ccqueenanne

I sail both X and Princess and will happily said either, but there are things I prefer about each. If I, from the US, were doing a NZ cruise, I'd probably pick based on itinerary vs ship. However, if you enjoy time (awake) in your stateroom, having a balcony will make a difference. X - main dining food slightly better than Princess, buffet considerably better than Princess. Specialty dining on X a bit better as well, but the specialty dining pricing is also significantly higher than on Princess. Princess - with Plus package, you not only get free drinks and internet, you'll also get included room service (vs the delivery fee with X). Given a hope to enjoy scenic cruising on your balcony, included room service for food AND alcohol is very nice. It also comes with 2 included casual dining meals (Alfredo's is a very nice pizza meal). The International Cafe is open 24 hours, good for late/early bites, and your specialty coffee drinks will be included in Plus. I also enjoy ordering food/drink via the app and having it delivered to me wherever I am, located via the Medallion. In general, it feels like you get more for your money on Princess. On Royal Princess I didn't enjoy the lack of a disco/club. Dancing was in the main atrium and it was too much on display for my taste. I've found dancing to be better on X, including the Silent Disco. I think you have a difficult decision and I'm not sure what I'd do in your shoes. If it were me, I'd pick the option where (I think) you pay less and get a bit more, which ends up being Princess. By the time you add in internet and some drinks on X, you'll be paying more for your OV than you will for the balcony on Princess. Unless the Edge itinerary is noticeably better, or course. Decisions decisions!

I was very curious about this because in the Wi-Fi section, they are selling "X Pass - Always Upgrade Basic Wi-Fi to Celebrity Pass Premium Wi-Fi for $10.99/day. And there's a blurb about Celebrity Pass and all of the extras (upgraded wi-fi for 2 devices, priority boarding, welcome lunch, waived room service fee...). And on the VIP Passes tab they are selling the X Pass/Celebrity Pass for $38.99/day. Did you get anything in your confirmation that confirms you have the whole X Pass and not just upgraded wi-fi?

I was happy with $13.99 yesterday, but holding out hope for $10 like last time. Behold, $6.99 - wow!!! Thanks folks, for keeping this thread updated! Diligence pays off!

We had the small carafes of honey roasted peanuts at Crooners on Royal in September 2023.

On Royal it's at the Pastry Shop and seemed to be open during breakfast/brunch type hours. The juice bases looked pre-prepared, so the service to finish them up was quick.

I think we were on the same Royal cruise. We weren't Premier, but I'd have been bummed to have purchased it and then found out Prizes weren't happening. I know the odds of winning are low, but still would have been fun. I wonder if it was because the casino was open for such a short time. I have Premier for another 3-day next year and I'm hoping that Prizes will be part of it. Regardless, we'll get value from the SD alone. But I feel like they should knock off a few bucks if they don't make one of the perks available on a sailing (or replace it with something else).

This wasn't our experience last week. We purchased Plus upon boarding to use OBC. The upgrade charge hit our account almost immediately - many hours before we sailed. None of our early drinks were charged to our account. And, for those curious, we did automatically receive the $10 credit for the medallion shipping (I say credit, not refund, as we picked up our medallions at the port.)

My friends ordered the $19 filet in the MDR and said it was the best of the entrees they had onboard, it was worth the $19, but wasn't the best filet they'd ever had. It was good enough, was the review.

As an ally (and daughter of, and parent of), I loved how queer-friendly VV was. I found it thrilling that staff could wear whatever uniform they wanted without regard to gender labels, that they were free to wear make-up or not, show their tats and piercings. It felt so much more welcoming and authentic, like they could bring their whole selves to work, and that guests were encouraged to do the same. It's also the only line I've been on where I actually went to and enjoyed the evening entertainment. I loved the restaurants and food, and while I missed the drink packages from Celebrity, I was also healthier as I didn't drink nearly as much. Yes, I was doing the math in my head on the additional spend, and that was a bit of a bummer. But my liver and waistline were both well served by that. Sure, the staterooms weren't very plush, but I don't spend much time in my room (awake) anyway. I do wish they had better itineraries ex-US and very much wish they'd send a ship to the west coast, as I'm not keen on sailing from Florida anymore.

That appears to be the case. In my husband's app, in the dining section there's a star and it says he has a dining credit. I'm able to reserve the 2nd night of SD in his app, showing the cost zero'd out. But then it gets the error that others have mentioned where it is unable to complete the reservation due to insufficient information. I'll just give it a try again in a few days.

I'm a lowly Gold and have Premier for a cruise in May '24 - I haven't made final payment. Today I was able to go into the app and reserve one of the included specialty dining reservations, and it zero'd out the cost and correctly applied the credit. I wasn't able to reserve our 2nd included SD using a credit - it wanted to charge my credit card. I'll try using my husband's app later and see if I can book the 2nd reservation on his - perhaps it'll make the difference (though it shouldn't). Regardless, I have plenty of time to try to make that 2nd reservation. And as Steelers notes above, I shouldn't actually have access to book SD with my status and being before final payment.

I think it was $13.

I think it was the 4th of July sale where I grabbed the 50% discount on Classic to Premium upgrade for my cruise earlier this month. My May 2024 cruise wasn't eligible for that sale, but I'm hoping to see that offer come up again.

Solstice had M. Haslinger & Fils earlier this month, which I thought was fine. I was able to get it in MDR, Blu and Martini Bar. I was unsuccessful at World Class and Ensemble. Also the Domaine Chandon was widely available.

Just off Solstice and didn't see the blue cheese souffle on the menu (I'd have ordered it).

I don't remember those four fancier pizzas being on the menu at Gigi's last year (I certainly would have ordered one). They are listed at $12 like the other pizzas, so do we think they are included for the $14.99? For folks who had them before on prior sailings, were they an upcharge?

Are you alerted to an unrequested upgrade when it happens? I asked my TA to mark our (3) adjoining cabins DNU, but is it on me to keep checking on Princess to make sure that the assigned cabin numbers haven't changed?

Yes, I did it online (prior to sailing) during the last sale for a booking that didn't have AI. The OBC was applied against the total. To clarify, this was via celebrity.com, not the app.

I plan to. I'm just gathering information for my companions so they don't get dinged with surprises. If ordering water via the paper menu will result in a charge, I want to let them know.

If you order breakfast via this paper menu, and have the Plus package, will you be charged for the small bottled water? Is the way around this to order breakfast via the app?

Yes, we've already got a move-up bid in and I've been watching availability carefully.

That's sounds awful - we definitely won't attempt it!

I am booked in an Aqua class cabin with my (disabled) mother. We have other family booked in Aqua as well. My husband is booked solo in a regular cabin, with late dining. 1) I'd like to dine with my husband in the MDR (for the whole cruise). Would we, upon boarding, be able to talk to the maitre d' and see if he could be assigned to a 2-top where I could join him? (My mother would be dining in Blu with her siblings.) 2) My mother will use room service for breakfast. Would I be able to bring my husband to breakfast in Blu in her stead, since she isn't using it? In retrospect we should have paid for my husband and me to have an Aqua cabin and I'd request an extra key for my mother's room. That ship has sailed - Aqua is s/o, as is the whole sailing. So I'm just looking for creative dining solutions at this point.

Personally, I'd cancel the shuttle back to the airport and self debark with your luggage. Grab a cab instead of waiting for a bus to fill. If you don't have TSA pre-check, you can make an appointment (free) for the security line at SEA, that will help you expedite.

Diet Coke/soda is included with the classic drink package - there's no need to bring any onboard yourself.