mandream

38 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I emailed them yesterday, explaining the situation and asked if they could make an exception. Here was their reply (same day - I'll give 'em this, they seem to be quite prompt):

 

Dear Guest.

 The status match can only be done once, once we processed your information our system will not allow us to reprocess again.  Typically, once an application has been processed the system will give an error message if another application is being re-submitted.  you may visit the status match page and submit your information. please note, is not guaranteed that  the system will allow you as you were recently matched.

Best Regards

 

So - I took that as a "give it another try", and submitted the info again - this time with my office phone number and address (so as not to "confuse" them) 😉 Here's what I received this morning:

 

Dear THOMAS .....,

Thank you for participating in the MSC Cruises Status Match program and welcome to
Voyagers Club! Based on the information submitted, you are now  at  the Diamond status and your
membership number is xxxxxxx you are now able to enjoy all the perks and privileges
associated with that level. Please remember to communicate your Voyagers Club membership
number at the time of booking.
As a reminder, Status Match is a one-time courtesy and provides our guests the opportunity
to join Voyagers Club at a higher  level. Every cruise aboard MSC Cruises as well as your onboard
spending will add points to your account. Simply cruise with
us once every 3 years, to retain your points.

 

 

 

... now, to see if they can replace my two week old Voyager number with the new one...

 

Tom

The MSC form doesn't have a Discoverer Plus option, so I assume you just selected Discoverer?

Mike

6 minutes ago, def0715 said:

I couldn’t get into Amazon AWS on the Beyond in November using the basic plan. Had to upgrade to premium. Basic plans on MSC, Royal and Carnival had no trouble with AWS. Not cool.

Did you try a VPN?  I'm assuming you are referring to the AWS Console?  I'm convinced this isn't a bandwidth/throttling issue but rather a configuration issue (either intentional / or misconfiguration).  A VPN would get around the latter.

I will try this in March.

Mike

1 hour ago, excited balcony said:

Fantastic!  We were on the Reflection in April and they had a similar package, but with the updates in 2023 I wasn't sure.  This is great to hear!  Thank you for checking on that!

Based on my post above, I would recommend waiting until at least a few days into the cruise before you purchase the package.  They no longer have (or at least didn't on my sailing) have an discounted early bird special at a reduced price so there is no downside to waiting.

You will then know if you have enough pictures to be worthwhile.  I was really disappointed with the change in service.  I'm hoping it will be better on Reflection in March.

Mike

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I usually try to let them know ahead of time.  There is a special needs e-mail address on their website.  And then I talk to the head waiter when on board in the MDR.  They usually give me the next day's menu(s) the night before so I can pre-order.  In other restaurants and the buffet, I try to find someone in charge to ask any questions.  The average crew doesn't always have the best information.

 

@mandream I do think Celebrity still has work to do when it comes to vegan options.  I was really excited to see vegan options clearly labeled on Royal's new menus and NCL offered me a whole vegan menu in addition to making modifications to items on the main menu.  I eat chicken and seafood so can usually find starters and entrees on the main menu they can modify but cruise lines with vegan menus give me better options for dessert.

Yes, we (she) does all that too, sometimes.  This past cruise, she didn't want to go through all that and asked the maitre d to have the chef surprise her each night. Was about equally successful, and she appreciated not having to plan her own menus each night. 

A few times we had maitre d's really go out of their way to make each night special. One was incredibly creative (I think he really wanted to be a chef) and one made and printed a vegan menu for her each night. Most of the time, they are just going through the motions trying to be accomodating. This is one area where Royal definitely has the edge. 

But we have great restaurants in Chicago, so like I said we don't cruise for the food. It would just be a bit less stressful for us if they could improve this area. 

Mike 

8 hours ago, prmssk said:

@cgolf1 I am allergic to dairy and Celebrity is among the best in not only making sure I have safe things to eat but also making sure there is flavor in those dishes. I had a similar experience with Royal recently with their brand new menus but my experience on Princess was pretty bad. Even with pre-ordering in the MDR, food was bland because they would just leave off all the sauces and seasonings and the dairy free dessert I had each night was almost identical the previous nights except a different color. Their buffet had so little variety and were not labeled so I rarely found anything I could eat there. Carnival was the same. My experience in NCL was a bit better but still not up to how Celebrity handles food allergies. 
 

So even with the cuts, my food experience as someone with a dietary restriction is still much better on Celebrity than other lines. 

Glad you've had this experience.

My wife is vegan (I'm not) and food is, with very few exceptions, almost always a low point for her.  She won't starve - but getting variety that she enjoys in the MDR is always hit or miss.  In 20+ Celebrity cruises we've learned to adapt.  We obviously don't cruise for the food.

Even in 2008 when we started cruising with Celebrity I'd consider the MDR as good banquet food (what else could it be serving thousands of plates for each meal).  While the portion sizes have decreased, I don't feel the quality has really changed that much over the years.  Sure certain items have disappeared from the menu (Celebrity salad dressing - I'm talking to you) - but this certainly doesn't impact my cruising experience.

Mike

21 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

The moderator should rename ,e this thread.   Passengers not washing or sanitizing their hands is not an Apex sanitation issue!!   It’s an ignorant passenger issue and they sail on all ships and lines.  
Herad many passengers say they are allergic to the hand sanitizer.   You have to take care of your own health and assume everyone has filthy hands who eat in the buffet.

I suspect you meant to post this on a different thread?

3 hours ago, Married90 said:

@SRQbeachgirl Can I ask of a small favor.   Can you swing past the photo area on board and ask about availability/cost of the digital photo package.  X used to have a fixed price for a downloadable file (or the physical prints at the photo area) of all the pictures taken of you while on board.  I want to say it used to be $149 less discounts.   That option is no longer available to purchase in advance.  I am wondering if they dropped it.    THANKS

On Solstice in Dec / Jan it was $99.00 for unlimited digital downloads (before CC discounts).

We had purchased pre-cruise, as we always do, but were SUPER disappointed for the first time ever.  No photographers at dinner (which I am sure many will be pleased with - but we missed having the pictures) and only one of the ports had a photographer when you got off the ship.  We had to seek them out for a boarding picture.  

They did have stations set up several (most?) evenings - but we didn't feel like queuing up.

When I complained that we only had 2 pictures in our unlimited package - he was nice enough to explain that they are "changing their strategy" (to make it more self serve) and refunded our money.

While on the Constellation in July they still printed out and displayed all the pictures - they did not on Solstice in Dec.  Could only view on the Kiosk.   While I appreciate the elimination of the HUGE waste of throwing away all the unsold pictures - I have to think that drastically cuts their sales - and likely in turn contributes to the lack of photo opportunities.

Mike

Not doubting or discounting OP's experiences - just offering additional experiences of my own.

I never used FBC until recently when there were a number of offers with flight credits. 

I got a very good deal on flights for our European cruise last year with different starting and ending cities.  We originally booked with a connecting flight for the outbound leg.  A direct flight was available, but more expensive.  About a month or two before the trip - we received a notice of an itinerary change (flight times) that made the connection doable - but very risky.  I called FBC to say we weren't comfortable with such a short turnaround and ask if we could possibly switch to the direct flight.  They needed to check with the airline, and in the end made it happen for no additional charge.

For our March cruise - we were supposed to fly to LA the morning after Chicago was supposed to get hit with that big storm.  We wanted to change our flights to go out a day earlier - the airlines were offering waivers, but wasn't sure if FBC would charge us for changing flights a few days before we were supposed to leave.  They were able to book us on the same flight a day earlier - no charges and we felt far more comfortable.

Fortunately, we have hadn't to deal with them for any day of travel issues - but they have been very responsive and helpful when we have contacted them.

I would still book on my own unless there were significant savings involved - but if there are, I wouldn't hesitate to go with them again.

Mike

My wife is Vegan and we go to LPC every cruise since my kids love it.  She has had some of her best meals at LPC - but letting them know in advance is key.

Mike

Absolutely yes!

Mike

On 1/22/2023 at 8:36 AM, jwlane said:

Our son's Diamond status (acquired at age 7 and under) on Royal automatically transferred to Elite when he took his first cruise on X (late teens).  No papers, seapasses, invoices required.

Different situation since he actually was able to participate in Crown & Anchor as a child.  Keeping Seapasses for cruises on Celebrity is a good idea because kids can't get a Captain's Club number until they are 18.

Mike

On 1/22/2023 at 10:49 AM, rM3panno said:

I keep every Sea Pass and have an excel spreadsheet that tracks cruise details including # of nights, cabin #, tier credits earned , and booking #.

 

I had been meaning to post this after our 12/31/22 sailing on Reflection but thought this thread was as good as a new thread. Our sons, ages 3.5 and 7, for the first time had a captains club tier printed in their Sea Pass cards. It wasn’t our status because my older son had Elite Plus and the younger is showing Elite. That corresponds exactly with what they have according to my spreadsheet so apparently Captains Club is tracking this in real time. I’m curious if the Sea Pass card was a mistake or a new thing.

Our 12/26 Sailing on Solstice did not include a CC status for my 10 and 12 year olds (who would show Elite if it did).  I'd love to think it was a new thing - but as of now thinking perhaps a mistake.

We'll have another data point when we board the Reflection in March.

I too have a spreadsheet similar to yours in addition to their Seapass cards.

Mike

I have my kids seapass from every cruise they have been on (except one where for some reason we had to turn it in on disembarkation).  They would already be Elite if they were able to join today.

Mike 

16 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

If you already haven't add every offer to your card; it will only display 100 offers at a time.  Check daily and the offer may appear

Yes, Amex will only show you 100 offers at a time that have not been added to your card.  Once you add one or more offers (whether you intend to use them or not) they will add more offers to the list to get you to 100.

The last time I heard the 350 off 500 was out there, it wasn't in my list.  I kept adding offers to my card until it appeared.

Good luck -

Mike

21 hours ago, RosieRoo said:

I honestly wasn’t sure what would happen, but Celebrity refunded the full amount and AmEx never recharged the $350. Maybe it was because it was a long time after I booked 🤷🏻‍♀️  Whatever the reason, I didn’t complain. 

Yes - timing will almost certainly matter in this case.

3 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

I have dropped off my luggage at 9am before. I had a rental car that we needed to drop at Miami airport so we just dropped the luggage off early in an effort to not be dragging it back via the train.

We do this often.  No problem getting porters to take your luggage at this time.

Mike

On 1/12/2023 at 11:57 AM, bigbenboys said:

We were on Solstice last Nov and tendered at Cabo. Celebrity did use a local company that did some of the tendering. The local company ship was bigger than Celebrity tenders. I'm not saying the local company can help with your needs, but they might.

Our tender at Cabo on Solstice over NYE cruise was exclusively Celebrity tenders.  Water was a bit choppy which made a mess of everything - possible that had something to do with the difference.

Mike

They were opened for us on Solstice 2 weeks ago.

Mike

4 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 Never experienced a single phone call on any other sailing...lol

I find this super surprising (not doubting you, simply commenting).  With many Celebrity cruises and ordering breakfast room service most days, we ALWAYS get a call just before it is delivered.  We actually use this as our wake up call.

Mike

5 minutes ago, LaCal said:

Same in LA 

Thank you.

Does anyone know how early we can drop off luggage in LA?  In FLL or MIA we typically drop off luggage between 9 and 10am, then come back later for check-in.  

Thanks in advance,

Mike

34 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

... how terrible their point of sale system was.

Can't say I'm all that surprised.....

Mike

I always book what I want, then ask the Maitre 'D to make the adjustment.  The only issue I had was last cruise I didn't see the credit on my account after a couple days - so I had to go back and ask again.  He was very apologetic and took care of it while I stood there.

Would be nice if it could be taken care of when making the reservation, but hasn't been a hassle for me in the past.  Seems I've been lucky.

Mike

7 minutes ago, Ben100014 said:

Just a single room! We never saw anywhere that this was a double points promo, either.

But it almost certainly was that you booked under a double points promo given the circumstances.  I'm pretty sure you won't see it anywhere on your documentation.

This happened to us once as well - only learned after the points were credited that it was booked while a double points promotion was in effect.

The Title/Gender thing is a known issue.  Has happened to us once in 20+ cruises.  Unfortunately contacting Celebrity is the only way (at least that I am aware of) to resolve.

Calling would probably yield better results than email.

Good luck

Mike