the penguins

9 hours ago, villauk said:

It’s a myth about the laws making the difference as many years ago Celebrity used to honour price drops over here and then they just stopped. I know as I have received those price drops. You also don’t need to be a US citizen to book in the States, as someone posted above, I’ve booked many cruises both sides of the pond and have used my own U.K. address. If you are Elite or above and book over here, you can move your deposit to another cruise and then rebook at the lower price, providing it’s not past final payment - unless they have recently decided to change that to their benefit too.
 

There is also a difference if you book a guarantee over here: you can’t change the cabin once it’s been allocated. In the US, you can choose to move to another cabin providing it’s in the same category. 

I didn't say "you had to be US citizen" just that our son is one.

I believe a fairly recent change from X is that if you now book in the US the conditions that apply will be based on your address which may remove some of the benefits I.e. price drops. X accepts us as US residents enabling us to choose the address we use for z particular booking. 

3 hours ago, abzee said:

Hi

 

I have a Celebrity Booking and it seems before my Final payment there is a reduction in price by around £400.

 

I checked the Terms : https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/company/customer-support/our-price-promise ( it does not allow price match) and also spoke to Celebrity UK CS and they cannot price match or provide OBC.

 

However, in the US or other regions, they do allow reduction.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/int/company/customer-support/best-price-guarantee

 

Any advice on how do I go about it?

 

I feel like discrimination and although paying the equivalent price in USD in GBP.

 

Is there an Ombudsman/ Trade Body specific to Cruises where this can be flagged.

 

Regards

 

 

 

you have answered your own question - you booked under UK rules and are subject to those conditions. Had you booked in the US you might have been able to take advantage of US Conditions but you wouldn't have had the consumer protection available in  the UK .

You would have also been subject to currency fluctuations which might or might not have worked in your favour - no guarantees.

From experience if you do have a major issue it is much easier to fight X in the UK than it is to argue with it's US Office.

We book in both countries depending on the offers at the time - something which is easy for us as our son is a US Citizen.

On 6/1/2024 at 4:38 PM, CruiserQ123 said:

Thanks everyone! I know on Royal Carribean you can transfer your free minutes to another passenger and both use it at the same time. After the alotted time is up, it throws you off and doesn't allow you to go over. 

 

I would think celebrity would do that also, since you have earned that. 

 

 

Royal doesn't give you minutes it gives you days  - you get 24 hours from the time you log on. Even if you use just 1 minute the your time expires 24 hours later. X gives you minutes which if you prepare everything off line, log in, send and log out can easily be spread over a whole cruise. As a couple we activate one lot of minutes and share them (we can't be on at the same time). When one lot of minutes is finished either activate the second lot or, if you need more minutes use the perk as a discount on a full package as by then there is often a special offer for the remaining cruise days - even on a 14 night cruise we have never used both lots of free minutes. You must log out or your minutes will just "disappear".

5 hours ago, KroozNut said:

If you prefer 6:30, 6pm fixed (early) is too early? We're talking 30 mins here. We have 6pm fixed (early) for our next sailing on Summit, which is perfect. And a table for six has been requested..

fixed also means you have to share with the same people whereas with Any Time we get to sit with different folk

As my wife has mobility and pain issues X always allows us to have the same table every night - i.e. we stay in the same place with the same wait staff and get 4 new table companions every night. 

Not right or wrong just our personal preference.

17 hours ago, tbmrt said:

 Does the deck location for Anytime vs. Fixed matter?

 

Plus or minuses for both please.

We always have Any Time - prebooked for 6.30 (Fixed times are too early or too late).

We always share tables ideally a table of 6 - we eat as a couple at home every day and sharing tables at dinner is one of the reasons we cruise.

the two hours allocated gives us a relaxed meal and plenty of thime to get to the 9.0 pm show in the theatre.

If you don't prebook you may have to wait (just like any restaurant if lots of people arrive at the same time there will be delays) if this happens you may be offered a buzzer so you can wait at a bar, lounge etc.

52 minutes ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

We prefer fixed. There's no waiting, as fixed usually gets seated first. 

 

We had Anytime on NCL and hated it. We had someone who has a physical disability, someone injured (me), and a 7 year old with us. Whenever we didn't have a reservation (which we were told to make daily and not have any changes), we were told to wait in line for up to 20 min. Our other option was to move from one restaurant to another in the hopes that someone could take us. 

 

One night we tried to change our reservation as our tour got back early and we were told no, as the reservations were already closed, and to follow the advice above or wait the 2 hours until our reservation. The kid was hungry, so the 2 hours was not going to cut it. Waiting in line was not going to cut it either for me and our physically disabled companion. Our only option was the buffet.

Celebrity doesn't work this way.

Fixed and Anytime are separate.

On 5/30/2024 at 4:06 PM, Gingercruiser said:

So does this mean as a diamond member of RC and Elite on Celebrity, I now get the 4 free daily drinks on Celebrity as well? I’m confused 

No you get unlimited free drinks for 2 hours a day  (5 to 7 pm) every day including Embarkation day (this has just been added) from the Elite drinks menue.  Available at most bars - details on the ship. 

On 12/5/2022 at 8:44 PM, prmssk said:

As many as you can drink from a select menu at most bars from 5-7pm each night except embarkation night. 

Embarkation is now included

3 hours ago, CruiserQ123 said:

Thank you. Is that written somewhere?

That would be a complete waste of the 240 free minutes. 

which is why if you have the Elite + minutes it's probably better to wait until you board and use it as a discount on a full package - of course that wouldn't help you. 

3 hours ago, gold1953 said:

but it seems that the 240 free minutes must be used up first before she uses her included free wifi so not so simple

as far as I know you can swop between the 2 packages the only difference being that the free minutes are at premium rate whereas the package /paid for minutes are at the basic speed. The big problem might be that both people couldn't be on at the same time.

1 hour ago, CruiserQ123 said:

I am elite status and I believe I get 90 free internet minutes. Someone I am traveling with (different cabin and different last name) is elite plus and recieves 240 internet minutes. However, she purchased the internet package so she doesn't need the 240 minutes.   Is there a way she can transfer those 240 minutes over to me? Thank you!

Once on board your friend can sign on to their Elite+ wif account by entering their cabin number and creating a password. Once that's done, provided they are logged out at the time, you should be able to login using the same password. Once you have used your friends minutes create your own account to use your Elite minutes. 

On 5/29/2024 at 12:52 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Alaska…the last frontier…marked by rugged terrain dotted with ferocious wildlife braving the elements in a daily quest for sustenance against a backdrop of undisturbed glaciers and snow-capped mountains…where survival is truly of the fittest and not for the faint of heart…we bravely embark on the Edge of an adventure of a lifetime!  Cue theme music from Star Trek…and let’s begin!

 

Welcome to my live review of our travels to Alaska!  This is an entirely different kind of cruise from our norm that was largely brought about by a bargain basement fare that first came to my attention in a post made by @Hrhbob almost a year and a half ago!  It was hard to say no to a 7 night cruise in the Retreat with all the perks:  gratuities, $600 OBC, premium wifi and premium drinks package…remember when?...all in for right at 5K!  My how things have changed since we made that booking! 

 

The intent of my live from is not necessarily to review the ship.  @SerraG has been doing a wonderful job of that in her live blog and I have hung on her every word, photo, and pro tip!  My angle is on the Alaska experience itself, how Celebrity does it, and all the prep work it took to get us to T-2 days until embarkation.  And speaking of prep, if you’re new to Alaska like me, a can’t miss thread by @no1racefan1 is a must read!  Thank you, ma’am!

 

Now, I say I wonder if I will love Alaska because I truly don’t know.  I’ll be on a cruise, which I love, so there’s that.  But this one’s different.  First, it’s far-far from home with a four-hour time difference!  I’m used to embarking in my own time zone.  Second, the packing struggle is real!  I recently read a comment on the Alaska board where someone boasted that they were able to pack all they needed for Alaska into a single carry-on.  How is this even possible I wondered as I trekked to my Alaska staging area in search of any items I could purge.  Purge!  Not a chance!  In fact, the more I read, the more I add to my suit case.  Just yesterday I threw in a dress so as to offset the grunge factor that so many of my already packed clothes portray.  And third, I’m just not sure I’m going to love the weather.  I like cool temperatures, so that’s good…but I’m not a big fan of rain.  It’s wet… and I don’t like being wet.  Ketchikan is the rainiest city in Alaska receiving up to 160 inches of rain per year!  I am now the proud owner of rain pants/boots/and jacket…

 

But I’m going in with an open mind and a feverish hope that I will be able to get past the aforementioned first world problems in order to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wild life for which Alaska in known!

 

We’ve booked Alaska on two other occasions and for reasons I don’t remember, we cancelled them.  I wondered in the back of my mind if we’d do so for a third time but once final payment rolled around, it was a done deal.  Knowing that I would want to take as many nice pictures as an iPhone could muster, my next move was to upgrade my device.  A necessary evil and one that I dreaded as there is nothing like home…a button, that is…and I was fondly attached to my little 8 plus...but @Stem to Stern talked me off the ledge and was quite right when he pointed out that a simple swipe has replaced the antiquated home button of yore.  And I have caught on quite nicely.

 

Today is our final prep day…and it will be a busy one!  The hardest part about leaving for any cruise is saying goodbye to my fur babies, Pipercat and Jane Doe, whose name was shortened to JJ (for Just Jane) after she decided that she wanted to take up permanent residence with the rest of us.  DH rolls his eyes whenever I mention the cats…for which he harbors mild disdain and only tolerates because of me.  I can’t really blame him though…Pipercat exhibited her displeasure over our impending departure by relieving herself in his open suitcase.  Fortunately, his clothes weren’t packed and he wasn’t home.  I explained away his brand new suitcase by pointing out that he was going to need more room for his warm weather gear…animals just know. 🤷‍♀️

 

Some of you may recall our adventure last March when we nearly missed the boat, quite literally, when embarking in San Pedro for a Mexican Riviera cruise.  Without the help and knowledge of fellow CC members who were following my thread, I am convinced the ship would have left without us. The PTSD perpetuated by our near miss experience has prompted me to book the earliest flight departure possible…a 7 AM on Alaska Airlines.  And since we live nearly 1.5 hours from the airport (with traffic), our pick-up time is scheduled for 3:45 AM.  Yikes!  But this allows us two subsequent chances to catch a flight should something hinder the 7 AM departure.  Fingers crossed for smooth travels.

 

Additionally, as this will be our first experience with Alaska Airlines and the self-tagging of luggage, I have equipped our cases with a TILE tracking device, similar to an Apple air tag.  I like the concept of knowing where my bag is but have wondered if it will just create more anxiety if, say…my bag shows it’s in Portland while I’m in Seattle…but I have them none-the-less and they appear to be working because I get periodic notifications that my bags are indeed in our guest room just one floor up.

 

Next up…what we’re packing and how we plan to spend our day in Seattle including accommodations and points of interest…

 

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our Alaska cruise but sorry it doesn't come close to being the "Last Frontier".

For goodness sake it has: towns, roads, airports, railways in fact all the "benefits" of modern society.

Try Antarctica (not on a scenic cruise but an expedition cruise) if you really want to see the Last Frontier.

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

Have my upvote, err I mean like button.

 

I avoid the buffet like the plague while traveling.  It makes me feel like I’m back in the school cafeteria.  I want to read a menu.

we eat:

breakfast in Tuscan (Elite coffee house style is perfect for us)

lunch on our balcony (usually hot soup in a take away cup, side of fries/mixed veg again in a take away cup - both with lids, bread, fruit in jelly/jello with a scoop of ice cream and fresh fruit. The whole lot washed down with lattes from AL Bacio which I collect after we have eaten.

Dinner in the MDR at 6.30 - pre booked to avoid any waiting - which gives a leisurely meal finished in ample time for the 9.0 pm show in the theatre.

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

What effect do post covid price rises have?  It isn’t keeping people away from “my” cruise.

As I made clear the prices rises are keeping us away - everyone has to decide how to spend their money and for us that has resulted in us doing less cruises.

6 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I'm so glad you're amused.  Many of us are not.  I am a senior with who knows how many years left that I will be able to travel.  The big surge in crowds makes my remaining vacation time much less enjoyable.  It also is causing ports to completely eliminate cruise ship stops.  Some of said ports are some of my favorites.  I'm much less amused.

latest quarterly figures from Royal which covered the whole group showed average occupancy at 107% i.e. back to pre covid levels. It's not the "crowds" that are having the biggest affect on our cruises it's the post covid price rises. 

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Got it 

great. have a wonderful time in Lisbon and on Transatlantic cruise. We usually do the Autumn TA but this year will be flying to and from Dallas to see our Grandson rather than taking the ship one way and returning by air.

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Resent 

 

I think it might be me - typed your address starting as mi whereas I now think it might be ml. Will try that now.

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Done 😁

sorry nothing received.

geoffanita at hotmail dot com

Geoff

13 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Do you have a link , I googled it and nothing really came up 

We will be in Lisbon for 4 days before a TA 

I have tried to email you but the message was rejected.

Please email me: geoffanita at hotmail dot com (just replace the words with the usual symbols - it stops the robots) and I will send the information. Thanks Geoff

11 hours ago, hcat said:

add to list of crowded ports at times..

santorini, mykonos,  nassau, st maarten

for the Greek islands try Celestyal Cruises which stay later or even overnight enabling you to explore after the big ships have left.

8 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Do you have a link , I googled it and nothing really came up 

We will be in Lisbon for 4 days before a TA 

Hi Mark, If it's OK with you I will email you later today with information to the address at the bottom of your Post. Geoff.

On 5/28/2024 at 9:27 PM, phoenix_dream said:

And this is also causing more and more ports to eliminate cruise stops altogether, or limit them to only the smallest ships or one per day.  And yet the various lines keep building them bigger and bigger and bigger.  It's very frustrating - ports we used to enjoy very much are now wall to wall people.  And there is no real market for the older ships these days - they are not big or modern enough.  So what happens with them?  More port crowding?

One wonders given the size of the ships and the size of the credit card debt if the day will come soon when the bookings start dropping considerably.  CEO's in general tend to do what is best for them right now to earn their bonus, figuring they won't still be around later when these decisions turn out to be disasters and the stocks start falling.  

Port crowding isn't a real issue - just don't follow the crowds and you will be amazed at what you can do - just a few examples:

1) The Bahamas on our last visit there were 3 ships in port each with 2000 plus passengers each. We went with with 4 other passengers for a guided tour of the Primeval Forest (what Bahamas was like before tourism). The total number of visitors booked for the whole day was 20.

2) Akoroa New Zealand we spent a day travelling with the Mail Man visiting farms way up in the hills. Our day included a picnic by a lake, walk along a deserted beach and stunning scenery. Apart from our 4 travelling companions we never saw another passenger from the ship all day. Also stopped for a cream tea at the Giants Garden again not a single passenger from the ship even though the garden was only 15 minutes walk from the pier. 

3) Bora Bora we ignored the beaches and spent time with a guide exploring the WW2 gun emplacements and going up into the hills to see the amazing flowers and scenery.

4) Lisbon the Museum of Death is a must see. Not as morbid as it sounds in fact we intended to visit for 10 minutes to get out of the rain and ended up being there for a lot longer.

Planning these trips is part of the cruise. Look at private guides and share the costs with another couple on the Roll Call - we look for guides with a vehicle that holds 6 and share with one other couple as we like the space. Try putting "unusual things for tourists to do" into Google for every port and you will be surprised at what you will find.

If you really can't find anything at a particular port stay on the ship and enjoy the space.

9 hours ago, LouChamp said:

Aloha. Regent and Silversea not in any particular order. Have enjoyed Crystal but not sailed with them since they restarted. My parents sailed with them regularly when they first started and loved them so there are options it just depends on destinations, length of voyage etc etc. I still like Holland and we have several longer voyages scheduled with them but in general only longer cruises as there are less children and large affinity groups.  Hope my thoughts help! 

HAL has also sold off it's smaller ships, Fred Olsen snapped up 1, possibly 2. 

7 hours ago, Orator said:

Why do they take you room number when you enter any restaurant?

They also print out a slip which the person escorting you to the table gives to the Waiter. The slip is the Waiters proof to enable them to check they receive the correct tips for the night - if you arrive without the slip just see how quickly the waiter goes to the Check-in Desk to get a copy.

1 hour ago, mcatmcat said:

Hi 🖐️

 

I joined celebrity last year, we sailed from FL☀️ and went to Equinox x2 and silhouette once. I know X 👔is not royal🏄‍♂️ and I was scared since all my friends were telling me that celebrity is for seniors and thats all I was going to find.

 

It wasnt that bad, I saw plenty of Millennial👫🏻 and Gen Z ⛹🏻‍♂️in most activities and walking around the ship. However, a friend who went to Relection like 3 months ago noticed less young people👵🏻. Another friend went to the beyond this month and he told me is was packed🚦 with seniors. Lastly, I watched a youtube video 🎟️of a couple bbaoring the beyond last week and they uploaded almost 2 hours of video for day 1🧳, showing diferente places of the ship🚢 at different time without much editing or effect and I only saw 4 young people. 🗣️

 

Do you think are giving up with celebrity or do you think it is just coincidence? 💬

So many things affect the ages of passengers including: itinerary, length of cruise, dates, ship etc it's virtually impossible to compare one cruise with another.

On 3 successive departures from Southsmpton Silhouette ( we were B2B) cruise 1, 8 nights, 2000 passengers 80 kids, cruise 2, 12 nights 800 passengers, zero kids,  the next cruise (thankfully we has disembarked) 2800 passengers and 400 kids.