Straughn

My experiences at Port Everglades have been that the terminal has been open at 10 AM and I was able to get into The Retreat Lounge with no issues. Be sure to have your Express Pass handy to show the shoreside personnel who will direct you to suite checkin.

I had Premium Access for my Constellation cruise last month, in Tampa. Here is my experience: I purchased PA after I had done my online check in. It did not show up on my boarding pass or on my luggage tags. I called Celebrity and was told that it needed to be purchased before online checkin is available. Apparently, it has nothing to do when you check in. If you buy it after on line check in opens, even if you have not done check in, it will not show. My TA contacted Celebrity as well, and got the same info. i was told to show my confirmation of PA to the porter when dropping off bags and to the shoreside personnel at the port. As for the luggage, the porter knew what I had and tagged on of my two suitcases with the correct tags (Suite/Zenith). Somehow, the second piece of luggage didn’t get the same tag. When I arrived, and showed it to the shore side person checking boarding passes, she asked me to step aside while she contacted an escort. Within 2 minutes another lady showed up, walked me to a specific counter, where I was checked in immediately. She then walked me to the escalator, where there was a line. She said something to the man who was monitoring that line and he immediately stopped the line, at the bottom of the escalator so that I could go up. Once up top, I ended up in the regular line to go up the gangway. When I got to my cabin and picked up my sea pass there was a symbol that showed I had premium access. Keep mind, this is how it worked in Tampa. In other ports, with different boarding areas, the procedures may be different.

I have an Android phone. Last month, on Constellation, it was in airplane mode and connected to the ship's WiFi. I was able to send and receive texts with no problems.

I like the priority embarkation and disembarkation. I drive, so getting off the ship on my schedule is great. Michael’s Club/ The Retreat offers a chance to get to know other suite passengers and to make friends for dining. I enjoy Luminae because of the personalized service and, of course, the food. I was one of the folks who, when the butler service in Sky Suites, was reduced, thought “whatever.” I don’t order in room breakfast and rarely have special requests. The butler was useful for dining reservations, but The Retreat concierge team could accomplish the same thing. Now if someone was in a higher level suite, there are benefits which are fantastic. As a solo, those suites are out of my price range!

I disembarked Constellation on March 23, the last cruise from Tampa before the TA. It was the best X cruise I have had since the restart after Covid. I was in an A1 cabin. My cabin steward was always visible during normal working hours. The first day, I was lacking Kleenex. That was remedied within 10 minutes. My cabin was spotless, the balcony was one of the cleanest I have had. The ship was immaculate. In the areas I frequented, I didn’t see stains or wear and tear in the carpets. Dirty glasses, plates, etc were quickly removed from Cafe Al Bacio and in the OV. The crew seemed very happy, pleasant, and friendly. Cellar Masters is my go to bar. There were times when it was very busy, but I was always acknowledged and served, in turn, within 5-10 minutes. The food in Blu was the best I have had since the restart, and that includes Luminae. I generally eat a salad for lunch. The salad bar was full of fresh veggies and protein. The shrimp on the last day were good sized and plentiful. My dinners in Tuscan were great. My experience may have been ship specific, but it gives me hope that things are starting to improve. I am sure there are others, also on this cruise, who had different experiences.

Agree 100%.

Suite guests can board at any time. The app requirement to select a boarding time doesn’t differentiate between between Retreat and non Retreat guests.

I find the four dining rooms on E class ships to be a great experience. My last E class cruise was on Beyond in May 2023. I did not have a bad meal in any of the four dining rooms on Edge, Apex, or Beyond. All the restaurants offer the same menu each night, with a side menu of special dishes specific to that restaurant’s theme. I have dined in Eden, multiple times, on the ships I listed above. All were fantastic experiences and I plan to dine there on whatever E class ship I am on. On Beyond, I dined in Le Voyage and thought it was fabulous. To be fair, I love that kind of “focused” dining experience. With the availability of specialty restaurants on the E class ships, and based on my previous experiences, I could easily not miss dining in Luminae.

I have sailed on E class ships in a suite, and in an SV. First comment is on the theatre seating. I go to the earlier show, followed by dinner in Luminae or one of the four dining rooms. As a suite or SV passenger, I never had a problem, if showing up 15-20 minutes before curtain, in getting a seat in the upper level of the theatre. On the rare occasions where the headliner was super popular, your mileage on timing may vary. As for dining in Luminae, I have had great meals, and, occasionally, some which made me wonder if I was in Ruby Tuesday. Average time is 60-90 minutes. This depends on what you order, how many courses you order, and what time you dine. And, I completely agree with @Georgia_Peaches that Luminae layout, on the S class ships, is far superior to the E class ships.

I returned a couple of weeks ago from a 12-night cruise on Constellation, out of Tampa. It was absolutely the best cruise I have been on since the return from Covid. The ship was immaculately clean, my Aqua class cabin looked like it was never used. The food in Blu was the best I have had on Celebrity, since the restart, and that includes some cruises where I dined in Luminae. I generally eat a salad for lunch in the OV. The lettuce was fresh, the salad bar had lots of options, and the shrimp on the last day were plentiful and good-sized,The crew was friendly, happy, and wanting to please. The entertainment was a little lacking, but not enough to complain about.

Exactly my experience. I have been on Deck 7 on Edge, Apex and Beyond. Never heard anything in the cabin. Once, I did hear some background music and see some lighting changes when on the balcony on one of those ships. I just can’t tell you which ship as, for me, it was a non issue. It probably had to do with the performance in the Eden lounge. .

I completely get all the smoke and mirrors surrounding SM and included or not included gratuities, shore excursions, airfare, hotels, etc. It isn’t “free”airfare if I can book a lesser rate w/o airfare. Here is a novel idea- Just like the good ole days, the price of the cruise is the price of the cruise only. If I want to book a shore excursion, I pay for it. No beer, wine, etc. included with meals. I can buy a beverage package or I can pay by the drink. Gratuities are not included unless you reach a certain level in the cruise line loyalty program or your TA pays them. Stop trying to lure us in with x amount of OBC, which is, of course, buried in the price, Let’s go back to you pay for what you want and don’t pay for what you don’t want. The marketing/revenue guys would probably have a coronary over that idea, but the customers wouldn’t, because, as I said, they pay for what they want and don’t pay for what they don’t want. There would be no confusion over cancelled “included” shore excursions. It is a really unique concept…

I have absolutely no problem with this status being awarded to a limited number of employees, whether it is Pinnacle on RCCL or Zenith on Celebrity. They are long time cruise line employees and have earned the recognition. So as @markebsays, “who cares.” Actually, I would enjoy talking to one of them in the suite lounge/aka Michael’s Club/aka the Retreat Lounge.

That is exactly what I do.

As for the guarantee experience- My first O cruise, last December, on Vista, was an A4 guarantee. I did this at the advice of friends who have sailed Oceania many times. They have booked guarantees and always been happy with the result. The TA I used was my friends’ TA. As a first time Oceania cruiser, my fear was that I was at the bottom of the guarantee list and was, therefore highly likely to be bumped. I discussed a guarantee booking at length with travel agent. She reassured me very clearly that I would get a cabin and would definitely sail. I received my cabin assignment about two weeks before sailing. I was upgraded to an A3, at a great location, very near the Concierge Lounge.

There have been times when Luminae was open for lunch on port days. It is rare. Mostly, it is on days when the scheduled port arrival time is after 12 PM, The most common port for that is San Juan where often ships don’t arrive until 3-ish. I can think of one other time, when we were delayed getting into a port, and they opened Luminae up for lunch. I have never known it to be routinely open at lunchtime, when the ship was already in a port.

Happy to report that my solo points were updated yesterday as well. I had four cruises with missing points. All have been corrected but it took almost two weeks for it to happen. I will now be watching my points very closely after returning from a cruise.

I am boarding Constellation on Monday. All of this is good news, especially about the Elite breakfast. I travel solo and prefer the Elite breakfast as I don't have to search for a table while juggling my tea, and food. Is the breakfast still being held in Tuscan? I don't eat a big breakfast so, even though I will have access to Blu, I rarely go there. The servers are always concerned that either I don't like the food and/or that I am going to starve to death if I don't eat more! Like there is a shortage of food on the ship. Any other tidbits you have to share about the ship?

I am a long time Celebrity cruiser-with my (now deceased) husband and now as a solo. I usually book a Sky Suite as a solo and occasionally Aqua, depending on ship and/or itinerary. Butlers in the SS are nice, but not a deciding factor in selecting a cabin. Access to the Retreat lounge/Michael’s Club and Luminae are the suite attractions. In December, I sailed on Oceania for the first time, on Vista. I was in a Concierge cabin. I was very impressed with everything, from the service, to the food, to the staff. Once I left my cabin, everything was equal. There was no restaurant, no bar, no area (other than the interior suite lounge; I had access to the interior Concierge Lounge) was off limits. I have two more O cruises booked, both in Concierge. Price wise, the Concierge room on O was significantly less expensive than Aqua on Celebrity. The solo rate on O was not quite double, while the Aqua class rate (cruise only, no perks) on a comparable X cruise, was 2.5 times the per person rate for two in a cabin. I paid the $30 per day cost to upgrade to the Premium beverage package on O. Just comparing cruise, beverage package, and Wi-Fi, I saved close to $1500 by sailing on Oceania. I have two more cruises booked on O and one more booked on Celebrity. After, that we shall see which cruise line I choose.

I have this exact same issue. How do the porters know that I am entitled to the so called “priority luggage delivery?” I started my quest for an answer by calling Celebrity. I was rather abruptly told by the “gentleman” on the other end of the phone that all questions about this should be directed to my TA. So I emailed her and explained the issue. She responded by saying that she has forwarded my question to her travel agency’s guest relations department and they would get back to me. In the meantime, I needed to talk to Celebrity about an issue having to do with my CC points and spoke with someone who was helpful. The nice, friendly woman listened to my question and said she would transfer me to the department who handled this issue. I spoke with another polite, humorous woman, who listened to my question (w/o interrupting me) and told me the following: This is a very new program and, as of now, if Premium Access is booked AFTER completing on line check in, the luggage tags and Express Pass do not update. She took all my info and confirmed that it is on my reservation and will be reflected on my SeaPass card. For the luggage checkin, I was advised to have a copy of the Premium Access program paid order available to show the luggage porters so they can handle appropriately (we will see how that works!!) Later yesterday,I received an email from Guest Relations at the travel agency. Basically they said the same thing, which was to have proof of the Premium Access purchase available for the porters. They also confirmed that my record shows the purchase and that it will appear on my Seapass card. As I said, we will see. I am not overly optimistic. Others mileage may vary!

This is where I generally sit on most cruise ships (assuming the ship has a balcony.) In an earlier decade/century, I did a lot of community/semi professional lighting design. I also have a reasonable knowledge of sound dynamics in theatres. My experiences is that the balcony is the best place for a reasonable sound blend and to minimize any problems with lighting focus/shadows.

@4Nathan, Thank you for the answers. The FAQ was especially helpful. One more question- Any idea how long between purchase time and when the Premium Access logo shows up on your sea pass? I purchased it three days ago, and so far it hasn’t shown up.

I read an earlier post outlining most of what was included in the pass. I have two questions: 1. It includes priority luggage handling. How do the porters know that I am entitled to this? 2. Will there be something on the boarding pass that shows I have purchased this and am entitled to priority boarding? It says there is more info in the FAQ. I have looked thru the FAQ’s and done a search, but nothing comes up about the Premium Pass. Thanks for the assistance.

I cruised on the Vista, my first Oceania cruise, as a solo in December. I had absolutely no issues sailing as a solo. In fact, I only have positive comments on the program. They have events for solo passengers. I attended two solo cocktail events and one of two solo dinners. Sara, the ship’s hostess, did an excellent job or organizing them. Yes, most of the attendees were women, but we had good conversation.

When is the webinar?