peachcreamsicle

Hi everyone! My husband and I are considering doing a road trip to sail out of Brooklyn and I’m wondering if anyone knows of any hotels offering parking if you stay with them. Bonus points if there’s a shuttle to the port. Thanks in advance for any tips!

We checked the day before departure and everything looked fine. After departing, we were charged for something from the minibar. Like, the charge was added after we’d departed from the ship and did not have a TV to check.

I’m assuming that the masses of people in the OVC stemmed from the lack of alternative dining options. The main dining room was slow and lacklustre and the mast grill offered lukewarm burgers that had been sitting out in the open air for some time. Other than those two, I can’t really think of any other included dining options.

That’s good to hear. I’m hopeful these issues aren’t Celebrity-wide as I’d hate to abandon the brand.

Maybe, I’ve just never experienced that in 15+ cruises on multiple cruise lines. Also, we weren’t provided a paper bill like on previous cruises. It was just emailed and had I not opened the PDF, I would have missed the charge. It makes you wonder if they’re just sneaking it on there. Just a reminder to look at your bill 🙂

Ohhhh, thanks for the tip! I had no idea that was an option. I hate having my fridge cluttered with things I don’t want / didn’t ask for.

My husband and I just got back from a 9 night Equinox cruise. I must say, we definitely noticed decline on Celebrity in terms of the dining options and level of service. There seems to have been a huge decline in the quality and quantity of the Celebrity menu. The oceanview cafe was a madhouse at peak times, with nary a place to sit. My husband and I are younger and active, but I definitely felt for those with older cruisers with mobility issues… having to search high and low for a seat while balancing a plate of food. The buffet was often repetitive and certain offerings were just plain bad. Main dining has also gone downhill, with slow service, limited choices and smaller portions. When I was especially hungry, I’d often feel tempted to order multiple appetizers or mains, but this would mean spending hours in the dining room waiting for our waiter to meander over at his leisure. We would just fill up on bread then duck out. The final insult was that on the final day of our cruise, we were charged for having taken something from the minibar in our room, when we hadn’t. I contacted Celebrity and they told us it was probably an oversight, but still left me with a negative impression. I asked how I can prevent being charged erroneously in the future, and the Celebrity rep suggested having my room steward come take an inventory of our fridge before we leave the room. I’ve never had this happen on any other cruise, nor have I ever had to have my fridge inventoried in the mayhem of departure day. My question is, is this just Celebrity now? Or just the Equinox? Are there other cruise lines that are still good?

It’s been a while since I’ve booked with NCL, and I’ve been perusing their European itineraries for this upcoming spring. I’m just looking for a cheap inside, and am mainly focused on the ports. I will always find a cruise I like at a low price, but whenever I try to book, I find that the sailaway inside is “sold out” and the price jumps up for the remainder of the inside cabins. I’m not interested in having the add-ons (free drinks, specialty restaurants) and just want a cheap inside. I’m not sure why these cheap prices would be listed on the website if they’re never available? Has anyone been able to book a sailaway inside? Is there a trick I’m missing?

Hehe! It’s so tempting! I don’t mind if they change the ports, assuming we go somewhere else… But I’m afraid that they’ll just change to sea days, which would be disappointing.

Where will you be going instead of Jordan? I’m intrigued by the Celebrity Infinity Middle East itineraries in Feb-March 2024. I’m not sure why they’d still be advertising these since it’s unlikely they’ll go to Israel. I’m wondering if I should just book one and hope they change to the Canary or Greek islands 🤞

Wow! I had no idea! I asked my husband to look up the CF1 card and he says he has everything needed to apply except his enrollment date. Would that be his swear in date? Thanks so much for all of the info, by the way! You’re so helpful! 🥳

Yes, you’re right. I just wonder if they’ll ever just “combine” the two loyalty brands. Then everyone could just book whatever they like without thinking of the loyalty points.

So you did Royal Caribbean cruises after your “game changer” Celebrity Infinity? For the points?

Thank you, will check it out in the future! 🙂

Oh yes, my mistake! I meant Diamond, not Platinum. So Diamond on RCCL (80 points) = Elite on Celebrity (300 points).