lhsail

We are sailing on the Solstice in October on a casino deal so no drink package. I have two questions. Is the Captain’s Cocktail hour available in all bars? Can you upgrade to premium drinks during the cocktail hour? Appreciate it.

Glad you got things squared away. I feel extremely grateful for this trip.

Agree with others if it’s $141 for the cruise go for it. You also get a bottle of sparkling wine and hot breakfast menu. Plus the Concierge cabins on the Equinox have been redecorated. Much brighter decor.

Not sure I want to share. 😁. In general, we like the mid-ship angled balconies on Deck 10. This time we got 1231, but they all offer oversized balconies, excellent overhang for weather protection, convenient to the pool and Oceanview Cafe. Also, next to some suites, so we’ve had some excellent cabin stewards. I have not heard of anyone else being asked for a $500 deposit. We initially paid $284, then the upgrade cost today. Sounds like you need to ask some more questions.

Called this morning and upgraded to Concierge for $10pp/day. Was able to select our favorite cabin. On hold for about 30 minutes, which I considered pretty good.

Late last year and earlier this year they had $5 tables in the day on sea days. That seemed to stop in April.

Nice.

Appreciate all the information. Found well priced flights in and out of SNA. Leaving Austin at 8:00 am the day before the cruise on SW for just under $100. On AA at 2:45 pm disembarkation day for $80. Think we’ll stay at the Crowne Plaza by the harbor for the night. Have a free night available. 😁

Like most things cruise, who knows what their criteria is. We have taken eight Celebrity and three Royal in the last year. We did not get the email, but called and were qualified?

I would prefer to arrive two days before, but DH doesn’t want to spend two nights in LA. Need to convince him this wouldn’t be anything like staying in the city.

I agree about having the “real time” deck plan available, but I was shocked when I was offered a Deck 8 cabin on the angle. I was prepared to negotiate. Has anyone upgraded to Concierge? If so, may I ask what they charged?

There are a few options for direct flights out of Austin to SNA. Some on AA and we have miles.

Sailing out of the port of LA in October. Any reasons for choosing either LAX or Orange County over the other? Thank you

Thanks to all for the information. Called about 7:30 Central this morning. On hold for about an hour. Asked if there was any chance we were eligible for the promotion based in information I had seen on CC. He came a few minutes later and said we were. Didn’t have to have any email sent us. We are booked for 10/22, assigned a 1A on Deck 8. Kind of wish I had asked about a Concierge upgrade, but we’re on the angle so hard to complain. Now to book flights and hotel. Thanks again!

Ok, have to send hubby on a search of his email. We have been on eight Celebrity cruises since August. Although not big stakes, he has gambled on all of them. We did a Princess cruise of the west coast a few years back on a casino offer. It wasn’t free, but really cheap.

Sounds like a great conversation.

Years ago I put ours on before our flight. I was missing my most critical bag when we got to the airport. Spent one night in Fort Lauderdale and still didn’t have it when we boarded the ship. Had to buy an outfit in the hotel gift shop to have something clean to wear to the ship. A few hours after embarkation, my suitcase showed up at our cabin. Someone at the airport saw the cruise tag and pulled it as though we had a cruise line transfer. I got my bag, but had many hours of angst. Always wait until we’re ready to go to the ship now.

We stayed there in March, April and earlier this month. Never asked for anything like a key at breakfast. FYI, the rooms are showing their age, but we still like the hotel for it’s other amenities and convenience. The side street is Cordova. Across from the hotel on Cordova is Duffy’s. It’s a sports bar and they have some nice outside seating. Always 2-for-1 drinks. On that same side of Cordova, but across 17th Street and down a couple of blocks is Southport Raw Bar. It’s a dive, but walk through the restaurant to the deck out back which sits on the Intracoastal. They almost always have live music.

Thank you for your post. You have reinforced our decision to cancel our Med/Greece cruise this September. This is exactly the kind of thing we were concerned about.

We’ve have sailed both lines extensively. Years ago, we leaned towards Princess. Shortly before Covid, we had a couple of fantastic cruises on the Equinox and post-Covid have sailed Celebrity numerous times. Our loyalty has shifted. I’ll just summarize what others have already said: aside from storage, Celebrity cabins are larger and more comfortable with a sofa, etc. and balconies are bigger; better food and beverage selections on Celebrity; Celebrity has really ramped up their entertainment; younger/better mix of demographics; staff very visible around the ship. We have a lot of Princess FCC to use up from a canceled Australian trip, so we are going on the Ruby Princess in December and the Enchanted in February. It will be interesting to see how we feel about Princess after several wonderful recent Celebrity cruises.

Two days is not uncommon.

Really appreciate your review. Noticed your comment about being on the Summit 8 months ago and how different this cruise is. We were so spoiled on the Summit last year, cruises as low as 275 passengers to all of 700. We are sailing on the Equinox 7/10 and it sounds like we’re in for an adjustment.

On our B2Bs last summer we were given vouchers for laundry, I believe including one bag of laundry and pressing.

A few years ago, when people asked us what our favorite cruise line was, we would say Princess. And, we have also given RCI a chance lately taking advantage of the ability to sail out of Galveston. We're now total Celebrity fans after having come back to them for several cruises in the past few years. We find the food and beverage options superior on Celebrity. Especially as compared to RCI. Although we enjoy an occasional dinner in Murano on the S class ships, we're perfectly happy with the MDR. We're wine drinkers and the selections are definitely better on Celebrity, plus they have wine stewards/stewardesses that are actually knowledgeable. Balcony cabins on Celebrity are bigger than the standard balcony on Princess and you always get at least a love seat and a small table. We are in our mid-60s and prefer the demographics on Celebrity. Not nearly as many kids as are on RCI and we've been on Princess cruises when we've felt like the youngest on the ship. Celebrity is more upscale than RCI without being stuffy. The staff is always attentive and fun. We have two Princess cruises planned and will continue to take short RCI cruises out of Galveston, but we'll be back on Celebrity ASAP.

I’m sure the balcony cabins are fine. Just not many of them, they sell out quickly and are priced significantly higher than they were on the Adventure. I totally understand it’s a supply and demand issue.