Redtravel

Took almost 3 weeks. It was frustrating. I was starting to doubt the transmission of my docs. Next, have to deal with sending a negative test report to Bermuda to get ETA . Add to that itinerary changes with tendering in Bermuda. Starting to wonder if I made a mistake booking this cruise. Looking forward to the day when you book a cruise, pack, arrive at pier with passport and credit card, smile, and board. After all the junk associated with our upcoming Bermuda cruise, we will not book another cruise until Covid is past.

Excellent tour. It used to complimentary to elites.

Check prices. Seems low. It is not offered to the US market. This week, for me the price to upgrade from classic to premium jumped almost $5 pp per day. On other lines, the bottled water and soft drinks in the cabin are included. Celebrity doesn’t. Seems crazy if you have a drink package.

Complain. It may get you the old prices. In the past, when prices were to be increased, you were sent a notice. That gave you time to buy at the old rates. Seems that is not been done now. We were thinking about using from classic to premium just to get Evian. At the new rates, if I want a bottle of Evian, just buy it. $16.80 is crazy. Now, we are firm in not going for the premium pkg. saves me $ Not exactly “ modern luxury”. Guess there is a new image. Starting to wonder what other changes will happen on my next cruise.

At least you stopped in 6 places. My last O cruise on Sirena March 2020 stopped at 2. Things are getting better.

Today, I got email from X stating discounts of up to 30% off cruise enhancements. They forgot to mention the price increases in drink packages. The new higher drink prices were showing. Don’t they know that an increase isn’t called a discount?

Brought a case of water onto the ship. Nobody questioned it. We were using it to mix formula for our grandchild. Just pasted a luggage tag onto the case. It was delivered to the cabin. I’ve seen people carrying 12 pkg of cans of soda. I’ve brought wine. In Europe, at wine tastings, lots of wine is sold. Many people try and buy. In some ports, you will find a liquor shop at the dock or close by. Nice to be able to pour your own wine. Even with corkage fee, it beats paying for wine on the ship. The only thing that has been taken is a bottle of rum. It was returned on last night.

We were thinking about upgrading drink package for a June cruise. This thread is the first time that I heard about the increase. Checked my reservation. Price was up. Years ago, before any price increase, Celebrity would send a notice allowing you to book at the going price and avoid increases. Call it, doing the decent thing. Guess those days are past. Starting to wonder what’s next. Surprises? Now, we are not thinking about upgrading the drink package.

In January, we took the PCR test. We were told results in 1-2 days. 4 days later, we got results. Oceania did testing at the dock. Complimentary…. It really eliminated the stress. In fact, everyone had to test at the dock. friends did e med tests. Paid for overnight delivery. Came 3 days late. Bought 6 tests for 2 people. Some of the tests were open and unacceptable. Extra tests saved the day.

Bring your own cups or get paper cups from the buffet.

MDR For me. Tried all the specialty restaurants on previous cruises. Sometimes good, often not. If you eat at Tuscan, get filet. Pasta is not a good choice there.

Elite plus. Got email. Upgrade from classic to premium $12pp

Location and space matter. Location is my first choice. I like midship cabins. Less walking to the elevators or stairs. Also smoother ride. Aft cabins can be rocky. Second choice is space. A larger cabin interior is a good choice. On M ships, concierge cabins are larger than standard verandas. Larger verandas is a third choice for me.

Make it optional. A mandatory charge is not a tip. I often add extra tips for excellent service. Just another way to increase revenue. Celebrity is the master of how to do it. They are marketing masters.

It would make me feel better if I got clear and timely info directly from Celebrity. Got that email yesterday. It leaves a lot of questions hanging. For anyone who doesn’t look at cruisecritic or look at Bermuda gov travel requirements, that email was shocking. Sent on Sunday, Mother’s Day, when most travel agents aren’t available. Haven’t heard anything about changes to our itinerary.

adding tips to items that previously didn't have required tips is another way to increase revenue. When you buy the cruise with AI that includes tips. It doesn't distinguish who gets what tip. It's all included. That specialty meal that you buy replaces an already included meal in the MDR. That meal if you dined there had its tip included. Just because you ate somewhere else, you should not be charged another tip. Eat in the MDR.

Join the club. That email is fully nuts.

We priced our upcoming cruise both ways. With AI and cruise only. With the cruise only rate plus tips, the difference to get AI was $80pp on 10 day cruise. As elite plus, I get drinks at the nightly cocktail reception and 240 WiFi minutes. The question becomes is it worth paying the extra $80 to get unlimited drinks and unlimited WiFi. It depends on what you use. While I don’t drink much alcohol, I like soft drinks and bottles water. I opted into AI.

On same cruise.I have asked Celebrity and got told to contact my TA. My TA requested clarification on how we can get tested for the Bermuda ETA. Still no answer. I figure if the requirements don’t change, we will be tested on the ship. Since everyone needs the testing if the ship is allowed to dock in Bermuda, celebrity has to do the testing or skip Bermuda. If that happens, there will be many unhappy guests. It happened on Oceania. Oceania went to Bahamas. They refunded the fee from the Bermuda ETA .

Eat in the MDR. It’s included in your cruise fare. Will only go to specialty if I have non refundable OBC and cannot think of another way to spend it.

Before the pandemic, we were traveling often. After retiring, we took several cruises each year. While we like Celebrity, we were getting bored. Same entertainment, same menus, etc. is dull. We are elite plus with no way of ever getting to zenith. We needed a change. We tried other lines. Loved the new experiences. Our favorites are Oceania and Windstar.

Been there, did that in January. It was a tough decision, but the right one. We knew people who sailed on that cruise. It was the cruise from hell. People got sick. No entertainment and canceled ports made that cruise a real disappointment.

Look at the thread about Sky suite refurbish. You might decide to stay in concierge.

Looks like they missed on the renovations. Aside from the larger space, there isn’t much to it. Those chairs on the veranda look uncomfortable. The bathroom looks like a disaster waiting to happen. No light or grab bars for the shower ? What were they thinking?

Tuscan grill can be good if you stick to grilled items. Tuscan is best at meat. Filet is it. Pasta is iffy. There are usually many available tables if you want to wait until you are onboard. The regular surcharge is high. Often, they offer discounts during the cruise. I seldom book before the cruise. If I have excess non refundable OBC, I might go to Tuscan. For a good entertainment, try the Petite Chef. Sushi on 5 is good. No reservation needed. It can be a good alternative for lunch.