CRLess

Just seeing this thread after being off the grid for a few days.  You sure are on a hot streak at getting Sanctuary chairs!  Enchanted is one of our favorite ships in the Royal class.  It incorporated all of the "missing" features from the other ships, although they got rid of Vines.  We spent our cocktail hours at the Crown Grill bar as they had the best wine selection.

On the Premier package you can ask for a double of any of the non-top shelf liquors and it only counts as one drink.  I'm a Beefeater guy and got doubles on our voyage on the Ruby last month with no upcharge.

3 minutes ago, shiner6 said:

Question for CRless: Was it difficult to obtain your Sanctuary passes?  I have never reserved a spot there,but would like to do so next week. What area would you recommend?

 

Thanks for your review, it is very useful for planning. 

Get to the port early and board the ship as early as possible, then go straight upstairs to the Sanctuary.  The Panama Canal cruises are very rarely done as B2B cruises, so there is less pressure for the seats up there.

We too, were on this voyage and, in fact, had the Sanctuary chairs right next to Sulialto and her hubby.  This was our fifth time on the Ruby, but our first time on a Gem Class ship in 5-6 cruises.  We love the Royal class of ships and thought we would be disappointed going back to an "older" ship.  Needless to say, those fears were quickly put to rest once we boarded.  We thought the ship was in great condition and the staff was wonderful.  We had the same room we normally book on Gem class ships (E730 or E731), a mini suite with a covered and GIANT balcony (about twice the size of a normal mini suite balcony on that class of ship).

We booked the Sanctuary for the entire cruise.  There was a few days we did not use it due to the wind, and we were not charged for those days.  Having it for the Panama Canal day was a treat, with a breakfast spread and unlimited Mimosas, plus nobody standing in your way.  With that said, we were in the Sanctuary for our passage through the locks up the 85ft to Gatun Lake, but stayed on our balcony for the trip back down to sea level.  In my opinion, being lower on the ship (deck 8 in our case) really puts into perspective how much the ship is traveling up/down through the locks.

We ate in Sabatinis on the first night and had a great meal and service.  We did Crown Grill on our anniversary and were surprised with a bottle of Proseco and a cake for dessert from our dear friend who is a DRO on another ship currently.  The Crown Grill is always a winner with us!  We also did the Salty Dog Bistro one night, but gave it a "Meh" rating.

We always book the Premier package as we like our good wines.  On a prior cruise on the Enchanted, we only did the Plus package, and our upcharge charges on our wines each night, far exceed the difference in cost, at least from our experience.

As for our room...we had new carpet and everything was in tip top shape...except for the couch.  The cushions were shall we say "tired".  We declared the couch unusable.  If you sat down, you slid forward.  The front of the cushions had nothing for padding.

Something new we experienced was the Ultimate Balcony Breakfast.  We were surprised with this as a gift from my Uncle and Aunt for our Anniversary.  Room service called us to arrange for it, and we decided to have it on our port morning in Costa Rica, to avoid all the wind as the ship was moving.  The food arrived hot, and the Bloody Marys and Mimosas were a great touch.

I logged some quality hours in the casino playing Black Jack and came out ahead for the week, so hopefully the casino department will reach out to me with some great deals to try to get their money back.

If anyone has any specific questions about our experience, feel free to ask.  Not trying to hijack this thread, but wanted to add to what Sulialto already said...don't be afraid to sail on the older ships!

2 minutes ago, MrSchwump said:

So was there any issue with you boarding the ship being positive for COVID? Were you required to wear a mask or take any other efforts to minimize the chance of spreading it? Not casting judgement, just curious. 

This is NOT a Live From thread...he got COVID symptoms after he got home

12 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Our surprise gift had been delivered by the time I arrived back at base

 

 

 

 

From a friend who is the best Maitre 'd in the Princess Fleet in our opinion from sailing with him 3 times.*

 

*The current MD we saw for the first time on our last sea day. Our friend is visible everyday, everywhere...legend says there are two of him. Crew whisper his name...

 

BTW the title is now Director of Restaurant Operations which has lost all the flair and romance of Maitre 'd Hotel

He most certainly is the best in the fleet!  We too have sailed with him three times.  Those boarding the Regal tomorrow and for the next several months are lucky...he flew into IAH today.

Norris,

Hope you and Carol are feeling better.  Selfishly, we need you to speedy this review up before we board in 2 weeks.  Can't wait too long to make adjustments to our plans, based on your good or bad experiences.

1 hour ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Looks like it's time for Vines as raining. 
 

looks like Friday will be bumpy heading home with gusts up to 55 mph. 
 

thank you my friend for giving me a head up. 

I do what I can!

33 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

In my happy place! Life is so good today! 
 

@CRLess😃

Hmmm 😉

As good as your Chef's Table experience looks, nothing will beat our experience with you guys with Neville as our host at the WineMakers Dinner last year!

Norris....reporting for duty!  Look forward to following along (although I have seen many of the pics via a certain social media site).  

3 hours ago, PrincessBuffy said:

Quick summary of what we think we know from this thread…

1.       Removing Salty Dog Gastropub and replacing it with Vines.

2.       They are going to put doors at the entrance of the casino.  The casino will be expanded by removing the bar.  They are also supposed to make the smoking area smaller.

3.       Changing the name of Gigi's to Alfredo's and expanding its seating area as well.

4.       Silverstream Air Lubrication System.

I'm also told that Bistro Sur La Mar is going to be changed to a seafood restaurant.

9 hours ago, BamaVol said:

The difference is Plus and Premier customers had to pay for some things you receive at no charge.  If you were elite with an airline, would you begrudge those who pay for the first class seat that you get upgraded to for free?

You are missing my point completely.  First of all, I don't begrudge anyone that pays to play, so to speak.  The whole point of my thread is that our Elite benefits have been minimized (meaning our loyalty to the cruise line) by them now offering an up-charge experience to anyone that wants to pay more, to experience many of the Elite benefits we have had in the past, simply makes our loyalty worth less. Plain and simple.  I get that many of you on this thread don't drink, have no problem sending your laundry out, exchange your mini bar set up for coffee cards,  and enjoy the 10% discount on shore excursions.  That's great.  You do you

I am simply trying to relay my experience as to how my wife and I cruise. We enjoy our cocktails and wine, always leave our crew appreciation (tips) on our account, and use unlimited internet on our devices.  So the Princess Plus is what works for us...sort of.  

Before I get into that, I need to add that we also always tip our room steward and "people that made a difference" above and beyond (Sanctuary, dining room, specialty restaurants, etc) the "crew appreciation" amount.

So getting back to my comment on the Princess Plus above...my wife and I enjoy our wines before dinner every night.  On the cruise we just got off on the Enchanted, we had the Princess Plus, and paid extra for our wines/drinks that exceeded what the Plus package allowed.  The math at the end said that we should get the Princess Premier going forward.

For the way we cruise (which is different than many of the Elites obviously), please explain how my personal elite benefits (loyalty)  have not been eroded by the addition of the Plus/Premier.  I ask again, what am I getting, as a loyal Princess cruiser, that any first time cruiser with Princess Premier gets, that I don't as an Elite?

5 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

15 nights on Emerald last month, sent out laundry each day. Actually over $300 worth, not having to enter any laundry room was a priceless benefit. Additionally, ten percent off already discounted prices was beneficial to us. We also received Elite toiletries in our cabin. The appetizers in Skywalkers were top notch, and nothing like downstairs, as was the service. 

Although we are Elite on Princess, we had nowhere close to 15 cruises, below 10 when we "achieved" Elite status. We are just happy to be back cruising and don't feel as though we are 'owed' anything. 

We have sent laundry using the Elite benefit in the past and have been disappointed in the condition that our items have been returned.  On our Enchanted voyage, we did our own laundry twice in the laundry on our floor.  So we are in the "do your own laundry" crowd, so the Elite benefit of free laundry is another benefit not used.

Just got back a week or so ago from a wonderful cruise on the Enchanted.  My wife and I were discussing how we would each fill out our surveys, and we both came to the same conclusion....if you purchase the Princess Plus, what benefit do you receive by being a loyal customer that achieved Elite status?  With Princess Plus, internet is included, drinks are included, so the mini bar set up is meaningless.  The Platinum/Elite/Suite lounge doesn't really provide any true benefit...you can get appetizers at the buffet.  Princess has eliminated the "spa" related toiletries in your stateroom (not that we ever cared about that), the bonus loyalty OBC was eliminated with the pandemic, so the only true benefits Elite members get right now is the 10% off in the shop, and priority boarding/tenders.  Did I miss anything?

I guess what I am questioning is that a first time cruiser can essentially have almost the same cruise benefits by purchasing the Princess Plus package that loyal Princess passengers have.  Has Princess abandoned those of us that are loyal to the brand?  With the advent of the Princess Plus and Premium, there needs to be some sort of trade-off to the cost of the "all in" packages for loyal passengers.  I think Princess needs to take a hard look at their loyalty programs and evaluate what true benefits their most loyal passengers should have as a benefit.

On 2/2/2023 at 9:44 AM, JimmyVWine said:

I think this entire discussion has veered off into Never-Never-Land. Correct me if I am wrong, (I often am, and am not Elite (in the Princess sense) so I am not well-versed in the way the perks work), but if one eschews the mini-bar setup they can exchange that for two "coffee cards/packages".  If I am right about that then Princess has concluded that the cash value of this perk is around $80.  Now, someone who is Elite (in the Princess sense) and who does routinely accept the minibar can weigh in here and let us know what they think the equivalent cash value is of the minibar setup.  Not in the "retail" sense, but in the "equivalent cost had I purchased drinks at a bar that equal the volume that I receive in my cabin" sense.  In other words, if the minibar setup provides the equivalent volume of alcohol to make 8 cocktails (making this up here as I have no idea), and the cost of the equivalent number of cocktails at a bar would be $64 (8 x $8) and then you add in some waters and sodas, maybe you are still getting into the $80 range.  Maybe it is more.  Perhaps less.  But the point is that the cash equivalent value of the minibar setup is under $100.  So the whole notion of giving Elites the Plus package as an included perk on a 7 or 10 day cruise simply isn't going to fly.  The cash equivalent of Plus is now $60 per day or $420 for a 7 day cruise.  The value of the minibar (or two coffee packages) doesn't even equate to a day and a half of the Plus Package.  The true cash equivalent of the minibar would be to give each Elite person (if each person gets their own minibar setup) around $80 in OBC to be used only at the bars and fresh brewed/specialty coffee stations.  And if each cabin is only entitled to a single minibar setup instead of one per person, then the OBC would be reduced to $40 per person assuming two people per cabin.  The idea of swapping out the minibar for hundreds and hundreds of dollars of Plus Packages or upgrades to Premier is unthinkable.

Spot on!  We just got off the Enchanted last weekend.  We had the Princess Plus package, so the Elite Mini bar set up was meaningless to us.  I had them swap all the sodas for water, and all the alcohol for Beefeater (my go-to). Being on the Marina deck forward, I would run up to The Mix bar every night to grab a large glass of ice, and a glass of tonic water and limes to have a Gin & Tonic in the room while getting ready for dinner.  I could have just as easily gotten the Beefeater and Tonic at the bar for no extra cost. Bottom line, the Elite set up is of no value to me having the drink package.

Got home last Saturday from a wonderful 10 days on the Enchanted and cannot say enough about the two bartenders at the Crown Grill Bar...Jun and Prakash.  Jun had us in stitches with his card and bar tricks, and Prakash's take on the Lemon Drop Martini with the muddled lemons in simple syrup was fabulous.  We had our pre-dinner cocktails there every night.  Don't miss them if you are on the Enchanted any time soon!  Tell them Chris and Brenda sent you.

9 hours ago, dides said:

But underlines that Bistro Su Lar Mer didn't make the cut - linking into the plan to remove it from Sky Princess in the April dry dock (and replace with Crooners)

Duplicate

9 hours ago, dides said:

But underlines that Bistro Su Lar Mer didn't make the cut - linking into the plan to remove it from Sky Princess in the April dry dock (and replace with Crooners)

Duplicate

9 hours ago, dides said:

But underlines that Bistro Su Lar Mer didn't make the cut - linking into the plan to remove it from Sky Princess in the April dry dock (and replace with Crooners)

Just got off the Enchanted last week and was told in their April Drydock in Palermo that Bistro Sur La Mar would be replaced with Sabatini's, and the Salty Dog would go back to a Vines, and the current Sabatini's location would be a new concept restaurant called "The Catch"...a new seafood venue.  I know details can change from now to then, but that was what I was told by one of the higher ups in the dining department.  Included within The Catch, would be the new 360 dining experience that some have mentioned on other threads.

I have made it here with baited breath....not quite sure how you feel about that, and not quite sure what that really means...but I am here regardless!    Looking forward to following along to your journey!

We were on the same voyage as you.  Thanks for your review...it pretty much sums up our thoughts.  I may post a separate review from a die-hard Princess cruiser perspective.  One comment we have is how dark Cellar Masters was every evening...we called it the dungeon.  I've never seen a lounge on a ship with such horrible lighting.

Did you happen to meet the US Olympics Gold medalists on board? Simone Biles and Aly Raisman were on the voyage and very outgoing and friendly at the pool bar on deck 10.  7 Gold medals between the two of them.

First time on Celebrity in over 20 years, so please excuse my ignorance.  We're a group of three cabins traveling together on the Infinity later this month.  Two of the cabins have an 11:30 boarding time, and the other is 12:00.  Can we all board together at 11:30?  If so, how do we make that happen?

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

Here's the list

 

Prohibited Items:

•  
• Alcoholic Beverages (Note: On boarding day, each stateroom may bring up to two 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne. Guests who purchase alcohol bottles onboard, in a port-of-call, or bring more than the two permitted bottles on boarding day, will have their items safely stored by the ship. These bottles will be returned on the last day onboard for enjoyment once home. Alcoholic beverages seized on embarkation day will not be returned.)

I haven't cruised with Celebrity in over 20 years and I am confused about their alcohol policy.  You posted the above, yet the FAQ page on the Celebrity says the following:

"Guests are not permitted to bring alcoholic beverages onboard; with the exception of embarkation day when each guests are permitted to bring onboard with them up to two (2) bottles of wine (which are subject to a corkage fee) per guests. A corkage fee does not apply to guests with the Classic Beverage Package or Premium Beverage Package."

Is it two bottles per stateroom or two bottles per guest?  Would hate to bring 4 nice bottles of wine and have two of them confiscated. 

It's been 20+ years since I cruised Celebrity, so please excuse any rookie questions.  We're sailing on the 8/20 Infinity and I downloaded the App and put all our information in, including our Vax status and uploaded pictures of our Vax cards.  One week later, I'm still getting a message in the App that says "We are validating your record".  Is this normal?  Do I need to call Celebrity?  The other person traveling in our party, who has been on Celebrity within the last several years, is having the same problem.

Any suggestions?