Wanderlost

We just got off the Silhouette and had a $375 OBC which we used in the casino. They load any amount you request (we did it in $50 increments) on to your room card which you then transfer to a machine (you need to ask for table play or machine play) in any increment you choose up to the original $50. Your winnings from that machine can be cashed out on to a paper ticket which can be then cashed out at the casino cage. Keep in mind that once you transfer your money to a machine, the original amount must be played in that machine but you are able to cash out any winnings. We did well for the first few nights playing this way but unfortunately wandered in to the martini bar by day 4 :confused: and should have then stayed away from the casino. You can no longer get cash from your OBC in the casino at the 5% rate. Celebrity forces you to feed the monster. :D

Nancy,

Thanks for the great review. We have all been waiting to hear about Celystial's Cuba Cruise. Glad you enjoyed most of your trip and sorry for the changes.

I just got off the Crystal on Friday.

 

I paid $18 for 3 hrs. You can purchase, 1 hr, 3 hrs or more. 3 hours was more than enough for us to check emails, stocks, and download the Wall Street Journal everyday.

 

You can access everywhere on the ship, even in cabins. However look for the Cisco routers on the wall in the public areas for the strongest signal. Eros lounge on the 8th deck has one. Remember to log off when you're done with your session.

We are going on the Crystal in February and would love it if you did a review of your cruise. It's been difficult finding any information about these cruises to Cuba.

We are on the Silhouette sailing on 12/11/16 and had an A-1 booked with their Go big promotion of a $300 OBC. I just called my TA to see if we could upgrade to Go Best for an additional $247.00 total. While we have never bought the premium alcohol package, we figured these perks were too good to pass on for $247.00. Celebrity did allow us to upgrade.

Thanks for the insightful information and for the address of the synagogue for supplies. After living less than 90 miles from Cuba for all of my young life, I feel very blessed to finally be able to visit.

I have coverage through Obamacare and my DH is on medicare so neither of those provide coverage while out of the U.S. From what I am reading, Cuba does not accept any U.S. based credit cards so should we have an unfortunate accident, we would have to convert cash into Cuban money to pay medical providers. I also read you have to provide proof of medical insurance when entering the country. I cannot find a U.S. travel insurance provider who will pay providers directly so our best option was to purchase through the cruise line. If someone has been able to use a U.S. based credit card in Cuba, please correct me.

Thanks for all the help. We decided to purchase the insurance through Celestyal which sounds like the best way to go. Can't wait for our trip in February.

Thanks for the information but one more question. Did Celestyal's insurance cover your mother in law? I thought it said it only covered those who were under 75?

To those of you who have booked this cruise. What are you doing about travel insurance? I was told by a Celestyal rep that I needed to buy insurance that would reimburse a hospital/doctor in Cuba directly since they don't take US credit cards and it is very difficult to get cash in Cuba. I spoke with someone at Insuremytrip who said all their providers reimburse the customer after they have paid the provider. It looks like Celestyal's insurance does not provide for trip interruption due to flight issues.

We had a funny experience on a Thanksgiving cruise one year. They did have turkey, green beans, and mashed potatoes but when my DH asked if there was any dressing, he was handed a bottle of salad dressing. :eek:

We are so excited about going on our 17th in November but are also thrilled about our upcoming west coast cruise on Explorer of the Seas which will be number 11 on RCL. . We like both lines equally and they seem to offer different experiences.

We are elite on Celebrity but also frequently cruise on RCL. We prefer the smaller ships on RCL, mainly because of the layout. I do think the food is better on RCL but food is a personal choice so that's just my opinion. I like many things about Celebrity but have recently found there is not a lot of difference between the two lines. Celebrity used to be a little more sedate but that is changing. On our recent Celebrity cruise we had the usual staff members "hawking" specialty restaurants, alcohol packages, and shopping items. This is fairly new for Celebrity and something I'm not fond of but I guess times are a changing and Celebrity and RCL have to keep the ships moving.

I do like the fact that Celebrity has a more restrictive smoking policy but I never let a little smoke keep me out of a RCL casino.

We are basically brand loyal and sail on RCL and Celebrity based on the itinerary and price.

You can't go wrong with either one.

We like the A-1s because of the overhang, but many people do not.

Packing everything in a carry on has an added benefit. You can do express walk off, catch an early flight home, and pick up the doggie on travel day. We always tell her we will be home in two days but after day 14, she is ready to be rescued.

We have never checked our luggage when we travel, especially when going overseas for a cruise. We each carry on two pieces of luggage, one goes in the overhead and the smaller one goes under the seat. We each have nylon type hiking pants which can be easily washed and quick to dry. Our waterproof jackets are carried on. All of our clothing is rolled and we usually have one nice blouse/shirt or sweater for formal nights just to be presentable on the ship. We don't eat in the MDR for formal nights. Traveling like this does not work for everyone but it does for us. We do send some clothing out to the laundry but only those pieces which can't be washed and dried easily.

This makes it easier to disembark early and travel on trains. Have fun on your trip.

I'm boarding an X cruise in 2 weeks. I'm going to give this a shot. I'll update everyone here if I'm successful. I'm sure I won't be but I'll try!!

We went on an Alaskan cruise last July in a veranda guarantee (last minute Tuesday special). I knew they had several unsold Aqua's and asked for an upgrade after we got inboard. We got a phone call from guest services prior to sailing offering us an Aqua on deck 11. Since we wanted a covered balcony, we declined but were then given one with a covered balcony. I think it may depend on the availability of unsold cabins. Good luck

We booked a British Isle cruise sailing on July 15th for The Open and to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It was booked onboard another Celebrity ship over one year ago. We booked Aqua class which priced out over $8000.00 but rationalized we would not have another 20th. After watching airfares, we came to our senses and cancelled the cruise last fall.

I recently snagged two tickets to Amsterdam using AA miles and decided to rebook our anniversary trip after the final payment window closed. Last week the priced dropped for an Aqua guarantee which saved us about 45% over the original booking. I think the bargains can be found but it can be a little stressful watching prices go up and down within a 24 hour period.

We got a great deal on a short Century cruise out of Miami several years ago and immediately fell in love with Celebrity and Century. While we do enjoy cruising on the Solstice class ships, the Century held many happy memories. So sad to see her leave the fleet. :(

Thanks for the quick reply. I have already booked flights with AA miles and hope to save money on my cruise. Hoping for a large price drop.:cool:

For those of you who book directly with Celebrity's UK site, can you please tell me if I can rely on their website for the correct amount of cabin availability? It never matches the US site and always shows a much larger amount of cabins available. I am tracking a British Isle cruise and hoping for a price drop after final payment which is May 1st. The current count shows 111 balconies, 54 concierge, and 14 aqua. US site indicates much less.

We originally booked this cruise last year while on board The Equinox but cancelled in December due to high airline prices for Amsterdam. AA came through for us with advantage miles for the flight which we booked last week. We don't usually "gamble" like this but it may be worth it to save $$$. Thanks to all for their input. Meanwhile I will keep checking prices daily and hope we can hold out for the possible savings.

If you specify a specific sailing I may be able to tell you what was covered last year, 2013 and 2012... I save most of the deals.

We are looking at a British Isle cruise on the Silhouette for July 15. There was one on Tuesday's special at quite a discounted price.

How do you track down what cabins are still available.

 

Cheers Bob.

Hi Bob, I believe Celebrity's UK site lists all available cabins.

I have been watching a cruise for several weeks and was ready to book during the recent promotion but have decided to "gamble" and wait for this cruise to come up on a Tuesday special. To those of you who track these things, the ship is a european cruise in July and currently has 108 balconies available, 14 Aquas and 54 concierge. This seems like a lot of available cabins at this late date. Final payment is in early May. Do you think this cruise will show up as a Tuesday special sometime in late May? :confused:

Does anyone know if this FCC can be used on Celebrity? I know the fine print says "no" but just wondering if anyone has had success doing so?