kathynorth

I am all about the outside. Views to the sea, keep the lawn, lots of outdoor dining venues. To me a large interior "atrium" is a wast of space and could be put to better use. The S Class has the space right to me with the tree being the focal point. Make more venues face out to sea rather than in but that would have to be mainly on one, maybe two decks, to allow for balcony cabins. We don't like the trend away from the connection to the ocean.

I absolutely agree! I cruise because I find watching the water to be a great stress release. I would like to see wrap around decking on a lower level. Using the upper deck makes my daily walk feel like I'm on an obstacle course. This deck should be free of smoking. I'd also like to see more deck chairs on the lower outside decks.

We are recently off the Equinox and had the ultimate dining package. This meant we could choose to eat at any of the pay specialty restaurants. We ended up at Tuscan 5 times, Murano 4 and Silk 1x. Overall we liked Murano best, but there were fewer menu items that appealed to us. We enjoyed the lobster, chateaubriand, and steak diane. You just can't beat the table side food prep and service at Murano. Tuscan was more relaxed and staff were more social. Our favorites here were the filet, lobster pasta, and grilled shrimp/scallops. Silk Harvest was nice, but more like a typical asian restaurant. Our favorite dish was the small dish shrimp. We also had lunch at Bistro 5, but thought the food was good, but not great.

We are just off a 10 night Equinox cruise. We received the free 90 minutes for being Elite that was preloaded via the folio # on our sea pass cards. We could trade in the Elite minutes for 30% off the $299 unlimited internet, which would have cost us $209. You cannot get the 30% in addition to a credit for the 90 min package, which now is only valued at $59. You also don't use the 30 mins first. I may be mistaken, but I'my pretty sure we were told that once you start using the 90 mins you lose the opportunity for the 30% discount on the unlimited internet. I'm wondering if anyone recalls the same or heard something different. The unlimited internet offer was initially advertised as being available for the first two days of the cruise, but I believe you could still activate unlimited further into the cruise but at the same rate. There was also a 1-day unlimited internet pass for $59. I found the Internet to be very slow at times, but better than we've had on some prior trips. I sat in on an iOS-8 class and Learned a few tricks even though I've been an iPad user for years.

I have tried to search for info from the Port of Call: AK boards, and the stickies of cruise reviews without clear answers. I would appreciate if Celebrity cruisers could answer the following about the LAND TOUR portion of our cruise (Millie 2016)

First let me say that we absolutely loved our cruisetour via the Millie back in 2008. It was one of our all time favorite trips. However, the lack of info prior to the tour part was very frustrating.

1. LUGGAGE: How much of our cruise luggage may we have delivered to our hotel/lodge room each time? I have seen luggage tags to "join me nightly" and ones to "join me on last night of tour". i.e.: Can we each have a full sized suitcase join us each night? Plus a rolling carry on size? I understand we may bring a tote bag or small backpack inside our transfer bus/train as a "day-bag", but is there a size limitation?

We were permitted 1 full suitcase each, plus whatever you chose to carry with you on the bus. You label which suitcase goes to the room and which is stored in the underside of the bus. I seem to recall receiving all the suitcases when we arrived to Denali, which gave us the opportunity to swap out items between bags. You can request to get into your stored bags if necessary, but when you see all those bags, you’ll understand why it would be difficult for the driver to keep unloading and reloading all those bags. My advice is to pack light with one bag for the cruise and another for the tour part and bring along a small carry on each. (I wish we had packed less. Both the cruise and land portions were very casual. We brought clothes for all 4 seasons, but should have focused on layering spring attire with a swimsuit for indoor pool use.)

2. MEALS: I understand that most, possibly all, meals will be "on our own" (Additional $$). Are we stuck with eating @ the hotel/lodge because we will not have a car?

Anchorage is very walkable and also has a trolley that I recall riding. There were choices for restaurants within walking distance. We had a stop at Alyeska and ate onsite. Some people did jump in cabs to go to offsite restaurants. The hotel we stayed at in Denali was actually down the road from Denali NP. There was a shuttle that ran between the hotel and Glitter Gultch, which is a great place to buy souvenirs. We ate at the Salmon Bake our first evening in Denali, The Perch Restaurant the next night, and breakfast at the hotel. There was also a shuttle to/from the hotel we stayed at in Fairbanks, but we were so tired on our last night that we walked to the restaurant next door.

3. "Free Time Extra Excursions" ...how soon ahead does Celebrity let us know those extra options? Does anyone have a list of their options for past years? (We will be overnights in Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali and Fairbanks.

You find out when you board the bus for the landtour. They explained this is because arrival and departure times for each stop vary greatly based on the # of passengers, how long it takes for them to board the bus, and traffic. Once on the tour we could understand why this could be so unpredictable.

4. DIY excursions ?: I typically book my own private excursions in ports. Is that a reasonable option for a land tour?

We didn’t book ahead on our land portion because we didn’t have exact itinerary times, but did book a couple while on the tour. Stops where we had ample time to DIY were at Denali and Fairbanks. We were at Denali for 2 nights and had an early morning Tundra Wilderness tour as part of our package. This left us with free time in the late afternoon/evening immediately after we arrived, as well as late afternoon and evening the next day. With the long days that far north we packed in lots of tours. (There was internet access at the hotels we stayed at. We used CC and TA to map out a flexible potential plan. If Celebrity doesn’t offer what you’re interested in then you can book on the day of from the hotel computer or your cell.) (If your tour only includes the Natural History tour at Denali, you may want to consider upgrading to the Tundra Wilderness tour. There's an interesting free sled dog demonstration just inside the park. We visited right after our TWT. There are free buses that run from Denali to/from Glitter Gultch hotels.)

5. How far ahead did you know your daily land schedule? I really need to know times for each day so that I can fit in our priority sights/activites.

You don’t find out the daily land schedule until the day the landtour begins. However, the excursion offerings provided by Celebrity were pretty much the same that you would consider booking on your own.

**In case anyone is wondering why we are not just arranging our own land tour....my DH does not like the idea of driving, handing luggage etc...he is all about less vacation stress and being cared for (the major reason we cruise)

This was the same for us. We were very pleased with our cruisetour and would consider doing it again if the opportunity presents itself. Alaska was more beautiful than I had imagined and we thought the train and bus rides felt like excursions. For us, it wouldn’t have been the same if we had to drive, deal with directions, etc.

TIA for ANY help on any of these topics!!!

I love a Peach Bellini. Is this also at the Elite breakfast or just during the cocktail hour, or both? I know that Mimosa's can be ordered during the cocktail hour.

I was able to order a Bellini at the breakfast.

Yes they do!

Yes, but they stretch out quite easily. They are not very good quality.

Does anyone know the on board booking OBC for a 7 night Caribbean cruise?

The easiest and least expensive way to go from Civitavecchia to Rome and back for a port day of sightseeing is via the train. You can take a long walk or shuttle to the ticket booth just outside the port gate, then another long walk to the station. However, this isn't the best way if you have lots of luggage to juggle. It's doable if you travel very light and don't mind walking through busy streets pulling suitcases. When starting/ending a cruise in Civitavecchia we found that booking a transport vehicle with others from the roll call was also reasonable, around 20e/pp. If you go alone it will be around 160e. There are lots of reliable companies posted on the Italy thread.

We are doing a 08April departure out of Rome, but will be coming in on 03April for a few extra days for our Roman Holiday.

 

We've budgeted 300euro for the three transfers we'll need:

 

50eu = FCO - Hotel 03April

120eu = Hotel - Port 08April

120eu = Port - FCO 18April

 

So, all in, roughly 300 Euro (plus gratuities) for the peace of mind of being picked up at each location. Normally we try to shave costs on this component, but this time we're just going to go ahead and spend it for the piece of mind! (And considering there aren't too many pieces left of my mind, this is a wise expenditure!)

 

Greg

A good number of the private transport companies use vans that can fit 8 adults with 1 large and 1 small suitcase each for around 150eu for each transfer. That's less than 20eu/pp if you have a full van. We reserved a van and then posted the transfer dates and details on our roll call to find others to fill the van.

ForeverAtSea, you may want to double check with the school district to see if they've posted next year's calendar yet, just in case this influences your decision. For the first time ever, our school district is returning to school on Sept 1st instead of the day after Labor Day because Labor Day falls on Sept 7th, which would push school closing to the end of June. If we have a winter like the one we had this year, we wouldn't be able to meet the legally required days without cutting into vacation weeks.

Once in a lifetime experiences have educational and social value. If I only knew then what I know now. This may be a trip that your GD cherishes long after her school days are over.

Regarding kids programs, we were on a 15-night Panama Canal cruise this past Nov. There were just a handful of children on board and the kids program did indeed run. It was quite amusing to hear the comments each time the group paraded through. They all looked like they were having fun and I bet they received lots of individual attention.

I got the impression from a Molecular bartender that the concept was one of those brought on-board from a third party, under contract. She specifically mentioned the menu was created and set by a bar in NYC, if I recall correctly. So maybe the contract expired and either or both parties decided to part ways.

 

I could be mistaken. It has happened a time or two.

The Molecular Bar is a licensed specialty concept of Junior Merino (the Liquid Chef). Merino owns and operates the Molecular lab in NYC that creates specialty recipes. Each bartender is specially trained and tested prior to being permitted to work this bar. Deviating from the approved menu can result in being removed from this prime position.

We cruised in/out of Civitavecchia several times. We've found the best airfare on Choice Air all 3 times we cruised the Mediterranean. The rates don't seem to be as good for US domestic flights. On our last trip we walked off the ship with our luggage at 7:30 am. We arranged for transport through Jump Limousine and the driver was waiting right outside the ship with a sign with our name. Our van fit 8 passengers with 1 lg suitcase + 1 small/carryon each. I seem to recall the cost being 20E/pp including the tip. We used them for multiple transports and received an additional discount. This was much less $ and time efficient than the shuttle bus. Since we were a party of 4 we found additional riders to hit the full van rate by posting on our roll call.

We once booked via a certified Celebrity planner during a holiday sale for a really good rate. When we said we wanted to shop around for TA perks before actually booking the rep offered a $200 OBC for each of the 2 cabins we wanted to book. We were still indecisive, so he added 2 bottles of wine for each cabin. The gesture was appreciated and we booked. Neither the OBC or wine showed on our invoice. On board, we received the the usual OBC notice on day 2. One bottle of wine showed up in each of the cabins about halfway through the 11-day cruise. We figured the missing wine was an oversight on the cabin steward's part, so didn't even mention it.

Good grief. Was dealing with a TA over the past 2 days to book a cruise in July. The TA was adamant that my booking didn't qualify for the $25 123GO deposit special. When I tried to book online it was giving me the $25 deposit option every time I tried, but they wouldn't listen. Then I called Celebrity who also said I was eligible for the $25 deposit. Called the TA back, he said he was on the other line with Celebrity who was saying I don't qualify.

 

Woke up early this morning to check the Celebrity website, and was not only able to book three rooms for $75 total deposit, but veranda guarantees were suddenly available (they hadn't been, yesterday). Yay!

 

Now I'm considering transferring the reservation back to the TA, which gives me pause because I don't know if they deserve it with all the obstruction they gave me over the deposit. Though transferring it might get me free gratuities and a $75 OBC. :rolleyes: Thoughts?

The same thing happened to me once. The TA reported to be on the phone with Celebrity who was saying no. I asked the TA to make it a 3-way call so I could speak directly to Celebrity. With all 3 of us in the discussion the Celebrity agent initially said no, but I described what I was looking at on my computer screen so they could follow along with me and suddenly it become okay. I then realized it wasn't the TA, it was the Celebrity agent. I came to realize that I now know more, thanks to these boards, about perks eligibility/applicability than some of the Celebrity or TA booking agents. It pays to be informed!

This is just my opinion, but, I would suggest you try to stay more than 2 days precruise in Rome. It's a wonderful city with so much to see. You can easily walk or take public transport from site to site. If you plan to visit the Colosseum or Vatican Museum, be sure to book tickets online ahead of time. For the Colosseum, consider booking the underground tour. Read the Italy board for great suggestions, time of day to visit, ways to save $, etc.

Mykonos; we like to wander through the shops and have a nice lunch on the water. On one trip we took a ship tour to Delos, which we really liked and still had time to visit the shops.

Ephesus is amazing. Try to book a small group tour here. The site gets packed with people, so it's important to get there as early in the am as possible. There are lots of private vendors who can provide a personalized tour for reasonable rates. If your group is too large it can be difficult to hear what the guide is saying. Be sure whatever tour you book that it includes the terrace house restoration. Most tours also include a side trip to Mary's house located on the hillside just outside Ephesus.

Santorini is beautiful. You can book a transfer on the dock where the tender lets you off that will bring you to Oia via water, with a transfer back via bus. You would then need to purchase a ticket to go down to the dock via the cable car, pay to ride a donkey down, or walk down while avoiding the donkey droppings.

There's lots to see in Athens. The Acropolis was the highlight of our visit. I was sad that we didn't have time to go to the new Acropolis museum, but happy since this was because I spent too much time shopping at the Plaka.

Naples also has lots of options. If you've never been then consider booking a day trip to Pomeii combined with a drive up the Amalfi coast. We've also been to Herculaneum, which we enjoyed.

I haven't been to the other ports, but I'm sure you'll find lots of suggestions on the ports of call pages.

Try this link. I accessed this through a hyperlink labeled Roll Call tool in Laura's 1st post.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/

When you get there use the pull down menus to select cruiseline, ship and date for your cruise. It looks like a really neat tool to get organized for your cruise.

I believe you can get the 1,2,3 with the Presidents' Day sale, but not if you select a LE, senior, or resident discount. However, the current discounts are quite good if you decide to forgo perks.

There has been some talk on the boards about limited access to specialty restaurants due to construction on the new suite restaurant. The construction will limit # of seats in the MDR and Select dining, which means more passengers are expected to be in specialty dining during the construction period.

We usually find packets of hot chocolate right next to the tea packets at the back of the buffet.

Can someone who has taken one of these taxi tours share what the rate was? Can you also share where you went, what you saw, and time allotted to any stops? Thanks for your help!

We researched this for exactly the same reason. We decided to do a week on our own, flying to Anchorage, renting a car and riving to Denali and staying 2 nights in the area. Then driving back to Anchorage, take the train to Seward and rent another car (one-way car rentals are extremely costly). Stay way out on the Kenai Peninsula 2 nights, and one night in Seward before boarding the "Millennium" Southbound. Depending on when you go, you might want to look into the Alaska Toursaver coupon book.We have saved quite a bit using their two for one coupons for our July 2015 trip.

 

We understand that seeing bears is iffy, you may want to splurge on a flightseeing and bear-watching combo to a known bear-frequented salmon river.

 

Good luck!

We've cruised Alaska a couple of times and this is exactly what we would like to do on a future trip! Millennium at Hubbard was awesome. Also, whale watching at Icy Strait was unbelievable.

We've cruised in an Aqua cabin on 4 separate cruises and ships and enjoyed eating in Blu each time. The biggest reason for us is the flexibility that Blu provides. In Blu we could easily choose when we wanted to eat based on what we planned to do each evening. We've never had more than a 15 min wait for a table and most times were able to sit right away. When we had a large group (up to 8) we arrived at the check in desk early to let them know who was coming. They let us know how long the wait would be for a large table and we adjusted accordingly. In Blu we also gained the benefit of pacing our meals. We were able to take our time with the meal to socialize or speed things up to make it to a show on time.

I just transferred my second booking to a big box, membership store and I didn't get an email from either. Both times, I faxed the form and my invoice to Celebrity. After about a week, I called the TA and they added it to my account. I've never used an TA before, but I love the OBC. We'll have $775 on next years Hawaiian cruise between the 123inclusice and TA OBC,

As I mentioned in my prior post, we discovered a problem when we called our big-box TA to find out why we didn't receive a confirmation. It turned out the transfer wasn't properly processed by Celebrity. Initially we were told we were past the 60 day date and could no longer transfer. However, we were able to prove the transfer was initiated prior to the 60 day mark because we had the Celebrity email. We've executed transfers several times and we always receive an emailed invoice with booking # from the receiving TA that includes the cruise rate, a description of perks and when final payment is due. Have fun spending all that OBC!

I just remembered, when you book onboard your reservation is automatically forwarded to the TA who booked your current cruise unless you specifically request that Celebrity hold onto the reservation. The benefit to having Celebrity hold the reservation is that it gives you the opportunity to shop around TA's for perks, although this does result in the need to complete the transfer documentation within 60 days.

After sending the transfer form you should expect an email confirmation from Celebrity indicating they received the requested transfer and the request was being processed. Also be on the lookout for a confirmation from the company you transfer to. If you don't receive both confirmations I suggest you call. We recently transferred an onboard booking and received the first, but not the second confirmation. When we called to check we discovered someone on Celebrity's end didn't finalize the transfer. It was past the 60 days but Celebrity took care of it since the error was on their end.