FlutePrayer

I just received my first ever OBC with no problem during any step of the process. I'm really sorry that's not the case for everybody.

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

My recent ones do not vary by much EXCEPT that one time 6/11/23 when they gave me enough to feed several rooms. And no, it's an Elite & Suite perk. There's no RS phone call charge for perks (exchanging mini bar or ordering tea). 

These pictures are lovely! Thank you very much.

Thank you for your quick response. This is exactly the information I was hoping for.

This thread is pre-COVID. Can anyone give an update on the availability of afternoon tea in a suite? Thank you!

Just now, startedwithamouse said:

Make sure you have either Plus or Premier bundle. If you don't, consider going to less expensive mini suite cabin, and purchase one of the bundles. 

Thank you for this. We do have the Plus package so we're all set.

My husband and I will be staying in a Penthouse Suite on the Discovery Princess for the first time in November. Does anyone have any tips or advice for us?

Princess does have Laundromats where you can wash and iron your own clothes. That might be helpful.

11 hours ago, grak said:

We’ve paid final payment, filled out all info on the Princess App. I can’t put in any credit card info.  Why??

I just had the same frustrating issue. The credit card I was trying to use for my cruise next year had an expiration date that was less than a year from the sailing date. I used one with an expiration date that was much further out and had no problem.

I can almost see Carson, CA from my house. I'll be interested to see how the process works for our November cruise.

My husband and I are both extremely introverted and find conversing with strangers, especially extroverts, exhausting. As a professional musician with highly trained ears, I can hear every conversation in detail from several tables away which can be amusing but, again, exhausting. We were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a suite on our last cruise and enjoyed several dinners in our cabin. That was perfect for us. I love that everyone is different and enjoy things other than our preferred quiet way of traveling.

I purchased the Hot Glass experience online a few months ahead of time. On both of my sailings on the Eclipse last fall, I got a call from the Hot Glass teacher on the cabin phone before sailaway with a choice of days and time. I loved that experience!

We are currently on the Eclipse in an Aqua Sky Suite that we got with a Move Up bid. It is magnificent. There is no comparison to the Prime Aqua Class stateroom we sailed on in October on the same ship. We would bid again in a heartbeat.

"Long Beach is sketchy to the point of feeling filthy and dangerous & I recommend avoiding it.  If you're in a hotel near a port (Long Beach or San Pedro), you should be fine."

I live and work in Long Beach. As with any large city, there are areas that certainly match your description. Having said that, there are many, many other beautiful areas of Long Beach including lovely parks, a truly outstanding Nature Center, lots of great restaurants, and many cultural events. I'm sorry your experience in Long Beach was unpleasant.
 

3 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

Silly question, I know, but the first time we ventured into the Solarium on the Eclipse, which I know so many people love (and we have enjoyed them on other ships), we encountered a very strong chlorine smell in the air.  So much so that we didn't stick around.  I'm pretty sure the pools are salt water, so I guess it must have to do with some periodic cleaning process?

 

Has anyone else experienced this?  And no, I am not one who is overly sensitive to smells.

I did notice this on our October 8 cruise and avoided the area because of it. We're on again in less than 2 weeks. Here's hoping it has been sorted out.

2 hours ago, Presd said:

Good for you!  Was that $1525 per person?  My upcoming bid from an Aqua suite to an Aqua sky suite is considered “fair”.  Wonder if I should downgrade my bid.  Lots of Aqua sky suite available 

I bid on the same thing - $25pp above the minimum - and won the bid. We are excited!

We put ours out before dinner and it was picked right up.

3 minutes ago, Spudd said:

I'm on Eclipse right now and there are chocolates every night. 

We got ours every night on the Eclipse a few weeks ago as well.

On 9/18/2023 at 11:21 AM, FlutePrayer said:

Ship: Eclipse

Length of Cruise: 6 nights

Cruise Sail Date: December 1, 2023

Date email offer received: 9/18/23

Captain’s Club Tier: Classic

Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: Celebrity Direct, moved to TA

Current Cabin: Prime Aqua Class

Bid? Yes/No: Yes

If YES - Bidding Details:

 

Minimum bids:

Sky Suite: $300pp

Sunset Sky Suite: $350pp

AquaClass Sky Suite: $400pp

Celebrity Suite: $950pp

Royal Suite: $1100pp

 

Cabin Category:

Bid Offer: AquaClass Sky Suite $450pp

Notification Date: November 1, 2023

Accepted / Rejected: Accepted

General Comments:

We're only interested in an AquaClass Sky Suite. We've already got a great cabin. Here's hoping!

 

 

We lowered our initial bid from $450 to $425pp. Our offer froze and showed pending last week. We were notified today that our bid was accepted, and we have our new cabin assignment. We are thrilled.

28 minutes ago, CulverCityCruisers said:

I too met with the Hotel Director o Eclipse regarding issues we had on the same cruise and found him to be far from concerned or really interested in "real" issues that we had.  Never dealt with someone at that level who really didn't seem all that interested in passengers happiness

We found the same attitude on our recent Eclipse sailing. There seemed to be a noticable coldness in upper management.

On the other hand, while I was on board I saw some delicious looking desserts posted on Celebrity's Instagram story - a hot chocolate chip cookie in a pan topped with ice cream and some profiteroles. I comment on the story saying that I hadn't seen anything like that on our sailing. I got an instant DM response from Celebrity. They said the cookie wasn't available on our ship (it was in an upcharge restaurant on Edge class ships) and weren't sure about the other. They emailed Eclipse guest services. Guest services called me and we had a pleasant chat with an apology. Several hours later, the maitre d from Blu (who we didn't ever see in person) called and asked if we would be dining with them. When I said no, he sent up 4 "Profiteroles". The dessert game is not strong on Celebrity and even I, a complete dessert lover, didn't find them edible. It's the thought that counts, however, and I was impressed with the Instagram side of things.

Unfortunately, on our sailing on the Eclipse last week, the Spa Cafe was closed on Day 1.

We were on the Eclipse on deck 11 Oct 8-15 with Premium WiFi. There was no WiFi at all on the balcony. The WiFi in the cabin was slow and sporadic. When we were in Port, our regular phone data worked on the balcony but not in the cabin. When we were on the Coral Princess in 2019, we could easily stream with our WiFi package. We were surprised, therefore, by the poor WiFi on the Eclipse, our first Celebrity sailing.

Ship: Eclipse

Length of Cruise: 6 nights

Cruise Sail Date: December 1, 2023

Date email offer received: 9/18/23

Captain’s Club Tier [“PREVIEW” = first Celebrity Cruise]: Classic

Booked through Celebrity Direct OR via TA: Celebrity Direct, moved to TA

Current Cabin: Prime Aqua Class

Bid? Yes/No: Yes

If YES - Bidding Details:

Minimum bids:

Sky Suite: $300pp

Sunset Sky Suite: $350pp

AquaClass Sky Suite: $400pp

Celebrity Suite: $950pp

Royal Suite: $1100pp

Cabin Category: place winning category, if accepted (all category offers, can be mentioned in comments)

Bid Offer: AquaClass Sky Suite $450pp

Notification Date:

Accepted / Rejected

General Comments (offer details, etc.)

We're only interested in an AquaClass Sky Suite. We've already got a great cabin. Here's hoping!

The Hotel Maya is lovely. Having said that, the hospitality workers are currently on strike and the picket lines are quite noisy. It might be good to check on that before a stay.

47 minutes ago, Hobbes67 said:

If I were just coming in for the night I would keep my reservations at Hampton Inn.  Lots of places to eat and it is not an unsafe area.  We never go downtown anymore, including the convention center area with crime etc.

I live here and I agree. 

I live 2 miles south of The Hampton Inn, and stayed in it when our house was being fumigated. It is fairly new in a very safe area. All of the construction around LBX - the Long Beach Exchange - is new, with several space companies as tenants. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there or at the Courtyard by Marriott across the street.

A recent development is a strike of the hospitality workers at The Hotel Maya. You might want to avoid their noisy protests.

As mentioned before, depending on which conventions or events are happening Downtown, the prices can be staggering. Until recently I worked across the street from the Renaissance Hotel and will let you know that the homeless situation can be a challenge. Downtown, especially around Ocean Blvd and the Aquarium, is beautiful, but can be "interesting". If you're not interested in sightseeing around Downtown, I'd recommend sticking with the Hampton Inn. Happy cruising!