Cruise till you drop

It’s not bad but we usually wait until they offer the 40% off each passenger with lower deposit (and sometimes maybe some onboard credit)

The 40% per passenger is a little better than the 75% off 2nd guest

On 1/20/2023 at 2:16 PM, shellunderwater said:

Thanks for the info.

We are planning to do this, but worry about it selling out if we wait to book on board.  We are on the Equinox in June for ABC islands.  Is selling out an issue?

From our experience, this does not sell out and they’re usually trying to fill spots as the cruise goes on. But if I were you, I would book early if you know for sure you want to do it 

We will be in an IV for the 1st time in the Caribbean in Jan 2025 and we like that it makes the room seem bigger but concerned that the AC shuts off when the window is open

If youre happy with the location, I say stay where you are as the AC thing won’t be a problem in Alaska like it would be in the Caribbean

On 3/3/2024 at 2:01 PM, helen haywood said:

The black square or the triangle refer to cabins that sleep three or four.  Those cabins always have the bed by the bathroom. 

Actually not true as we recently sailed Equinox on deck 11 in SV 1668 and the bed was by the balcony

19 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

 

Side note:  It is a shame the captain’s club members’ time spent playing webinars has been reduced from 50 power up points down to 30 power up points.  Did no one else take note of this devaluation?

I say don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

6 hours ago, CaroleSS said:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8899208959042120793?allowMobile=y&ecid=em_12921794&rid=583186056&mes=Celebrity Loyalty Laura Webinar 15 Mar 2024 EM&emsc=CCC_ELT_OUR_NAN_M_USA_FL_7_TA&empf=Y&emct=E&lnkid=REGISTER_AND_WATCH_NOW_CTA&rcid=69655777

Thanks for the link.  I just finished the Webinar and now await the points

On 2/2/2024 at 8:20 PM, NMTraveller said:

One would have thought for a 900 million dollar ship,  that they would have put more than a few balconies in .  🤣

That is the mystery in that if you prefer a regular balcony on an E class ship, unless you’re in Retreat class, you’ll likely not get a SV balcony unless you book very very early.  So all you’re left with is an IV.

Saying that, we’ve never done one yet but we’ll try one out in Jan 2025 on the Beyond (not because we planned to try one but because all the SV’s were sold out)

In March 2023, we cruised with friends that were concierge and we were not.  They went to the lunch and was so busy, they were forgotten and took them 2 hours to get in and out of there.

We went to OVC and had no wait and enjoyed a nice quiet lunch 

Flash forward to Jan 2024 and we sailed again with friends and we all had Concierge and we ALL ate at OVC

On 3/12/2024 at 9:35 PM, hcat said:

We book the cruises we want..

(dates, itin,  &  ship)  as early as we can..with the best deal we find. 

 

We   pick our rm..do not change, do not bid to move up or chase  reductions.  Usually,  we are way ahead in pricing from those who book later.

 

 

We buy insurance just in case it's needed.   Prices can go up or down..some will get  a last minute bargain..we did once!

 

But I see no injustice here.

Sad for losing a port ( Lahaina) but that was  not our fav anyhow.

 

If OP is very unhappy..maybe cancel, take the penalty and start fresh..and figure out something for air

This is exactly us.  It’s kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

For example, let’s say this cruise was heavily booked and we are in the current day and considering that cruise.  It most certainly would have been more expensive.

We don’t look at prices after we book.  We decide what we want to spend, book it (very early), and then await the day when we can sail.  Very simple

2 hours ago, jsglow said:

Let me give you a quick primer. Your adult kids (and their children) will certainly be held to whatever their VIFP status is. As you said, you can check in at 16 days; they can at 14. There is absolutely no piggybacking on your Platinum status. (ie. they can't board when you can as Plats are called). Also, they can't take advantage of any other perk you get like luggage drop-off or early tenders. The only exception to this boarding situation is minor children of a Platinum cardholder and persons staying in the Priority cardholders cabin.

 

As to Arrival Appointments (which is what you sign up for at check-in as distinguished from 'Boarding Times'), it sort of depends on the port as to whether YOU will be strictly held to that selected 30 minutes slot. Some yes (Long Beach for example), some not so much or at all. In contrast,your adult kids will most certainly be held to their Arrival Slot pretty much anywhere although there are always exceptions.

 

IF you all want to arrive and board together, your best bet is to board with them when their turn comes. You can also tweak your own Arrival Appointment after they are able to get one so you match up.

Thanks.  We’re leaving out of Charleston

Curious what this means exactly and if things changed recently

We haven’t sailed on Carnival for some time and back then, we had a special entrance and room where we did our check in and we didn’t need any pre set arrival times.  And we could get in and through the check in process very quickly.

We are platinum but our kids and their families joining us are non platinum.

From what I’ve heard, we can do our check in 16 days before sailing and non platinum 14 days before.

Any other info would be appreciated 

1 hour ago, KKB said:

 

I do recommend trying it once before passing judgement.

Excellent advice

We’ve been on Edge twice now and loved both OVC and Mast Grill for lunch, and the occasional dinner in OVC was really good.

7 minutes ago, Veinless said:

Right, but where do you find this specific concierge?

Again it’s not a place on the ship but a status. When you price out a cruise, you will be asked which class to book (Inside, Ocean View, Balcony, Aqua, etc)

And one of them is Concierge.  It’s usually a balcony or IV on a upper level floor.

One of the perks is a special lunch on Embark day, stuff like that

21 hours ago, Veinless said:

How do you even access this concierge?

 Concierge is a status with special perks, not a place on the ship.

Its a perk that arguably costs an extra $300 pp but it’s also a perk that I think helps sell IV cabins on the upper floors on E class ships (IMHO)

1 hour ago, Miaminice said:

Personally I would only speak of experiences I made myself and not of friend´s etc.

As I stated, we also looked at their menu on a few of the days and just couldn’t get excited by any of the dishes being offered.  But to each their own.

6 hours ago, Miaminice said:

don’t waste money on Concierge! Do Aqua! 👍

Honestly I think both are a waste of money.  We recently did Concierge and agree you really don’t get much.

And friends of ours did Aqua on that same cruise and only went once to Blu and said they didn’t see anything on the menu they wanted (we ourselves looked at the published menu at the entrance and would agree with their take)

We’ve been on the Edge (E class ship) in a Sunset Verandah (which is not Concierge) and the Infinite Verandah cabins on the upper floors seemed to be what they classify as Concierge 

We also recently sailed on Equinox (Solstice class) in a Sunset Verandah.  On that ship, all the upper floor balconies including SV’s and side cabins are concierge 

You may want to go to Ports of Call section of Cruise Critic and explore private non-ship excursions.  They should have more content and also be less expensive 

Looks like a Royal ship (Symohony) in there today

7 hours ago, Wrunkles said:

Has anyone done this recently that knows about how much to fill the tank when you get back? 

you bring them back with whatever you have left.  No need to fill up

We always book our own flights as we always fly in the day before a cruise.  Therefore we don’t see any benefit to booking with the cruise line and we can decide our own itinerary (which is usually the most convenient and direct)

On 2/12/2024 at 2:44 PM, jackandmary said:

Thanks Highway 180!

 

So does the infinity veranda not have an actual balcony? Not sure I realized that.

More positively stated, the space for the balcony is in your room and you don’t have to go outside to be on the balcony.  The large window opens up to get the outside air (and yes unfortunately when the window is open, the AC shuts off)

The big positive is that since the space for the balcony is in your room, your room does feel larger that other balconies

8 hours ago, jelayne said:

We had dinner at 8, no loud music.  The shows in Eden started at 10:45 past when most would be at dinner.

We cruised in March 2023 when this occurred and we dined at 5:30.  This is when we got very loud music from above

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

same for us. we had early res for 6 p.m.

 

.From down in EDEN,  it was a nice acoustic duo.. so nice upstairs.. after dinner we stayed to hear a full set..  very nice stmosphere

 

Loud comes much later

Exactly.  Highly depends on your dining time.  Sounds like we were unlucky and booked during the loud music times