kathynorth

Thanks for posting your trip review!

Tony, could you share more details about who you booked with for your 2006 expedition cruise?

Thanks for the heads up, I understand Stingray City is out near Rum Point. I’m just trying to figure out my options; go in one direction or the other

They have iPads at the muster station that passengers can use if you haven’t watched the video yet when you go to check in.

Where did the vans drop off/pick up? Did you identify a specific spot or is everyone dropped at the same location? Did you rent loungers and an umbrella? If yes, do you recall the cost?

@bookbabe, thank you for posting this link! It is very informative. Is it possible to access Stingray City via the beach or would we need to book a boat tour? I'm also wondering if there's an easy way to get to that area without booking a tour.

We were on a ship for last years Super Bowl and all the festivities were in the theater.

I just reviewed the website and my cruise docs that arrived this past week and there is no mention of wine having to be in carry ons.

Yes, this is correct. You can also take a glass of wine out of the room and bring it anywhere you want. You just can't carry the bottle around the ship with you.

An intermediate tier would likely include something more than what you get at Elite+, but less than Zenith. Maybe deeper discounts on specialty, drink packages, internet, etc. could work. Special sea day lunch with officers (invite Elite++ and Zenith)? I agree with what others have been saying about the limited HH drink menu. That made sense to speed things up when drinks were offered at one venue. It would be nice if they allowed ordering of any drinks allowable from the classic menu during the HH.

$25 but that's only if you bring the bottle with you to dinner. Your cabin steward can provide you with a bottle opener and appropriate glasses for you to enjoy in your room. You can fill your glass and bring that with you into the dining room, theater, where ever you wish. When we bring a smaller cabin wine glass into the dining room, the somellier usually swaps that glass out for one of the Reidel glasses.

None of this is free. You pay for the internet, water, specialty dining, tipping, etc in your cruise fare.

This has also happened to us and it was taken care of at Guest Services

Specialty dining packages are sold at a discounted rate compared to booking each restaurant individually. These packages sometimes go on sale, as you see with your current 8% off offer. The upside to booking a package precruise is the discounted rate. The downside is that you can't reserve a time precruise and you get whatever reservation times are still available after boarding. If you book an individual restaurant then you can choose your dining time precruise. If you like to eat very early or very late then booking a package isn't usually a problem. However, if you absolutely need to eat at say 7-7:30 then you may have trouble getting the reservation times you prefer. In the past we used to be able to get great deals on ship, but since the restart the best we've been able to snag has been 20% off the full price at individual restaurants. We have an upcoming cruise and booked a multi-night package because we were able to book during a 25% off sale and decided to deal with crazy dining times. As an FYI, if you book with your 8% off deal and you see there's a better precruise sale closer to your cruise date, then you can cancel and rebook the package without penalty. Just be sure there's availability before cancelling. We found the Reflection to have a nice variety of restaurants and we've enjoyed them all. The Lawn Club Grill was great, but Murano was our favorite! If you do book a precruise package, try to get as early as possible check in time, then head straight to any of the restaurants to make your dining reservations.

I wonder if a big part of the issue with recognizing a change in CC loyalty status while on a cruise has to do with being able to see th points in the system. If PUPs result in a change in status and you can see them in your account then the CC host should be able to see that on their computer. Couldn't someone in this situation go to Guest Services and say I'm elite but my card shows select, could you please change this on my card?

That cruiser may have opted into the Go Green program where you trade in your 2nd room cleaning for 1 day of extra cruise points.

Very interesting. I've had manicures and pedicures in the spa on Celebrity ships and never was asked for this type of info. At this point I can't recall where we were in the Caribbean. I was planning to have a spa visit on my upcoming cruise, but I may instead visit my local salon before my cruise. Thanks for posting your experience!

For our past couple of cruises out of Miami and FLL the earliest scheduled time we could get was 11:30. We tend to arrive a little early, but no-one was allowed in the building until 11. We were processed, then needed to wait until 11:30 boarding.

I interpret this post to read that all items in the Non-Alcoholic Package and the Classic package are included with the Premium package, plus all other drinks up to $17.

Your post doesn't mention where you live or what type of cabin you'll be in for this trip. If you are used to 4-seasons weather similar to what we have here in NH then you'll be well prepared. We took this same cruise last Feb and spent lots of time out on deck or on our balcony. We dressed as we would on a typical northeast day in Feb for the stops in Ushuaia and the Antarctica days. As recommended above, we were prepared with layers. (Long sleeved shirts, fleece zip ups, and lightweight hooded down jackets. Also hats and gloves.) It was in the 90s during our time in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. The weather was like our fall for our Falkland Island and Puerto Madryn stops. Since we had to pack for 3 seasons we had to pack strategically for this trip.

Thanks for posting your experience with food on Princess. I’m interested to see you comparisons when you post about the food on Ascent.

We stayed in 7202 on Infinity and it was shower only. Our cabin was significantly bigger than any concierge cabin we had in the past, with tons of storage space. After we walked through the main cabin section, there was a sitting room with 2 couches that could be set up as beds. After that were the sliders for the largest veranda we've ever had.

I'm guessing those special cruisers weren't eating in any of the restaurants. Maybe they did room service, buffet, or dined at a land based restaurant if in port. The Luminae manager has the ability to look up everyone's dining reservations. I would hope that if they were dining in one of the other ship restaurants the table would be opened for others.

Our cruise leaves on Feb 15th. Sorry, we'll be getting off as you board.

We've enjoyed all 3 of these specialty restaurants on various S class ships. We're cruising on Equinox this Feb and have purchased a specialty dining package. My favorite is Murano, especially the lobster cooked tableside. 2nd is Tuscan, as others mentioned nice view if you like eating early. 3rd is Petit Chef. If you like the dinner show aspect, although with limited menu choices, then I'd move Petit Chef up the list.