hampshirelad

Just come back from a Baltic cruise with celebrity where we took small amounts of Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, plus some Euros where we keep a stash for use elsewhere in Europe. Do not bother , both Denmark and Sweden turned out to be card only even for an ice cream. With difficult managed to use my Norwegian towards a drinks bill in a bar , but that was I thought I was taking on the National debt !

I find it very difficult to find out which the complimentary restaurants are and what the menus are. Any info greatly appreciated. Many thanks

Should have added that over the years Celebrity have added more cabins and refurbished and expanded their retail on their ships at the expense of Customer space . The M class are a prime example. On sunshine sea days you will be lucky to get a sun lounger on the deck and the Seaview Cafe between 12 and 2 is a war zone

Friends of ours were on this Cruise. They were in Blu and if the Restaurant was busy they waited at the Ensemble bar for a slot. Perhaps that did not help the seat issue.. They said the shows were some of the best for some time. Drinks package - They said with the basic package it was best just to pay a few dollars extra for an upgraded drink , if you wanted a specific spirit etc., rather than mega bucks for two of you to upgrade to premium - not sure how long that will last before Celebrity cotton onto it. Looking at my last comment on Seabourn - I felt that the Colonnade was not a million miles away from Ocean View. At breakfast if you ordered an Omelette you had to go to the buffet for fruit pastries etc. The omelette came when it was cooked no matter where you were with the rest of your breakfast. If you wanted a wine at lunch /dinner that the server did not have in his hand , then you really had to stand your ground. The main dining room was pretty chaotic and you always had to refuse the table by where the cutlery and stuff was organised. If you went to Earth wind and Fire in the deck for a meal it was invariably cold. How have others got on with Oceania - the blub seems to over promise. Are drinks and excursions mega priced to make up for cabin headline prices. I believe most Oceania mainly run the old "R" ships with small cabins. Azamara has some of these ships and the bulk of the cabins are politely described as cramped. Smaller than a standard Celebrity cabin. Anyone got feedback on MSC Yacht Club. I can plug my ears to block out hearing the same thing in 20 different languages

I think your post has only confirmed what many Celebrity cruisers have seen especially since the pandemic. When you have been with them for many years you notice it. I am fed up with hearing the pandemic being seen as a reason. There has been plenty of time to come back from that. The MDR and Cafe are regular gripes. The question is where do you go - they are all at it. Went with Seabourn March 21 that was not great. The smart money seems to be on Aqua. now that the price of suites has gone through the roof. The Blu restaurant is good and as for bars look at the Sky Lounge. This used to be buzzing in the days before packages took over and we got free drinks 5-00 to 7-00pm. We always tipped the barman so we got an extra one in on the deadline.

I have been caught by it defaulting to credit card payment method not OBC. I did not know that Celebrity had my card details as I had not filled in my details prior to check in.

Looking at the online Menu you get a list of typical times as shown below., (8-00pm has been booked out in this case )I notice that 7:00 and 7:30 are never shown. Is that because it gives space for those who have packages or book when they come onboard. Alternatively is it because with meal times of around two hours you effectively have a first and second sitting. Is it a good idea to book a time while their is space with a view to altering it later., especially when the ship is full. We are both Elite plus so if we book in advance I expect there will be a long conversation to get the discount. Any thoughts gratefully received Many thanks 6:00 pm6:30 pm8:30 pm9:00 pm9:30 pm

Interested to know if you managed with cards alone in these major cruise ports. Many thanks

All seems to have changed last time we came this way in 2012. Which Quay does Celebrity use and is the usual shuttle bus in place for the city centre. Many thanks

Calling at Copenhagen on July 3rd on Silhouette, wondering which Quay they use as our time is split into approx. two half days. Many thanks Duplicated Apologies

Calling at Copenhagen on July 3rd on Silhouette, wondering which Quay they use as our time is split into approx. two half days. Many thanks

We are shortly on Silhouette and would be interested to know what wines outside of the app are available in Luminae and what the food has been like. Any comment about the Retreat and Butler (Host ) service welcome. Many thanks

The most important thing to me is that they stop people hogging the seats and reading, a book , doing a crossword, or just falling asleep.. The Cafe is there for Coffee and C-A-K--E-S.The problem is that everyone now has a package , so can sit there all day

Should have said we are on the Silhouette 1st July

Like Hawkezbaynz I live 20 miles from Southampton ( I wish people would have an easier name to copy across ). We have grey hairs so have had a suite over the last few years while we have our health. There are a limited number of cruises from Southampton and tend to be priced up for the Brits because we have no air fair to add in. I have tried looking at the North American site , is it called a (consolidator who want to Go to their Vacations) but I have found that those cruises from Southampton are often not listed. However that company have provide us with many good deals over the years even when sterling has been on its back. They are 100% reputable and my cruises have been on the cruise company website as soon as the phone as been put down. There is no messing about here and if you use them its not " I will think about it exercise " Thank you V to G - a great deal for Japan pre pandemic. I get a weekly email which covers all the deals for 90 days. Mrs Hampshirelad can get a case together in 24 hrs As has been said the Southampton Cruise terminal is operated by its own staff. For those of you without booze packages their is an opportunity to stretch the boundaries ( I except no liability ) I do not know if check in is structured on Cabin grade but if you check in early on the first day available you should get an early time. For our Overseas cruisers you can get a late checkout. I can think of many worst places to have to wait . You will have your bags taken straight away ( Forget tipping to sneak in) UK Celebrity Cruises from the UK now have a package for UK residents which includes tips, and gratuities plus booze and OBC. That is because tipping is not part of our culture and we expect it in the price. We cannot cope with tipping and we become stressed.to Thanks to Celebrity as they have taken that stress off our hands. Now the crew smile at us. If you are looking for some ideas on the day before the cruise what to do in the area. Flag them up. I see that a previous poster is booked to check in at Yokohama soon . Its a Zen like experience, no body raises their voices. You can see the ship from most Hotels. You might even fall asleep during check-in . However for some reason Celebrity have historically covered the area during the Typhoon season, buts that another story.

Many thanks for the update

Noticed that a couple of recent post have mentioned that there is a "Taste of India’ special night" in Sushi on 5. . Sailing on the Silhouette out of Southampton on the 1st July and wondered if there is any more information about this. Possibly how often does it happen and when does it get flagged up. I can understand Celebrity doing something like this as I have never seen it busy in Sushi on 5 . Many thanks

Many thanks for all the information following my original post. Just goes to prove out out of date I am as have been on the S Class ships more recently

Looking at booking a November Med cruise ans surprised to find that Murano has disappeared. As Tuscan grill has not changed the menu for a generation and Petit Chef is something you do once - a bit disappointed. No sure how the space has been used or what the thinking was behind it. Have happy memories of the Infinity , Buenos Aires - Santiago , when during a force 10 down in the Southern Ocean a whole stack of deckchairs was washed overboard. That was proper cruising !. If any body has cruised on the Infinity recently I am interested in how she is keeping and what the food was like. Many thanks

Thankyou everyone for your very helpful comments. Glad to know that all is well with QG

Thinking of treating ourselves to Queens Grill just before this Christmas. Its a few years since we last did it and given the outlay we do not want to end up being disappointed. I would welcome any comments from those of you who have cruised recently in the QG if you have found cutbacks in the Restaurant and service. The brochure description seems little changed but that can be deceptive. I have fond memories of " Rack of Lamb" and "Beef Wellington" being carved at the table. Had a great time on a table of 8 having pre-dinner group parties in our rooms before dinner - with everything provided by the butler.. Cannot remember if there is an unwritten expectation that you all dine at the same time on a group table. I await your thoughts with fingers crossed - Many thanks

I did cancel and rebook two excursions, but on the Baltic cruise 1st July I noticed that a number had been significantly increased before the discount was applied making them more expensive than my advance booking Eg "Day 5 Over the Bridge to Sweden" booked originally at total for us both £136 .88 Now at 35% discount £ 196.50 So be warned If I have this wrong apologies but, Words fail me !

In case it has not been already mentioned, remember to remove the adhesive cabin tags that they stick inside garments especially men's shirts. After about 6 months they go hard and brittle - start to itch and are a devil to remove. Sometimes you wonder "how long ago was I in that cabin " ?" was i ever in that cabin ?". Only send the robust stuff!

One of the worst designed suites on Celebrity. The King bed takes up most of the space in the enclosed bedroom. Little space to separate into two singles . Best settle for a dividing pillow.

I also have a 50% offer on the Silhouette. The only issue that puts me off is that most of the Sky Suites are on deck 12, under the cafe and pool deck, and i've read they are quite noisy during the day and night. The noise normally comes for those on deck 12 in sunset suites. Normally when people sit out on the deck for breakfast. We winged and got a credit note the next cruise. Great cabins , especially the corner ones.