jean87510

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

If you cancel prior to 48 hours before the cruise, your refund goes back to the original form of payment.   If paid with NR Credit it goes back to NR.

 

From 48 pre cruise until end of cruise if you cancel withhin the 48 hour cancellation period you will get a refund back to you on board account.   If NR Credit it will go back to NR Credit.   If you paid with a credit card it will be refunded as a Refundable Credit that will go back to you credit card on file at the end of the cruise if not used.

I was just about to post this as I remember they changed this recently.

18 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Yes, you can get alcoholic beverages in Michael Club and grab non alcohol beverages to take back to the cabin with you.  Some ships have had beer in the coolers also, can't remember if this was Reflection or Eqinox.

 

Sounds good.

Now, let's see if I am successful.  If not, I'll be happy in my concierge cabin.  I thought I'd give it a shot for our upcoming trip.  

I can't find the answer online (or maybe my brain is just not working today).  If you have a successful bid with Move Up to a suite from a non suite, and you do not have the drink package, will you be able to get drinks in Michael's (Celebrity Reflection) all day without a problem?  We are Elite on Celebrity and are familiar with the 5-7 HH.  I just like grabbing a couple of Coke Zeros during the day.  

Of course all of this is moot if bid is unsuccessful.  

46 minutes ago, Cigar King said:

Seems like a good idea to me.  I haven't done it, but have been tempted.  There was a time when this was fun, now it's just annoying.

What is interesting is I have been on about 15 cruises since the restart and they have ranged from 3 days to 15 days on 5 different lines.  I have yet to see a duck.  My daughter and I were talking about it and she asked if we were doing it.  I said I think we are both too old.  I don't think I'd throw them away if found.  I'd probably just FYI on FB where it was.

I have noticed people post pictures of the ducks with Travel Agent info, Insurance Agent info...etc...  Good marketing strategy.

On 5/13/2024 at 12:44 PM, canadiangal40 said:

Does anyone know if Playa Piskadi has snorkel gear for rent.  This is where we plan to start our day when we rent a car from Advance Car Rental (Celistino).  We then plan to work our way south.

I honestly don't remember.  I would google it.  We have our own.  

1 hour ago, little britain said:

The OA TA crossing was handled very badly by the C&A team in board. 
We are NPE ( not pinnacle enough) to be allowed into CK, however it was like a game of Chinese whispers on board. Some people said we got one free speciality coffee ( which they usually do on top heavy cruises) but others said they were getting 2pd. Never any official notification from C&A.

 

Then on about the 3rd day of the cruise another whisper went around that the NPEs were going to be allowed into CK for 2 nights.  I went straight up to book, to get ahead of the rush as I ( and others) naturally expected this would be formally announced by the C&A guys at the Pin lunch. Which it wasn’t. 
I met some other NPEs on the last day and they had no idea about the 2 day access. And boy, were they furious! 😡 

 

And having to stand outside CK waiting to be let in like a poor relation is frankly embarrassing. 

It almost makes one wonder if it's really worth the aggravation on a vacation.  

1 hour ago, doghog said:

Celebrity allows non suite Zeniths to us the Retreat Lounge/Michaels Club. 

Makes sense as they are the same company.  

1 hour ago, doghog said:

You just let your secret known. 🤣

Wasn't it your secret I let out?  Sorry.

wasn't there a poster who threw them in the trash?  

6 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Not sure what ship you were on but 8 Pins is a lower number.  Anyway the point I was trying to make was to have separation from the suite passengers and amenities to avoid all confusion.  Unless of course the Pins are also in a suite.

I read your idea and agree completely.  My feeling is anyone who pays for a suite should be the only person in a suite lounge.

I am not sure how other lines handle this.  I know I never saw Black/Diamond status in the YC on MSC.  I think if you don't pay for the suite, you shouldn't go in the lounge.  JMO.

Mind you I'm just a D+ and probably will never make the P status.

21 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

We are in our late 50's, me pushing 60 more than DH.  We left RCCL for a smaller ship that is affordable.  We tried HAL and we are too young, but beautiful ship and attention to detail.  Loved the customer service.  They have trivia which we love, but no prizes. No problem getting a 2 top in the MDR.

We tried Celebrity and we were hooked.  Unfortunately their trend seems to be infinite verandas which we will have on our cruise in 20 days but heard it is a love hate thing.  The more we read about them we already hate them.  While it makes a beautiful streamlined ship, if it says balcony we want a balcony. No trivia.  No problem getting a two top in the MDR.

 

This leaves us with RCCL.  Their ships have grown huge.  This scares us because we can just imagine the lines and crowds for everything, but it seems as they grow they have added more bars and comp restaurants to help.  We aren't really pool people, so that deck is a waste to us.  Not sure how often we will be able to get a two top in the MDR.

 

What can you all say/suggest to encourage us back?  How can we learn to embrace bigger ships.

We have been focusing more on ports rather than ship features and prices.  

We recently booked a B2B on Emerald cruises starting in Barbados and ending in Marigot St. Martin on their Yacht cruises.  The ship holds 100 passengers.  Price for 1 leg Christmas if paid in full was cheaper than Royal Jewel of the seas out of San Juan.  Most excursions included.  Wifi included. Drinks, gratuities included.  Transfers included.  Self laundry. Ports are Barbados, Soufriere, St. Lucia, Guadalupe, Soufrière,  Îles des Saintes, Guadeloupe, Falmouth Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda, Charlestown-Cades Bay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy, Prickly Pear Cays, Anguilla and Marigot, Saint Martin for 1 sailing.  Yes, no casino, specialty restaurants or shows.  

21 hours ago, ScottC4746 said:

We are in our late 50's, me pushing 60 more than DH.  We left RCCL for a smaller ship that is affordable.  We tried HAL and we are too young, but beautiful ship and attention to detail.  Loved the customer service.  They have trivia which we love, but no prizes. No problem getting a 2 top in the MDR.

We tried Celebrity and we were hooked.  Unfortunately their trend seems to be infinite verandas which we will have on our cruise in 20 days but heard it is a love hate thing.  The more we read about them we already hate them.  While it makes a beautiful streamlined ship, if it says balcony we want a balcony. No trivia.  No problem getting a two top in the MDR.

 

This leaves us with RCCL.  Their ships have grown huge.  This scares us because we can just imagine the lines and crowds for everything, but it seems as they grow they have added more bars and comp restaurants to help.  We aren't really pool people, so that deck is a waste to us.  Not sure how often we will be able to get a two top in the MDR.

 

What can you all say/suggest to encourage us back?  How can we learn to embrace bigger ships.

22 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Just an FYI,I was banned for a week for saying the exact same thing about a poster a few weeks ago. 

Really?  About another social media site?  Shades of Orwell...😁

10 hours ago, LilBlackDress said:

Someone on Social Media is saying this is the first year they haven't seen a sale for Mothers Sail for Free
I have never seen that sale. Have I just not been looking at Mother's Day and missed it? 
Not that it matters but they are saying since the early 90s every year 

If that was a thing, we would all know it and would be discussing why no Father's Day sail for free.  It would be up there with should I tip the bar staff with $2 bills and can I board at 1030 even though my pass says 130 daily posts.

I think the poster was trolling.

My suggestion is to look 2 weeks prior to black Friday.  This is when I have found items are at their absolute lowest.  I do see the prices slowly creep up by Black Friday.  Has been like this since the restart on both Royal and Celebrity. 

14 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Looks identical to this, a bone in ribeye.

 

Haven't seen Chops ribeye like this or the sides like this in quite some time.

4 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

No....not refundable.  You can transfer the booking, the date being 90 days past the original date.  But once you pay a deposit for a yc cabin, it's gone.

As I told Morpheus, I just did it a month ago.  

Edited to add, the company would not allow me to move my YC booking backwards (sailing 7 days prior).  Must be 30 days forward.

Also want to add I have cancelled 3 sailings and received all deposits.  2 were YC.  One was 2019 for Bella.  All were over 90 days.

2 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I would double check this statement.

Just did it and got my deposit back last month for a November sailing for YC.

On 5/9/2024 at 10:00 AM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

 

I have attempted to keep this trip as inexpensive as possible.  We booked a Bella experience with an inside cabin.  We were given a free upgrade to a balcony, which makes us very happy.  We're still Bella, though and we very much have a budget for this trip.

 

I'll write a review for the "regular folks when I get back.  Our favorite line is NCL, with Royal as second.  This is the first trip on MSC.

We went from the YC to an inside on NCL spirit for a cruise from Sydney to Tahiti last month.  One of my favorite cruises ever because of the ports.  We were NEVER in our cabin.  Only had 1x a day cleaning.  Ate in the buffet.  Stood in lines everywhere.  We did not care.  

3 hours ago, Stockjock said:

I've not done YC.  I can afford it, but choose not to.  Maybe some day I'll give it a try.  While it seems to be a better value versus other cruise lines' suites, here's my attitude.

1. It's considerably more expensive.  For example, on an upcoming Norwegian Fjords cruise, the price of YC deluxe is roughly 3.5 times the price of my Fantastica veranda.  Do you get more?  Of course.  3.5 x more?  Doesn't seem that way.

2. Not only do I not want a butler, but I think I'd find them to be annoying.

3. Obviously, an upgraded dining experience is nice, but 3.5 times nice?  To some, sure.  To me, probably not.  That said, on a recent cruise, we got 4 speciality restaurants for $100 USD per person.  3 of the 4 were part of a $200 package.  The 4th (2nd in Butcher's Cut) was a loyalty reward for being a Diamond member.  So 4 of 7 nights in a specialty restaurant for $100 each?  I consider that to be a great value.

4. I do like some of the privacy of YC, but again at 3.5 times the price?  Nah.

5. I don't like the fact that YC deposits are typically non-refundable.  While I don't book with the intent of cancelling, non-YC cabins can typically be cancelled without penalty up to 90 days before the sailing.  Not the case w/YC.

I also don't fly first or business class.  I'd love to do it.  I can afford to do it.  I simply don't want to spend the money.

Nothing wrong w/YC.  I'll try it one day.  But for now, you'll find me in a Fantastica veranda, or perhaps an Aurea suite, but only if the price is right.

The YC deposits are refundable up to 90 days out.

On 5/8/2024 at 12:27 PM, alserrod said:

 

 

 

I will be in Fantastica too.

 

 

I will write my lines post-cruise (not in the cruise, I will switch off for a week).

The issue is.... I do not know what to write and what not to write because ports of call are absolutely different on which everybody seems to be interested (I have read about cruising from Athens and in Northern Europe but nobody has written about Western Mediterranean) and I could upload MDR menus, daily programs and so but.... I think they will not be in English.

 

Nevertheless.... I will try to write about an experience in another recent ship of MSC

No, please write about the ports.  It is why I cruise primarily.  Yes, I do YC because I like it BUT the cruises moving forward we are picking for the ports.  Most of the postings here focus on food, service, tipping.  Not many on excursions and almost none on DIY or various ports in a review.  I think someone did one for the Divina TA crossing which was really interesting with photos and descriptions.

10 hours ago, DennysDad said:

Is there a place for new Celebrity Cruisers to go to learn like (Royal Caribbean Blog) etc? Website other than CC? So much to learn. Have no clue other than they have a large 55 plus customer base.

Try reddit.  Or YouTube videos.  I did this for MSC.

For St. Thomas, we recommend renting a car.  We have stayed there post cruise and found it easier and cheaper to get around.  Another option is St. John but again, much nicer to visit on a land vacation as the day trippers are herded to Trunk Bay and it's crowded.  

Things I don't recommend at St. Thomas.  Kayaking and snorkeling and hiking at Hassel island.  Hiking was great as was kayaking.  Snorkeling was terrible. Other terrible place is Coki.  Disgusting, loud music, trash in water, overwhelming stench of weed everywhere.

Beaches we loved for snorkeling.  Brewer's.  Also loved Sapphire.  

St. Martin.  Definitely Caribbean Paddling to head to Pinel Island.  We have done this 3x.  Decent snorkeling midway.  Nice hiking at the island.  Good food and drink.  Nice staff.  Also, another option is taxi or bus to Mullet Bay then walk over to watch planes at Maho.  Nice inexpensive way to spend day.  We have also rented cars at the port and had fun driving around the island.

Both islands you don't really need excursions.  Caribbean Paddling does rent the kayaks and will arrange transport to their place.  

We don't usually go to shows onboard but occasionally will go if there's a novelty act like juggling or a good violinist.  Regardless, being a new D+, I never heard of this perk.  Where is the seating usually?  In the back or front of theater?

7 minutes ago, cruisegus said:

I like that price with Gratuities added.

 

Btw if you included gratuity l will not be leaving an additional tip at current prices

Agreed.  But I didn't mean for this to turn into a tipping thread.  Everyone can do what they want.  I personally don't give a crap what they choose.