Xport

1 hour ago, waverunner43 said:

Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July.  On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night.  No notification was given before the cruise of this change.  Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me. 

 

Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. 

Sorry, a phone call interrupted my earlier response and, by the time I got back to it, the edit time had expired...  Others have since contributed my thoughts...

-----

16 minutes ago, waverunner43 said:

Ever since our 1st cruise on the Solstice in 2010 we have been able to order from the MDR menu if we did not like what was offered on our Blu menu. This includes our last cruise on the Equinox last July.  On the 1st night of our March 3rd Silhouette cruise they had Prime Rib in the MDR but anyone eating in Blu was denied ordering from the MDR menu. So between cruises, Celebrity made another disappointing change which resulted in another surprise on the first night.  No notification was given before the cruise of this change.  Anyone eating in the MDR including those with an inside cabin, paying approximately 1/2 the cost of Aqua class cabin, enjoyed Prime Rib while Aqua Class passengers were forced to make a selection off of their menu, none of which seemed appetising to me. 

 

Corporate does not seem to want to budge on this idiodic change so it's putting up with the substandard Blu menu or dining in the noisy MDR.  Celebrity customer service is virtually non-existent.  The maître d, the  restaraunt mgr, the Food & Beverage mgr and guest relations are all powerless and afraid to make a decision on their own.  So sad when a manager at any level is not able to make a decision without fear of repercussions. 

2 hours ago, charlielinda said:

Just curious who can use it and how you get there?

Wouldn’t ordinarily change topics here but responded to your thread regarding 2162 early this morning...  Hope you enjoyed the cabin tour video to which I directed you!

10 hours ago, charlielinda said:

We just were assigned 2162 as our suite guarantee.  Can anyone tell me about the cabin.  Any thoughts world be welcome.  

Congratulations!  To my mind, Reflection 2162--I occupied it for a cruise in December 2016--is a terrific stateroom assignment!

Based upon location--immediately adjacent to the midships elevator/atrium lobby; extremely convenient--it is classified as a Sky Suite 1 stateroom...  I never detected noise from the Deck 12 elevator lobby...  And since the cabin is just aft of the elevator banks, it is also aft of  the pool area while being slightly forward of The Oceanview Café [the carpeted entrance corridor between the elevators and The Oceanview will be above] on Deck 14, no noise from above either. 

Before I booked 2162, I was surprised to find that the specific stateroom was featured in a YouTube video cabin tour that had been posted just a few months before...  Just looked; the video is still there if you access YouTube and search "Celebrity Reflection 2162"...  A quick look will provide you with an excellent sense of exactly what you can expect your stateroom to look like; that sort of preview opportunity doesn't happen often...

Enjoy!

TripAdvisor—parent to Cruise Critic—is often the better resource for destination questions such as yours...  As of a few minutes ago, TripAdvisor claims to have 825 reviews of Klein Bonaire!

42 minutes ago, Xport said:

 

One bag--per stateroom; not per guest--per seven continuous nights, K...  I once did a B2B--30 nights total [18+12]--and received three complimentary bags...

 

At our loyalty level, Azamara is--when compared to Celebrity--light on the laundry [though they do a nice job] and internet loyalty benefits...

 

If you've not already booked and can hold off in doing so until you are aboard ship [including a Celebrity ship], the Le Club Voyage loyalty discount is generous...

To add, K...  If interested, consider applying for the LCV $398 flat dollar one cabin mega-category upgrade opportunity [inside to oceanview, oceanview to veranda, veranda to suite] once you have booked...  Though not assured--depends upon availability just prior to sailing--I was once offered and took the flat dollar upgrade from a V-2 veranda to an N-1 Club Continent suite...    

2 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Does a 9 night cruise get two free bags of laundry or just one?

One bag--per stateroom; not per guest--per seven continuous nights, K...  I once did a B2B--30 nights total [18+12]--and received three complimentary bags...

At our loyalty level, Azamara is--when compared to Celebrity--light on the laundry [though they do a nice job] and internet loyalty benefits...

If you've not already booked and can hold off in doing so until you are aboard ship [including a Celebrity ship], the Le Club Voyage loyalty discount is generous...

1 hour ago, Ma Bell said:

If they did what you are suggesting they would have to dilute the benefits for everyone, especially the Zenith/Pinnacle level.

 

I imagine most people would like to have loyalty programs that are tailored to their particular wants but that's really not realistic is it?

The original poster has previously reported--here on Cruise Critic--that they have attained Zenith status in Captain's Club...

As a frequent Celebrity cruiser, I certainly understand the loyalty nuances/disparities associated with booking Royal Caribbean or Azamara [who knows what, if anything, will happen with Silversea?]--and I consider those loyalty related cost differences in evaluating cruises within and outside the Royal Caribbean family of brands--but they haven't deterred me from doing/seeing what I want to do [including two river cruises with AMA Waterways; now there is an opportunity to visit new places not offered by cruising Royal's Oasis-Class (nice experience--glad I did it--but one/done) given mega-ship docking requirements]…

My intuition is that, if starting with a clean slate, the Royal Caribbean brands would surely not standardize loyalty benefits to the highest level from each of the programs; the cost of doing so would be prohibitive, the eligibility group would become enormous, and--in any case--loyalty is just not valued these days [associated potential liability is quickly growing] as it once was with focus having already shifted to attract high-spending guests who may/may not remain loyal...  To my mind, this might well be one of those situations in which one might regret suggesting sweeping changes...    

24 minutes ago, hiccups said:

I recently applied for the MSC status match.  Funny thing--if I used my C&A or CC status, it would have translated into MSC's gold level.  By using my Azamara LCV status, I got the MSC black level, which is higher than gold.

You may want to check your Celebrity/Azamara cruise history; as Cruise Point total is combined, something seems awry in the context of having awarded "Black" status in MSC's loyalty program [either should have worked]... 

In addition, both Celebrity's Captain's Club and Azamara's Le Club Voyage have equivalent loyalty levels [Elite = Discoverer, Elite + = Discoverer +, Zenith = Discoverer Platinum] with identical Cruise Point requirements at every membership tier..

While the Azamara loyalty discount is very nice, it is only offered for bookings done aboard; I tend to book when deployments are first released...  In other things--like laundry and internet allowances--Celebrity provides roughly equivalent benefits to those provided by Azamara at the Elite/Discoverer level [there are differences in laundry; Celebrity provides per member benefits regardless of cruise length while Azamara provides per stateroom per week benefits] but Celebrity's Captain's Club benefits in those categories are significantly better--by a wide margin; particularly at the Zenith/Discoverer levels--than those provided by Azamara at the two highest membership tiers...

As is often true, one size doesn't fit all; the devil is in the detail... 

7 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

The relative sizes of Royal and Celebrity would make this a detriment to Celebrity, suite class passengers, in relation to pressure on Michael’s Club/Retreat.  There are some who see the Zeniths as a problem, yet there are still less than 300 Zeniths by current estimates.  The number of Pinnacles is much much higher.  If they began migrating to Celebrity that would only get worse.

My thoughts exactly, K!

22 minutes ago, debnrick said:

How much noise do you hear from the theater that’s on deck 5 when you have a cabin right above on deck 6? Should I change cabins? We are on the Magic. Thank you.

 

 

Deleted...  Initial response posted in error...

Just now, Xport said:

In addition to the potential for inappropriate sharing of beverage packages, exclusion of the "mini bar" makes a whole lot of sense to me in the context of administration...

• Less inventory and/or restocking activity
• Less related--and less complex [beverage package/no beverage]--billing activity on the part of the crew member who does the restocking and on the part of those who handle onboard accounts
• Less opportunity for billing disputes ["I" had a beverage package...  "I" didn't--or don't remember--using the mini-bar...  "I" replenished the mini-bar but didn't have opportunity to do so until after it was restocked...]

It is my understanding that Royal Caribbean no longer stocks their mini-bars to avoid the administration and the [sometimes contentious] hassles...

In addition to the potential for inappropriate sharing of beverage packages, exclusion of the "mini bar" makes a whole lot of sense to me in the context of administration...

• Less restocking activity
• Less related--and less complex [beverage package/no beverage]--billing activity on the part of the crew member who does the restocking and on the part of those who handle onboard accounts
• Less opportunity for billing disputes ["I" had a beverage package...  "I" didn't--or don't remember--using the mini-bar...  "I" replenished the mini-bar but didn't have opportunity to do so until after it was restocked...]

It is my understanding that Royal Caribbean no longer stocks their mini-bars to avoid the administration and the [sometimes contentious] hassles...

29 minutes ago, Lazz said:

I recently booked an October Med cruise on the Constellation. Some of the listed shore excursions for Portofino, Italy state that we can only book on board.  Is this normal, or will it change to earlier booking at a later date?

Though I've seen exceptions--particularly with respect to excursions that have defined availability with no prospect of increase [such as a folkloric shows, ballet performances, higher end/limited edition escorted tours at events like The British Open or Carnival in Rio, some wine tastings, home visits, chef's tours]--Celebrity tends to withhold [or at least has done so in the past; I have reason to believe that things may be a bit different on Edge] a portion of available tour capacity [I've been told it's about a third] for sale once aboard...

Further, I've seen occasions in which Celebrity has reopened online bookings as a result of advance cancellations or if a tour is proving to be sufficiently popular so as to warrant expanding capacity if resources are available to do so...  You might want to check Cruise Planner periodically...

Finally, "accessible" excursions--those designed for guests with physical limitations--are [in my observation] never offered for online pre-purchase...  Celebrity wants to be certain that only those having need for accommodation participate and, given the wide range of potential accommodation needs with no universal definition of "accessible"--that the tour is indeed suitable to the guest's individual needs/capabilities/mobility...  Don't know if still true but--when I visited Portofino in 2010--it was a tender port; not all--even with crew assistance--can negotiate the process...

I strongly suggest you visit the Shore Excursions Desk upon first boarding Constellation if you still have unresolved excursion matters at the time; "early birds tend to get the worm" if capacity exists...  The representatives may be able to sell you tickets, to wait list you if interested, or direct your attention to alternative tours with similar content...  I'm doing a tour in The Azores while aboard Edge in May; there are two offerings--with identical sightseeing content--but one features a wine/cheese tasting [no longer available via online booking] and the other does not; the $30/person price difference between the two buys a lot of wine/cheese either in town or back aboard ship...    

1 hour ago, Host Anne said:

 

I always forget about the 15% discount we are eligible for.  I made reservations yesterday for our August cruise and I'll make a note to check on the discount when we board.

As you've detected, Celebrity's systems are not sophisticated enough to apply the specialty dining loyalty discount for online, prepaid reservations...  I've claimed the discount once aboard via a quick chat with the Maitre 'D or host[ess] prior to seating--just easier than having the server render an incorrect receipt at dinner end [systems are no smarter on the ship]--and the discount was readily refunded via Onboard Credit...

Best to you and Andy... 

Celebrity and Azamara are among the few lines to send out luggage tags, and then, only do so to those with addresses in The US and Canada upon request...  Sister line RCI only sends them to guests from the same markets in higher end suites on request (believe that’s still true) and I don’t think several Carnival brands—Carnival, HAL and Princess among them—send tags out at all...

i think we’ll be relegated to printing, cutting, stapling and/or taping—or getting tags at the dock upon luggage drop-off (which seems to work fine as an option on Celebrity)—before service is outsourced...  Bottom line is that, while nice, issuance carries a cost and is expendable.

Celebrity information systems are quirky; sometimes, mail sorting equipment is too.

Sorry for your experience...  Alternatives may not be as desirable to you but they are available and many guests use them...

12 minutes ago, Northern Aurora said:

I also have had over 40 cruises on Celebrity, and like "Xport" have never had the the delivery time comparable to our OP.  And we live in Alaska where mail time tends to be slow!

 

But we have had luggage tags arrive with correct mailing address but only a first name in the address field.  

Good to “see you”, G!  Best to you and C!

I received luggage tags last week (US) five workdays after I requested them online.

Address was printed—exactly as I had entered it—on a panel attached to the sheet of eight tags.  Sheet was inserted into a window envelope—sized to fit the mailing exactly—and used the address of Celebrity’s Miami Corporate Headquarters for return purposes.  Postage was via RCCL frank at a discounted presorted rate.

40+ cruises;  I’ve  never had an experience or delivery time comparable to yours.  I have a sense that something went awry with a first mailing and it was returned to Celebrity—or a third party agent; perhaps even an Illinois Post Office if misdirected—to reunite the contents with you.

Typically, e-docs are available ~ 49 days (7 weeks) prior to embarkation date...

As noted by another member, issuance will likely be later—perhaps by several weeks—if you purchased flights through Air By Celebrity (previously, Choice Air) so as to capture latest flight information...  When flying internationally, I’ve sometimes not gotten my e-docs until four or five weeks prior to embarkation...

I’ve not personally gotten them right after final payment—which has been moved earlier and earlier several times in recent years—in quite some time now...

51 minutes ago, Straughn said:

If my butler can give me one to use in my suite, why can’t  I bring one with me when I do not have a butler to solve the problem?

Upon request, your Room Steward will gladly provide a corkscrew for your use.

1 hour ago, justcrusn said:

The beds should alternate between by the bath or by the balcony, if you look at the top of Celebrity topics there is a “sticky” with a spreadsheet of cabins.

Alternating bed position is a convention on Solstice-Class ships...  The Original Poster is sailing on Summit, one of the four Millennium-Class ships...

On Millennium-Class the balcony slider is flanked on opposite sides by the desk and sofa, the bath and closets flank the cabin entry area on opposite sides, and the bed is positioned--on one wall or the other--mid stateroom...  

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I got an e-mail from shoreside concierge for Infinity yesterday and she said that Infinity was transitioning to LPC from Qsine by our April 22 cruise.

Again, please see my posts #14 and #43 above...

Le Petit Chef replaced Qsine on Infinity for effect 17 May 2018; it’s been a done deal for more than nine months now!

Oville (post #44) further reported having dined in LPC while aboard Infinity during November...

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

 

@Xport

 

Is X planning on dumping or keeping Tuscan?Murano? Silk Harvest?

 

On the Milly right now--haven't they had the original Qsine menu  (post dry dock)

29 minutes ago, Oville said:

We dined in LPC on Infinity while on a November cruise.  It was fun but thought it a one and done venue.  Interesting I booked it again for our April 7th cruise, new  menu and show.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at LPC on Infinity but thought it was a “one/done” thing too...  That said, I’m going back—for the new Le Petit Chef & Friends offering—during the Edge Transatlantic in April; it should be fun!

New menu/show getting strong reviews.

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I know Infinity is not scheduled for awhile but got an e-mail form Shoreside Concierge  for a April cruise and  she indicated Qsine is being transitioned to LPC.

Please see my post #14 above...

 Infinity transitioned from Qsine to Le Petit Chef effective 17 May 2018...  I dined there and, while aboard for a meeting during our overnight in San Francisco, so did LLP...

Zenith Shoreside Concierge was unaware of the change when we worked dining before my B2B but surprised that info has not yet been updated...