Oz_Steve

I was wondering about this as well. We are booked in a PHA cabin (not under the pool area) on a Navigator cruise that seems to be selling very poorly as we got a great deal on the cruise. As it is only a 7 day cruise it would have to be a very tasty upgrade to justify it but the next levels of cabin are quite a step up. Anyone had a good offer on an upgrade beyond a PHA or have an opinion on what a good deal may look like?

Sorry to disagree, but I believe that BA are scheduled to operate a total of 7 flights from Barcelona to London Heathrow on 27 September 2018, with 4 after the 11:40 flight on which swansong is presently booked.

So, unless swansong has a pressing engagement or a connecting flight there are plenty of alternatives onto which Regent could switch their guests to ensure they get a seat in Business and are not bumped into Economy or off the flight.

 

I hope common sense prevails with both Regent & BA so that the OP doesn't have to continue worrying and chasing this issue.

Sorry I should have been clearer. At the time I posted there were 4 flights showing availability on that day including the one swansong was booked on. That flight was showing availability on Booking Class Code I. I just looked again and it now shows 6 flights as having availability in Business Class on that date. The seventh flight for that day is the one swansong is booked on and it now shows no availability in Business Class. Hope that clarifies. :D

Not sure about BA but Qantas certainly has different 'classes' of Business Class Fares, those being C,D,I and J with I having the most restrictive conditions (and is the cheapest) regarding policy on no show, rebooking etc . I just looked at the flight in question and it is showing availability for Class I which usually means there are quite a few seats available as when availability gets tight they usually only have the less restrictive (and more expensive) seat classes available. There are 4 flights that day with only one available after your particular flight. Maybe they are overselling your flight with the hope of using the overflow to fill the other flights. I have been on an oversold BA flight before and as I didn't have time restrictions volunteered to move my flight to the next day. The conditions were very generous and I got to spend an extra day in Singapore.

We are considering an Azamara cruise and the drinks package is important. By looking at the site we would buy the Ultimate package which I add in to the cost of the cruise for comparison with other lines (Seabourn etc). I would however get cranky if I bought a cruise/package and then because of a change by the cruise company I now had to pay extra for it I would be cranky.

Trying something new is also part of the experience so the choices of wine and premium spirits is important to me. I like my margaritas with Cointreau and Patron, Old Fashioneds with Makers Mark, Woodfords or a good Scotch, Martinis/Cosmos or Vodka Lime and Soda with Grey Goose or Belvedere. I also am open to trying them with something different on the list but not with Smirnoff, Jim Beam etc. Same goes for wines, life is too short to drink bad wine. Change the Tattinger for Bollinger as the by the glass bubbles you would have four new passengers for life. ;)

If you buy a washing machine from a shop and the next month it is in a sale at a cheaper price do you go back to the shop and demand cash back ???

If the washing machine was being delivered in 6 months time I would.

I'm not sure, but if you look at the description of the AQ category for Edge, it says:

 

"The ultimate in spa-inspired experiences, these staterooms are designed to indulge at every turn. From the Infinite VerandaSM that takes the whole room right to the water’s edge to Blu, the exclusive restaurant featuring favorite dishes reimagined with a healthier twist. Nestled close to the spa, where you have complimentary access to The Persian Garden and The Relaxation Room, along with a dedicated Spa Concierge who’ll be happy to make reservations for you—or create a whole spa regimen for you to follow during your cruise."

Typical Celebrity website!!

I started a booking and it showed 6pm traditional dining as being the only option rather than anytime. I also got this as the description.

• 
  
• Grohe® spa shower, aromatherapy diffuser
  
• Expanded room service breakfast menu
  
• Pillow menu to customize your night’s sleep
  
• Complimentary access to the Persian Garden and Relaxation Room
  
• Pillow menu
  
• Plush bathrobes
  
• On-demand wellness programming
  
• Aromatherapy diffuser
  
• Additional bathroom amenities, including shower gel, facial spray and lip balm
  
• Slippers
  

I booked the first and second 3 night preview sailings (at least they are the first and second ones today ;)) with the idea that this would be a unique experience. We have never done an inaugural cruise so the excitement and discovery of an unknown ship will be worth the extra cost for us, I think.

 

We booked an aft S1 for the first leg so can explore The Retreat and all that has to offer and booked AQ for the second leg to experience the infinite balcony and enjoy the AQ experience on this ship (hopefully will have Blu and Persian Garden or something equivalent or better).

 

LLP's description of the preview cruises and the 2 maiden voyage cruises:

"Both of these maiden voyages, plus the taste of luxury preview sailings, will have all of the festivities one would expect from the launch of such a revolutionary new ship, and now even more guests will have the chance to experience these one-of-a-kind inaugural sailings."

 

We are not expecting perfection because they will need to work out the kinks and will have low expectations about "all the festivities", but plan to kick back and enjoy the ride. :D

I was looking at the Edge cruises and can't see Blu mentioned in the inclusions etc. Is Blu going to be on The Edge?

We will be in Suva on a Sunday and it appears that Sunday is a Church day for locals and not much is open apart from supermarkets.

Any suggestions on what to see / do ? Thanks for any advice.

Roy

Take a trip with one of the operators that will be set up when you get off the ship. Sunday is dead in the city. Catch a cab to Damodar City (it is a shopping centre) and have a bit of a look at a bit of local life, have a bite or maybe catch a movie (or buy some pirate ones).

Tappoo Centre across the road from the market has a great view of the wharf (and your ship) on the food court level (level 4). It is a good photo op.

There is no snorkelling at Pac Harbour. You can go to The Pearl or The Uprising for lunch and you can use their pool.

If you go on this tour take a sarong or something similar to wear that covers your knees while in the village. Not supposed to wear hats in the village either but they tend not to get too concerned for ship tourists but it is polite. A tip for the kava is to ask for 'low tide' when the taki master is filling the bilo.

I was looking for info on this as well. Does anyone know what the house champagne is?

Margarita made with Cointreau, Silver Patron and muddled lime.

G&T with lime made with Number 10.

My wife likes Cosmo with Grey Goose, Cointreau and muddled lime.

You can get them anywhere but do vary a little depending on the barman.

Just a comment on Cruise Raider's post. Cellar Masters has not really been replaced by the Gastro Bar. The Gastropub or bar is simply a slight revamping of the Passport Bar located on the lowest level of the Atrium. We think Celebrity simply moved the beer coolers, that used to be located in Michaels, to the Passport Bar. Otherwise there is no real change at that bar other then offering some limited snacks (for a price). As to CellerMasters....it remains as an underused beautiful room...without the wine cruvinets.

 

Hank

Cruise Raider has it right. Cellar Master is no longer on Equinox, it has been replaced by the Gastro Bar ie it is gone.

I am not a fan of Celebrity laundry. They tend to use a too hot dryer and shrink/ruin stuff, particularly tshirts.

I also have struggled to find decent wines by the glass with the premium package. When the packages first came out the by the bottle discount was 40% (if I recall correctly) which made that a realistic option.

Many times there are wines by the bottle that I would like to try or I know are better than the ones they are selling by the glass and are the same price by the bottle but they are not available.

Having said that we had a fantastic sommelier on the Solstice when we were in Aqua Class who would get decent wines for us every night. We were a group of 8 who would drink a whole bottle (or a couple of them) every time. It may have helped that on the first night my wife bought a couple of bottles of Dom (with the 40% off) and tipped him $50. After that no issue. On the Century we got great wines in Michaels but the Sommelier in the MDR (no Luminae) didn't want to even enter into a discussion about the wine and choice was limited to the 2 or 3 very ordinary wines. On Equinox last year we were in Luminae and the Sommelier did a reasonable job but not quite as good as the one in Blu (we did tip him $50 as well). Maybe the $50 helped so a good investment. If I knew it would help every time I would give the guy $50 on the first night.

We were on that same cruise & although we didn't hear that info it would have been a blessing. We know the EC for the speciality restaurants and mentioned to him how crowded Blu was & how slow the service was. He said on the Reflection. Blu normal dinner is 200 "plates"(guests). The first 4 nights Blu was doing over 300 plates. Since only AQ and Suite passengers can dine in Blu it seems clear where the extra came from.

Not doubting what you were told but there are 112 suites on Reflection (if you include Aqua Suites) and nearly 50% of Luminae passengers were eating in Blu? Something doesn't add up. Just looked and there appears to be 156 Aqua Class cabins.

From the comments it would appear that Equinox is the only ship that has converted the former Cellar Masters space into the Gastro Bar which operates as the Gastro Bar fulltime. On our cruise last year it was very busy and we found it to be excellent.

On my 4 cruises on S class ships I must admit that I have only been to the Passport Bar 3 or 4 times and only for 10 minutes or so each time. It does seem to be in need of some sort of a lift.

Agree about Michael's, great concept. All valid points about the other venues as well. I was on Eqinox last year and they had changed Cellar Masters into an English style pub (with some pay for food) and it was doing great business. They had opened it up as well which I think helped.

Holy cow! Look at all the people with no kids. No wonder they can take some great cruises, they didn't use up all their money raising kid - lol.

 

I figured the age demographic would be older I was just shocked that so many didn't have kids or Grand kids.

 

I have all three, older but have kids and grand kids :)

I think it is more that they don't cruise with kids rather than don't have any. Certainly true for us.

My late husband and I started cruising in 1993. He was 51, I was 42. We were "loyal to Royal" until 2000 when we switched to Celebrity. We never looked back. I have done two RCCL cruises since he passed away, and I will probably never cruise with them again. I am a suite passenger and find Celebrity's suite program far superior to RCCL. I am sure that the new suite program on RCCL is lovely,but it lacks the perks that Celebrity offers. What makes my post relevant to this poll is that I am now 65 and cruise with no one other than my significant other. We enjoy the lack of nonstop announcements, the lack of children on longer cruises, Michael's Club, Luminae, the inclusion of gratuities, on board credit, and wi-if. Yes, the beverage plan is nice, but with Michael's Club, it is immaterial to us as we are not big drinkers. We do enjoy the demographic we have met in Michael's and that for us is the reason we sail Celebrity. Frankly, it is nice to cruise with folks like us.

That is part of the attraction of Celebrity for us, we first sailed on Carnival (in our mid fourties) as a trial to see if we liked it and whilst there were some positives (we did have a good time) I couldn't see us cruising with them again.

We then went on Royal with another couple and had a blast and would cruise with them again. A friend then talked us into going on Celebrity which we then booked with a group of 12 of us in Aqua Class and had a fantastic time.

We have had 3 more cruises with Celebrity in suites (2 were pre Luminae but post Michaels Club) and have enjoyed them all immensely. The ambience, style and activities suited us. We don't usually party past 1 or 2 am anymore as it is getting more difficult to back up. I can see us cruising X for another 10 years at least.

I would guess that the target market for Celebrity is 40-60 with spillovers in each direction. It does seem to be more for couples and groups of couples with generally no kids travelling with them.

At some point I think we may grow out of X sailing (now early fifties) but it is some time off. Smart marketing to have customers in their 30s who become cruisers in the targeted demographic as time passes with friends who are now ready to try cruising. They become your free ambassadors in your target audience.

Let me say that as a born and reared American, I have had a lot of interaction with Australians on both a business and social level. I find them "fair dinkum" folks. We have more in common than most other cultures. I find some of their customs baffling as they do mine, for example tipping. Service staff in Australia tend to be paid a living wage by the employer so tipping is not an expected part of their income. In the US, service staff tend to be paid at or near minimum wage by the employer and the public is expected to supplement their income through tipping to support a living wage. Different countries, different cultures. It is all good and I like Aussies.

 

I support Celebrity's new policy to include "gratuities" in the cruise fare in Australia. I hope that Celebrity will expand this policy to include all countries throughout their fleet of ships. I understand that fares will increase to cover this included perk, but it will just simplify the protocol for everyone in all countries. In addition, I will continue to give cash tips to staff for service above and beyond the norm, but that is just me.

Excellent post. I have travelled, lived in the US and worked with Americans a great deal and as you say there is more the same than dissimilar.

Better to be a traveller than a tourist.

You keep overlooking a key consideration. Celebrity is an American based company. Not Australian. In fact, I couldn't find any Australian based cruise lines. So, given that the majority of passengers are also American,and are subject to the new booking policy for affected cruises, I would think that you should think twice (or three times, if you need to) about your statements. Celebrity merely sells booking in Australia (as it does worldwide), and has port stops there. Hardly enough to support your statements that no one but Australians should have an opinion.

 

If you are referencing tipping in general in Australia, you said yourself it is not expected but it is accepted. Height of greediness.

When in Rome...

That is the cost for the Australian Government allowing you to do business there.

Look at you, making America grate again.

The best beach on Viti Levu is at Natadola which is about 50 minutes by road from Port Denarau. The best place to be there is the Intercontinental but may not allow day visitors.

I think to be fair to the original poster it's more of a question of the range of "better" drinks that one might get with the premium package. My next cruise includes premium drinks where I've always only had the classic package. I'm curious too, on which wines are now available to me that I might truly enjoy but don't know to ask for. What beers are available that I might not have tried. Should I choose "___" tequila for a better Margarita, etc. And what non alcoholic drinks are available that I wouldn't have considered in the past. Believe me, I have no intention of paying tribute to the white throne due to self indulgence but I am curious on the key benefits of a premium package.

I try to get the Patron Tequila and Cointreau rather than Triple Sec in my Margaritas. I did some experimenting to come up with that combo. I also try the better bourbons in an old fashioned.

I drink a lot of water and having to go to the buffet every time I want to fill up a water bottle is a major hassle. Even more disappointing is that water isn't included in the "Unlimited Open Bar" package. Actually considering a different line because of this.

That and the exclusion of coffee has stopped me from booking several times. You could always order a drink on the Beverage package (alcoholic and expensive) every time you pay for a water or coffee and not drink it. Probably could do 2 each time.