GreenDice

Hi all Celebrity cruisers, I am planning two excursions for a port we are going to visit next year. How accurate are the times the Celebrity web site listed for their excursions? Can I trust the times to book both and there will be no conflict? If the times are accurate, I can then safely book one of two excursions through local companies. I have to stick with Celebrity for the first excursion because their tour time is much earlier than what I can find elsewhere. Is that typical? Any insight is appreciated.

Nice pictures! Where was this one taken? Thanks,

Thanks. The schedule says 7:00 am arrival and 3:00 pm departure. That should be enough, I hope.

I will be on a 14-day cruise in 2024, departing and returning to Rotterdam. I booked a combined 14-day itinerary instead of a B2B of two 7-day cruises. At the end of 7 days, the ship returns to Rotterdam. Does Holland America usually let us get off the ship and do a shore excursion for several hours? I wonder if they give us options. Thanks in advance.

👍good to know

Thanks for the quick reply. I wanted to make sure I don't get locked into dealing with Costco exclusively.

Can I book shore excursions on the HAL web site or the Navigator app even if the booking was through a big box TA? Thanks.

I just jinxed myself.

Spam emails won’t cost you if cellular data is turned off. Spam texts can be troublesome. Each one will cost $0.05. Luckily, I don’t get them at all.

I thought Verizon’s international plan does not on the cruise ship. They only have pay-as-you-go for the cellular at sea service. Once you are in ports overseas, the international plan becomes applicable.

Are people trying too hard to avoid connecting their cell phones to the cellular "tower" on the Celebrity cruise ships. Turning on "airplane mode" seems to be the go-to solution recommended for everyone. My wife and I are on Verizon. Based on the information provided by Verizon (link) and Cellular at Sea (link), it seems that Verizon's Pay-as-You-Go talk and text rates are reasonable alternative to Wifi-calling IF you only need voice and text for emergency calls and several short arrival/departure messages. Verizon charges $3 per minute (talk) and $0.50/$0.05 per message sent/received. This can be cheaper than getting Premium Wifi for making few phone calls. Of course, definitely get Premium Wifi and use Wifi calling if you need the faster Internet connection anyway. Am I missing something or did I get the facts wrong? Thanks.

Don't they worry about balls damaging the screen?

I have a feeling that there is no training program for their employees at Celebrity. The agents don’t use common sense and ask questions. I am sure there are some experienced agents. Lucky us. We just have to keep calling until we find one. 😔

That will be my backup plan.

Thank you @tvanslett and @NJRonbo for the info. I will call Celebrity when it gets closer to sailing date in 2024. Multiple times for sure. Perhaps Celebrity changes their drink packages again by then.

I believe the doctor note / documentation policy only applies when someone in the same stateroom is still having a Classic or Premium drink package. Celebrity wants everyone to purchase the same package unless there is a medical reason. Both my wife and I don't drink alcohol. Both are downgrading and are not requesting a refund. Doctors should not need to be involved.

NJRonbo and TickledBlue, When did you call them relative to the final payment date and sail date? I am in similar situation. My wife and I do no drink alcohol. I am afraid calling too soon will create mass confusion and waste my time. I booked about a week ago. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a early resolution. I can switch out of the AquaClass cabin if needed. I don't like to pay for an all-included price and have limited choices of non-alcoholic drinks. TickledBlue, Were you successful?

I just got off a chat session with a Celebrity agent. She was less than helpful. I am going to call a vacation planner instead. You: A Classic drink package is included but we do not drink alcohol. Can we downgrade it to the zero proof drink package? 17:01, Mar 14 Cindy: Hi Peter! Our Aquaclass guests will receive our Classic Beverage package which comes our all-included package. You also have the option to upgrade this beverage package to our Premium package if you would like. I am attaching a link which will provide you information on available beverages. https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/onboard-packages/beverage-packages/compare-packages 17:02, Mar 14 You: I want to downgrade, not upgrading to premium. 17:02, Mar 14 Cindy: This is a standard package which is automatic. It will provide you with your non-alcoholic beverages Peter. It is one standard package. We cannot downgrade. 17:03, Mar 14 You: Zero-proof drink package has some non-alcoholic drinks that are not in the Classic package. 17:04, Mar 14 Cindy: Our Zero-proof package is for guests who are minors, pregnant or suffer a medical condition which prohibits them. Documentation would be required to receive this package. 😲

I am in a similar situation. My wife and I don't drink alcohol We prefer the Zero Proof package which offer premium bottled water and fresh juices from Aqua Spa Cafe. They did not mention smoothies but I assume they are included as well. Assuming it is possible to switch on board, does anyone know who we should ask? Or this has to be taken off before the cruise? Thanks.

Looks like the Celebrity booking system finally resolved the discrepancy it created. The booking total due dropped to the original amount. I hope it stays this way for another 558 days...

Thanks all. I guess I just need to chill sometimes especially now that I am retired. Going to order that "Relax 101" book.

It added another $468 to the original booking total due amount. It needs to be removed as it is already part of the AquaClass cabin, as stated by everyone here. Is it okay to call the main phone number even I have a vacation planner assigned? BTW, this is on their web site, not through the app.

I had no luck so far with the search function. Please redirect if this is already covered. I just booked a AquaClass cabin on Edge's 09/20/2024 cruise. I checked the booking on Celebrity web site. It keeps adding Gratuities to my reservation. Despite removing it myself, it just kept coming back the next morning. It drives me insane. My "vacation planner" is not as responsive as I wish. Does anyone experience this? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Peter L.