Treasure Hunter

I ate the $60 one by myself (twice) the oysters were the best I ever had. We were I. A RS ( one and done) and we ate at specialty restaurants for every meal that we could. We dislike the Edge and Luminae. We liked Eden a lot and loved Raw on Five.

You will get pretty gold Haven tags in the mail. We always reserve all our shows in the Haven waiting lounge at the pier shortly before boarding ( with an assistant concierge who passes out listings and times of all the shows):

I highly recommend the seafood tower at Raw on Five instead

We really don’t drink much so we don’t get the beverage package. That is huge savings. If we get one specialty coffee or a Diet Coke that’s it. We call and get the WiFi with our Elite+ 35% off. We pay the gratuities at the end and tip extra in cash if warranted. It works out better for us. Not such a big hit all at once.

Definitely go to Taormina instead of staying in Messina. No comparison. If you do Taormina on your own without a tour don’t miss the amphitheater. It is remarkable. And the gardens and eat a horn shaped cream filled pastry.

Captains Club points do not expire. My daughter in law cruised with her family 20 years again and now we are taking her on the Constellation. Her number came right up.

Call as soon as they open. Plug in your phone and just be prepared to wait. You’ll get it straightened out.

Remember that if you are using Elite minutes they go quickly and you have to log on and log off, a real pain. Celebrity will couple the current sale and a loyalty discount 30%? I think , if you call . I would definitely do it in advance. You have to call to get the deal. We just did it for the constellation ( Elite+) and it was a substantial savings.

This happened to me too! They have a terrible system. I booked thru casino and paid in full. A month later I saw that the. Ed configuration was wrong. That’s all it took to drop some of my perks( offers). I panicked. I called and was on hold a long time. They fixed it and said they never cancel your cruise but you have to call to get it fixed. Or pay additional unwarranted amounts! Crazy stuff. Never happens to me on Princess or NCL

The best sticky buns in the world are at The Corner Room in State College, PA ( Penn State) Go State!

You will have lots of options if you let the head waiter in Luminae know ahead of time. You will not go hungry.

We have been on five Oceania ships from the smallest 650 passengers to the 1200 Riviera. Every stateroom no matter how large should be compared to Celebrity Retreat. On Celebrity, we have sailed in veranda cabins, concierge, basic retreat cabins, celebrity suites and once a Royal suite on the Edge. The food on Oceania ship wide is as good as Luminae if not better. The free included specialty restaurants on Oceania are far better than any specialty restaurant on Celebrity except for the seafood tower on Raw on Five. The lack of crowds , never fighting for a lounge ( and we were desperate in the retreat on the Edge to find a lounge chair in the shade after paying a fortune for a aRoyal suite) means that Oceania is not really comparable by price alone. We cruise both lines for different reasons. I like Celebrity’s bigger casino and more varied entertainment. Both ships have little or no smoking. Both have great service. One is a very nice mainstream line and one is a premium line.

You might be charged. While sitting in the lounge area adjacent to the Haven bar ,I often would be asked if I wanted a drink. I’d ask for a diet coke and never be charged ( no drink package) but would always tip a few bucks for the service.

However, if you put it in checked luggage they might put your bag in the naughty room with the surge protectors. ( I found this out the hard way because the ship sailed and I hadn’t gotten my luggage yet. ) Sure enough , it was put aside, they opened it and then lost the tag. My steward found the bag and brought up to our room. I’d rather put iffy things in my carryon.

I used to buy Dramamine and it worked great except I immediately fell asleep. Then I tried Bonine and it worked better without side effects. If I had no choice, I would take either. In 50+ cruises I only got really seasick twice. Once crossing from Athens to Italy where half the ship was sick and once in a bay outside of Bordeaux France. . We now only ask and eat at tables for two ( although often talk to nearby tables) but when we were younger and had more patience and traveled with our kids we often sat with other families. We have made lifelong friends this way.

We found out by accident. We were on the Pearl to Alaska and my daughter got into a conversation with a women in the elevator. She was invited to the Haven to see her suite. It was life changing. We have sailed Celebrity retreat many times , on the Edge, Reflection etc. and I still love the Haven best. I agree, stick to the newer ships if you want the full Haven experience. The food is better in the Haven restaurant than in Luminae on Celebrity, even though it doesn’t change. You can make minor changes, like get surf and surf or a shrimp cocktail or we order for lunch a sliced chicken BLT that is out of this world. The Haven concierge does special things, like bring you down early in the crew elevator to the shows. You are really treated fabulously. I like being in the Haven proper because I’m always running back to my room for something. The 16+ sundeck is wonderful ( Celebrity retreat has no adult only area).

Or you can gamble and get the casino discount. ( no free lunch but I love the slots so it’s a nice perk)

If I am paying for everything I’d want everyone together at dinner unless it’s a specialty dinner for the parents and MDR for grandkids and grandparents one night as a treat. Done that

Isn’t there a large group concierge on the website ( they will make reservations for you) if you have 10 people or more

We cruised on the Gem a few years ago. It was our first Haven experience and we loved it. We have since cruised the Haven on The Bliss, Getaway, Breakaway, Encore multiple times. Picking a ship like the Gem ( small intimate experience and usually more adult because of the lack of toys) is different from a ship built with the Haven restaurant etc.) On the Gem, we had the one room Haven suite ( heavy red and purple drapes with an outside wall and left NY in 4 degree weather. The toilet was so cold you could barely sit on it. The service around the pool was personal. Anything we asked for we got, including sliced chicken BLT's and the wonderful banana parfait dessert. We loved the breakfast in Moderna. An officer made the rounds and we had a great time talking to him. No lines anywhere including the entertainment. Yes its old, but it had a retractable roof over the Haven pool which was great for NY winter sail aways. A cruise is what you make of it. It helps to do your homework, but sometimes there are nice surprises too.

And baked potato and mixed vegetables

The reason you have to reserve the main show on NCL and get to the theater early for a good seat is that their entertainment is terrific. Just got off the Edge 11 days and only two nights were good. Celebrity theater shows are a ridiculous mash up put together in LA that we have tried to like but have repeatedly walked out of. NCL ( just did 8 days in February) are Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys, Footloose etc. and the NCL comedy club is terrific. That being said, unless you are in the Haven on NCL , food goes to Celebrity. Some of the Celebrity specialty restaurants are excellent especially Raw on Five and Eden. And Celebrity casinos are nonsmoking 👍

How this post moved from the poor celebrity website to worker’s compensation I don’t know but the exact thing happened to me. Booked thru the casino for a Greek Island cruise. Three cabins ( kids and grandkids). Checking reservations I saw that my sons bed needed to be pushed together. As soon as I made the correction it said I owed $1800! I had paid in full two weeks before I called the casino on hold for 2 hours! Finally corrected. If that’s not a glitch I don’t know what is and poor customer service. We are going to wean ourself off Celebrity. It’s just dishonest.

True but then the airline does try to help you. This way they pass the buck.

Happened to our kid’s Thanksgiving. NCL and American couldn’t care less. Never book through the ship. The discount isn’t worth the aggravation. Six months later their insurance refunded half the money. They drove all night from Atlanta to Miami to get to the ship on time. And they had planned to come in the day before.