bigbenboys

Just got home yesterday from sailing on Eclipse. We were in a Celebrity Suite. My MIL and her sister were in a standard cabin. I tried to make reservations for Murano online for the 4 of us. I had to call the 1-800- RETREAT number to get the time I wanted 6:30. That linked our cabins together. Dinner was great. My problems was, by linking the cabin/suite all the OBC went to my MIL. I talked to the Retreat Concierge (Inrich). Inrich said your credit card is on both cabins. You can see what OBC you have left in your MIL's cabin. REALLY. 

If your asking about "One pre-cruise category upgrade up to AquaClass® (based on availiability at time of booking)"

This must be done at time of booking. example: Book a Aqua cabin A1, but you pay the price of an A2. You must stay within the same category. example: You cant book a A2 and pay the price of a C1.

Years ago I called Celebrity Captains Club and I gave them my C&A number. My C&A number is different than my Celebrity Captains Club number.

20 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

We were on the Beyond and the Edge the this year and Blu menu we were unable to ask for the MDR items like onion soup or ceasar salad, and the menu was very limited.  The items were not appealing to us and unlike the MDR where you can get chicken/steak/salmon every night we were unable to get any of those items.  Blu was very noisy in both cruises so we only dined one evening in Blu on each cruise and our service both times were so so, I have no idea why people rave about it as we found the MDR so much better in service, items offered and food tasting better.  We are booked on the Equinox and will give it a try, but from what I hear on this class of ship we are allowed to ask for the "everyday items" on the MDR, if this is true it will work out perfectly for us, if not, we be back in the MDR.

The spa stuff included in Aqua for us was useless a joke, because the treatments you still have to pay for but the only thing we did like about Aqua was the shower in these class of ships, the best shower in all our other 98 cruises we taken.  I would take Aqua for the showers, but unsure if those showers are in the class of ship we are currently booked on.

Last Nov we were in Blu, and were on the Solstice. We could order off of the Blu or MDR menus. S Class ships you should not have a problem with the every night items or ordering off the MDR menu. This has been the norm for quite awhile. But there was a time when Blu was launch about 2008 we could not order off the MDR. But always the every night items were available.

M Class ships are real easy to order every night items and ordering off the MDR menu. As Blu was cut out of the MDR. Blu was started on the S Class ships.

E Class ships are a world of their own.

I'm hoping that these hiccups are because of new staff or lack of staff. I hope in time things will settle down, and that we all can know what the new normal is for Celebrity.

10 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Didn't book another --- we may but will be destination driven.   Iain's interested in the New Guinea / Indonesia Cruise that visits the Island that has the Komodo Dragon

We went to Komodo to see the Dragons in 2013. We were on Millie. My mother with one of the dragons.

19 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

This is news to me.  How do I get the increased discount?

You get the discount when you call the Captains Club and upgrade your drink package. 

1 hour ago, vm6514 said:

But when I looked at my Your Club Tier,  Celebrity do not increase  the benefit on my Your Club Tier

 After your 1st cruise you are a Classic members. Classic members get a 10% discount on upgrades of drink package. You must call the CC to get the discount. I might be wrong, but I thought in the past Classic members either did not get a discount or a 5% discount.

I'm elite +, last year we were in Aqua and I upgraded to Premium getting 15% discount. I had our TA call for us.

We are in a CS a week from tomorrow on Eclipse. So things should be as they were for the most part. My 1st question for the maitre d in Luminae will be. MDR has dishes on the menu that have a up charge. Do suite guest have to pay the up charge? Anyone on CC know the answer?

Retreat tipping is $23 per day per person. So $322 for 2 people on a 7 night cruise in a suite. All gives us $600 OBC for a 7 night cruise. That means suite prices should go down $922. This will also lower your deposit for a suite. We need to check prices on Oct 3, then again on Oct 4. After that it is back to what will the market bare. 😁

As to the butlers. If I have the same butler bring on morning coffee and fruit. Then our butler will get a extra $100. But if I have different butlers, no extra $100.

59 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Maybe this is a question that deserves its own thread instead of asking it here, but since a primary focus of this thread is about "Suite Life" on PCL as compared to X, as a non-suite guest myself, I have often wondered...If one is going to spend that much money on a cruise and wants to be treated and fed like royalty, why does one choose a suite on a mass-market ship instead of cruising on a more upscale line like Regent or Oceania?  I've always imagined that if my finances could handle paying that much for a cruise, I would pick an upscale line instead of a more expensive cabin on a mass-market line.  But clearly there are many here who routinely choose the latter, and I'd love to get a sense of why as I'd love to learn from your experiences.  

I can only speak for myself. I have looked. My 2 issues are 1) Dress code, I want country casual ( nice jeans and a polo). Oceania, I think is country casual, but not jeans. Regent and Sliversea are not country casual all evenings in all restaurants. If I book a cruise line I will adhere to their dress code. I'm not looking to rock the boat. 2) Ship being to small, meaning I might be bored. 

On 9/13/2023 at 12:43 PM, Cap_D said:

Just FYI. But I think if you go through a self-service portal on certain third party websites, you can find multiple price points for the same room with different combinations of inclusions. It would not surprise me if you could find the AQ rate already, although it would not be able to exclude Blu or the spa access.  

 

How much should access to the heated indoor lounger and the sauna be?  

Zero. I dont use them. I only book Aqua for Blu and the shower wall. Seems like the shower wall is on the way out. Our Aqua cabin on Solstice last Nov did not have the shower wall.

Reading with interest. We mostly book Celebrity sky suites. With X making so many changes I thought it was time to look elsewhere. This month we are booked on X in a Celebrity Suite on Eclipse. Feb we will be on Discovery in a aft Penthouse Suite with Premium package. We also have a Celebrity Suite booked for Alaska next Sept. My question to myself. Is the service and food on Celebrity worth $3k to $5k more than Princess. We have not sailed on PCL in 12 years.

I dont know if it is going to make much difference. I email our TA with what Aqua cabin I want. With All our TA had to call X to upgrade our Wifi and drink packages with our Elite+ discount. I prefer to have tips included. 

I hoping our TA will be able to book Premium drinks and wifi with our Elite+ discount in one step.

My concern is the IT department getting things right.

6 minutes ago, doghog said:

Why are you asking me that? Where in my post you quoted did I even remotely say anything about smoking? 

My comment was more about MCS in general. Sorry

29 minutes ago, doghog said:

I'm not impressed with any of MSC intinaries for the Caribbean. 7 or 11 night cruises. Limited ports and their longer cruises are like B2B cruises with a TAD.  Leaving from Miami, New York or Port Canaveral. I like their 10 and 11 night US/Canada cruise intinaries. 

Where can you smoke on MSC?

Smoking is permitted in several bars on each ship, and on one side (indicated by signage) of the principal outdoor pool deck areas, where ashtrays are provided.

Is smoking permitted inside on MSC. This is a no go for us. Even if YC is very nice.

Elite Plus, were 800 to Zenith, 36 cruises with X. I want my Premium drink package for being Zenith. Wait, dont I already get that with suites. Booked a Princess Penthouse Suite for Feb. 1st time in 12 years. 

32 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I really am concerned about sailing in Aqua Class now that they’ve created the Aqua Sky suite concept. I book AQ mainly for Blu.  Blu was always crowded enough without essentially encouraging even more people to dine there! I know suites could always go there “based on availability “ but I think this change will make matters worse. I’m hoping I’m wrong as I have several AQ cruises booked in the next six months. I understand they can eat in Luminae as well, but I wonder if this will encourage them to eat in Blu more often.

If this is a concern I would not book E Class. Your best option would be M Class ships. As Luminae and Blu were cut out of the MDR. Giving you and others the most options for food item choices. I have order many items from the MDR in Blu and Luminae. I've read on CC that some guest have been able to order off the Blu menu in Luminae. I personally have not order Blu items in Luminae. Next is the S Class ships. Many here have said that Blu wait times are the worst on Reflection. Reflection added additional Aqua cabins, but seemed to not make Blu any bigger.

My thought is that X has newer staff that are still learning the ropes. So what was possible in the past might not be available until they get up to speed.

On 9/7/2023 at 1:12 PM, keysey222 said:

I agree with you on the lack of suite perks on HAL/Princess. However, the price of a suite is often lower on these lines. Even though I don't always have a private sundeck or dedicated restaurant, sometimes I find there is more value. But... if prices are equal among the lines, I'd still choose Celebrity as their suite product is far superior. 

After our Feb sailing we will be Elite with Princess. PCL does have a separate MDR area for suites called Reserve Dining. At least on Discovery. We have a aft PH suite with Premier package. Wifi, drinks up to $20 and tips are part of the package. With our suite we get 1st night specialty dining  and a 360: An Extraordinary Experience during our 7 nights and with the package we get 2 night specialty dining. That leaves us with 3 night to dine in Reserve Dining or casual dining. I'm sure Reserve Dining is no Luminae.

11 minutes ago, George C said:

My problem with Princess and Hal is a lack of suite perks , I like the suite lounge and restaurant like you get with celebrity, rccl oasis class and MSc yacht club.

  We saw Patti LuPone a couple of years ago with Mandy Patakin great show in Dallas had front row seats.

I also really like Celebrity suites and the benefits. Hoping X settles down by 2025.

Looking, yes. I even booked a Princess Penthouse Suite for Feb. I canceled 3 cruises with X this year all in sky suites. I looked at Carnival because of the new menu, but did not like the looks of the suites. I looked at HAL then I got a phone call from HAL. Looked at MSC Yacht Club, smoking policy and that it  seems like all the suites are forward. Same as the Edge. I dont like being so forward.

As we canceled 3 cruises for this year. I booked a week in a all inclusive resort in Playacar, Mexico. We flew direct from Seattle to Cancun 1st class round trip. Private transfers and a week at a all inclusive resort. Cost for the package was just under $10k. I told our TA to keep it under $10k. We did a short trip to Las Vegas to see Patti LuPone perform. This month on X in a CS for 7 nights. Dec off to England for 12 days for Christmas.

I got a call from my TA this morning asking me if I wanted a Starbucks mug from Andorra. I thinks she is on the Sun Princess. I said yes please. I have over 250 Starbuck mugs and counting from all over the world.

We are doing the Mexico cruise in Feb on Discovery. I went for the Penthouse Suite aft suite on Deck 12. Deck 15 is under the Lido deck. I would have booked deck 14 if it was available. The Concierge Lounge/Suite Lounge is on deck 14. Balcony looks bigger on decks 14 and 15. Also interested in what other say.

49 minutes ago, ravenjls said:

I booked my first suite for a January cruise.  Can I pre book a reservation for your "free" first night dinner on the app without having to pay for it or do I have to wait until after I board?  Thanks!

We are also 1st time in a suite with Princess. So I'm also interested in the answer.

32 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Unless they have stairs or escalator the waiter would have to go to mid ship down a floor to 4 then to the aft to get the dish.  Then reverse to get back to Blu.

While I'm not up during the middle of the night. How does X get supplies to the Blu and Murano's kitchen on deck 5. Tuscan Grille also has a kitchen on deck 5. I would be very surprised if X uses guest stairs or elevators to bring in supplies. 

4 hours ago, chamima said:

 

Just know that on S-class ships the MDR kitchen is really far from Blu so when you get something from there it means someone has to spend a lot of time getting your order. Try to eat during non busy times (like after 8 ) so the already stressed staff  isn't even more stressed because they're short handed while someone is getting that special order).

You can always also ask to see the next day's menu(s) so you can give them a heads up in advance.

On the S class ships Blu is on deck 5. The MDR kitchen is on deck 4. Blu sits on top of the MDR kitchen.

29 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Ok--- So, lately there's been several negative threads about Celebrity ( Food, Menu selections, cut backs , upcharges, the size of the lobster tails, no friggin round tomatoes and cold onion soup ).

Wait-- forget about the cold onion soup----that one is a serious ( ?? ) complaint !!

I can't remember reading one post saying " I cancelled our upcoming cruise(s)" !

Lot's of " threats " , but not one actual cancellation.

And, to repeat --- we were on the Equinox and the Edge ( February and March ) -- never had a bad meal, poor service, or was invited to dine with an Officer--- it was all good !!

I could care less what Carnival offers in the dining " experience ". 

LOL---- Maybe if Celebrity " introduced " the bellyflop contest, the drink 14 beers through a funnel contest, the Congo line around the pool, the dancing Waiters with baked Alaska on their heads ,and the finale-- the singing of " We Are Zeee Worl " ( We are the world ) there wouldn't be such negativity ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept of last year we were in a sky suite on Solstice. The best meal I had was from the MDR served to me in Luminae (prime rib). Then changes happened in Jan. I have canceled 2 X sailing back in Feb. The reason was removal of prime rib. The limited food in the OVC for dinner. Both sailings were in sky suites. April, Infinity in South America, May, Summit New England. I thought that I had canceled our sky suite for Dec 2023. It was a 16 nights cruise on Eclipse. Last month my TA asked for final payment. Back in Feb we decided to visit friends in England for the holidays and my 65 birthday. So I canceled a 3rd sailing with X. This month we are on Eclipse in a CS. To check out the changes on board. I booked Princess last month for Feb in a Penthouse Suite. While Princess has made changes, but not as much as X. I'm going to wait until after our sailing on Princess to decide if I'm keeping our Sept 2024 SC sailing. Is the grass greener over at Princess. I'm not done with X. June we are on Apex to Iceland in a sky suite. Hoping things are better with X by then.

On 8/27/2023 at 7:35 PM, Dolebludger said:

Well, this is a reason to cruise on a smaller ship — at least for us.sounds like the “priority” system is not a great substitute.

We normally dont show up until 11:30. On the ship by 12.  Luminae lunch hours normally are 12 to 1:30. I dont see any reason to show up early, just to sit around.