TMLAalum

Mr. T's advice is spot-on! When the 1-2-3 offer came out, the pricing of our fjords cruise increased by $200 a person. Being that it was a European cruise the increase was offset by being able to choose 2 perks; however two weeks into the onset of the 1-2-3, pricing increased another $200 per person! So in this case, the early bird.....

If you are in the US, it will take just a phone call to get the 1-2-3 vs. the PYP if the mathematics makes switching your booking viable. Good Luck!

We visited Iceland and Norway on a cruise in June this year.

 

Here is my blog post.

http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/p/adventure-of-seas-iceland-norway-cruise.html

 

Godafoss was great. So was Gullfoss. Didn't go to Detifoss.

Your photos of the Premier Inn West Quay are very helpful since we've booked the same along with the meal deal!

Will be enjoying your photos out of Reykjavik very shortly!!

Recently saw "My Old Lady" and knew that I had to find a way to spend time in Paris before our Fjords cruise. So using Icelandair, we will stopover for 2 nights in Reykjavik and then on to Paris for 48+ hours! Rather than travel to the UK via Eurostar and then train to Southampton, to maximize our time in Paris we'll fly direct from ORY-SOU.

We'll return to the Hotel Diana on Rue St. Jacques- rates are a reasonable 125 euro for most rooms and 180 euro for an under-eave suite. Breakfast is 8 euro.

Rooms are small, but the hotel is well-reviewed and the location/price can't be beat. It's been recently renovated as well so looking forward to the changes since our last visit.

Since there may be as many as 8 of us traveling together, we'll be able to book airport shuttle service for a few euro more apiece than the cost taking the RER from CDG. And shuttle service is the most convenient way to travel to ORY.

The only reason I would want to wait and switch to select on board is to use OBC to cover the grats. Two people on a 2 week cruise is a lot of money. If I don't have excess OBC then I like to have the grats paid before I board

When a pick-your-perk or the 1-2-3 is offered, in lieu of the OBC it makes sense money-wise to choose the prepaid gratuities for longer cruises, if you're not wanting the classic beverage package. Booking aboard for our upcoming cruises, we received OBC for that + a "perk". For the 7 night cruise the OBC>prepaid gratuities, but for the 14 night cruise it was the reverse.

Hello,

 

We have been loyal to RCCL, but their is great rate on Celebrity.

 

Any suggestions or insight is greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you!

What is your loyalty status on Royal? Since Celebrity (and Azamara) are owned by RCCL, there is reciprocity, e.g. Diamond = Elite on Celebrity. You need to call Royal's Loyalty desk to attain the equivalent status for your Celebrity cruise.

BTW haven't tried any RCL ship yet, but as you can see from my signature, love Celebrity!

Pity that Pittibeck hasn't come back to provide more details...

I hate threads where responders are trying to help and the OP is never heard from again! Plus I hate being left hanging as to the exact issues involved!

This apparently happened when a group takes over a dining time... That's why it's important to go to the person handling dining assignments when you first board...to check that your "request" is really confirmed. Note: a print out of your confirmation does not guarantee this won't happen....group $'s speak louder than a printed confirmation.

Is this information available during the check-in process?

Usually we find our table/dining assignment awaiting us in our cabin. There was an issue once over not having friends cruising with us assigned to the same table. As I recall the maitre'd wasn't available until late afternoon, and there was a queue to be able to meet with him to "plead our case". (BTW, ours was resolved in time for our first dinner aboard).

We are still in the planning stages for our stopover in Reykjavik in early May. We'll be renting a car. If we stay 2 nights in Iceland, we would do the Golden Circle tour and spend time in the city. Is it critical to add a 3rd day, and if so, how might we spend it?

Thanks!

Rick Steves suggests this company for Eurostar day trips from London to Paris-

http://www.britainshrinkers.com/index.cfm?page=10.

It seems like an economical way to visit Paris if you've only a day and includes the Eiffel tower as part of the package. Less logistics for you as well!

Thank you to all those who posted ideas on gifts...I have a list to take with me when I go shopping. Your suggestions made me happy that I signed up for my first gift exchange.

Happy cruising to all of you.

Have fun shopping! Glad that the gift exchange naysayers who responded to your original post didn't dampen your enthusiasm to participate in your first.

Best wishes for a great cruise!

The last 8 cabins on deck 6 have blue roof extension of restaurant below going out maybe 12 ft. You can't see water directly down, just blue roof. Horizontally, view is fine otherwise.

 

These cabins have veranda almost 2 ft DEEPER than decks 7 and higher. We have had one already and picked 6298 for Dec. So, lowest price balcony cabin, deeper balcony (easy lounge chair fit), just can't see water directly along side ship. We like them.

 

My description unclear? How about a pic?

Thanks, greydog! Never knew this tidbit about S-class ships. We lucked into a SS1 on deck 6 of the Silhouette last year (6306) which also had the extension of the restaurant below us. Plus all the Sunset Verandas on Deck 6 also overlook the blue roof. Those cabins go for far more than those aft 2C's!

And Cap't Club members can book 2C cabins for 2D pricing:D.

Yes, it was the Delta Sky Team logo, not Star Alliance! Should have been wearing my computer glasses. Thanks for finding the fine print, Globaliser, & too bad that earning miles is moot with a Flybe codeshare.

Hi Margeecruiser-

How soon did you know you wouldn't be able to tender in Waterford? I wonder if you were able to contact Ireland Chauffer Tours as soon as you knew you wouldn't be making port? If they had to pay their people and send a van to meet your group I do understand why only a partial refund. OTOH, a company that specializes in tours for cruisers should be aware of weather problems, know there are times that ships cannot tender, and clearly spell out their policy for refunds or not in such cases.

It appears that AirFrance also flies from ORY-SOU, but the scheduling is exactly the same as Flybe and AF's classic fare matches Flybe's upgraded fare. Do these 2 airlines codeshare? With AF, there'd be mileage accrued to my UA acc't.

On our last cruise, we were as far forward as one can get- OV Cabin 7003 on the Millennium. Actually, most of our cruises have been in forward cabins. Haven't been bothered by motion in these cabins. Not sure that being a "senior" (we are too) is a factor in regards to being affected by slightly more motion: however, it is a longer walk to the elevators than you might want.

We are considering using Flybe from ORY to SOU for less $$ than the Eurostar to St. Pancras, taxi to Waterloo, and train to Southampton. The price for the upgrade that includes a checked bag and no change fee is @122 USD. The time savings is significant using this method but the price differential is only around $25.

We have experience with Ryanair:( and Easyjet:), but none with Flybe. Any advice or caveats?

For ease of coordination it might be the least complicated plan to book the Celebrity pre-cruise experience.

However, you have 13 months before your trip which gives you plenty of time to explore other options. The ports-of-Call forum can help with planning if you go on your own...hotels, private transfers from Rome to Civitavecchia, must-see sights. It will likely be more cost-effective to DIY, but the hassles may outweigh the money savings.

Will all 14 of you want to do everything altogether? One of the most difficult parts of traveling with groups of friends/family is choosing a restaurant that pleases all and can accommodate all.

Banjo,

Enjoy your trip! Interesting that there is a Costco in Southampton- we won't have a rental car there, but if prices are right maybe a taxi ride won't break the bank.

Just got back from seeing the movie My Old Lady and now I want to add a brief return to Paris before our cruise!

Please come back and share your experiences! Bon Voyage!

I have never participated before, but decided to try something different this cruise and be a part of the gift exchange. We will be exchanging after the ship's official meet and mingle, so no one there will feel left out. There is no obligation to bring a gift, unless you want to receive a gift too!

That's nice for all those who've posted they would NEVER participate in a gift exchange, but they sure aren't answering your question!!

We've done several exchanges and they've been much fun. In addition to the $ amount stipulated, the gifts were required to be representative of our hometown or country. Being from Cleveland OH, my go-to choices are a CD of the Cleveland Orchestra, or a DVD of the movie "Major League" or "Draft Day" (in the future) or the tv series "Hot in Cleveland". I would say "sports-team" related items are not fun to receive as we all have different loyalties. I would bring Buckeyes though (delicious candy that looks like the buckeye nut), and if I could transport it easily overseas, a bottle of Ohio wine.

In return, I've received a fine German-made waiter's corkscrew and a gift bag of assorted Australian items including hand-made soap and a linen towel.

We are looking to join any group or party needing to be at the airport by 9 am next Friday, Sept 26. We are I cabin 7149, call or reply to this post if interested to coordinate.

 

Thanks,

 

Alan & Melinda

From your post it appears you are aboard. Chances are nil that someone will have space on a private transfer for you, but you may find others willing to share a cab just by conversing with those you meet on the ship.

In addition, you might look at your sailings roll call, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=206, to see those who have arranged transfers and might possibly have space for two.

Be sure to use the "self-disembark" option so that you can leave the ship quickly- 9 am is cutting it close, but it can be done.

This link works

 

https://secure.celebritycruises.com/cruisecritic/getParty

Been trying this for several months now for our next cruise. I complete the form with our res #, last name, ship and sail date and submit this info. Page 2 then appears and has our names, email info, and the option to sign up for Celeb and Cruise Critic emails. I follow instructions, click "submit" and VOILA! page 2 pops up again with none of the info shown previously.

I've not had a confirmation email, nor a new page showing that my registration for the Connections Party was successful and there are now ??? people signed up.

I know roll call members from the UK have been successful in registering, but not us:(.

Due to the very sudden death of my mother, we had to fly home thruogh Jamaica. Needed it to leave their country and to enter the US.

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I think from wading through the numerous argumentative posts on this thread that you are the only one who answered the OP's question!

I think that "What should we expect from Celebrity Cruises" is misleading...perhaps Celebrity Cruises should be in quotes or maybe the title can be changed to "What should we expect from Celebrity Cruises' Cruise Critic Representative"

Otherwise, if I were a newbie, I'd be looking at this thread to learn about basic information, e.g. laundry, dining options, special services, etc.

A big thanks to "Celebrity Cruises" for monitoring this forum and responding to concerns raised and questions asked by our members.

Hi Harley57-

We are on this cruise too (Come on over and join the roll call- there are other cruisers from Illinois aboard: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2025636)! Should be a great cruise.

We plan on layering with Gore-Tex rain/wind jackets over polarfleece, if needed. Also bringing hats/headbands, gloves and maybe rainpants and/or longjohns. Last but not least, a pair of waterproof shoes- BOGS for me, Rocky boots for DH. I'm thinking weather conditions similar to Alaska in May.

Really hoping that the Trollstigen road out of Alesund will be open, but it all depends on Norway's winter.

So is there anyone who can confirm that what one might get when by booking on board is necessarily better than what one could get by waiting around for specials or having a good TA who offers generous OBC's and other perks (such as bev pkgs) ?

 

Of course, as miched suggested, I could ask while on board, but am not on board and figured I'd ask those who have done this before and are therefore "in the know." :)

I don't know if anyone can say one way or another which is best.

For example, we booked our upcoming cruises aboard the Millennium shortly after the new itineraries were published and got to pick one perk (OBC, gratuities or drinks) + credit for booking aboard. If we waited 6 weeks when we were back on land we could have had 2 perks for our fjords cruise, but lost the onboard booking OBC and paid an extra $400 for that cruise. Friends who booked aboard after the 1-2-3 came out did get the booking OBC + the 2 perks for a Europe cruise, but they paid the higher rate.

So who came out ahead? I'm content with our booking and our friends came out about even despite the increased cabin cost because they have the classic beverage package + the OBC from the 1-2-3.