Hydrokitty

How about "reserving" using towels doesn't count. There's a little light on each chair which you can switch on after which it stays on for half an hour. That's your reservation, plenty of time for a visit to the cabin, pool or bar.

 

All the crew needs to do is remove stuff from chairs with the light off. Very simple rules, no discussion possible.

Another good suggestion....Celebrity are you lurking? We've got some creative people here!

Looking at this from the opposite perspective, X risks losing someone's business because that someone becomes frustrated that they can never locate a lounger without a major hassle. I know there's no way of knowing, but wonder if hoggers spend more or spend less onboard than those who follow the norms of sharing resources.

A valid and interesting point. :)

Yeah, and the other part is the cruise lines.

Yes it is. :)

By "a nation" I assume your mean the US, since you're from New York? While your statement is true, some of the worst examples of entitlement have been from travelers from other areas of the world, which are probably best not named here. It seems that no one country has the monopoly on bad manners.

It pains me not to be able to disagree with you! :(

Without charging anyone, I would propose that in the morning when all the chair hogs come out, the pool attendants just tell people they can only "reserve" one or two lounges. I'm sure that some type of control can be taken, I once saw a woman take 14 chairs in the Solarium in the morning and then disappear.

In a perfect world that would work, but alas it's not a perfect world and I don't see X or any other line, risking the loss of someone's business over a lounge chair and that's part of the problem.

Easy way to tell if it's partial or full transit: If you depart and return to the same port, it's a partial transit. If you depart from the east/west coast and return to the west/east coast it's a full transit.

Passed on the donkey ride - for the same price took the cable car, relatively fast and I presume much more comfortable!

Very good decision...donkey masters are notorious for taking you half-way down and then telling you to either pay more or get off because they have another customer waiting at the top of bottom. I would also not recommend walking up or down because you walk on the same path the donkeys use and it is covered with donkey waste! We used the gondola...the line was long but moved quite rapidly, the cars are smooth and comfortable and the view is spectacular!

I’m usually up and on a sunbed by 8 reading enjoying a quiet time. Husband follows on when he is ready. We have breakfast etc but never leave he lounger for longer than 45 mins or so. Of course if we have plans for the day we take pot luck. We are on the Reflection on 2/4 and can’t wait. We have only once been on a 2 nighters cruise from our home port of Southampton Uk.We like to make the most of the sunshine when we can. Have been thinking of a good place to sit/ lay and thought deck above pool. Not far to go if I need a dip to cool down !! Wherever you go in the world you always find sun bed hogging!. Thomas Cook announced today they are introducing a new scheme in some of their resorts. You can pre book a sunbed for the duration of you holiday and can choose where you want it ( limited availability) The cost 25 euros. !!!!!

You know Alison that could be a good solution. 25 euro seems a bit steep, unless it's for the duration of the cruise.....but many of the hotels in Florida, on the Gulf Coast , offer pre-paid cabanas for the length of stay and it really is a good idea. They hang a tag with your name on it that says "RESERVED" and if you show up and someone else is sitting in your cabana you can tell them to move. Most of the time they will, but if they don't the hotel will send security to force them to.

Which is part of the problem.

And the same ones who will knock you down in order to be 5' in front of you!! We have become a nation of self-centered and selfish individuals with an enormous sense of self-entitlement. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Chair Hogs are bullies, just like someone who butts in line in front of you. They may not be stealing your lunch money, but they are stealing everyone's use of a lounger by "reserving" it with no intention of using it until they are good and ready.

 

If I'm going to be at the pool for several hours, I like to move Chair Hog Bullies "nests" and then watch for their return. Every once in a while they'll return and look around with puzzled looks, but most often they never return while I'm there.

 

We all need to complain when there is no enforcement by staff.

 

We all need to compliment when there is enforcement by staff.

 

Lack of enforcement just encourages Chair Hog Bullies.

AMEN! Selfishness should not be encouraged and chair hogs are really selfish people who don't care about anyone but themselves. Too many of them on this planet.

We love Celebrity but we're planning our family reunion for Royal Caribbean because X is really geared to the older cruiser. If you're in a different port every day and your kids can spend all day in the pool you might be ok, but if there are several sea days and they're not water rats you I would stick with RC....just MHO.

And our lunch included a steak (I'd been hoping for the lamb), so they must change it periodically. Not the best I've ever had, but decent, and I didn't have to cook, serve, or clean up afterwards, so I was happy.

 

I dislike eating in the OVC at the best of times, so being able to have a relaxing meal served to me during the madness of embarkation day was very welcome. So much more relaxing. And quieter! As for the food offerings at the Mast - no thank you. But to each their own. Your vacation=your choice.

I agree with you about OVC but I had the most delicious veggie burger at the Mast....so I disagree on that one....but as you said....your vacation=your choice....that's why they have so many dining venues and can you imagine what it would be like if all 2500+ wanted to eat in the same place at the same time!!

I agree that IMHO you are cutting it TOO close. I notice you're from Iowa...If you cannot fly to Newark non-stop, you are at risk for delays not only at your departure airport but also at your changing airport...not to mention the additional airports from which your flights are arriving. Weather can be perfect in Iowa but if your departing flight is coming from somewhere that's having t-storms or snow conditions you could be screwed!! I would save the stress and fly in the day before. There are plenty of hotel options and not all of them will cost you an arm and a leg!

I prefer the peace and quiet of my balcony...where I can read in silence, where I can leave my stuff when I need the bathroom, and I don't have to listen to loud music or games. I'm not a snob and I'm not anti-social....I just like to read and sunbathe where it's quiet....I have enough noise in my life!

A poster who is writing a live review from the Equinox has photos of the Concierge Class lunch menu and her dishes in this thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2590819&page=3

 

I had the same menu on my Summit cruise. I assume the menu is always/usually the same.

I had same menu on the Eclipse 3x....it's not the biggest selection but the food was good and as a plant eater the whole wheat pasta and chocolate cake were excellent....if you fly in day before and get to port around noon...it's just enough to tide you over between b-fast and dinner and by the time you're finished your room should be ready or very close to it. Plus the expedited check-in is a plus for those of us who cannot stand on long lines (physically).

Unless things have changed you can purchase prior to cruise but there are a couple quirks.

 

1. If you booked directly with Celebrity you can book transfers online or via Captain's Club.

 

2. If your booked or transferred your reservation to a travel agent you have to call your agent to book the transfer.

 

3. If you book travel via Choice Air you can usually also add on the transfer.

Jim you are correct with 1 and 3, but I'm not sure about 2. Reason I question is that I book through a travel agent and, while I could book transfers with her, I don't because I usually book my own air if we're leaving from US port. I've never had a problem booking transfers with X shore excursions before or during cruise.

Well, who wants to think about going home? :D

I'll second that!!! But to OP, yes you can book transfers on board ship.....but I would do it as soon as possible into your cruise.

We did American , the lounge was for all airlines

Thanks:)....IMHO the best lounges are Lufthansa in Frankfort; KLM in Amsterdam and VA in London.

It's still a little too early to book my flights for my December Southeast Asia Millennium cruise...But anyone have an idea on how I might do with Choice Air LAX to Hong Kong, Singapore to LAX? It is holiday time--probably leave around December 20, return January 5.

 

I think I've only used Choice Air once since they started this particular program...and that was on an Alaska cruise where the Choice Air flights were actually just a few dollars higher than what I could get on my own, but I figured it was worth the $5-10 to have Celebrity involved. But, more typically, I have just booked my own--either due to airline points or to finding some incredible deals on my own (like this past summer, round trip LAX to Rome for only $745 pp via Air Berlin...Choice Air couldn't come close).

First I would choose airlines I was interested in then visit their websites to see what flights are available and what they would charge. Then I would go to Choice Air and give them the airline and flights I would most like to have and see what they come up with. If you're flying Business you could save around 40-50%.....if you're flying economy you may or may not save...and as you know if you're flying domestically you usually don't save anything.

They were cheapest we could find for business class to Barcelona , bonus was Barcelona has a great free lounge for business and first with free wine , beer , drinks and food

George which airline did you book for Barcelona? We'd be flying from JFK and so far I prefer Lufthansa, KLM and Virgin Atlantic in that order for business or first. Never flown Iberia and I won't fly Delta.

As others have noted, no real price break when flying domestically but they do guarantee to get you to the ship (maybe a day later) if your flight is delayed. Another benefit is that if you are purchasing Celebrity's insurance, you simply need to pay for the insurance before you book your flight and the flight is also insured for medical or death if you need to cancel prior to the cruise. The savings is that you don't pay any extra on the premium for the insurance.

It can add an extra layer of hassles to book the air through Choice Air. I've used it a couple of times and didn't really have an easy go of it on the booking end either time. The flights ended up being fine but the airlines consider Choice Air a travel agent so don't tend to help if there is an issue. Choice Air really doesn't help much if there is an issue. If I was purchasing my travel insurance outside of Celebrity and flying domestic, I would simply go directly through the airlines to book the air.

That's interesting....I've used Choice Air 3x so far: 2 on KLM and 1 on Virgin Atlantic ... and numerous times on Lufthansa when river cruising....I've never had a problem and I've always been treated as a full paying customer. One thing I do as soon after I've booked with an airline for the first time is join their frequent flyer club...I will say they treat members a little differently, but the only time I had a problem was on Lufthansa when the cabin attendants went on strike without warning and we missed our connection from Frankfurt to JFK....they treated us like royalty putting us up in a beautiful hotel, paying for dinner and b'fast in the hotel restaurant and flying us out the next day. They even paid for 1 hour of internet service so I could notify people at home of the change in our arrival.

If you're ship is departing from a European port, then you save a bundle on business class...if you're flying domestically, you'll probably do better on your own. Biggest perk for using choice air domestic would be guarantee if flight is delayed or cancelled.For foreign travel you'll do better with Choice Air if you fly business or economy plus than booking with the airline (usually)....a lot depends on where you're flying to and from as to what your options are. I fly from JFK and have many options....someone flying from a smaller town and needing to fly from a local airport to a major one might not.

Another really good reason to bite the bullet and take the X excursion in both Rome and Florence....no wasted time standing in lines and if it's an all day excursion it might even include lunch where you won't have the full menu but you also won't have to wait for your meal.

PS: the fact that you're in Rome on a holiday will mean total bedlam......mobs of people and limited options.

Actually I take everything I said back. I just looked at your itinerary; you hit Livorno (florence) first, followed by Rome the next day. I would prearrange private transport to Florence, spend the entire day there, stay the night in an air bnb, then take the first morning train to Rome (or private transport) or you could take the train to Rome that evening. It won't get dark till quite late. You'd have way more time with less stress in both cities, & a full sea day afterwards to recover.

 

good luck & enjoy, Rome is my all time favorite city!

What a novel idea......I like it. :D