Schmoe38

We also use the $US Dollar Visa card from RBC and have for years. The fee is only USD$65 per year and that’s it. We also maintain a $USD bank account to facilitate the payment of any outstanding credit card balances.

With the fluctuating Canadian Dollar, we are able to take advantage of any strength by purchasing US Dollars along the way and building up account balances to prepare, as best as we can, for any and all upcoming cruises. We are not concerned with the rate of return on the bank account, but rather, reducing the risk of having to purchase a lump sum of US Dollars just before final payment on any cruise. Our last major USD purchase for the bank account was when the $CAD was .85USD. So far, we’re good till the end of 2025.

This works for us.

Randy

Kelly

If you have Fine Cut Steakhouse on your agenda, you are in for a treat. We were there last night and we had an exceptional evening. Our friend had the bone in filet mignon and he said it was the best cut of meat he has ever had…and he’s had many a filet. My rib eye was a very close second. We were privileged to be part of the wonderful food service. Ricaldo, our waiter and Glen, our sommelier raised the bar to new heights. Thank you Fine Cut!

We enjoyed it so much, we booked an additional visit.

Kelly, we really haven’t seen you flying around the ship since day one. You certainly have the best hiding places.

Enjoy the remainder of your time on board.

Randy

7 hours ago, PinkSandGirl said:

Packing Notes

 

When checking more than one bag I distribute everything evenly between the two so I don't have all, say shorts in one bag and all shirts in the other.  

 

Why?  In case one is delayed.   

 

I'm not a packing cube person.  I know people love them and I can see how they are helpful but when you bring what I do and need to get it all in, I have become very creative with a combination of rolling, folding, you name it. 😂

 

My carry-on has 'Must Have' items.  There are clothes that will be shifted to the checked bags for going home which in turn gives some room for souvenirs.  If I buy any type of liquor (from islands) that of course goes in a checked bag. 

 

Since staying at a hotel pre-cruise, I make sure what I need is easily accessible but with 2 nights, I'm going to have to dig a little deeper in my suitcases.  Hehe

 

Why do I have so much?  I honestly would love to bring more.  Clothes. I need multiple outfits for each day.  Not being able to wash clothes and being in a hot climate, I don't wear shorts twice. Plus, I like the way they fit and feel from just being washed/dried (hung or dryer).  A skirt for dinner?  That's easy to wear twice.  I normally wouldn't but on a cruise I only have it on for a few hours.  I will send at least one bag of laundry out and there are items I'll wash in the sink.

 

One item I have cut back on: Shoes.  My first cruise, I brought 10 different pairs.  10!  ...for a 4-night cruise. 😂   I learned.  I don't bring that many now, even for a 10-night cruise. 

 

Toiletries.   I have many.  I'll leave it at that. 🤣

 

🍹

Kelly

Travel Safely

23 minutes ago, hcat said:

I think we are overdone with St Maarten..Been there so many times...both sides of the island..land and sea.. We do like the Greenhouse, if still there..

 

While Barbados is lovely..we have been  there quite a few times as well and did not like the bus terminal used for tours. But we like the shops in the port area..and the flower stall if still there!

 

We Love Antigua, great beaches, arts and crafts,  and  find St Lucia very natural  scenic (Pitons a must)  St Kitts is a favorite... The excursion to Nevis in January was an  amazing day.. 

Can't wait to hear what you do at each of them.!

Sorry to hear you have lost the love for  St Maarten. We have always, and continue to look forward to visiting this island. Eventhough we may go through similar travels each time we visit, we continue to have a soft spot for the people of St Maarten, and the memories that have been created each time we are there.

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I'm looking forward to your review.  I've not sailed on E class yet.  I have Beyond booked for a holiday cruise--it was booked back when prices were semi reasonable and included gratuities and OBC.  If I were to book it today, it would cost $10,000 more, have no OBC, and not have gratuities included.  Yikes!

Hi Linda

We are fortunate to be sailing with PinkSandGirl on this itinerary. We will get a chance to meet each other face to face on the Pre-Sailaway get together.

Hope she still talks to us at the end of the cruise.

Randy

20 minutes ago, PinkSandGirl said:

10-night Ultimate Caribbean Itinerary 

 

April 12th - Day 1: Fort Lauderdale 

April 13th - Day 2: At Sea

April 14th - Day 3: At Sea

April 15th - Day 4: St. Maarten

April 16th - Day 5: St. Lucia

April 17th - Day 6: Barbados

April 18th - Day 7: Antigua

April 19th - Day 8: St. Kitts

April 20th - Day 9: At Sea

April 21st - Day 10: At Sea

April 22nd - Day 11: Fort Lauderdale 

 

🍹

 

I wanted to post the map with the route but the sailing has been pulled from the website for some time now and I can't find the map that shows the route. 

 

Will this help?

On 3/28/2024 at 8:29 AM, Oceangoer2 said:

Did you have special pricing on the Retreat?  I thought this was limited to C1, at least when I checked online pricing C1 was less than Inside accommodation and the Retreat seemed to be in line with the rest of the cabin costs other than C1.

We typically cruise in the Retreat and have been watching Retreat pricing for a while, and even now, pricing is through the roof.

The Retreat pricing on this itinerary is way more reasonable.

Randy

14 hours ago, katenmax2 said:

I called the onshore Retreat Concierge to verify the newsletter information.  She stated no more dedicated butlers and complimentary mini-fridge stocking for less than Royal Suites/Signature Suites on all ships. 

It’s unfortunate conflicting information is shared in telephone calls. Butlers are still advertised for Celebrity Suites and I see nothing in the newsletter that would suggest otherwise.

We have always viewed the mini fridge as offside whenever we were in a suite lower than a Royal Suite, so no big deal to us. 

It’s going to be a marketing nightmare for Celebrity to announce the return of butlers to Sky Suites only to have a change of heart and continue with the Retreat Team. 
 

Too many marketing nightmares can shorten the career of a President very quickly. It might take some time to implement the butlers back to Sky Suites shipwide, but that seems to be a trend (eg-the single supplement pricing vs double occupant pricing for the same stateroom is still not fixed on line). That single supplement overcharge marketing blunder was formally rescinded a while back.

I think it’s fair to say that changes (both good and bad) are a part of life in everything we do. Celebrity’s challenge is ensuring these changes are implemented and applied on a consistent basis shipwide. So far, that has proven to be a challenge that has not yet been conquered.

Randy

13 hours ago, WineDown17 said:

How does the premium package work if you want a wine which is only available by the bottle? Can you do that? Is there a price point per bottle that is covered? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find an answer to that question. Many of the wines we like are not available by the glass, so wondering how that would work.  
 

we are in an edge villa suite but don’t think that would make any difference? 
 

thanks in advance. 

Here’s an alternative that works as often as it doesn’t work…..

Early in the cruise, (not the first day, as it is generally more chaotic) speak with your sommelier and ask him/her what bottled wine you can get by the glass. Tell them you don’t mind paying an upcharge per glass. You need to get a handle on whether or not they are flexible or “by the book.” My suggestion is to first, have a look at the wines by the bottle list, and focus on those in the $60-$70(ish) price range. The reason I am suggesting this range is as follows…the premium beverage package covers wine up to $17/glass. If you factor in 4 glasses per bottle, you come in at $68. I wouldn’t suggest you press your luck on the more expensive wines.

The fact that you are in an Edge Villa will help a bit, but is not a slam dunk in your favour. If your sommelier is not open to this alternative, please don’t push, as the Celebrity staff work hard enough and you don’t want to be one of those people who enjoy causing a scene.

Remember, if you don’t ask…you’ll never know.

Randy

Randy

22 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Hello,

 

Does anybody know whether Captain Kate will be on the Beyond April 27th or any idea when her time off is.  I have a few items for Bug to give her and we are booked on April 27th.

It’s our understanding that her existing contract ends April 22/24. That doesn’t necessarily mean she leaves the ship that day, as unforeseen circumstances could arise that might extend the time needed to have her at the helm. 

1 hour ago, PatandStu said:

We are flying to Fort Lauderdale early November. And we plan on flying in a day ahead.

We use Flights by Celebrity all the time, to Ft Lauderdale leaving through Toronto or Detroit. We live in London, Ontario.

We’ve never really found a major difference in pricing vs the actual airline, but we have had 2 instances where prices had declined since our original booking, and as there are no fees to make changes prior to final payment, we were able to take advantage.

One of the difficulties we have had personally is when we fly with Westjet. We can book the seats on line prior to final payment when we book with Air Canada, but we have to have the Flights by Celebrity agent book the seats prior to final payment, when we book with Westjet.

We have traditionally flown first class to Ft Lauderdale from Toronto or Detroit. One of the advantages of booking Westjet from Toronto is, they have no first class section. Their “front of the plane” section is actually considered Premium Economy and as such, is more attractively priced vs Air Canada’s First Class.

Just an option.

Randy

On 1/8/2024 at 4:35 PM, traveline said:

Do anyone knows if Captain Kate will be on the  Beyond   April 2024 3 months from now ?. Thank you for your info in advance.

 

There’s no guarantee on any of the comments here, but often times, the Captains operate on a 3 months on and 3 months off rotation,

The fact that Captain Kate was on vacation over the Christmas holiday period would suggest there is a really good chance she will be at the helm in April 2024.

The February/March sailings may also be in play depending on the start date of her current vacation.

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Just got off a 10 night on Thursday November 30th from the Silhouette. Settled my account late Wednesday night in cash as I knew the FX rate is high at the moment plus I had a ton of OBC to use.  Credit card hold dropped off yesterday but today I was amazed to see a charge then a reversal of the charge at a lower exchange rate.  I called my bank and they said I would have to dispute the difference which has already been initiated.  Not talking a lot of money here but its the principle. Once an invoice has been settled in cash shouldn't the card be removed? I'm confused here maybe someone can provide insight.

This is definitely a Celebrity issue. The charge would have been levied at the “sell” US currency rate to the client and then the correction would have been levied at the “buy” US currency from the client. There is a spread in those 2 exchange rates, the sell being the higher.

As this charge was done in error by Celebrity, they owe you the $$ difference on the charge amount times the difference in the two exchange rates.

I know the principle of the matter is on your side. Just remember, your time and effort is worth something, probably more than the dollar amount involved and the  principle, but I get it. 
 

Good Luck

Randy

1 hour ago, Because_I_Said said:

@hasentreelake Since you are onboard, would you mind sharing the names of the Captain and Cruise Director?

Captain is George Iatrou

Cruise Director is Mike Gibbons

2 hours ago, aml3679 said:

Maitre d Regan

Thank you so much.

Randy

If you get a chance, when you are in Luminae, could you see if the maitre d’ greeting you at the entrance is Laurence? She was on Silhouette in March of 2022 and we had heard rumours that she was currently on board.

Thanks so much.

Randy

Can you tell us the name of the Maître’d in Luminae?

Have you had the same server each time you have gone into Luminae?  Did you catch their name(s)?

Randy

Would you have time to make a quick stop at the World Class Bar?
 

We are on Silhouette in November of this year and I am curious to know if Zacapa 23 rum is on board. If it’s on the ship, it might also be in the duty free liquor store on board. If that’s easier for you, the staff there could tell you if it is being served in the bars for fellow cruisers.
 

Thank you so much.

Randy

If you get a chance, try a beer in Craft Social through the Bottoms Up method.

I believe Heineken is the only beer option, but the glass is filled from the bottom, not the top as with traditional draught taps. 
 

I have to admit that Heineken in a bottle is not my favourite. It tastes so much better with the Bottoms Up option.

Randy

57 minutes ago, jelayne said:

The link to submit questions was offered twice that I saw.  It may have been in a marketing email on one occasion.  i'm Elite Plus and had the opportunity to submit a question, although I didn't.

If I recall correctly, the request for questions came out originally in an email format. Shortly thereafter, a second email came out indicating there had been an issue with the original submissions and could we kindly re-submit.

41 minutes ago, NorthWestPassage said:

I just got off the Caribbean Princess four days ago. There were no indications or rumors that Planks and Steams will reopen, as branded dining venues, anytime soon. However, things may have suddenly changed this week. 😏

Posts #25 and 30, (from those currently on board), are advising that Steamers and Planks seem to be showing signs of life. 
 

Randy

This may be a more condensed version for casual dining on the Caribbean Princess

Here is a posting outlining the casual dining options available on Princess ships.

See Post #1 on Page 1.

1 hour ago, Torfamm said:

I am on board and haven’t seen or heard anything about them opening. Will try to keep watching 

Wonderful.

Thanks so much.

On 9/7/2022 at 10:22 PM, CineGraphic said:

Someone currently or recently on board posted just the other day that Steamers and Planks would not be reopening.

That may have changed with the most recent sailing of Caribbean Princess. Someone currently on board suggested Planks and Steamers are open for casual dining business, however, are not open every night.

We’re on Caribbean Princess in mid September, so I guess we’ll be able to see first hand.