leaveitallbehind

St. Thomas, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Puerto Plata - of the two this would be my choice.

Yes to all three, although there has been questions as to #3. if it is per guest or per stateroom.

I was just curious as the rules have changed over time. You are correct with the outright cancelation - you lose the full deposit with RCCL / Celebrity. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

How recent were the changes made that you reference?

It varies but, in particular for dining on embarkation night, there are often offers made. We have had occasion where after dining in a specialty restaurant they would offer a reduced rate to return later in the cruise. It depends on how booked they are for that sailing. In our experience the dining packages offered pre-cruise through the planner are typically the better offers.

Serenade was last refurbished in 2022, but I don't have details on what that included.

From the RCCL FAQ's regarding NRD's: Outside of final payment, when a non-refundable deposit cancellation occurs, the full deposit amount will be held in penalty. Any additional payments made will be refunded. Should you choose to change your original ship and/or sail date, if you booked directly with us, please contact our Consumer Outreach team where a representative will assist in making the desired changes, while also applying the qualifying change fee(s) and collecting payment, if not already done so. If you booked via a travel advisor, please contact them for any booking changes.

For your future reference, new schedules are typically released 18-24 months prior to the sailings and are usually released on a seasonal basis. So next December for a spring '26 schedule should be correct.

I assume you mean the sailboat that is used in the excursion. I would think that the crew members on board would assist you up or down the ladder if needed. But not knowing how many steps are involved or the degree to which your fear would impact you, it would be very difficult to for me to recommend going on it, therefore I would suggest maybe avoiding this excursion if that would be a concern.

They clearly don't provide their services for free, and this is just another way to get you into the spa where they will offer all of the different options to you in the hope that you came there to purchase one - and they will do all they can to assist you in that decision. And BTW most of their products and services are rather pricey.

To the OP, that is the link I posted.

Not challenging but wondering why it is easier to go to GS when the same information is available on your account folio through the TV or app? That is the information that GS would be looking at. I realize GS would have that but just not seeing how making a personal visit is easier to see the information.

I agree with @klfrodo, but as a possible alternative you may want to consider Uber. It may not be suitable to your preferences of a single vehicle as two would likely be required, but they do offer accessible vehicles in some markets and as big of a market that area is may have vehicles available. From a cost alternative it may be a viable alternative. Maybe not your first preference but just a thought.

Here is a link to the Celebrity website detailing the Concierge class staterooms: https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/concierge-class-stateroom

Yes. You can check it on the stateroom tv or on your Celebrity phone app anytime. It keeps a running tally.

Beverage packages purchased through the planner must be paid for when purchased with a credit card or ship board OBC. (Or a combination of both). If the price changes favorably later you can cancel and rebook without penalty through the planner to get the lower price.

Enjoy your cruise! Look forward to following it with you. Mike

OK maybe one or two short toots and it's cute. But we were docked next to a Princess ship in St. Kitts one time, and as they were preparing to depart, while they were departing, and until they were well past the pier, they bellowed quite loudly what rapidly became the most nauseating theme song I've ever been tortured with. I am not exaggerating when I say it went on without interruption for 6 or 7 minutes. And of course it was on our balcony side of the ship! (Not that it would have mattered, they probably could be heard in Nevis). No thank you - not a fan - don't find it fun - never want to hear it again. Haven't had the Disney pleasure as yet.....LOL

Based on what I was provided and just posted, that ES category was the least costly by a significant amount - 23% less than the standard solo pricing in a double occupancy E3, and 32% less than the double occupancy E3 rate for two.

Another perspective I try to keep in mind when it comes to CC reviews or critical comments is that the CC members forum only represents about 6% of the global cruising public (2MM per CC / 31.5MM reported by the industry). The number of posters who provide reviews or critiques is only a relatively small percentage of that membership. This in actuality represents a relatively small sample size of those who post reviews out of the general cruising public. As a result I take these reviews with a definite grain of salt.

Just out of curiosity I just requested three mock bookings using April 6 '25 on Ascent. No fare qualifiers (age, state of residence, etc) were added, just straight rate fares. The fare class is non refundable deposit with no perks - basically lowest base rate. Here is what I received for a solo traveler: Solo in the designated single veranda ES stateroom: $2,279 Solo in a standard double occupancy E3 infinite veranda: $2,962 Double occupancy rate (for two) E3 infinite veranda: $3,337 Not challenging, not arguing, just showing what I was provided.

I would suggest talking with a travel agent about this. Aside from the two ships you mention, there are dozens of cruise lines that serve most of the areas in Europe. I would be surprised if those two ships and cruise line are your only options, unless that is the only cruise line with which you choose to cruise.

I should have added to my last post that when a flight is booked an itinerary is sent via email confirming the flights combined with your cruise schedule as a single document. Two confirmation numbers are issued with the booking - one from the flight service and one from the airlines. You can use the airline confirmation number to access your booking directly with the airline. The other to access your booking via the cruise line and flight service should any changes need to be made.

Independence had its major refurbishment in May 2018 with a number of upgrades and enhancements, and just completed a standard maintenance drydock in February. I would think she would be in very good condition. BTW it seems that since the pandemic most roll calls are very quiet as their primary purpose used to be to organize Meet & Mingles. RCCL has not reinstated those since the pandemic restart and most people use FB to organize their own activities. If that media is also quiet, it just may be a lack of interested passengers.

Our experience with Celebrity / RCCL (same flight booking service) is as follows: A number of flight options are provided. You select flights based on schedule, travel category, and price. No deposit or any financial transaction is required at the time of booking. The full value of the selected fare is posted and attached to your cruise invoice resulting in a new balance due. Seats can be selected at the time of booking. The flights can be changed or canceled without penalty up until final payment for the cruise, which is also the full payment date for the flights. Lower fares can also be applied should that occur by way of canceling and rebooking through them. Celebrity will also assist with rebooking and finding connections to the ship at its next port of call if need be for any flight issues related to the airlines. Domestic flight fares typically are at the same rates as the published fares by category from the airlines. International fares can be better than published rates. This is how it has worked with us over numerous flights secured through them. We have never had to pay for a flight at booking unless it coincides with final payment date with the cruise line.