PartyAllDaTyme

I guess the country clubs in Texas have a higher standard.

We don't throw chunks of ice at a man lying on the ground with a fractured neck.

Thanks for clearing that up.

:confused::confused::confused:

OK, maybe I'm out of the loop, but please explain that. My curiosity's aroused.

Regarding RCI vs X, we just got off Vision of the Seas this past Sunday after our first RCI cruise (we've done 4 X cruises), so here's my take--

X has better food-- RCI buffet = X room service, RCI MDR = X buffet, and so on. Couldn't order off the MDR menu for room service.

Service was a step below on RCI. We were outright lied to by Guest Services a couple of times, laundry took more than 48 hours (had to go to formal night commando:eek:), inconsistent handling of mandatory sanitary procedures (small illness outbreak, reaction ranged from "I must report this to the Captain" if you declined Purell (DW is sensitive to it and washes her hands before meals instead) to AWOL staff letting everyone in without a spritz), steward refused to empty the minibar (though that happened once on X), though the towel animals were cute.

Entertainment was comparable, IMO.

No champagne or mimosa upon boarding, no chocolates on the pillows at night. We missed the little touches.

We'd cruise RCI again, but as our third choice behind Celebrity and Princess.

Apologies for replying on behalf of the originally quoted poster...but the Sun Sentinel article does cover said "Nastiness" - http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/tourism/fl-clothing-optional-cruises-20150423-story.html...

I tried the link, saw the article briefly (no mention of nastiness), then got a popup pitching unlimited access for a fee. Can't get to the article in question.

I'm sure there is some tawdriness, as there is on any cruise, but I question the characterization of a nude cruise as being about "partner swapping and sex parties". If the article indicated that's what goes on, I can understand 4cats,1dog's reaction, but I would still take the information in the article with a grain of salt, depending on the context.

BTW, 4cats,1dog-- DW and I have exactly 4 cats and 1 dog, too!

They i courage partner swapping and sex parties. NASTY!

I'd like to see (well, not literally:o) the evidence to support this statement. From everything I've ever heard, the nude cruises are well-behaved, just sans clothing. Any nude cruisers care to comment?

It takes a while for the points to post to your account, so no way will it automagically indicate you are Select for the second leg. You will have to talk to the Captain's Club host, no doubt about it. I suggest you do so during your first leg so they're aware of the situation from the get-go and you don't have to play catch-up.

I'll say it depends on how much you value the larger cabin and balcony. Losing Concierge benefits are not huge, IMO, and the comments have already been made vis a vis priority boarding. The cabin size and balcony on an aft C1 are plenty for me, and I don't know that I'd pay an extra $400 for the FV. The itinerary is port-intensive, so how much time will you be spending in the cabin and balcony?

Larry, I'm going to disagree somewhat. It may not be intentional, but listing one price on the website initially and then charging a higher amount at checkout is bait and switch, as I see it. And what would have happened if the website showed $1450, the OP bit the bullet and booked it, and then found out the amount he was being charged was over $1500?

I wasn't able to find a cruise that had just a suite GTY, only Sky Suite GTY, so I can't verify the photo the OP saw and if there was any kind of disclaimer that this was not necessarily the lowest class suite you'd get. I assume there was no indication that this was a Celebrity Suite but you might only get a Sky Suite. I spent many years working at a local television station, and I know there are legal reasons for disclaimers in advertising-- you can't lead the customer to believe that this is what he's going to get if this is only something he MIGHT get without disclosing that fact.

I agree that the picture of the suite should be the lowest possibly available, unless they have a disclaimer along the lines of "Celebrity Suite pictured." or "Suite may differ from photo."

Wait until a cabin is assigned, and if you don't like it, you can cancel? Wow. If you're a Captain's Club member, they generally give better service than the typical Celebrity CSRs.

Never experienced the price jumping all over, but they should stand by what the website shows. Too bad that their website is known to have bugs. Possibly doing a screen capture could help.

Interesting it shows on mine as two and two below. Thanks for telling me.

 

Edit - I put an "enter" between the first two and second two. It still shows on mine as two above and two below. Hope that makes it better. Sorry.

 

 

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It's now showing as two and two for me, as well. Maybe related to the browser I'm using.

They are definitely doing something. My 123 go now show up as Bev123go instead of that offer B or whatever it used to say, but there are less options across the top now in relation to shore excursions, etc. and all my Canadian Dollar bookings now show to be USD!! I'm not going to worry about it yet, I'm going to give it a few days. I have invoices that show CDN so I'm sure it will be fine.

Alberta Cruisers, off topic, but when you put four countdown clocks side by side, it stretches the page out, making it necessary for others to scroll back and forth to read the posts. Not a problem if someone has the forum set up to ignore signatures, but then they'll never see your countdown clocks:). IMO, two signatures side by side should be the limit.

Again, that's not what the RCI agent told me-- I read off the list and he said, "I see a pattern here, you're looking for one of those aft cabins, aren't you?" I said sure, if any of those open up, we'd like to switch, and he said no problem. I gather he didn't know what he was doing, which may explain much.

My TA is not a big corporation. She does mostly cruises, so I should imagine they have her fax on file. She indicated that she asked why this was not handled, and that the response was that they did not have an explanation. But this is second-hand.

I think I have a feel now for how the waitlist process should work, what with rooms going into general inventory first and, if still available, notification going out at midnight, 24 hours to respond.

It would seem that in this day and age of newfangled computers that they could easily set something up so that if a cabin becomes available it automatically would go to the first person on the waitlist. Allowing the possibility of someone else grabbing the cabin rather defeats the purpose of a waitlist, now, doesn't it? And I don't quite see the purpose of needing confirmation-- if I didn't want the bloody cabin, why would I ask to be put on a waitlist for it?

Well, I got the cabin I wanted, but might just as easily have been frustrated. I won't let this one little issue put me off RCI, but the first impression does not imbue me with confidence.

It's been my experience that you can't put a hold on a specific cabin #....you can request if a ( for say) D catagory becomes available, they will reassign you....but they won't put a hold on a specific cabin.

I read off the list of cabins I was interested in, same category, and the agent told me no problem-- if any of those opened up, they'd switch the booking.

Yes, it is typical.

 

Someone calls in and cancels a room. That room goes back into general reservations, and if no one grabs it that day, they run the waitlist at midnight, and if the room you waitlisted is available, they send a fax telling your travel agent they have about 24 hours to claim that room.

 

Unfortunately, most of the popular cabins are grabbed up within a few hours of them going back into the reservation data base, so your chances of getting your cabin from the waitlist is probably 50-50.

 

Wish they would handle it better, but their IT shortcomings are well known, unfortunately.

My roll call friend posted about 7152 being available on 5/30, and I did not happen to check the thread until today. So the cabin was maybe made available some time on Friday, so my TA should have received a fax early Saturday morning. She did not. Unless someone took it on a courtesy hold that was just released early this morning. It would explain how my friend was able to glom 7652.

But thanks, this tells me not to trust that it will be taken care of-- I still have to search. Often.

I had an aft cabin, 7654, on Vision of the Seas booked, but I felt that other afts, if they became available, would be preferable, such as 7152 and 7652, the wraparound balconies, or 7660, right smack dab in the middle. I called and asked to have these cabins waitlisted, and was told they were. In the meantime, I transferred my booking to my TA, since she gives a nice OBC perk.

A couple of days ago, a member of my roll call mentioned that they had booked 7652, and I responded that I was a bit disappointed because I had that cabin waitlisted. He responded that 7152 was showing as available, and I put it on a courtesy hold and contacted my TA to have it transferred to our original booking.

I asked my TA to inquire as to why we didn't automatically get switched to either cabin when they became available, but the RCI agent said he had no idea why. Is this a one-off thing, or is this what usually happens?

Heck, I wouldn't be able to find the fine print. Probably in an email from last year. I could probably locate it if I dug for it.

Anyway, it's a moot point-- today, the $100 credit was applied to the booking. Thank you, Princess!:)

Who would petition what? Princess? :eek:

 

Never heard that before.

 

Its called a future cruise credit or deposit, FCC.

That's the verbiage the CSR at Princess used when I asked if they would honor the FCC-- she checked with her supervisor, who had initially said they could not honor it, but that she (the supervisor) would petition another department to see if they would make an exception. I offered to have them just forget about it if it was unlikely they would be able to honor it, but the CSR said her supervisor wouldn't petition if she didn't think it would be approved.

I generally refer to these as a future cruise credit, but I was going by the language on the Princess website.

While on our Princess cruise in May 2013, we purchased a Circle Savings credit for $100. We were told at the time that it was good for two years, but if we didn't use it in that timeframe we could simply call to have it extended another two years; otherwise, it would be automatically refunded back to us. They just did not want people purchasing these and forgetting about them.

One year later (last Sunday, to be precise), we decided to book a cruise for February 2016. Unsure how to apply the credit, I called and was told that it's to be used for another cruise actually taken within two years, but if we called back on Tuesday they will generally apply it as long as the booking is within two years. We put it on courtesy hold.

When I called on Tuesday, I was informed that they can apply it to a cruise if booked within two years, but the cruise itself must be within two and a half years, so we would miss that deadline by three months. However, they would petition to have it allowed and I should have an answer by Friday.

It's not a big deal to me if we can't use the credit, as long as it's eventually refunded. I'm just curious if my experience was atypical, and who along the line was giving me wrong information.

Our only beef with the MDR for breakfast are the express breakfast options. They're prepared ahead of time but we found the eggs to be runny and/or cold. Never had a problem ordering off the menu, even if it takes longer. If you have the time, it's a nice option.

Otherwise, we like what we call self-service room service. We head up to the buffet and load up a plate or two of food, then bring it back to the cabin to enjoy it on the balcony. The regular room service options tend to be cold and often incorrect, in our experience.

Disgraceful treatment by your insurer IMHO.

 

Your trip was delayed due to circumstances completely out of your control.

 

I hate it when insurers find ridiculous reasons to decline valid claims and would have considered referring the case to the insurance ombudsman:mad:

I work for one of the major travel insurance providers. My information is based on our company's plans.

When you purchase an insurance policy, it's to protect you against hazards listed in the specific plan--no more, no less. If the terms are not acceptable, don't buy the insurance. And I can tell you that our claims department looks for ways to be able to pay on a claim, if possible. They've been able to come up with reasons that the customer didn't think of. We'd rather keep people happy and coming back, but unfortunately some claims are just not valid.

Whether or not a claim is valid depends on the language in the description of coverage. There are specific reasons that allow for trip cancellation (and returning late would also fall under the definition of trip cancellation) or trip delay. For cancellation, which would be (typically) 100% of the trip cost, reasons could include inclement weather causing delay or cancellation of travel, as well as mechanical or equipment failure of a common carrier resulting in a loss of a specified length of the trip, but getting in late due to a necessary change in itinerary would not fall under these categories. Check the cruise contract-- they reserve the right to change the itinerary for any reason.

Another reason for cancellation is due to sickness, injury or death of the insured themselves (people on the policy), a traveling companion (someone accompanying them, not necessarily related), a family member (whether traveling with them or not), or even an insured's business partner. But the sickness of a stranger has no bearing.

There could have been a benefit for trip delay, but it's a much more limited benefit designed to provide meals and lodging until travel can resume if delayed by a certain number of hours.

Missed connection coverage? That applies specifically to airline flights. Not Amtrak, not cruise lines.

Was the circumstance completely out of their control? Yes. But so are things like civil unrest and acts of war, and those events are specifically excluded from most insurance policies. One plan may cover for losing your job through no fault of your own, another may not. The more reasons that are covered, the greater the likelihood a claim will have to be paid, and the higher the cost of the premium. There may be a travel insurance policy that would provide coverage for this circumstance, but I'm not aware of any.

I have consumed Mint Iced tea mixed with some peach tea.

Nothing else:rolleyes:......maybe I need something stronger.......

What we need is a drink package for between cruises:D:cool:;)!

I noticed the same problem when I first came on about 4 hours ago, but it disappeared after I switched to review my previous posts and then came back to the forum.

And a person in the know who probably has more upgrades than anyone else pointed out the policy was and continues to be you get points for the cabin you paid for. Unless you have proof that you received the points based on your upgrade, I'm believing the top cruiser.

I very well could be wrong-- I said that's what my recollection was. Out of curiosity, who was it that says it's always been that way?

Curt, I believe the policy has been around for a long time. Your points are calculated based on the category you purchased, the upgrade is the bonus.

My recollection is that you earned the points for the class you sailed in, not what you purchased, back before the changes. IOW, book a Veranda, get a visit to the Upgrade Fairy putting you in Concierge or a suite, get 2 points (3 if a longer cruise). There was some discussion about this being one of the changes, a fair one in my opinon.

Is this the one you're looking for?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1945596

Titled "The New Celebrity Captain's Club is Here!

Edit: No, never mind, that's not the one you mean. I'll keep looking.

C'mom now, if you read enough, and you clearly do with all those posts, you have to admit that the OBC does exist. Seems every line has a few.

I hope that this is not what my TA was referring to when she said she was increasing her OBC offer for our next cruise.:eek::D;)

I understand the OP's concern regarding tattoos, since there are some situations where exposing them can be considered to be inappropriate. As many others have said, not anywhere on Celebrity. Very considerate of them to ask in advance, IMO.

We are a middle aged couple and starting to enjoy the upgraded cabins. I read so much about how folks book to get the best rates. Any suggestions? What's your favorite cabin class?

That's really a broad question, and probably the subject for another thread. But since you asked--

I like to book early, then watch the rates like a hawk looking for a price drop I can use up until final payment is due. After that, since they will no longer honor price drops, I look for a higher class cabin for the same, lower or slightly higher price, which they'll allow. However, there are exceptions, since many of the prices are designated for new bookings only. If I can't get a better price or cabin, I'm happy with the knowledge that I would have been okay with the original cabin and the original price I paid.

Our favorite cabin class is Veranda, because DW needs to have a balcony but we don't require a lot of extras. Favorite class of cabin is very subjective.

We just made Select on our last cruise, and it will now take 7 7-night cruises in Veranda class to make Elite. Prior to the changes, it would have taken an additional 4 cruises.

Having said that, I support the changes. It was much too easy to make Elite status before, and Celebrity was getting swamped with Elites. One we make it to Elite, it would be nice if half the ship weren't also Elite. If everybody's special, no one is special.