mahdnc

Yes, because Celebrity gives you the option to book your airfare at the same time you book your cruise on line for those that like to do one-stop shopping. Do a search for your sailing in Celebrity's reservation system, click on the "View Itinerary" button instead of the "Book Now" button, scroll all the way to the bottom of the itinerary page until you see the screenshot below. Click on "Get A Quote" and you are on your way. The only thing you have to be aware is that any FBC promotions that are in effect will show up in your quote which may have been different than when you actually booked. Fortunately, the discounts from the promotions are usually spelled out pretty clearly in the air fare.

And of course, on the two Revolutionized M class ships, the Library has been replaced with two inside cabins.

Oops. Sorry, I was so sure you were talking about M class! FV balconies on Reflection is not as nice and I wouldn't recommend a move-up bid unless you have 3 passengers or more sharing a single cabin.

You sailing must be on Millennium or one of her sister ships. It's worth bidding on--depending on how expensive it is. The Sunset Verandas are very nice and the Family Veranda is awesome because of their oversized balcony. I posted this photo recently, but it is worth reposting here: View of sunset, Sunset Verandas, and Family Verandas. Millennium, Jun 2007, somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea

I cannot find a brochure on dining packages. However here are the dining packages currently being offered in the Cruise Planner for the Oct 30 2023 Edge 14 Night Suez Canal (looks like a nice cruise, BTW). Make sure you have signed out of the Celebrity website and then click on this link to see it. Here are two screenshots of the same information that you will find from the link:

Here is a link to the flyer: Know Your Rate Codes!

We have done the reverse trip by car so I have no experience beyond that. However, I know of one couple that took this bus from Ft Lauderdale to Orlando: link It's pretty cost effective, although I have not heard any feedback on this company. I believe there is Amtrak train service between the two cities as well.

I presume you have done the canal before from among your nearly 100 cruises. Opening the helipad to all passengers--have you seen this in your past canal sailings?

Thanks for posting and I am real sorry that this is your first post on Cruise Critic! I like how Cruise Critic has credited you with 12 minutes of membership status!

Enjoy the canal tomorrow!! I look forward to seeing some photos. It's going to be hot!! Bring a hydration pack with you if you are going to be out on that helipad for any length of time. I suspect the Sky Lounge will be very popular--hopefully no chair hogs there. We have an aft balcony for next April's canal cruise. Our balcony should be in the shade!

That is perfect. Thank you very much. Have a good night's sleep and an enjoyable day transiting the canal tomorrow.

Thank you for posting that the Colon information. Do you still have yesterday's port information on Cartagena from the Celebrity Today that you could photograph and post?

So you did receive your helipad invitation for tomorrow?

This was issued to Retreat passengers?

Once you pay the air fare, you will get ticketed Most don't pay the air fare until the cruise final payment is made. As far as choosing seats, that is airline dependent. Some airlines (e.g. United) will allow you to choose your seat in advance before you pay for the ticket. Some airlines (my understanding is that Air Canada is one example) do not allow you to pick your seat until you are fully ticketed.

A very discouraging response.

That's a shame. The couple that found out today--did they book through a travel agent or directly through Celebrity? And so of the three couples, you are the remaining one now?

I very much enjoyed reading your review--especially through the eyes of a first timer. We will be sailing on her exactly a year from now. What cruises did you book while you were on board?

Since you are new to Celebrity: Here is a Celebrity brochure giving you more information about the amenities for each different type of suite: link. The amenities chart is in the screenshot below and if you tap/click on it, it will be more readable. A few comments that I have from observation and study (versus actual suite experience, so take it with a grain of salt): 1. The Penthouse Suite first appeared on Century class ships (those ships are long gone) and has been on every class since then (Solstice and Edge classes). There are some suite enthusiasts on this forum that will say that they like the Millennium class version of the Penthouse Suite the best. 2. The Royal Suite does pick up some nice additional perks that the lower suites do not have. This is evident from the chart. Everyone who stays in one seems to like it. 3. When the Millennium class ships were first built, the Celebrity Suite did not have a balcony. The designers evidently felt that the large panel of floor-to-ceiling windows would be enough. Celebrity obviously decided in hindsight that this was a big error and they retrofitted the Celebrity Suites with balconies years later when the ships were drydocked. I know when I first read about the Celebrity Suites, I thought that it was a big mistake not to have a balcony. However I thought that it might be very advantageous for cold weather scenery such as Alaska--these are one of the best views from a cabin window in the fleet.. Now with a balcony, maybe you get the best of both worlds for Alaska. I am not familiar enough with the retrofitted balcony design to know how usable the balcony really is--in other words did they design it to be deep enough to be usable or were there concessions made because of other limitations. 4. Aqua Sky Suites were formerly classified as Sky Suites--although these Sky Suites were considered to be superior because their balcony was bigger than the normal Sky Suite (interior for a couple of them are larger than the normal Sky Suite, too). They have been re-branded as Aqua Sky Suites with spa perks and an additional higher cruise fare. AquaClass cabin passengers eat at the Blu restaurant (supposed to have healthier food I think), but I think Aqua Sky Suite passengers are assigned to Luminae but may have access to Blu by request (I am not completely sure about that last sentence). Remember that you will not pick up the higher Club Points per night for the any of the suites if you get them through a MoveUp. You will still get the 8 points per night that is assigned to your Sky Suite--still not shabby.

I think Celebrity raises the cruise fare on us when they find out we reside in Illinois.

Yes, send this to your contact, @Belgian fry

Did you send to your contact the cancellation form letter that Celebrity issued? Let him or her be dumbstruck.

Good morning. I will be very interested in your posts for tomorrow during the canal transit. When you get your issue of Celebrity Today later tonight, would you mind photographing any information about the schedule for that day, etc? Thank you. I hope you get your helipad invite for tomorrow!

It has been like that for a while. Part of the reason used to be that the new large ships couldn't go thru the Panama Canal although that is no longer true. We were part of the flock that headed westward across the Atlantic last October. That's the Caribbean-Europe flock. There is a similar, but smaller migration of ships across the Pacific as well (Alaska-Asia/Australia flock). Same pattern, too--head east for the summer and west for the winter. As a result, Celebrity only does one Panama Canal crossing in the spring and fall. There used to be more when there was a larger Caribbean-Alaska flock (the older ships that are no longer with us).

I presume that you have always received it when asked?