sippican

Decided to remove my sarcastic reply. Wiser to not get down to that level.

Don't understand why some can't just scroll on by!

5 hours ago, RichYak said:

I don't test out of curiosity. If I'm sick, I'll take a test.

This is confusing. You can "be sick" with Covid and have no symptoms. In which case you'd be unwittingly spreading it around.

20 minutes ago, Moby Jones said:

Use the UK site. They tend to show all available cabins. 

That's surprising. Even on  Celebrity"s own travel agent portal, they do not show all available inventory.

FWIW, there is absolutely no need whatsoever to wait for a move up e-mail offer.

Anyone booked can check for themselves anytime they want to.

You will also see there an e-mail address. Don't hold your breath - I've used it with poor results.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/bid-on-cruise-room-upgrade

7 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

Yes you will,  unless you have an Aqua class cabin. The passes are limited. Not related to Covid at all.

 We’ve frequently purchased spa passes once onboard. We’ve never had to reserve a specific time. 
 

1 hour ago, 2Long2NxtCrz said:

So, I've never considered trying to bid on a suite using Move Up before. We have Concierge Class on our Hawaii to Vancouver cruise which includes everything already, plus lots of OBC from our TA. It was booked ages and ages ago and we got a sweet, sweet deal.

 

But, I got the move-up email today and going from our CC cabin to a Sky Suite would be a total of $1200 for the both of us (I'm definitely not bidding more than the minimum because I'm still not convinced it's worth the extra cost and I'm really happy with where we are).

 

So, could someone please remind me what bidding (and possibly getting) a suite this way offers? I know we don't get the extra suite points per day, but are the rest of the amenities also not included?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

If you are happy where you are, take into consideration that you may be assigned a cabin in a less than desirable location. 

Generally, the itinerary you are on is very popular and upper level cabins very scarce, but you never know.

On 3/8/2022 at 7:59 PM, Tigger Mom said:

Just happened upon your post. Did you make any decisions on companies? I'm just now starting my research. 

I am not the OP,  but just did a ton of research on many different companies and we just booked.

In the end, it came down to two companies Viking 2 ships ,and Silversea 3 ships. They both had many pros and cons.  The end deciding factor was the ships themselves. The Silversea ships are older, the Viking brand new. (Nat. Geo, Aurora also same design). We chose Viking for the top-notch design, and compliance with the newest designs in safety  and polar ice ratings. Recent reviews have been extraordinary and there is a wonderful  group for Viking Expedition Antarctica cruises on the popular social  networking website. Yes, their ships are larger than the 100 passengers recommended, and that was of concern. They manage the passenger landing limits by offering different excursions at the same time - kayaking, whale watching in the Special Ops boats, submarine tours, zodiac tours, and actual landings. The flights were another deciding factor - Viking charters passengers from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. We looked at doing the flights ourselves for other lines, and it involved an airport change in BA. The cruises that originate from BA, rather than Ushuaia take longer to reach the Antarctic.

We are very excited! 

Early reports from Viking's Octantis are zero cases on recent sailings. (They test every passenger daily.)

Viking Expedition ship Octantis is sailing in the region. Their 2nd ship, Polaris, is due to start her first season in Antarctica in the fall.

After three cancellations, it looks like we will finally make it in December o0f 2022!

2 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Given that masks have been required attire for so long and so many appear to wish a continuance into the deep future a Masked Ball would seem rather outré.

Masks have been required attire?

20 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

I may be able to shed some light on why the Smart Attire photos on Cunard's "What to pack" page don't align with the current wording for the dress code. Those photos are unchanged since the Smart Attire dress code terminology was first introduced back in 2018. Jackets were still required then on Smart Attire evenings which helps explain why both gentlemen in the sample Smart Attire photos are wearing jackets.

 

Looking back prior to the resumption of service this past summer, here is the wording for the Smart Attire dress code taken from the daily programmes.

 

"Smart Attire.

Smart trousers with a shirt and jacket for gentlemen; tie is optional. Ladies, blouses and skirts or stylish trousers and dresses are welcome."

 

Note the Smart Attire wording at that time did not mention either "dress" or "collared" shirt. Reviving some earlier discussions from back then, it might be fair to say the gentleman in the lower right Smart Attire photo is adhering to a literal interpretation of that earlier wording. Perhaps not so much now with the current Smart Attire wording although I recognize there is still room for some uncertainty because Cunard has not updated the photos.

Thank you for the background information. I understand.

My reply was to Host Hattie who asked how it was confusing.  

One can easily find support in Cunard's literature for whichever approach they care to take.

Easy to see the confusion.

FWIW, I have every intention of "fitting in" on my upcoming sailing, but have clients who inquire about sailing Cunard and would like to provide appropriate guidance. I must admit that reading these comments makes one feel like they are back in high school and dreading the judgements of the upperclassmen.

Looking forward very much to our first cruise on The Queens

21 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

What's confusing about this ?

 

Gala Evening.

 

Dinner jacket, tuxedo, or dark suit with regular tie or bow tie for gentlemen. Evening or cocktail dress, smart trouser suit, or formal separates for ladies.

 

 

 

Smart Attire.

 

Gentlemen, every night we request you wear trousers with a collared shirt; jacket and tie is optional. Ladies, blouses and skirts or stylish trousers and dresses are welcome.

 

 

The print does not align with the photos.

On 3/1/2022 at 10:18 AM, D C said:

Thanks.  That doesn't necessarily show 'real' availability, since you can't see blocks of rooms in the hands of TA's, but you can get some sense of how empty it is.  

 There is a recall date for unsold TA cabins, which is well in advance of a sailing. No blocks of rooms would still be held this close. 
However, I do believe that X is not showing actual inventory, 

1 hour ago, Golfinesq said:

I put in a bid too on AQ and Sky Suite for the Silhouette April 8.  There were 33 AQ cabins available as of yesterday.  Since we received OBC due to the price drop, we are willing to bid up to that amount for AQ.

Good luck - seems like you have a great chance!

We're in a C1, so the categories above that are pretty slim pickings.

15 hours ago, travlr21 said:

We got one today for our May 22 cruise. Lots of availability on it that I can see.

Our move-up offer for the Silhouette TA in April was accepting bids for many cabin categories. That does not accurately reflect the actual inventory of only 2. Of course that could change.

My two cents, FWIW. We insist on lie-flat options in long haul flights.

I had a very bad experience on Icelandair some years ago and have been avoiding them since.

That being said,  Icelandair was virtually our only reasonable choice for a recent trip.

I was very impressed with their Saga Class service. Granted, the seats did not fully recline, but they were so comfortable!  The food and service were exceptional. The airport lounges better than many others. I am a complete convert and will certainly consider them for other flights. 

1 hour ago, SueMo said:

Some people are not comfortable with “asking for something else”.  I am one of them.  I will look at a menu and order the items I am most likely to enjoy.  If they taste good to me, I eat them and if not, I don’t.  I don’t like to complain or return my dish for something else.

 

When I choose to eat elsewhere, I don’t enjoy having to justify my absence the following day to the maitre’d.  This happened every time we skipped breakfast or dinner in Luminae.  We shouldn’t have to explain our choices to anybody.  It is very uncomfortable to have to explain that we simply liked the menu elsewhere better or that we were short on time and wanted to eat at the Ocean View.  We were absolutely grilled with the questioning: “Are you unhappy with the service?” …”No.”  “You know we can always bring you something else…” “We are aware.”  It became quite obvious that the servers and maitre’d were worried about getting 10s on their reviews.  While some might enjoy servers that “bend over backwards” to please, we almost hated going there because of their obsequiousness.

 

By the way, we ate two more times in Luminae later in the week.  The lobster was excellent, although very small, and the filet was good.  So altogether we would rate two meals excellent, one good, and two blah!

My point was that there are always more options than you mentioned.  

I am sorry that you were made to feel so uncomfortable, both for eating elsewhere and in expressing your preferences by requesting food they are happy to provide.

I have found many times, on different ships, different cruise lines and venues the staff seem to be almost begging for 10s on the reviews. That is not unique to Celebrity or Luminae. I do believe it is fair to be verbally up front with staff if we have concerns, rather than give low ratings, or complain to others later without bringing it to their attention first. I believe they are genuine in their desire to please their guests. Granted, some are only driven by tips and ratings.

Would your experience in Luminae deter you from sailing in suite class again?

On 3/4/2022 at 9:09 AM, SueMo said:

On the Edge now and have eaten at Luminae three nights…only one of the dinners are what we consider excellent (the ribeye) and the other two not great (flavorless veal cannelloni in a Bechamel sauce and a dry black snapper in consume).  We find the menu to be very limited—5 appetizers and 6 entrees per night, many of which contain ingredients we aren’t thrilled with.  For example, tonight the appetizers include trout, octopus, kale, and beets.  In the main dining rooms there are 11 starters and 11 entrees to choose from nightly. I understand you can order a steak if you don’t like the menu, but I don’t want beef every night.
A woman we met onboard is a travel agent and she wanted to know how we liked Luminae and we told her our experience.  She said we were the fourth couple she talked to that felt the same as us.  
With the ships being at one-third the capacity right now, the main dining rooms have fewer diners and we are getting reports of great food and service, so we are considering going there for one of the upcoming dinners.

 
in addition to the nightly offered items on the Lumina menu, there are  consistent choices that are offered every evening.  Although you may have had trout, kale, octopus and beets on the menu, you fail to mention the shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad etc.  

We have dined in Luminae on a number of cruises. In fact, it is one of the main reasons we choose to book suites. I am sorry you have been disappointed on your three dinners. They will go out of their way to accommodate your preferences if you   ask. Feel free to request a different entree if the first is not great. You can always dine in the MDR.
 

Did the TA you spoke with actually try Luminae? I am a TA and I find that some of my clients will find fault with Blu, the MDR, the specialty restaurants, Luminae….  Food is so subjective! 
 

I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise.

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

One downside of Flights by Celebrity that I'm experiencing and a number of others are reporting.   Prices dropped over the weekend (after final payment).   Celebrity has been rejecting application for price match "due to reservation including air reservation".      

 

My agent is still working with Celebrity to resolve.    If so will be the last time i use them.   My fare is the same as I could have purchased direct with airlines.  

When I called to upgrade to a completely new category, I was told that was not possible because a flight was attached to our reservation.

Four hours, five agents, a supervisor and the Resolutions Department later, we are almost all set.

They actually cancelled, refunded then rebooked the air reservations!!!!

37 minutes ago, MaVtMdFl said:

Flights by Celebrity has  the worst customer I've ever encountered. It is impossible to get through over the phone, they don't respond to e-mails. We paid for our tickets and our ship is leaving in less than 3 months, but we don't have assigned seats on airlines. Since we paid for business class flights, and are flying transAtlantically, my spouse and I would like to sit together, if we even have seats. This is totally unacceptable but there seems to be no recourse. Ideas?

 

You may have paid for your flights, but usually Celebrity does not actually ticket them until closer to the date of departure. If they are not ticketed, you can't choose seats yet.

I have been successful calling them and asking when the flights will be ticketed.

Close to the actual travel date,  there would be no cabins being held by a travel agency. The cruise line has a recall date for unsold cabins.

Someone in an FV may make a successful bid for a higher category, which would create an opening. I just upgraded to a higher category because the sale price was good, which will leave a highly sought after aft C1 available (which have been sold out for awhile). Now X may decide not to return our cabin to general inventory and just assign it to someone with a move-up bid.

You never know how inventory may change from day to day, or even hour to hour! It doesn't hurt to try.

We have booked flights by Celebrity a number of times, feeling we'd have peace of mind if there should be a travel glitch.

How wrong we were!

During our November trip to the Galapagos, I received notification on my phone that there had been changes to our return flight.  The Guest Relations Desk onboard checked with Celebrity Air and informed us we were all set - no changes. The next day (disembarkation day), I received another such notification. The Celebrity representative/guide said he spoke with Celebrity Air and not to worry, our flight was as originally scheduled. At the airport lounge in Baltra - the airlines website listed our flight from Quito to Boston as cancelled! There was no X staff to help us, and you cannot dial a US 800 number from an international location.

The short ending to hours of pure panic was that my daughter based in the US booked us a new flight on a different airline, then went to bat for us with X to pay for that flight. They wanted to put us on a flight three days later! They did end up paying but their solution would have been to leave us in Ecuador for three days.

So much for guaranteed travel assistance!

This TA has not received any notification whatsoever regarding cancelled Onward cruise for clients (nor have they). I found out by checking the booking portal and seeing those dates replaced with Caribbean sailings.

They'll need to virtually give them away to compete with other lines during those months! 

On 2/25/2022 at 3:16 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

Just curious as we travel in AQ or above and usually only have 2-3 categories available to bid.  On a bid I did yesterday from a CS they had a SunsetView, RS and PH open for bid, which was the first time I've seen the SunsetView.

 As opposed to sunset veranda cabins, I believe the sunset view cabins are the two suites in the bow.

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

Ban on large ships?  When did that start?  I’m glad I visited on NCL in 2018.

https://polarjournal.ch/en/2021/06/08/no-large-cruise-ships-for-the-falkland-islands/