choose USD, the conversion will be made by your financial institute. Alternatively, you could ask guest services to charge you in CAD, in which case the conversion from USD to CAD is made at their end of the transaction and the charge is already in CAD when it hits your financial institute. In most cases, it's best to have the conversion done by your financial institute.

 

When using a Canadian USD card, the same applies. Normally, you would simply have the charge made in USD and that will be the currency of the charge reaching your financial institute. The computer system isn't going to change the currency of the transaction simply because the card was issued in Canada. 

Thanks for the info. I have a couple of cruises coming up later this year and normally my bill is under $500 many times its just gratuities and the odd drink. I'll put some cash down and pay the rest on my CC.

5 hours ago, gnome12 said:

If it is a US dollar credit card you should be charged in US dollars. For me, the issue is paying the bill, since I have no source of US dollars and would have to convert CAD dollars at fairly high rates. (These would generally be small amounts; if larger purchases I might consider keeping a reasonable amount of money is a US dollar account and replenish it when rates seem good.) However, for me, it is a lot of worry; it makes more sense for the amounts I generally spend to have a Canadian credit card with no foreign transaction fee.

I have the borderless account and keep 3K in US funds at all times to avoid transaction fees and will use that to pay my US visa. The whole point of getting that card was to pay for my cruise account from the cash in the borderless but if the card gets converted to Canadian then US its really pointless and becomes extremely expensive. What concerns me is the charges are all done through a computer system and it would recognize my card as a Canadian card issued by a Canadian bank.