BosoxI

ooops

How true. I was on CC late one Sat night when the stummbled on a topic of the Spring Savings sale. I wasn't sure if i applied to my booking so I decided to call Celebrity just after midnight eastern time. Suprisingly I got through to a rep at that hour and I saved $200 on my booking. I wouldn't dream of calling a TA at that time. If I had waited until Monday I would have lost out.

OTH one Saturday morning I received an email touting fantastic savings on most X cruises through the end of 2015. To my surprise, there was the cruise we wanted to take but hadn't booked because of the high price. We got a good A2 with free grats and a drink package for $2000 less than the going X price at the time. And as we booked on line on a weekend (the TA was closed, of course) we received a $125 OBC. Our cabin is now going for $2500 more than we paid.

Bottom line is that you just never know when the deal will appear, if it does at all.

As I said, I don't think they really gave it much thought. I think in their haste to offer some overnights they really didn't think about the Caribbean at night. There are many places in the world and many ports where overnights make sense. I just don't get what they are doing here.

Of course, you're right. A night in Venice vs a night in St. Kitts or any other Caribbean port:confused. Hmmmm. Let me think about it. Personally, I wouldn't leave the ship, regardless of the port.

I'm a native of the Bronx and feel I know how to survive in NYC even after dark. But years ago I took my wife though some pretty dark streets on our walk back to our hotel. Streets I had walked many times as a bachelor. But at some point it dawned on me that I was risking my wife's safety. How stupid, how careless. I'll never willingly put her in danger again, especially in strange places with high murder rates.

Rack of lamb in any restaurant on any ship/cruise line I've ever been on.

Escargot because they have the proper amount of garlic on X

Murano's lobster, though I've never ordered it. I have finished my wife's portion, as it's too rich for her to finish. I order the venison medium rare. It's great.

There are two things you can do on a Caribbean overnight. The first is to stay on board the ship after dark. The second is to be extremely careful of what you do if on shore after dark. I have just seen a list of the countries with the highest murder rates and to my surprise, 24 of the first 30 or so are in the Caribbean. They include some of my favorite ports. Now, I am not suggesting that we cruisers are going to be targets, but wasn't there an incident just a few years ago where a teenager on a tour bus in broad daylight was killed in a crossfire. Please don't tell me these incidents can happen anywhere in the world. It's a lot more likely in the US Virgin Islands (#3 on the list) than it is in Switzerland (#209) or even in the USA, #111

It's sort of a nasty little deal that celebrity has to keep their TA's happy. If you say nothing when booking a cabin on-board, they automatically assign it to the TA that sold you your current cabin. Once that's done, it's close to impossible to change to another TA.

 

You have to be careful to say that you want to do your on-board booking with celebrity...not any TA. Then you have 60 days from the time you make the reservation to pick the TA you want to use and transfer your booking.

When I booked onboard and a previous TA automatically appeared, I told the agent that I wanted to change TAs. The agent provided a standard form which I signed, making the request. That was all there was to it. If it's a popular TA, Celebrity is well aware of addresses, etc. If I didn't know the name of the new agent, I believe I could have signed the form and made the change once at home.

Was the credit only for the purchase of a different or more expensive wine or could you use it towards a nice cognac or craft beer that was over and above the premium package limit?

Invariably, the sommelier says it will show up on our account as a credit, and sure 'nuff, it does. So we can spend it as though it were an OBC, on anything we want.

I've never been all that impressed with the food in Blu; the smaller dining room and the better service (usually) plus the ambiance is what we find attractive. We do like the A1 cabins on the smaller ships and the hump cabins on the S class, but if the price isn't right, we either settle for a veranda or move to a small suite. With us price and itinerary always govern

First, let me say I don't view the sparkling wine as a gift horse. We all are paying for it in what increasingly can be rather exorbitant prices. With that in mind we always trade the sparkling wine in. I'll ask the sommelier if it's possible, and when he says "yes" I'll wrap the bottle in a towel and discreetly take it to the dining room the next night We've never had a real problem, though one sommelier seemed to be a bit put out. Too bad, mister. We've been givien credits ranging between $28 and $34 dollars. From our standpoint any credit is welcome, as we wouldn't enjoy a bottle of cheap sparkling wine.

I don't understand why some think this is a bad thing to do. My bottle will wind up in someone else's cabin on the next cruise. Who knows? It might be the modern equivalent of fruit cake.

In addition to getting more OBC, you may also be able to get a lower cruise fare.

How true. Booked two cruises on board in March and to my surprise, DW and I saved $900 on one and $400 on the second when we shifted them to a TA. So we booked a third directly with the TA and saved about $2k. Amazing. All of them came with OBCs.

People have complained about Costa Maya since it became a port, but now that it's been cut you'd think it was St. Petersburg eliminated from a Russia itinerary.:rolleyes: .

Funny. We are one for one getting into Costa Maya and had a very interesting tour there, incidentally. No need to return, though.

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Muushka. where are you? :p

Ah well!

Interestingly, on the north-bound Alaska cruise we're taking, being in port side with balcony is much more important than what deck we would be on ( to us at least) but bet with guarantee we'll have to use our binoculars and try to see Russia like Sarah did!

I'm sure you'll do better than Sarah, as she never said that. Have you seen all 57 states yet?;)

On Reflection we sail in a regular balcony cabin, and dine with the common masses in the MDR, or the Oceanview. And if we feel the need to hob nob, we bellie up and pay extra to go to Murano or Tuscan. Hence we don't have to endure the high brow crowding in Blu or Lumina. No one lied to us.

 

ps: if your concerned about being to crowded with common folk, there are other ways to see the places you want to go see.

What is the purpose of this? Are you running for President? The fact is that there are millions of people who will never be able to set foot on any cruise ship, and they're looking at you in your balcony cabin and thinking "Look at that snotty, high brow Texan eating in fancy restaurants on that beautiful ship. I hate rich folks." Get it?

Add me to the list of confused people.

 

Did the OP not get the C2 on the hump they thought they had?

 

If you did get the C2, why are you unhappy that no one is calling it an upgrade? IMHO it's not an upgrade because that is what you qualified for as a Captain's Club member.

You can add me to the list of the confused, too, but not because of what the OP said. They thought they were assigned a good C2 on the hump but X said that was not the case. As I read it, they paid for a C3, did not get a C2 upgrade, and are now back in some C3. What am I missing?

Is this a holiday cruise? That would help explain things.

Weird invoice changes aren't limited to UK cruisers.

 

I booked a cruise on board and told the FCC staffer "no insurance". My printout showed no insurance. The booking was transferred to my travel agent. Suddenly insurance appeared on the booking form. Luckily he spotted it and it was removed. I actually thought that was a bit sneaky, as if Celebrity did it on purpose, in hopes it wouldn't be noticed. But who knows?

Are you sure it was X and not your TA that added the insurance? I use several different TAs and I constantly have to have insurance charges removed after the TA's company has added them automatically

Prices aboard are not the big deal, but X has a price match policy. If somebody finds a product in a store at a lower price, the cruise will match that price, and you can still use the OBC to pay for it.

It's a matter of taking the best value of OBC, not getting the lowest price.

Maybe prices aren't a big deal for you, but they are for me. Selection, too, as the likeliehood of finding the watch I really want is nil on board any ship I'm likely to be on. How do you prove the shop on land actually has a lower price? I've bought maybe seven watches in Mexico and the Carib, and, believe me, you won't find any of them on board a Celebrity ship. No, my friend, better to waste the OBC on cologne, clothing, or maybe some inexpensive piece of (overpriced) jewelry. Watches are too much trouble.

Spend it in something tangible, that doesn't depreciate fast and that will really last. Luxury watches is always a good investment, like a Breitling or an Omega... $400 won't cover not even half of the price of any of those watches, but see it as a discount.

Not a wise decision, especially if cruising in the Carib where there are some decent prices to be had and from authorized dealers, at that.

Just another question. If you book another cruise on board could your OBC be used as deposit?

I don't believe so.

Yes, just looking for something or somethings that are reasonable purchases. My daughter is thinking a Michael Kors bag. I am wondering if they have something like Ferragamo ties on board. Stuck paying retail at home anyway, so something like a $180 Ferragamo tie makes sense to me. A

I doubt you'll find Ferragamo on board, but if you ever see a tie made by a company called Zilli, buy it. They are magnificant with a price to match and it won't be only $180. :eek:

Not even sure why this service is offered. It makes sense to have your butler unpack if he is YOUR ACTUAL BUTLER that cares for you and your clothes every day at home and when you travel. On a cruise ship you get a "rented" butler who is naturally not in such an intimate relationship with you and your belongings.

My feelings exactly. At home I let my batman handle my wardrobe and when I bring him with me on a ship, I allow him to do the things a gentleman's gentleman has always done. It's so hard to get good help these days and I don't want to lose hm :D :D He loves to travel, so I do try to bring him along as much as possible; no one lays out my clothes better than he. ;)

Everything ruined now as read a review about MSC yacht club.

 

Ooh! Just downloaded their brochure.

 

Want want want.

I, too, have been investigating MSC YC, but I'm a bit hesitant to invest that kind of money solely on someone else's opinion and without ever having set foot on their ship. We're giving Luninae a try, first, then we'll see.

I am going to go last minute after this next cruise.

 

If I really, really, wanted a specific cruise I might still book early though:D

 

Those bargains are just too tempting.

If we absolutely must take a specific cruise, we'll book early. That rarely happens. Otherwise, I spend hours searching for the best price or we'll wait till the last minute and hope for the best. Cabin position means nothing to us and at times we'll book a guarantee if the price is right. We do have a distinct advantage that allows us some freedom in that we have flight privileges not generally available

Good point. We would actually be supportive if the cruise lines start charging a fee for any cancellation. Having booked many cruises ourselves (probably close to 100) we have never, ever, booked multiple cruises with the idea of later cancelling the ones we do not want. We use multiple cruise agencies to book our cruises (whoever has the best deal) and many are now starting to assess their own cancellation fee to prevent faux bookings. On this we are on the side of the agencies..

Hank

I certainly understand restaurants penalizing diners who make a reservation and then don't show up or cancel. I'm not so wild about cruise lines doing it, as they still have time to fill the cabin. Maybe final payment should be 100 days out, forcing the hand of faux bookers earlier and thus giving the lines more time to maneuver,

if you were bored on your prior Celebrity sailings, you'll probably still be bored on Celebrity,as not that much has changed. We enjoy both lines, & find that sea days on each are comparable. Our last Princess cruise was in November of 2014, & while they did have a larger activities staff than Celebrity by double, they still had only 2 trivia games on sea days, same as Celebrity.

I am surprised and somewhat saddened to learn of the number of people who require constant stimulation in their lives. Bored? Kids can be bored and I'll understand it. Adults should have developed inner resources to carry them through life. Sad to say, many haven't done that. Celebrity or Princess, it's what an individual makes of the cruise. Happiness or misery awaits but the cruise line alone is not responsible.