Peteymil

6 hours ago, Illsticktocrusing said:

For an upcoming cruise, I have two BCC rooms booked, one Veranda and one Sky Suite.  One with DH upgraded comp with a family member and one with my upgraded comp with another family member.  Once on board we plan adjust who is in what room.  Has anyone done this and ran into issues.  Since the drink and internet package is currently wtih one guest who I currently have in the Sky, when I move them, will they keep those perks or will be be reassined to the new occupant .  

Package can't be moved.  You can get extra keys that just open the doors.  You will have to sort out room charges yourself because all charges will be reflected on the bill with people in their original cabin.

1 hour ago, imescaping said:

We asked about a trade, they said we can’t without penalty. Oh well, 3 nights it will be an adventure. 

You can also have the boys shower with dad in the locker rooms if you need a little privacy or space.

15 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

You do not make reservations for Blu nor do they accept them unless you have a big party (6, 8), just show up when you want to eat. You can request to have the same servers for dinner.

 

Blu also has sit-down breakfast which is nice, although you normally don't have your evening server.

 

You aren't seated with others unless you specifically ask - like if you're in a group of 4 or 5 or whatever.

 

The tables are fairly close together although we have found that almost everyone is respectful and doesn't eavesdrop or join in conversations. I normally can't hear other conversations unless the person speaking is very loud.

 

You can always order the everyday favourites if you don't like the menu (grilled chicken breast, broiled salmon, caesar salad, onion soup, etc. I think there's a steak in there) but on some ships, Blu is a long way from the main dining room so they do not allow you to order from the MDR menu.

 

Your beverage package is accepted - same as every other venue on the ship except the mini bar in your cabin.

 

The main pro for AQ is Blu. If you like the spa, you'll enjoy access to the Persian Garden. For us, it's all about not eating in MDR.

 

We would definitely book AQ again and have probably sailed in AQ about 15 times in the past few years as it's our preferred cabin class. (We choose to not book Suites.) But we now watch the pricing and if AQ is priced WAY higher than a verandah cabin, we book the verandah. If AQ is $1k more per person, we can eat in specialty dining every night. 

I would have said the same thing as you! We also do it so we are not in the main dining room. And agree, if it is way over the price of the veranda we just stick with that.

On 7/16/2024 at 2:26 PM, RobertoF said:

That's not how I read it.  I read it to say that starting August 1, 2024 we all get wiped.  Anyone else read it differently?

Your points start at 0 on August first.  However any cruise you have already paid for before July 31st, for the next year, you will recieve the old benefits.

9 minutes ago, Yoshikitty said:

I haven't place a bit yet.

If a move up offer was accepted, will I know the cabin number at once? If I don't like that cabin, can I refuse the move up and keep my original cabin?

 

 

No

17 hours ago, handbellplayer said:

Celebrity has added this venue on its newer Edge-class ships.  We are sailing on Beyond in November and are looking forward to checking it out.  I looked at the deck plans and its looks like they have replaced the Casino Bar with Craft Social.  My recollection is that the Casino Bar on Edge was very small. For those have been on the newer Edge-class ships, was it hard to get a seat in the the Craft Social Bar?  Just don't want to be disappointed

It is pretty small. When there has been a popular sporting event on the TV's, it was tough to get a seat a few times, but other times no problem.

It seems they are adding it to S-Class ships, as it is a very popular venue.  It replaces Cellar Masters which I think was an underused space.  The Silhouette has it, and it has much more seating and is more spread out, and even had a few games (I think foosball). On the Solstice, it looks like they will change it over during it's '26 rehaul, as they have already got the TV going and have added the Craft Social Menu.

On 7/22/2024 at 8:02 PM, mrgabriel said:

I think the Captain's Table disappeared when they went to anytime dining. I haven't seen one since maybe 2016? We have been fortunate enough to sit at that table about half a dozen times. It was never in recognition of a birthday or anniversary, we usually just spoke to someone who thought we would be delightful company (hahahahahaha). Seriously, no idea why we were invited. Once it was because we were travelling with a couple that was staying in the Penthouse Suite. 

We had that same exact experience.  Ate with the Captain several times, and then the hotel director. Never new why we were chosen, we were not in a suite, but we were Elite Plus.

It was interesting, but a LONG dinner.

They generally stopped this quite a while ago.

On 7/21/2024 at 10:48 AM, Kamfish642 said:

Plan to take a carry on for cruise, since we will be touring Italy post cruise on a train.  Do I need to take up suitcase space to pack a suit jacket or are dress pants/shirt (with or without a tie) appropriate for Evening Chic nights?

Not unless you want to. Definitely not needed.

On 6/14/2024 at 11:52 AM, Carol28 said:

Of course, I'll bring layers.  I was hoping for a more specific answer.

It depends if you run warm or cold. For me it was perfect, but my companion was cold. Really hard to be specific.

1 hour ago, BeachTunes said:

Hello!

 

We just made final payment for our September Solstice cruise to Alaska! Yay! This trip will mark hitting my final US state. I've been to the other 49 and just need to cross Alaska off my list!

 

We'll be in an aft Concierge Sunset Veranda Stateroom and are looking forward to the wake views as we have only sailed in midship staterooms in the past. I imagine the Hubbard Glacier views will be wonderful! We'll likely also jump up to the bow for alternative viewpoints. 

 

That said, there is a very expensive excursion that a lot of various forums say is a MUST when at Hubbard Glacier... The Hubbard Glacier Wilderness Exploration. It's currently offered at 25% off but it still costs a whopping $537 per person Canadian! (That's around $390 USD per person.) A g-note for a two hour tour just to get closer to the glacier seems excessive to me. But I'm curious if it really is as great as many people say. We've already splurged on the Taku Lodge Feast and Glacier Flight in Juneau. Trying to decide if this experience at Hubbard will delight or disappoint! If it's on a loud, crowded vessel, I think I'll pass but I can't decide, even having watched a few YouTube videos. I imagine it would be an absolute drag in the rain, a situation no one can predict. 

 

Any feedback would be appreciated! (I will post this on the Alaska board as well as I believe the ships all use the same tour operator. Although, it seems Celebrity's pricing is the highest! Go figure!)

 

Thank you! 🙂

 

 

Will be very interested to see the responses. We are going on our ninth cruise to Alaska in a month on the solstice, and we've always seen the small ship leave and wondered if it would be worth it. The comments I've read were yes it was a great excursion. Often times the celebrity ship has gotten close but that small ship is that much closer. We decided to bite the bullet and do it this time, I'm sure it will be a one and done, but we're going to take advantage. 

Great information. Thank you. 

On 5/26/2024 at 8:50 PM, hubofhockey said:

I can recommend two guides for Tokyo, both with Gowithguide.com. The guides all have bios and tours listed on the site.  Kahoko and Yoko were both outstanding. Kahoko’s evening tour with dinner at an Izakaya restaurant was excellent. We did two tours with her and one with Yoko. Yoko lived in Seattle for a while and speaks English like an American. Kahoko is very easy to understand. Both are great guides.  

 

I was not crazy about our gowithguide in Kyoto. She is a good guide but skipped lunch and Fushimi Inari (we did on our own). No excuse for not stopping in Arashiyama for street food other than her own pacing. That’s Toshiyo O.  
 

If you book Kahoko or Yoko, please let them know Len from Boston recommended them . 

Were these walking tours or  with car?

19 hours ago, jwlane said:

It seems that most of those that diss the IV have never actually stayed in one.

I'm not sure that is accurate. I had an IV and it is not for me, but glad many enjoy it.

6 minutes ago, Happy Rogue said:

So nice!  Was this on Celebrity?

Yes, on the ascent. 

20 hours ago, Margarita Jane said:

Took me several tries to get to the end - kept freezing ☹️

It kept shutting down my computer.  I am now trying it on my ipad!

On 5/4/2024 at 1:05 AM, cruisestitch said:

I have sent the mid-cruise survey in to compliment specific workers and I have been told that one of the things they get are “scratchers”—-scratch-off cards that contain various rewards and gifts.  One crewmember saw me later and said that he got extra Wi-Fi on his card.

Exactly what happened to us.  There was a lovely woman at the pool who worked so hard and was so sweet.  I saw an officer and told him about her, and later she told me she got a scratch off and it was extra Wi-Fi.  She was very excited and certainly deserved it (plus my extra tip!!).

On 5/14/2024 at 3:43 AM, DaKahuna said:

 This is the saddest part of the cruise.  This paperwork arrived last night and we have just completed packing two of our three bags.  We’ll finish the 3rd one and set it outside after dinner this evening.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a new discovery today.  In the past we had always received envelops to use for providing additional gratuities to crew members, should we choose to do so.  It now seems that feedback Celebrity received from guest that it was like they were “begging” for additional gratuities so, if you want to use an envelop to give extra gratuities to a crew member or a team, you either bring your own envelopes or you can request them from Guest Services or the Retreat Concierge.  I was not aware of this until I went an asked earlier today.  

 

Between this practice and the lack of pre-paid gratuities included with Retreat bookings, I feel that only the crew will suffer.  We’ve always made it a practice to pre-pay gratuities if they are not included in our bookings. 

 

 

Thank you for all the info you have provided. You often posted sheets that had info about the ports and shuttles to different sights. Was that only for retreat guest or does everyone get that info?

3 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

In late March the taxi fare from Haneda to a downtown Yokohama hotel was 10,000 yen. When we disembarked from our ship (Osanbashi pier) the fare from pier to a Haneda hotel was again 10,000 yen.  While we are perfectly mobile, at this stage of our lives, my husband is of the opinion that he doesn't want to wait and we don't need to be overly frugal.  We take private transport.  Convenience is priceless.

Thank you. We are at that same point. 

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Last year we did not take a taxi from Haneda to Yokohama, since we taxied directly to our Tokyo Hotel.  About 10 days later, we returned to Yokohoma (on the train from Kyoto) and spent a pre-cruise night.  Next year, assuming our cruise embarks from Yokohama, we will probably spend 2 pre-cruise nights in Yokohama, since DW does not want to schlep back to Tokyo.  I would guess that a taxi from Haneda to Yokohama would be around $80-$90.  If flying into Narita, we would suggest finding an alternative to a taxi since that would be quite expensive (at least $200).

 

Since we do our own air, we make sure to book flights into Haneda, when taking a cruise.  Nothing wrong with Narita, but it is a much longer way to Tokyo and Yokohama.

 

Hank

Thank you so much for the quick reply. Very helpful!

21 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Where I disagree with AKJonsey, is that we much prefer to stay in Yokohama (if embarking from one of their three cruise ports) rather than staying near Haneda.  Why?  Yokohama is actually a nice city, in its own right, with an excellent Chinatown, promanade, plenty of restaurants, and excellent public transit (including good metro service to Tokyo).  Even if we were to check-in at 11 pm, that taxi ride from Haneda to a Yokohama hotel should not take more than a half hour.  We would much prefer to wake-up in Yokohama than the Haneda area.   There are less expensive ways to get to Yokohama from Haneda (i.e. bus, train, etc) but we never regret the convenience and ease of grabbing a taxi.  Another option, is one wants to use the train, is to ship your luggage from the airport to your hotel (they can send your luggage to nearly any place in the country) so that you do not need to deal with luggage on a train.  My issue with this is that once you pay for the luggage shipping service (and it takes a few minutes to make the arrangements) it may well be that a taxi would not have cost much more money.

 

To us, the bigger issue is whether to stay near the port (i.e. Yokohama) or in Tokyo.  We enjoy both cities and basing one's self in Tokyo (we like the Shinjuku area) is very convenient for seeing all that Tokyo has to offer.  

 

Last year we spent a few days in Tokyo, before taking the train to Kyoto where we spent 6 nights.  For that trip, we did have our hotel ship our luggage ahead to our Kyoto hotel.  We had it at the desk the morning of the day before we checked-out of our Tokyo hotel, and our luggage was waiting for us when we checked-in at Kyoto.  The cost of shipping two large pieces was about $50 and well worth it.  The practice of shipping luggage (to hotels) is very common in Japan.

 

Hank

This was very informative. Thank you. Can you remember how much the taxi was as this was our plan also

On 4/30/2024 at 8:54 PM, cjwags said:

We absolutely loved our tours with Pinpoint.  Highlight of our trip.  We had no problems clearing customs, but our day(s) in Kyoto were not immediately following Busan.  If so, there could be a delay. 

So do I understand correctly that the day that could be customs delay would be the day after Busan?

On 5/3/2024 at 7:44 PM, Sucellos said:

You can always check official and updated info on the webpage of the The Norwegian Public Roads Administration:
https://www.vegvesen.no/trafikk/kart#/?lat=62.45366&lng=7.66343&zoom=11&layer=fer,tra,ctv,tfl
(Click on the "road closed" signs in the map to get updated estimates for the end date for the closure) It might certainly open before the current estimate of May 31st if the weather warms up, but next week is extremely unlikely (as in very close to zero percent probability).Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. 

I appreciate your response. I don't think the tour operator wants to say no because they would rather I commit to the alternative. Since I do not like the alternative, I would rather know the truth!!

45 minutes ago, hallasm said:

There is a map here showing which sections are closed due to snow - the southern part is expected to open May 20 and the northern part 30 May. Many mountain roads in Norway are closed until the end of May.

Thank you so much

46 minutes ago, JohnAlleb77 said:

 

Local media said on 27th of april... "opening date not possible to say, probably in the end of May..." 

so helpful, thank you

Does anyone know how I can find out if Trollstigen has opened?  My tour operator says as of today it is not open, and our excursion is in one week.  They have offered an alternative excursion, but I would not take the one they offered so I would have to cancel in the next 5 days to get my money back.

Is there any site I can check?