sippican

On 1/12/2022 at 8:13 AM, foodsvcmgr said:

We are booked for Antarctica next January at an extremely reasonable fare.

I hope Celebrity changes ships if Infinity is sold off rather than canceling entirely.

Hopefully they would do so as they are selling these cruises for ‘24 on Eclipse so these are not just one off itineraries for them.

The entire "Antarctica" question has been up in the air for some time. Due to the Polar Code and the ban on large ships in The Falklands, it is a mystery as to how those itineraries will even be possible. 

On 2/12/2022 at 2:51 PM, Arizona Wildcat said:

 

The new builds by RCCL meet the standards for polar service.  Do not know about the older smaller ships.

That's surprising news!

I wonder if they will be equipped for the Polar Code - survival suits for all, only enclosed lifeboats ... ?

Call. You'll have no problem whatsoever.

Not every available cabin is showing on the booking site on most Celebrity ships.

FWIW, the itineraries are up for speculation. At this time, no one knows what impact the Polar Code will have on future sailings, and if the Falklands will lift the ban on large cruise ships.

35 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Always bring plenty of books 😊.

 

We;ve done one TA, westbound. Weather was quite frustrating, mostly beautiful and sunny, but so windy that the decks were closed for most of the crossing. Ship wasn't built to have all the passengers inside all the time - you also had no furniture on the balcony, and frankly the first day or tow the balcony wasn't safe.

It is highly unlikely that you will have anything like that in April, which is the upside of the spring TAs.

 

Join your role call! You will get in touch with people looking for card partners, orgainizing slot pulls, other activities. Hopefully by April, these will actually take place.

I was so surprised to read this. We did a November westbound TA and had nothing but calm seas, barely any wind and sun almost every single day.  We were on our balcony every single day. 

Sorry you had such cruddy conditions.

I'd certainly have a back-up plan. 

Is your CVS guaranteeing the results will be back prior to your boarding?  Our CVS is saying 2-3 days.

We've booked with Blackberry.

I've also seen recommendations for 12 Transfers and International Friends.

You may be able to find the prices, but good luck purchasing them before you board. We are doing the Silhouette TA in April. The passes are listed but you cannot load them into your cart.

I spent hours on the phone and was finally transferred to the tech department because they said it was a glitch on the website (their favorite excuse for everything). I was assured it would be fixed within 24 hours.

That was a month ago.

Anyone have luck pre-purchasing?

There's a nice little beach you can walk to, right over the bridge. 

Honestly, I'd stay onboard and enjoy a nice quiet time by the pool or in the spa.

On 1/5/2022 at 4:54 PM, foodsvcmgr said:

 

I’m keeping my booking for now on Celebrity Infinity for January ‘23 and hoping favorable conditions allow us access.

At $3,000 pp for a 14 day cruise veranda cabin that MAY include the tip of Antarctica I can’t really complain as it’s less than my 14 day cruise BA- Santiago in ‘20 and way less than these drive bys were marketed for previously.

 

 

 

Your bigger issue may be if the Infinity will even return to service. There is much speculation.

As said previously, it's really personal choice. Last time on Silhouette, we preferred Tuscan over Murano. Nothing in particular.we just enjoyed the food choices more. Take a look at the menus to help make your decision.

22 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

I think more people would find it more maddening if they posted times and then were two hours late, as can happen. I suspect it is to avoid dealing with the resultant bad temper and outcry that they are so vague.

That could be true. But I wonder how it is that every other cruise line (including the ones owned by the same company) do post times on their itineraries, and manage to stay very close to projections?  I "suspect" it's an encouragement to book all excursions and flights through Cunard.

I called Cunard with this exact question. (Am I the only one that finds it maddening they refuse to post any itinerary times?)

We are due in port at 5am. The representative told me the flight guidelines are not to book before 11:30 am.

We booked 11 am base on 2 recent experiences. 

Don't forget the covid testing requirement.

It's not uncommon at all.

Imagine if there's an issue with the payment. That can take many forms: the CC not going through, an expired card, website issues, not being able to contact you on the final payment deadline, etc.  Who would you blame - the TA of course. 

Most reminders are auto-generated. It should not be an issue at all if you request to wait.

If it is an actual "demand" as you state, find a new TA for your next trip.

The Galapagos are indeed magical!

We loved Xpedition so much, that we recently sailed on her for the second time.  (You can't beat a ship designed for 100 passengers, with only 48 allowed onboard).

34 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

May 2 - Southampton: Depart 16:30
May 4 - Vigo: Arrive 09:00, Depart 17:00
May 12 - Port Canaveral: Arrive 06:00     
May 13 - Port Canaveral: Depart 17:00
May 14 - Fort Lauderdale: Arrive 06:00

Thank you!

15 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

As you've found, Cunard does not make the specific port timings available on their own websites. But those timings are available on quite a few cruise booking websites, including some of Cunard's partner websites for other countries. I'm not sure I can be more specific than that since we aren't allowed to mention travel agent sites here. There used to be several cruise calendar/timetable sites providing those timings but those sites have mostly suspended operations.

 

If you'd like to post which Cunard cruise you are going to be on, I'll be happy to post the timings I'm seeing.

We are on the 12-Day Queen Elizabeth TA, May 2nd. As a travel agent - I can't even find it, lol! Have been on hold 30+. 

TIA

We've booked a number of times through Celebrity. As mentioned, do your research first so you know your options. 

Our last experience was a complete mess! X left us stranded in Ecuador after a flight cancellation (we knew about the cancellation two days in advance). There was absolutely no support or guidance. So much for their emergency travel support! 

We will not use them again. 

Another newbie question.

I've searched my confirmation as well as "Itinerary Details" on Cunard's website.

I am looking for actual times for sail-away, ports of call, and disembarkation/arrival.

Terms like "morning and afternoon" make it very difficult to plan. I'm trying to make  a return flight booking.

On 1/30/2022 at 11:08 AM, Arizona Wildcat said:

As I have said over and over.  Celebrity Air books flights.  They are not an airline.  They will "assist" you, but airline fares and schedules change.

A really simple guideline is to make sure your fare has NO CHANGE FEES.  Celebrity Air doesn't charge the fees.  The airlines do.  All the complaints here are because you did not understand what you were buying.  There's almost always a reason for the cheaper fare - the restrictive fine print.

Also a heads up that airlines domestically pay mostly zero or $10 commissions.   

They may not "assist" you at all. Our complaint has nothing whatsoever with knowing what we were buying!

They did nothing, absolutely nothing, when we were twice notified of a cancelled flight. No acknowledgement of cancellation, no support in rebooking.

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

I suspect part of the confusion about the dress code is that the Cunard website doesn't completely spell out the dress code in words the way that can be found elsewhere. Here is the Cunard dress code as spelled out in the Daily Programmes.

 

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 only significant change to this wording recently is the part about "jacket ... is optional" for gentlemen on Smart Attire evenings. On most itineraries, the Smart Attire dress code used to read "jacket for gentlemen; tie is optional" prior to the pause in operations in 2020.

 

I hope this helps clarify the Cunard dress code, especially the part about dark suit and tie being acceptable for gentlemen of Gala Evenings.

7 minutes ago, lissie said:

Can confirm from personal experience (well my partner's ) - a dark suit, white shirt and in his case a bow tie is perfectly acceptable on gala nights - take a gold or red bowtie for the red and gold night gala 

Thank you!

That is most helpful and exactly what I was hoping to learn.

I'm so confused! We will be on Cunard sailing this spring for the first time.

I've been reading comments that imply the "new" dress code has been relaxed.

The gala evening dress code clearly states "black tie". Everything I've read states - that black tie means tux or formal dinner jacket w/accessories. Yet, on other threads, I'm reading that a suit and tie is acceptable men's attire on those evenings. And on the other evenings, a jacket is optional as is a tie.

I am by no means here to start a debate. I am a travel advisor who specializes in cruising. I want to have first-hand experience to be able to advise my clients on the Cunard line and was provided this opportunity to experience a crossing first-hand. I realize many cruisers are looking for an expereince that embraces the elegance Cunard embraces.  My DH and I have every intention of following the guidelines (if I  can make sense of them), but he has no intention of purchasing, packing, or renting a tux for one voyage. We will do alternate dining and miss the shows if "Black Tie" is required. 

Thank you for your help.

Thanks for your review.

We had a horrible experience with a flight booked through Celebrity Air in October. No one from Celebrity was of any help whatsoever (and we knew before we even disembarked Xpedition).  

I'm glad your experience in the Galapagos was great. We loved it so much we returned!

11 hours ago, RichYak said:

Here's the Celebrity Air guarantee from their terms & conditions (emphasis mine):

 

Provides Assured Arrival as our guarantee to assist guests when they encounter any flight disruptions that occur through no fault of their own.

 

"Assured Arrival" sounds a lot like "Always Included" doesn't it? I love Celebrity, but they're really good at marketing terms that make you think you're getting something that you're not.

They denied our flight was cancelled despite two inquiries from us despite this language:  We also proactively monitor flights and offer an around the clock specialist that is available throughout your travel and acts as a liaison between our guest, the carriers and our ships.

On 1/29/2022 at 9:01 AM, Jeremiah1212 said:

Flights by Celebrity are handled by a different group. Although realistically if you have problem during travel and need a quick resolution, you need to go directly to the airline and not call FBC to handle it for you.

Most airlines will tell you the booking agent (Flights by Celebrity) needs to contact them.

We recently had a situation where the airline cancelled our flight and Celebrity Air said it was not cancelled. They would not help us at all and we were left stranded in Ecuador. The best the airline would do for us is to schedule us three days later.  Luckily, our daughter in the US scheduled a same-day flight on a different airline then went to bat for us  by telephone with X.  In the end, they paid for the new flight.

Be aware - Most "1-800" numbers cannot be dialed outside of the US, or you need a special code!!!!! We were unable to call Flights by Celebrity from our phone! 

Copied from the Flights by Celebrity website: • Provides Assured Arrival as our guarantee to assist guests when they encounter any flight disruptions that occur through no fault of their own. We also proactively monitor flights and offer an around the clock specialist that is available throughout your travel and acts as a liaison between our guest, the carriers and our ships.

When we returned I made a complaint about the lack of customer service and support, and received a $200 OBC for our troubles. 

Never again!!!!

Doubt if we will ever again book through Celebrity Air. Disregard everything they promise! If you have a problem while traveling they can be totally useless.

We had booked a return flight from Ecuador following our Xpedition cruise through Celebrity Air. A day prior to disembarking, I received a text from the airline saying our flight had been changed. I contacted the Guest Services desk onboard and asked them to contact Celebrity Air. Later in the day, we were told there were no changes to our itinerary and we were "all set". While at the Baltra airport, waiting to fly to Quito, I received another notification of a cancelled flight. At this point, there was no Celebrity rep with us, and I had no way to call flights by Celebrity on their "800" line.  The concierge in the airport VIP lounge called the Xpedition staff from her personal phone - no help whatsoever. When we boarded our charter flight to Quito, the X rep said he'd contact Flights by Celebrity for us.  Mid-flight he came to our seats and told us our flight was ok, no problem. Long story - when we landed, we phoned our daughter who confirmed our flight from Quito to the US had indeed been cancelled. She found a new flight for us and called X demanding they get us on a alternate flight home. It took hours. The end result was that we would have sat in Ecuador for three more days if we had relied upon X's resolution to get us home. Thankfully, we caught a flight later and were able to get it paid for by X.